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"title": "La Forêt: Reviews",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>La Forêt Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=381\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=385\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=408\">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/cp218iPod_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/40/2007/10/laforet8.jpg\" alt=\"Quail in Huckleberry Sauce\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/laforet9.jpg\" alt=\"Wild Boar with Rosemary Tarragon Sauce\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/laforet10.jpg\" alt=\"Grand Marnier Souffle\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nQuail in Huckleberry Sauce, Wild Boar with Rosemary Tarragon Sauce, Grand Marnier Soufflé\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/patrick-adaire.jpg\" alt=\"Patrick Adaire\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Patrick\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Residential Realtor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Jose\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> La Forêt Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed La Forêt Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Thursday, May 29, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La Forêt is a wonderful dining experience. It has been open for over 100 years, starting off as the first two-story boarding house in CA and serving the hard workers of San Jose’s agriculture and farming communities. Now, it is one of the premier dining experiences in Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La Forêt, apply named “The Forest,” is set amongst old world oaks and bays that surround a charming creek-side setting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The drive to the restaurant is several miles from the main highway so you feel you’ve escaped from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley. There is ample parking and the entrance is senior-friendly. Upon entering one is greeted by the friendly maître d’, and since reservations are a mandatory, you will be escorted to your table immediately. There are always two to three waiters/waitresses to help pull out chairs and place napkins in your lap. We were given a wine list, more like a book, with 17 pages of fantastic wines ranging from $45.00 on up. We chose a delicious bottle of David Bruce Zinfandel for $65.00. It was the perfect complement for our delicious meal. The waiter promptly went over the specials and took our appetizer order. Then, the big decision, they asked if we would care for their special Soufflé Grand Marnier for desert, and with a gleam in my eye and a quick look at my bride, we happily agreed. It’s our favorite dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started off with a free sample of the chef’s hors d’oeuvres special. Rabbit sausage with wild mushrooms and a basket of warm bread. Mmmmmmm, delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we finished our chef’s special, our waiter brought out the appetizer we ordered.\u003cbr>\nA sea scallop with a light cream, herbs, and saffron sauce over puffed pastry. They gave us an extra scallop since my wife and I were sharing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quickly after our scallops were devoured, the mushrooms and shrimp salad arrived, which was equally divine. It consisted of mushrooms, bay shrimp, spinach, radicchio and red pepper vinaigrette. We tried to get the recipe for the vinaigrette, however that was a chef’s secret — the waitress even tried as she loved it too but she also wasn’t able to coax it out of him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t but a minute or two after our salad was done when the entrees arrived. My wife enjoyed a well-proportioned salmon steak with a delicious Chambord and port wine sauce. I had a taste and it melted in your mouth. Not a hint of fishiness, just a perfectly prepared meal with a great port wine sauce that made the entire meal a delight for my bride. My dinner was equally exquisite. I tried the veal for the first time, since my usual, venison, wasn’t available at this time. The veal came prepared with a shiitake mushroom, cream, and Calvados brandy sauce that I carefully cherished, so as to have a little with every bite. As with my previous meals I have never been disappointed, this is just one of the best meals of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All along the service was impeccable. The water glass never emptied, and the well-dressed staff in their tuxedo outfits is a wonderful change to the gum-chewing waitress at the local coffee shop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After we finished our entrees, we sat back and enjoyed the views of the creek and atmosphere of this wonderful old home built over 100 years ago. It’s said to be haunted by Aunt Tests. Some of the old timers who work there will swear to several very strange occurrences. A dropped spoon on the floor with no one around, a cool breeze in the hallway, napkins rearranged — sort of spooky but fun. The fine bone china and quality linens and red roses on the table quickly make you feel comfortable. The views of the majestic oaks at the sun sets over the wedding chapel give a felling of warmth and peacefulness. A special dinner like this is not for the faint of heart. One can expect a spend $200 +/- for a dinner for two depending on wine selection. However, for a special treat there’s nothing like La Forêt.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/mary-dilorenzo.jpg\" alt=\"Mary DiLorenzo\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Mary\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Criminal Records Tech\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Daly City\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Rotee\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed La Forêt Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Thursday May 24, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I am ever asked what I would like to eat right before I die, I would request the meal I ate at La Forêt. The whole experience, with the exception of the distance to get there, can be described as heavenly. It took a good while to get to this lovely little house tucked back in a grove, nestled next to a creek, but once there, the travel time and traffic seemed to melt away once we entered. La Forêt is like going over to an elegant, old friend’s house. The entry and bar area have polished wood floors and tuxedoed wait staff standing at the ready behind the maître d’. There are two dining rooms on the lower floor with eight to ten tables with plush, patterned carpeting, brass chandeliers, and very comfortable chairs. We are seated at a table for two, next to the window that looks out over the creek. Instantly, our server for the night, a pleasant young lady, delivers the menus and wine list in green, leather-bound books. The menu is extensive, but we decide to choose two of the six-course tasting menus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a lot of activity all around with the serving staff, but nothing is ever intrusive. We are able to continue our conversation, uninterrupted, as they change flatware or plates as the courses arrive and disappear. The timing of each course is perfect with never too long or too short a wait between plates. Attention is always paid to our needs, with our wine glasses being filled as needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food is the main show here. We begin this culinary pleasure cruise with the escargots in garlic and Pernod sauce, which we ordered a la carte to the tasting menus. They came out of the shell, (no chance for flying snail shells) and for the first time, I actually could taste the snail, not just garlic and butter. An enormous piece of foie gras arrives in a beautiful china bowl, perfectly seared and it just melts in your mouth. It was almost too much of a good thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two beautiful scallops come next, which are so delicious and well accompanied by the slightly saffron-flavored cream sauce. They are absolutely perfect with a soft center and perfect seared outside. This is quickly our favorite dish. The grilled ahi tuna in a horseradish and thyme sauce is next on the menu. It was a little overdone for my taste, and I think the meal would not have been missing anything at all if they just left this off the menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our courses take a different turn now and I receive a bowl with wild boar in rosemary and tarragon sauce and my husband has the roasted quail in huckleberry sauce. I have never had boar, and this is surprisingly very mild. It was very tender as well, not so much in cutting, but a melt-in-your-mouth quality. My husband’s quail is delicious, moist, and the sauce is a perfect compliment. The final entrées come, and I have Kobe beef in a peppercorn, Cabernet, and Courvoisier sauce, and my husband receives tournedos of beef with a chanterelle mushroom and herb sauce. While the meat is fork-tender and tasty, I can honestly say that I’ve made hanger steak at home with as much or more flavor. I enjoyed my husband’s tournedos, which were very, very good and I had wished I had ordered that tasting menu at this point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dish that brings this meal up to the heavenly scale is the Soufflé Grand Marnier in a vanilla anglaise sauce, heavy with Grand Marnier liqueur. This soufflé is so light that when my spoon pierces the top, it sighs and then deflates and gives up its soft, fluffy, airy insides to be bathed in a luxurious, intoxicating sauce. This is the absolute perfect ending to a wonderful and delicious meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I will most probably never go back to La Forêt, due to the distance, two hours of driving, and the cost, almost $300.00 for two, bringing our own wine. It is a very special place for very special occasions with exceptional service and fine cuisine. I am happy I had the experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/emily-kolatch.jpg\" alt=\"Emily Kolatch\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Emily\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Middle School Teacher\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Pauline’s Pizza\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed La Forêt Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Saturday, May 26, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In spite of favorable reviews from some colleagues of mine who love La Forêt, I was truly skeptical about this place. The website looks stuffy and overly formal, the menu greatly favors meat and heavy preparations, it feels like a “has-been” restaurant, and it’s a fairly long drive from San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a warm, summery Saturday evening when, after a wrong turn or two, we made our way along the little country road through New Almaden toward La Forêt. As we approached the restaurant, although I was still skeptical, I was beginning to feel charmed by the pastoral setting. As we walked into the old inn, I felt immediately at ease. There is something very comfortable and familiar about this place. It does not feel like the Bay Area. With the country setting, the tuxedoed staff, the brass-framed floral prints, and the big bowl of Andes mints on the host’s podium, I felt like I was seven years old, out for a fancy dinner with my parents. Really, I was charmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had planned to meet our friends at the restaurant for a 7:00pm reservation, but they called to say that they had gotten very lost and would be at least a half hour late. The host was very kind about holding our table for us and about guiding our friends to the restaurant over the phone. While we waited, we sat outside on the patio next to the creek and had a glass of wine. I’m not sure that the restaurant really means for the patio to be used by guests because there were only two metal chairs set out, but this was the best part of the evening. The setting is truly beautiful and it was a gorgeous night. This is just the kind of outdoor experience that San Franciscans crave. Also, the bar poured us each a veritable goblet of a delicious merlot. I didn’t know until the bill came that this enormous serving of wine cost only $10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When our friends finally arrived and we were seated in the dining room, my skepticism was beginning to wane. Our server was sweet and enthusiastic and, in contrast to the formal surroundings, had an easy-going manner. Even though several of the entrée s looked interesting, we all decided to have the six-course tasting menu. I really wanted to try the wild boar and the Kobe beef, so I ordered the third menu, while my dinner companions ordered the second one, which had the quail and tournedos of beef. The first course was to be foie gras, which I don’t care much for, but our server was very gracious about substituting the prawns. Immediately after we ordered, the bread arrived warm (which I love), and we were served an amuse bouche. Our first course arrived shortly after, and any remaining traces of skepticism were whisked away by the perfectly cooked prawns served with a slightly tangy, creamy sauce. Delicious! The second course was a seared scallop on a piece of puff pastry in a saffron cream sauce. I thought that the bit of pastry was a little bit biscuity and tough, but the scallop was, again, perfectly cooked. In spite of the pastry, this may have been my favorite course. The third course was pepper-crusted, grilled ahi tuna. Ahi tuna might feel a little trite as it seems to have been on every restaurant’s menu over the past several years, but this one didn’t feel trite, maybe because of the horseradish thyme sauce accompanying it. By course number four, I was really getting full, but I still enjoyed the wild boar. I am not a big meat-eater, and I would never normally order game, so I was surprised that I liked this so much. The meat was tender and flavorful. Although the wild rice cake that accompanied the boar was a little too salty, its chewiness complemented the meat well. Finally, the Kobe beef arrived. I don’t know if it would be worth the $85 charged for the entrée portion, but it is butter-knife tender and delicious. It was served with a very traditional mashed potato and a couple of pieces of asparagus, carrot, and squash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though I had only had a portion of each of the savory courses, I was so incredibly full by dessert, I did not know if I could manage it. However, when that beautiful, fluffy Grand Marnier soufflé arrived surrounded by cream and berries, I got my second wind. I ate every last bite!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, in the end, I was both right and wrong about La Forêt. From the location to the ambiance to preparations, this is an extraordinarily traditional restaurant. It truly feels like stepping back into another time. However, La Forêt also serves delicious food in a comfortable setting with friendly, approachable service. As we left the restaurant that night, I joked that I would write that “La Forêt aims for pretense but misses the mark.” And it’s a good thing it does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A couple of caveats, though: this restaurant is expensive and it is not a good place for vegetarians.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n21747 Bertram Road (at Almaden Road)\r\nSan Jose, CA 95120\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 408-997-3458\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.laforetrestaurant.com\">www.laforetrestaurant.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> French\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Spring 2007",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>La Forêt Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=381\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=385\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=408\">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/cp218iPod_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/40/2007/10/laforet8.jpg\" alt=\"Quail in Huckleberry Sauce\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/laforet9.jpg\" alt=\"Wild Boar with Rosemary Tarragon Sauce\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/laforet10.jpg\" alt=\"Grand Marnier Souffle\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nQuail in Huckleberry Sauce, Wild Boar with Rosemary Tarragon Sauce, Grand Marnier Soufflé\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/patrick-adaire.jpg\" alt=\"Patrick Adaire\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Patrick\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Residential Realtor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Jose\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> La Forêt Restaurant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed La Forêt Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Thursday, May 29, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La Forêt is a wonderful dining experience. It has been open for over 100 years, starting off as the first two-story boarding house in CA and serving the hard workers of San Jose’s agriculture and farming communities. Now, it is one of the premier dining experiences in Northern California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>La Forêt, apply named “The Forest,” is set amongst old world oaks and bays that surround a charming creek-side setting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The drive to the restaurant is several miles from the main highway so you feel you’ve escaped from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley. There is ample parking and the entrance is senior-friendly. Upon entering one is greeted by the friendly maître d’, and since reservations are a mandatory, you will be escorted to your table immediately. There are always two to three waiters/waitresses to help pull out chairs and place napkins in your lap. We were given a wine list, more like a book, with 17 pages of fantastic wines ranging from $45.00 on up. We chose a delicious bottle of David Bruce Zinfandel for $65.00. It was the perfect complement for our delicious meal. The waiter promptly went over the specials and took our appetizer order. Then, the big decision, they asked if we would care for their special Soufflé Grand Marnier for desert, and with a gleam in my eye and a quick look at my bride, we happily agreed. It’s our favorite dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started off with a free sample of the chef’s hors d’oeuvres special. Rabbit sausage with wild mushrooms and a basket of warm bread. Mmmmmmm, delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we finished our chef’s special, our waiter brought out the appetizer we ordered.