Restaurants

Executive Lounge @ Gatwick Hilton

The dollar to pound exchange rate, for those of us who love to get away to England and the UK can be a little hard to digest, something to really take note if you are planning to head to London for the Summer Olympics in 2012.

Except for the availability of certain brands that you cannot find in the US, I cannot recall any visit where I didn’t have a moment or three where I cringed at the cost of something.  However my recent overnight stay at the Hilton London Gatwick Airport hotel just gave me my first moment of joy, after we decided to spontaneously upgrade our room.

Deciding to upgrade to the Executive “business” Floor during check-in, gave us the best meals, the newest rooms and the most amenities for only £50 extra.  This hotel has two restaurants but since we were there less than 24 hours, we thought those menus were a bit “spendy”, as the Brits say.  Read More »

Kosher Goodness @ David's Delicatessen in SF

Touring around Union Square like a tourist is a favorite pastime of mine. I try to do this regularly for a nice review of what is happening in my lovely city, and to take trips down memory lane. My family has been a part of the city for generations and I am the current standard bearer.

One place special for me to walk past, and sometimes eat at, is David’s Delicatessen on the border of the Tenderloin, Nob Hill and the Theater District of San Francisco. It is across the street from the Clift Hotel, so you will see many locals and visitors alike at the deli’s famous counter. Read More »

Bar Seating @ La Terrasse

A relaxing restaurant for a casual weekend or early dinner is La Terrasse Restaurant in San Francisco. They are located opposite the main post in the Presidio, which allows you a nice view of the bay.  Note: if you go on a sunny afternoon, call ahead because it will be crowded.  When we went we sat near dressed up seniors mixed together with dressed down tourists, so you can probably get away with wearing what you feel most comfortable in.  Worst case, they have seating at the bar. Read More »

People familiar with Sedona know that the main (and fun, touristy) part of town on Rt 89A has just about every type of store – from cheapo knickknack shops to high end art galleries – a traveler needs. One of my favorite restaurants in Sedona AZ is right here: The Cowboy Club is a terrific grub joint, with Southwestern specialties like cactus, bison and rattlesnake (in a tamale, tastes like chicken) along with entrees less threatening to the tender American palate. The owner of the Cowboy Club recently opened up a new restaurant down the road a stretch: The Barking Frog Grille is is beautiful restaurant, with some of the same menu items as the Cowboy Club along with standard all-American fare.

The Barking Frog is in a large, gorgeous series of dining areas, making for a much less crowded lunch or dinner that the smaller Cowboy Club. Plenty of drinks here, including Fat Tire Amber Ale (on tap) and the Prickly Pear and Horny Toad margaritas, add to the Southwestern ambience. It’s always a bit jarring to see seafood listed on a landlocked state’s restaurant menu, but the shrimp tamales (with green chilis and poblano sauce), grilled BBQ salmon, and even the grilled fish sandwich are great and still remarkably fitting. Just like the Cowboy Club, visitors to Sedona can order those cactus fries, buffalo burger (I love this) and even filet mignon. However, most of the menu items are unique to the Barking Frog here and in Park City.

Tom Gilomen, the owner of the two Barking Frogs and Cowboy Club, has a talent for running

Barking Frog's Filet Mignon

restaurants that impart a sense of place as well as great, I’ll-come-again food and drinks. Even though the Barking Frog in Sedona is down the road from the busiest part of 89A, it’s easily worth the 5-minute drive. But watch out – those mouth-watering churros for desert are over the top! Dieters, consider yourselves warned…It’ll take a big hike to work off those delicious treats. The next time I’m lucky enough to vacation in Sedona AZ, I’ll make a point of returning to The Barking Frog.

Barking Frog Grille
2620 W Highway 89A
Sedona AZ
(928) 204-2000

Tad's Steaks

Cheap steaks are like treasure, it is always a surprise when you discover they still exist in today’s world. When you walk into Tad’s Steakhouse in downtown San Francisco, you are reminded that cheap steaks (that come with salad, garlic bread and a baked potato) do still exist in this expensive city of ours.

The dinner menu at Tad’s is on the opposite spectrum as John’s Grill around the corner, or my across town favorite Harris’ Restaurant but this Powell Street steakhouse is a safe place to direct that foreign student who stops you on Union Square or the occasional tourist family with the hungry kids. They all can enjoy a non-burrito and non-fast food place for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

My husband and I do like to eat at downtown hole-in-the-walls that only a non-local would go to once in a while. It reminds us of our first time in cities like Paris, Vienna, London, Tokyo et al. Eating at Tad’s also reminds us of being college students with cast iron stomachs.

