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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Borobudur Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1499\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1457\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp404iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/borobudur13.jpg\" alt=\"Rijsttafel\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/borobudur14.jpg\" alt=\"Soto Ayam\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/borobudur19.jpg\" alt=\"Shaved Ice with Coconut Milk and Jackfruit\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nRijsttafel (Rice Table and Small Dishes), Soto Ayam (Lemongrass Soup with Chicken), Shaved Ice with Coconut Milk and Jackfruit\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/july-hartono.jpg\" alt=\"July Hartono\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> July\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> S.A.P. Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Borobudur Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Borobudur Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Thursday, December 4, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n My boyfriend and I arrived at the restaurant at 7 pm after circling the block for about five minutes to find parking. The restaurant was decked out in Christmas decorations and it looked even better than the usual. As it was quite early for dinner, we got seated right away at the booth at the end of the restaurant, even though we did not have a reservation. Soon though, the restaurant filled up and by about 8 pm, there were people waiting to be seated.\n\u003cp>As soon as we are seated, we had our water. They were very attentive at first because their restaurant was still rather empty. However, as it started to fill up, I had to flag them to put in our order. The food came quite quickly, though, and the waitress, who recognized me, brought a jar of sambal terasi (chili with shrimp paste) for me. This restaurant makes their sambal terasi in-house, and the sambal terasi is complimentary, but you have to request it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered two appetizers, and they could have been our main meal. The portions were good-sized, and Indonesian food is usually eaten family-style and it would have been better to go with a group because then you can order a variety of dishes and get to eat everything without having lots of leftovers. The vegetable sampler had three corn fritters, ten pieces of tofu, and ten pieces of tempe with a side of special sauce. I ate them with the sambal terasi instead of the sauce that came with it because I preferred the spiciness of the sambal terasi than the sweet sauce. The siomay bandung was also quite filling with all the fish cakes, tofu, cabbage, potatoes, and hard-boiled egg with a special peanut sauce. They were both good as usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For our entrees, we ordered soto betawi and mie tek2 goreng. Soto betawi is a stew of beef served with diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce, topped with belinjo crackers. The meat was tender, and the broth was rich and flavorful. Mie tek2 is my favorite dish in this restaurant — a dish of traditional fried noodle with chicken, vegetables and eggs. However, I was quite disappointed that it was too salty this time. As usual, I added my spoonful of sambal terasi to all my dishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traditionally, all Indonesian dishes come with their own chili sauce and Indonesia has many different recipes for chili sauce. Sambal terasi is the most common of these Chili Sauces. It added the kick of spiciness that I had been craving. We were so full, we could not order dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had to flag down the waiter several times to get our water refilled and our check because it was a busy night, and there were only two waiters to perform everything from seating to cleaning. Nevertheless, they were always polite, friendly, and prompt with my requests. Besides, with the festive atmosphere at the restaurant, I did not mind spending a little bit more time there. There was a good mix of people there, usually in a group of four or more and there were Caucasians, Indians, Chinese, and, of course, Indonesians. The check came to $41.56, just as expected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As always, I had a wonderful time at Borobudur, and a lot of leftovers for lunch the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/amber-wipfler.jpg\" alt=\"Amber Wipfler\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Amber\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Deputy Attorney General\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alegrias Spanish Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Borobudur Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, December 5, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nJust when I thought I’d tried every ethnic cuisine in the greater Bay Area, I was introduced to something entirely new — the fantastic Indonesian food at Borobudur. Although you may need to fight off theater-goers and TenderNob shoppers to find street parking, it’s well worth the trouble for the fried corn fritters, and a steaming cup of sweet ginger tea. The highlight of my meal was the tempe, which was a welcome change from the tofu and seitan generally found on vegetarian menus. Described as “Java soy bean cake,” Borobudur’s tempeh is soft and dense with a texture similar to a plantain, and a pleasant fermented soybean flavor — almost like a milder version of Japanese natto. The spicy fried tofu with eggplant was also impressive. I was not expecting a tomato-based sauce at a Southeast Asian restaurant, but it was a delicious surprise, and laced with just enough chili to leave a pleasant burn on your tongue.\n\u003cp>The atmosphere at Borobodur is warm and relaxed. The aroma of coconut milk and lemongrass greets diners as they enter the front door, and the space is decorated with lovely Indonesian woodcarvings and umbrellas. Service was initially slow, as there were only two servers on a busy Friday night, but the quality of the food made this fairly easy to overlook. The chef personally presented my companion and me with our entrees, and twice returned to our table to make sure we were enjoying his creations. Indeed we were.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indonesian food is truly unique. Although the ingredients are similar to those found in other Southeast Asian cuisines, it is not merely “Thai food with a twist,” and is a must-try for Bay Area foodies looking for something deliciously different. I look forward to my return visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/tom-kelly.jpg\" alt=\"Tom Kelly\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Tom\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Talent Agent\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sausalito\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Poggio\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Borobudur Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, December 5, 2008 \u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n For someone who is not familiar with Indonesian cuisine, Borobudur in San Francisco is an excellent place to get a first-rate (and very tasty) education. Located between The Tenderloin and Nob Hill, the restaurant offers a feast for the senses, and almost insists upon multiple visits in order to savor the full range of its offerings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu seems overwhelming at first, but a great way to get your feet wet is to order the rijsttafel (“Rice Table”), a comprehensive sampling of appetizers, entrees and dessert that runs about $26 per person. The Soto Ayam, or lemongrass soup, is marvelous, with a dozen or so different flavors blending seamlessly in a rich broth. Other standouts were the shrimp curry and the lamb curry. Indonesian curries are uniquely different from Thai or Indian versions, and seem to have a subtle sweetness that rounds out the spicy punch. My friends and I were not completely impressed with the fried tofu dish, but that was truly the only item that was less than stellar; for the most part, every other dish was its own intriguing concoction, mixing familiar and unfamiliar flavors in a highly entertaining fashion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, we ordered a few other plates, including spicy green beans with shrimp paste. I liked the peppery kick (one of my friends found it a bit too spicy), and it was a great match with the Pedroncelli Cabernet that we’d ordered. A whole fried striped bass arrived next, a delicately flaky treat with crispy skin that the menu describes as being marinated in “exotic spices.” We also tried the lamb curry from the main menu, which seemed to be slightly different from the rijsttafel version but was just as satisfying. Instead of ordering several desserts, we all shared the burbur ketan hitam, or black rice, which may look and sound intimidating, but was in fact quite good; mildly sweet with a delightful coconut finish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The room is small, but bright and inviting, and we were all relived at how conversation-friendly the environment was. We went early on a Friday night and there seemed to be only one server working the entire house (which was nearly full) for the first hour, until other staff arrived. This was never a problem for us, but you might want to keep it in mind if you are looking for a quick dining experience. Parking is typically difficult in the neighborhood, but we took public transportation and skipped the hassle. I would love to return to Borobudur and explore the entire menu.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n700 Post Street (at Jones Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94109\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-775-1512\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.borobudursf.com\">www.borobudursf.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Indonesian\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Borobudur Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1499\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1457\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp404iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/borobudur13.jpg\" alt=\"Rijsttafel\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/borobudur14.jpg\" alt=\"Soto Ayam\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/borobudur19.jpg\" alt=\"Shaved Ice with Coconut Milk and Jackfruit\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nRijsttafel (Rice Table and Small Dishes), Soto Ayam (Lemongrass Soup with Chicken), Shaved Ice with Coconut Milk and Jackfruit\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/july-hartono.jpg\" alt=\"July Hartono\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> July\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> S.A.P. Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Borobudur Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Borobudur Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Thursday, December 4, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n My boyfriend and I arrived at the restaurant at 7 pm after circling the block for about five minutes to find parking. The restaurant was decked out in Christmas decorations and it looked even better than the usual. As it was quite early for dinner, we got seated right away at the booth at the end of the restaurant, even though we did not have a reservation. Soon though, the restaurant filled up and by about 8 pm, there were people waiting to be seated.\n\u003cp>As soon as we are seated, we had our water. They were very attentive at first because their restaurant was still rather empty. However, as it started to fill up, I had to flag them to put in our order. The food came quite quickly, though, and the waitress, who recognized me, brought a jar of sambal terasi (chili with shrimp paste) for me. This restaurant makes their sambal terasi in-house, and the sambal terasi is complimentary, but you have to request it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered two appetizers, and they could have been our main meal. The portions were good-sized, and Indonesian food is usually eaten family-style and it would have been better to go with a group because then you can order a variety of dishes and get to eat everything without having lots of leftovers. The vegetable sampler had three corn fritters, ten pieces of tofu, and ten pieces of tempe with a side of special sauce. I ate them with the sambal terasi instead of the sauce that came with it because I preferred the spiciness of the sambal terasi than the sweet sauce. The siomay bandung was also quite filling with all the fish cakes, tofu, cabbage, potatoes, and hard-boiled egg with a special peanut sauce. They were both good as usual.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For our entrees, we ordered soto betawi and mie tek2 goreng. Soto betawi is a stew of beef served with diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce, topped with belinjo crackers. The meat was tender, and the broth was rich and flavorful. Mie tek2 is my favorite dish in this restaurant — a dish of traditional fried noodle with chicken, vegetables and eggs. However, I was quite disappointed that it was too salty this time. As usual, I added my spoonful of sambal terasi to all my dishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Traditionally, all Indonesian dishes come with their own chili sauce and Indonesia has many different recipes for chili sauce. Sambal terasi is the most common of these Chili Sauces. It added the kick of spiciness that I had been craving. We were so full, we could not order dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had to flag down the waiter several times to get our water refilled and our check because it was a busy night, and there were only two waiters to perform everything from seating to cleaning. Nevertheless, they were always polite, friendly, and prompt with my requests. Besides, with the festive atmosphere at the restaurant, I did not mind spending a little bit more time there. There was a good mix of people there, usually in a group of four or more and there were Caucasians, Indians, Chinese, and, of course, Indonesians. The check came to $41.56, just as expected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As always, I had a wonderful time at Borobudur, and a lot of leftovers for lunch the next day.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/amber-wipfler.jpg\" alt=\"Amber Wipfler\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Amber\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Deputy Attorney General\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alegrias Spanish Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Borobudur Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, December 5, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nJust when I thought I’d tried every ethnic cuisine in the greater Bay Area, I was introduced to something entirely new — the fantastic Indonesian food at Borobudur. Although you may need to fight off theater-goers and TenderNob shoppers to find street parking, it’s well worth the trouble for the fried corn fritters, and a steaming cup of sweet ginger tea. The highlight of my meal was the tempe, which was a welcome change from the tofu and seitan generally found on vegetarian menus. Described as “Java soy bean cake,” Borobudur’s tempeh is soft and dense with a texture similar to a plantain, and a pleasant fermented soybean flavor — almost like a milder version of Japanese natto. The spicy fried tofu with eggplant was also impressive. I was not expecting a tomato-based sauce at a Southeast Asian restaurant, but it was a delicious surprise, and laced with just enough chili to leave a pleasant burn on your tongue.\n\u003cp>The atmosphere at Borobodur is warm and relaxed. The aroma of coconut milk and lemongrass greets diners as they enter the front door, and the space is decorated with lovely Indonesian woodcarvings and umbrellas. Service was initially slow, as there were only two servers on a busy Friday night, but the quality of the food made this fairly easy to overlook. The chef personally presented my companion and me with our entrees, and twice returned to our table to make sure we were enjoying his creations. Indeed we were.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indonesian food is truly unique. Although the ingredients are similar to those found in other Southeast Asian cuisines, it is not merely “Thai food with a twist,” and is a must-try for Bay Area foodies looking for something deliciously different. I look forward to my return visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/tom-kelly.jpg\" alt=\"Tom Kelly\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Tom\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Talent Agent\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sausalito\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Poggio\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Borobudur Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, December 5, 2008 \u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n For someone who is not familiar with Indonesian cuisine, Borobudur in San Francisco is an excellent place to get a first-rate (and very tasty) education. Located between The Tenderloin and Nob Hill, the restaurant offers a feast for the senses, and almost insists upon multiple visits in order to savor the full range of its offerings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu seems overwhelming at first, but a great way to get your feet wet is to order the rijsttafel (“Rice Table”), a comprehensive sampling of appetizers, entrees and dessert that runs about $26 per person. The Soto Ayam, or lemongrass soup, is marvelous, with a dozen or so different flavors blending seamlessly in a rich broth. Other standouts were the shrimp curry and the lamb curry. Indonesian curries are uniquely different from Thai or Indian versions, and seem to have a subtle sweetness that rounds out the spicy punch. My friends and I were not completely impressed with the fried tofu dish, but that was truly the only item that was less than stellar; for the most part, every other dish was its own intriguing concoction, mixing familiar and unfamiliar flavors in a highly entertaining fashion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, we ordered a few other plates, including spicy green beans with shrimp paste. I liked the peppery kick (one of my friends found it a bit too spicy), and it was a great match with the Pedroncelli Cabernet that we’d ordered. A whole fried striped bass arrived next, a delicately flaky treat with crispy skin that the menu describes as being marinated in “exotic spices.” We also tried the lamb curry from the main menu, which seemed to be slightly different from the rijsttafel version but was just as satisfying. Instead of ordering several desserts, we all shared the burbur ketan hitam, or black rice, which may look and sound intimidating, but was in fact quite good; mildly sweet with a delightful coconut finish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The room is small, but bright and inviting, and we were all relived at how conversation-friendly the environment was. We went early on a Friday night and there seemed to be only one server working the entire house (which was nearly full) for the first hour, until other staff arrived. This was never a problem for us, but you might want to keep it in mind if you are looking for a quick dining experience. Parking is typically difficult in the neighborhood, but we took public transportation and skipped the hassle. I would love to return to Borobudur and explore the entire menu.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alegrias Spanish Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1493\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1457\">episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp404iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/alegrias16.jpg\" alt=\"Tortilla Espanola\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/alegrias22.jpg\" alt=\"Vegetarian Paella\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/alegrias24.jpg\" alt=\"Croquettes\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nTortilla Española, Vegetarian Paella, Croquettes\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/amber-wipfler.jpg\" alt=\"Amber Wipfler\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Amber\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Deputy Attorney General\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alegrias Spanish Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alegrias Spanish Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sunday, November 23, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nEvery time I eat at Alegrias, I feel like I’ve returned home — not because I ever lived in Spain, but because I’m treated like family. Owned and managed by two generations of the Faedi family, Alegrias is not one of those trendy Spanish restaurants where anything on a small plate is labeled tapas. Instead, the focus is on authentic Spanish flavors served in a warm, romantic atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vegetarians, who normally find Spanish food off-limits, will be thrilled by Alegrias’ wide variety of vegetarian options. My meal began with fresh bread dipped in delicious Spanish olive oil, and was followed by a selection of vegetarian tapas, including Catalan-style spinach, marinated olives, patatas bravas, and meat-free empanadillas. The spinach was perfectly blanched and beautifully complemented by crunchy pine nuts and sweet apples, and the spicy tomato sauce on the crisp fried potatoes offered just the right amount of heat. My favorite was the empanadilla, which had a rich, smoky paprika flavor, occasionally accentuated by the sweetness of a plump raisin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vegetable paella was equally impressive. The rice was perfect, rich with saffron and tomato, and the vegetables had just a hint of white wine flavor. A strong café con leche and sweet caramel crêpe made for a perfect conclusion.\u003cbr>\nPerhaps the best part of my meal, however, was the friendly, social atmosphere brought about by a shared meal in an intimate setting. The shared experience of food is very special, and the dishes at Alegrias are served with this in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adding to this warm atmosphere is the fact that Alegrias is very much a family affair, and the Faedis treat long-time customers like one of their own. This, along with the exquisite food and impeccable service, has kept me going back to Alegrias for almost 12 years. I look forward to another 12.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/july-hartono.jpg\" alt=\"July Hartono\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> July\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> S.A.P. Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Borobudur Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alegrias Spanish Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, December 5, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n Since it was a tapas place, I invited my friends to come, so there were six of us. I made the reservation for 7:30 and arrived on time, although we had to circle the block quite a few times before finding a spot. I was pleased with the restaurant’s decor and ambiance.\n\u003cp>The decor is Spanish-influenced — very warm and inviting. Great ambiance with good mix of different kind of people. The rest of my party was late. One of them had to look for parking for 40 minutes before she made it in. The others were stuck at work and had to come late. However, the servers were gracious and did not make us feel bad about it. We were still seated right away, and he offered us drinks, which he also brought almost right away. We ordered sangrias, and it was very good. It was really the best sangria I have ever had. I did not generally like wine because of the tartness, but these sangrias were not tart at all. It was perfect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We did not start to order until 8:30 pm when everyone had arrived, but the waiters were still all smiles and kept on filling up our drinks. We ordered six tapas and two main entrees to share. Once we ordered, the tapas came almost immediately. Everything we ordered was delicious, but I especially liked the croquettes. These tapas were quite expensive, considering the portion size. The ones that were good-sized were the prawns and rabbit stew. We also ordered paellas to share and those were huge and hearty. They were very generous with the shrimps, chickens, fish, chorizo. We ordered the seafood and the combination paella, and I preferred the combination. The chorizo really added the flavor to it, because otherwise I felt that these paellas could use more spices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, everything was polished off quickly, and since we were too full to order individual desserts, we ordered two to share. We had the apple crêpes and the bread pudding. The apple crêpes were set aflame when they got to our table — quite impressive. However, it left the crêpes with a burnt taste, so that some parts were quite bitter and unpalatable. We probably left the flame burning too long as we admired it. The bread pudding was excellent. It was custardy and actually had a fruit flavor to it, which was refreshing. My boyfriend really liked it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a really wonderful time at Alegrias, and it was relatively inexpensive at the end. For all that food and two pitchers of Sangrias, the bill came to $193.68. We left the restaurant at 10:30 pm, and I was very impressed at the service at this popular place. They did not rush us or make us feel bad, even though we took three hours of their time on a Friday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/tom-kelly.jpg\" alt=\"Tom Kelly\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Tom\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Talent Agent\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sausalito\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Poggio\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alegrias Spanish Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, November 21, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n My friends and I had an early dinner at Alegrias on a Friday night. The restaurant décor made for a great first impression; the room had a warm, welcoming feel to it with vibrantly colored artwork and tiles adorning the walls. The music was at a perfect level.\n\u003cp>We ordered a bottle of a 2006 Ribera del Duero ($37) based on the server’s recommendation, and it turned out to be an excellent choice. We started perusing the menu, which is divided up into a few basic categories: cold and hot tapas, entrees, and a separate category of paella variations. Wanting to sample as many different flavors as possible, we decided on a parade of hot tapas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Round One consisted of a few suggestions from our waiter: Empanadillas de Carne ($7.95), puffy turnovers filled with ground beef, onions, olives, and raisins, which were tasty but very rich; Tortilla a la Espanola ($8.95), a standard omelet with potatoes and caramelized onions; Espinacas a la Catalana ($7.50), spinach sautéed with garlic, raisins, apples, and pine nuts; and a beautiful plate of Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos ($9.95), sweet red Spanish peppers stuffed with lamb. I was quite happy with the peppers, since they seemed to balance and blend several different flavors perfectly. We were all a bit disappointed with the spinach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our waiter announced that there were a few specials that he hadn’t told us about. One of them, the Boquerones Fritos ($9.95), was the centerpiece for our second round. I am not the biggest fan of anchovies (fried or otherwise), but these did taste fresh and light. I was much more satisfied with that perennial favorite at every tapas bar in the world: crisp fried Patatas (potatoes, $6.95), although we opted for the less popular aioli-tossed tubers instead of the standard spicy Patatas Bravas. They were excellent — crunchy on the outside and tender inside, and coated with a high-octane garlic mayonnaise. I wasn’t thrilled with the Gambas al Ajillo ($9.95), or prawns sautéed in garlic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although we were fairly full by this point, we all agreed to sample a few desserts. The biggest problem was that the two choices we made, the flan ($6.50) and an ice cream dish called the Don Cesar ($8.50), had a head-on flavor collision with the red wine we were still enjoying. Aside from the weird pairings, I enjoyed the flan, but it was a fairly typical presentation you would find in nearly every Spanish restaurant, without much distinction. The Don Cesar would not have been my first choice in the dessert realm; one ultra-sweet spoonful was plenty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, our dining experience was satisfying without knocking anyone’s socks off. The food was, for the most part, tasty and well-presented, but nothing we ordered had that “Wow!” effect. The service was very professional and non-invasive, and we never felt hurried or ignored. The three of us ran up a tab of nearly $200 (with gratuity), but we wanted to sample lots of food and ordered a second bottle of wine, so prices are very moderate for San Francisco. Parking at Lombard and Webster can be a nightmare, but we lucked out that evening. I would return to Alegrias if I was in the neighborhood and looking for a quiet, satisfying dining experience.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\n2018 Lombard Street (at Webster Street)\nSan Francisco, CA 94123\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-929-8888\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.alegriassf.com\">www.alegriassf.com\u003c/a>\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Spanish\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alegrias Spanish Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1493\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1457\">episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp404iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/alegrias16.jpg\" alt=\"Tortilla Espanola\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/alegrias22.jpg\" alt=\"Vegetarian Paella\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/alegrias24.jpg\" alt=\"Croquettes\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nTortilla Española, Vegetarian Paella, Croquettes\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/amber-wipfler.jpg\" alt=\"Amber Wipfler\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Amber\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Deputy Attorney General\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alegrias Spanish Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alegrias Spanish Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sunday, November 23, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nEvery time I eat at Alegrias, I feel like I’ve returned home — not because I ever lived in Spain, but because I’m treated like family. Owned and managed by two generations of the Faedi family, Alegrias is not one of those trendy Spanish restaurants where anything on a small plate is labeled tapas. Instead, the focus is on authentic Spanish flavors served in a warm, romantic atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vegetarians, who normally find Spanish food off-limits, will be thrilled by Alegrias’ wide variety of vegetarian options. My meal began with fresh bread dipped in delicious Spanish olive oil, and was followed by a selection of vegetarian tapas, including Catalan-style spinach, marinated olives, patatas bravas, and meat-free empanadillas. The spinach was perfectly blanched and beautifully complemented by crunchy pine nuts and sweet apples, and the spicy tomato sauce on the crisp fried potatoes offered just the right amount of heat. My favorite was the empanadilla, which had a rich, smoky paprika flavor, occasionally accentuated by the sweetness of a plump raisin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vegetable paella was equally impressive. The rice was perfect, rich with saffron and tomato, and the vegetables had just a hint of white wine flavor. A strong café con leche and sweet caramel crêpe made for a perfect conclusion.\u003cbr>\nPerhaps the best part of my meal, however, was the friendly, social atmosphere brought about by a shared meal in an intimate setting. The shared experience of food is very special, and the dishes at Alegrias are served with this in mind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adding to this warm atmosphere is the fact that Alegrias is very much a family affair, and the Faedis treat long-time customers like one of their own. This, along with the exquisite food and impeccable service, has kept me going back to Alegrias for almost 12 years. I look forward to another 12.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/july-hartono.jpg\" alt=\"July Hartono\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> July\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> S.A.P. Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Borobudur Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alegrias Spanish Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, December 5, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n Since it was a tapas place, I invited my friends to come, so there were six of us. I made the reservation for 7:30 and arrived on time, although we had to circle the block quite a few times before finding a spot. I was pleased with the restaurant’s decor and ambiance.\n\u003cp>The decor is Spanish-influenced — very warm and inviting. Great ambiance with good mix of different kind of people. The rest of my party was late. One of them had to look for parking for 40 minutes before she made it in. The others were stuck at work and had to come late. However, the servers were gracious and did not make us feel bad about it. We were still seated right away, and he offered us drinks, which he also brought almost right away. We ordered sangrias, and it was very good. It was really the best sangria I have ever had. I did not generally like wine because of the tartness, but these sangrias were not tart at all. It was perfect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We did not start to order until 8:30 pm when everyone had arrived, but the waiters were still all smiles and kept on filling up our drinks. We ordered six tapas and two main entrees to share. Once we ordered, the tapas came almost immediately. Everything we ordered was delicious, but I especially liked the croquettes. These tapas were quite expensive, considering the portion size. The ones that were good-sized were the prawns and rabbit stew. We also ordered paellas to share and those were huge and hearty. They were very generous with the shrimps, chickens, fish, chorizo. We ordered the seafood and the combination paella, and I preferred the combination. The chorizo really added the flavor to it, because otherwise I felt that these paellas could use more spices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nevertheless, everything was polished off quickly, and since we were too full to order individual desserts, we ordered two to share. We had the apple crêpes and the bread pudding. The apple crêpes were set aflame when they got to our table — quite impressive. However, it left the crêpes with a burnt taste, so that some parts were quite bitter and unpalatable. We probably left the flame burning too long as we admired it. The bread pudding was excellent. It was custardy and actually had a fruit flavor to it, which was refreshing. My boyfriend really liked it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a really wonderful time at Alegrias, and it was relatively inexpensive at the end. For all that food and two pitchers of Sangrias, the bill came to $193.68. We left the restaurant at 10:30 pm, and I was very impressed at the service at this popular place. They did not rush us or make us feel bad, even though we took three hours of their time on a Friday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/tom-kelly.jpg\" alt=\"Tom Kelly\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Tom\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Talent Agent\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sausalito\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Poggio\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alegrias Spanish Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, November 21, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n My friends and I had an early dinner at Alegrias on a Friday night. The restaurant décor made for a great first impression; the room had a warm, welcoming feel to it with vibrantly colored artwork and tiles adorning the walls. The music was at a perfect level.