Spruce: Come For The Food, Stay For The Service

Our February Dine About came up quickly (it was on Feb 1st), but left a lasting impression. Spruce - the encore of famed Village Pub founders, expectations were high. I don't know if it's because I've missed the last 4 Dine Abouts, or because it's the first adult dinner I've had in months, but Spruce made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening!

Diners included: our steady leaders Phu & Winnie, 2nd timers Ehren and Karen Kruger, Mollie and her possy (Jon and Ella stayed home, Mollie and Mom and Dad Brown hit the town), and pinch hitter Maureen filling in last minute for Jon. A fun loving crowd all around.

A short wait and we were led to a perfect round table to enjoy our dining experience.

Food: 92 Started nice and continued strong. My memory is a little fuzzy, so perhaps others can fill in the details. Starters: Nice salads, sweet bread that no one likes but Phu always orders, tasty duck pate and salty meat plates. Main course: wonderful, light sole, sea bass just ok, nice beef (w/duck fat potatoes), other dishes escape me! Desserts - hazelnut cake took the prize.

Phu: The duck pate and salty meat plate, aka their House–made charcuterie was one of the best I've had. The other entree was a delicious pan seared pork tenderloin served on top of some large white beans. It was perfectly seasoned. I also liked the Beignet dessert with two dipping sauce.

Service: 95 So smooth - some of the best we've seen! Plates and settings appeared and disappeared without notice, glasses always full, pacing perfect.

Phu: The Sommelier select two wines that everyone liked (a very fragrant Lynmar Chardonnay and a bold Trueblood Cabernet).

Atmosphere: 89 would have scored higher except for the athletic jersey framed like art and the terrifying white teeth staring from the wall during dinner.

Phu: Yeah, the artworks were a bit odd and out of place. The wine cellar is pretty impressive though.

Jon on the Jon. . .perhpas we'll have a guest columnist this month!

See you in March.

Nice Little Jewel in the Tenderloin

A small turn out for this month’s Dine About SF at Fish and Farm restaurant, with just the Phans and the Chos. I like to congratulate Avis and John on becoming proud parents to two beautiful little girls, Juliet and Sabrina. We hope to see them soon in our future DASFs.

Fish and Farm is another one of the many new restaurants that is following the trendy concept of the moment – organic and local (all its ingredients are sourced within a hundred miles of the restaurant). It is a small restaurant (in the Mark Twain Hotel) that serves up delicious “New American” cuisine. We walked away satisfied and quite please with the food.

On to the reviews:

Food = 88
The appetizers were the standouts, we had the grilled Monterey squid will citrus and fennel, fried oysters with a celery root remoulade and Meyer lemon marmalade and a home made parpardelle pasta with winter vegetable. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauce flavorful. The squid was tender and nicely seasoned. The fried oyster was light, crunchy on the outside and moist and creamy on the inside. The celery root remoulade that accompanied the oysters was excellent. Main courses were solid all around. We had the bone-in rib eye, the sable fish and the gnocchi. Particularly good was the house-made gnocchi with roasted pumpkin. The Chef definitely has a knack for home made pastas. For desserts, we ordered the persimmon bread pudding with cinnamon sabayon and the huckleberry and pear crumble. I’m a huge fan of persimmons and when I saw the persimmon bread pudding, my eyes lit up but when the desserts came out, I was disappointed to see that it was regular bread pudding garnished with a few slices of persimmons. The huckleberry and pear crumble, however, was quite delicious. We also noticed that the same ingredient was used multiple times on the same menu – a must for a small restaurant.

Atmosphere = 85
Fish and Farm is a cozy small restaurant. We sat in a chocolate-colored booth, very comfortable. The room is decorated with vintage boat oars, a giant clock, and paintings of fishermen and farmers. It was a little on the noisy side.

Service = 83
Service was solid all around but on the slow side…perhaps intentionally. They kept our water glasses full.

According to Victor, the “John” was part of the Mark Twain hotel and does not deserve a "John on the Jon" haiku!

Coi - Interesting but Disappoints....

Coi was DASF’s first foray into the Prix Fixe arena. In fact, the restaurant only offers the Chef’s 11-course tasting menu with 4 of the courses having two choices. Coi served up interesting and innovative cuisine using ingredients that are super fresh, a reminder of Winterland and Quince. Unlike Quince and Winterland though, some of the dishes did not meet our expectation. For the high price ($165 per person including tax and tip) and creative cooking of Chef Daniel Patterson, we had high expectations going in and unfortunately the flavors of some of the dishes were rather ordinary and boring. Only a third or so of the dishes wow us.

We had a small group for Coi due to some last minute illness cancellations: Lehman, Jason and the Phans.

The ratings:
Atmosphere: 90
Very nicely decorated, clean, modern, nothing crazy, but pleasant. There were some interesting art works and furniture (driftwoods, burl tables). The place is small and intimate.

Service: 92
Very good overall. Coi employs a team service approach. Each course was served to simultaneously to every guess at the table. The staff was efficient and knowledgeable. This is to be expected for this level of restaurant.

Food: 88
Coi is definitely adventure in eating. Chef Daniel Patterson is both creative and innovative in his dishes. We love the freshness of all the ingredients and the clean taste. However, that does not necessarily translate to great tasting food and flavors – not all of his combination worked well together. For example, the Monterey Bay Abalone sautéed with fennels sounded like a great tasting dish but it was prepared simply as any Chinese home chef would (by sautéing it with fennels with some garlic, salt and pepper – boring). Another dish (can't remember it specifically) was brought out and the waitress put some kind of perfumed food infusion on our wrists so we could experience the dish along with the aroma of the infusion. I personally didn’t think it did anything to elevate the dish, neat concept but that’s about it. The artisan goat cheese was goat cheese was too funky for my taste but Lehman enjoyed it. There were some hits, the Slow Cook Farm Egg was delicious and a Silken Tofu and Maitaki Mushroom combination was heavenly. As for desserts, not much to say other than blah. So for the price, I would much rather splurge it on Gary Danko or Micheal Mina.