\u003cbr>\nA sea scallop with a light cream, herbs, and saffron sauce over puffed pastry. They gave us an extra scallop since my wife and I were sharing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Quickly after our scallops were devoured, the mushrooms and shrimp salad arrived, which was equally divine. It consisted of mushrooms, bay shrimp, spinach, radicchio and red pepper vinaigrette. We tried to get the recipe for the vinaigrette, however that was a chef’s secret — the waitress even tried as she loved it too but she also wasn’t able to coax it out of him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t but a minute or two after our salad was done when the entrees arrived. My wife enjoyed a well-proportioned salmon steak with a delicious Chambord and port wine sauce. I had a taste and it melted in your mouth. Not a hint of fishiness, just a perfectly prepared meal with a great port wine sauce that made the entire meal a delight for my bride. My dinner was equally exquisite. I tried the veal for the first time, since my usual, venison, wasn’t available at this time. The veal came prepared with a shiitake mushroom, cream, and Calvados brandy sauce that I carefully cherished, so as to have a little with every bite. As with my previous meals I have never been disappointed, this is just one of the best meals of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All along the service was impeccable. The water glass never emptied, and the well-dressed staff in their tuxedo outfits is a wonderful change to the gum-chewing waitress at the local coffee shop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After we finished our entrees, we sat back and enjoyed the views of the creek and atmosphere of this wonderful old home built over 100 years ago. It’s said to be haunted by Aunt Tests. Some of the old timers who work there will swear to several very strange occurrences. A dropped spoon on the floor with no one around, a cool breeze in the hallway, napkins rearranged — sort of spooky but fun. The fine bone china and quality linens and red roses on the table quickly make you feel comfortable. The views of the majestic oaks at the sun sets over the wedding chapel give a felling of warmth and peacefulness. A special dinner like this is not for the faint of heart. One can expect a spend $200 +/- for a dinner for two depending on wine selection. However, for a special treat there’s nothing like La Forêt.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/mary-dilorenzo.jpg\" alt=\"Mary DiLorenzo\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Mary\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Criminal Records Tech\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Daly City\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Rotee\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed La Forêt Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Thursday May 24, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I am ever asked what I would like to eat right before I die, I would request the meal I ate at La Forêt. The whole experience, with the exception of the distance to get there, can be described as heavenly. It took a good while to get to this lovely little house tucked back in a grove, nestled next to a creek, but once there, the travel time and traffic seemed to melt away once we entered. La Forêt is like going over to an elegant, old friend’s house. The entry and bar area have polished wood floors and tuxedoed wait staff standing at the ready behind the maître d’. There are two dining rooms on the lower floor with eight to ten tables with plush, patterned carpeting, brass chandeliers, and very comfortable chairs. We are seated at a table for two, next to the window that looks out over the creek. Instantly, our server for the night, a pleasant young lady, delivers the menus and wine list in green, leather-bound books. The menu is extensive, but we decide to choose two of the six-course tasting menus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a lot of activity all around with the serving staff, but nothing is ever intrusive. We are able to continue our conversation, uninterrupted, as they change flatware or plates as the courses arrive and disappear. The timing of each course is perfect with never too long or too short a wait between plates. Attention is always paid to our needs, with our wine glasses being filled as needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food is the main show here. We begin this culinary pleasure cruise with the escargots in garlic and Pernod sauce, which we ordered a la carte to the tasting menus. They came out of the shell, (no chance for flying snail shells) and for the first time, I actually could taste the snail, not just garlic and butter. An enormous piece of foie gras arrives in a beautiful china bowl, perfectly seared and it just melts in your mouth. It was almost too much of a good thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Two beautiful scallops come next, which are so delicious and well accompanied by the slightly saffron-flavored cream sauce. They are absolutely perfect with a soft center and perfect seared outside. This is quickly our favorite dish. The grilled ahi tuna in a horseradish and thyme sauce is next on the menu. It was a little overdone for my taste, and I think the meal would not have been missing anything at all if they just left this off the menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our courses take a different turn now and I receive a bowl with wild boar in rosemary and tarragon sauce and my husband has the roasted quail in huckleberry sauce. I have never had boar, and this is surprisingly very mild. It was very tender as well, not so much in cutting, but a melt-in-your-mouth quality. My husband’s quail is delicious, moist, and the sauce is a perfect compliment. The final entrées come, and I have Kobe beef in a peppercorn, Cabernet, and Courvoisier sauce, and my husband receives tournedos of beef with a chanterelle mushroom and herb sauce. While the meat is fork-tender and tasty, I can honestly say that I’ve made hanger steak at home with as much or more flavor. I enjoyed my husband’s tournedos, which were very, very good and I had wished I had ordered that tasting menu at this point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dish that brings this meal up to the heavenly scale is the Soufflé Grand Marnier in a vanilla anglaise sauce, heavy with Grand Marnier liqueur. This soufflé is so light that when my spoon pierces the top, it sighs and then deflates and gives up its soft, fluffy, airy insides to be bathed in a luxurious, intoxicating sauce. This is the absolute perfect ending to a wonderful and delicious meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I will most probably never go back to La Forêt, due to the distance, two hours of driving, and the cost, almost $300.00 for two, bringing our own wine. It is a very special place for very special occasions with exceptional service and fine cuisine. I am happy I had the experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/emily-kolatch.jpg\" alt=\"Emily Kolatch\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Emily\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Middle School Teacher\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Pauline’s Pizza\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed La Forêt Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Saturday, May 26, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In spite of favorable reviews from some colleagues of mine who love La Forêt, I was truly skeptical about this place. The website looks stuffy and overly formal, the menu greatly favors meat and heavy preparations, it feels like a “has-been” restaurant, and it’s a fairly long drive from San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a warm, summery Saturday evening when, after a wrong turn or two, we made our way along the little country road through New Almaden toward La Forêt. As we approached the restaurant, although I was still skeptical, I was beginning to feel charmed by the pastoral setting. As we walked into the old inn, I felt immediately at ease. There is something very comfortable and familiar about this place. It does not feel like the Bay Area. With the country setting, the tuxedoed staff, the brass-framed floral prints, and the big bowl of Andes mints on the host’s podium, I felt like I was seven years old, out for a fancy dinner with my parents. Really, I was charmed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had planned to meet our friends at the restaurant for a 7:00pm reservation, but they called to say that they had gotten very lost and would be at least a half hour late. The host was very kind about holding our table for us and about guiding our friends to the restaurant over the phone. While we waited, we sat outside on the patio next to the creek and had a glass of wine. I’m not sure that the restaurant really means for the patio to be used by guests because there were only two metal chairs set out, but this was the best part of the evening. The setting is truly beautiful and it was a gorgeous night. This is just the kind of outdoor experience that San Franciscans crave. Also, the bar poured us each a veritable goblet of a delicious merlot. I didn’t know until the bill came that this enormous serving of wine cost only $10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When our friends finally arrived and we were seated in the dining room, my skepticism was beginning to wane. Our server was sweet and enthusiastic and, in contrast to the formal surroundings, had an easy-going manner. Even though several of the entrée s looked interesting, we all decided to have the six-course tasting menu. I really wanted to try the wild boar and the Kobe beef, so I ordered the third menu, while my dinner companions ordered the second one, which had the quail and tournedos of beef. The first course was to be foie gras, which I don’t care much for, but our server was very gracious about substituting the prawns. Immediately after we ordered, the bread arrived warm (which I love), and we were served an amuse bouche. Our first course arrived shortly after, and any remaining traces of skepticism were whisked away by the perfectly cooked prawns served with a slightly tangy, creamy sauce. Delicious! The second course was a seared scallop on a piece of puff pastry in a saffron cream sauce. I thought that the bit of pastry was a little bit biscuity and tough, but the scallop was, again, perfectly cooked. In spite of the pastry, this may have been my favorite course. The third course was pepper-crusted, grilled ahi tuna. Ahi tuna might feel a little trite as it seems to have been on every restaurant’s menu over the past several years, but this one didn’t feel trite, maybe because of the horseradish thyme sauce accompanying it. By course number four, I was really getting full, but I still enjoyed the wild boar. I am not a big meat-eater, and I would never normally order game, so I was surprised that I liked this so much. The meat was tender and flavorful. Although the wild rice cake that accompanied the boar was a little too salty, its chewiness complemented the meat well. Finally, the Kobe beef arrived. I don’t know if it would be worth the $85 charged for the entrée portion, but it is butter-knife tender and delicious. It was served with a very traditional mashed potato and a couple of pieces of asparagus, carrot, and squash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though I had only had a portion of each of the savory courses, I was so incredibly full by dessert, I did not know if I could manage it. However, when that beautiful, fluffy Grand Marnier soufflé arrived surrounded by cream and berries, I got my second wind. I ate every last bite!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, in the end, I was both right and wrong about La Forêt. From the location to the ambiance to preparations, this is an extraordinarily traditional restaurant. It truly feels like stepping back into another time. However, La Forêt also serves delicious food in a comfortable setting with friendly, approachable service. As we left the restaurant that night, I joked that I would write that “La Forêt aims for pretense but misses the mark.” And it’s a good thing it does.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A couple of caveats, though: this restaurant is expensive and it is not a good place for vegetarians.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>RNM: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/10/12/rnm-restaurant-info/\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/10/12/rnm-recipe/\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=338\">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/cp217iPod_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/40/2007/10/rnm10.jpg\" alt=\"Pancetta, Sorrel, Fiscalini Lionza Pizza\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/rnm14.jpg\" alt=\"Pan Roasted Muscovy Duck Breast on Snap pea Risotto, with Bing Cherry Gastrique, Pea Sprout Salad and Shaved Himalayan Truffles\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/rnm15.jpg\" alt=\"Bread pudding\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nPancetta, Sorrel, and Fiscalini Lionza Pizza; Pan-Roasted Muscovy Duck Breast on Snap Pea Risotto with Bing Cherry Gastrique, Pea Sprout Salad, and Shaved Himalayan Truffles; Bread Pudding\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/david-conner.jpg\" alt=\"David Conner\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> E-learning Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> RNM\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed RNM:\u003c/strong> Saturday, June 9, 2007\n\u003cp>RNM is like that person you see at cocktail party who’s drop-dead gorgeous and way better dressed than everyone else in the room and you’re totally prepared to hate him/her. But then someone introduces you, and, after chatting for a while, you start to discover that not only is s/he not a jerk, but s/he’s actually really warm and interesting and down-to-earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve been going to rnm several times a year since it opened in 2002. So the superswank décor and all its urbanista trappings — the high-tech chandelier, the sophisticated taupe and eggplant color scheme, the undulating, floor-to-ceiling chain-mail curtains, the flat-panel TVs playing spy movies from the late 60s or some such 21st century camp — doesn’t exactly have the same effect on me as it did the first few times I went there. However, it never fails to make a potent first impression on out-of-towners (especially on jaded East Coasters who assume that S.F. can’t do stylish and hip), and so it’s become one the first places I’ll take visitors for a truly San Francisco dining experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The contrast with the grittiness of the Lower Haight neighborhood is key: the restaurant’s façade is a neutral grey and the windows have a one-way treatment so you really can’t form an idea of the space until you’re inside. But once you are, you feel like you’ve been admitted into a hidden oasis of swank in the midst of the Lower Haight’s graffiti-covered jumble of steam-table restaurants, bodegas, and dive bars. In this respect, it’s not unlike a lot of trendy eateries in “transitional” neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn. After you’ve settled in, though, the vibe becomes distinctly West Coast as you realize that you’re not going to get served any of that East Coast attitude.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The long-time maître d’, Robert, is a case in point. Always extremely dapper and well-groomed, from a distance he looks like he might be the type to give you one of those do-you-really-think-you’re-worthy-of-eating-here looks they seem to teach advance classes in at maître d’ school. Every time I’ve been to RNM, however, the opposite has been the case. My partner and I are always greeted warmly and graciously, regardless of whether we’re dressed to go out for the evening or if we’ve just come from the park in shorts and sweatshirts. Of course, if you’re planning on arriving any later than 7 p.m., especially if it’s a weekend, I’d recommend at least putting on long pants: the crowd gets rather natty during the peak pre-party hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But RNM ranks among my favorite spots in S.F. not because of the décor, the super-nice maître d’, or the good-looking, Juicy-couture-clad Lower Haight scenesters. It’s really because of the consistently inventive and well-executed menu from chef-owner Justine Miner. Part of what I love about rnm is the way Miner infuses her personality and personal history into the whole dining experience. Both the name of the restaurant and the menu’s White Castle-style sliders are tributes to her late father, Robert Miner (the former being his initials and the latter, one of his favorite dishes from his native Chicago). More substantially, the menu reflects her sophisticated but never too fussy approach to California cooking. The Italian influences are hard to miss. Many of the dishes emphasize earthy flavors and rustic preparations, but Miner is especially adept at contrasting these dominant tones with clean, tangy high notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A great example of that talent is a discovery I made on my most recent visit: the pancetta, sorrel, and Fiscalini cheese pizza. While I’ve been an ardent admirer of Miner’s pizzas ever since the place opened — the crusts alone are miraculous — I’ve generally stuck to the menu’s perennial standby, the wild mushroom and caramelized onion pizza (Justine, if you’re reading this, for the love of God, please bring back the one with smoked salmon and crème fraîche.) This time, for a change, I tried the alternate, and it was astonishingly good. The Fiscalini (a locally produced Swiss-style cheese, I later discovered) has an intensely sharp and nutty flavor. This, combined with the salty pancetta and the loamy sorrel, makes for an extremely rich and savory first bite. But the real stroke of genius here is the lemon oil drizzle over the top: a high C of tartness that soars above the lower chords of the other flavors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This sense of playfulness runs throughout the menu, and, to Miner’s great credit, it almost always works beautifully. The NY steak, my entrée choice this last time around, was accompanied by a huckleberry potato puree, a concept that could have easily gone wrong had it been executed with a too-heavy hand. In this case, however, it brought wonderfully unexpected shades of sourness and fruit to a familiar comfort food staple. With similar finesse, the duck breast — also a regular on the menu and one of my absolute faves — is served with a bright and tart bing cherry gastrique, and the rich risotto on the side is lightened with English peas and fresh mint. The scallops with ricotta gnocchi, morels, and fava beans (my partner’s entrée on this visit) features a more restricted, Rothko-like palette of flavors, but the all different buttery, earthy qualities of these components come together in your mouth in a way that’s just…well, even metaphors fail at a certain point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are a lot of other highlights that deserve at least a passing mention: the bar’s version of the Maker’s Mark Manhattan which, to me, for some reason, feels like the potable equivalent of a filet mignon; the divine bread pudding which, if there’s any room at all for dessert after the standard salad/pizza/entrée triple-courser, is among the best in the city (and, trust me, I’m well-qualified to make that call); the grilled hearts of romaine salad — yet another great twist on a classic, with blue cheese, apples, and hazelnuts; the insane bang-to-buck ratio of the early-bird prix fixe menu (three courses for 28 bucks!); the amazing charcuterie plate; the diverse, but unintimidating wine list…I could go on. The menu changes frequently, and even some of the standards will be tweaked, refined, or remixed, so don’t be surprised if you can’t find some of the things I’ve mentioned here. What won’t change, however, is the inventiveness of the menu, the quality of the ingredients, and the high standard of execution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While RNM continues to be one of the flashier destinations in the Lower Haight, it’s definitely proved itself to be more than just a flash-in-the-pan. In a city with so many great places to eat, rnm has somehow managed to find a cozy little niche for itself exactly at the point on the Venn diagram where high-end destination restaurant overlaps with friendly neighborhood chow house. To me, ultimately, it’s that very quality that makes rnm feel so quintessentially \u003ci>San Francisco\u003c/i>: like our city, rnm has somehow figured out how to reconcile the glamour, grit, and vitality of the urban metropolis with all the pleasures and comforts of community, neighborhood, and home.