\n\u003cp>We ordered a bottle of a 2006 Ribera del Duero ($37) based on the server’s recommendation, and it turned out to be an excellent choice. We started perusing the menu, which is divided up into a few basic categories: cold and hot tapas, entrees, and a separate category of paella variations. Wanting to sample as many different flavors as possible, we decided on a parade of hot tapas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Round One consisted of a few suggestions from our waiter: Empanadillas de Carne ($7.95), puffy turnovers filled with ground beef, onions, olives, and raisins, which were tasty but very rich; Tortilla a la Espanola ($8.95), a standard omelet with potatoes and caramelized onions; Espinacas a la Catalana ($7.50), spinach sautéed with garlic, raisins, apples, and pine nuts; and a beautiful plate of Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos ($9.95), sweet red Spanish peppers stuffed with lamb. I was quite happy with the peppers, since they seemed to balance and blend several different flavors perfectly. We were all a bit disappointed with the spinach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our waiter announced that there were a few specials that he hadn’t told us about. One of them, the Boquerones Fritos ($9.95), was the centerpiece for our second round. I am not the biggest fan of anchovies (fried or otherwise), but these did taste fresh and light. I was much more satisfied with that perennial favorite at every tapas bar in the world: crisp fried Patatas (potatoes, $6.95), although we opted for the less popular aioli-tossed tubers instead of the standard spicy Patatas Bravas. They were excellent — crunchy on the outside and tender inside, and coated with a high-octane garlic mayonnaise. I wasn’t thrilled with the Gambas al Ajillo ($9.95), or prawns sautéed in garlic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although we were fairly full by this point, we all agreed to sample a few desserts. The biggest problem was that the two choices we made, the flan ($6.50) and an ice cream dish called the Don Cesar ($8.50), had a head-on flavor collision with the red wine we were still enjoying. Aside from the weird pairings, I enjoyed the flan, but it was a fairly typical presentation you would find in nearly every Spanish restaurant, without much distinction. The Don Cesar would not have been my first choice in the dessert realm; one ultra-sweet spoonful was plenty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, our dining experience was satisfying without knocking anyone’s socks off. The food was, for the most part, tasty and well-presented, but nothing we ordered had that “Wow!” effect. The service was very professional and non-invasive, and we never felt hurried or ignored. The three of us ran up a tab of nearly $200 (with gratuity), but we wanted to sample lots of food and ordered a second bottle of wine, so prices are very moderate for San Francisco. Parking at Lombard and Webster can be a nightmare, but we lucked out that evening. I would return to Alegrias if I was in the neighborhood and looking for a quiet, satisfying dining experience.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Poggio: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1503\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1457\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp404iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/poggio17.jpg\" alt=\"Endive Salad with Apples, Arugula, Hazelnuts and Gorgonzola\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/poggio18.jpg\" alt=\"Pizza Margherita\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/poggio22.jpg\" alt=\"Affogato\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nEndive Salad with Apples, Arugula, Hazelnuts and Gorgonzola; Pizza Margherita, Affogato (Vanilla Gelato with Espresso and Candied Orange Peel)\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/tom-kelly.jpg\" alt=\"Tom Kelly\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Tom\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Talent Agent\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sausalito\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Poggio\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Poggio:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 7, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nPoggio Trattoria in Sausalito is my favorite Bay Area restaurant, the one place I can always count on for mouthwatering Tuscan delicacies, presented with elegance and style, in a warm sit-down-and-stay-a-while setting. On a recent visit, I had dinner with a friend, who had never eaten there, and the evening was, as always, a resounding success.\n\u003cp>We started with a bottle of Prosecco, a bit of a splurge, but still reasonably priced at $44. Within moments there was a basket of warm homemade bread on the table, the melt-in-your-mouth variety that is hard to resist. We ordered the burrata (a creamy, stuffed mozzarella, $11) as an appetizer — absolute heaven in combination with the bubbly. My friend then had a beet salad ($9) on a bed of arugula drizzled with a perfect balsamic dressing, and I dove headfirst into the stellar endive salad ($10), a superb blend of Belgian endive, apples, gorgonzola, hazelnuts, and honey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My dinner partner chose a fish course, the wood-fire roasted snapper ($28), accompanied by potatoes and a savory, yet delicate, spinach. Poggio has quite a knack for fish preparation, and the snapper was outstanding. I opted for the deeply satisfying “Fichi” pizza ($12), with caramelized onions, pancetta, gorgonzola, and black mission figs. What a combination! I couldn’t finish the entire pizza and had to take half of it home. For dessert (okay, so I left a little room for dessert…) we split the budino, my favorite: a warm, chocolate mini-cake that is out of this world. We rounded out the night with some hearty cups of coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The staff at Poggio merits a comment. Every time I’ve eaten there, I’ve been treated like a friend of the family, from the hostess to the bartenders to each of the servers. I have never felt rushed or ignored, even during the busiest of nights. No one even made fun of me when, on my first visit, I asked about “evoo,” a curious-sounding ingredient listed in many of the dishes, and one that I assumed must be an exotic sea creature or mountain fungus. My waiter very politely explained that evoo was simply shorthand for “extra virgin olive oil.” Now I know…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Go to Poggio for a fabulous dinner or lunch. Parking is easy in Sausalito, especially at night, and an after-dinner stroll along the waterfront is a must. I hope it becomes one of your favorite places.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/amber-wipfler.jpg\" alt=\"Amber Wipfler\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Amber\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Deputy Attorney General\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alegrias Spanish Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Poggio:\u003c/strong> Monday, December 8, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nWith North Beach a simple bus ride from my house, I was a bit reluctant to make the drive to Sausalito for an Italian restaurant, even one as highly rated as Poggio. Now that I’ve been there, I would happily cross multiple bridges to go back.\n\u003cp>I was immediately struck by the interior of Poggio, which well complements the beauty of the neighboring Sausalito marina. The space is gently lit, with terra cotta floor tiles, mahogany-lined arches, and a glowing wood-fired oven. An impressive floor-to-ceiling wine cabinet serves as the restaurant’s back wall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My meal started with a basket of warm rolls, the best of which was rosemary Italian bread with a hint of sea salt. The next dish, butternut squash soup, was rich and silky smooth with just the right amount of sweetness, and complemented with crunchy hazelnuts and fresh cream. Following this was a stacked endive salad, which achieved a perfect balance between bitter arugula, sweet apples, and the bite of Gorgonzola cheese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I forewent Poggio’s house-made pasta (a girl can only eat so much!) and went straight for the secondi, a platter of vegetables that was both simple and sublime. A perfectly cooked vegetable is a rare and wonderful thing, and I was served five of them — blanched spinach with lemon, broccolini with crushed red pepper, Brussels sprouts, roasted purple onion, and tender delicata squash with butter and sage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The meal ended with vanilla gelato, nuts, and candied orange peel with a shot of espresso poured over the top. The bitter coffee, candy-sweet orange peel, crunchy nuts, and creamy gelato were a perfect combination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No less wonderful was the service at Poggio. Our waiter was gracious and professional, and the manager, who paid us a visit during the main course, was very personable and eager to tell us more about the kitchen and our entrees. I mentioned to him in passing that my fiancé and I were celebrating our anniversary, and not only did our desserts arrive with candles and congratulations from our server, but one of the desserts was on the house. No question about it — Poggio is well-deserving of its many accolades, and I have a new favorite Italian restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/july-hartono.jpg\" alt=\"July Hartono\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> July\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> S.A.P. Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Borobudur Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Poggio:\u003c/strong> Saturday, November 22, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n The restaurant is in a great location, adjacent to the Casa Madrona Hotel on Broadway. It would have been nice to go there on a summer evening. Parking was a breeze, but that’s probably because it was a really cold night. Regardless, there was free valet parking at the Casa Madrona, so I never thought that it would ever be an issue. The place was very busy on a Saturday night and I was glad I made a reservation beforehand. We were about 15 minutes early and yet were seated within five minutes.\n\u003cp>The decor was pleasing; not pretentious and yet elegant. There were tables outside with warming lamps, but it was a really cold night, so we preferred to be seated inside. The place was warm, so I did not have to keep my coat on, which was really nice. It was quite a noisy place and we could hear our neighboring tables’ conversation, not that we were trying to listen to them. However, that did not bother me and it actually added to the warmth of the place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were two different types of waiters — one for getting us bread and water, and then the actual waiters. They were both very prompt with their service. We had water and bread delivered right away. Kudos for the complimentary sparkling water and rosemary bread. Our main waiter was a jovial and friendly man, who took our orders promptly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered pizza margheritas appetizers, and I had the brodetto (fisherman’s stew) as my entree. My boyfriend ordered the clam linguini. The pizza’s crust was excellent, but maybe we should have ordered other types because we found the toppings rather lacking. The cheese and basil were not evenly distributed and there were actually maybe just two leaves of basil on that big pizza (there were six big slices). The fisherman’s stew was perfectly spiced and seasoned, but I wished it was more hearty. There were maybe five small Manila clams, three small scallops, five medium shrimp, and potatoes. My boyfriend thought the pasta was not quite cooked, but it was deliciously buttery and garlicky. We both wished the clams were bigger. The waiter recommended the tiramisu to us, and it was not disappointing. The ladyfingers were not mushy, and they gave the dessert the texture to break up the creaminess. It was also not too sweet, and I could taste the different flavors of coffee and rum quite distinctly. Our bill came to a total of $68 (tips included), and it was definitely worth it. I would not mind coming back if I was in the area, maybe on a warm summer evening.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n777 Bridgeway\r\nSausalito, CA 94965\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-332-7771\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.poggiotrattoria.com\">www.poggiotrattoria.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Italian\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Poggio: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1503\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1457\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp404iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/poggio17.jpg\" alt=\"Endive Salad with Apples, Arugula, Hazelnuts and Gorgonzola\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/poggio18.jpg\" alt=\"Pizza Margherita\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/poggio22.jpg\" alt=\"Affogato\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nEndive Salad with Apples, Arugula, Hazelnuts and Gorgonzola; Pizza Margherita, Affogato (Vanilla Gelato with Espresso and Candied Orange Peel)\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/tom-kelly.jpg\" alt=\"Tom Kelly\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Tom\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Talent Agent\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sausalito\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Poggio\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Poggio:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 7, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nPoggio Trattoria in Sausalito is my favorite Bay Area restaurant, the one place I can always count on for mouthwatering Tuscan delicacies, presented with elegance and style, in a warm sit-down-and-stay-a-while setting. On a recent visit, I had dinner with a friend, who had never eaten there, and the evening was, as always, a resounding success.\n\u003cp>We started with a bottle of Prosecco, a bit of a splurge, but still reasonably priced at $44. Within moments there was a basket of warm homemade bread on the table, the melt-in-your-mouth variety that is hard to resist. We ordered the burrata (a creamy, stuffed mozzarella, $11) as an appetizer — absolute heaven in combination with the bubbly. My friend then had a beet salad ($9) on a bed of arugula drizzled with a perfect balsamic dressing, and I dove headfirst into the stellar endive salad ($10), a superb blend of Belgian endive, apples, gorgonzola, hazelnuts, and honey.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My dinner partner chose a fish course, the wood-fire roasted snapper ($28), accompanied by potatoes and a savory, yet delicate, spinach. Poggio has quite a knack for fish preparation, and the snapper was outstanding. I opted for the deeply satisfying “Fichi” pizza ($12), with caramelized onions, pancetta, gorgonzola, and black mission figs. What a combination! I couldn’t finish the entire pizza and had to take half of it home. For dessert (okay, so I left a little room for dessert…) we split the budino, my favorite: a warm, chocolate mini-cake that is out of this world. We rounded out the night with some hearty cups of coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The staff at Poggio merits a comment. Every time I’ve eaten there, I’ve been treated like a friend of the family, from the hostess to the bartenders to each of the servers. I have never felt rushed or ignored, even during the busiest of nights. No one even made fun of me when, on my first visit, I asked about “evoo,” a curious-sounding ingredient listed in many of the dishes, and one that I assumed must be an exotic sea creature or mountain fungus. My waiter very politely explained that evoo was simply shorthand for “extra virgin olive oil.” Now I know…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Go to Poggio for a fabulous dinner or lunch. Parking is easy in Sausalito, especially at night, and an after-dinner stroll along the waterfront is a must. I hope it becomes one of your favorite places.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/amber-wipfler.jpg\" alt=\"Amber Wipfler\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Amber\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Deputy Attorney General\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alegrias Spanish Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Poggio:\u003c/strong> Monday, December 8, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nWith North Beach a simple bus ride from my house, I was a bit reluctant to make the drive to Sausalito for an Italian restaurant, even one as highly rated as Poggio. Now that I’ve been there, I would happily cross multiple bridges to go back.\n\u003cp>I was immediately struck by the interior of Poggio, which well complements the beauty of the neighboring Sausalito marina. The space is gently lit, with terra cotta floor tiles, mahogany-lined arches, and a glowing wood-fired oven. An impressive floor-to-ceiling wine cabinet serves as the restaurant’s back wall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My meal started with a basket of warm rolls, the best of which was rosemary Italian bread with a hint of sea salt. The next dish, butternut squash soup, was rich and silky smooth with just the right amount of sweetness, and complemented with crunchy hazelnuts and fresh cream. Following this was a stacked endive salad, which achieved a perfect balance between bitter arugula, sweet apples, and the bite of Gorgonzola cheese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I forewent Poggio’s house-made pasta (a girl can only eat so much!) and went straight for the secondi, a platter of vegetables that was both simple and sublime. A perfectly cooked vegetable is a rare and wonderful thing, and I was served five of them — blanched spinach with lemon, broccolini with crushed red pepper, Brussels sprouts, roasted purple onion, and tender delicata squash with butter and sage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The meal ended with vanilla gelato, nuts, and candied orange peel with a shot of espresso poured over the top. The bitter coffee, candy-sweet orange peel, crunchy nuts, and creamy gelato were a perfect combination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No less wonderful was the service at Poggio. Our waiter was gracious and professional, and the manager, who paid us a visit during the main course, was very personable and eager to tell us more about the kitchen and our entrees. I mentioned to him in passing that my fiancé and I were celebrating our anniversary, and not only did our desserts arrive with candles and congratulations from our server, but one of the desserts was on the house. No question about it — Poggio is well-deserving of its many accolades, and I have a new favorite Italian restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/july-hartono.jpg\" alt=\"July Hartono\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> July\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> S.A.P. Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Borobudur Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Poggio:\u003c/strong> Saturday, November 22, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n The restaurant is in a great location, adjacent to the Casa Madrona Hotel on Broadway. It would have been nice to go there on a summer evening. Parking was a breeze, but that’s probably because it was a really cold night. Regardless, there was free valet parking at the Casa Madrona, so I never thought that it would ever be an issue. The place was very busy on a Saturday night and I was glad I made a reservation beforehand. We were about 15 minutes early and yet were seated within five minutes.\n\u003cp>The decor was pleasing; not pretentious and yet elegant. There were tables outside with warming lamps, but it was a really cold night, so we preferred to be seated inside. The place was warm, so I did not have to keep my coat on, which was really nice. It was quite a noisy place and we could hear our neighboring tables’ conversation, not that we were trying to listen to them. However, that did not bother me and it actually added to the warmth of the place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were two different types of waiters — one for getting us bread and water, and then the actual waiters. They were both very prompt with their service. We had water and bread delivered right away. Kudos for the complimentary sparkling water and rosemary bread. Our main waiter was a jovial and friendly man, who took our orders promptly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered pizza margheritas appetizers, and I had the brodetto (fisherman’s stew) as my entree. My boyfriend ordered the clam linguini. The pizza’s crust was excellent, but maybe we should have ordered other types because we found the toppings rather lacking. The cheese and basil were not evenly distributed and there were actually maybe just two leaves of basil on that big pizza (there were six big slices). The fisherman’s stew was perfectly spiced and seasoned, but I wished it was more hearty. There were maybe five small Manila clams, three small scallops, five medium shrimp, and potatoes. My boyfriend thought the pasta was not quite cooked, but it was deliciously buttery and garlicky. We both wished the clams were bigger. The waiter recommended the tiramisu to us, and it was not disappointing. The ladyfingers were not mushy, and they gave the dessert the texture to break up the creaminess. It was also not too sweet, and I could taste the different flavors of coffee and rum quite distinctly. Our bill came to a total of $68 (tips included), and it was definitely worth it. I would not mind coming back if I was in the area, maybe on a warm summer evening.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>COCO500: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1363\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1332\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp403iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/coco50014.jpg\" alt=\"Truffle Flatbread\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/coco50022.jpg\" alt=\"Beef Cheeks with Horseradish Sauce\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/coco50027.jpg\" alt=\"Banana Dipped in Chocolate\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nTruffle Flatbread, Beef Cheeks with Horseradish Sauce, Banana Dipped in Chocolate\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/zheng-cao.jpg\" alt=\"Zheng Cao\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Zheng\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Opera Star\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> COCO500\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed COCO500:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, November 18, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nThe quality of food was excellent, the cavatelli arrived with cream sauce, but in the mouth, it seems so light and tasty, and I think the pasta is freshly made. The truffle “pizza,” is so delicious, you actually need a moment to fully enjoy the flavor after the first bite. Also, I must mention that the sorbet is absolutely a big hit, but the chocolate cake is unforgettable.\n\u003cp>I would totally return to Coco500 with friends many, many more times, and actually, the friends, who came with me, will also return with their friends. I must say, the parking during the day is not quite convenient, but I believe after 6pm, the metered parking is much easier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Portion size:\u003c/strong> Good size\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Service:\u003c/strong> wonderful\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Décor and atmosphere:\u003c/strong> Simple and beautiful; nice, clean, and soothing bathroom\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Bang for buck:\u003c/strong> A little high, but totally worth it.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Comfort:\u003c/strong> A little crowded, but the leather seat was comfy.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Noise level:\u003c/strong> A little high.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wait for table:\u003c/strong> No problem with a reservation.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Food arrival speed:\u003c/strong> Pretty good.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/heru-oba-shambe.jpg\" alt=\"Heru Oba Shambe\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Heru\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> African High Priest, Musician, MUNI Driver\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Pablo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Red Jade\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed COCO500:\u003c/strong> Saturday, November 29, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n The portion was very small. I left the restaurant with my stomach growling like a grizzly bear. The food was good, as was the service (from entrance to service within 15 minutes). The decor and atmosphere was very bland — dim lights with bronze colored walls, and two windows facing east and south. The ONLY paintings were three mediocre pictures of trees! As far as “BANG for the BUCK,” a firecracker had more than this…EXPENSIVE!!!! The noise level was medium. As I mentioned, the wait was 15 minutes (I made a previous reservation), so the food arrival time was very adequate. Overall, I have nicknamed this restaurant “NO…NO to $58.” I will not recommend this restaurant to friends nor visit again. Overall rating by me is a letter grade of a “C.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/joan-diamond.jpg\" alt=\"Joan Diamond\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Joan\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Retired School Principal\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Crogan’s Montclair\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed COCO500:\u003c/strong> Saturday, November 15, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n There were four of us for an early dinner on a magnificent Saturday night. We found parking easily and were seated as soon as we walked in. The corner location is very easy to navigate around and is easy to access from the Bay Bridge. Prior to our arrival, Clay had called to confirm the original reservation, and Maria called to remind us. We felt very welcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The upscale modern feel of the restaurant is inviting, and I appreciated that even though it filled up rapidly, we were able to chat comfortably and enjoy each other’s company. Our maître d’ looked about 16, but assured us that he was not. He was affable and very, very skilled. The service is excellent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three of us had wine, and all four had appetizers. The green beans were crunchy, fresh, and our favorite. I loved the duck liver, but found the mole tacos, although beautifully presented, uneventful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wine was poured and we moved on to an artful and tasty soup, a red pear salad, and lamb sugo. Not quite sure what sugo means, but again, it was artful and very good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a short discussion about the wine glasses. One of our “party” is a bartender, and hence, very knowledgeable. Upon our request our wine glasses were quickly exchanged for those appropriate to the wine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our main courses were divine, although the wait for them to arrive seemed quite long. My salmon was cooked perfectly and presently beautifully. The tastes I had of my friend’s dishes confirmed that theirs too were wonderful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We managed to end with four fantastic desserts and coffee. We particularly liked the “noncommittal” dessert idea of something small in the spirit of a dessert. My banana dipped in chocolate was fantastic, and took me back to my childhood when such joys were readily available. We all voted the “vacherin” — Swiss meringue, chocolate, coffee gelato, and candied almonds — as something straight from heaven!!!! Our favorite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everyone had a wonderful time. This is an upscale expensive restaurant (at least the way we did it) and I will come back for special occasions. I feel fortunate to have enjoyed such a wonderful meal in a most comfortable and warm setting.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n500 Brannan Street (at 4th Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94107\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-543-2222\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.coco500.com\">www.coco500.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> California/Mediterranean\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>COCO500: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1363\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1332\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp403iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/coco50014.jpg\" alt=\"Truffle Flatbread\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/coco50022.jpg\" alt=\"Beef Cheeks with Horseradish Sauce\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/coco50027.jpg\" alt=\"Banana Dipped in Chocolate\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nTruffle Flatbread, Beef Cheeks with Horseradish Sauce, Banana Dipped in Chocolate\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/zheng-cao.jpg\" alt=\"Zheng Cao\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Zheng\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Opera Star\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> COCO500\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed COCO500:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, November 18, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nThe quality of food was excellent, the cavatelli arrived with cream sauce, but in the mouth, it seems so light and tasty, and I think the pasta is freshly made. The truffle “pizza,” is so delicious, you actually need a moment to fully enjoy the flavor after the first bite. Also, I must mention that the sorbet is absolutely a big hit, but the chocolate cake is unforgettable.\n\u003cp>I would totally return to Coco500 with friends many, many more times, and actually, the friends, who came with me, will also return with their friends. I must say, the parking during the day is not quite convenient, but I believe after 6pm, the metered parking is much easier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Portion size:\u003c/strong> Good size\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Service:\u003c/strong> wonderful\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Décor and atmosphere:\u003c/strong> Simple and beautiful; nice, clean, and soothing bathroom\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Bang for buck:\u003c/strong> A little high, but totally worth it.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Comfort:\u003c/strong> A little crowded, but the leather seat was comfy.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Noise level:\u003c/strong> A little high.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wait for table:\u003c/strong> No problem with a reservation.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Food arrival speed:\u003c/strong> Pretty good.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/heru-oba-shambe.jpg\" alt=\"Heru Oba Shambe\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Heru\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> African High Priest, Musician, MUNI Driver\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Pablo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Red Jade\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed COCO500:\u003c/strong> Saturday, November 29, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n The portion was very small. I left the restaurant with my stomach growling like a grizzly bear. The food was good, as was the service (from entrance to service within 15 minutes). The decor and atmosphere was very bland — dim lights with bronze colored walls, and two windows facing east and south. The ONLY paintings were three mediocre pictures of trees! As far as “BANG for the BUCK,” a firecracker had more than this…EXPENSIVE!!!! The noise level was medium. As I mentioned, the wait was 15 minutes (I made a previous reservation), so the food arrival time was very adequate. Overall, I have nicknamed this restaurant “NO…NO to $58.” I will not recommend this restaurant to friends nor visit again. Overall rating by me is a letter grade of a “C.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/joan-diamond.jpg\" alt=\"Joan Diamond\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Joan\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Retired School Principal\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Crogan’s Montclair\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed COCO500:\u003c/strong> Saturday, November 15, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n There were four of us for an early dinner on a magnificent Saturday night. We found parking easily and were seated as soon as we walked in. The corner location is very easy to navigate around and is easy to access from the Bay Bridge. Prior to our arrival, Clay had called to confirm the original reservation, and Maria called to remind us. We felt very welcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The upscale modern feel of the restaurant is inviting, and I appreciated that even though it filled up rapidly, we were able to chat comfortably and enjoy each other’s company. Our maître d’ looked about 16, but assured us that he was not. He was affable and very, very skilled. The service is excellent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three of us had wine, and all four had appetizers. The green beans were crunchy, fresh, and our favorite. I loved the duck liver, but found the mole tacos, although beautifully presented, uneventful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wine was poured and we moved on to an artful and tasty soup, a red pear salad, and lamb sugo. Not quite sure what sugo means, but again, it was artful and very good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a short discussion about the wine glasses. One of our “party” is a bartender, and hence, very knowledgeable. Upon our request our wine glasses were quickly exchanged for those appropriate to the wine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our main courses were divine, although the wait for them to arrive seemed quite long. My salmon was cooked perfectly and presently beautifully. The tastes I had of my friend’s dishes confirmed that theirs too were wonderful.