Since neither Jon nor John was with us, I’ll provide this edition of “Phu on the John”:

Driftwoods and candles
Black river rocks in the sink
Calm and serene place

Mijina Cuisine – a Strong Start but only a So So End.

We had another large group that attended this month’s Dine About SF, including another newbie, Zeena’s friend Hiba. Hiba is a newbie for DASF but a seasoned eater! The rest of the group includes the Phans, the Chos, the Minns and the Currys.


Mijana Cuisine serves up authentic Lebanese food and for the most part, it did not disappoint (Zeena gave them the thumbs up for both authenticity and flavors). The space is comfortable and we even got decent entertainment! Overall, this place is an excellent value!!! On to the reviews:


Food = 88
The Mezzas were all excellent, especially since they were served with pita breads that were baked on premise. Zeena took charged and ordered the Cold Vegetarian Mezza Platters (Hummos, Baba Ghannouj, Tabbouleh, Warak Enab, & Falafel) and the Hot Combo Platters (Kebbeh, Borek, Jawaneh, Sambousik). She also recommended the Soujouk (spicy sausage) and the Kebbeh Nayeh (Beef Tartare with Burghul & Onions) that were both excellent. Zeena guided us the proper of eating the Tartare, by stuffing some in the freshly baked Pita and top with raw onion and fresh mint. It totally changed the flavor profile but it all go so well together. For entrees, Zeena ordered the Mijana Mashawi Special (Lamb Chops, Chicken Kebab, Kafta Kebab, Veggie Kebab) and Loup De Mer per my request (Whole Mediterranean Bass Deep Fried & Stuffed with Spicy Vegetables). After all the delicious Mezzas, the Kebabs, although pretty good, just wasn’t as good. In addition, there were consistency issues. Some pieces of the grilled meat were dried and overcooked, while others were moist and delicious.

Atmosphere = 82
We had a good table right in the middle of the dining room. The space is nicely decorated. However, an hour into our dinner, the music started and we were smacked in the middle of it. It was truly an authentic Lebanese dining experience but we thought the music was just a bit too loud. Shortly after the music, the belly dancer entertained us. I reserved comments on her to Victor and Ken, as they were “stared” down and invited to dance by the belly dancer.

Service = 83
The service was solid all around. They kept our plates clean and water glasses full. The only complaint I have was that he couldn’t split our check the way we like unless we do so equally 2-ways, 3-ways or 4-ways.

Tim Curry will be adding his "John on the Jon" column and I invite all friends of DASF to add comments!

Cassis Serves Up Good Food but With Poor Services

We had a large group attended this month’s Dine About SF. All but one was a DASF regular, Lehman’s special guest Jason. Rounding out the group: the Phans and the Chos (sans babies), the Minns (Freshly back from all their travels), the Martinovic and the Klinkes rounded out our table of 12.

Cassis took over the space of one of our favorite DASF restaurants, Winterland. The new owners made minor changes to the former Winterland space. They opened up the kitchen and added a faux brick wall in the main dining room to soften up the room. Cassis serves bistro food that is distinctively South of France and is run by two brothers who had run and operated restaurants in Southern France. We were waited on by one of the Meloni brothers. The food was very solid for a neighborhood joint but our experience was ruin by the poor service. Read more below.

Food = 85
Every dish was simple and solid. We started off with the Wild Mushroom Tart, the Tuna Tartare and a special appetizer of Wild Arugula, Prosciutto and Honey-figs for appetizers. The mushroom tart was a little lacking when it comes to seasoning. The appetizers were followed by Neapolitan-style thin crust pizzas that were excellent. For the main courses, we ordered the Risotto with Fresh Asparagus, Mushrooms & Tomato Confit; Beef Stew Cooked in Red Wine & Herbs; Pan-roasted Monkfish; Duck Confit and Juicy Duck Breast; and Pan Roasted Rack of Lamb. The risotto was perfectly cooked. The sauce for the roasted monkfish (creamy peppercorn was too strong). I would have like that sauce on meaty roast pork or grill steak (a la steak au poivre). The duck confit was a little dry. For dessert, we ordered the Tarte Tatin à la Sauce Caramel; Tarte au Citron and the Valrhona Chocolate Fondue. The lemon tart was very good (Avis thinks Winnie’s lemon bars are better) and the fondue was enjoyed by most of the ladies and Victor.

Atmosphere = 82
Cassis kept Avis’s favorite awning. The new owners opened the kitchen and added a faux cream brick wall that adds warmth to the main dining room. However, the loud techno music was too load and in sync with the type of restaurant.

Service = 60
The service here has to be one of our worse for DASF. Despite having one of the owners as our waiter, we did not get good service. The waiter was pleasant and friendly but he didn’t react warmly when I told him that we like to dine family style and share. This is surprising for someone who came here from the South of France with an Italian father, where that style of dining is common from that region. From my observation, it appears that they may be short-handed that night. All our food came out all at once (sans serving spoons and forks). I had to flag down the hostess for silver wares. The busboy/food runner kept rushing us (it felt like we were eating at TGI Fridays) and when they cleared our plates and dirty silver wares, they forget to replace with new ones. The plates were not dried and still have puddles of water on them. When the main courses came out, a few of us were missing knives. No excuses for this low level of service!