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michele-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Michele Jones\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michele\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Employee Benefits Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Ana Mandara\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed RNM:\u003c/strong> Thursday June 7, 2007\n\u003cp>I was so surprised to find such an upscale restaurant sitting at the lower end of Haight Street, and everything about RNM continued to pleasantly surprise me throughout the evening. When I walked in the door, I was greeted by the friendliest host, who wrapped his arm around me to show me to the table I had reserved in advance. I felt like I was a welcome guest, or a long lost friend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restaurant is set up so you may have small plates and large plates, so you really don’t have appetizers and main dishes, unless that’s how you want to eat them. I chose to have mostly appetizers, as I usually want to try a variety of dishes at a new restaurant, and this affords me the opportunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I started with the white corn soup, which was drizzled with white truffle oil, and had something in the center of the bowl that I think was artichoke hearts. It had a great silky texture, and while the first taste of the soup was very heavy with the flavor of the white truffle oil, it quickly grew on me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our party of four shared two charcuterie plates, which had an abundant selection of olives, meats, and the best pâté I’ve ever eaten. I chose to skip the larger plates, and to have the fried green tomato napoleon, which was a heavenly construction of cornmeal crusted green tomatoes, fried so they are just slightly cooked, layered with a soft mascarpone cheese, and drizzled with a sweet red pepper sauce. It was fabulous, and exactly what I wanted to eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also split the caramelized onion and wild mushroom pizza, which came drizzled with truffle oil. It was nicely sweet, and was quite delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our table also had three entrees. The rib eye steak was topped with a truffle butter — are you noticing a theme? The RNM burgers were small burgers served on focaccia bread with white cheddar cheese. They were quite tasty, but somewhat difficult to eat, since they kept sliding out of the bread. However, once a fork and knife were in hand, these little gems were very yummy! I didn’t try the day boat scallops, but my dinner companion said they were the best he’d ever eaten. I did try the scallop’s fava bean sauce, and it had a lovely flavor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desserts where huge, and varied in their taste, and all were delicious. The bread pudding came with a brandy sauce and toasted pecans. The cheese plate had a number of different cheeses, honey, and a warm olive and walnut bread. It paired perfectly with a glass of 20-year-old port. The dessert napoleon was also very good. RNM pairs their desserts with a selection of wines, making it easy to decide which dessert goes with what wine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most surprising about all the dishes was the portion size. These plates are definitely meant to be shared. This is a great place to go with friends and share a good meal, especially dessert. The bar has a big screen TV, and was showing \u003ci>Endless Summer\u003c/i>, which captivated my friend, and somehow added to the evening’s conversation. I will be back at rnm soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/otto-thav.jpg\" alt=\"Otto Thav\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Otto\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Management Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Front Porch\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed RNM:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, June 6, 2007\n\u003cp>I made reservations and went with a friend on a Wednesday (middle of week) at 7:30pm.\u003cbr>\nParking was easy; a car was pulling out across the street just as I came. RNM is on the corner and it looked very classy, clean, and non-descript from the outside, especially since the neighborhood is a bit sketchy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were wonderful grey metal chain-link curtains over the walls and windows, giving it a soft modern industrial look, warmed by organic low lighting. I loved the main chandelier; it was a mess of wires handing down from the ceiling with lights on the bottom ends of each wire. It seemed very romantic. There was a bar with a flat-screen TV by the door and a food bar in the back facing the open kitchen, making it a neighborhood-y place for young urban professional to hang out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It seemed pretty empty at 7:30pm. There was no waiting, and we were taken upstairs to be seated in the loft. The loft had sofas, another flat screen, as well as table dining.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was not impressed with the sliced French bread, which seemed stale. The menu had a half page of cocktails that looked interesting, as well as several pages of bottles of wine. I asked the attentive and responsive waitress about the few selection of wines-by-the-glass. I ordered a glass of spicy red wine, which she brought out right away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu had a complete variety of several salads, appetizers, pizzas, entrees, and one soup. All the dishes we had were unique with a very interesting mix of ingredients. There were several choices for both vegetarians and meat or fish eaters. We each ordered two salads to share — the baby arugula salad, with fava beans, strawberries, mint, balsamic vinaigrette, and a fresh ricotta crostini, and the grilled Galapagos island shrimp on summer corn salad with arugula pesto and mâche. I tasted the spicier salad first and therefore I had to ask for pepper for the second salad. The fact that they did not bring fresh pepper says something about the chef’s confidence. The salads were served promptly, but the waitress brought the entrees 5 minutes apart. By the time our entrees had arrived the restaurant had become fuller and a tad noisier, but we had no problem hearing each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The presentations on the plates were very artistic. For the entree, I ordered the pan-roasted Muscovy duck breast on a snap pea risotto with bing cherry gastrique, pea sprout salad, and shaved Himalayan truffles. It had an exquisite mix of tastes and textures on one plate. The crisp sprouts on top had a mild sour-acid taste, the duck came medium-rare and had a chewy texture, and the bed of sweet-tasting risotto had a soft texture. The dessert menu also had a good variety of options, with a selection of cheeses and aperitifs, but nothing looked unique. I could not remember what we shared; it tasted a bit average. I expected a better dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Per person, food and drinks came to about $60 with tip. My two glasses of wine were 1/3 the cost. We did not choose the three-course pre-fixe menu for $28 each, which would have been the wise choice had we liked the choices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would definitely recommend it to dine alone at one of the bars, in a group, or on a romantic date.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n598 Haight Street (at Steiner Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94117\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-551-7900\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.rnmrestaurant.com\">www.rnmrestaurant.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> New American\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2007",
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"description": "Location:\r\n598 Haight Street (at Steiner Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94117\r\nPhone: 415-551-7900\r\nWebsite: www.rnmrestaurant.com\r\nType of Cuisine: New American\r\nReviewed: Summer 2007",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>RNM: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/10/12/rnm-restaurant-info/\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/10/12/rnm-recipe/\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=338\">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/cp217iPod_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/40/2007/10/rnm10.jpg\" alt=\"Pancetta, Sorrel, Fiscalini Lionza Pizza\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/rnm14.jpg\" alt=\"Pan Roasted Muscovy Duck Breast on Snap pea Risotto, with Bing Cherry Gastrique, Pea Sprout Salad and Shaved Himalayan Truffles\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/rnm15.jpg\" alt=\"Bread pudding\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nPancetta, Sorrel, and Fiscalini Lionza Pizza; Pan-Roasted Muscovy Duck Breast on Snap Pea Risotto with Bing Cherry Gastrique, Pea Sprout Salad, and Shaved Himalayan Truffles; Bread Pudding\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/david-conner.jpg\" alt=\"David Conner\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> E-learning Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> RNM\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed RNM:\u003c/strong> Saturday, June 9, 2007\n\u003cp>RNM is like that person you see at cocktail party who’s drop-dead gorgeous and way better dressed than everyone else in the room and you’re totally prepared to hate him/her. But then someone introduces you, and, after chatting for a while, you start to discover that not only is s/he not a jerk, but s/he’s actually really warm and interesting and down-to-earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve been going to rnm several times a year since it opened in 2002. So the superswank décor and all its urbanista trappings — the high-tech chandelier, the sophisticated taupe and eggplant color scheme, the undulating, floor-to-ceiling chain-mail curtains, the flat-panel TVs playing spy movies from the late 60s or some such 21st century camp — doesn’t exactly have the same effect on me as it did the first few times I went there. However, it never fails to make a potent first impression on out-of-towners (especially on jaded East Coasters who assume that S.F. can’t do stylish and hip), and so it’s become one the first places I’ll take visitors for a truly San Francisco dining experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The contrast with the grittiness of the Lower Haight neighborhood is key: the restaurant’s façade is a neutral grey and the windows have a one-way treatment so you really can’t form an idea of the space until you’re inside. But once you are, you feel like you’ve been admitted into a hidden oasis of swank in the midst of the Lower Haight’s graffiti-covered jumble of steam-table restaurants, bodegas, and dive bars. In this respect, it’s not unlike a lot of trendy eateries in “transitional” neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn. After you’ve settled in, though, the vibe becomes distinctly West Coast as you realize that you’re not going to get served any of that East Coast attitude.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The long-time maître d’, Robert, is a case in point. Always extremely dapper and well-groomed, from a distance he looks like he might be the type to give you one of those do-you-really-think-you’re-worthy-of-eating-here looks they seem to teach advance classes in at maître d’ school. Every time I’ve been to RNM, however, the opposite has been the case. My partner and I are always greeted warmly and graciously, regardless of whether we’re dressed to go out for the evening or if we’ve just come from the park in shorts and sweatshirts. Of course, if you’re planning on arriving any later than 7 p.m., especially if it’s a weekend, I’d recommend at least putting on long pants: the crowd gets rather natty during the peak pre-party hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But RNM ranks among my favorite spots in S.F. not because of the décor, the super-nice maître d’, or the good-looking, Juicy-couture-clad Lower Haight scenesters. It’s really because of the consistently inventive and well-executed menu from chef-owner Justine Miner. Part of what I love about rnm is the way Miner infuses her personality and personal history into the whole dining experience. Both the name of the restaurant and the menu’s White Castle-style sliders are tributes to her late father, Robert Miner (the former being his initials and the latter, one of his favorite dishes from his native Chicago). More substantially, the menu reflects her sophisticated but never too fussy approach to California cooking. The Italian influences are hard to miss. Many of the dishes emphasize earthy flavors and rustic preparations, but Miner is especially adept at contrasting these dominant tones with clean, tangy high notes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A great example of that talent is a discovery I made on my most recent visit: the pancetta, sorrel, and Fiscalini cheese pizza. While I’ve been an ardent admirer of Miner’s pizzas ever since the place opened — the crusts alone are miraculous — I’ve generally stuck to the menu’s perennial standby, the wild mushroom and caramelized onion pizza (Justine, if you’re reading this, for the love of God, please bring back the one with smoked salmon and crème fraîche.) This time, for a change, I tried the alternate, and it was astonishingly good. The Fiscalini (a locally produced Swiss-style cheese, I later discovered) has an intensely sharp and nutty flavor. This, combined with the salty pancetta and the loamy sorrel, makes for an extremely rich and savory first bite. But the real stroke of genius here is the lemon oil drizzle over the top: a high C of tartness that soars above the lower chords of the other flavors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This sense of playfulness runs throughout the menu, and, to Miner’s great credit, it almost always works beautifully. The NY steak, my entrée choice this last time around, was accompanied by a huckleberry potato puree, a concept that could have easily gone wrong had it been executed with a too-heavy hand. In this case, however, it brought wonderfully unexpected shades of sourness and fruit to a familiar comfort food staple. With similar finesse, the duck breast — also a regular on the menu and one of my absolute faves — is served with a bright and tart bing cherry gastrique, and the rich risotto on the side is lightened with English peas and fresh mint. The scallops with ricotta gnocchi, morels, and fava beans (my partner’s entrée on this visit) features a more restricted, Rothko-like palette of flavors, but the all different buttery, earthy qualities of these components come together in your mouth in a way that’s just…well, even metaphors fail at a certain point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are a lot of other highlights that deserve at least a passing mention: the bar’s version of the Maker’s Mark Manhattan which, to me, for some reason, feels like the potable equivalent of a filet mignon; the divine bread pudding which, if there’s any room at all for dessert after the standard salad/pizza/entrée triple-courser, is among the best in the city (and, trust me, I’m well-qualified to make that call); the grilled hearts of romaine salad — yet another great twist on a classic, with blue cheese, apples, and hazelnuts; the insane bang-to-buck ratio of the early-bird prix fixe menu (three courses for 28 bucks!); the amazing charcuterie plate; the diverse, but unintimidating wine list…I could go on. The menu changes frequently, and even some of the standards will be tweaked, refined, or remixed, so don’t be surprised if you can’t find some of the things I’ve mentioned here. What won’t change, however, is the inventiveness of the menu, the quality of the ingredients, and the high standard of execution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While RNM continues to be one of the flashier destinations in the Lower Haight, it’s definitely proved itself to be more than just a flash-in-the-pan. In a city with so many great places to eat, rnm has somehow managed to find a cozy little niche for itself exactly at the point on the Venn diagram where high-end destination restaurant overlaps with friendly neighborhood chow house. To me, ultimately, it’s that very quality that makes rnm feel so quintessentially \u003ci>San Francisco\u003c/i>: like our city, rnm has somehow figured out how to reconcile the glamour, grit, and vitality of the urban metropolis with all the pleasures and comforts of community, neighborhood, and home.