Eating Out Archive

  • When I made plans to meet up with @BasilLeaf, I suggested dinner and she responded with an enthusiastic, “I LOVE FOOD!” So I decided to take the opportunity to try out a new restaurant I’d kept forgetting to visit — one that I first spotted in The Perfect Spot back in February. Opened by a married couple, Chris and Veronica Laramie, the restaurant hints of an elegant, modern meal with two (prix fixe) courses at $25 and additional courses (say, dessert) at $11. BasilLeaf and I found ourselves tucked into the restaurant on a rainy evening. The restaurant was a...

    Dinner @ eVe Restaurant

    Posted on 2010.04.01 | No Comments
    When I made plans to meet up with @BasilLeaf, I suggested dinner and she responded with an enthusiastic, “I LOVE FOOD!” So I decided to take the opportunity to try out a new restaurant I’d kept forgetting to visit — one that I first spotted in The Perfect Spot back in February. Opened by a married couple, Chris and Veronica Laramie, the restaurant hints of an elegant, modern meal with two (prix fixe) courses at $25 and additional courses (say, dessert) at $11. BasilLeaf and I found ourselves tucked into the restaurant on a rainy evening. The restaurant was a...

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  • Today I hit Gregoire for lunch. If you don’t know Gregoire, it’s the East Bay’s premiere take-out place — a little tiny postage stamp of a place, but which churns out great food. For dinner, gourmet French food (my first visit there I had seared duck breast… to die for… I will have to review dinner separately).And for lunch, sandwiches, salads and lavash wraps. Both the lunch and dinner menus change monthlyAlways offering a selection of various potato products (don’t miss the crispy potato puffs… little poofs of crispiness surrounding surprisingly light “mashed potato”), and a choice of desserts (anything...

    Lunch at Gregoire Restaurant, Berkeley

    Posted on 2010.03.28 | No Comments
    Today I hit Gregoire for lunch. If you don’t know Gregoire, it’s the East Bay’s premiere take-out place — a little tiny postage stamp of a place, but which churns out great food. For dinner, gourmet French food (my first visit there I had seared duck breast… to die for… I will have to review dinner separately).And for lunch, sandwiches, salads and lavash wraps. Both the lunch and dinner menus change monthlyAlways offering a selection of various potato products (don’t miss the crispy potato puffs… little poofs of crispiness surrounding surprisingly light “mashed potato”), and a choice of desserts (anything...

    Continue Reading...

  • I want to love Commis. I really do. And I expected to, based on the rave reviews of the restaurant everywhere (e.g., OpenTable, Yelp, Foodhoe). After two visits, I feel a little bit like a girl whose lover has turned out to be almost everything she wanted, but she can’t quite put her finger on why she can’t fall madly in love. I’m caught in a state of… “I really really like you but…” We went to dinner last week at Commis for Gus’s birthday. I had in mind to try what I’ve heard is their new tasting menu, but...

    Commis Restaurant

    Posted on 2010.03.25 | 1 Comment
    I want to love Commis. I really do. And I expected to, based on the rave reviews of the restaurant everywhere (e.g., OpenTable, Yelp, Foodhoe). After two visits, I feel a little bit like a girl whose lover has turned out to be almost everything she wanted, but she can’t quite put her finger on why she can’t fall madly in love. I’m caught in a state of… “I really really like you but…” We went to dinner last week at Commis for Gus’s birthday. I had in mind to try what I’ve heard is their new tasting menu, but...

    Continue Reading...

  • Emilia’s Pizzeria opened in the fall and from the friends & family opening onwards has been gathering the kudos. It’s a small shopfront (still no sign, although I think I saw it leaning up against the wall when I picked up my pie tonight) and Keith Freilich, the owner, mans it by himself, from answering the phones (it’s a good idea to order your pizza ahead of time if you expect to get one) to making each and every pie. And the pizza? It’s a large 18″ pie with thin crust (sort of NY style) with the edges have that...

    That Sauce Makes the Pie

    Posted on 2010.02.10 | No Comments
    Emilia’s Pizzeria opened in the fall and from the friends & family opening onwards has been gathering the kudos. It’s a small shopfront (still no sign, although I think I saw it leaning up against the wall when I picked up my pie tonight) and Keith Freilich, the owner, mans it by himself, from answering the phones (it’s a good idea to order your pizza ahead of time if you expect to get one) to making each and every pie. And the pizza? It’s a large 18″ pie with thin crust (sort of NY style) with the edges have that...

    Continue Reading...

  • I'm sure we'll be going to the places we loved in 2009… but we're also all about finding new gems (ok, some of these aren't strictly "new" but they do fall into "it's new to me" or "haven't been there in ages". Please drop by to leave comments so we can check out your favorites too. Frances Orson Ubuntu Saison Flour+Water Boot and Shoe Service One Market's Whole Beast Dinners Rickhouse Bourbon & Branch Emilia's Pizzeria Heaven's Dog Halu Nombe Alembic Il Cane Rosso (dinner)

    Where I’m Hoping to Eat and Drink in the Bay Area in 2010

    Posted on 2010.01.27 | No Comments
    I'm sure we'll be going to the places we loved in 2009… but we're also all about finding new gems (ok, some of these aren't strictly "new" but they do fall into "it's new to me" or "haven't been there in ages". Please drop by to leave comments so we can check out your favorites too. Frances Orson Ubuntu Saison Flour+Water Boot and Shoe Service One Market's Whole Beast Dinners Rickhouse Bourbon & Branch Emilia's Pizzeria Heaven's Dog Halu Nombe Alembic Il Cane Rosso (dinner)

    Continue Reading...