John Klinke will be adding his "John on the Jon" column and I invite all friends of DASF to add comments!

Palmetto Pleases, But Doesn’t Impress

A mix of old timers and first timers attended this month’s Dine About SF. On the roster:
veterans the Phans and Chos (sans babies), and the Carters (Jon joined, and Ella made her 2nd DASF). Julia Brown, in town visiting from Phoenix, made her 2nd DASF. Newcomers Ehren and Karen Kruger, “long time listeners, first time diners” rounded out our table of 9.

Palmetto, located on bustling Union St., offers fresh, simple, Mediterranean inspired cuisine. An accomplished chef who has worked at high end restaurants elsewhere in the city raised our expectations. And while every plate delivered, nothing truly stood out. Overall an enjoyable dining experience, Palmetto is a place most of us would return to for a reliably good meal, but not for any kind of special occasion.

The Ratings (luckily Julia was here to help me remember the #s!):

Food = 85
Every dish was simple and solid – no bad plates to speak of. But, nothing really impressed. We started with a cleansing, cold tomato flavored soup, compliments of the chef. Outstanding appetizers included the risotto balls, and the tomato salad with some special cheese Phu knew a lot about. Surprisingly, the chicken dish was one of the favorite entrees served with a nice sauce of red peppers and tomatoes. Fish dishes were good, not great (halibut and salmon) and hanger steak with porcini mushrooms had a delectable flavor, but a was too tough (although I’m told hanger steak is supposed to be tough. Perhaps we should have ordered the NY strip instead.) Two good desserts, the phylo-wrapped-lemon-infused-something-or-other excited the palate, and the espresso dunked vanilla bean gelato was outstanding. But the other desserts did not impress – they were out of the chocolate, and the crème brulee was too milky.

Atmosphere = 88
Palmetto is unassuming from the outside, but stylish on the inside. We had a nice booth table at the back of the restaurant – luckily next to some open windows with fresh air in an otherwise stuffy room (once again a very hot restaurant – a trend I’ve noted in previous write ups.). Lighting highlighted the food nicely, and exposed rafters made Jon feel right at home. Noise level was high – but this was good for sleeping baby Ella.

Service = 82
Our waiter was professional and efficient, but did not stand out. He seemed to lack some confidence. And, a few misteps brought down the rating: when the Chos and Jon joined the group a few minutes late, they were not given champagne glasses or poured any bubbly, missing serving spoons, not knowing they were out of chocolate cake when we ordered, and not offering dessert plates. Maybe not big problems for the novice diner, but not much gets by us!

Special note: while the hostesses had panic on their faces when I bounded in with Ella in stroller, they took our stroller without attitude and accommodated our little one without question.

Jon will be adding his "Jon on the Jon" column and I invite all friends of DASF to add comments!

See you in October. . .

A Neighborhood Visit to Sardinia

We dined at La Ciccia this month - a neighborhood restaurant at 30th St. and Church. Similar group as last month - our core diners were quick again and took the 8 spots available. In attendance: The Phans (without Isaac this time - he's become too active to wait through our drawn out dinners!), The Klinkees, The Chos, The Carters represented by Mollie and for her first ever Dine About - Ella! (Ella was kind enough to wait until after dinner to demand her own food.) While this core group makes for great company & a lovely picture (see pic to right) - the Klinkees even tried to implement joke night last night- what has happened to our other diners?!

Summary:

We found the service to be fun and professional, the food solid, atmosphere a little lacking -- all in all a nice place, but nothing extraordinary. A few comments sum up our experience:

"Nothing really knocked my socks off" - Cecilia

"It was good, but I wouldn't come back" - Avis

The Ratings:

1) Food = 84

All of the food was all inspired by the flavors of Sardinia. Yes, Phu did order the sardines! Appetizers were very nice (delicious cheese and 4 mushroom pizza), very tasty pasta w/ ~4 different meats, tangy arugula salad with vinegar soaked onions. Highlights of dinner - Bass served with a lovely tomato caper tapenade-like sauce; Hanger steak was tough, but nice flavor from the porcini mushrooms and whipped potatoes (no butter or cream, just broth and olive oil!); solid lamb chops. Desserts were very simple - we expected more (basic gelato, strawberries and vanilla ice cream, a very nice ricotta & pistachio flan like dessert.)

2) Service = 93

Very charming, informative waiter gave us the full story on how the dishes were prepared in classic Sardinia style! Dishes were cleared promptly, water glasses full, and no dishes were forgotten (see last month's review).

3) Atmosphere = 80

Can you say plain jane? I know this is a neighborhood place, but nothing on the walls (at least in the front where we sat) and some strange drift wood on top of the bar. Plus, once again a restaurant that was too hot. I've noticed this trend amongst many of the restaurants we go. It's SF people - open the windows and doors if the kitchen is giving off too much heat!

Once again a very enjoyable dining experience!! Add your comments! See you next month.

Paris Comes to San Francisco

Once again I've delayed too long in documenting our Dine About experience and I've forgotten many details. . .so, please add to this post!

We dined at Jeanty at Jack's on July 6th. Many of us attended Steven Gregory's gallery opening prior to dinner. Steven's photos are fantastic (who knew such a budding artist was among us!) - check him out at: http://www.sgphoto.info/. A very "cultured" evening - with scintillating art and food!