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We managed to end with four fantastic desserts and coffee. We particularly liked the “noncommittal” dessert idea of something small in the spirit of a dessert. My banana dipped in chocolate was fantastic, and took me back to my childhood when such joys were readily available. We all voted the “vacherin” — Swiss meringue, chocolate, coffee gelato, and candied almonds — as something straight from heaven!!!! Our favorite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everyone had a wonderful time. This is an upscale expensive restaurant (at least the way we did it) and I will come back for special occasions. I feel fortunate to have enjoyed such a wonderful meal in a most comfortable and warm setting.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Crogan’s Montclair: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1372\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1332\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp403iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/crogans16.jpg\" alt=\"Seafood Saute\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/crogans19.jpg\" alt=\"Onion Rings\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/crogans22.jpg\" alt=\"Coconut Shrimp\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nSeafood Sauté, Onion Rings, Coconut Shrimp\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/joan-diamond.jpg\" alt=\"Joan Diamond\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Joan\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Retired School Principal\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Crogan’s Montclair\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Crogan’s Montclair:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, November 18, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n Crogan’s is the equivalent of “Cheers” for people who have lived in Montclair, Oakland for years. The place is warm and welcoming for everyone, but for me it is a place where “everyone knows my name.” Today was my restaurant review day.\n\u003cp>There were two of us for an early dinner. Crogan’s had the usual welcoming buzz in the bar area where we were greeted with warm hellos, as people moved over to make generous room for us. We’re both regulars. We declined the warm offers in favor of the quiet dining room where we could talk and order a full dinner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started with drinks and an appetizer of onion rings. Crogan’s does a magnificent job with everything fried: french fries, calamari, and in this case, onion rings. They were perfect, and came with catsup and ranch sauce for dipping. The bread and butter were already on the table. The butter was wrapped in little squares — I have always disliked the unwrapping, and prefer butter in a more accessible format!!!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We moved on to “the special salad,” which was listed on the specials for the day. It was absolutely wonderful: fresh vegetables, shrimp, and avocado with a spectacular herb-vinaigrette dressing. The main courses were good and very filling. My pasta came in a huge portion with lots of cheese on top. The side order of garlic bread was crispy with great seasoning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we left the dinning room and walked through the bar, I was struck by the warmth of Crogan’s, the welcoming feeling and the always good and plentiful food!!!!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/zheng-cao.jpg\" alt=\"Zheng Cao\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Zheng\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Opera Star\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> COCO500\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Crogan’s Montclair:\u003c/strong> Friday, November 28, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Portion size:\u003c/strong> The soup is so little for a bowl for $6.95, everything else is OK-sized.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Quality of food:\u003c/strong> Nothing special about the food, the hamburger is very dry, and also scallops had no taste, the salad is very average. The only worthy thing is the soup, other items are simply not good.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Service:\u003c/strong> The waiter was nice, but only came by the table with food; not attentive.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Décor and atmosphere:\u003c/strong> It’s very simple, old fashioned decor.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Bang for buck:\u003c/strong> Not good.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Comfort:\u003c/strong> It’s OK.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Noise level:\u003c/strong> Good\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wait for table:\u003c/strong> No wait at that time.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Food arrival speed:\u003c/strong> It’s good speed.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Parking:\u003c/strong> Parking on the street, it’s pretty hard to find a spot, the area is beautiful though. But I wouldn’t recommend this very average restaurant to my friends.\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/heru-oba-shambe.jpg\" alt=\"Heru Oba Shambe\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Heru\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> African High Priest, Musician, MUNI Driver\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Pablo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Red Jade\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Crogan’s Montclair:\u003c/strong> Friday, November 21, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nUpon my making of reservations, I was told by the concierge representative that there was a parking garage, so one would not have search in an overcrowded area. I WAS NOT told it closed the same time as my reservation (7:30pm). The garage is NOT easily accessible by those with mobility limitations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The portion size was very generous. As a matter of fact, my family accompanied me, and my daughter ordered a “kid’s pizza.” The pizza was the size of an adult large! The seafood sauté was very tasty, just enough cream with butter, and all the shrimps burst with flavor. The scallops weren’t over, nor under-cooked, just right for consumption. The lobster had just enough zing not to be too rubbery or too soft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service was FAIR. Our server seemed to be preoccupied elsewhere — maybe her coverage area was too large. The decor was fair, I couldn’t fathom why an Irish restaurant with a full bar had so many posters/pictures in French and Spanish themes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The noise level is medium — it seems the sitcom lyrics and music comes to mind when I was in this restaurant. Everyone seemed to know everyone, and the restaurant staff seemed to know most of their patrons by name. “…We want to go where everyone knows your name…” I was waiting for someone to enter and for everyone to yell out his name like in the sitcom \u003cem>Cheers\u003c/em>. I found this to be a plus and not a hindrance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This restaurant is DEFINITELY “kid-friendly.” The food is an EXCELLENT value for taste, porportion, and cost. The wine list consists of various white, red, sparkling, and house from $5-10. Overall, I give this restaurant a strong “B” letter grade, and I would return and recommend it to friends.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n6101 La Salle Avenue (at Moraga Avenue)\r\nOakland, CA 94611\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 510-339-2098\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.crogansrestaurant.com\">www.crogansrestaurant.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> American Pub\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Crogan’s Montclair: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1372\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1332\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp403iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/crogans16.jpg\" alt=\"Seafood Saute\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/crogans19.jpg\" alt=\"Onion Rings\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/crogans22.jpg\" alt=\"Coconut Shrimp\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nSeafood Sauté, Onion Rings, Coconut Shrimp\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/joan-diamond.jpg\" alt=\"Joan Diamond\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Joan\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Retired School Principal\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Crogan’s Montclair\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Crogan’s Montclair:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, November 18, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n Crogan’s is the equivalent of “Cheers” for people who have lived in Montclair, Oakland for years. The place is warm and welcoming for everyone, but for me it is a place where “everyone knows my name.” Today was my restaurant review day.\n\u003cp>There were two of us for an early dinner. Crogan’s had the usual welcoming buzz in the bar area where we were greeted with warm hellos, as people moved over to make generous room for us. We’re both regulars. We declined the warm offers in favor of the quiet dining room where we could talk and order a full dinner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started with drinks and an appetizer of onion rings. Crogan’s does a magnificent job with everything fried: french fries, calamari, and in this case, onion rings. They were perfect, and came with catsup and ranch sauce for dipping. The bread and butter were already on the table. The butter was wrapped in little squares — I have always disliked the unwrapping, and prefer butter in a more accessible format!!!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We moved on to “the special salad,” which was listed on the specials for the day. It was absolutely wonderful: fresh vegetables, shrimp, and avocado with a spectacular herb-vinaigrette dressing. The main courses were good and very filling. My pasta came in a huge portion with lots of cheese on top. The side order of garlic bread was crispy with great seasoning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we left the dinning room and walked through the bar, I was struck by the warmth of Crogan’s, the welcoming feeling and the always good and plentiful food!!!!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/zheng-cao.jpg\" alt=\"Zheng Cao\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Zheng\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Opera Star\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> COCO500\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Crogan’s Montclair:\u003c/strong> Friday, November 28, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Portion size:\u003c/strong> The soup is so little for a bowl for $6.95, everything else is OK-sized.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Quality of food:\u003c/strong> Nothing special about the food, the hamburger is very dry, and also scallops had no taste, the salad is very average. The only worthy thing is the soup, other items are simply not good.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Service:\u003c/strong> The waiter was nice, but only came by the table with food; not attentive.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Décor and atmosphere:\u003c/strong> It’s very simple, old fashioned decor.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Bang for buck:\u003c/strong> Not good.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Comfort:\u003c/strong> It’s OK.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Noise level:\u003c/strong> Good\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wait for table:\u003c/strong> No wait at that time.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Food arrival speed:\u003c/strong> It’s good speed.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Parking:\u003c/strong> Parking on the street, it’s pretty hard to find a spot, the area is beautiful though. But I wouldn’t recommend this very average restaurant to my friends.\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/heru-oba-shambe.jpg\" alt=\"Heru Oba Shambe\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Heru\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> African High Priest, Musician, MUNI Driver\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Pablo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Red Jade\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Crogan’s Montclair:\u003c/strong> Friday, November 21, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nUpon my making of reservations, I was told by the concierge representative that there was a parking garage, so one would not have search in an overcrowded area. I WAS NOT told it closed the same time as my reservation (7:30pm). The garage is NOT easily accessible by those with mobility limitations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The portion size was very generous. As a matter of fact, my family accompanied me, and my daughter ordered a “kid’s pizza.” The pizza was the size of an adult large! The seafood sauté was very tasty, just enough cream with butter, and all the shrimps burst with flavor. The scallops weren’t over, nor under-cooked, just right for consumption. The lobster had just enough zing not to be too rubbery or too soft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service was FAIR. Our server seemed to be preoccupied elsewhere — maybe her coverage area was too large. The decor was fair, I couldn’t fathom why an Irish restaurant with a full bar had so many posters/pictures in French and Spanish themes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The noise level is medium — it seems the sitcom lyrics and music comes to mind when I was in this restaurant. Everyone seemed to know everyone, and the restaurant staff seemed to know most of their patrons by name. “…We want to go where everyone knows your name…” I was waiting for someone to enter and for everyone to yell out his name like in the sitcom \u003cem>Cheers\u003c/em>. I found this to be a plus and not a hindrance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This restaurant is DEFINITELY “kid-friendly.” The food is an EXCELLENT value for taste, porportion, and cost. The wine list consists of various white, red, sparkling, and house from $5-10. Overall, I give this restaurant a strong “B” letter grade, and I would return and recommend it to friends.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Red Jade: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1367\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1332\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp403iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/redjade18.jpg\" alt=\"Green Onion Pancake\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/redjade17.jpg\" alt=\"Bitter Melon Pork Stir-fry\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/redjade16.jpg\" alt=\"Coconut Walnut Prawns with Sesame Seeds and Cantaloupe\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nGreen Onion Pancake, Bitter Melon Pork Stir-fry, “A Happy Family Special” (Coconut Walnut Prawns with Sesame Seeds and Cantaloupe)\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/heru-oba-shambe.jpg\" alt=\"Heru Oba Shambe\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Heru\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> African High Priest, Musician, MUNI Driver\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Pablo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Red Jade\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Red Jade:\u003c/strong> Friday, November 28, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nUpon entrance, one notices that the walls are painted red. Red symbolizes prosperity, and jade is a favorite precious stone that is believed to bring longevity within the Chinese culture.\n\u003cp>The portion size was VERY adequate; the quality of the food deserves an “A” letter grade. This restaurant served the meal on top of both shredded lettuce and honeydew melon. I’ve had this dish at many restaurants before, and it is always served upon abed of shredded lettuce, but never with honeydew. I thought it a tantalizing mixture of hot (the shrimp), and cold (the honeydew melon). It immediately brings to mind the ying-yang within the Chinese culture — the proper balance of opposites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decor was bland — just three wall hangings. When I asked the waitress about theme, she just replied, “Oh, they’re Chinese letters.” When I pressed for more information, she gave me a confused look. The noise level was very low (I’m content), and the food arrival was less than a 10 minute wait. The neighborhood is very safe, MUNI Metro underground is just about 200 feet away. Parking is a bit difficult, so it’s better for one to take the MUNI Transit (22, J , 37, or underground Metro lines M, L ,K). I would return to this restaurant because of the quality of the food, a nice cheap eat, and a BOISTEROUS BANG-FOR-THE-BUCK. I give this restaurant an “A.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/joan-diamond.jpg\" alt=\"Joan Diamond\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Joan\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Retired School Principal\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Crogan’s Montclair\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Red Jade:\u003c/strong> Monday, November 17, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n We went for lunch. The restaurant is on an easy to find street in San Francisco where parking is plentiful. Upon entering, I was delighted by the distant soft music and the wonderful decor. The walls were mustard, tomato, and a wonderful light lime. The other diners were a joyful hodgepodge of businessmen, local workers, out-of-towners, and the rainbow of races and ages. This was a Monday at noon, and the place was filled; it’s obviously popular. It had wonderful energy.\n\u003cp>Our order was taken, and the food delivered in a most timely manner. I loved the artful ivory chopsticks. We had the vegetarian delight and the asparagus salmon with black bean sauce. Both orders were large and came with soup and a large helping of rice. The vegetables were perfectly cooked — al dente — and the salmon, tasty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This restaurant will now become one of my favorites, and I can’t wait to return for dinner. It is very reasonably priced, and the food and ambiance is well done. It has a welcome, neighborhood feel that makes you want to know the people and taste all that the restaurant has to offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/zheng-cao.jpg\" alt=\"Zheng Cao\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Zheng\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Opera Star\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> COCO500\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Red Jade:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, November 19, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Portion size:\u003c/strong> Good-sized meal\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Quality of food:\u003c/strong> Surprisingly good, especially the onion pancake; I think it’s the best of any Chinese restaurant in the whole Bay Area. The bitter melon pork was special ordered by me, and it was really like homemade. The pork was extremely tender and tasty; a great combination with the bitter melon, feels very clean.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Service:\u003c/strong> Very good and fast — the waitress was so accommodating, suggesting food outside of the menu. Very creative.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Décor and atmosphere:\u003c/strong> Very simple. It looked kind of new and modern with lots of space between tables.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Bang for buck:\u003c/strong> Reasonable for the Castro area. A little higher than Chinatown.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Comfort:\u003c/strong> Very comfortable.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Noise level:\u003c/strong> Moderate\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wait for table:\u003c/strong> No wait\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Food arrival speed:\u003c/strong> Fast\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Parking\u003c/strong> is little hard on the street; I circled twice before finding a space. I wouldn’t go during the day, but will consider taking my Chinese friends there to taste the pancake. I’m crazy about that pancake. I never thought a Chinese restaurant with English-only menu would have authentic taste, but I was nicely surprised.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n245 Church Street (at Market Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94114\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-621-3020\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.redjadesf.com\">www.redjadesf.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Chinese\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Red Jade: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1367\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1332\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp403iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/redjade18.jpg\" alt=\"Green Onion Pancake\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/redjade17.jpg\" alt=\"Bitter Melon Pork Stir-fry\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/04/redjade16.jpg\" alt=\"Coconut Walnut Prawns with Sesame Seeds and Cantaloupe\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nGreen Onion Pancake, Bitter Melon Pork Stir-fry, “A Happy Family Special” (Coconut Walnut Prawns with Sesame Seeds and Cantaloupe)\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/heru-oba-shambe.jpg\" alt=\"Heru Oba Shambe\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Heru\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> African High Priest, Musician, MUNI Driver\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Pablo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Red Jade\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Red Jade:\u003c/strong> Friday, November 28, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nUpon entrance, one notices that the walls are painted red. Red symbolizes prosperity, and jade is a favorite precious stone that is believed to bring longevity within the Chinese culture.\n\u003cp>The portion size was VERY adequate; the quality of the food deserves an “A” letter grade. This restaurant served the meal on top of both shredded lettuce and honeydew melon. I’ve had this dish at many restaurants before, and it is always served upon abed of shredded lettuce, but never with honeydew. I thought it a tantalizing mixture of hot (the shrimp), and cold (the honeydew melon). It immediately brings to mind the ying-yang within the Chinese culture — the proper balance of opposites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decor was bland — just three wall hangings. When I asked the waitress about theme, she just replied, “Oh, they’re Chinese letters.” When I pressed for more information, she gave me a confused look. The noise level was very low (I’m content), and the food arrival was less than a 10 minute wait. The neighborhood is very safe, MUNI Metro underground is just about 200 feet away. Parking is a bit difficult, so it’s better for one to take the MUNI Transit (22, J , 37, or underground Metro lines M, L ,K). I would return to this restaurant because of the quality of the food, a nice cheap eat, and a BOISTEROUS BANG-FOR-THE-BUCK. I give this restaurant an “A.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/joan-diamond.jpg\" alt=\"Joan Diamond\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Joan\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Retired School Principal\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Crogan’s Montclair\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Red Jade:\u003c/strong> Monday, November 17, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n We went for lunch. The restaurant is on an easy to find street in San Francisco where parking is plentiful. Upon entering, I was delighted by the distant soft music and the wonderful decor. The walls were mustard, tomato, and a wonderful light lime. The other diners were a joyful hodgepodge of businessmen, local workers, out-of-towners, and the rainbow of races and ages. This was a Monday at noon, and the place was filled; it’s obviously popular. It had wonderful energy.\n\u003cp>Our order was taken, and the food delivered in a most timely manner. I loved the artful ivory chopsticks. We had the vegetarian delight and the asparagus salmon with black bean sauce. Both orders were large and came with soup and a large helping of rice. The vegetables were perfectly cooked — al dente — and the salmon, tasty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This restaurant will now become one of my favorites, and I can’t wait to return for dinner. It is very reasonably priced, and the food and ambiance is well done. It has a welcome, neighborhood feel that makes you want to know the people and taste all that the restaurant has to offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/zheng-cao.jpg\" alt=\"Zheng Cao\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Zheng\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Opera Star\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> COCO500\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Red Jade:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, November 19, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Portion size:\u003c/strong> Good-sized meal\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Quality of food:\u003c/strong> Surprisingly good, especially the onion pancake; I think it’s the best of any Chinese restaurant in the whole Bay Area. The bitter melon pork was special ordered by me, and it was really like homemade. The pork was extremely tender and tasty; a great combination with the bitter melon, feels very clean.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Service:\u003c/strong> Very good and fast — the waitress was so accommodating, suggesting food outside of the menu. Very creative.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Décor and atmosphere:\u003c/strong> Very simple. It looked kind of new and modern with lots of space between tables.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Bang for buck:\u003c/strong> Reasonable for the Castro area. A little higher than Chinatown.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Comfort:\u003c/strong> Very comfortable.\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Noise level:\u003c/strong> Moderate\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wait for table:\u003c/strong> No wait\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Food arrival speed:\u003c/strong> Fast\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Parking\u003c/strong> is little hard on the street; I circled twice before finding a space. I wouldn’t go during the day, but will consider taking my Chinese friends there to taste the pancake. I’m crazy about that pancake. I never thought a Chinese restaurant with English-only menu would have authentic taste, but I was nicely surprised.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Shanghai Dumpling King: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1257\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1213\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp402iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/shanghai9.jpg\" alt=\"Xiao Long Bao Soup Dumplings\" hspace=\"3\"> \u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/shanghai13.jpg\" alt=\"Shanghai Vegetarian Dumplings\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/shanghai15.jpg\" alt=\"Spicy Ma Po Tofu\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nXiao Long Bao Soup Dumplings, Shanghai Vegetarian Dumplings, Spicy Ma Po Tofu\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/lysley-tenorio.jpg\" alt=\"Lysley Tenorio\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Lysley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> English Professor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Shanghai Dumpling King\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Shanghai Dumpling King:\u003c/strong> Thursday, December 25, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nChristmas came early for us this year — the 19th! — so on Christmas night, we found ourselves driving around the city in search of a place serving dinner, and like a holiday miracle, the Shanghai Dumpling King was actually open. It’s been a favorite spot for the past four years, and it never disappoints. As its name proclaims, this restaurant is indeed the king of dumplings, and we are its royal (and loyal) subjects. They make the best Chinese dumplings I’ve ever had, and it’s their xiao long bao, the soup dumplings, that put them on the map — perfect pouches filled, not only with pork, but with actual soup, just enough so that you need an actual soup spoon to eat them. You pick up the dumpling with a spoon, give it a quick dip into a bit of soy sauce and vinegar, and bite. Since we’d celebrated Christmas the week before, the soup dumplings were the perfect present to open on Christmas night. The slippery floury pouch and the tender bit of pork inside mix perfectly with the hot and just-salty-enough soup. On a foggy and windy Outer Richmond night it was the gift that kept on giving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While soup dumplings are the superstar on the menu, the others are excellent as well. They offer about a dozen different kinds, and my favorites are the pork and crabmeat, the pork and chive, and the vegetable. All are steamed, and arrive in their own bamboo steamers. I also love the pan-fried pork buns, which are like little pork buns you might find at a fast food dim sum joint along Clement Street, but much better. The quality of the pork filling and the bun itself surpass those by far. For new visitors to Shanghai Dumpling King, I always recommend making an entire meal out of the dumplings. Ranging from five to eight dollars each, they’re an amazing deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the non-dumpling fare is good too, and on Christmas night, we feasted. We ordered three dumplings (the soup dumpling, the chive, and the vegetable) along with several entrees (the bok choy with bean curd sheet, the salt pan cake, the spicy pork noodle soup, which they recommended, and the orange peel beef).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bok choy is stir-fried just enough to maintain its flavor and crunch, with bits of garlic mixed in, and I’m a fan of the bean curd sheet, these thin ribbons of tofu. They have a subtle flavor, and a rubbery texture that I happen to enjoy. I’d never had the salt pan cake before, and I loved it. It was like a fried pastry stuffed with bits of pork, sautéed onion, and cabbage, which mixed together, had an almost gooey texture. The spicy pork noodle soup was also new to me, and it was perfect for the cold night. It had rice noodles in a thick broth that tasted like a more subtle Thai peanut sauce. The orange peel beef had a Panda Express-y quality (the sauce was a bit too thick and heavy), but it was undeniably flavorful, and I appreciated the fact that you could actually taste the orange peel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert, we had the egg puffs. This is always an interesting moment at Shanghai Dumpling King. Half the time, the egg puffs (which are doughy and eggy and sugary and deep fried and delicious—think of it as a Chinese doughnut) are free — there have been times where they’re literally handing them out to anyone who wants them. On Christmas night, they were free again, but they’re so good that we’d gladly pay for them, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their mysterious egg puff policy is, I have to say, indicative of Shanghai Dumpling King. There is something a little haphazard about the service: you never know which order they’ll bring out first, if they’ll treat the dumplings as your appetizer or your entrée, if your water glass will ever be re-filled (or filled). But I consider this part of the restaurant’s hole-in-the-wall charm. It’s a small, two-room joint, modestly decorated with hand-written menus taped to the wall. You get the sense that the place is family-owned and family-run. You can see them cooking and chatting in the kitchen area, and on Christmas night, I liked that some of the staff were enjoying their own dinner at the table next to ours. A very Merry Christmas from the King of Dumplings.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/sydney-pfaff.jpg\" alt=\"Sydney Pfaff\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Sydney\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Fashion Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> farmerbrown\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Shanghai Dumpling King:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 28, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nIf I lived anywhere near Shanghai Dumpling, I would probably eat there every other night, if not more often. Unfortunately (or fortunately for my belly), it’s a 30-40 minute ride on the 38 bus to get there, and I’m not really willing to commit to that — even though the dumplings are heavenly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I will preface this by saying the food was delicious and once we were finally able to order, the food came rather quickly. The first mistake of the evening was leaving the house really hungry, making the bus ride feel like an eternity. Once we walked the two blocks from the bus stop and entered the restaurant, we were behind one family waiting for a table. The place was busy, but there were at least four or five tables open. We stood for ten minutes before the family before us was seated, then we stood for an additional six or seven minutes before being seated at one of the two-tops against the wall in the second room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We were given tea the second we sat down, which was very nice. But no joking, we sat for 20 minutes before anyone came back to take our order. After several attempts to get a server’s attention, I pretty much had to stand and waive my arms frantically until one of the girls came by. I ordered a spicy tofu dish that was covered in a great sauce, almost similar to barbeque sauce. The tofu was excellent, although one gripe was that the plastic chopsticks made it very difficult to pick up sauce-soaked, slippery tofu. I mixed it with rice to make it easier to grab with my sticks and all was well. I also ordered the vegetarian dumplings, but they were out of the classic ones, so I had the Shanghai veggie dumplings — so good! I could have eaten ten of them. The boyfriend had the Tianjin dumplings, which he loved. He also had the Lion’s head soup, which he didn’t really like so much, as the meatballs were dry even though they were soaking in soup, but he did like the soup and silver noodles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We followed the meal with the most wonderful little treats — the sugar egg puffs! They were so good, I couldn’t believe it. They’re like glorified donuts, but super light and fluffy. We ordered way too much food, but had plenty of leftovers for lunch the following day. After all of this, we were both in food comas and ready to lie down on the floor right then and there. Unfortunately, it took another 20 minutes to get anyone’s attention for the check. We sat and waited, and waited. Once again, I had to practically grab someone to come bring us the check. We actually had to ask for it three times before someone finally brought it to us! Thankfully, we didn’t need change, so we paid and ran to catch the 38 back to civilization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I will definitely return soon, but I’ll remember to eat a small snack before going and be sure not to have anything I have to hurry back to after dinner.