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michele-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Michele Jones\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michele\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Employee Benefits Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Ana Mandara\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed RNM:\u003c/strong> Thursday June 7, 2007\n\u003cp>I was so surprised to find such an upscale restaurant sitting at the lower end of Haight Street, and everything about RNM continued to pleasantly surprise me throughout the evening. When I walked in the door, I was greeted by the friendliest host, who wrapped his arm around me to show me to the table I had reserved in advance. I felt like I was a welcome guest, or a long lost friend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restaurant is set up so you may have small plates and large plates, so you really don’t have appetizers and main dishes, unless that’s how you want to eat them. I chose to have mostly appetizers, as I usually want to try a variety of dishes at a new restaurant, and this affords me the opportunity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I started with the white corn soup, which was drizzled with white truffle oil, and had something in the center of the bowl that I think was artichoke hearts. It had a great silky texture, and while the first taste of the soup was very heavy with the flavor of the white truffle oil, it quickly grew on me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our party of four shared two charcuterie plates, which had an abundant selection of olives, meats, and the best pâté I’ve ever eaten. I chose to skip the larger plates, and to have the fried green tomato napoleon, which was a heavenly construction of cornmeal crusted green tomatoes, fried so they are just slightly cooked, layered with a soft mascarpone cheese, and drizzled with a sweet red pepper sauce. It was fabulous, and exactly what I wanted to eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also split the caramelized onion and wild mushroom pizza, which came drizzled with truffle oil. It was nicely sweet, and was quite delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our table also had three entrees. The rib eye steak was topped with a truffle butter — are you noticing a theme? The RNM burgers were small burgers served on focaccia bread with white cheddar cheese. They were quite tasty, but somewhat difficult to eat, since they kept sliding out of the bread. However, once a fork and knife were in hand, these little gems were very yummy! I didn’t try the day boat scallops, but my dinner companion said they were the best he’d ever eaten. I did try the scallop’s fava bean sauce, and it had a lovely flavor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desserts where huge, and varied in their taste, and all were delicious. The bread pudding came with a brandy sauce and toasted pecans. The cheese plate had a number of different cheeses, honey, and a warm olive and walnut bread. It paired perfectly with a glass of 20-year-old port. The dessert napoleon was also very good. RNM pairs their desserts with a selection of wines, making it easy to decide which dessert goes with what wine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most surprising about all the dishes was the portion size. These plates are definitely meant to be shared. This is a great place to go with friends and share a good meal, especially dessert. The bar has a big screen TV, and was showing \u003ci>Endless Summer\u003c/i>, which captivated my friend, and somehow added to the evening’s conversation. I will be back at rnm soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/otto-thav.jpg\" alt=\"Otto Thav\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Otto\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Management Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Front Porch\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed RNM:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, June 6, 2007\n\u003cp>I made reservations and went with a friend on a Wednesday (middle of week) at 7:30pm.\u003cbr>\nParking was easy; a car was pulling out across the street just as I came. RNM is on the corner and it looked very classy, clean, and non-descript from the outside, especially since the neighborhood is a bit sketchy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were wonderful grey metal chain-link curtains over the walls and windows, giving it a soft modern industrial look, warmed by organic low lighting. I loved the main chandelier; it was a mess of wires handing down from the ceiling with lights on the bottom ends of each wire. It seemed very romantic. There was a bar with a flat-screen TV by the door and a food bar in the back facing the open kitchen, making it a neighborhood-y place for young urban professional to hang out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It seemed pretty empty at 7:30pm. There was no waiting, and we were taken upstairs to be seated in the loft. The loft had sofas, another flat screen, as well as table dining.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was not impressed with the sliced French bread, which seemed stale. The menu had a half page of cocktails that looked interesting, as well as several pages of bottles of wine. I asked the attentive and responsive waitress about the few selection of wines-by-the-glass. I ordered a glass of spicy red wine, which she brought out right away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu had a complete variety of several salads, appetizers, pizzas, entrees, and one soup. All the dishes we had were unique with a very interesting mix of ingredients. There were several choices for both vegetarians and meat or fish eaters. We each ordered two salads to share — the baby arugula salad, with fava beans, strawberries, mint, balsamic vinaigrette, and a fresh ricotta crostini, and the grilled Galapagos island shrimp on summer corn salad with arugula pesto and mâche. I tasted the spicier salad first and therefore I had to ask for pepper for the second salad. The fact that they did not bring fresh pepper says something about the chef’s confidence. The salads were served promptly, but the waitress brought the entrees 5 minutes apart. By the time our entrees had arrived the restaurant had become fuller and a tad noisier, but we had no problem hearing each other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The presentations on the plates were very artistic. For the entree, I ordered the pan-roasted Muscovy duck breast on a snap pea risotto with bing cherry gastrique, pea sprout salad, and shaved Himalayan truffles. It had an exquisite mix of tastes and textures on one plate. The crisp sprouts on top had a mild sour-acid taste, the duck came medium-rare and had a chewy texture, and the bed of sweet-tasting risotto had a soft texture. The dessert menu also had a good variety of options, with a selection of cheeses and aperitifs, but nothing looked unique. I could not remember what we shared; it tasted a bit average. I expected a better dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Per person, food and drinks came to about $60 with tip. My two glasses of wine were 1/3 the cost. We did not choose the three-course pre-fixe menu for $28 each, which would have been the wise choice had we liked the choices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ana Mandara: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=334\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=336\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=338\">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/cp217iPod_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/40/2007/10/anamandara6.jpg\" alt=\"Heat of the Moment\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/anamandara7.jpg\" alt=\"Dungeness Crab Soup\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/anamandara8.jpg\" alt=\"Mango Soup with Durian Sorbet and Mango Noodles\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Heat of the Moment:\u003c/strong> Crunchy Green Papaya and Green Apple Salad with Fresh House Made Beef Jerky and Chili Vinaigrette; \u003cstrong>Dreams of Sea and Fire:\u003c/strong> Dungeness Crab Soup with Housemade Hand-Cut Noodles; Mango Soup with Durian Sorbet and Mango Noodles\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michele-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Michele Jones\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michele\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Employee Benefits Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Ana Mandara\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Ana Mandara:\u003c/strong> Tuesday June 5, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ana Mandara is a truly unique Vietnamese restaurant located in Ghirardelli Square at Fisherman’s Wharf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you first walk into Ana Mandara, you are greeted by the feeling that you are not in a restaurant at all, but rather in a courtyard tucked away off the streets in Colonial Vietnam. The restaurant is dramatic, with two stories. The lower level is the main restaurant, and a sweeping staircase leads to the Cham Bar and Lounge on the upper level. There are building facades that look like ancient temples, and other Asian artifacts that are a part of the surroundings, and they help give the feeling of being secreted away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu tells the story of Ana Mandara, which means “beautiful refuge,” and is a tragic love story rivaling Romeo and Juliet. All of the food has unique, beautiful names, like “Hands of the Child,” and “After the Rains,” and they too make you feel like you are in some special, exotic place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food is exquisite, with a tremendous range of tastes. The seared foie gras, called “Heaven Rewards” was cooked to perfection, and makes you feel like have received a reward from heaven.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Dungeness crab soup, called “Dreams of Sea and Fire,” was sweet and creamy, and filled with large chunks of Dungeness crab and thick noodles that were reminiscent of Japanese soba noodles. The soup had just the right combination of spices to bring out the best flavor of the crab. My dining companion had the Kaffir lime and lemongrass soup, which came with the most tender slices of filet mignon and crisp enoki mushrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My entrée, the Mekong Delta prawns, were served in a clay pot. Unfortunately, they arrived with their heads still attached, and it really put me off from eating the dish. Even more surprising was that when I recoiled from the plate, and mentioned the heads, our server didn’t offer to either remove them at the table, or take the dish back to the kitchen to remove the heads. He just continued to scoop the prawns and sauce into a riceless dish. Thankfully my husband came to the rescue, and beheaded my prawns while I checked out the ladies room. My husband had the braised pork belly, and it reminded him of the very best barbequed pork you could ever imagine eating, and he continues to talk about it regularly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered the sautéed French beans with scallions. Unfortunately, they were forgotten by our waitress until we mentioned it after being served our entrees. The scallions were caramelized, and tasted fabulous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert I had the Meyer lemon mousse, served in a frozen, hollowed-out orange with candied slivers of orange peel. The mousse reminded me of the best lemon pound cake that somehow got turned into the lightest, fluffiest lemon dessert. The mousse was sweet, without being cloying, and left no hint of tartness, just an overwhelmingly lemon flavor, and the candied orange peel slivers provide the perfect sweetness for the lemony mousse. We also had the molten chocolate cake, which was served with vanilla bean ice cream. The chocolate was bittersweet and mixed nicely with the vanilla bean ice cream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was our first visit early in the week, and unfortunately the table service was really off. Late or missing food, and inattentive service were very disappointing for such a usually fantastic restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/david-conner.jpg\" alt=\"David Conner\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> E-learning Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> RNM\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Ana Mandara:\u003c/strong> Monday, June 11, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have to confess at the outset that the fact that Ana Mandara is located in the darkest heart of the S.F. tourist district may have somewhat colored my perceptions of the whole experience. Actually, I had already heard good things about it from a number of trusted sources, so before we got there, I felt that if I did have any bias, it was definitely a favorable one. However, as we walked from the car towards Ghirardelli Square, I could feel my goodwill eroding with every “Alcatraz Psycho Ward” t-shirt and cable car snow globe we passed. So when we got to the restaurant and my very first thought was that we had stepped into the EPCOT version of Colonial Vietnam, I began to wonder if I really was going to be able to judge the place fairly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was my partner Don’s birthday, and although Ana Mandara probably wouldn’t have been his first choice, he graciously agreed to donate his special night to the \u003ci>Check, Please!\u003c/i> cause. It was a Monday, and we got there pretty early, but we were still a little surprised to find that we practically had the place to ourselves. The décor, as I’ve mentioned, is all Theatrical Exotica. Huge architectural set pieces, which look like they might have been scavenged from a 1950s production of \u003ci>Flower Drum Song\u003c/i>, loom over the main dining room. Brass railings, bamboo shutters, ficus trees, and latticework all hammer away at the 1930s Colonial theme, and, in case you still hadn’t gotten the point, the walls are hung with sepia-toned images of what appear to be Vietnamese children in French public school uniforms. Walking up the faux-marble stairs to the “Cham Bar,” I had the distinct feeling that we had crossed that invisible line into Theme Restaurant territory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As neither of us was particularly hungry — and it was happy hour — we decided to start celebrating Don’s eighth annual 30th birthday with some of Ana Mandara’s specialty cocktails. I said in my earlier review of the Front Porch that I was a big fan of girly drinks. Well, the Emperor Bao Dai Imperial Martini — a bizarre concoction of vodka, champagne, and passion fruit syrup, served in a glass with a sugar-caked rim — actually made me rethink that position. Let’s just say that it would make an Appletini look like grain alcohol in comparison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After I had recovered from my diabetic coma, we headed downstairs. At this point, things were picking up a bit in the dining room, and Don and I were able to play a very enjoyable game of “Identify the Regional Accent” as we eavesdropped on neighboring tables. The menu took a little getting used to: everything on it sounds like a Zhang Yimou film. The crab soup, for instance, isn’t called “crab soup”, but “Dreams of Sea and Fire.” This strategy felt more than a little cloying, and, on occasion, the mental associations these titles conjured weren’t especially appealing. Do I really want to think of what “Running through the Fields” has to do with a seared beef appetizer? (Did someone set an unsuspecting cow on fire, perhaps)? Or why the house salad should be called “Asleep in the Petals”? (Does it contain opiates? Can I operate heavy machinery after eating it?)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “Delicate Dew Drops” — a.k.a. shrimp and chicken dumplings — were certainly flavorful, but a little too delicate and dewy for our tastes. They were sitting in a light broth and had attained a texture that I imagine might be close to that of a decomposing jellyfish. When we tried to pick them up with chopsticks, they fell into limp bits, and they had a distinctly slimy quality going down. “Running through the Fields,” however, turned out to be excellent. The beef was given only the briefest pan-sear and left rare to the point of raw. Dressed with a tangy-sweet tamarind sauce and tossed with fresh herbs and peanuts, the dish really surprised us with its bright and refreshing combination of flavors. As it was a birthday dinner (like we really needed an excuse), we decided to give the “Smokey Wonders” a try as well. No, it’s not a hotel lounge R&B cover band, but an appetizer of honey-barbecue sauce-slathered spare ribs. The fact that they were exceedingly sweet did not prevent us from polishing off all six.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time our entrees arrived, we started to realize that the “sweet-and-tangy” motif had developed into the dominant theme of the meal. Fortunately for Don, he had ordered the “Paradise Found” — a cashew and pine nut-crusted Alaskan halibut filet served with eggplant ratatouille and a pomegranate gastrique. Although this latter accompaniment was also sweet and tangy, in a by now too familiar way, it was nicely counterbalanced by the gingery, peppery, crunchy crust on the fish. I, unfortunately, realized too late that my lamb chop dish — the “Smoke and Seduction” — featured the same tamarind sauce that had already made an appearance in the beef appetizer. While the sauce was used with restraint and nuance in that earlier dish, it all but completely overwhelmed the lamb in the main course. To make matters worse, it was accompanied by a disproportionately large stack of mung bean sprouts which, bizarrely, concealed a hockey-puck sized patty of an unidentifiable fried starch beneath it. I later found out that the starch was cassava, but at the time, its dense, almost gelatinous texture led me to conclude that it was some kind of microwaveable latke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The meal came to a surprising end when, to our relief and delight, we found that the dessert course would actually be less sweet than some of the dishes that preceded it. Don’s flourless coconut rum cake had an almost savory, bread-pudding like quality, and its accompaniment of kumquat ice cream provided a clean, refreshing contrast. I decided that, for the sake of the show, I needed to sample what the menu announced was “Chef Khai’s Signature Dish,” the chilled mango soup. This one dish, I must say, came very close to expunging every other culinary infraction from the record that evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To say that the soup tastes like nothing other than the intensified essence of fresh mango is to pay it a pretty high compliment, but it only tells part of the story. What makes the dish exciting is not just the flavors, but the complicated textural interplay that happens when you really start to get into it. The silkiness of the mango puree provides the background against which all the other textural elements come to the fore: First, there’s the suppleness of the “mango noodles,” long ribbons cut directly from the flesh of the fruit. Then, there’s the cold, crystalline graininess of the durian sorbet; its not-too-sweet taste mitigating the intensity of the mango itself. Finally, and most satisfyingly, there’s the occasional crunch of freshly cracked black pepper, accompanied by the fiery burst of heat and spice. What strikes me as more than a little ironic is that the dish that turned out to be the most poetic of the night was the only one that didn’t have a pretentious title: it appears on the menu simply as “Mango Soup.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only conclusion to draw here, I think, is that beneath all the contrived trappings, there’s a really creative and talented chef at work at Ana Mandara. One can’t really fault a restaurant that’s located right in the heart of a tourist mecca for not wanting to scare off the P.F. Chang’s set. This is why, I’d guess, a lot of the dishes tend towards the sweet and tangy end of the spectrum, emphasizing those bold, obvious flavors that won’t alienate the Red State diners. However, with a little patience and maybe some experienced guidance in successfully navigating the menu, I’d say that there’s at least one truly excellent meal to be had here.