We had a solid old timers group for Dine About, consisting of the Phans (including perhaps the last visit for a while from Isaac), Klinkees, Chos, Son and Mollie. Jeanty, a classic French restaurant, pleased our palates and senses. Located in the financial district (Sacramento & Montgomery), this establishment (formerly a brothel) appears to attract mostly a lunch crowd, as we were one of only a few patrons that evening. But that suited us fine, as we got great service (except for a missed meal, see below). Jeanty reminded me of the excellent restaurants I've dined at in Paris - attentive, professional service and exquisite, rich flavors.

On to the ratings -- we had relatively large differences in opinion, so look for any comments on these scores:

Food = 88

A great start with soup and salads. Jeanty is known for their soufflé like tomato soup - rich soup surrounded by a puffed pastry - delicious. The salads were excellent (butter lettuce, and beets.) I did not take part in the steak tartare, but those who did found it quite good. Main dishes presented very solid flavors. The french always make a great Coq a Vin, the short ribs and sole also pleased. Desserts were fantastic - as can be expected from the French (Apple gallette, chocolate mousse brulee, and Crepe Suzette).

Service = 85

Top notch, subtle in meeting all our needs. However, they did forget one of our dishes, which turned out to be fine, since portions were huge (not typically french) and we were too full for the last dish.

Atmosphere = 80

Very charming setting, but we dined on the top floor of this former brothel and it was dreadfully hot!

I would recommend Jeanty for anyone looking for a little Parisian flair in the heart of San Francisco! And, save room for dessert!!

Two - Food Scores, But Little Else Pleases

We dined at Two this month. Two is the new Hawthorne Lane - same people, same location, just new restaurant.

A small, but lively group gathered for this month's DASF, including Phu and Winnie, 2nd month in a row for little Isaac, Lehmann, Rob and Kathy, and Mollie.

Overall the food was very good - every dish was solid. But a lot of noise, eclectic decor and average service made an otherwise great meal just good. I would, however, recommend Two based on the quality of the food and fairly good value. On with the scores:

Food: 90
The highlight of the night, besides the company, was the food. Every dish was solid. Interesting salads to start, with the avocado and chopped spring greens suprisingly good. Duck pizza also well received. 28oz steak was a hit amongst the meat eaters - great salt & pepper crusty outside. Roast chicken with quinoa very moist and flavorful. Sides hit the spot - carmelized broccoli and fries. And, suprising to me, the pork streusell was excellent - light & crispy outside and flavor pork inside. Who knew a German dish could be this good. Dessert were good - nothing amazing, but the Two Cupcakes (choc mouse and peanut butter) and strawberry rubharb crips put a sweet end to a nice line up of entrees.

Atmosphere: 80
The larger round bar from Hawthorne Lane remains - and creates a lot noise. Hairy lamps, '70s style wall paper, and beaming spot lights did not create a soothing atmosphere. However, extra points for nice bathrooms - we'll see if Rob adds his notes for "Jon on the John" this month.

Service: 70
This is where Two fell short. Very, very slow sums it up. Also, little to no personality from our waitress - although she did increase her score by being helpful in splitting up the bill between gift certificates, cash, and cards. At one point I commented that the whole wait staff seemed to be bellied up to the bar chatting. I think I was overheard by someone in charge, because our waitress came over soon after. The waitstaff are encouraged to go "casual" - most wore non descript jeans and boring to sloppy t-shirts and shirts. A little "two" casual for my taste - but that's a minor point.

Looking forward to our next outing!

Pres a Vis - Hits and Misses, but Overall Quite Good

Dine About was back on this month after a one-month in home special occasion last month. In April we brought Vietnamese to the Phan's who were caring for Isaac, just a couple weeks old!

A good group this time around tested out a new city location for DASF - the Presidio. Pres a Vis is in the new Letterman building (Lucas' new film studios). Their theme is tastes from around the world. Tough to pull off this very eclectic menu, but they do a good job mixing the right cuisines and flavors.

Mostly veteran DASF-ers with one new addition - Isaac Phan! At 1-month old he his already following in his parents culinary footsteps. Joining Isaac were: Pat and Yosef, Cecilia and Victor, Phu and Winnie, and me (Mollie). Dr. Jon, had a seat at the table, but got stuck again at the hospital.

Overall a very nice evening. Food was very tasty, with a couple dishes that wow-ed us, a couple that disappointed. Atmosphere was impressive, but service fell far short of expectations. I had better service at Pasta Pomodoro yesterday! I would recommend this place, but don't expect fine dining service.

Food: 87
Atmosphere: 92
Service: 70

Food: the duck buns were a big surprise hit, but the "spicy" hamachi rolls were bland. OK endive salad. Salmon and Black Cod - big flavors, delicious. Steak just ordinary. Dessert - beautiful plating and flavor to match. Creme brulee was actually unique with a crumb crust and chocolate with cherry ice cream made an impression.

Atmosphere: they've done a great job with the new Letterman building. Nice wood/glass interiors with mix of seating areas; great views. Entrance through pay garage took away from the luxury feel. Bathrooms - see next posting for "Jon on the John" - from guest commentator, Victor, I love poetry!

Service: you expect a lot more from a place like this. First we waited 45 minutes for our reserved table. . . points must be docked unless we're bribed with drinks/appetizers/apologies from the management - none of which happened. Waiter was a dud - no flair, no real interest in us. Water glasses weren't filled, unused wine glasses not removed, no clean plates. . . and a dump of the check at the end with no "closure - thanks for coming in" type farewell. The automatic 20% gratuity was too much.

Until next month - happy dining!