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ray-bautista.jpg\" alt=\"Ray Bautista\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ray\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Electrical Design Engineer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Larkspur\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Caesar’s Italian Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Shanghai Dumpling King:\u003c/strong> Monday, December 15, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nI invited my neighbor to join me for lunch at this restaurant because we both\u003cbr>\nenjoy Chinese food greatly. Arriving to the location at 34th and Balboa Street, metered street parking was not a problem. The location was easy to find with their big white and red sign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon entering, we were greeted and they indicated that we could select any table in either: 1, the main dining entrance room with five tables with a to-go counter; or 2, the adjacent main dining room with 12 tables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The décor and atmosphere was very simple with some Chinese decorations. We selected a table for four in the main dining room with no tablecloth or utensils. Two minutes later, the waiter brought us chopsticks, napkins and the menus. Another waiter brought over a plate of three Sugar Egg Puffs and asked us if we would like some (they looked great), but we indicated “no,” it was too early for dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In reviewing the menu, we saw they had it all: Dim Sum (24 selections), appetizers (10), soup and clay pot (17), rice and noodle (22), vegetable (14), beef (8), chicken (7), seafood (11), pork (11), egg foo young (5), and dessert (8). The selection was too great for our palates, we wanted ten to 15 dishes, but we ordered only six selections for three-course meal. Our waiter was new, so we had to order by number and name of each dish we wanted:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #1. #13. Vegetarian Pot Sticker (8)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #2. #43. Chicken and Corn Soup (for 2) — it comes in large bowl for four — and #21. Green Onion Pancakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #3. #80. Eggplant with garlic sauce and #95. Beef with Bean Curd. (Each portion was made to serve 3 persons; you would not go hungry.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Comments: A. They also had a Lunch Special Menu of (18) dishes. Includes: Daily Soup and Steamed Rice for $4.95 or $5.50. B. They also had a take-out counter with fixed (4) items for $3.50. At 12 noon for lunch, they had line out the door, about 25 persons deep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all, we had a very enjoying lunch for five reasons:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>1. Each course was served quickly.\u003cbr>\n2. You had a choice: with or without MSG.\u003cbr>\n3. Each serving plate would serve 3 persons. (portions were large)\u003cbr>\n4. Each dish was very tasty and good.\u003cbr>\n5. The value and price of each dish, price was very reasonable. (Bang for the buck.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would recommend this restaurant to our familes and friends with no reservations, if they lived in San Francisco or were the neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n3319 Balboa Street (at 34th Avenue)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94121\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-387-2088\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Chinese-Shanghai\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Shanghai Dumpling King: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1257\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1213\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp402iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/shanghai9.jpg\" alt=\"Xiao Long Bao Soup Dumplings\" hspace=\"3\"> \u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/shanghai13.jpg\" alt=\"Shanghai Vegetarian Dumplings\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/shanghai15.jpg\" alt=\"Spicy Ma Po Tofu\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nXiao Long Bao Soup Dumplings, Shanghai Vegetarian Dumplings, Spicy Ma Po Tofu\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/lysley-tenorio.jpg\" alt=\"Lysley Tenorio\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Lysley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> English Professor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Shanghai Dumpling King\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Shanghai Dumpling King:\u003c/strong> Thursday, December 25, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nChristmas came early for us this year — the 19th! — so on Christmas night, we found ourselves driving around the city in search of a place serving dinner, and like a holiday miracle, the Shanghai Dumpling King was actually open. It’s been a favorite spot for the past four years, and it never disappoints. As its name proclaims, this restaurant is indeed the king of dumplings, and we are its royal (and loyal) subjects. They make the best Chinese dumplings I’ve ever had, and it’s their xiao long bao, the soup dumplings, that put them on the map — perfect pouches filled, not only with pork, but with actual soup, just enough so that you need an actual soup spoon to eat them. You pick up the dumpling with a spoon, give it a quick dip into a bit of soy sauce and vinegar, and bite. Since we’d celebrated Christmas the week before, the soup dumplings were the perfect present to open on Christmas night. The slippery floury pouch and the tender bit of pork inside mix perfectly with the hot and just-salty-enough soup. On a foggy and windy Outer Richmond night it was the gift that kept on giving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While soup dumplings are the superstar on the menu, the others are excellent as well. They offer about a dozen different kinds, and my favorites are the pork and crabmeat, the pork and chive, and the vegetable. All are steamed, and arrive in their own bamboo steamers. I also love the pan-fried pork buns, which are like little pork buns you might find at a fast food dim sum joint along Clement Street, but much better. The quality of the pork filling and the bun itself surpass those by far. For new visitors to Shanghai Dumpling King, I always recommend making an entire meal out of the dumplings. Ranging from five to eight dollars each, they’re an amazing deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the non-dumpling fare is good too, and on Christmas night, we feasted. We ordered three dumplings (the soup dumpling, the chive, and the vegetable) along with several entrees (the bok choy with bean curd sheet, the salt pan cake, the spicy pork noodle soup, which they recommended, and the orange peel beef).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bok choy is stir-fried just enough to maintain its flavor and crunch, with bits of garlic mixed in, and I’m a fan of the bean curd sheet, these thin ribbons of tofu. They have a subtle flavor, and a rubbery texture that I happen to enjoy. I’d never had the salt pan cake before, and I loved it. It was like a fried pastry stuffed with bits of pork, sautéed onion, and cabbage, which mixed together, had an almost gooey texture. The spicy pork noodle soup was also new to me, and it was perfect for the cold night. It had rice noodles in a thick broth that tasted like a more subtle Thai peanut sauce. The orange peel beef had a Panda Express-y quality (the sauce was a bit too thick and heavy), but it was undeniably flavorful, and I appreciated the fact that you could actually taste the orange peel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert, we had the egg puffs. This is always an interesting moment at Shanghai Dumpling King. Half the time, the egg puffs (which are doughy and eggy and sugary and deep fried and delicious—think of it as a Chinese doughnut) are free — there have been times where they’re literally handing them out to anyone who wants them. On Christmas night, they were free again, but they’re so good that we’d gladly pay for them, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their mysterious egg puff policy is, I have to say, indicative of Shanghai Dumpling King. There is something a little haphazard about the service: you never know which order they’ll bring out first, if they’ll treat the dumplings as your appetizer or your entrée, if your water glass will ever be re-filled (or filled). But I consider this part of the restaurant’s hole-in-the-wall charm. It’s a small, two-room joint, modestly decorated with hand-written menus taped to the wall. You get the sense that the place is family-owned and family-run. You can see them cooking and chatting in the kitchen area, and on Christmas night, I liked that some of the staff were enjoying their own dinner at the table next to ours. A very Merry Christmas from the King of Dumplings.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/sydney-pfaff.jpg\" alt=\"Sydney Pfaff\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Sydney\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Fashion Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> farmerbrown\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Shanghai Dumpling King:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 28, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nIf I lived anywhere near Shanghai Dumpling, I would probably eat there every other night, if not more often. Unfortunately (or fortunately for my belly), it’s a 30-40 minute ride on the 38 bus to get there, and I’m not really willing to commit to that — even though the dumplings are heavenly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I will preface this by saying the food was delicious and once we were finally able to order, the food came rather quickly. The first mistake of the evening was leaving the house really hungry, making the bus ride feel like an eternity. Once we walked the two blocks from the bus stop and entered the restaurant, we were behind one family waiting for a table. The place was busy, but there were at least four or five tables open. We stood for ten minutes before the family before us was seated, then we stood for an additional six or seven minutes before being seated at one of the two-tops against the wall in the second room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We were given tea the second we sat down, which was very nice. But no joking, we sat for 20 minutes before anyone came back to take our order. After several attempts to get a server’s attention, I pretty much had to stand and waive my arms frantically until one of the girls came by. I ordered a spicy tofu dish that was covered in a great sauce, almost similar to barbeque sauce. The tofu was excellent, although one gripe was that the plastic chopsticks made it very difficult to pick up sauce-soaked, slippery tofu. I mixed it with rice to make it easier to grab with my sticks and all was well. I also ordered the vegetarian dumplings, but they were out of the classic ones, so I had the Shanghai veggie dumplings — so good! I could have eaten ten of them. The boyfriend had the Tianjin dumplings, which he loved. He also had the Lion’s head soup, which he didn’t really like so much, as the meatballs were dry even though they were soaking in soup, but he did like the soup and silver noodles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We followed the meal with the most wonderful little treats — the sugar egg puffs! They were so good, I couldn’t believe it. They’re like glorified donuts, but super light and fluffy. We ordered way too much food, but had plenty of leftovers for lunch the following day. After all of this, we were both in food comas and ready to lie down on the floor right then and there. Unfortunately, it took another 20 minutes to get anyone’s attention for the check. We sat and waited, and waited. Once again, I had to practically grab someone to come bring us the check. We actually had to ask for it three times before someone finally brought it to us! Thankfully, we didn’t need change, so we paid and ran to catch the 38 back to civilization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I will definitely return soon, but I’ll remember to eat a small snack before going and be sure not to have anything I have to hurry back to after dinner.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ray-bautista.jpg\" alt=\"Ray Bautista\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ray\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Electrical Design Engineer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Larkspur\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Caesar’s Italian Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Shanghai Dumpling King:\u003c/strong> Monday, December 15, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nI invited my neighbor to join me for lunch at this restaurant because we both\u003cbr>\nenjoy Chinese food greatly. Arriving to the location at 34th and Balboa Street, metered street parking was not a problem. The location was easy to find with their big white and red sign.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon entering, we were greeted and they indicated that we could select any table in either: 1, the main dining entrance room with five tables with a to-go counter; or 2, the adjacent main dining room with 12 tables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The décor and atmosphere was very simple with some Chinese decorations. We selected a table for four in the main dining room with no tablecloth or utensils. Two minutes later, the waiter brought us chopsticks, napkins and the menus. Another waiter brought over a plate of three Sugar Egg Puffs and asked us if we would like some (they looked great), but we indicated “no,” it was too early for dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In reviewing the menu, we saw they had it all: Dim Sum (24 selections), appetizers (10), soup and clay pot (17), rice and noodle (22), vegetable (14), beef (8), chicken (7), seafood (11), pork (11), egg foo young (5), and dessert (8). The selection was too great for our palates, we wanted ten to 15 dishes, but we ordered only six selections for three-course meal. Our waiter was new, so we had to order by number and name of each dish we wanted:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #1. #13. Vegetarian Pot Sticker (8)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #2. #43. Chicken and Corn Soup (for 2) — it comes in large bowl for four — and #21. Green Onion Pancakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #3. #80. Eggplant with garlic sauce and #95. Beef with Bean Curd. (Each portion was made to serve 3 persons; you would not go hungry.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Comments: A. They also had a Lunch Special Menu of (18) dishes. Includes: Daily Soup and Steamed Rice for $4.95 or $5.50. B. They also had a take-out counter with fixed (4) items for $3.50. At 12 noon for lunch, they had line out the door, about 25 persons deep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all, we had a very enjoying lunch for five reasons:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>1. Each course was served quickly.\u003cbr>\n2. You had a choice: with or without MSG.\u003cbr>\n3. Each serving plate would serve 3 persons. (portions were large)\u003cbr>\n4. Each dish was very tasty and good.\u003cbr>\n5. The value and price of each dish, price was very reasonable. (Bang for the buck.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would recommend this restaurant to our familes and friends with no reservations, if they lived in San Francisco or were the neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>farmerbrown: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1251\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1213\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp402iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/farmerbrown13.jpg\" alt=\"Fried Chicken\" hspace=\"3\"> \u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/farmerbrown14.jpg\" alt=\"Vegetable Jambalaya\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/farmerbrown26.jpg\" alt=\"Pecan Pie with Soft Whipped Cream\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nFried Chicken, Vegetable Jambalaya, Pecan Pie with Soft Whipped Cream\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/sydney-pfaff.jpg\" alt=\"Sydney Pfaff\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Sydney\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Fashion Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> farmerbrown\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed farmerbrown:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 14, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nWhile the trip down Mason Street to Turk isn’t always the most pleasant, farmerbrown is like an oasis once you step inside and off the gritty streets of the Tenderloin. The slightly inconspicuous restaurant is warm and inviting, as is the staff.\n\u003cp>Jay Foster, the co-owner, has created a menu of soul food-inspired dishes using local produce. He heavily supports African-American farmers and focuses on using locally grown, organic and sustainable foods. Everything is always fresh and has remained consistent in the two-plus years I’ve been going there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service has always been fantastic. Just on my last visit about a week ago, they were out of tofu for the veggie po’boy (my absolute favorite entree there). The server saw how bummed I was and said, “Dessert’s on me tonight!” What a nice touch. I ended up getting the vegetable jambalaya, which I hadn’t had in quite some time — it was delicious — followed by the best piece of pie ever made, and I don’t even really like pie! The pecan pie is TO-DIE-FOR, no joke. Not only do I feel this way, but my whole party that night said the same thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Considering the fresh ingredients, excellent service, and great ambiance, the price is just right for everything, and they have an amazing brunch on Sundays with live jazz — $15 all-you-can-eat buffet!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re crazy enough to drive downtown on your visit, there is a parking lot next door for about $10 or so. It can get fairly loud, so it’s not necessarily the right place for a romantic dinner or intimate evening, but it’s perfect for groups and parties. My boyfriend and I took his little sister and a bunch of her friends here for her 21st birthday, and it was perfect: casual, high-energy, and so much fun. She absolutely loves pie, so we bought her a full pecan pie after dinner, which she loved. I think I may even do my birthday there in ’09…\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/lysley-tenorio.jpg\" alt=\"Lysley Tenorio\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Lysley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> English Professor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Shanghai Dumpling King\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed farmerbrown:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, December 10, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nOur farmerbrown night began as all things should, with a round of excellent drinks: pear brandy sidecar, blood orange Bellini, Meyer lemon margarita. The sidecar was the best I’d ever had. Whereas most bars rim the glass with seven pounds of sugar, mine had just a light dusting on half the glass, which allowed the pear brandy to sweeten the drink instead and maintain the drink’s subtle tartness. It was perfect. The margarita was also amazing — lemony, just sweet enough. My friend Hansel raved about his Bellini. I don’t drink Bellinis, but if he says it was a great Bellini then it was a great Bellini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We split the sweet potato steak fries and the spare ribs for appetizers. Both were excellent, but we were surprised (and dismayed) by how few fries were on the plate. After some math, we realized each fry was roughly 40 cents each. Are we in the midst of the Great Sweet Potato Famine of 2008? If not, then they should double the amount.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For my entrée, I ordered the chicken fried steak. For almost twenty dollars, I expected an excellent piece of chicken fried steak, but then I wondered: what IS excellent chicken fried steak? Is it not, after all, merely pulverized beef dressed in crumbs? Certainly. The magic, then, must come from the gravy, and farmerbrown’s was somewhat disappointing. A mushroom gravy that was under salted. Wanting flavor, I asked for extra gravy, believing that bland gravy would become less bland by adding…more bland gravy. No, not quite, and so my generous portion of chicken friend steak (it was huge) remained so — I ate about half. The side of roasted broccoli and cauliflower was decent, though they tasted more steamed than roasted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hansel had the fried chicken, which was very good (though not necessarily better than other good fried chicken in the city). The side of collard greens were cooked well, the taste of vinegar just enough. But the mac and cheese was disconcerting, rust-colored and odd in flavor, tasting neither of cheese nor macaroni. It seemed to be its own thing; what that thing was, however, was unclear. For a soul food place, the mac and cheese — and the gravy! — should be much, much better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My friend Kiki had the gumbo. It was slightly under seasoned. But the accompanying biscuit got an A+. My friend Tad had the jambalaya. He enjoyed it very much, and after one small bite, I actually found it to be the most flavorful of the entrees. Then, dessert. The pecan pie was excellent, and the persimmon bread pudding was good, though I didn’t quite notice the persimmon-y taste, come to think of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service was good, but my one (odd) criticism is that they were too efficient, super-quick with each course; it was like being waited on by The Flash. The fallout was that we had to drink our 2nd cocktail while eating our entrée (which denies the cocktail its proper stage time), and that our $200 evening at farmerbrown took all of ninety minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I enjoyed the atmosphere. Pleasantly dim, good music (though a little loud at times. Chaka Kahn’s “I Feel For You” seemed particularly blaring). I liked the arrangement of tables, how some were out in the open, while others were tucked behind and between half-walls and random panels. And I was struck by the wall-sized photo adjacent to our table, one of an African-American woman speaking into a microphone, with a “Folsom” street sign in the foreground. Pure San Francisco, and a good reminder of farmerbrown’s commitment to the Bay Area. Their mission is to, “[support] local and African-American farmers, using organic, biodynamic, and/or sustainably raised foods, and beverages whenever possible.” For that reason — and for the pear brandy sidecar — I’d be glad to go back.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ray-bautista.jpg\" alt=\"Ray Bautista\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ray\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Electrical Design Engineer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Larkspur\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Caesar’s Italian Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed farmerbrown:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, December 16, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nThis restaurant was a “challenge” because of the location and atmosphere (old San Francisco). Parking was available: meter street parking or in a private lot for $10.00 next door on Mason Street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The atmosphere was very unique, old and dark (black interior) with ten-foot character pictures by a special artist with single lit candles on each tables. We arrived early at 5:20 pm and decided to have a cocktail at the bar. We found two areas of selection: a special cocktails menu and a limited bar selection (including beer and wine).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The décor was nothing special, a large picture window facing Mason Street, and the back of the bar was bottled liquor on glass shelves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a cocktail, we were escorted to our table next to the cooking and serving area and given a four-page menu with a metal cover. Also, our waiter said that they had two specials: the first was chicken and dumplings with angel biscuits and the second was breaded catfish with southern greens. I ordered a second cocktail and my fiancé ordered wine, and we began reviewing the menu. The busboy brought us a basket of six small round corn bread muffins with butter. Our waiter returned with the drinks, and we began ordering a three-course meal:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #1. Sweet potato steak fries with an aioli. (Shared)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #2. My fiancé ordered the fried chicken with macaroni and Tillamook cheddar cheese, and I ordered the chicken and dumpling special. We also ordered two side dishes, southern greens and mashed sweet potatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #3. Dessert: Sweet potato pie (shared) with a cup of Ritual Roasters Coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The portions were average size and the food arrival for each course was about ten to 20 minutes each. My fiancé really enjoyed the fried chicken (real southern cooking and not greasy), but the mac and cheese was just OK. (She didn’t finish the mac and cheese.) On the other hand, my chicken and dumplings were very tasty with the angel biscuits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The best part was the dessert: The sweet potato pie with soft whipped cream!!!!\u003cbr>\n(We should have ordered two pieces, it was the best pie I have ever had.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In summary, the food was, at best, okay, however, we would not return because of the un-nviting location and atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recommendations to friends and family for soul food: just average & a bit pricy.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n25 Mason Street (at Turk Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94102\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-409-3276\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.farmerbrownsf.com\">www.farmerbrown.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Soul Food/Southern Cuisine\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed::\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>farmerbrown: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1251\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1213\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp402iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/farmerbrown13.jpg\" alt=\"Fried Chicken\" hspace=\"3\"> \u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/farmerbrown14.jpg\" alt=\"Vegetable Jambalaya\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/farmerbrown26.jpg\" alt=\"Pecan Pie with Soft Whipped Cream\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nFried Chicken, Vegetable Jambalaya, Pecan Pie with Soft Whipped Cream\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/sydney-pfaff.jpg\" alt=\"Sydney Pfaff\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Sydney\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Fashion Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> farmerbrown\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed farmerbrown:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 14, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nWhile the trip down Mason Street to Turk isn’t always the most pleasant, farmerbrown is like an oasis once you step inside and off the gritty streets of the Tenderloin. The slightly inconspicuous restaurant is warm and inviting, as is the staff.\n\u003cp>Jay Foster, the co-owner, has created a menu of soul food-inspired dishes using local produce. He heavily supports African-American farmers and focuses on using locally grown, organic and sustainable foods. Everything is always fresh and has remained consistent in the two-plus years I’ve been going there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service has always been fantastic. Just on my last visit about a week ago, they were out of tofu for the veggie po’boy (my absolute favorite entree there). The server saw how bummed I was and said, “Dessert’s on me tonight!” What a nice touch. I ended up getting the vegetable jambalaya, which I hadn’t had in quite some time — it was delicious — followed by the best piece of pie ever made, and I don’t even really like pie! The pecan pie is TO-DIE-FOR, no joke. Not only do I feel this way, but my whole party that night said the same thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Considering the fresh ingredients, excellent service, and great ambiance, the price is just right for everything, and they have an amazing brunch on Sundays with live jazz — $15 all-you-can-eat buffet!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re crazy enough to drive downtown on your visit, there is a parking lot next door for about $10 or so. It can get fairly loud, so it’s not necessarily the right place for a romantic dinner or intimate evening, but it’s perfect for groups and parties. My boyfriend and I took his little sister and a bunch of her friends here for her 21st birthday, and it was perfect: casual, high-energy, and so much fun. She absolutely loves pie, so we bought her a full pecan pie after dinner, which she loved. I think I may even do my birthday there in ’09…\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/lysley-tenorio.jpg\" alt=\"Lysley Tenorio\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Lysley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> English Professor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Shanghai Dumpling King\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed farmerbrown:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, December 10, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nOur farmerbrown night began as all things should, with a round of excellent drinks: pear brandy sidecar, blood orange Bellini, Meyer lemon margarita. The sidecar was the best I’d ever had. Whereas most bars rim the glass with seven pounds of sugar, mine had just a light dusting on half the glass, which allowed the pear brandy to sweeten the drink instead and maintain the drink’s subtle tartness. It was perfect. The margarita was also amazing — lemony, just sweet enough. My friend Hansel raved about his Bellini. I don’t drink Bellinis, but if he says it was a great Bellini then it was a great Bellini.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We split the sweet potato steak fries and the spare ribs for appetizers. Both were excellent, but we were surprised (and dismayed) by how few fries were on the plate. After some math, we realized each fry was roughly 40 cents each. Are we in the midst of the Great Sweet Potato Famine of 2008? If not, then they should double the amount.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For my entrée, I ordered the chicken fried steak. For almost twenty dollars, I expected an excellent piece of chicken fried steak, but then I wondered: what IS excellent chicken fried steak? Is it not, after all, merely pulverized beef dressed in crumbs? Certainly. The magic, then, must come from the gravy, and farmerbrown’s was somewhat disappointing. A mushroom gravy that was under salted. Wanting flavor, I asked for extra gravy, believing that bland gravy would become less bland by adding…more bland gravy. No, not quite, and so my generous portion of chicken friend steak (it was huge) remained so — I ate about half. The side of roasted broccoli and cauliflower was decent, though they tasted more steamed than roasted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hansel had the fried chicken, which was very good (though not necessarily better than other good fried chicken in the city). The side of collard greens were cooked well, the taste of vinegar just enough. But the mac and cheese was disconcerting, rust-colored and odd in flavor, tasting neither of cheese nor macaroni. It seemed to be its own thing; what that thing was, however, was unclear. For a soul food place, the mac and cheese — and the gravy! — should be much, much better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My friend Kiki had the gumbo. It was slightly under seasoned. But the accompanying biscuit got an A+. My friend Tad had the jambalaya. He enjoyed it very much, and after one small bite, I actually found it to be the most flavorful of the entrees. Then, dessert. The pecan pie was excellent, and the persimmon bread pudding was good, though I didn’t quite notice the persimmon-y taste, come to think of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service was good, but my one (odd) criticism is that they were too efficient, super-quick with each course; it was like being waited on by The Flash. The fallout was that we had to drink our 2nd cocktail while eating our entrée (which denies the cocktail its proper stage time), and that our $200 evening at farmerbrown took all of ninety minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I enjoyed the atmosphere. Pleasantly dim, good music (though a little loud at times. Chaka Kahn’s “I Feel For You” seemed particularly blaring). I liked the arrangement of tables, how some were out in the open, while others were tucked behind and between half-walls and random panels. And I was struck by the wall-sized photo adjacent to our table, one of an African-American woman speaking into a microphone, with a “Folsom” street sign in the foreground. Pure San Francisco, and a good reminder of farmerbrown’s commitment to the Bay Area. Their mission is to, “[support] local and African-American farmers, using organic, biodynamic, and/or sustainably raised foods, and beverages whenever possible.” For that reason — and for the pear brandy sidecar — I’d be glad to go back.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ray-bautista.jpg\" alt=\"Ray Bautista\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ray\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Electrical Design Engineer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Larkspur\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Caesar’s Italian Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed farmerbrown:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, December 16, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nThis restaurant was a “challenge” because of the location and atmosphere (old San Francisco). Parking was available: meter street parking or in a private lot for $10.00 next door on Mason Street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The atmosphere was very unique, old and dark (black interior) with ten-foot character pictures by a special artist with single lit candles on each tables. We arrived early at 5:20 pm and decided to have a cocktail at the bar. We found two areas of selection: a special cocktails menu and a limited bar selection (including beer and wine).