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/otto-thav.jpg\" alt=\"Otto Thav\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Otto\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Management Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Front Porch\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Ana Mandara:\u003c/strong> Saturday, June 9, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We made reservations for Saturday, June 9, 2007 at 6:30pm and found easy street parking on the same block. There is also garage parking at Ghirardelli Square. There were plenty of tables with no waiting time. The decor was absolutely grand. From the outside it looked like a brick warehouse. However, once inside, everything was detailed in elegant tropical colonial French-Vietnamese style. This included large artificial trees, bamboos, paintings, stone carvings, vases, stone flooring, and tropical shutters on the windows. Most of the patrons were middle aged tourists. The staff was wonderful and attentive. We did not have to wait; everything was served timely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered a bottle of South African Pinotage wine, which complemented the meal very well. Since we were four adults and Aiden (a two-year-old), we decided to eat family style, and shared a salad, a special, as well as a few sides, entrees, and desserts. The salad was the “Heat of the Moment” (a crunchy green papaya and green apple salad with fresh house made beef jerky and chili vinaigrette.) The spicy beef jerky enhanced the taste of the bland-ish green papaya, while providing the dual texture. The Shrimp Roll special was presented in a unique dual wicker basket with fresh lettuce cup leaves, which were used to wrap around the shrimp rolls. The appetizers included the Whispering Waves (crispy lobster ravioli with mango and coconut sauce), which was truly delectable and our favorite by far, and Monks’ Purse (vegetarian Vietnamese steamed dumplings with porcini mushroom). The sides included the stir-fried snow pea sprouts with garlic and oyster sauce, which was yummy. Sticky black rice mildly cleansed our palates in between the other spicy dishes. Similarly, the jasmine rice steamed with pandanus leaf, soaked up the gravy from the other spicy dishes. For entrees we had the River of Dreams (Mekong Delta prawns sautéed with oyster mushrooms, ginko nuts, and light caramel tomato sauce, served in a claypot), which had a sweet and spicy sauce and ginko nuts that were so soft, they almost melted on our tongues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also had the Pieces of Gold (traditional spicy caramelized claypot fish with sugar peas), and this was another delectable sweet and spicy dish. And for dessert, we shared the mango springroll, which consisted of a sweet mango sauce and mini spring rolls. And we also had the Roasted Banana, which could have been served with more ice cream to enhance the contrasting texture. The total cost with tip was $45 per person, without Aiden.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ana Mandara: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=334\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=336\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=338\">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/cp217iPod_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/40/2007/10/anamandara6.jpg\" alt=\"Heat of the Moment\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/anamandara7.jpg\" alt=\"Dungeness Crab Soup\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/anamandara8.jpg\" alt=\"Mango Soup with Durian Sorbet and Mango Noodles\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Heat of the Moment:\u003c/strong> Crunchy Green Papaya and Green Apple Salad with Fresh House Made Beef Jerky and Chili Vinaigrette; \u003cstrong>Dreams of Sea and Fire:\u003c/strong> Dungeness Crab Soup with Housemade Hand-Cut Noodles; Mango Soup with Durian Sorbet and Mango Noodles\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michele-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Michele Jones\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michele\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Employee Benefits Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Ana Mandara\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Ana Mandara:\u003c/strong> Tuesday June 5, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ana Mandara is a truly unique Vietnamese restaurant located in Ghirardelli Square at Fisherman’s Wharf.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When you first walk into Ana Mandara, you are greeted by the feeling that you are not in a restaurant at all, but rather in a courtyard tucked away off the streets in Colonial Vietnam. The restaurant is dramatic, with two stories. The lower level is the main restaurant, and a sweeping staircase leads to the Cham Bar and Lounge on the upper level. There are building facades that look like ancient temples, and other Asian artifacts that are a part of the surroundings, and they help give the feeling of being secreted away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu tells the story of Ana Mandara, which means “beautiful refuge,” and is a tragic love story rivaling Romeo and Juliet. All of the food has unique, beautiful names, like “Hands of the Child,” and “After the Rains,” and they too make you feel like you are in some special, exotic place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food is exquisite, with a tremendous range of tastes. The seared foie gras, called “Heaven Rewards” was cooked to perfection, and makes you feel like have received a reward from heaven.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Dungeness crab soup, called “Dreams of Sea and Fire,” was sweet and creamy, and filled with large chunks of Dungeness crab and thick noodles that were reminiscent of Japanese soba noodles. The soup had just the right combination of spices to bring out the best flavor of the crab. My dining companion had the Kaffir lime and lemongrass soup, which came with the most tender slices of filet mignon and crisp enoki mushrooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My entrée, the Mekong Delta prawns, were served in a clay pot. Unfortunately, they arrived with their heads still attached, and it really put me off from eating the dish. Even more surprising was that when I recoiled from the plate, and mentioned the heads, our server didn’t offer to either remove them at the table, or take the dish back to the kitchen to remove the heads. He just continued to scoop the prawns and sauce into a riceless dish. Thankfully my husband came to the rescue, and beheaded my prawns while I checked out the ladies room. My husband had the braised pork belly, and it reminded him of the very best barbequed pork you could ever imagine eating, and he continues to talk about it regularly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered the sautéed French beans with scallions. Unfortunately, they were forgotten by our waitress until we mentioned it after being served our entrees. The scallions were caramelized, and tasted fabulous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert I had the Meyer lemon mousse, served in a frozen, hollowed-out orange with candied slivers of orange peel. The mousse reminded me of the best lemon pound cake that somehow got turned into the lightest, fluffiest lemon dessert. The mousse was sweet, without being cloying, and left no hint of tartness, just an overwhelmingly lemon flavor, and the candied orange peel slivers provide the perfect sweetness for the lemony mousse. We also had the molten chocolate cake, which was served with vanilla bean ice cream. The chocolate was bittersweet and mixed nicely with the vanilla bean ice cream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was our first visit early in the week, and unfortunately the table service was really off. Late or missing food, and inattentive service were very disappointing for such a usually fantastic restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/david-conner.jpg\" alt=\"David Conner\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> E-learning Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> RNM\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Ana Mandara:\u003c/strong> Monday, June 11, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have to confess at the outset that the fact that Ana Mandara is located in the darkest heart of the S.F. tourist district may have somewhat colored my perceptions of the whole experience. Actually, I had already heard good things about it from a number of trusted sources, so before we got there, I felt that if I did have any bias, it was definitely a favorable one. However, as we walked from the car towards Ghirardelli Square, I could feel my goodwill eroding with every “Alcatraz Psycho Ward” t-shirt and cable car snow globe we passed. So when we got to the restaurant and my very first thought was that we had stepped into the EPCOT version of Colonial Vietnam, I began to wonder if I really was going to be able to judge the place fairly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was my partner Don’s birthday, and although Ana Mandara probably wouldn’t have been his first choice, he graciously agreed to donate his special night to the \u003ci>Check, Please!\u003c/i> cause. It was a Monday, and we got there pretty early, but we were still a little surprised to find that we practically had the place to ourselves. The décor, as I’ve mentioned, is all Theatrical Exotica. Huge architectural set pieces, which look like they might have been scavenged from a 1950s production of \u003ci>Flower Drum Song\u003c/i>, loom over the main dining room. Brass railings, bamboo shutters, ficus trees, and latticework all hammer away at the 1930s Colonial theme, and, in case you still hadn’t gotten the point, the walls are hung with sepia-toned images of what appear to be Vietnamese children in French public school uniforms. Walking up the faux-marble stairs to the “Cham Bar,” I had the distinct feeling that we had crossed that invisible line into Theme Restaurant territory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As neither of us was particularly hungry — and it was happy hour — we decided to start celebrating Don’s eighth annual 30th birthday with some of Ana Mandara’s specialty cocktails. I said in my earlier review of the Front Porch that I was a big fan of girly drinks. Well, the Emperor Bao Dai Imperial Martini — a bizarre concoction of vodka, champagne, and passion fruit syrup, served in a glass with a sugar-caked rim — actually made me rethink that position. Let’s just say that it would make an Appletini look like grain alcohol in comparison.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After I had recovered from my diabetic coma, we headed downstairs. At this point, things were picking up a bit in the dining room, and Don and I were able to play a very enjoyable game of “Identify the Regional Accent” as we eavesdropped on neighboring tables. The menu took a little getting used to: everything on it sounds like a Zhang Yimou film. The crab soup, for instance, isn’t called “crab soup”, but “Dreams of Sea and Fire.” This strategy felt more than a little cloying, and, on occasion, the mental associations these titles conjured weren’t especially appealing. Do I really want to think of what “Running through the Fields” has to do with a seared beef appetizer? (Did someone set an unsuspecting cow on fire, perhaps)? Or why the house salad should be called “Asleep in the Petals”? (Does it contain opiates? Can I operate heavy machinery after eating it?)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The “Delicate Dew Drops” — a.k.a. shrimp and chicken dumplings — were certainly flavorful, but a little too delicate and dewy for our tastes. They were sitting in a light broth and had attained a texture that I imagine might be close to that of a decomposing jellyfish. When we tried to pick them up with chopsticks, they fell into limp bits, and they had a distinctly slimy quality going down. “Running through the Fields,” however, turned out to be excellent. The beef was given only the briefest pan-sear and left rare to the point of raw. Dressed with a tangy-sweet tamarind sauce and tossed with fresh herbs and peanuts, the dish really surprised us with its bright and refreshing combination of flavors. As it was a birthday dinner (like we really needed an excuse), we decided to give the “Smokey Wonders” a try as well. No, it’s not a hotel lounge R&B cover band, but an appetizer of honey-barbecue sauce-slathered spare ribs. The fact that they were exceedingly sweet did not prevent us from polishing off all six.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time our entrees arrived, we started to realize that the “sweet-and-tangy” motif had developed into the dominant theme of the meal. Fortunately for Don, he had ordered the “Paradise Found” — a cashew and pine nut-crusted Alaskan halibut filet served with eggplant ratatouille and a pomegranate gastrique. Although this latter accompaniment was also sweet and tangy, in a by now too familiar way, it was nicely counterbalanced by the gingery, peppery, crunchy crust on the fish. I, unfortunately, realized too late that my lamb chop dish — the “Smoke and Seduction” — featured the same tamarind sauce that had already made an appearance in the beef appetizer. While the sauce was used with restraint and nuance in that earlier dish, it all but completely overwhelmed the lamb in the main course. To make matters worse, it was accompanied by a disproportionately large stack of mung bean sprouts which, bizarrely, concealed a hockey-puck sized patty of an unidentifiable fried starch beneath it. I later found out that the starch was cassava, but at the time, its dense, almost gelatinous texture led me to conclude that it was some kind of microwaveable latke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The meal came to a surprising end when, to our relief and delight, we found that the dessert course would actually be less sweet than some of the dishes that preceded it. Don’s flourless coconut rum cake had an almost savory, bread-pudding like quality, and its accompaniment of kumquat ice cream provided a clean, refreshing contrast. I decided that, for the sake of the show, I needed to sample what the menu announced was “Chef Khai’s Signature Dish,” the chilled mango soup. This one dish, I must say, came very close to expunging every other culinary infraction from the record that evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To say that the soup tastes like nothing other than the intensified essence of fresh mango is to pay it a pretty high compliment, but it only tells part of the story. What makes the dish exciting is not just the flavors, but the complicated textural interplay that happens when you really start to get into it. The silkiness of the mango puree provides the background against which all the other textural elements come to the fore: First, there’s the suppleness of the “mango noodles,” long ribbons cut directly from the flesh of the fruit. Then, there’s the cold, crystalline graininess of the durian sorbet; its not-too-sweet taste mitigating the intensity of the mango itself. Finally, and most satisfyingly, there’s the occasional crunch of freshly cracked black pepper, accompanied by the fiery burst of heat and spice. What strikes me as more than a little ironic is that the dish that turned out to be the most poetic of the night was the only one that didn’t have a pretentious title: it appears on the menu simply as “Mango Soup.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only conclusion to draw here, I think, is that beneath all the contrived trappings, there’s a really creative and talented chef at work at Ana Mandara. One can’t really fault a restaurant that’s located right in the heart of a tourist mecca for not wanting to scare off the P.F. Chang’s set. This is why, I’d guess, a lot of the dishes tend towards the sweet and tangy end of the spectrum, emphasizing those bold, obvious flavors that won’t alienate the Red State diners. However, with a little patience and maybe some experienced guidance in successfully navigating the menu, I’d say that there’s at least one truly excellent meal to be had here.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr noshade size=\"1\">\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/otto-thav.jpg\" alt=\"Otto Thav\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Otto\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Management Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Front Porch\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Ana Mandara:\u003c/strong> Saturday, June 9, 2007\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We made reservations for Saturday, June 9, 2007 at 6:30pm and found easy street parking on the same block. There is also garage parking at Ghirardelli Square. There were plenty of tables with no waiting time. The decor was absolutely grand. From the outside it looked like a brick warehouse. However, once inside, everything was detailed in elegant tropical colonial French-Vietnamese style. This included large artificial trees, bamboos, paintings, stone carvings, vases, stone flooring, and tropical shutters on the windows. Most of the patrons were middle aged tourists. The staff was wonderful and attentive. We did not have to wait; everything was served timely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered a bottle of South African Pinotage wine, which complemented the meal very well. Since we were four adults and Aiden (a two-year-old), we decided to eat family style, and shared a salad, a special, as well as a few sides, entrees, and desserts. The salad was the “Heat of the Moment” (a crunchy green papaya and green apple salad with fresh house made beef jerky and chili vinaigrette.) The spicy beef jerky enhanced the taste of the bland-ish green papaya, while providing the dual texture. The Shrimp Roll special was presented in a unique dual wicker basket with fresh lettuce cup leaves, which were used to wrap around the shrimp rolls. The appetizers included the Whispering Waves (crispy lobster ravioli with mango and coconut sauce), which was truly delectable and our favorite by far, and Monks’ Purse (vegetarian Vietnamese steamed dumplings with porcini mushroom). The sides included the stir-fried snow pea sprouts with garlic and oyster sauce, which was yummy. Sticky black rice mildly cleansed our palates in between the other spicy dishes. Similarly, the jasmine rice steamed with pandanus leaf, soaked up the gravy from the other spicy dishes. For entrees we had the River of Dreams (Mekong Delta prawns sautéed with oyster mushrooms, ginko nuts, and light caramel tomato sauce, served in a claypot), which had a sweet and spicy sauce and ginko nuts that were so soft, they almost melted on our tongues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also had the Pieces of Gold (traditional spicy caramelized claypot fish with sugar peas), and this was another delectable sweet and spicy dish. And for dessert, we shared the mango springroll, which consisted of a sweet mango sauce and mini spring rolls. And we also had the Roasted Banana, which could have been served with more ice cream to enhance the contrasting texture. The total cost with tip was $45 per person, without Aiden.