Salt House Doesn't Disappoint

Salt House, from the same folks that brought us TownHall, came with high expectations. They didn't disappoint.

We had a strong crowd of 13 participate in this months DASF. The restaurant is a small place and we had to split into a table of 8 and table of 5. We had regulars and some relatively newbies:

Table w/ 8:
The Phans on their last Dine About without a little one at home
Mollie and her visiting parents (yes, Jerry and Elna make another strong appearance!)
Steven and Zeena - had been to 1550 Hyde, but had never taken part in the ratings
Patricia - just a couple weeks back from her wedding and honeymoon abroad

Table w/ 5:
4 veterans: Victor and Cecilia, Avis and John
Newcomer - Lehmann

I'll be commenting here on the experience of the table with 8 (apparently the other table had quite a different experience.)

Food: 92 - very solid on all dishes; just a couple outstanding dishes: the salads (crab salad and mixed greens with warm homemade ricotta cheese), excellent patrale fish (very light with a spinach sauce; mashed potatoes a little on the salty side), and great coconut cake dessert. Fun "street food" fries with cheese and gravy and "franks and beans" (sausage with garbanzo beans).

Service: 96 - really outstanding and made the dinner stand out as one of our better overall dining experiences. The pacing of the 6 courses was perfect; new plates and silverware for every course (maybe that was a bit much).

Ambiance: 84 - not bad at all, and actually kind of eclectic and interesting. But nothing wowed us here. Look for John on the Jon by Klinkee (since Jon Carter was at work).

Another really fun evening of good friends and good food!

Perbacco - Nice Looking, But Not Much More

Once again I've let too many weeks go by before writing our blog entry on our latest Dine About SF experience. The details are a little fuzzy. . .

Particpants: Winnie and Phu, Patricia and Yosef, Maureen, and a newcomer - a friend of Pat's and Yosef's, Jon (who for once wasn't post call) and me. A festive and lively group!

Scores were mostly in the low '80s, except service that hit a new low, in the low '70s. Food, which had an Italian flare, was good, but nothing stood out (except maybe the breadsticks.) Average salami plate, strange tomato gnocci dish, and not much else that was memorable. What was memorable was our waiter. He had a certain harshness that made you feel just a little bit on edge. He lost big points when he said he couldn't split the bill on 2 (yes, just 2) credit cards!

Jon's "Jon on the John" column:
Overall - not good. I won't get into the details, but not real clean, steep staircase with old, high school style rubber matting to get to the downstairs bathroom, and tiny little stalls.

If anyone else can remember a bit more - please add a comment!

Jon and I won't be at the next DASF. . . looking forward to reading about it!

Eat Well!
Mollie

Terzo - Another Solid Neighborhood Joint

After a strong turn out for 1550 Hyde last month, we have a small group this time for Terzo during the holiday month. We also dine on the Third Friday for the first time for DASF, appropriate since Terzo means "Third" in Italian! We have the usual DASFers (the Klinkes, the Carters and the Phans). We were sat in the small back room right next to their wine cellar (should have brought my wine key with me). It is a nice, cozy and tastefully decorated room. The Pan-Mediteranian menu consists of mostly small plates for sharing, highlighting seasonal ingredients.

Ratings:

Overall value - 85 (good food at a decent price)
Atmosphere - 88 (love the cozy room and a roommie table)
Food - 85 (solid food overall but nothing stands out or memorable. The egg bruchetta was excellent but the Roasted Niman Ranch Beef with Chimichurri was bland and their version of the "calzone" was pretty ordinary too).
Service - 85 (The waiter did a decent job with moving from lighter fares to heavier dishes but they did not change our plates once, even though we were tasting many different dishes with varying flavors).

Terzo should do well in Cow Hollow. It is a cozy neighborhood restaurant with good food and reasonable prices.

More Pics from 1550 Hyde

1550 Hyde: Neighborhood Gourmet

I fear I've waited too long to enter our blog post for our November Dine About. It's a good thing this was a memorable dining experience! Now's the time for anyone to jump in and fill in details I've left out.

First - a new record for DASF, we had 16 people attend and we were turning them away at the last minute! We had to split up, as this is a small, neighborhood establishment and they only had one "group" table and that squeezed in 7. So mini tables were formed:

1) Table 1: "Some tie to Rhode Island or at least Walden": Rachel and Walden flying through SF from HI, Germaine, Steven G. and Zina.

2) Table 2: "The Peninsula locals": The Klinkees (John and Avis) and the still acting like newlyweds - Tim and Dani.

3) Table 3: "Everyone Else": Phu, Winnie, Mollie, Cecilia, Victor, and another strong showing from Mollie's folks, Jerry and Elna Brown (their 4th Dine About - all great dinners, they bring us good luck.)

Scores were generally in the mid 90s. Excellent all around - service, food and atmosphere.

Highlight was the excellent food - all local, organic ingredients. Also, they treated us well. The big table waited for 20-30 minutes past our reservation, but the owner was quick to comp a large, delectable antipasti platters. The olives and carrots were particularly good. (this is in contrast to our visit last fall to Zuppa, where we waited out in the cold for an hour past our reservation, with barely an apology and nothing comp'd.)

It's been too long to recount the specific dishes, but I remember each dish stood on its own with creative, but not overwhelming flavors. I also distinctly remember that dessert was excellent, especially the espresso ice cream concoction.

I will be going back to 1550 Hyde (and not just because Dr. Jon was home asleep after a grueling few days at the County.) Great, fresh, local food with friendly service. Perfect.

See you all in December!

Scott Howard - Worth a Return Visit!