Seriously it is a bit of a tourist trap but I am kind of impressed that Tad’s has survived all these years across from fancier restaurants. The longevity of Tad’s could be its relationship to Ruth’s Chris but if it is, the better quality steaks I’ve had a Ruth’s Chris Steak House are not at Tad’s Steakhouse.

120 Powell St
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 982-1718
www.tadssteaks-sf.com

Mon-Sun. 7:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.

Kuleto's on Union Square in San Francisco

When we “play tourist” or have family visiting who really want to eat somewhere nice downtown in San Francisco, Kuleto’s is often our “go to” restaurant. The restaurant and its sister cafe are both located inside the Villa Florence, a very nice hotel in Union Square.

When you look around the immediate area, your restaurant choices are limited to bar food or super expensive restaurants, though I would be tempted to return to an old favorite, John’s Grill. At Kuleto’s their menu has so many great dishes, even my own picky mother found delicious risotto the evening we took her out.

Dining at Kuleto’s if it is the two of us, we love to sit at their long counter that faces the cooks. There is something about watching them cook for you that adds to the experience – and you are served pronto! We usually share one of their antipasti to start, like the Calamari Fritti alla Diavola or the Prosciutto di Parma con Carciofi. My husband swears by their Tagliata con rucola which is the hanger steak, and I often use my date night to eat exotic pasta like their Tortellini d’Anatra.

If you get a chance, arrive early for your dinner so you can have a glass of wine at their bar. It is an amazing 40-foot-long, intricately-carved Brunswick bar made in England, which was brought around Cape Horn aboard a clipper ship and survived the 1906 earthquake while installed at the Palace Hotel.

221 Powell Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 397-7720
www.kuletos.com

Sunday – Thursday 11:30am-10:30pm
Friday & Saturday 11:30am-11:00pm

Photo credit to my iPhone

Enjoy a glass of Chianti or a cappuccino

Mario’s is the type of hip local spot that gets consistently listed in the regional guides placed in San Francisco hotel rooms. However the difference is that compared to most of the other places also listed — this North Beach cafe is worth any effort it might take to get there.

Washington Square Park is one of my favorite spots in North Beach to spend some time on a sunny day, soaking up all the scenic and interesting aspects of urban life. Depending on the day and time, you’ll see groups doing Tai Chi, a small art show, dogs chasing Frisbees or old men in natty suits and hats sitting on the green benches chatting away in Italian.

Whichever side of the park you find yourself there will be something amazing to cause you to slow down. On one end you have the historic Sts. Peter and Paul Church where Joe DiMaggio famously “married” Marilyn Monroe (they actually got married at City Hall because of her previous divorce kept her out of this Catholic church but they still had the famous photos taken on the church steps). Nearby is the equally notable Liguria Bakery, makers of the best focaccia bread in the city and the suppliers for Mario’s sandwiches.

Across the way on the western end is the recently reopened institution known as “the Washbag” or Washington Square Bar and Grill and on the southern end you will find the one and only Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store and Cafe.  Known locally as “Mario’s” this wonderful classic corner cafe with its green awning has been around just as long as the Washbag with both being made infamous in the 1980’s “Tales of the City“ series written by Armistead Maupin and its 1993 television miniseries.

Tuna and Meatball Foccacia Sandwiches

Walk inside Mario’s and you will see the same bar stool and cafe tables along the windows that I’ve been sitting in for years (you’ll have to leave a comment if you want me to tell you how many years).

Illustrating how clever they are, Mario’s oven is near the front door facing busy Columbus Avenue. The incredible smells from the toasting focaccia bread sandwiches wafts lightly out the constantly being opened door – and leads visitors in by the nose, or maybe for some by the stomach.

Besides having the best food around, Mario’s also has an amazing cappuccino con Vov and other espresso drinks made with extra creamy milk. Stop in anytime and you won’t be disappointed. They somehow manage to keep hiring the best staff over the years, my focaccia is always toasted so perfectly to withstand the amount of filling they put into the sandwich – like my favorites, the open face tuna, the meatball and breaded eggplant!

Mario’s remains one of the coolest spots in North Beach to stop in for a glass of red wine or espresso or to stay for a great meal while you dig the urban scene.

566 Columbus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 362-0536

Photo credit to sfcphotography