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Front Porch: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=335\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=338\">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/cp217iPod_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/40/2007/10/frontporch7.jpg\" alt=\"Special Cod\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/frontporch12.jpg\" alt=\"Molasses Brined Pork Chop with Potato Salad\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/frontporch13.jpg\" alt=\"Bucket of Fried Chicken\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nSpecial Slow-Cooked Cod, Molasses-Brined Pork Chop with Potato Salad, Bucket of Fried Chicken\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/otto-thav.jpg\" alt=\"Otto Thav\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Otto\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Management Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Front Porch\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Front Porch:\u003c/strong> Friday, June 8, 2007\n\u003cp>I took a friend on a Friday night at about 7:30pm and we found parking two blocks away on a residential street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a pleasant 40-minute wait sitting at the bar enjoying pint-size bottles of St. Peter’s Stout, a small brewery, dark, English ale; my favorite ale of all time. From the outside, the Front Porch seems small and non-descript with a few tables and chairs outside where people were waiting. The restaurant was originally the garage with an Edwardian above. The décor is 1920’s with tin on the ceiling, an old cashier on the bar, a few antique photos and antique windows on the walls. The atmosphere casually with artistically clad young non-professionals. It had a very neighborhood-y feel. The seating was minimal and tables were close together, but comfortable. It was loud from people talking and background music (not live) but the noise was not unbearable. The staff was busy, but very attentive, pleasant, and responsive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sangria was unique, but a bit too sweet. The presentation of the food was a bit artistic and the arrival time was about 20 minutes, which makes sense since most of the dishes are slow-cooked. We had the conch fritters and pickled beets for appetizers; they were both awesome. The pork chops entree was outstanding. It was about 1-inch thick and 10 inches long and cooked to perfection with banana strips. It was complemented extremely well with the grits side dish. These were probably the best dishes on the menu. The special cod entree was very good as well. The cod skin was peeling off whole on the plate, revealing the supple white fish. The portions were generous and we were too full to try dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The total cost per person with tip was $50. Not counting the pre-dinner ales, about $18 with tip.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michele-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Michele Jones\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michele\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Employee Benefits Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Ana Mandara\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Front Porch:\u003c/strong> Saturday June 9, 2007\n\u003cp>I was so excited to try The Front Porch, as it is in my neighborhood, and I had heard they had fabulous fried chicken. I think my greatest surprise was that I thought I was going to a down home restaurant with comfort food, and instead found a Caribbean-inspired place with flavors that didn’t really appeal to me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We went at 6:30pm on a Saturday night, which might have been our first mistake. After finding parking in this usually crowded neighborhood, we tried to enter the restaurant to put our names on whatever list existed. At first, we were unable to locate anyone in charge, as the other people at the door were also trying to put their names on the list, or pick up food to go. Finally we were greeted, and were told that it would be a 40 minute wait. We waited on what else, the front porch, which consisted of some cute chairs, including a rocker for my three-year-old daughter. The only down side of the wait was the constant cigarette smoke that kept being blown in our direction from another group also waiting for a table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We finally were seated at a booth with a chair on the end to accommodate our party of five. It was a tight squeeze. The noise level inside made it difficult to hear the waiter, for him to understand our order, and almost impossible to have any conversation at our table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started with the assorted West Indian chips, which were spicy and dusted with a nice powdery sugar. It was an interesting combination of tastes. The two tiny plantain cakes were served with a small sliver of house cured smoked salmon, and a dollop of mashed avocado and crème fraîche. The combination was delicious, but the portion size was way too small. There was definitely not enough to share even a taste with anyone else. The duck pâté was served with mango chutney that added a nice sweetness to the pate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For our main dishes we ordered the Porch Chop, which is the Front Porch’s take on a barbequed pork chop. It came with a just slightly spicy barbeque sauce, and was served with sweet mixed cabbage coleslaw on top, and fried plantains on the side. We also ordered the bucket of fried chicken with mustard greens and mixed fries to share between one adult and two small children. The chicken was juicy, but the coating was nothing special, and tasted somewhat like cardboard. The greens were slightly undercooked, but the mixed fries were nice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the greatest disappointment with the Front Porch was the value for the money. The portion sizes were very small. The bucket of chicken came with eight of the smallest chicken pieces I have ever seen, and didn’t seem worth the nearly $30 cost. The child’s cheeseburger was so small that it left my nine-year-old still hungry. When we left, we actually went home to eat again. The portion size coupled with the noise level and the cigarette smoke that actually drifts into the restaurant from outside made this restaurant one that I will not visit again.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/david-conner.jpg\" alt=\"David Conner\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> E-learning Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> RNM\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Front Porch:\u003c/strong> Friday, June 8, 2007\n\u003cp>The Upper Mission, it seems, is rapidly becoming one the city’s most reliable go-to spots for great casual dining. It’s always been a charming and fun neighborhood, but with the addition of Blue Plate, Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack, and now, the Front Porch, the UM can now claim a triple-threat of really wonderful, innovative, attitude-free restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clearly a lot of people agree with me. We went to the Front Porch early on a Friday evening, around 6ish, and it was a good thing we didn’t get there any later. By 7 o’clock, the place was totally packed. The restaurant occupies an unassuming, whitewashed building, distinguished mainly by the eponymous front porch (which I’d argue is really more of a patio, but “Front Patio” doesn’t have quite the same ring). It’s just far enough off of Mission and San Jose to feel hidden and out-of-the-way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That sense of having discovered something secret is more pronounced when you walk into the main dining area. Low, pressed-tin ceilings, a long, polished oak bar, and black-and-red checkered floor tiles give the space a sort of speakeasy vibe; you almost feel like you should have been asked for a password at the door. We were lucky enough to be seated promptly, and, better still, the cocktails came in the blink of an eye. Although my vegan, but paradoxically hard-drinking friend, Sean, was a bit dismayed at the bar’s beer and wine-only offerings (he claimed the rosé sangria reminded of him of wine-cooler binges in high school), I’ve always been a fan of the girly cocktail. Once I tried the Carribini — their variation on a bellini consisting of a guava puree and German sekt (i.e., Champagne) — I found it hard to stop: I managed to suck down three over the course of the evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caribbean-inflected comfort food dominates the menu, the operative keywords here being “hot and sweet,” “starchy and creamy,” “hearty and homey.” This is not to say the chef isn’t willing to take risks, some of which paid off for us, and others….not so much. On the super-positive side were the amuse-bouches — something that you wouldn’t expect to get at a laid-back Jamaican soul food joint. However, I’m very glad we did as they turned out to be one of the high points of the evening. These delightful little canapés consisted of a kind of brandade — salt cod mixed with potato (sweet potato in this case) — sitting on crisp toasts, drizzled with olive oil, and topped with a fresh salad of marinated red pepper and arugula. Although the combination might sound a teensy bit over the top, it totally wasn’t. The flavors harmonized perfectly, and it managed to be inventive without being at all bizarre. The plantain cakes we ordered as one of our appetizers, on the other hand, were less successful. The “cakes” were actually more like fritters, only with a slightly bitter edge. Presented with an avocado mash (basically, guacamole minus the lemon juice and garlic), crème fraîche, and wild salmon (of all things), the combination just seemed outré. It was one of those dishes that sounded really interesting on paper, but didn’t quite come together in your mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For his entrée, my partner Don had the bafflingly-named “escaveitch” fish. A Google search on that word will suggest that you might have meant “escoveitch” fish, which, as you will further discover, is a Jamaican variation on ceviche. But perhaps the Front Porch didn’t actually mean “escoveitch” after all since the fish that was brought to Don bore very little resemblance to ceviche of any known nationality. Rather, it was just a very nice, fresh tasting, but fully grilled filet of bass, topped with fresh slivered onions, lemon juice, and placed atop a bed of coconut red beans and rice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the reasons I wanted Vegan Sean to accompany us on this particular dining excursion (aside from the fact that he’s hilarious and always great company) is that I needed someone to try out the daily vegan special that the Front Porch advertises on their website. I was curious to find out whether such a homey, meat-centric place would actually take their vegan option seriously. The answer is: they do, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to please every vegan, every time. The special that night was an olla of butternut squash, rapini, sweet potato, and cherry tomatoes, all stewed up in a bath of coconut milk. Unfortunately Sean isn’t a huge fan of coconut milk. I am, but I had to agree that the sweetness did tend to overwhelm the taste of the veggies, such that you didn’t really get the full flavor of every component of the dish. If you do consider yourself a hardcore herbivore, I’m thinking the Front Porch probably shouldn’t be your first stop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that I’ve done my due diligence as a culinarily-correct San Franciscan, let’s get back to the meat. The pork chop I ordered was heaven on a plate. I’m not entirely sure what “molasses-brining” might involve, but the result is a not overly-sweet, smoky, moist, and thoroughly satisfying hunk of cooked pig. The lightly-dressed sweet potato and carrot slaw that was served on top was genius, providing a clean, crunchy counterpoint to the sweet and salty meat. The pork chop also came with a side of plantains, which could have easily passed without mention if I didn’t have a particular axe to grind about said fruit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m sorry if I sound parochial and boorish, but when I see something that looks like a banana, I really want it to taste like a banana. My experience with plantains, in this regard, is not dissimilar to the one I commonly have when I order a Diet Coke and take that first neuron-frying sip of what turns out to be Diet Pepsi. What you had hoped would be something familiar, comforting, and pleasant suddenly rips its mask off to reveal a horrifying and freakish visage beneath. At the risk of overstating the point: I’m over plantains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desserts were very nice, with only a single, and probably entirely subjective, off-key note. This came with Don’s almond brownie. It definitely tasted like it was made in-house, and it was fluffier and less dense that your ordinary fudge brownie. All agreed that it was tasty, but there was definitely an unfamiliar and off-putting undertone in it that was driving me (and only me) nuts. It was only after I was picking over the remnants of the brownie later that night that it came to me… in the form of a mental image of the Jimmy Dean sausage package. Either they totally put \u003ci>sage\u003c/i> in that brownie, or I had a temporary brain-tumor that was causing bizarre taste-hallucinations that night. My lemon pound cake with strawberries and fresh whipped cream, on the other hand, was excellent in every regard and utterly free of unidentifiable tastes. The cake seemed to have been macerated in a citrus-y sugar syrup that gave it a dense, almost crystallized texture. The counterpoint of the fruit and the not-too-sweet fluffy whipped cream made for a great finish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Final thoughts on this thoroughly excellent addition to the Upper Mission dining scene: get there early, pray that the chef graces you with one of those amazing amuses, stick to the meat-based options if you can, and come hungry.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n65a 29th Street (at San Jose Avenue)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94110\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-695-7800\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.thefrontporchsf.com\">www.thefrontporchsf.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Caribbean, West Indian\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2007",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Front Porch: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=335\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=338\">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/cp217iPod_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/40/2007/10/frontporch7.jpg\" alt=\"Special Cod\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/frontporch12.jpg\" alt=\"Molasses Brined Pork Chop with Potato Salad\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/frontporch13.jpg\" alt=\"Bucket of Fried Chicken\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nSpecial Slow-Cooked Cod, Molasses-Brined Pork Chop with Potato Salad, Bucket of Fried Chicken\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/otto-thav.jpg\" alt=\"Otto Thav\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Otto\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Management Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Front Porch\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Front Porch:\u003c/strong> Friday, June 8, 2007\n\u003cp>I took a friend on a Friday night at about 7:30pm and we found parking two blocks away on a residential street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a pleasant 40-minute wait sitting at the bar enjoying pint-size bottles of St. Peter’s Stout, a small brewery, dark, English ale; my favorite ale of all time. From the outside, the Front Porch seems small and non-descript with a few tables and chairs outside where people were waiting. The restaurant was originally the garage with an Edwardian above. The décor is 1920’s with tin on the ceiling, an old cashier on the bar, a few antique photos and antique windows on the walls. The atmosphere casually with artistically clad young non-professionals. It had a very neighborhood-y feel. The seating was minimal and tables were close together, but comfortable. It was loud from people talking and background music (not live) but the noise was not unbearable. The staff was busy, but very attentive, pleasant, and responsive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sangria was unique, but a bit too sweet. The presentation of the food was a bit artistic and the arrival time was about 20 minutes, which makes sense since most of the dishes are slow-cooked. We had the conch fritters and pickled beets for appetizers; they were both awesome. The pork chops entree was outstanding. It was about 1-inch thick and 10 inches long and cooked to perfection with banana strips. It was complemented extremely well with the grits side dish. These were probably the best dishes on the menu. The special cod entree was very good as well. The cod skin was peeling off whole on the plate, revealing the supple white fish. The portions were generous and we were too full to try dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The total cost per person with tip was $50. Not counting the pre-dinner ales, about $18 with tip.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michele-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Michele Jones\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michele\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Employee Benefits Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Ana Mandara\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Front Porch:\u003c/strong> Saturday June 9, 2007\n\u003cp>I was so excited to try The Front Porch, as it is in my neighborhood, and I had heard they had fabulous fried chicken. I think my greatest surprise was that I thought I was going to a down home restaurant with comfort food, and instead found a Caribbean-inspired place with flavors that didn’t really appeal to me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We went at 6:30pm on a Saturday night, which might have been our first mistake. After finding parking in this usually crowded neighborhood, we tried to enter the restaurant to put our names on whatever list existed. At first, we were unable to locate anyone in charge, as the other people at the door were also trying to put their names on the list, or pick up food to go. Finally we were greeted, and were told that it would be a 40 minute wait. We waited on what else, the front porch, which consisted of some cute chairs, including a rocker for my three-year-old daughter. The only down side of the wait was the constant cigarette smoke that kept being blown in our direction from another group also waiting for a table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We finally were seated at a booth with a chair on the end to accommodate our party of five. It was a tight squeeze. The noise level inside made it difficult to hear the waiter, for him to understand our order, and almost impossible to have any conversation at our table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started with the assorted West Indian chips, which were spicy and dusted with a nice powdery sugar. It was an interesting combination of tastes. The two tiny plantain cakes were served with a small sliver of house cured smoked salmon, and a dollop of mashed avocado and crème fraîche. The combination was delicious, but the portion size was way too small. There was definitely not enough to share even a taste with anyone else. The duck pâté was served with mango chutney that added a nice sweetness to the pate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For our main dishes we ordered the Porch Chop, which is the Front Porch’s take on a barbequed pork chop. It came with a just slightly spicy barbeque sauce, and was served with sweet mixed cabbage coleslaw on top, and fried plantains on the side. We also ordered the bucket of fried chicken with mustard greens and mixed fries to share between one adult and two small children. The chicken was juicy, but the coating was nothing special, and tasted somewhat like cardboard. The greens were slightly undercooked, but the mixed fries were nice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the greatest disappointment with the Front Porch was the value for the money. The portion sizes were very small. The bucket of chicken came with eight of the smallest chicken pieces I have ever seen, and didn’t seem worth the nearly $30 cost. The child’s cheeseburger was so small that it left my nine-year-old still hungry. When we left, we actually went home to eat again. The portion size coupled with the noise level and the cigarette smoke that actually drifts into the restaurant from outside made this restaurant one that I will not visit again.