Our October Dine About was Scott Howard, a restaurant that shares the same namesake as its talented chef! This month's DASF was a good come back after a Senseless DASF in September. Scott Howard occupies the space that used to house the Cypress Club and Jackson 500. It is an attractive space with an open kitchen and the place was packed with beautiful people the night we were there. They sat us in the center of the dinner room next to a large round table that has an impressive flower arrangement. Overhead is a huge wrought-iron chandelier.

The Group: We had a first timer in Lehmann Koo, a foodie in her own right! Jen and Errol, making consecutive DASFs!!! CC, you and Victor are lagging behind in attendance. Our newlyweds Ken and Maureen and the Phans.

The creative foods were well executed and all tasted fantastic. To start, we were all treated to an amuse bouche of intensely flavor carrot broth. I am almost tempted to put Scott Howard up there with Winterland but the service was only average for DASF standard. The staff was pretty attentive overall but we had to ask our waiter 3 times before he brought Winnie's drink.

Ratings:
Overall value - 85 (same caliber food as Frisson but at a much more reasonable price)

Atmosphere - 88 (nice warm open space with just the right accents)

Food - 92 (excellent Smoke Trout Truffle Egg Salad & Tuna Tartar; the Artic Char and Sea Bass were both perfectly cooked; the long braised Short Ribs was rich and silky; all three deserts were solid but the S’mores is a must try)

Service - 85 (Our waiter deserves a lower score but the rest of the staff help raise it by at least 10 points. Lehmann asked about a particular wine but all he would say was that “it’s good”. Luckily someone else was able to help out. The rest was the staff was very attentive throughout the evening).

Prior to opening his own restaurant, Scott Howard was the Executive Chef at the highly popular Fork Restaurant in Marin. I for one am happy that he has opened his own place in the city.

No "Jon On the John This Week" since both Johns were out.

Sparrow - Great Service Turning Average Food into a Great Dinning Experience!

Sparrow - located inside the ultra high end residential apartment of the Gramercy Towers, was a solid DASF choice. It is a beautiful and well appointted restaurant serving contemporary cuisine with Asia and French influences. They have a beautiful privite "Wine" room that could accommodate up to 12 guests but we didn't quite have the turn out this time around. The group consists of Jon (sans Mollie - who was in Kauai bonding with her sister), Sandi (welcome back after a long hiatus), Winnie and Me.

The ratings:

Service - 98 - I had to rate this category first because we received the best service to date. Our waitress, Leah Rae, was fun, knowledgeable and most importantly on top of her game!!! She made good recommendations on both the food and wine and had excellent pacing from course to course. She recommended the Calera 2001 Jensen Vinyard Pinot Noir that was incredible. Being a fan of bold and robust wines, I was a little skeptical at first but she assured us that we will like it and it did not disappoint!

Food - 88 - We thought all the dishes were solidly executed, taste pretty good and the presentation/plating was nice but nothing brought out the "wow" factor like the food at Winterland or seared Fois Gras and Tuna Tartare with cucumber melon sorbet from Frisson. Although the poached Lobster appertizer came close.

Atmosphere - 90 - See the introduction. The music was a nice mix of world beats without being too load.

Jon-on-the-Jon. Jon is back and will write his Jon review....see next comment!

Overall, we like this place but just like Winterland, it probably will not survive due to its location. It is on top of Nob Hill right across from the Grace Cathedral but it is in an area that is easy to miss from the street.

Dosa - Go for the Food!

Dosa - far from accomodating for a big group, but the food keeps 'em coming back!

Great turn out - in fact we had to turn a few folks away! Sorry about that (see below). In attendence: the newlyweds Tim and Daniella, our leaders Phu & Winnie, penninsula peeps Victor, Cecilia, and Mollie, love it spicy Germaine, and special guest Walden.

Dosa isn't our typical kind of place where we bring a lot of people and get special treatment because we have a blog (and we have Phu). In fact, let this be a lesson, we were limited to a table of 8 (we squeezed in 9) and those who didn't RSVP in a timely manner were shut out. Dosa would not expand the table. And, we nearly lost our table when some diners (namely me) were late. Picture soup nazi Seinfeld and you're starting to get the idea. And finally, our waitress was not happy to be serving a big group, and she stated her case early serving waters with scowls for all.

But, alas, the night did turn around. Phu let the waiterss know the drill - 1 person orders a lot of food and we all share. We had an agreeable happy waitress after that, who actually did a terrific job guiding our selections.

There's one reason to go to Dosa - for the food. So many delightful tastes with every dish. The chicken appetizer, fried bread, and curries were especially good. And, always welcome, Dosa provided very good value. Pacing was all wrong, and we couldn't hear each other speak, but nonetheless, happy diners we were.

On with the ratings:

• Food - 90 - matched the variety and flavor we've experienced at far fancier and pricier establishments.
• Serivce - ranged from 60-70 - The waitress did guide us to a great selection of plates, but scores remain low due to bad pacing, very cramped table, no new plates. Really far worse service than we've seen most other places.
• Atmosphere - 75 - HOT! Cramped! Loud!

Jon-on-the-Jon. Jon Carter was getting some shut eye and didn't make it to Dosa. Victor will be stepping in with a Jon-on-the-Jon guest poetry entry. See next comment.

Until August. . . when we'll be dining the 2nd Friday of the month! Happy eats!

Citizen Thai & The Monkey

June 2, 2006

Citizen Thai & The Monkey - Decent Thai food in North Beach but didn't impressed the tough DASF crowd!!