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The décor was nothing special, a large picture window facing Mason Street, and the back of the bar was bottled liquor on glass shelves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a cocktail, we were escorted to our table next to the cooking and serving area and given a four-page menu with a metal cover. Also, our waiter said that they had two specials: the first was chicken and dumplings with angel biscuits and the second was breaded catfish with southern greens. I ordered a second cocktail and my fiancé ordered wine, and we began reviewing the menu. The busboy brought us a basket of six small round corn bread muffins with butter. Our waiter returned with the drinks, and we began ordering a three-course meal:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #1. Sweet potato steak fries with an aioli. (Shared)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #2. My fiancé ordered the fried chicken with macaroni and Tillamook cheddar cheese, and I ordered the chicken and dumpling special. We also ordered two side dishes, southern greens and mashed sweet potatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #3. Dessert: Sweet potato pie (shared) with a cup of Ritual Roasters Coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The portions were average size and the food arrival for each course was about ten to 20 minutes each. My fiancé really enjoyed the fried chicken (real southern cooking and not greasy), but the mac and cheese was just OK. (She didn’t finish the mac and cheese.) On the other hand, my chicken and dumplings were very tasty with the angel biscuits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The best part was the dessert: The sweet potato pie with soft whipped cream!!!!\u003cbr>\n(We should have ordered two pieces, it was the best pie I have ever had.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In summary, the food was, at best, okay, however, we would not return because of the un-nviting location and atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Caesar’s Italian Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1264\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1213\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp402iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/caesars11.jpg\" alt=\"Assorted Antipastos\" hspace=\"3\"> \u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/caesars14.jpg\" alt=\"Garden Vegetable Soup\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/caesars18.jpg\" alt=\"Sicilian Seafood Pasta\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nAssorted Antipastos, Garden Vegetable Soup, Sicilian Seafood Pasta\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ray-bautista.jpg\" alt=\"Ray Bautista\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ray\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Electrical Design Engineer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Larkspur\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Caesar’s Italian Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Caesar’s Italian Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Thursday, December 11, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nCaesar’s Restaurant has been in San Francisco for over 50 years, and I have been going there for at least 20 of those years. The food is served family style, it’s authentic Italian, and the waitstaff is some of the best I’ve had and very friendly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You certainly can’t go wrong with the voted “City’s Best” calamari that is fried to perfection. The veal steak (when available) is to die for, and their famous crab cioppino, available Tuesday thru Friday, is outrageous. Their pastas are wonderful, and if you’re lucky, you’ll go on a night when chef-owner Matteo Crivello serves his Italian short ribs that melt in your mouth, a real treat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decor sets you back to the 50s era of what a gentlemen’s club might have been like. Italian light fixtures in the main dining room offer a soft glow. The leather, high back booths offer a bit of privacy, yet have an openness about them. The bar in the front is dark wood, and runs the length of the room, and has an inviting feel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restaurant also serves a five-course meal for a very reasonable price. They start you with antipasti, which includes an array of Italian meats and pickled vegetables. The next course is the wonderful minestrone soup, followed by a house salad. If you’re not too full, you choose from one of three entrees, which is followed by coffee, Italian spumoni ice cream, or Bugia, which is a type of thin Italian cookie dusted with powdered sugar and is made fresh at the restaurant daily. These are a must-have to end the meal. They instantly melt in your mouth. You can’t find these anywhere else! They also have a hot zabaione, which is smooth and creamy, and if you have room, don’t pass this up!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their standard menu offers a large selection of choices as well as nightly specials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We selected a Three Course dinner, but the restaurant added an extra fourth course:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #1. Assorted Antipasti: Plate of three cold cuts, marinated white cannelloni beans, tomatoes with mozzarella cheese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #2. Soup or Salad: My fiancé ordered the minestrone soup, and I had a small shrimp mix green salad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #3. Capellini with Neapolitan sauce. (Compliments of the chef)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #4. My fiancé ordered the Cannelloni alla Romana, which was filled with a delightful blend of pork, veal, and spinach and baked until golden brown, all smothered with cheese in a zesty tomato sauce. I ordered the special, Sicilian Seafood Pasta, which consisted of clams, mussels, white fish, salmon, and Dungeness crab served over a bed of linguine with a light and spicy tomato sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #5. Dessert: Bugia (Sicilian cookies) with coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beverages: I had a Campari and soda while my fiancé enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay at the antique 50-60 year-old bar. It is worth sitting there and having a cocktail and taking in the surroundings of what old San Francisco might have been like back then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is one reason we keep going back, it’s classic San Francisco North Beach Italian comfort food that will put a smile on your face every time. Simply put, I can’t think of anywhere better to experience that then at Caesar’s Restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reservations are recommended and they also offer Valet Parking for $6.00.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/sydney-pfaff.jpg\" alt=\"Sydney Pfaff\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Sydney\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Fashion Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> farmerbrown\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Caesar’s Italian Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, December 30, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nCaesar’s really is old school. When it comes to true Italian restaurants, they excel in every aspect. The service is friendly and authentic, and everyone was extremely hospitable. Walking in without any reservations, the kind hostess seated us immediately. The layout is a bit funny, as there are three separate rooms that make up the restaurant, but our table in the room adjacent to the bar was comfortable.\n\u003cp>Immediately, I noticed that we were surrounded by families. Grandparents, their children, and their grandchildren were seated on all sides of us, and everyone was having a great time. My boyfriend and I (probably the only couple under 50) thoroughly enjoyed our Sicilian waiter and were served very quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a meat eater, their menu is really extensive. I ordered the gnocchi (my favorite Italian food), but they were completely out, so I opted for the capellini pasta, which was nice and light with just the right amount of chunky red sauce. The boyfriend had prosciutto and melon for a starter, which he really liked. He ordered the seafood combination plate for an entree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The prices were very reasonable, even for the seven-course meal, which we both thought about getting, but we had to catch a show at Cobb’s and figured the multiple courses would take a bit more time than we had to spare. Between dishes, the waiter brought over a plate of pasta with meat sauce for him to enjoy, which was a really nice touch. We weren’t sure if it was because he didn’t order a pasta dish for his entree, or because they just do that to keep people busy while they’re waiting for their food. I noticed he did that for every other table as well, so it was a nice little bonus for him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decor is very classic and simple, but one thing I didn’t really like was the lighting — it was almost like a cafeteria inside the dining rooms. The interiors weren’t ugly, but an update on the decor might make it just that much more interesting. We went in thinking it would be just a mediocre Italian place, but everything we had was great and the service was fantastic. Overall, we were very happy with our experience at Caesar’s and will probably return in the coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/lysley-tenorio.jpg\" alt=\"Lysley Tenorio\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Lysley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> English Professor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Shanghai Dumpling King\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Caesar’s Italian Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 14, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nI can appreciate (and truly enjoy) hip gourmet Italian restaurants like Delfina or Beretta, but I’m also grateful for places like Caesar’s Italian Restaurant with its comfortable Old World atmosphere, the tuxedoed waiters, the white tablecloths, and the dining room bustle of large, multi-generational families. It’s not the kind of restaurant I tend to frequent, so I was immediately happy to be there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We were a group of eight, and each of us ordered the seven-course meal, for which Caesar’s is known. With any entrée (and for roughly $30.00) you get a salad, vegetable soup, assorted antipasti, pasta with meat sauce, dessert, and coffee. The salad was fairly plain in appearance — iceberg lettuce, slivers of carrot, a slice of beet — but the mystery dressing (some kind of Italian/Thousand Island concoction), was surprisingly good. And everyone raved about the vegetable soup — simple and warm, perfect for the cold night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The assorted antipasti arrived as a group of shared plates — there were the usual Italian meats and cheeses, green olives, marinated mushrooms, some kind of mystery vegetable that was covered in a slightly spicy sauce. Particularly good was the calamari, which tasted more like a ceviche — lemony and cold. Of all the courses, this was my favorite, but also the most problematic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plates arrived all at once, with none of the waiters identifying what was what (I’m still unclear what that mystery vegetable was). We also were unclear if the calamari we’d ordered separately as an appetizer was the same calamari as the ceviche (it wasn’t). But the course was delicious, which perhaps was why we were so bummed out by the portions. While seven courses is certainly filling, we each had about two bites of the antipasti items. From the look of things, the antipasti for eight could have been the antipasti for two, and some of the items were taken away before we were finished with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next was a saucer of penne pasta with meat sauce. It was fine, but nothing I needed to finish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For my entrée, I ordered the veal scaloppine. The meat was tender, coated lightly with flour, and covered with mushrooms in a Marsala sauce. It was tasty, though not necessarily better than any other veal scaloppine I’d had before (I preferred my friend’s veal piccata and its pleasant, lemony flavor). Most of the entrees came with potatoes and a boiled vegetable that was either bok choy or kale (we couldn’t decide which) and they each served their purpose: a starch and something green. Other entrees at the table were the gnocchi, the pork chop, and the (somewhat greasy) halibut. I tasted each of them, and all were perfectly good. In fact, “perfectly good” is a fair assessment of Caesar’s food as a whole — nothing surprising, just solid fare that one would expect from an old style Italian family restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spumoni and coffee ended the meal. The spumoni was fine (Dreyer’s?) and the coffee was predictably mediocre.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service was good, if a little frenetic, which I didn’t really mind. Given the chaos in the dining room (the place was packed), I was impressed that our waiter was able to maintain his charming demeanor, and after initially forgetting our calamari appetizer, he brought it to us on the house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though a bit pricey for what you get (about $50.00 a person), it might be fun to return with a large group of friends. The food at Caesar’s is fine, but it’s not the reason to come; there’s better to be had in North Beach or the Mission, and you can avoid the schlep to Caesar’s Fisherman’s Wharf location.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For me, Caesar’s is about atmosphere: the good bustle of multi-ethnic and multi-generational diners — many of whom seemed like regulars — celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. The waitstaff was friendly, conversational, even a little theatrical in the moments they stopped to chat. And the restaurant itself, with its vinyl booths, family photo-covered walls, and (what seemed to be) silk plants, felt authentic in its own way: it’s a restaurant that insists on being itself, which makes for a welcoming and comfortable dining experience for all who visit.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n2299 Powell Street (at Bay Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94133\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-989-6000\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://caesars.citysearch.com\">caesars.citysearch.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Italian\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Caesar’s Italian Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1264\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1213\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp402iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/caesars11.jpg\" alt=\"Assorted Antipastos\" hspace=\"3\"> \u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/caesars14.jpg\" alt=\"Garden Vegetable Soup\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/caesars18.jpg\" alt=\"Sicilian Seafood Pasta\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nAssorted Antipastos, Garden Vegetable Soup, Sicilian Seafood Pasta\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ray-bautista.jpg\" alt=\"Ray Bautista\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ray\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Electrical Design Engineer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Larkspur\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Caesar’s Italian Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Caesar’s Italian Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Thursday, December 11, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nCaesar’s Restaurant has been in San Francisco for over 50 years, and I have been going there for at least 20 of those years. The food is served family style, it’s authentic Italian, and the waitstaff is some of the best I’ve had and very friendly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You certainly can’t go wrong with the voted “City’s Best” calamari that is fried to perfection. The veal steak (when available) is to die for, and their famous crab cioppino, available Tuesday thru Friday, is outrageous. Their pastas are wonderful, and if you’re lucky, you’ll go on a night when chef-owner Matteo Crivello serves his Italian short ribs that melt in your mouth, a real treat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decor sets you back to the 50s era of what a gentlemen’s club might have been like. Italian light fixtures in the main dining room offer a soft glow. The leather, high back booths offer a bit of privacy, yet have an openness about them. The bar in the front is dark wood, and runs the length of the room, and has an inviting feel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restaurant also serves a five-course meal for a very reasonable price. They start you with antipasti, which includes an array of Italian meats and pickled vegetables. The next course is the wonderful minestrone soup, followed by a house salad. If you’re not too full, you choose from one of three entrees, which is followed by coffee, Italian spumoni ice cream, or Bugia, which is a type of thin Italian cookie dusted with powdered sugar and is made fresh at the restaurant daily. These are a must-have to end the meal. They instantly melt in your mouth. You can’t find these anywhere else! They also have a hot zabaione, which is smooth and creamy, and if you have room, don’t pass this up!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their standard menu offers a large selection of choices as well as nightly specials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We selected a Three Course dinner, but the restaurant added an extra fourth course:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #1. Assorted Antipasti: Plate of three cold cuts, marinated white cannelloni beans, tomatoes with mozzarella cheese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #2. Soup or Salad: My fiancé ordered the minestrone soup, and I had a small shrimp mix green salad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #3. Capellini with Neapolitan sauce. (Compliments of the chef)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #4. My fiancé ordered the Cannelloni alla Romana, which was filled with a delightful blend of pork, veal, and spinach and baked until golden brown, all smothered with cheese in a zesty tomato sauce. I ordered the special, Sicilian Seafood Pasta, which consisted of clams, mussels, white fish, salmon, and Dungeness crab served over a bed of linguine with a light and spicy tomato sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Course #5. Dessert: Bugia (Sicilian cookies) with coffee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beverages: I had a Campari and soda while my fiancé enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay at the antique 50-60 year-old bar. It is worth sitting there and having a cocktail and taking in the surroundings of what old San Francisco might have been like back then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is one reason we keep going back, it’s classic San Francisco North Beach Italian comfort food that will put a smile on your face every time. Simply put, I can’t think of anywhere better to experience that then at Caesar’s Restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reservations are recommended and they also offer Valet Parking for $6.00.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/sydney-pfaff.jpg\" alt=\"Sydney Pfaff\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Sydney\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Fashion Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> farmerbrown\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Caesar’s Italian Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, December 30, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nCaesar’s really is old school. When it comes to true Italian restaurants, they excel in every aspect. The service is friendly and authentic, and everyone was extremely hospitable. Walking in without any reservations, the kind hostess seated us immediately. The layout is a bit funny, as there are three separate rooms that make up the restaurant, but our table in the room adjacent to the bar was comfortable.\n\u003cp>Immediately, I noticed that we were surrounded by families. Grandparents, their children, and their grandchildren were seated on all sides of us, and everyone was having a great time. My boyfriend and I (probably the only couple under 50) thoroughly enjoyed our Sicilian waiter and were served very quickly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a meat eater, their menu is really extensive. I ordered the gnocchi (my favorite Italian food), but they were completely out, so I opted for the capellini pasta, which was nice and light with just the right amount of chunky red sauce. The boyfriend had prosciutto and melon for a starter, which he really liked. He ordered the seafood combination plate for an entree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The prices were very reasonable, even for the seven-course meal, which we both thought about getting, but we had to catch a show at Cobb’s and figured the multiple courses would take a bit more time than we had to spare. Between dishes, the waiter brought over a plate of pasta with meat sauce for him to enjoy, which was a really nice touch. We weren’t sure if it was because he didn’t order a pasta dish for his entree, or because they just do that to keep people busy while they’re waiting for their food. I noticed he did that for every other table as well, so it was a nice little bonus for him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decor is very classic and simple, but one thing I didn’t really like was the lighting — it was almost like a cafeteria inside the dining rooms. The interiors weren’t ugly, but an update on the decor might make it just that much more interesting. We went in thinking it would be just a mediocre Italian place, but everything we had was great and the service was fantastic. Overall, we were very happy with our experience at Caesar’s and will probably return in the coming weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/lysley-tenorio.jpg\" alt=\"Lysley Tenorio\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Lysley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> English Professor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Shanghai Dumpling King\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Caesar’s Italian Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 14, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nI can appreciate (and truly enjoy) hip gourmet Italian restaurants like Delfina or Beretta, but I’m also grateful for places like Caesar’s Italian Restaurant with its comfortable Old World atmosphere, the tuxedoed waiters, the white tablecloths, and the dining room bustle of large, multi-generational families. It’s not the kind of restaurant I tend to frequent, so I was immediately happy to be there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We were a group of eight, and each of us ordered the seven-course meal, for which Caesar’s is known. With any entrée (and for roughly $30.00) you get a salad, vegetable soup, assorted antipasti, pasta with meat sauce, dessert, and coffee. The salad was fairly plain in appearance — iceberg lettuce, slivers of carrot, a slice of beet — but the mystery dressing (some kind of Italian/Thousand Island concoction), was surprisingly good. And everyone raved about the vegetable soup — simple and warm, perfect for the cold night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The assorted antipasti arrived as a group of shared plates — there were the usual Italian meats and cheeses, green olives, marinated mushrooms, some kind of mystery vegetable that was covered in a slightly spicy sauce. Particularly good was the calamari, which tasted more like a ceviche — lemony and cold. Of all the courses, this was my favorite, but also the most problematic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The plates arrived all at once, with none of the waiters identifying what was what (I’m still unclear what that mystery vegetable was). We also were unclear if the calamari we’d ordered separately as an appetizer was the same calamari as the ceviche (it wasn’t). But the course was delicious, which perhaps was why we were so bummed out by the portions. While seven courses is certainly filling, we each had about two bites of the antipasti items. From the look of things, the antipasti for eight could have been the antipasti for two, and some of the items were taken away before we were finished with them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next was a saucer of penne pasta with meat sauce. It was fine, but nothing I needed to finish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For my entrée, I ordered the veal scaloppine. The meat was tender, coated lightly with flour, and covered with mushrooms in a Marsala sauce. It was tasty, though not necessarily better than any other veal scaloppine I’d had before (I preferred my friend’s veal piccata and its pleasant, lemony flavor). Most of the entrees came with potatoes and a boiled vegetable that was either bok choy or kale (we couldn’t decide which) and they each served their purpose: a starch and something green. Other entrees at the table were the gnocchi, the pork chop, and the (somewhat greasy) halibut. I tasted each of them, and all were perfectly good. In fact, “perfectly good” is a fair assessment of Caesar’s food as a whole — nothing surprising, just solid fare that one would expect from an old style Italian family restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Spumoni and coffee ended the meal. The spumoni was fine (Dreyer’s?) and the coffee was predictably mediocre.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service was good, if a little frenetic, which I didn’t really mind. Given the chaos in the dining room (the place was packed), I was impressed that our waiter was able to maintain his charming demeanor, and after initially forgetting our calamari appetizer, he brought it to us on the house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though a bit pricey for what you get (about $50.00 a person), it might be fun to return with a large group of friends. The food at Caesar’s is fine, but it’s not the reason to come; there’s better to be had in North Beach or the Mission, and you can avoid the schlep to Caesar’s Fisherman’s Wharf location.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For me, Caesar’s is about atmosphere: the good bustle of multi-ethnic and multi-generational diners — many of whom seemed like regulars — celebrating birthdays and anniversaries. The waitstaff was friendly, conversational, even a little theatrical in the moments they stopped to chat. And the restaurant itself, with its vinyl booths, family photo-covered walls, and (what seemed to be) silk plants, felt authentic in its own way: it’s a restaurant that insists on being itself, which makes for a welcoming and comfortable dining experience for all who visit.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mescolanza Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1072\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1020\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp401iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/mescolonza11.jpg\" alt=\"Pizzetta Pere Bianche\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/mescolonza14.jpg\" alt=\"Pollo Alla Valdostana\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/mescolonza16.jpg\" alt=\"Pesto Linguini with Pinenuts\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nPizzetta Pere Bianche (Pear Pizza with Prosciutto and Goat Cheese), Pollo Alla Valdostana (Chicken Breast, Mozzarella, Prosciutto, and Sage), Pesto Linguini with Pine Nuts\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/vivian-stone.jpg\" alt=\"Vivian Stone\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Vivian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Legal Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Mescolanza Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Mescolanza Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, December 5, 2008\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mescolanza is a small, intimate, little, neighborhood, mom-and-pop restaurant that serves Italian food. It’s located on Clement Street between 22 and 23 Avenue and is discreetly tucked under a small pink awning. It’s my favorite restaurant in my neighborhood!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Please note, parking on the Clement Street corridor is difficult (almost as bad as North Beach), but what saves you the frustration of driving around endlessly looking for a parking space is the parking lot directly across the street from the restaurant (as Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing!”).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I set our reservation for a Friday evening at 7:30 pm, which is when the restaurant is most crowded. You may have to wait until other diners give up their table for you to get yours. On this night, we ended up waiting an additional 20 minutes outside for the lingering party to stop savoring the food, so that we could have our table! (The restaurant is small and seats only 49 patrons at one time). There is absolutely no room inside the place to wait, which means you are stuck outside. (I am going to suggest to the owners that they place two lovely wooden benches outside underneath each window for their customers to wait comfortably).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Going to this place reminds me of being home in Europe. It’s a small, intimate setting. An artist painted pretty watercolor murals on the walls that add to that homey feeling. It’s a little loud from the various conversations when you first enter the restaurant, but once you get to your table and settle in, you forget the noise and can enjoy a normal conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ended up taking my two of friends, Vee and Thierry, who work at the BMW dealership in town. What we found funny that night was that everyone in the place this night was older than 50 and Caucasian. You have to understand, Clement Street is the second Chinatown in this city and as such, has more than 100 restaurants of various persuasions nestled between 25 short blocks. In all the years I’ve lived on this street (30 years) I don’t think I have ever been in a restaurant where everyone in the place was of one race and in one age group. San Francisco just isn’t like that normally. Consequently, our little table of three looked like the younger version of the Rainbow Coalition, one Asian, one African-American and me: black, German and Cherokee Indian. We had all flavor taste buds covered!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started out with some appetizers, the carpaccio and bruschetta. Thierry had never tried carpaccio and wasn’t sure he wanted to try thinly sliced raw beef, no matter how good it was. Given that it’s my favorite dish, and Vee liked it, too, we were able to talk Thierry into it, and he ended up loving it! The plate is presented with extremely thinly sliced beef draped on the plate. There are small mounds of capers, chopped red onions, shaved Parmesan cheese, and what looks like mustard. You then spread the capers, onions and mustard sauce all over the beef and serve your friends. We squeezed one half a lemon all over the dish and off we went — scrumptious!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then we tried the toasted French bread, which had garlic rubbed on the top and a small amount of olive oil. The toast is then topped with a delicious sprinkling of chopped Roma tomatoes mixed with fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and sea salt. In this day and age of almost tasteless tomatoes (inbreeding is never a good thing), the tomatoes in this dish are ripe, packed full of flavor, and fill your mouth with a burst of flavor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next came the hearts of palm salad. Lovely presentation, but just not a large enough portion for the three of us. Lettuce is spread on the plate, along with six stalks of hearts of palm, tender grilled red pepper, and small dollops of a green sauce that I am not sure what it is, but added all together, delish!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ordered my favorite pizza, the Pear Pizza (Yeah, I know, it doesn’t sound too good but it’s divine intervention on a plate.) Vee and Thierry kind of looked at me strange when I ordered it. Vee ordered the osso bucco and Thierry had the veal special.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pizza comes as a large individual-sized serving that covers the large dinner platter. This is the kind of pizza that is true to Italy. American pizza is totally different. The Pear Pizza has a very thin crust much like a bread crust. The layer of crust is slathered (I soooo love that word when it pertains to food) in a small amount of tomato sauce. Layered on top is a mix of melted mozzarella and goat cheeses, which is then covered by very thin slices of pear and prosciutto (thinly sliced Italian ham). Small pieces of walnuts are sprinkled on top. What a lovely mingling of subtle flavors and textures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, I HAD to dip my fork into the other entrees (that’s why you take friends with you, they will allow you to do this). Vee’s osso bucco was excellent. The meat was very tender and flavorful in its rich burgundy-like sauce, but honestly, I loved the vegetables on his plate even more than the meat and that’s saying something for a meat eater like me. The vegetables were carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash done just right in that perfect combination of tender and crunchy at the same time. Thierry liked Vee’s dish so much that he dipped his fork into the plate as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thierry ordered the veal dish that was on the weekly special menu. It was a veal chop sautéed in its own juice with a blend of slow-cooked root vegetables surrounding it. It came with silky, creamy mashed potatoes that had a hint of garlic flavor and a serving of the vegetable combination I spoke of earlier. Once again, excellent!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had to have dessert so we ordered several for tasting purposes. We had the crème caramel, the tiramisu and the chocolate flan with amaretto and crushed amaretti cookies. The tiramisu and crème caramel were as expected, delicious. That chocolate flan was EXCEPTIONAL! Sinfully, silky smooth texture on a bed of crushed cookies with the hint of amaretto flavors. While we ate all the desserts, the chocolate flan won hands down.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/kathy-leong.jpg\" alt=\"Kathy Leong\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Kathy\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Travel Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sunnyvale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alexander’s Steakhouse\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Mescolanza Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Saturday, November 22, 2008\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having recently returned from Thailand, my taste buds were already primped, primed, and challenged with a cavalcade of spices and flavors I don’t usually experience in the United States. Mescolanza was the first place my husband and I went to upon touchdown on American soil, and we were eager to sample Italian fare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mescolanza is quaint and small, a place that’s deep, not wide, with just about 15 tables. Well lit, with contemporary soft pillar murals on the wall to remind you of Italy, it is not overdone or fussy. White tablecloths, roses in small vases, and a large floral treatment in the entry created a friendly, unpretentious atmosphere. It would have been nice to get the window table, the most romantic one in the place. Oh, well, next time!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were four of us in our group, and we were there to celebrate our friend Raymond’s birthday. We very fortunate to get parking right in front of the restaurant, which is located on busy Clement Street. With no parking lots nearby, it could be dicey when it comes to parking the car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But hey, you do what you have to do, and this place is definitely worth the drive and parking frenzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With reservation on a Saturday at 7 p.m., the restaurant was not busy, and about half full. I was surprised, because it is located on a busy street with great visibility. I was surprised by the great prices that ranged from $12.95 to $17.50.