  • Places we kept going back to again and again: Camino, Pizzaiolo, adesso, Dosa, Corso Trattoria, Gregoire, Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe, Wood Tavern Fun for a special occasion: Michael Mina, Commis (actually reasonably priced, so maybe not just special occasions) For when you can't stop eating: Zabu Zabu, Espetus, farmer brown's brunch Perenniels: Yank Sing, Bette's Oceanview Diner, Cheeseboard It's New to Me: Katana-Ya Over-rated: Chez Panisse Cafe Next time: places we're looking forward to eating in 2010

    2009 Faves

    Posted on 2010.01.13 | No Comments
    Places we kept going back to again and again: Camino, Pizzaiolo, adesso, Dosa, Corso Trattoria, Gregoire, Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe, Wood Tavern Fun for a special occasion: Michael Mina, Commis (actually reasonably priced, so maybe not just special occasions) For when you can't stop eating: Zabu Zabu, Espetus, farmer brown's brunch Perenniels: Yank Sing, Bette's Oceanview Diner, Cheeseboard It's New to Me: Katana-Ya Over-rated: Chez Panisse Cafe Next time: places we're looking forward to eating in 2010

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  • The Michelin star ratings for San Francisco were released back in October. I haven't exactly made it a goal to eat at all the restaurants on the list, but I thought I'd examine the list and see which I've been to, and maybe revisit some I haven't been to in a while, and put others on my radar. Turns out I haven't been to many, especially not recently, so I can't speak much to whether they've earned the stars are not… but, here goes. And lots of others to come. Eaten eat (ever) Eaten at (in the past year) Three...

    Eating at San Francisco’s Michelin Stars

    Posted on 2009.12.01 | No Comments
    The Michelin star ratings for San Francisco were released back in October. I haven't exactly made it a goal to eat at all the restaurants on the list, but I thought I'd examine the list and see which I've been to, and maybe revisit some I haven't been to in a while, and put others on my radar. Turns out I haven't been to many, especially not recently, so I can't speak much to whether they've earned the stars are not… but, here goes. And lots of others to come. Eaten eat (ever) Eaten at (in the past year) Three...

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  • OMG, every weekend for weeks (I say weekend because I travel during the week, but sometimes even more than 1x a week) when I’ve been in town, I’ve gone to Tacubaya on 4th St. in Berkeley… ordering up a couple of tacos de lengua. Yes, beef tongue tacos. Tongue is not necessarily one of my favorite beef cuts – texture can be a little weird – but here it works in the taco’s favor… super moist and tasty chunks, with a green tomatillo salsa, and covered in onions and cilantro. Plus a little squeeze of lime. It’s like going to...

    Currently Obsessing: Taco de Lengua – Tacubaya

    Posted on 2009.09.07 | No Comments
    OMG, every weekend for weeks (I say weekend because I travel during the week, but sometimes even more than 1x a week) when I’ve been in town, I’ve gone to Tacubaya on 4th St. in Berkeley… ordering up a couple of tacos de lengua. Yes, beef tongue tacos. Tongue is not necessarily one of my favorite beef cuts – texture can be a little weird – but here it works in the taco’s favor… super moist and tasty chunks, with a green tomatillo salsa, and covered in onions and cilantro. Plus a little squeeze of lime. It’s like going to...

    Continue Reading...

  • On our anniversary this year we had dinner @ Pizzaiolo in Oakland – our first visit after I heard lots about them. We actually really like that neighborhood, which also has the great yarn store Article Pract, Dona Tomas, etc. I’ve been teasing Gus that we should have bought a house over in Oakland since so many of our favorites seem to be over there (e.g., Camino, Dona, adesso, Wood Tavern). And Pizzaiolo did not disappoint – serving up the kind of daily menu and fresh ingredients we love. We will go again soon. Just look at the crust on...

    Pizzaiolo

    Posted on 2009.09.05 | No Comments
    On our anniversary this year we had dinner @ Pizzaiolo in Oakland – our first visit after I heard lots about them. We actually really like that neighborhood, which also has the great yarn store Article Pract, Dona Tomas, etc. I’ve been teasing Gus that we should have bought a house over in Oakland since so many of our favorites seem to be over there (e.g., Camino, Dona, adesso, Wood Tavern). And Pizzaiolo did not disappoint – serving up the kind of daily menu and fresh ingredients we love. We will go again soon. Just look at the crust on...

    Continue Reading...

  • Currently my favorite place in SF to go for a good sushi experience. Here, one of the owners shapes some of the rice up for a piece of nigiri. Below, I love the expression on his face as he blow torches some daurade. Sebo is like going to a neighborhood sushi joint in Japan, except slightly more upscale than most of what you’d find down-the-block in most neighborhoods. Also priced similarly to sushi jn Japan, which is to say, steep but worth it (ok, and it’s actually still less expensive than you’d get similar quality in Japan). Sit at the...

    sebo

    Posted on 2009.08.07 | No Comments
    Currently my favorite place in SF to go for a good sushi experience. Here, one of the owners shapes some of the rice up for a piece of nigiri. Below, I love the expression on his face as he blow torches some daurade. Sebo is like going to a neighborhood sushi joint in Japan, except slightly more upscale than most of what you’d find down-the-block in most neighborhoods. Also priced similarly to sushi jn Japan, which is to say, steep but worth it (ok, and it’s actually still less expensive than you’d get similar quality in Japan). Sit at the...

    Continue Reading...

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