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/david-conner.jpg\" alt=\"David Conner\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> E-learning Expert\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> RNM\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Front Porch:\u003c/strong> Friday, June 8, 2007\n\u003cp>The Upper Mission, it seems, is rapidly becoming one the city’s most reliable go-to spots for great casual dining. It’s always been a charming and fun neighborhood, but with the addition of Blue Plate, Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack, and now, the Front Porch, the UM can now claim a triple-threat of really wonderful, innovative, attitude-free restaurants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clearly a lot of people agree with me. We went to the Front Porch early on a Friday evening, around 6ish, and it was a good thing we didn’t get there any later. By 7 o’clock, the place was totally packed. The restaurant occupies an unassuming, whitewashed building, distinguished mainly by the eponymous front porch (which I’d argue is really more of a patio, but “Front Patio” doesn’t have quite the same ring). It’s just far enough off of Mission and San Jose to feel hidden and out-of-the-way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That sense of having discovered something secret is more pronounced when you walk into the main dining area. Low, pressed-tin ceilings, a long, polished oak bar, and black-and-red checkered floor tiles give the space a sort of speakeasy vibe; you almost feel like you should have been asked for a password at the door. We were lucky enough to be seated promptly, and, better still, the cocktails came in the blink of an eye. Although my vegan, but paradoxically hard-drinking friend, Sean, was a bit dismayed at the bar’s beer and wine-only offerings (he claimed the rosé sangria reminded of him of wine-cooler binges in high school), I’ve always been a fan of the girly cocktail. Once I tried the Carribini — their variation on a bellini consisting of a guava puree and German sekt (i.e., Champagne) — I found it hard to stop: I managed to suck down three over the course of the evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caribbean-inflected comfort food dominates the menu, the operative keywords here being “hot and sweet,” “starchy and creamy,” “hearty and homey.” This is not to say the chef isn’t willing to take risks, some of which paid off for us, and others….not so much. On the super-positive side were the amuse-bouches — something that you wouldn’t expect to get at a laid-back Jamaican soul food joint. However, I’m very glad we did as they turned out to be one of the high points of the evening. These delightful little canapés consisted of a kind of brandade — salt cod mixed with potato (sweet potato in this case) — sitting on crisp toasts, drizzled with olive oil, and topped with a fresh salad of marinated red pepper and arugula. Although the combination might sound a teensy bit over the top, it totally wasn’t. The flavors harmonized perfectly, and it managed to be inventive without being at all bizarre. The plantain cakes we ordered as one of our appetizers, on the other hand, were less successful. The “cakes” were actually more like fritters, only with a slightly bitter edge. Presented with an avocado mash (basically, guacamole minus the lemon juice and garlic), crème fraîche, and wild salmon (of all things), the combination just seemed outré. It was one of those dishes that sounded really interesting on paper, but didn’t quite come together in your mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For his entrée, my partner Don had the bafflingly-named “escaveitch” fish. A Google search on that word will suggest that you might have meant “escoveitch” fish, which, as you will further discover, is a Jamaican variation on ceviche. But perhaps the Front Porch didn’t actually mean “escoveitch” after all since the fish that was brought to Don bore very little resemblance to ceviche of any known nationality. Rather, it was just a very nice, fresh tasting, but fully grilled filet of bass, topped with fresh slivered onions, lemon juice, and placed atop a bed of coconut red beans and rice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the reasons I wanted Vegan Sean to accompany us on this particular dining excursion (aside from the fact that he’s hilarious and always great company) is that I needed someone to try out the daily vegan special that the Front Porch advertises on their website. I was curious to find out whether such a homey, meat-centric place would actually take their vegan option seriously. The answer is: they do, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to please every vegan, every time. The special that night was an olla of butternut squash, rapini, sweet potato, and cherry tomatoes, all stewed up in a bath of coconut milk. Unfortunately Sean isn’t a huge fan of coconut milk. I am, but I had to agree that the sweetness did tend to overwhelm the taste of the veggies, such that you didn’t really get the full flavor of every component of the dish. If you do consider yourself a hardcore herbivore, I’m thinking the Front Porch probably shouldn’t be your first stop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now that I’ve done my due diligence as a culinarily-correct San Franciscan, let’s get back to the meat. The pork chop I ordered was heaven on a plate. I’m not entirely sure what “molasses-brining” might involve, but the result is a not overly-sweet, smoky, moist, and thoroughly satisfying hunk of cooked pig. The lightly-dressed sweet potato and carrot slaw that was served on top was genius, providing a clean, crunchy counterpoint to the sweet and salty meat. The pork chop also came with a side of plantains, which could have easily passed without mention if I didn’t have a particular axe to grind about said fruit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m sorry if I sound parochial and boorish, but when I see something that looks like a banana, I really want it to taste like a banana. My experience with plantains, in this regard, is not dissimilar to the one I commonly have when I order a Diet Coke and take that first neuron-frying sip of what turns out to be Diet Pepsi. What you had hoped would be something familiar, comforting, and pleasant suddenly rips its mask off to reveal a horrifying and freakish visage beneath. At the risk of overstating the point: I’m over plantains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Desserts were very nice, with only a single, and probably entirely subjective, off-key note. This came with Don’s almond brownie. It definitely tasted like it was made in-house, and it was fluffier and less dense that your ordinary fudge brownie. All agreed that it was tasty, but there was definitely an unfamiliar and off-putting undertone in it that was driving me (and only me) nuts. It was only after I was picking over the remnants of the brownie later that night that it came to me… in the form of a mental image of the Jimmy Dean sausage package. Either they totally put \u003ci>sage\u003c/i> in that brownie, or I had a temporary brain-tumor that was causing bizarre taste-hallucinations that night. My lemon pound cake with strawberries and fresh whipped cream, on the other hand, was excellent in every regard and utterly free of unidentifiable tastes. The cake seemed to have been macerated in a citrus-y sugar syrup that gave it a dense, almost crystallized texture. The counterpoint of the fruit and the not-too-sweet fluffy whipped cream made for a great finish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Final thoughts on this thoroughly excellent addition to the Upper Mission dining scene: get there early, pray that the chef graces you with one of those amazing amuses, stick to the meat-based options if you can, and come hungry.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Millenium: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=296\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/10/05/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-16-216/\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp216iPod_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/40/2007/10/millennium10.jpg\" alt=\"Fresh Corn and Morel Tamale\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/millennium16.jpg\" alt=\"Corn and Potato Chowder\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/millennium18.jpg\" alt=\"Whiskey-Chocolate Tiramisu\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nFresh Corn and Morel Tamale, Corn and Potato Chowder, Whiskey-Chocolate Tiramisu\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/adam-rodriguez.jpg\" alt=\"Adam Rodriguez\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Adam\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Graduate Psychologist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Millennium\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Millennium:\u003c/strong> Thursday, May 31, 2007\n\u003cp>Millennium is the vegan answer to such luminary restaurants as Gary Danko and Chez Panisse. It’s situated in the eclectic and bustling Tenderloin, inside the Hotel California, a stone’s throw from the Curran Theater and Union Square. The interior is classic and charming, with just the right amount of liveliness to compliment the evening.\u003cbr>\n Millennium’s entire menu is vegan, but they’re not about making “fake meats” or simulating non-vegetarian dishes. Millennium is about using the freshest, best ingredients to make delicious, mouth-watering food that will have you savoring every single bite and asking, “How do they \u003ci>do\u003c/i> that?!” It just happens to be that it does it all while being vegan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> For dinner I started with the Cornmeal-Chickpea Crusted Oyster Mushrooms. The mushrooms were firm and full of flavor, with a crisp crust and sweet apricot chutney. They are positively a must every time you go. The Black Bean Torte is rich and decadent. Chef Eric Tucker perfectly combines the smokiness of the black beans and the spiciness of the pumpkin-habañero salsa verder with the cool sour cream. I couldn’t resist sampling the Za’atar and Garlic Spiced Hand-Cut Frites. The potatoes are dusted just right with the bold za’atar and the aioli really complimented the dish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For entrée I had the Maple-Glazed Smoked Tempeh. I’ve been to Millennium many times, and if there’s one dish that Chef Tucker seems to really specialize in, it’s tempeh. His tempeh is always tender and succulent, and never grainy. I don’t know how he makes it so tender! The tempeh will positively melt in your mouth as you savor its complex flavors. Make sure you get some tempeh, some of the spring garlic-horseradish mashed potatoes, and some of the grilled asparagus and spring onions on the plate in each and every forkful you take. My dinner partner had the Cumin-Scented Picadillo-Stuffed Artichoke, and I don’t know that I’ve ever tasted a more delicate artichoke. The spiced seitan sausage added a great hearty component to the dish and the polenta rounded out a really terrific entrée.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ll never believe that their desserts are vegan. Pastry Chef Anne Baptiste is brilliant. The Chocolate Almond Midnight will positively have you licking the plate clean. The Whiskey Chocolate Tiramisu was to die for. Their version is more solid than a typical tiramisu, but the richness was really complemented by the light chocolate stout ice cream, which had some coconut shining through. I could easily have sampled the entire dessert menu. Actually, I could have easily sampled the entire dinner menu as well!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Millennium infuses their liquors in house. So you’re getting those great fresh fruits and flavors all over again in their cocktails. There’s an extensive cocktail list that is definitely worth sampling, as well as a long list of outstanding beers, but I love their wine list, which contains only wines that are either made from organically grown grapes, biodynamic production methods, or from grapes grown sustainably.\u003cbr>\nThe service was great. Our server knew the menu well, and not only suggested some great dishes, but spoke knowledgably about ingredients and preparation. The food’s delivery was well timed, with just enough time in between appetizers and entrées for us to enjoy ourselves. The server also recommended a wine based upon my specifications that turned out to be absolutely perfect. Although she didn’t open the wine with proper wine service, she judiciously refilled our glasses when necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> Millennium is an outstanding restaurant that is committed to being a healthy, friendly, and contributing member of their community. It’s a great restaurant for an intimate dinner with a guest or for a large group of family and friends. It’s a place that I’ll keep coming to over and over again. Finally, a restaurant that’s demonstrated that vegetables don’t have to be the side or afterthought of a dish; that they can be the bold, flavorful, and magnificent main attraction to a memorable epicurean experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/nate-steger.jpg\" alt=\"Nate Steger\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nate\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Police Officer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Medjool\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Millennium:\u003c/strong> Friday June 8, 2007\n\u003cp>When I was told Millennium was to be one of the restaurants to be reviewed, I thought to myself, “Gee, that name sounds familiar,” but I just couldn’t place it. I knew the location to have been a French restaurant in the past, but was drawing a blank on the restaurant now. Yeah, I coulda researched it, but that takes away all the fun. Besides, because I hadn’t read my \u003ci>Check, Please!\u003c/i>paperwork close enough, I didn’t have time to do any research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So here it was Friday, and I’m looking through my \u003ci>Check, Please!\u003c/i> paperwork and I see the due date, Monday. Oh, great! (Okay, that’s not what I really said, but what was said isn’t fit for print.) I called my wife, Angela, in a panic and told her of my situation, and that we were eating out tonight (didn’t have to twist her arm for that). I called Millennium praying for an opening for a reservation. The only openings were at 5:45 and 9:15. Angela wouldn’t be home until 6:30 at the earliest, so 9:15 it is (and I have to be up at 6:00 a.m. for work the next day, oh, fun.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angela manages a trip to the gym before dinner, so when we arrive at 9:00, she’s really hungry and craving protein. We check in with the hostess and sit down with a menu while we wait for our table. After a few minutes, Angela looks at me with a none too pleased look, and says, “There’s no meat or fish on the menu.” Now I remember, Millennium is that vegan restaurant that used to be on McAllister. I had always wanted to try it, but not under these circumstances. I order Angela a glass of Champagne to ease the pain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we got seated, I noticed the staff to be very professional and polite. The dining room was warm and well decorated and surrounded an inviting bar area. We started our meal with a split of a Bordeaux (the name of which I can’t recall; it was the only one on the wine list) that was very good. The bread on the table was tasty, but the green lentil puree that was served with it was killer. Then we ordered our food. We both ordered the corn and potato chowder. Angela also ordered the za’atar and garlic-spiced frites, and I ordered the pickled vegetables and the roasted beets. For entrees, she ordered the fresh corn and morel tamale, and I ordered the almond-crusted portobello mushroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the soup arrived, Angela seemed much more relaxed (not sure if it was the wine or the arrival of food). The soup was fantastic. The combination of the sweet corn, the chunks of potato, and the seasoned olive oil really worked. We both had to add a little salt, but we much prefer that over it being too salty. I told Angela that a big bowl of the chowder with the bread and puree would have done just fine for dinner for me. But I knew more was on its way. The pickled vegetables and the roasted beets arrived followed shortly by the frites. I think because of my Pennsylvania upbringing (where they pickle all kinds of stuff) I have a weakness for pickled anything. The vegetables were, well, lightly pickled. The pickling had not overpowered the natural flavors of the vegetables, and while softer, they still had some crunch. The roasted beets (beets, another PA weakness) were really tasty. They were served with crushed hazelnuts that added texture and a nice flavor.\u003cbr>\n But those frites, those lovely garlicky, just-so seasoned frites. They were amazing. Nice thick-cut potatoes that were cooked all the way through in that delicate balance of soft but not dry, and a nice crispy exterior. I’m supposed to stay away from the fried stuff, but I’m only human. Please don’t tell my cardiologist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time the entrees arrived, I was almost full and Angela’s beautiful smile was back in full force. My portobellos were like succulent pieces of filet mignon, lightly pan-fried with a nice little crispness on the outside. They sat on a pile of earthy tasting barley couscous and were accompanied by some roasted carrots that were sweet and had a subtle hint of cinnamon. Angela’s tamale was moist and flavorful (there was that sweet corn again), and somehow managed to avoid being doughy like so many other tamales. It was served with a black bean ragu, salsa verde, and an heirloom tomato relish that really worked. Everything complemented each other, and I found Angela stacking her fork for that perfect bite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, when we finished our entrees, we were done. No room for dessert. Angela did have a glass of port to finish off the meal, but that was it. All in all, it was a great experience. A warm and friendly, but still professional, staff served up appropriate portions of great tasting, mostly healthy food in a more upscale environment. Would we return? In a minute, just keep those frites on the menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michelle-mayer.jpg\" alt=\"Michelle Mayer\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michelle\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Motor Clothing Buyer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Tropix\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Millennium:\u003c/strong> Thursday, June 7, 2007\n\u003cp>This was one of the most over priced vegetarian restaurants I’ve been to in my entire life and not worth the flavor. My husband, baby, and I visited on a weekday and the service was terrible! The food had absolutely no taste whatsoever. I made reservations early and we were there waiting for our meal forever. We spent a lot of money for tiny little flavorless portions that were not worthy of a trip to San Francisco. We ordered the three-course special, with my husband ordering the second main entrée so both of us could try it. It was disgusting. No flavor, and small portions. Usually with small portions there is so much flavor that you don’t want to over do it, but this case it was small portions because it was so boring that you couldn’t eat a bigger portion. It will be a “Millennium” before we go back!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Portion size\u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Quality of food\u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Service\u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Décor and atmosphere\u003c/strong>…DUST AND COBWEBS ON THE DRAPERY!!!!!!!\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Bang for buck\u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE!!!!\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Comfort\u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wine service \u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE…I PAID $22.00 FOR BASICALLY A GLASS OF WINE!!!!!\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Noise level\u003c/strong>…GOOD….THEY DON’T LIKE KID’S SO THEY PUT US IN THE BACK BY THE RESTROOMS……BUT OUR KID IS AWESOME AND NEVER CRIES!!!!!!!\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wait for table\u003c/strong>….TERRIBLE…THE MENU WAS NOT EVEN READY FOR THE DAY!!!!!!!!\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Food arrival speed\u003c/strong>…..TERRIBLE…I WAS CRAWLING UP MY SEAT TO GET OUT!!!!!! PEOPLE WERE EATING BEFORE WE WERE…..AND, WE WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE THERE!!!!!!!\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n 580 Geary Street (at Jones Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94102\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-345-3900\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com\">www.millenniumrestaurant.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Brasserie Vegan Cuisine\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2007",