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have so much to say that’s positive about this place and only a few not-so-great thoughts. I ordered the $13.50 spinach pasta with chicken, shitake mushrooms, and tomato sauce as my main dish. It was tasty, but this dish didn’t make me sing. I felt the ingredients were great, but somehow it did not burst with flavor. If they added some more garlic or herbs to the dish, it would have popped. But here’s what really popped: the carpaccio ($9.25) with thin-sliced raw beef, capers, red onions, mustard paste, and shaved Parmesan cheese was great. It was an amazing combination of flavors, and even my teenage son, Aaron, enjoyed it. The four of us loved it, and the appetizer was gone within minutes. Another appetizer, the antipasto Mescolanza at $9.75, was so delicious with salami, olives, prosciutto, a nice artichoke in the middle with a great sauce, and cheese slices. Again, it was a homerun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others in my party ordered the veal piccata ($17.50), which was a skimpy portion; the angel hair pasta with tomato sauce and garlic and basil ($12.95), which was light and flavorful; and the pesto tagliarini pasta with pine nuts and basil ($12.95). Of all the dishes, the pesto pasta was hands-down delicioso! The basil and pine nuts were balanced well with the fresh flavors — simply dazzling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now dessert here is where I wanted to do cartwheels. We had two desserts: the tiramisu and the three-layer chocolate mousse. Both desserts were equally astounding. The tiramisu was anything but generic. It had a creamy texture with delicious cake within — not too sweet and not too strong with the alcohol. The chocolate mousse with a white chocolate layer, a mocha layer, and a dark chocolate layer had a distinct taste and we had to each make sure we would leave enough for the other person to eat. I could have easily eaten both desserts on my own. They were that good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our service was fine, and food came out quickly and came out nice and hot. We didn’t feel rushed to leave, and the waitstaff was up to snuff on ingredients and recommendations that were useful. The people here were of all ages — families with small children, older couples, and groups of friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BOTTOM LINE: Yes, I would return, and yes, I loved the food, even though my pasta was a tad on the bland side. However, the leftovers tasted even better the next day! Do note that you may have some difficulty parking, but be persistent. This upscale eatery is worth the parking challenge, mostly good for portions, and extremely reasonable in cost. I thought it had the ambiance of a restaurant with prices twice that amount. Our hostess was very kind and friendly, and the dishes came out in timely manner. I also want to add that lighting was perfect — not too dim and not too bright, and the noise level was low so that we could talk without any echoes or clamoring sounds. A great neighborhood place to bring friends and family and have conversation over delicious fare you can brag about!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ross-ritterman.jpg\" alt=\"Ross Ritterman\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ross\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Sales Executive\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Basque Cultural Center\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Mescolanza Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, December 5, 2008\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While I am no expert on Italian restaurants in the Richmond, I would say Mescolanza does a terrific job at fulfilling one’s craving for solid, well-known, Italian dishes that are executed well, are home made, and taste fresh. Combine that with attentive service in a cozy setting and you’ve got a nice little restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parking in the Richmond — specifically at 20-25th Avenue near Geary/Clement — is no easy task on a Friday night, so a word to the wise: get there in plenty of time to find a space. That’s, of course, no fault of Mescolanza’s. The restaurant was nice and full. Making a reservation for a Friday night was a smart choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We were promptly greeted by the host/waiter who was extremely welcoming. “Table for two?” he asked. We responded by saying, “Yes, and we have a reservation” and he pointed at the only available table left and said, “This must be yours!” We sat right inside the window, allowing us to have a view of the passers-by. Thankfully it was also nice and warm compared to our surroundings. We brought our own wine, a red blend from Tuscany called “Le Volte,” which is made by Tenuta Ornellaia, which also makes a well-known, highly-regarded eponymous wine. The waiter in his Italian accent said, “Ah, Ornellaia! I know this wine!” He opened it for us and gave us fairly small wine glasses, which I figured is more or less standard, but it would be nice to have had something larger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s something to be said for the simplicity of the ambiance and decor. The parchment paper-colored wallpaper with archways/columns drawn to create the illusion of depth was a nice touch. In a place that isn’t very large, perhaps this was intentional, to create a sense of size.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyway, on to the food. With so many great looking choices from pizza to pasta to meat/poultry entrees and having heard great things about some dishes, we figured, “Why not?” and split a pizza and pasta as first courses, and then had an entree and another pasta for the main courses. We started with the Pizzetta Melanzane: eggplant, mozzarella, tomato and pesto sauce. This pizza was nearly flawless. Thin, but not too crunchy, like a cracker with topping. The grilled eggplant was terrific, cut into strips and placed generously around the pizza. The pesto and tomato sauces went great together, and being a fan of both sauces, my girlfriend and I saw this as a no-brainer. It was some of the best thin crust pizza I’ve had.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other first course dish was the sweet potato gnocchi. It came out piping hot and it was quickly obvious that they make their own gnocchi here, as it’s nice to see that every dumpling didn’t look the same. Quality-wise, I was very pleased, but flavor wise, I thought the sweet potato qualities should have been more pronounced. Instead it was very subtle and perhaps drowned by the cream sauce. Perhaps the spinach gnocchi would have been a better option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was extremely happy with the service — the timing of the dishes was perfectly distanced, water glasses were filled, and our waiter’s personality would make any restaurant cheer. On to the main items. The Pasta Fresca was, I thought, a little basic and not that exciting, perhaps our fault for ordering a simple sounding dish. The noodles were spinach fettuccine and we felt the spinach flavors were overly dominant. The fresh tomatoes were not too special, and the garlic, perhaps my favorite part of the dish, was unfortunately sparse. The goat cheese added an element of creaminess, but I did not enjoy the sharpness of the flavor and didn’t feel it complimented the noodles very well. I think those noodles would have worked well in another dish. Quality wise, again, great ingredients, but I didn’t think the dish came together well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Chicken alla Valdostana was a whole different ballgame. I’d never had this dish before, but it seemed like a cross between chicken marsala and saltimbocca – and it was terrific. Who, honestly, wouldn’t enjoy a nice thin piece of chicken in a sweet white wine sauce, whose flavor balanced by the saltiness of the prosciutto and mozzarella cheese, which also contributed a nice creamy texture? Well, I enjoyed it. This was excellent, and I would encourage anyone to try it. It was tough to share, but I did. I was happy with how our wine went with the food as well, and despite the small glasses, it opened up nicely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last stop was dessert. We went for the chocolate flan with amaretto. Flan, though a Mexican dish (so I thought), was co-opted nicely by the Italians. It was very enjoyable, smooth and creamy going down. The amaretto cookie bottom layer was tasty and prevented the flan from losing its shape and dissolving into an amorphous pudding. It was perfect to share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all: solid, well executed food in a nice, cozy space. Two dishes I thought were done real well, and two very average. Solid food, but it didn’t knock the socks off. If I were in the west part of San Francisco and was in the mood for Italian I’m sure I’d head straight here. As a Peninsula-dweller, with so many other places to try, I think I’d go somewhere else first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re an SF resident and want some Italian cuisine with many, well-known dishes, executed well with friendly, welcoming service and pine for a quieter environment than crowded, touristy North Beach, then this is your spot. Good Italian food exists outside of North Beach. This is a good example.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n2221 Clement Street (at 23rd Avenue)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94121\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-668-2221\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.mescolanza.net\">www.mescolanza.net\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Italian\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mescolanza Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1072\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1020\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp401iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/mescolonza11.jpg\" alt=\"Pizzetta Pere Bianche\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/mescolonza14.jpg\" alt=\"Pollo Alla Valdostana\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/mescolonza16.jpg\" alt=\"Pesto Linguini with Pinenuts\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nPizzetta Pere Bianche (Pear Pizza with Prosciutto and Goat Cheese), Pollo Alla Valdostana (Chicken Breast, Mozzarella, Prosciutto, and Sage), Pesto Linguini with Pine Nuts\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/vivian-stone.jpg\" alt=\"Vivian Stone\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Vivian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Legal Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Mescolanza Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Mescolanza Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, December 5, 2008\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mescolanza is a small, intimate, little, neighborhood, mom-and-pop restaurant that serves Italian food. It’s located on Clement Street between 22 and 23 Avenue and is discreetly tucked under a small pink awning. It’s my favorite restaurant in my neighborhood!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Please note, parking on the Clement Street corridor is difficult (almost as bad as North Beach), but what saves you the frustration of driving around endlessly looking for a parking space is the parking lot directly across the street from the restaurant (as Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing!”).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I set our reservation for a Friday evening at 7:30 pm, which is when the restaurant is most crowded. You may have to wait until other diners give up their table for you to get yours. On this night, we ended up waiting an additional 20 minutes outside for the lingering party to stop savoring the food, so that we could have our table! (The restaurant is small and seats only 49 patrons at one time). There is absolutely no room inside the place to wait, which means you are stuck outside. (I am going to suggest to the owners that they place two lovely wooden benches outside underneath each window for their customers to wait comfortably).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Going to this place reminds me of being home in Europe. It’s a small, intimate setting. An artist painted pretty watercolor murals on the walls that add to that homey feeling. It’s a little loud from the various conversations when you first enter the restaurant, but once you get to your table and settle in, you forget the noise and can enjoy a normal conversation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ended up taking my two of friends, Vee and Thierry, who work at the BMW dealership in town. What we found funny that night was that everyone in the place this night was older than 50 and Caucasian. You have to understand, Clement Street is the second Chinatown in this city and as such, has more than 100 restaurants of various persuasions nestled between 25 short blocks. In all the years I’ve lived on this street (30 years) I don’t think I have ever been in a restaurant where everyone in the place was of one race and in one age group. San Francisco just isn’t like that normally. Consequently, our little table of three looked like the younger version of the Rainbow Coalition, one Asian, one African-American and me: black, German and Cherokee Indian. We had all flavor taste buds covered!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started out with some appetizers, the carpaccio and bruschetta. Thierry had never tried carpaccio and wasn’t sure he wanted to try thinly sliced raw beef, no matter how good it was. Given that it’s my favorite dish, and Vee liked it, too, we were able to talk Thierry into it, and he ended up loving it! The plate is presented with extremely thinly sliced beef draped on the plate. There are small mounds of capers, chopped red onions, shaved Parmesan cheese, and what looks like mustard. You then spread the capers, onions and mustard sauce all over the beef and serve your friends. We squeezed one half a lemon all over the dish and off we went — scrumptious!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then we tried the toasted French bread, which had garlic rubbed on the top and a small amount of olive oil. The toast is then topped with a delicious sprinkling of chopped Roma tomatoes mixed with fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and sea salt. In this day and age of almost tasteless tomatoes (inbreeding is never a good thing), the tomatoes in this dish are ripe, packed full of flavor, and fill your mouth with a burst of flavor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next came the hearts of palm salad. Lovely presentation, but just not a large enough portion for the three of us. Lettuce is spread on the plate, along with six stalks of hearts of palm, tender grilled red pepper, and small dollops of a green sauce that I am not sure what it is, but added all together, delish!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ordered my favorite pizza, the Pear Pizza (Yeah, I know, it doesn’t sound too good but it’s divine intervention on a plate.) Vee and Thierry kind of looked at me strange when I ordered it. Vee ordered the osso bucco and Thierry had the veal special.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pizza comes as a large individual-sized serving that covers the large dinner platter. This is the kind of pizza that is true to Italy. American pizza is totally different. The Pear Pizza has a very thin crust much like a bread crust. The layer of crust is slathered (I soooo love that word when it pertains to food) in a small amount of tomato sauce. Layered on top is a mix of melted mozzarella and goat cheeses, which is then covered by very thin slices of pear and prosciutto (thinly sliced Italian ham). Small pieces of walnuts are sprinkled on top. What a lovely mingling of subtle flavors and textures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, I HAD to dip my fork into the other entrees (that’s why you take friends with you, they will allow you to do this). Vee’s osso bucco was excellent. The meat was very tender and flavorful in its rich burgundy-like sauce, but honestly, I loved the vegetables on his plate even more than the meat and that’s saying something for a meat eater like me. The vegetables were carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash done just right in that perfect combination of tender and crunchy at the same time. Thierry liked Vee’s dish so much that he dipped his fork into the plate as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thierry ordered the veal dish that was on the weekly special menu. It was a veal chop sautéed in its own juice with a blend of slow-cooked root vegetables surrounding it. It came with silky, creamy mashed potatoes that had a hint of garlic flavor and a serving of the vegetable combination I spoke of earlier. Once again, excellent!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had to have dessert so we ordered several for tasting purposes. We had the crème caramel, the tiramisu and the chocolate flan with amaretto and crushed amaretti cookies. The tiramisu and crème caramel were as expected, delicious. That chocolate flan was EXCEPTIONAL! Sinfully, silky smooth texture on a bed of crushed cookies with the hint of amaretto flavors. While we ate all the desserts, the chocolate flan won hands down.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/kathy-leong.jpg\" alt=\"Kathy Leong\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Kathy\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Travel Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sunnyvale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alexander’s Steakhouse\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Mescolanza Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Saturday, November 22, 2008\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having recently returned from Thailand, my taste buds were already primped, primed, and challenged with a cavalcade of spices and flavors I don’t usually experience in the United States. Mescolanza was the first place my husband and I went to upon touchdown on American soil, and we were eager to sample Italian fare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mescolanza is quaint and small, a place that’s deep, not wide, with just about 15 tables. Well lit, with contemporary soft pillar murals on the wall to remind you of Italy, it is not overdone or fussy. White tablecloths, roses in small vases, and a large floral treatment in the entry created a friendly, unpretentious atmosphere. It would have been nice to get the window table, the most romantic one in the place. Oh, well, next time!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were four of us in our group, and we were there to celebrate our friend Raymond’s birthday. We very fortunate to get parking right in front of the restaurant, which is located on busy Clement Street. With no parking lots nearby, it could be dicey when it comes to parking the car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But hey, you do what you have to do, and this place is definitely worth the drive and parking frenzy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With reservation on a Saturday at 7 p.m., the restaurant was not busy, and about half full. I was surprised, because it is located on a busy street with great visibility. I was surprised by the great prices that ranged from $12.95 to $17.50.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have so much to say that’s positive about this place and only a few not-so-great thoughts. I ordered the $13.50 spinach pasta with chicken, shitake mushrooms, and tomato sauce as my main dish. It was tasty, but this dish didn’t make me sing. I felt the ingredients were great, but somehow it did not burst with flavor. If they added some more garlic or herbs to the dish, it would have popped. But here’s what really popped: the carpaccio ($9.25) with thin-sliced raw beef, capers, red onions, mustard paste, and shaved Parmesan cheese was great. It was an amazing combination of flavors, and even my teenage son, Aaron, enjoyed it. The four of us loved it, and the appetizer was gone within minutes. Another appetizer, the antipasto Mescolanza at $9.75, was so delicious with salami, olives, prosciutto, a nice artichoke in the middle with a great sauce, and cheese slices. Again, it was a homerun.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others in my party ordered the veal piccata ($17.50), which was a skimpy portion; the angel hair pasta with tomato sauce and garlic and basil ($12.95), which was light and flavorful; and the pesto tagliarini pasta with pine nuts and basil ($12.95). Of all the dishes, the pesto pasta was hands-down delicioso! The basil and pine nuts were balanced well with the fresh flavors — simply dazzling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now dessert here is where I wanted to do cartwheels. We had two desserts: the tiramisu and the three-layer chocolate mousse. Both desserts were equally astounding. The tiramisu was anything but generic. It had a creamy texture with delicious cake within — not too sweet and not too strong with the alcohol. The chocolate mousse with a white chocolate layer, a mocha layer, and a dark chocolate layer had a distinct taste and we had to each make sure we would leave enough for the other person to eat. I could have easily eaten both desserts on my own. They were that good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our service was fine, and food came out quickly and came out nice and hot. We didn’t feel rushed to leave, and the waitstaff was up to snuff on ingredients and recommendations that were useful. The people here were of all ages — families with small children, older couples, and groups of friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BOTTOM LINE: Yes, I would return, and yes, I loved the food, even though my pasta was a tad on the bland side. However, the leftovers tasted even better the next day! Do note that you may have some difficulty parking, but be persistent. This upscale eatery is worth the parking challenge, mostly good for portions, and extremely reasonable in cost. I thought it had the ambiance of a restaurant with prices twice that amount. Our hostess was very kind and friendly, and the dishes came out in timely manner. I also want to add that lighting was perfect — not too dim and not too bright, and the noise level was low so that we could talk without any echoes or clamoring sounds. A great neighborhood place to bring friends and family and have conversation over delicious fare you can brag about!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ross-ritterman.jpg\" alt=\"Ross Ritterman\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ross\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Sales Executive\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Basque Cultural Center\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Mescolanza Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Friday, December 5, 2008\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While I am no expert on Italian restaurants in the Richmond, I would say Mescolanza does a terrific job at fulfilling one’s craving for solid, well-known, Italian dishes that are executed well, are home made, and taste fresh. Combine that with attentive service in a cozy setting and you’ve got a nice little restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parking in the Richmond — specifically at 20-25th Avenue near Geary/Clement — is no easy task on a Friday night, so a word to the wise: get there in plenty of time to find a space. That’s, of course, no fault of Mescolanza’s. The restaurant was nice and full. Making a reservation for a Friday night was a smart choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We were promptly greeted by the host/waiter who was extremely welcoming. “Table for two?” he asked. We responded by saying, “Yes, and we have a reservation” and he pointed at the only available table left and said, “This must be yours!” We sat right inside the window, allowing us to have a view of the passers-by. Thankfully it was also nice and warm compared to our surroundings. We brought our own wine, a red blend from Tuscany called “Le Volte,” which is made by Tenuta Ornellaia, which also makes a well-known, highly-regarded eponymous wine. The waiter in his Italian accent said, “Ah, Ornellaia! I know this wine!” He opened it for us and gave us fairly small wine glasses, which I figured is more or less standard, but it would be nice to have had something larger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s something to be said for the simplicity of the ambiance and decor. The parchment paper-colored wallpaper with archways/columns drawn to create the illusion of depth was a nice touch. In a place that isn’t very large, perhaps this was intentional, to create a sense of size.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Anyway, on to the food. With so many great looking choices from pizza to pasta to meat/poultry entrees and having heard great things about some dishes, we figured, “Why not?” and split a pizza and pasta as first courses, and then had an entree and another pasta for the main courses. We started with the Pizzetta Melanzane: eggplant, mozzarella, tomato and pesto sauce. This pizza was nearly flawless. Thin, but not too crunchy, like a cracker with topping. The grilled eggplant was terrific, cut into strips and placed generously around the pizza. The pesto and tomato sauces went great together, and being a fan of both sauces, my girlfriend and I saw this as a no-brainer. It was some of the best thin crust pizza I’ve had.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other first course dish was the sweet potato gnocchi. It came out piping hot and it was quickly obvious that they make their own gnocchi here, as it’s nice to see that every dumpling didn’t look the same. Quality-wise, I was very pleased, but flavor wise, I thought the sweet potato qualities should have been more pronounced. Instead it was very subtle and perhaps drowned by the cream sauce. Perhaps the spinach gnocchi would have been a better option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was extremely happy with the service — the timing of the dishes was perfectly distanced, water glasses were filled, and our waiter’s personality would make any restaurant cheer. On to the main items. The Pasta Fresca was, I thought, a little basic and not that exciting, perhaps our fault for ordering a simple sounding dish. The noodles were spinach fettuccine and we felt the spinach flavors were overly dominant. The fresh tomatoes were not too special, and the garlic, perhaps my favorite part of the dish, was unfortunately sparse. The goat cheese added an element of creaminess, but I did not enjoy the sharpness of the flavor and didn’t feel it complimented the noodles very well. I think those noodles would have worked well in another dish. Quality wise, again, great ingredients, but I didn’t think the dish came together well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Chicken alla Valdostana was a whole different ballgame. I’d never had this dish before, but it seemed like a cross between chicken marsala and saltimbocca – and it was terrific. Who, honestly, wouldn’t enjoy a nice thin piece of chicken in a sweet white wine sauce, whose flavor balanced by the saltiness of the prosciutto and mozzarella cheese, which also contributed a nice creamy texture? Well, I enjoyed it. This was excellent, and I would encourage anyone to try it. It was tough to share, but I did. I was happy with how our wine went with the food as well, and despite the small glasses, it opened up nicely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last stop was dessert. We went for the chocolate flan with amaretto. Flan, though a Mexican dish (so I thought), was co-opted nicely by the Italians. It was very enjoyable, smooth and creamy going down. The amaretto cookie bottom layer was tasty and prevented the flan from losing its shape and dissolving into an amorphous pudding. It was perfect to share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all: solid, well executed food in a nice, cozy space. Two dishes I thought were done real well, and two very average. Solid food, but it didn’t knock the socks off. If I were in the west part of San Francisco and was in the mood for Italian I’m sure I’d head straight here. As a Peninsula-dweller, with so many other places to try, I think I’d go somewhere else first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re an SF resident and want some Italian cuisine with many, well-known dishes, executed well with friendly, welcoming service and pine for a quieter environment than crowded, touristy North Beach, then this is your spot. Good Italian food exists outside of North Beach. This is a good example.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Basque Cultural Center: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1077\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1083\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1020\">episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp401iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/basque20.jpg\" alt=\"Cauliflower Soup\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/basque16.jpg\" alt=\"Prime Rib\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/basque17.jpg\" alt=\"Lamb Stew\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nCauliflower Soup, Prime Rib, Lamb Stew\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ross-ritterman.jpg\" alt=\"Ross Ritterman\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ross\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Sales Executive\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Basque Cultural Center\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Basque Cultural Center:\u003c/strong>Tuesday, January 30, 2009\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nThe Basque Cultural Center delivers one of the best, heartiest, and consistently delicious meals available in the Bay Area. The BCC is truly a find. It’s off the beaten path, to be sure, and an extremely unique dining experience. Typical of the first experience, my friends had to do a double take to make sure they were in the right place. The facility looks like a conference center or a meeting hall and one that you would not expect to find a restaurant in. The BCC started in SF proper and moved around a few times before settling in South San Francisco in a facility large enough to meet their needs. This restaurant more or less exists to support the ongoing efforts of the cultural center, whose activities include Basque language classes, movies/talks on Basque-related topics, and, of course, the game of Basque pelota. The BCC features its own court (or fronton) for the game, which is similar to handball and has several variants.\n\u003cp>Anyway, located in the southern reaches of South San Francisco and well removed from the Grand Avenue downtown area, lives the BCC. The center has its own parking lot with plenty of spaces, and the restaurant is located at the front of the center. There isn’t much of a view, but this place is more about having a meal among friends in a cozy, simply laid-out space. There’s a small bar area near the entrance to the restaurant, and the walls are adorned with parchment colored wallpaper and a few pictures. Since the restaurant is volunteer-supported, it wouldn’t surprise me if you were really eating grandma’s cooking here. I’d come over to grandma’s everyday for this cooking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Basque country geographically spans both Spain and France, this restaurant’s menu is markedly French, as evidenced by such items as rabbit chasseur, veal Forestière, and Magre de Canard au poivre vert. That being said, some Spanish things will show up from time to time, such as an off-menu special of pork loin stuffed with manchego cheese. The Bay Area has several restaurants that seem to feature food from both countries. Iluna Basque in North Beach, for instance, is a much different Basque experience than here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Never having dined here on a Tuesday night, I was excited to try their Tuesday night special, which is described as a “Family Style” meal, with two entree courses, one relatively smaller course, and a second, more substantial dish. No matter what entree one orders, salad and soup will always be served; the salad here is consistently excellent. Served on chilled plates, it’s an endive and lettuce salad with a creamy tarragon dressing, which is just extremely refreshing and delicious. Every time I’ve come, the soup has been different, but each time I’ve enjoyed it tremendously. This time, it was a creamy puree of spinach, which was delicious. My chicken crêpe was much like a creamy chicken soup, like a pot pie filling, yet inside a thin crêpe. It honestly wasn’t up there with some of the better dishes that I’ve eaten here. The veal roast that came next, however, was absolutely delicious. Served were two large extremely thin slices of veal with what seemed like a port wine sauce. This was served, as most entrees are here, with roasted potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, and green beans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other than some impeccably created food, one of the highlights of the Basque Cultural Center is the tremendous value. Everything I just mentioned — the soup, salad, two dishes, and the vanilla ice cream I had for dessert — was $19.95. That amount of food for $19.95 in the Bay Area is almost unheard of. My friends enjoyed other entrees. One of them had the pepper steak, which I was told was “amazing,” and a roast rack of lamb that my friend admitted he “inappropriately sucked the meat off the bones of but [didn’t] care because it was so good.” For the 6 of us, we ordered 2 bottles of 2000 Campo Viejo, a red from Spain’s Rioja region, a portion of which extends into Basque country. The cost of the wine? $30/bottle. There is virtually no mark-up on the wine list here, as they seek to not overcharge those patronizing the Center. Beyond vanilla ice cream, the table shared frozen almond nougat, a chocolate mousse, which was among the most decadent I think I’ve ever had, and the crème caramel, essentially a custard similar to flan. Every dessert was enjoyable with the chocolate mousse being my favorite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While there certainly are some dishes I like above others, there is not much bad to say about this place, and unless you crave the kind of atmosphere that attracts a chic crowd and a view, you will not get a better meal for the value anywhere. Sunday night’s special is lamb stew and prime rib for $20.95. Pretty awesome, if you ask me. The warm, friendly and attentive service really seals the deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is a great place to take friends for a different experience, and everyone I take here is amazed that this place could turn out food as good as this. Try it for yourself, and you’ll see.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/vivian-stone.jpg\" alt=\"Vivian Stone\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Vivian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Legal Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Mescolanza Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Basque Cultural Center:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 6, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nThe Basque Cultural Center was a wonderful surprise in the middle of South San Francisco. It’s easy to get to as well. Coming from San Francisco, I took the 101 freeway, going south towards SFO airport. Took the Grand Avenue exit, veered left for one block, and turned right on to Grande Avenue. Drove straight through the charming small town atmosphere of South San Francisco to Magnolia Street, turned left, and drove down a few blocks to find the rather large Basque Cultural Center and its own fenced-off parking lot right in the middle of a small residential neighborhood. The building looked so inviting with all the pretty Christmas tree lights strung around the windows and even on the parking lot fence. My two best friends from childhood, Rawyline and Kathy, came with me to this restaurant to celebrate my birthday. There was plenty of parking available in the lot, and the spaces were actually the size of regular cars (not like most San Francisco parking lots with teeny, tiny spaces). Things were starting off well!