Small group for this for this month's DASF due to a few last minute dropouts. Avis, Alicia & the Phans were in attendance.

Ratings:
Food = 80
Service = 70
Atmosphere = 88

Jon-on-the-Jon: Once again, no Jon-on-the-Jon rating this month.

Service - The service was pretty poor at Citizen. The waitress was only there to take our order, serve the food and give us the check. She was MIA the rest of the time. Although she did made one lame attempt at replacing used silverwares but she only did it for Avis!! The service at their sister restaurant, Koh Samui & The Monkey was much better. What a big drop off from Clementine.

Food - Citizen Thai serves up inventive & pretty good Thai food. The appetizers were the stars. The Fried Sweet Corn Patties, the Mieng Kum, and the Crying Tiger Salad (first had this at Koh Samui) were all very good. Of the entrees, only the Mango Catfish stands out. Their Green Curry was a very average.

Atmosphere - Charming and intimate setting, very nicely decorated with plenty of neat arts from Thailand.

Overall, a decent Thai restaurant but tough parking location would sway us to choose other good Thai restaurants in the city.

Clementine - Classic French, Tres Bon!

Clementine pleased the senses and palettes of this month's Dine About crowd, living up to its billing as a delicious neighborhood French bistro.

A good showing from the usual suspects and a few folks who seem to be turning into regulars! Pat drove in just in time from Berkeley; Son, a 2nd-timer charmed the crowd with stories of Nebraska; Phu and Winnie - ensuring we were well taken care of (Phu even tried speaking French!), The Browns from Phoenix timed their trip to hit DASF; and me (Mollie) sans Jon (Jon back from Costa Rica, but sick after working all night).

Ratings:
Food = 90
Service = 94
Atmosphere = 88
Jon-on-the-Jon = stand-in Son has been fired from any future Jon-on-the-Jon ratings, instead being delegated to rating the female wait staff (with the Garcon staff still top-of-mind.)

Service is the reason to return to Clementine. Every detail was attended to and the pacing was perfect.

Food received a healthy 90 rating with all dishes executed extremely well. The blue cheese tart and shrimp citrus appetizers were favorites and the duck with mushroom sauce and blue nose sea bass with risotto were wonderful. And, the French know dessert - highlights included the special of the day - fresh strawberries over moist tart with "(H)azelnut D'ough", and French toast with caramelized ice cream.

Atmosphere. Charming and intimate setting, plenty of room, and soft music allowed us to converse easily. Very comforting, but avoid if possible the toilettes which were obviously decorated by a man (see Jon-on-the-Jon notes above.)

Overall, a solid neighborhood restaurant I could see returning to. Good value; and better value if you can make the prix-fix menu from 5-7pm M-F.

Looking forward to seeing the other posts!!

Annie's Bistro - A Good Pac Heights Neighborhood Joint

By Winnie Phan:

For the first time in the history of DASF, we dined on the second Friday for the month of April. We dined at Annie’s Bistro – a Cal-French bistro. This lower Pacific Heights neighborhood joint is small but quaint. The attendees for this month’s group: the Klinklees and the Phans.

It’s been a couple of weeks, but this is what I remember for the ratings.

Food: 83
There were some good dishes and some that were just so-so. For appetizers, Phu ordered the beef carpaccio, mussel Marinière and the open mushroom raviolis. Avis ordered the soup du jour, white navy bean soup. The white navy bean soup and the open mushroom raviolis were really good. The beef carpaccio and mussels Marinière wasn’t very memorable, they were “okay”. For entrees, Phu ordered the Crispy Duck Confit, Rack of Lamb, Pan Roasted Blue Nose Sea Bass and side sauté spinach. The duck was really good. The pomengrate sauce complemented the duck very well. The lamp was cooked perfectly and the accompany port sauce was very nice. The blue nose sea bass could have been better. The pearl onion red wine sauce was too heavy and overpowered the natural favors of the sea bass. The side spinach was a very small serving. It was barely enough for John, Avis and I to split. For dessert, we picked the Ginger Crème Brulee and the Tarte Tatin. The was definitely the better of the two. The texture of the crème brulee was very custardy, too dense and cake like.

Service 88:
There were a hostess, a bartender and a waiter. Our waiter was really good considering he had to service the whole dining room. He was on top of it.

Atmosphere 82:
Quaint, cozy, small, intimate, neighborhood joint. Seats by the door got drafts of the wind every time someone came into the restaurant. Poor Avis had to put her jacket back on to stay warm. No Jon on the John rating this month. John thought it wasn’t worth a Haiku either.

Overall, Annie’s Bistro is a good neighborhood restaurant, offering decent food at decent prices.

Winterland - A Hidden Treasure

After a disappointing Feb. dine about, March came in and blew our socks off. This little known place in Pac Heights was phenomenal! We hear it's not attracting big crowds, and we hope to spread the word about this top of the line dining establishment. After Quince, this is my top DASF experience to date (and that's after 23 months of doing this!)

Go check it out at: www.winterlandrestaurant.com

Everyone was so excited and tickled by the food and experience, we started a new tradition of making up Haiku. (maybe this was a result of the Hemp seed in the dessert.) See the next posting.

We had the core group: The Klinkes, the ever loving Ceci and Victor, just back from Carnival Phu, and me. We missed Jon (asleep on the couch at home after a long call night) and Winnie (not feeling good after what must have been a great birthday.)

The ratings:
Atmosphere: 90
Nice, modern, nothing crazy, but pleasant. Love that it is a small, intimate place.