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You enter the lobby to find what looks like the ballroom floor of any large hotel. To the right was a large dining room that reminded me of a hotel restaurant. There was a long bar where people were sitting and enjoying cocktails. The bar area was separated from the dining area by a long wooden barrier that separated the space. The dining side was filled with an assortment of tables, many of which were family sized (seating eight to 12 people). We had to wait about 20 minutes for our table (understandable given it was the holiday season). We were seated by the matriarch of the family at a four-person table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server was a young man intent on getting us our food quickly once he learned it was my birthday. He was knowledgeable about everything on the menu, and explained to us what “Family Style” dinners meant. He brought us a basket of delicious, warm French bread with butter and water and then took our food order. He brought us a very large metal tureen of rich, savory vegetable soup. The tureen had enough soup in it to serve each of us two medium-sized bowls of soup. The broth was earthy, rich, thick, flavorful and studded with small chopped vegetables and some sort of bulgur wheat. All three of us commented that we had never tasted such a flavorful vegetable soup and finished the whole bowl, all the while dipping the soft, warm French bread into it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next came a large plate of soft butter lettuce with a creamy green goddess-Roquefort salad dressing. It was a great mix and required nothing else on the plate. Needless to say, we each emptied our salad plate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered the prosciutto and melon and escargot (snails baked in a rich buttery/garlic sauce) for appetizers. The prosciutto (a thinly sliced Italian ham) had that soft, buttery texture, and was full of flavor. It was paired with thin slices of cantaloupe melon meant to be eaten together. A nice surprise in your mouth with the flavor of the slightly salty ham and the juicy, ripe sweet taste of melon. The escargot was nicely prepared and delicious, but the sauce it came in was outstanding! Rawyline ended up being given most of the escargot, as Kathy and I were too busy dipping our bread into the heavenly garlic-butter sauce. Needless to say, our table ate enough bread that the other diners might have been in danger of going breadless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time our main entrees arrived we were already almost full! We did not realize that the portions of food (soup, salad, bread) served were soooooooooooo LARGE. Even though we were almost stuffed, we did not give in to the temptation of taking the entrees home in a doggie bag. We took a break and ordered cocktails from the full-service bar. Rawyline had a Fuzzy Navel, I had a Bloody Mary, and Kathy had a Diet Coke. We sat back, drank our cocktails and hoped for gas bubbles to make extra room for more food. Once we unsnapped the top buttons of our pants and loosened the zipper on the skirt we were ready to go again!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had the lamb and prime rib entree. The waiter brought me a small bowl of lamb in a zesty and flavorful tomato based sauce. Now mind you, I don’t even like the taste of lamb, but I decided to be adventurous. Lo and behold, it was really tasty! It did NOT have that gamey taste that I don’t like. I ate it all with some more of that bread to sop up all the tasty drippings. The prime rib was served on a plate in its own juices and a small dollop of horseradish/sour cream sauce that was excellent. The meat was cooked medium well and still retained its juicy, soft texture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rawyline had the pepper steak in cognac sauce. It was a large New York steak encrusted with cracked black pepper. The sauce was heavenly. It came with rice pilaf and an assortment of fresh vegetables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kathy ordered the grilled prawns in a basil and garlic gauce. As with all of my friends and such tasty food, we each ended up sampling all the food on each of our plates. The prawns were large, succulent, and numerous. The sauce they came in was rich, buttery, and full of the earthy taste of garlic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time dessert rolled around, we could not order anything else. My dinner came with a bowl of vanilla ice cream, which we ate. Once that was accomplished, we could no longer button up that top button on our pants, nor zip the zipper on the skirt, so we just put on our coats to cover our clothing malfunctions and wobbled outside to our cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What a night!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/kathy-leong.jpg\" alt=\"Kathy Leong\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Kathy\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Travel Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sunnyvale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alexander’s Steakhouse\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Basque Cultural Center:\u003c/strong> Wednesday December 3, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n“Yep. Definitely the Elks Lodge set.” Surrounded by grandmas and grandpas, that’s what my friend Marty said when we looked around at the Basque Cultural Center in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DÉCOR\u003cbr>\nWhen I first walked into the dining room of the Basque Cultural Center, the serene pastel walls and oak chairs and tables with white tablecloths reminded me of an upscale rest home dining room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Don’t get me wrong. Everything was nicely painted, very clean, but had an old fashioned feel from the gold-gilded framed art of peasant farmers to the scarlet red flourished carpeting. The adjacent banquet rooms were bustling with an art auction in one, and some type of women’s guild with dancing Irish girls in another. The dining room at the Basque looks almost identical to the many banquet rooms. In fact, we were confused between which was the restaurant versus which one was the banquet room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FOOD\u003cbr>\nSo, while you won’t come for the hip, ultra-chic décor, you’ll love the food – hearty, generous in portion size, delightful to the palate, and reminiscent of old-style home cooking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was difficult to decide what to order. The cultural center has a vast and eclectic menu with dinner prices ranging from $12.50 for penne pasta to $25 for rack of lamb, the restaurant’s biggest seller. There are “family style” dinners (one specialty for each day of the week) that include soup, salad, two entrees, and ice cream for under $21.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a tempting menu that is fascinating with lots of entrees: veal sweetbreads, cassoulet, beef tongue, duck legs confit, rabbit chasseur. I chose the oxtail stew, the Wednesday special, while Marty chose the lamb loin with roasted potatoes and vegetables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert, my meal came with spumoni ice cream, but we were so intrigued about the unusual dessert selection that I chose an extra dessert, so we wound up with the gâteau Basque and the frozen almond nougat in addition to my spumoni.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MY MEAL\u003cbr>\nI was jubilant with the $19.95 oxtail family dinner that came with homemade cauliflower soup. Let me tell you, that soup was exceptional and surprising. I was not expecting much from the soup since I’m not a big cauliflower lover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within minutes of our order, the waiter came with a huge metal bowl and spooned soup into two large bowls. It was so much that I couldn’t finish, and I wanted to save my stomach for the rest of my meal. The pale, white soup had the right touch of flavor with simple ingredients: pureed cauliflower in broth that tasted fresh with hints of onion and butter. I was thankful it was not a heavy or cream-filled soup, but light and flavorful instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the kind waiter brought over my plate of oxtail covered with tiny parsley bits and a hearty wine-based gravy, I was ecstatic. The aroma preceded its arrival! I always know what the rest of the dining experience is going to be with that all-important First Bite. And so, upon that first forkful, I simply grinned. “This is going to be good,” I thought to myself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each bite of oxtail was exquisite — fork tender, the meat fell off the bone, but was not overcooked and braised to death. Well, it was dead, of course, but not leathery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My taste buds were doing giddy cartwheels. Juicy and moist, the meat was full of a deep, rich, meaty flavor that didn’t disappoint me at all. The sides were comprised of a soft rice and a mélange of vegetables (green and white beans, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts) that complimented the meal well. There was so much I had to box up half the dish to take home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marty ordered the lamb loin. She got five nice slices and felt the portion also was generous, but not over-the-top. While her roasted potatoes were cooked to perfection, she felt her vegetables were too rich and buttery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dessert was very reasonable at this restaurant. While most places are charging upwards of $8 and $9 for dessert, the Cultural Center’s sweets run $5 and less. I was fascinated with the frozen almond nougat ($5), which turned out to be whipped cream folded in with sugared, toasted almonds and honey with a thin crust. The entire cream concoction is molded into a log and sliced. Presentation was lovely, as it was placed atop a small pool of fresh raspberry sauce, dusted with cocoa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other dessert, the gâteau Basque, was an average dessert that consisted of a pie shaped slice of a firm almond custard ensconced in a thin crust. Both of us agreed that it paled in comparison to the refreshing almond nougat. So the gâteau Basque was something akin to a tart you’d find at a Starbuck’s café.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Surprising to both of us was the large scoop of spumoni ire cream that was bursting with flavor and was creamy and delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service here was quick and courteous. Our waiter was very attentive and explained all the dishes well, and we were pleased with his friendliness and willingness to answer our questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BOTTOM LINE\u003cbr>\nI relished the home-style, hearty, robust cooking at the Basque Cultural Center, and while other restaurants rise and fall according to trends of the day, it’s good to know that an old fashioned, down-to-earth place like this exists to feed its customers with honest food at decent, but not bargain, prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet, being 45 minutes away from my home, I doubt that I could make the drive just for the oxtail stew. And as a diner who values ambiance equal to food quality, my problem with the place was the senior home atmosphere that made me feel old. The dishware was the institutional white ceramic stuff you find in cafeterias. The long wood bar with the hard liquor yards in the dining room was reminiscent of a 60s lodge. Thumbs up for food, thumbs down for the scenery!\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\n599 Railroad Avenue (at Magnolia Avenue)\nSouth San Francisco, CA 94080\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 650-583-8091\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.basqueculturalcenter.com\">www.basqueculturalcenter.com\u003c/a>\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> French-Basque\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed::\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Basque Cultural Center: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1077\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1083\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1020\">episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp401iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/basque20.jpg\" alt=\"Cauliflower Soup\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/basque16.jpg\" alt=\"Prime Rib\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/basque17.jpg\" alt=\"Lamb Stew\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nCauliflower Soup, Prime Rib, Lamb Stew\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ross-ritterman.jpg\" alt=\"Ross Ritterman\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ross\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Sales Executive\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Basque Cultural Center\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Basque Cultural Center:\u003c/strong>Tuesday, January 30, 2009\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nThe Basque Cultural Center delivers one of the best, heartiest, and consistently delicious meals available in the Bay Area. The BCC is truly a find. It’s off the beaten path, to be sure, and an extremely unique dining experience. Typical of the first experience, my friends had to do a double take to make sure they were in the right place. The facility looks like a conference center or a meeting hall and one that you would not expect to find a restaurant in. The BCC started in SF proper and moved around a few times before settling in South San Francisco in a facility large enough to meet their needs. This restaurant more or less exists to support the ongoing efforts of the cultural center, whose activities include Basque language classes, movies/talks on Basque-related topics, and, of course, the game of Basque pelota. The BCC features its own court (or fronton) for the game, which is similar to handball and has several variants.\n\u003cp>Anyway, located in the southern reaches of South San Francisco and well removed from the Grand Avenue downtown area, lives the BCC. The center has its own parking lot with plenty of spaces, and the restaurant is located at the front of the center. There isn’t much of a view, but this place is more about having a meal among friends in a cozy, simply laid-out space. There’s a small bar area near the entrance to the restaurant, and the walls are adorned with parchment colored wallpaper and a few pictures. Since the restaurant is volunteer-supported, it wouldn’t surprise me if you were really eating grandma’s cooking here. I’d come over to grandma’s everyday for this cooking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Basque country geographically spans both Spain and France, this restaurant’s menu is markedly French, as evidenced by such items as rabbit chasseur, veal Forestière, and Magre de Canard au poivre vert. That being said, some Spanish things will show up from time to time, such as an off-menu special of pork loin stuffed with manchego cheese. The Bay Area has several restaurants that seem to feature food from both countries. Iluna Basque in North Beach, for instance, is a much different Basque experience than here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Never having dined here on a Tuesday night, I was excited to try their Tuesday night special, which is described as a “Family Style” meal, with two entree courses, one relatively smaller course, and a second, more substantial dish. No matter what entree one orders, salad and soup will always be served; the salad here is consistently excellent. Served on chilled plates, it’s an endive and lettuce salad with a creamy tarragon dressing, which is just extremely refreshing and delicious. Every time I’ve come, the soup has been different, but each time I’ve enjoyed it tremendously. This time, it was a creamy puree of spinach, which was delicious. My chicken crêpe was much like a creamy chicken soup, like a pot pie filling, yet inside a thin crêpe. It honestly wasn’t up there with some of the better dishes that I’ve eaten here. The veal roast that came next, however, was absolutely delicious. Served were two large extremely thin slices of veal with what seemed like a port wine sauce. This was served, as most entrees are here, with roasted potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, and green beans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other than some impeccably created food, one of the highlights of the Basque Cultural Center is the tremendous value. Everything I just mentioned — the soup, salad, two dishes, and the vanilla ice cream I had for dessert — was $19.95. That amount of food for $19.95 in the Bay Area is almost unheard of. My friends enjoyed other entrees. One of them had the pepper steak, which I was told was “amazing,” and a roast rack of lamb that my friend admitted he “inappropriately sucked the meat off the bones of but [didn’t] care because it was so good.” For the 6 of us, we ordered 2 bottles of 2000 Campo Viejo, a red from Spain’s Rioja region, a portion of which extends into Basque country. The cost of the wine? $30/bottle. There is virtually no mark-up on the wine list here, as they seek to not overcharge those patronizing the Center. Beyond vanilla ice cream, the table shared frozen almond nougat, a chocolate mousse, which was among the most decadent I think I’ve ever had, and the crème caramel, essentially a custard similar to flan. Every dessert was enjoyable with the chocolate mousse being my favorite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While there certainly are some dishes I like above others, there is not much bad to say about this place, and unless you crave the kind of atmosphere that attracts a chic crowd and a view, you will not get a better meal for the value anywhere. Sunday night’s special is lamb stew and prime rib for $20.95. Pretty awesome, if you ask me. The warm, friendly and attentive service really seals the deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is a great place to take friends for a different experience, and everyone I take here is amazed that this place could turn out food as good as this. Try it for yourself, and you’ll see.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/vivian-stone.jpg\" alt=\"Vivian Stone\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Vivian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Legal Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Mescolanza Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Basque Cultural Center:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 6, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nThe Basque Cultural Center was a wonderful surprise in the middle of South San Francisco. It’s easy to get to as well. Coming from San Francisco, I took the 101 freeway, going south towards SFO airport. Took the Grand Avenue exit, veered left for one block, and turned right on to Grande Avenue. Drove straight through the charming small town atmosphere of South San Francisco to Magnolia Street, turned left, and drove down a few blocks to find the rather large Basque Cultural Center and its own fenced-off parking lot right in the middle of a small residential neighborhood. The building looked so inviting with all the pretty Christmas tree lights strung around the windows and even on the parking lot fence. My two best friends from childhood, Rawyline and Kathy, came with me to this restaurant to celebrate my birthday. There was plenty of parking available in the lot, and the spaces were actually the size of regular cars (not like most San Francisco parking lots with teeny, tiny spaces). Things were starting off well!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You enter the lobby to find what looks like the ballroom floor of any large hotel. To the right was a large dining room that reminded me of a hotel restaurant. There was a long bar where people were sitting and enjoying cocktails. The bar area was separated from the dining area by a long wooden barrier that separated the space. The dining side was filled with an assortment of tables, many of which were family sized (seating eight to 12 people). We had to wait about 20 minutes for our table (understandable given it was the holiday season). We were seated by the matriarch of the family at a four-person table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server was a young man intent on getting us our food quickly once he learned it was my birthday. He was knowledgeable about everything on the menu, and explained to us what “Family Style” dinners meant. He brought us a basket of delicious, warm French bread with butter and water and then took our food order. He brought us a very large metal tureen of rich, savory vegetable soup. The tureen had enough soup in it to serve each of us two medium-sized bowls of soup. The broth was earthy, rich, thick, flavorful and studded with small chopped vegetables and some sort of bulgur wheat. All three of us commented that we had never tasted such a flavorful vegetable soup and finished the whole bowl, all the while dipping the soft, warm French bread into it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next came a large plate of soft butter lettuce with a creamy green goddess-Roquefort salad dressing. It was a great mix and required nothing else on the plate. Needless to say, we each emptied our salad plate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered the prosciutto and melon and escargot (snails baked in a rich buttery/garlic sauce) for appetizers. The prosciutto (a thinly sliced Italian ham) had that soft, buttery texture, and was full of flavor. It was paired with thin slices of cantaloupe melon meant to be eaten together. A nice surprise in your mouth with the flavor of the slightly salty ham and the juicy, ripe sweet taste of melon. The escargot was nicely prepared and delicious, but the sauce it came in was outstanding! Rawyline ended up being given most of the escargot, as Kathy and I were too busy dipping our bread into the heavenly garlic-butter sauce. Needless to say, our table ate enough bread that the other diners might have been in danger of going breadless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time our main entrees arrived we were already almost full! We did not realize that the portions of food (soup, salad, bread) served were soooooooooooo LARGE. Even though we were almost stuffed, we did not give in to the temptation of taking the entrees home in a doggie bag. We took a break and ordered cocktails from the full-service bar. Rawyline had a Fuzzy Navel, I had a Bloody Mary, and Kathy had a Diet Coke. We sat back, drank our cocktails and hoped for gas bubbles to make extra room for more food. Once we unsnapped the top buttons of our pants and loosened the zipper on the skirt we were ready to go again!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had the lamb and prime rib entree. The waiter brought me a small bowl of lamb in a zesty and flavorful tomato based sauce. Now mind you, I don’t even like the taste of lamb, but I decided to be adventurous. Lo and behold, it was really tasty! It did NOT have that gamey taste that I don’t like. I ate it all with some more of that bread to sop up all the tasty drippings. The prime rib was served on a plate in its own juices and a small dollop of horseradish/sour cream sauce that was excellent. The meat was cooked medium well and still retained its juicy, soft texture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rawyline had the pepper steak in cognac sauce. It was a large New York steak encrusted with cracked black pepper. The sauce was heavenly. It came with rice pilaf and an assortment of fresh vegetables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kathy ordered the grilled prawns in a basil and garlic gauce. As with all of my friends and such tasty food, we each ended up sampling all the food on each of our plates. The prawns were large, succulent, and numerous. The sauce they came in was rich, buttery, and full of the earthy taste of garlic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time dessert rolled around, we could not order anything else. My dinner came with a bowl of vanilla ice cream, which we ate. Once that was accomplished, we could no longer button up that top button on our pants, nor zip the zipper on the skirt, so we just put on our coats to cover our clothing malfunctions and wobbled outside to our cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What a night!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/kathy-leong.jpg\" alt=\"Kathy Leong\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Kathy\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Travel Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sunnyvale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alexander’s Steakhouse\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Basque Cultural Center:\u003c/strong> Wednesday December 3, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\n“Yep. Definitely the Elks Lodge set.” Surrounded by grandmas and grandpas, that’s what my friend Marty said when we looked around at the Basque Cultural Center in December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DÉCOR\u003cbr>\nWhen I first walked into the dining room of the Basque Cultural Center, the serene pastel walls and oak chairs and tables with white tablecloths reminded me of an upscale rest home dining room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Don’t get me wrong. Everything was nicely painted, very clean, but had an old fashioned feel from the gold-gilded framed art of peasant farmers to the scarlet red flourished carpeting. The adjacent banquet rooms were bustling with an art auction in one, and some type of women’s guild with dancing Irish girls in another. The dining room at the Basque looks almost identical to the many banquet rooms. In fact, we were confused between which was the restaurant versus which one was the banquet room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FOOD\u003cbr>\nSo, while you won’t come for the hip, ultra-chic décor, you’ll love the food – hearty, generous in portion size, delightful to the palate, and reminiscent of old-style home cooking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was difficult to decide what to order. The cultural center has a vast and eclectic menu with dinner prices ranging from $12.50 for penne pasta to $25 for rack of lamb, the restaurant’s biggest seller. There are “family style” dinners (one specialty for each day of the week) that include soup, salad, two entrees, and ice cream for under $21.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a tempting menu that is fascinating with lots of entrees: veal sweetbreads, cassoulet, beef tongue, duck legs confit, rabbit chasseur. I chose the oxtail stew, the Wednesday special, while Marty chose the lamb loin with roasted potatoes and vegetables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert, my meal came with spumoni ice cream, but we were so intrigued about the unusual dessert selection that I chose an extra dessert, so we wound up with the gâteau Basque and the frozen almond nougat in addition to my spumoni.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MY MEAL\u003cbr>\nI was jubilant with the $19.95 oxtail family dinner that came with homemade cauliflower soup. Let me tell you, that soup was exceptional and surprising. I was not expecting much from the soup since I’m not a big cauliflower lover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within minutes of our order, the waiter came with a huge metal bowl and spooned soup into two large bowls. It was so much that I couldn’t finish, and I wanted to save my stomach for the rest of my meal. The pale, white soup had the right touch of flavor with simple ingredients: pureed cauliflower in broth that tasted fresh with hints of onion and butter. I was thankful it was not a heavy or cream-filled soup, but light and flavorful instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the kind waiter brought over my plate of oxtail covered with tiny parsley bits and a hearty wine-based gravy, I was ecstatic. The aroma preceded its arrival! I always know what the rest of the dining experience is going to be with that all-important First Bite. And so, upon that first forkful, I simply grinned. “This is going to be good,” I thought to myself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each bite of oxtail was exquisite — fork tender, the meat fell off the bone, but was not overcooked and braised to death. Well, it was dead, of course, but not leathery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My taste buds were doing giddy cartwheels. Juicy and moist, the meat was full of a deep, rich, meaty flavor that didn’t disappoint me at all. The sides were comprised of a soft rice and a mélange of vegetables (green and white beans, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts) that complimented the meal well. There was so much I had to box up half the dish to take home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Marty ordered the lamb loin. She got five nice slices and felt the portion also was generous, but not over-the-top. While her roasted potatoes were cooked to perfection, she felt her vegetables were too rich and buttery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dessert was very reasonable at this restaurant. While most places are charging upwards of $8 and $9 for dessert, the Cultural Center’s sweets run $5 and less. I was fascinated with the frozen almond nougat ($5), which turned out to be whipped cream folded in with sugared, toasted almonds and honey with a thin crust. The entire cream concoction is molded into a log and sliced. Presentation was lovely, as it was placed atop a small pool of fresh raspberry sauce, dusted with cocoa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other dessert, the gâteau Basque, was an average dessert that consisted of a pie shaped slice of a firm almond custard ensconced in a thin crust. Both of us agreed that it paled in comparison to the refreshing almond nougat. So the gâteau Basque was something akin to a tart you’d find at a Starbuck’s café.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Surprising to both of us was the large scoop of spumoni ire cream that was bursting with flavor and was creamy and delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service here was quick and courteous. Our waiter was very attentive and explained all the dishes well, and we were pleased with his friendliness and willingness to answer our questions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BOTTOM LINE\u003cbr>\nI relished the home-style, hearty, robust cooking at the Basque Cultural Center, and while other restaurants rise and fall according to trends of the day, it’s good to know that an old fashioned, down-to-earth place like this exists to feed its customers with honest food at decent, but not bargain, prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet, being 45 minutes away from my home, I doubt that I could make the drive just for the oxtail stew. And as a diner who values ambiance equal to food quality, my problem with the place was the senior home atmosphere that made me feel old. The dishware was the institutional white ceramic stuff you find in cafeterias. The long wood bar with the hard liquor yards in the dining room was reminiscent of a 60s lodge. Thumbs up for food, thumbs down for the scenery!\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alexander’s Steakhouse: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1066\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1088\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1020\">episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp401iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/alexanders21.jpg\" alt=\"Hamachi Shots\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/alexanders25.jpg\" alt=\"Kobe Beef Filet Mignon\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/alexanders17.jpg\" alt=\"Cotton Candy\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nHamachi Shots, Kobe Beef Filet Mignon with Mushroom Compote and Jumbo Prawns, Cotton Candy\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/kathy-leong.jpg\" alt=\"Kathy Leong\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Kathy\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Travel Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sunnyvale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alexander’s Steakhouse\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alexander’s Steakhouse:\u003c/strong> Sunday December 27, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nWhen I first took a taste from my medium-rare, 20-ounce prime rib, it was love at first bite. Literally. I was in bovine bliss! This was the best prime rib I have ever eaten. I cook it at home every year, and this was better than I could ever remember. Maybe it’s the aging technique, or the seasoning, or the way they marinate, but let me tell you, this butter knife-tender beef was such a top-quality and excellently prepared slice, it will be forever seared into my memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Alexander’s is a favorite of mine, and it is a very popular place for special gatherings. This two-story, fine dining haunt is mighty expensive (you can spend over $100 per person, easily), but on par with top restaurants in SF or Beverly Hills or Los Angeles. The decor is elegant with orchids, stone flooring, and dark romantic draperies that define private eating areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service is excellent. When we first walked in, the hostess greeted us with a smile, another walked us to our table, and then an entourage of waiters and attendants made sure the crumbs were scraped off our table often, that the napkins were flung onto our laps “just so,” and that our water glasses were continually filled. Our waiter was more knowledgeable about our menu than I could have ever imagined. He was very detailed in telling us about the Wagyu beef and different kinds of Kobe beef from different regions of Japan and how they differ in taste. It was incredible. Each time I go there, I am impressed with their level of professionalism and service. Soon after we ordered, our meal came within 15 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We got a little appetizer from the kitchen — “amuse,” as they call it — which was a marble-sized ball of goat cheese dipped in a red powder. Later on we were surprised with an intermezzo, which was a small dish of panna cotta custard with small citrus sections on top. A nice touch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for ambiance, tables are spaced apart very generously, so you don’t feel crowded, and the noise level is comfortable, so you can easily have a romantic dinner or one-on-one conversation without hearing kitchen dishes or other people yakking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu is extensive with meat, a few vegetarian offerings, and loads of interesting appetizers. Our favorite was the hamachi shooters at $4 each or six for $20. We loved the presentations in small glass shot glasses with some greens on top. Flavors of soy and ginger blended well with the raw hamachi, and the three of us were thrilled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We tried the giant oyster mushroom fritters, which were about five inches long –kind of like mushroom tempura. It was good, especially with the mayo sauce, but not super flavorful. If they had marinated the mushrooms, that would have been better. It tasted bland after you bit into the mushroom. The batter was light and had just enough crunch. However, there were leftovers of this, and no one bothered to take it home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leek salad? Highly recommended. It is unusual and clever with its presentation of stumps of leeks in a row and adorned with ham, pine nuts, and feta cheese on a lovely white platter. I thought it was fantastic and ate all of it. In fact, the presentation of every dish is artistic and amazing. Flavors, on the most part, are carefully chosen and concocted. This place experiments and experiments well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You cannot leave this place without trying the dessert. You just cannot. It would be wrong! We tried two desserts that were terrific, but the chocolate “OOH” dessert was over the top in presentation and taste and decadence. Well worth $12. The waiter brings a large plate with chocolate cake wedges, a small scoop of chocolate and black olive ice cream, and a chocolate sphere that is filled with fudge. The waiter next pours hot fudge on top of the shell so that it melts away in front of your eyes and he then drizzles the rest of it on the cake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You get a visual display with this dessert, a kind of performance art. I’m not a big chocolate fan, but this dessert would make me a convert. The top quality dark chocolate was quite addictive. Even though I was full, I kept working at the dessert until it was gone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bottom line: I cannot wait until I come again, but I must save up my paycheck first. Yes, prices are high, but if you get the hamachi shooters, leek salad, prime rib, and chocolate “OOH” for dessert, it is worth every penny. My biggest annoyance is the $9 bottle of Voss sparkling water, which seemed too much and caught us off guard because we didn’t know we would be paying such an exorbitant fee. Yikes! We wound up paying $27 for three bottles of water. If I knew that, I would have ordered a more interesting drink. Do give Alexander’s a try. It is a steak house draped with glamour of the highest order!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ross-ritterman.jpg\" alt=\"Ross Ritterman\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ross\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Sales Executive\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Basque Cultural Center\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alexander’s Steakhouse:\u003c/strong> Saturday, December 13, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nFew experiences I’ve had compared to the one my girlfriend and I had at Alexander’s Steakhouse. Sitting more or less by itself, like it carved out its own home amidst the many parking spaces at Vallco mall, it looks quite modern. If I took one look and kept driving past it, I would have thought it was some chain restaurant. Alexander’s is anything but. It’s nothing like the traditional US steakhouse — your Ruth’s Chris, your Morton’s. This is an inventive, haute-cuisine establishment that goes out of its way, perhaps slightly obnoxiously so, to bring you what I can only imagine is the finest meats, accouterments and service they know how. You’ll pay for it too, but it’s worth experiencing once.\n\u003cp>There’s a definite Japanese influence to the environment, which I felt was well expressed. It wasn’t so in-your-face to make you go, “Wait, is this Benihana?” No, this is more American Steakhouse than anything else, but subtle elements in the decor, and a few menu items all build up to the bold, “We serve authentic Japanese A5 Wagyu beef” proclamation. If you want a little bit of hamachi, followed by a Kobe beef fillet, you can have it. At the same time, if you want your Caesar salad followed by a bone-in rib-eye, you can have that too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The space is modern and elegant. A meat counter greets you on the left as you approach the hostess stand prominently displaying their Japanese Wagyu, as well as the standard cuts of American dry-aged. Wine refrigerators are spread out amongst the walls, holding their list of several hundred bottles, which included some nice finds. There were domestic Pinot Noir verticals, some decently priced Spanish and Italians, as well as the go-to Cult Cabernets, 1st growth Bordeaux, and Premier Cru Burgundy from the likes of DRC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hostesses greeted us warmly and directed us to our table, past the open kitchen with an unoccupied table in the middle of it, and their main bus station that included a sous vide cooker. I’m not sure what dishes they cooked sous vide, but it gives one the impression that they do a lot more than just broil steaks here. Our server, David, was terrific. He was attentive, highly knowledgeable, helpful, and probably among the best servers I’ve had at a restaurant — able to work well in a fast-paced environment without missing a beat. In addition to the menu, he informed us of their ability to prepare a prix fixe menu for us based on what we like. I think that was a very nice touch. Usually you’ll see a prix fixe menu, but this was, “tell me what you like and we’ll do the rest.” Very cool. Ambiance-wise, the central part of the restaurant is well lit, while the seating areas are darker and cozy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ordered a bottle of Barbaresco that I asked to be decanted. Thankfully we were brought nice, large wine glasses appropriate to the wine — an area where many restaurants often fail. Thankfully we were able to make it last, since it was drinking great and would have been easy to kill early in the meal. I decided to start out with a hamachi shot. It was basically hamachi, ginger, chili, and avocado in a shot glass, which one is supposed to throw back and have the flavors meld together. It wasn’t exactly jumping out of the glass like tequila, so I had to take a little spoon and get it in my mouth that way. It was real good, so good I ordered another. My girlfriend got a lobster shot, which was like a ceviche in a citrus sauce. I had a little taste and it was very good. We had also attempted to order their Popcorn Crab bites as an appetizer as well, but they were out of them; this was a slight disappointment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At one point David came by with a dish upon which were two large white truffles, apparently the rarest on Earth. They were extremely fragrant, apparently they set the restaurant back $5K per truffle. They would shave 3 grams on our steaks at $14/gram. It’s not like I felt like I was getting the constant up-sell, but I thought it was neat that they indeed had these things. We were also told about the Jamón Ibérico (the most expensive Spanish cured ham) appetizer that would have run $50/person. Not to be outdone, we were also told that to let them know soon if we would like an ounce of caviar since they were running out. We noticed that at large tables a whole host of servers would come out to deliver the food in an almost choreographed fashion, one of which was the chef, from what I could tell. That was a nice touch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I made up my mind that I would try the Wagyu here before I ever sat down. It turns out that I had a choice of Wagyu from 5 different prefectures in Japan. I can’t remember them all, but after a quick sales pitch I went with the filet from the Miyazaki prefecture. My girlfriend went for a 6-ounce, dry-aged (not Wagyu) filet, which was served Diane style with a demi-glace sauce. No flambé though. We ordered a few sides: mac ‘n’ cheese with truffle oil, smashed potatoes with lemon juice and oregano, and creamed spinach with feta cheese and bits of filo on top.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The steaks came, and mine was served with a jumbo prawn on top and a bit of mushroom compote. Let me say that this was unequivocally the most tender, juicy piece of meat ever to have crossed my lips. It was pretty amazing — especially compared to the normal filet — which was nothing to sneeze at either. A knife was barely necessary. Every bite was as enjoyable as the previous one. I would have liked to know that I would be paying $250 for that steak up front, but I’m glad I was able to experience it. It wasn’t just a little different than their normal steak, it was a lot different. That being said, unless I win the lottery, it will be tough to justify this kind of steak to myself ever again. I’m glad some wine was left over to be able to enjoy with the steak; ordering another bottle probably wasn’t gonna happen. The best side was the creamed spinach, which was essentially Greek spanakopita in a dish, and it was well executed. The mac ‘n’ cheese was the ultimate comfort food side and the smashed potatoes were somewhat uninspired.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taking a look at the dessert menu, a few things caught our eyes: “Ooh!”, which was a chocolate sphere filled with fudge, chocolate-black olive ice cream, and black velvet cake, and then “Peanut Gallery,” which was peanut ice cream, peanut brittle, and some other form of peanut. Unfortunately, the other diners stole them all, much to our displeasure, and forced us to examine a second tier of choices. We went for “Apple Pie,” which were three little apple empanadas with vanilla ice cream and some caramel sauce. Decent nonetheless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Was it a great experience? Yes. Would I go back any time soon? Probably not. I’m not in a rush to either, a) spend that much money again; or, b) drive to Cupertino for dinner. I’d happily agree to be taken here if someone offered. That being said, I would recommend it to anyone, as it was a neat experience that’s worth trying once. This place has terrific food and great service. Being unlike your usual American steakhouse, it will certainly be different from what you’re used to, yet familiar in many ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/vivian-stone.jpg\" alt=\"Vivian Stone\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Vivian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Legal Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Mescolanza Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alexander’s Steakhouse:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 21, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nUnfortunately I could not get any of my friends to drive from San Francisco to Cupertino with me to explore Alexander’s Steakhouse. (Boy, did they miss out!)\u003cbr>\nThe restaurant is located on one corner of the Vallco Fair Fashion Mall right off of Highway 280. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of a steakhouse located in a mall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, let me just say, this was perhaps the most creative and interesting dinner I have had in the last few years of eating in and around the Bay Area. What an amazing restaurant! The exterior of the building kind of blends in with the surroundings, and the entrance doesn’t really show anything about the inside of the restaurant, as the large panes of glass look like they are covered in some sort of Shoji screen or made of etched glass, so you can’t see inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you get inside, it’s a different world. You walk in to a high-ceilinged room done in lovely, muted, earthy colors with a beautiful slate floor and a lovely dark-colored bar. Past the bar is the main dining room with those same rich but muted colors, tables with white tablecloths, elegantly-clad patrons, enjoying the scents, sights and lusciousness of some incredible looking food, and some of the most comfortable restaurant chairs I have ever sat in. A large stairwell takes you up to another level that seems to offer more private dining spaces. I walked around a little bit and went exploring. There is a lot of natural light from an atrium in the building, and from some vantage points, you can actually see the chefs preparing food. Everything in this restaurant speaks elegance — from the colors of the walls and the textures of the floors to the original art works peering from the walls and the fabrics of the curtains, and chairs. If the food was anything like the impression I got just off the decor and ambiance, I was in for a great evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given that I was dining alone and had to drive back to San Francisco I chose to abstain from drinking any alcohol, which is too bad, because their wine list was outstanding in its breadth and complexity of its wine selections. It figures — I finally find a restaurant with an amazing wine list and I have to abstain and drink Diet Coke instead. (That’s just not right!)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu is really interesting and inspired. I expected a regular steakhouse: wrong, wrong, wrong! Yes, they do offer steak, but it’s the type of steaks, the pairing of interesting ingredients, and the presentations that will have your lips drooling on the tablecloth. There were a few dishes that passed my table that tempted me to just jump up and pretend I was the patron that ordered it. It was a good thing I had no alcohol in my system, otherwise there would have been quite a few complaints from other diners about missing entrees. The menu was so interesting that it took me 15 minutes just to read it slowly and think about what I wanted to try.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I decided to try the Cephalopod Kimchi Salad just based on the strange name (I was feeling brave). Octopus and squid never looked or tasted as good as in this presentation. Not only was the salad beautifully presented, but the mixture of textures and flavors was masterful. It had a little spicy kick from the Kimchi. I kind of felt like I was eating a piece of art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next came the sea bass. I know you’re thinking, “Why in the world is she ordering fish in a Steakhouse?” I had a steak salad for lunch that same day, so was kind of burned out on meat. Plus, I’ve learned if a restaurant can’t do something as easy to prepare as fish, I don’t want to be eating there. Hey, look, I can order fish if I want. That fish was so scrumptious that I think even the fish would applaud its own preparation. It came with a rich and creamy risotto that had clams, chorizo, squid, and some sort of tomato purée with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ordered a side dish of creamed spinach made with feta cheese and served in flaky dough. Can you say, “Yummy”?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pear tart was my dessert, even though I was quite full and not sure I could squeeze any dessert in. By the time it got to my table, I knew I was going to have to take it home with me, because I was just too full. I did eat the raspberry-Zinfandel sorbet (yup, you heard me right) that came with it, so it would not just melt away. I had them pack up the tart and cream to take home and ate the sorbet. It was excellent!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think this place is going to be my new favorite restaurant in the South Bay. It was worth the 40-minute drive from San Francisco in the first real storm we had in December (it was raining buckets that night and the wind was trying to throw my car around like a toy). I am definitely going back to this place, and I suggest you do, too.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\n10330 N. Wolfe Road (at Perimeter Road)\nCupertino, CA 95014\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 408-446-2222\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.alexanderssteakhouse.com\">www.alexanderssteakhouse.com\u003c/a>\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Steakhouse, American, Fusion\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Winter 2008",
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"description": "Location:\n10330 N. Wolfe Road (at Perimeter Road)\nCupertino, CA 95014\nPhone: 408-446-2222\nWebsite: www.alexanderssteakhouse.com\nType of Cuisine: Steakhouse, American, Fusion\nReviewed: Winter 2008",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Alexander’s Steakhouse: Reviews\u003c/strong> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1066\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1088\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=1020\">episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other ways to watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp401iPod_Hi.mp4\">\u003cstrong>Download episode\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> (requires \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/\">iTunes\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html\">QuickTime\u003c/a>)\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?page_id=122\">\u003cstrong>Subscribe to Video Podcast\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/alexanders21.jpg\" alt=\"Hamachi Shots\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/alexanders25.jpg\" alt=\"Kobe Beef Filet Mignon\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/alexanders17.jpg\" alt=\"Cotton Candy\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nHamachi Shots, Kobe Beef Filet Mignon with Mushroom Compote and Jumbo Prawns, Cotton Candy\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/kathy-leong.jpg\" alt=\"Kathy Leong\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Kathy\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Travel Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sunnyvale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Alexander’s Steakhouse\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alexander’s Steakhouse:\u003c/strong> Sunday December 27, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nWhen I first took a taste from my medium-rare, 20-ounce prime rib, it was love at first bite. Literally. I was in bovine bliss! This was the best prime rib I have ever eaten. I cook it at home every year, and this was better than I could ever remember. Maybe it’s the aging technique, or the seasoning, or the way they marinate, but let me tell you, this butter knife-tender beef was such a top-quality and excellently prepared slice, it will be forever seared into my memory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, Alexander’s is a favorite of mine, and it is a very popular place for special gatherings. This two-story, fine dining haunt is mighty expensive (you can spend over $100 per person, easily), but on par with top restaurants in SF or Beverly Hills or Los Angeles. The decor is elegant with orchids, stone flooring, and dark romantic draperies that define private eating areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service is excellent. When we first walked in, the hostess greeted us with a smile, another walked us to our table, and then an entourage of waiters and attendants made sure the crumbs were scraped off our table often, that the napkins were flung onto our laps “just so,” and that our water glasses were continually filled. Our waiter was more knowledgeable about our menu than I could have ever imagined. He was very detailed in telling us about the Wagyu beef and different kinds of Kobe beef from different regions of Japan and how they differ in taste. It was incredible. Each time I go there, I am impressed with their level of professionalism and service. Soon after we ordered, our meal came within 15 minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We got a little appetizer from the kitchen — “amuse,” as they call it — which was a marble-sized ball of goat cheese dipped in a red powder. Later on we were surprised with an intermezzo, which was a small dish of panna cotta custard with small citrus sections on top. A nice touch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for ambiance, tables are spaced apart very generously, so you don’t feel crowded, and the noise level is comfortable, so you can easily have a romantic dinner or one-on-one conversation without hearing kitchen dishes or other people yakking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu is extensive with meat, a few vegetarian offerings, and loads of interesting appetizers. Our favorite was the hamachi shooters at $4 each or six for $20. We loved the presentations in small glass shot glasses with some greens on top. Flavors of soy and ginger blended well with the raw hamachi, and the three of us were thrilled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We tried the giant oyster mushroom fritters, which were about five inches long –kind of like mushroom tempura. It was good, especially with the mayo sauce, but not super flavorful. If they had marinated the mushrooms, that would have been better. It tasted bland after you bit into the mushroom. The batter was light and had just enough crunch. However, there were leftovers of this, and no one bothered to take it home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The leek salad? Highly recommended. It is unusual and clever with its presentation of stumps of leeks in a row and adorned with ham, pine nuts, and feta cheese on a lovely white platter. I thought it was fantastic and ate all of it. In fact, the presentation of every dish is artistic and amazing. Flavors, on the most part, are carefully chosen and concocted. This place experiments and experiments well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You cannot leave this place without trying the dessert. You just cannot. It would be wrong! We tried two desserts that were terrific, but the chocolate “OOH” dessert was over the top in presentation and taste and decadence. Well worth $12. The waiter brings a large plate with chocolate cake wedges, a small scoop of chocolate and black olive ice cream, and a chocolate sphere that is filled with fudge. The waiter next pours hot fudge on top of the shell so that it melts away in front of your eyes and he then drizzles the rest of it on the cake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You get a visual display with this dessert, a kind of performance art. I’m not a big chocolate fan, but this dessert would make me a convert. The top quality dark chocolate was quite addictive. Even though I was full, I kept working at the dessert until it was gone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bottom line: I cannot wait until I come again, but I must save up my paycheck first. Yes, prices are high, but if you get the hamachi shooters, leek salad, prime rib, and chocolate “OOH” for dessert, it is worth every penny. My biggest annoyance is the $9 bottle of Voss sparkling water, which seemed too much and caught us off guard because we didn’t know we would be paying such an exorbitant fee. Yikes! We wound up paying $27 for three bottles of water. If I knew that, I would have ordered a more interesting drink. Do give Alexander’s a try. It is a steak house draped with glamour of the highest order!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/ross-ritterman.jpg\" alt=\"Ross Ritterman\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Ross\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Sales Executive\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Basque Cultural Center\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alexander’s Steakhouse:\u003c/strong> Saturday, December 13, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nFew experiences I’ve had compared to the one my girlfriend and I had at Alexander’s Steakhouse. Sitting more or less by itself, like it carved out its own home amidst the many parking spaces at Vallco mall, it looks quite modern. If I took one look and kept driving past it, I would have thought it was some chain restaurant. Alexander’s is anything but. It’s nothing like the traditional US steakhouse — your Ruth’s Chris, your Morton’s. This is an inventive, haute-cuisine establishment that goes out of its way, perhaps slightly obnoxiously so, to bring you what I can only imagine is the finest meats, accouterments and service they know how. You’ll pay for it too, but it’s worth experiencing once.\n\u003cp>There’s a definite Japanese influence to the environment, which I felt was well expressed. It wasn’t so in-your-face to make you go, “Wait, is this Benihana?” No, this is more American Steakhouse than anything else, but subtle elements in the decor, and a few menu items all build up to the bold, “We serve authentic Japanese A5 Wagyu beef” proclamation. If you want a little bit of hamachi, followed by a Kobe beef fillet, you can have it. At the same time, if you want your Caesar salad followed by a bone-in rib-eye, you can have that too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The space is modern and elegant. A meat counter greets you on the left as you approach the hostess stand prominently displaying their Japanese Wagyu, as well as the standard cuts of American dry-aged. Wine refrigerators are spread out amongst the walls, holding their list of several hundred bottles, which included some nice finds. There were domestic Pinot Noir verticals, some decently priced Spanish and Italians, as well as the go-to Cult Cabernets, 1st growth Bordeaux, and Premier Cru Burgundy from the likes of DRC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hostesses greeted us warmly and directed us to our table, past the open kitchen with an unoccupied table in the middle of it, and their main bus station that included a sous vide cooker. I’m not sure what dishes they cooked sous vide, but it gives one the impression that they do a lot more than just broil steaks here. Our server, David, was terrific. He was attentive, highly knowledgeable, helpful, and probably among the best servers I’ve had at a restaurant — able to work well in a fast-paced environment without missing a beat. In addition to the menu, he informed us of their ability to prepare a prix fixe menu for us based on what we like. I think that was a very nice touch. Usually you’ll see a prix fixe menu, but this was, “tell me what you like and we’ll do the rest.” Very cool. Ambiance-wise, the central part of the restaurant is well lit, while the seating areas are darker and cozy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ordered a bottle of Barbaresco that I asked to be decanted. Thankfully we were brought nice, large wine glasses appropriate to the wine — an area where many restaurants often fail. Thankfully we were able to make it last, since it was drinking great and would have been easy to kill early in the meal. I decided to start out with a hamachi shot. It was basically hamachi, ginger, chili, and avocado in a shot glass, which one is supposed to throw back and have the flavors meld together. It wasn’t exactly jumping out of the glass like tequila, so I had to take a little spoon and get it in my mouth that way. It was real good, so good I ordered another. My girlfriend got a lobster shot, which was like a ceviche in a citrus sauce. I had a little taste and it was very good. We had also attempted to order their Popcorn Crab bites as an appetizer as well, but they were out of them; this was a slight disappointment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At one point David came by with a dish upon which were two large white truffles, apparently the rarest on Earth. They were extremely fragrant, apparently they set the restaurant back $5K per truffle. They would shave 3 grams on our steaks at $14/gram. It’s not like I felt like I was getting the constant up-sell, but I thought it was neat that they indeed had these things. We were also told about the Jamón Ibérico (the most expensive Spanish cured ham) appetizer that would have run $50/person. Not to be outdone, we were also told that to let them know soon if we would like an ounce of caviar since they were running out. We noticed that at large tables a whole host of servers would come out to deliver the food in an almost choreographed fashion, one of which was the chef, from what I could tell. That was a nice touch.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I made up my mind that I would try the Wagyu here before I ever sat down. It turns out that I had a choice of Wagyu from 5 different prefectures in Japan. I can’t remember them all, but after a quick sales pitch I went with the filet from the Miyazaki prefecture. My girlfriend went for a 6-ounce, dry-aged (not Wagyu) filet, which was served Diane style with a demi-glace sauce. No flambé though. We ordered a few sides: mac ‘n’ cheese with truffle oil, smashed potatoes with lemon juice and oregano, and creamed spinach with feta cheese and bits of filo on top.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The steaks came, and mine was served with a jumbo prawn on top and a bit of mushroom compote. Let me say that this was unequivocally the most tender, juicy piece of meat ever to have crossed my lips. It was pretty amazing — especially compared to the normal filet — which was nothing to sneeze at either. A knife was barely necessary. Every bite was as enjoyable as the previous one. I would have liked to know that I would be paying $250 for that steak up front, but I’m glad I was able to experience it. It wasn’t just a little different than their normal steak, it was a lot different. That being said, unless I win the lottery, it will be tough to justify this kind of steak to myself ever again. I’m glad some wine was left over to be able to enjoy with the steak; ordering another bottle probably wasn’t gonna happen. The best side was the creamed spinach, which was essentially Greek spanakopita in a dish, and it was well executed. The mac ‘n’ cheese was the ultimate comfort food side and the smashed potatoes were somewhat uninspired.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taking a look at the dessert menu, a few things caught our eyes: “Ooh!”, which was a chocolate sphere filled with fudge, chocolate-black olive ice cream, and black velvet cake, and then “Peanut Gallery,” which was peanut ice cream, peanut brittle, and some other form of peanut. Unfortunately, the other diners stole them all, much to our displeasure, and forced us to examine a second tier of choices. We went for “Apple Pie,” which were three little apple empanadas with vanilla ice cream and some caramel sauce. Decent nonetheless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Was it a great experience? Yes. Would I go back any time soon? Probably not. I’m not in a rush to either, a) spend that much money again; or, b) drive to Cupertino for dinner. I’d happily agree to be taken here if someone offered. That being said, I would recommend it to anyone, as it was a neat experience that’s worth trying once. This place has terrific food and great service. Being unlike your usual American steakhouse, it will certainly be different from what you’re used to, yet familiar in many ways.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2009/03/vivian-stone.jpg\" alt=\"Vivian Stone\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Vivian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Legal Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Mescolanza Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Alexander’s Steakhouse:\u003c/strong> Sunday, December 21, 2008\u003cbr>\n\u003cbr clear=\"all\">\u003cbr>\nUnfortunately I could not get any of my friends to drive from San Francisco to Cupertino with me to explore Alexander’s Steakhouse. (Boy, did they miss out!)\u003cbr>\nThe restaurant is located on one corner of the Vallco Fair Fashion Mall right off of Highway 280. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of a steakhouse located in a mall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, let me just say, this was perhaps the most creative and interesting dinner I have had in the last few years of eating in and around the Bay Area. What an amazing restaurant! The exterior of the building kind of blends in with the surroundings, and the entrance doesn’t really show anything about the inside of the restaurant, as the large panes of glass look like they are covered in some sort of Shoji screen or made of etched glass, so you can’t see inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once you get inside, it’s a different world. You walk in to a high-ceilinged room done in lovely, muted, earthy colors with a beautiful slate floor and a lovely dark-colored bar. Past the bar is the main dining room with those same rich but muted colors, tables with white tablecloths, elegantly-clad patrons, enjoying the scents, sights and lusciousness of some incredible looking food, and some of the most comfortable restaurant chairs I have ever sat in. A large stairwell takes you up to another level that seems to offer more private dining spaces. I walked around a little bit and went exploring. There is a lot of natural light from an atrium in the building, and from some vantage points, you can actually see the chefs preparing food. Everything in this restaurant speaks elegance — from the colors of the walls and the textures of the floors to the original art works peering from the walls and the fabrics of the curtains, and chairs. If the food was anything like the impression I got just off the decor and ambiance, I was in for a great evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given that I was dining alone and had to drive back to San Francisco I chose to abstain from drinking any alcohol, which is too bad, because their wine list was outstanding in its breadth and complexity of its wine selections. It figures — I finally find a restaurant with an amazing wine list and I have to abstain and drink Diet Coke instead. (That’s just not right!)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu is really interesting and inspired. I expected a regular steakhouse: wrong, wrong, wrong! Yes, they do offer steak, but it’s the type of steaks, the pairing of interesting ingredients, and the presentations that will have your lips drooling on the tablecloth. There were a few dishes that passed my table that tempted me to just jump up and pretend I was the patron that ordered it. It was a good thing I had no alcohol in my system, otherwise there would have been quite a few complaints from other diners about missing entrees. The menu was so interesting that it took me 15 minutes just to read it slowly and think about what I wanted to try.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I decided to try the Cephalopod Kimchi Salad just based on the strange name (I was feeling brave). Octopus and squid never looked or tasted as good as in this presentation. Not only was the salad beautifully presented, but the mixture of textures and flavors was masterful. It had a little spicy kick from the Kimchi. I kind of felt like I was eating a piece of art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next came the sea bass. I know you’re thinking, “Why in the world is she ordering fish in a Steakhouse?” I had a steak salad for lunch that same day, so was kind of burned out on meat. Plus, I’ve learned if a restaurant can’t do something as easy to prepare as fish, I don’t want to be eating there. Hey, look, I can order fish if I want. That fish was so scrumptious that I think even the fish would applaud its own preparation. It came with a rich and creamy risotto that had clams, chorizo, squid, and some sort of tomato purée with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ordered a side dish of creamed spinach made with feta cheese and served in flaky dough. Can you say, “Yummy”?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pear tart was my dessert, even though I was quite full and not sure I could squeeze any dessert in. By the time it got to my table, I knew I was going to have to take it home with me, because I was just too full. I did eat the raspberry-Zinfandel sorbet (yup, you heard me right) that came with it, so it would not just melt away. I had them pack up the tart and cream to take home and ate the sorbet. It was excellent!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think this place is going to be my new favorite restaurant in the South Bay. It was worth the 40-minute drive from San Francisco in the first real storm we had in December (it was raining buckets that night and the wind was trying to throw my car around like a toy). I am definitely going back to this place, and I suggest you do, too.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"soldout": {
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