Service: 97
Outstanding! Salpi, our waiteress was very knowledgeable, as was all the staff, charming while not being overbearing. A great service team - they swooped in smoothly to deliver all our dishes at once, and cleared the plates all at once - perfectly orchestrated. Plus, nice extra touches, with an amuse at the beginning and nice peti fours at the conclusion of the meal (we love the freebies.) Usually this type of service is reserved for the very very top line restaurants (e.g., French Laundry).

Food: 95.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Tons of fresh ingredients and different flavors - but it all worked great together. Highlights: Octopus Ceviche and Chicken wings and gnochii with butternut squash puree to start. Light, smooth Alaskan Cod with infused mash potatoes, wonderful short ribs, creative lamb with spinach crepe. 2 out of 3 desserts hit the spot, with the rhubarb brioche and olive oil ice cream topping our list - sounds crazy, but unbelievably tasty.

I may have got the ratings a little mixed up - they were all in the 90s, so correct me if I'm mistaken.

More on the next post. . .a new tradition in poetry to tempt you to read on.

Garcon - Not up to Par (Feb's DASF)

Garcon, located in the mission, was pleasant, but not up to regular DASF standards. It's been a month since we went there, and I can't remember one detail - a sign of a not so memorable experience.

What made the night great was the company. We had a few first-timers: Jen Anastasoff - who has signs of becoming a real foodie. Son Tran, the new roommate upstairs from Phu, transplanted from New Orleans, was wowed by everything, as first timers usually are. And, Mark Uhlik, a friend of Jon's from high school in Colorado, in town for a meeting. A suprisingly great critic - hailing from Indianapolis, not usually known for cuisine. We also enjoyed the presence of Germaine - back after attending the very first Dine About so many months ago! All were great additions!

Rounding out the group were the regulars: Phu and Winnie, Victor and Cecilia, Jon and me.

Great group; not great food (this is a new bit of Haiku you will start to see in our write-ups. More on that with the next rating for Winterland.)

Restaurant itself was crowded, and we were packed into the back room. I do remember a particularly good chocolate dessert.

Anyone else remember anything?

Cheers,
Mollie

Ame - Food Pleases, Service Disappoints

On Jan. 6th DASF gathered at Ame - a fusion sort of restaurant in the St. Regis hotel at 3rd and Mission. It was another lively evening with good friends, good conversation, and interesting food. In attendance: The Klinkees - with both Avis and John making it out; Phu & Winnie - passing up mediocre steaks at the Old SteakHouse to dine with DASF instead; Mollie and post-call but just drank a gallon of coffee so I'm bright-eyed and ready to enjoy Jon; and our out-of-town, first timer, special guest - Walden!!

And the ratings are:
Atmosphere - 92
Food - 85
Service - 60

Appetizers were too small to share, with Avis trying to cut bits of tuna small enough to go around. Watermelon Radish stuffed with some kind of fish was delicious and fresh, but Tuna Five and the Japanese Custard failed to impress.

Main dishes were delectable - wonderful Black Cod, tender beef, fresh salmon, and very good risotto (Avis thought too Salty, but not as salty as the Risotto we sent back at Cafe Kate, so things are improving.)

Dessert was good with tasty key lime pie, but average pear crisp and chocolate cake.

Atmosphere was very cozy - has a modern feel, very high ceilings paired with nice dividers made the area feel spacious, but also cozy. We were able to hear each other and spread out a bit.

Service was severely lacking. Waiters didn't know the menu, forgot John's beers, didn't bring dessert plates - all such rookie mistakes we couldn't hardly give more than a 60 rating.

Most of us said we wouldn't return - not enough value and service really off the mark.

And there you have it - another installment of Dine About!! Always a good time. . . Join us in February!

Cafe Kati

We dined at Cafe Kati for the November edition of DASF. Cafe Kati is considered one of the early pioneers of "East West Fusion" cuisine. It is an intimate neighborhood restaurant. It has been on the Chronicles' Michael Bauer's Top 100 list consistently year in and year out and its food consistently rates above 25 in Zagat's. So the expectation going in was pretty high.

We had a small group this time around...Me, Winnie, Mollie and Avis - the regulars and by far the most critical members of DASF.

Now the ratings:

Food: 73 - Shortly after we sat down, they brought out corn bread. The appetizers started off nicely. The Peanut Crusted Prawns with green papaya, mint and thai basil salad was delicious. The Kati Signature Dragon Roll was decent but we all thought the flavor was a little bland for our taste. For the entrees, we ordered 3 plates to share; the Kati Marinated Skirt Steak, a Seafood Risotto dish and a Pan-Seared Orata. The Steak and Orata were pretty good...excellent flavor and cook just right but the biggest disappointment of the night was the Risotto!!! The entire dish was too salty. It completely ruined a very flavorful dish. It was so salty that we had to send it back - a DASF first. The waiter replaced it with the Miso Glased Black Bass in a Dashi Broth that was excellent. For dessert, both the Panna Cotta & the Warm & Gooey Chocolate Orvit Cake were pretty average. The Panna Cotta can't compare to the one we had at Zuppa. That risotto dish knock the score down by 15+ points!

Service: 80 - The waiter did a good job here but nothing unique or special to warrant a higher score. He made up for the over-salted Risotto dish by recommended a very good Miso Glazed Black Bass dish and he also picked out a pretty good bottle of wine.

Atmosphere: 78 - Cafe Kati is a small neighborhood restuarant. It is small and intimate but we didn't like the decor of the back room very much. The front dining room looks a bit more romantic.

"Jon on the Jon": 50 - Jon was not there to rate the "Jon" but the girls wasn't too impress with it.