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"description": "Location:\r\n 580 Geary Street (at Jones Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94102\r\nPhone: 415-345-3900\r\nWebsite: www.millenniumrestaurant.com\r\nType of Cuisine: Brasserie Vegan Cuisine\r\nReviewed: Summer 2007",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Millenium: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=296\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/10/05/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-16-216/\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp216iPod_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/40/2007/10/millennium10.jpg\" alt=\"Fresh Corn and Morel Tamale\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/millennium16.jpg\" alt=\"Corn and Potato Chowder\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/millennium18.jpg\" alt=\"Whiskey-Chocolate Tiramisu\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nFresh Corn and Morel Tamale, Corn and Potato Chowder, Whiskey-Chocolate Tiramisu\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/adam-rodriguez.jpg\" alt=\"Adam Rodriguez\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Adam\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Graduate Psychologist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Millennium\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Millennium:\u003c/strong> Thursday, May 31, 2007\n\u003cp>Millennium is the vegan answer to such luminary restaurants as Gary Danko and Chez Panisse. It’s situated in the eclectic and bustling Tenderloin, inside the Hotel California, a stone’s throw from the Curran Theater and Union Square. The interior is classic and charming, with just the right amount of liveliness to compliment the evening.\u003cbr>\n Millennium’s entire menu is vegan, but they’re not about making “fake meats” or simulating non-vegetarian dishes. Millennium is about using the freshest, best ingredients to make delicious, mouth-watering food that will have you savoring every single bite and asking, “How do they \u003ci>do\u003c/i> that?!” It just happens to be that it does it all while being vegan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> For dinner I started with the Cornmeal-Chickpea Crusted Oyster Mushrooms. The mushrooms were firm and full of flavor, with a crisp crust and sweet apricot chutney. They are positively a must every time you go. The Black Bean Torte is rich and decadent. Chef Eric Tucker perfectly combines the smokiness of the black beans and the spiciness of the pumpkin-habañero salsa verder with the cool sour cream. I couldn’t resist sampling the Za’atar and Garlic Spiced Hand-Cut Frites. The potatoes are dusted just right with the bold za’atar and the aioli really complimented the dish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For entrée I had the Maple-Glazed Smoked Tempeh. I’ve been to Millennium many times, and if there’s one dish that Chef Tucker seems to really specialize in, it’s tempeh. His tempeh is always tender and succulent, and never grainy. I don’t know how he makes it so tender! The tempeh will positively melt in your mouth as you savor its complex flavors. Make sure you get some tempeh, some of the spring garlic-horseradish mashed potatoes, and some of the grilled asparagus and spring onions on the plate in each and every forkful you take. My dinner partner had the Cumin-Scented Picadillo-Stuffed Artichoke, and I don’t know that I’ve ever tasted a more delicate artichoke. The spiced seitan sausage added a great hearty component to the dish and the polenta rounded out a really terrific entrée.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You’ll never believe that their desserts are vegan. Pastry Chef Anne Baptiste is brilliant. The Chocolate Almond Midnight will positively have you licking the plate clean. The Whiskey Chocolate Tiramisu was to die for. Their version is more solid than a typical tiramisu, but the richness was really complemented by the light chocolate stout ice cream, which had some coconut shining through. I could easily have sampled the entire dessert menu. Actually, I could have easily sampled the entire dinner menu as well!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Millennium infuses their liquors in house. So you’re getting those great fresh fruits and flavors all over again in their cocktails. There’s an extensive cocktail list that is definitely worth sampling, as well as a long list of outstanding beers, but I love their wine list, which contains only wines that are either made from organically grown grapes, biodynamic production methods, or from grapes grown sustainably.\u003cbr>\nThe service was great. Our server knew the menu well, and not only suggested some great dishes, but spoke knowledgably about ingredients and preparation. The food’s delivery was well timed, with just enough time in between appetizers and entrées for us to enjoy ourselves. The server also recommended a wine based upon my specifications that turned out to be absolutely perfect. Although she didn’t open the wine with proper wine service, she judiciously refilled our glasses when necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> Millennium is an outstanding restaurant that is committed to being a healthy, friendly, and contributing member of their community. It’s a great restaurant for an intimate dinner with a guest or for a large group of family and friends. It’s a place that I’ll keep coming to over and over again. Finally, a restaurant that’s demonstrated that vegetables don’t have to be the side or afterthought of a dish; that they can be the bold, flavorful, and magnificent main attraction to a memorable epicurean experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/nate-steger.jpg\" alt=\"Nate Steger\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nate\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Police Officer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Medjool\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Millennium:\u003c/strong> Friday June 8, 2007\n\u003cp>When I was told Millennium was to be one of the restaurants to be reviewed, I thought to myself, “Gee, that name sounds familiar,” but I just couldn’t place it. I knew the location to have been a French restaurant in the past, but was drawing a blank on the restaurant now. Yeah, I coulda researched it, but that takes away all the fun. Besides, because I hadn’t read my \u003ci>Check, Please!\u003c/i>paperwork close enough, I didn’t have time to do any research.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So here it was Friday, and I’m looking through my \u003ci>Check, Please!\u003c/i> paperwork and I see the due date, Monday. Oh, great! (Okay, that’s not what I really said, but what was said isn’t fit for print.) I called my wife, Angela, in a panic and told her of my situation, and that we were eating out tonight (didn’t have to twist her arm for that). I called Millennium praying for an opening for a reservation. The only openings were at 5:45 and 9:15. Angela wouldn’t be home until 6:30 at the earliest, so 9:15 it is (and I have to be up at 6:00 a.m. for work the next day, oh, fun.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angela manages a trip to the gym before dinner, so when we arrive at 9:00, she’s really hungry and craving protein. We check in with the hostess and sit down with a menu while we wait for our table. After a few minutes, Angela looks at me with a none too pleased look, and says, “There’s no meat or fish on the menu.” Now I remember, Millennium is that vegan restaurant that used to be on McAllister. I had always wanted to try it, but not under these circumstances. I order Angela a glass of Champagne to ease the pain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we got seated, I noticed the staff to be very professional and polite. The dining room was warm and well decorated and surrounded an inviting bar area. We started our meal with a split of a Bordeaux (the name of which I can’t recall; it was the only one on the wine list) that was very good. The bread on the table was tasty, but the green lentil puree that was served with it was killer. Then we ordered our food. We both ordered the corn and potato chowder. Angela also ordered the za’atar and garlic-spiced frites, and I ordered the pickled vegetables and the roasted beets. For entrees, she ordered the fresh corn and morel tamale, and I ordered the almond-crusted portobello mushroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the soup arrived, Angela seemed much more relaxed (not sure if it was the wine or the arrival of food). The soup was fantastic. The combination of the sweet corn, the chunks of potato, and the seasoned olive oil really worked. We both had to add a little salt, but we much prefer that over it being too salty. I told Angela that a big bowl of the chowder with the bread and puree would have done just fine for dinner for me. But I knew more was on its way. The pickled vegetables and the roasted beets arrived followed shortly by the frites. I think because of my Pennsylvania upbringing (where they pickle all kinds of stuff) I have a weakness for pickled anything. The vegetables were, well, lightly pickled. The pickling had not overpowered the natural flavors of the vegetables, and while softer, they still had some crunch. The roasted beets (beets, another PA weakness) were really tasty. They were served with crushed hazelnuts that added texture and a nice flavor.\u003cbr>\n But those frites, those lovely garlicky, just-so seasoned frites. They were amazing. Nice thick-cut potatoes that were cooked all the way through in that delicate balance of soft but not dry, and a nice crispy exterior. I’m supposed to stay away from the fried stuff, but I’m only human. Please don’t tell my cardiologist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time the entrees arrived, I was almost full and Angela’s beautiful smile was back in full force. My portobellos were like succulent pieces of filet mignon, lightly pan-fried with a nice little crispness on the outside. They sat on a pile of earthy tasting barley couscous and were accompanied by some roasted carrots that were sweet and had a subtle hint of cinnamon. Angela’s tamale was moist and flavorful (there was that sweet corn again), and somehow managed to avoid being doughy like so many other tamales. It was served with a black bean ragu, salsa verde, and an heirloom tomato relish that really worked. Everything complemented each other, and I found Angela stacking her fork for that perfect bite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, when we finished our entrees, we were done. No room for dessert. Angela did have a glass of port to finish off the meal, but that was it. All in all, it was a great experience. A warm and friendly, but still professional, staff served up appropriate portions of great tasting, mostly healthy food in a more upscale environment. Would we return? In a minute, just keep those frites on the menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michelle-mayer.jpg\" alt=\"Michelle Mayer\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michelle\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Motor Clothing Buyer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Tropix\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Millennium:\u003c/strong> Thursday, June 7, 2007\n\u003cp>This was one of the most over priced vegetarian restaurants I’ve been to in my entire life and not worth the flavor. My husband, baby, and I visited on a weekday and the service was terrible! The food had absolutely no taste whatsoever. I made reservations early and we were there waiting for our meal forever. We spent a lot of money for tiny little flavorless portions that were not worthy of a trip to San Francisco. We ordered the three-course special, with my husband ordering the second main entrée so both of us could try it. It was disgusting. No flavor, and small portions. Usually with small portions there is so much flavor that you don’t want to over do it, but this case it was small portions because it was so boring that you couldn’t eat a bigger portion. It will be a “Millennium” before we go back!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Portion size\u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Quality of food\u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Service\u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Décor and atmosphere\u003c/strong>…DUST AND COBWEBS ON THE DRAPERY!!!!!!!\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Bang for buck\u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE!!!!\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Comfort\u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wine service \u003c/strong>…TERRIBLE…I PAID $22.00 FOR BASICALLY A GLASS OF WINE!!!!!\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Noise level\u003c/strong>…GOOD….THEY DON’T LIKE KID’S SO THEY PUT US IN THE BACK BY THE RESTROOMS……BUT OUR KID IS AWESOME AND NEVER CRIES!!!!!!!\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wait for table\u003c/strong>….TERRIBLE…THE MENU WAS NOT EVEN READY FOR THE DAY!!!!!!!!\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Food arrival speed\u003c/strong>…..TERRIBLE…I WAS CRAWLING UP MY SEAT TO GET OUT!!!!!! PEOPLE WERE EATING BEFORE WE WERE…..AND, WE WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE THERE!!!!!!!\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Medjool: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=295\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2008/11/07/check-please-bay-area-season-3-joyce-goldstein-special-391/\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp216iPod_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/40/2007/10/medjool28.jpg\" alt=\"Medjool Sampler Plate\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/medjool26.jpg\" alt=\"Lamb Tagine\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/medjool27.jpg\" alt=\"Seared Sea Scallops with Preserved Lemon Grenolata and Sunchoke Puree\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nMedjool Sampler Plate: Hummus, Tabouli, Baba Ghanoush; Lamb Tagine; Seared Sea Scallops with Preserved Lemon Gremolata and Sunchoke Puree\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/nate-steger.jpg\" alt=\"Nate Steger\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nate\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Police Officer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Medjool\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Medjool:\u003c/strong> Sunday June 10, 2007\n\u003cp>Home again, home again. I’ve eaten here so many times that it is almost my home away from home. Trying to pick out a favorite restaurant in the Bay Area is almost impossible. There’s just way too many great restaurants to choose from, so I had to really think about which one to review. I have about four or five restaurants I recommend to people on a regular basis. Medjool is definitely up there. I won’t lie, convenience does play a part in why I go to Medjool. It’s close to home, and there is a parking garage around the corner. But the reason I recommend it, is the food. It was really my wife, Angela, who discovered Medjool. I think she found it while researching a place for “Girls Night Out.” She told me about the restaurant, and I wanted to try it. A couple weeks later, I tried it on a Thursday, and again on that Saturday. I was hooked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, here it is two years later, and I’m writing a little review. Angela and I went to Medjool on a Sunday evening (yes, they’re now open on Sundays) before the sun had set. Before walking in, I really tried to remember the first time I had eaten there, and clear my mind of any preconceived notions. As we entered, I remembered how open and large a space it is. There is a large foyer/lounge area up front. You walk past the bar and another lounge area to get to the dining room. All the way on the journey to your table, you are treated to a blend of modern and classic Middle Eastern decor. Once you sit down, look up at the very cool chandelier made of glass lamps. Because the sun was just starting to set, it was shining from the upstairs mezzanine onto the wall. This gave a very cool effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angela sat down and started with a glass of cava. I had a beer. We were greeted by friendly faces and immediately ordered the Medjool sampler plate. The sampler plate comes with hummus, baba ghanouj, and tabbouleh with warm pita. I normally am not a big fan of baba ghanouj (I don’t like eggplant), but for some reason I love Medjool’s. It is the perfect consistency with the right amount of lemon. Their hummus and tabbouleh are some of the best I’ve had.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now the best part about eating at Medjool, in my opinion, is that the entire menu is small plates. I have the worst time trying to decide on a single entree, so this way I get to pick several dishes. We followed the sampler plate with the seared tuna, the seared scallops, the baby spinach salad, and the grilled lamb sirloin. The scallops are always one of my favorites. They come three to a plate and are served with preserved lemon gremolata and sunchoke purée. The scallops are perfectly cooked, never chewy, and the sunchoke (similar to a potato) purée just sends it home. If I’m with more than one other person, I always order at least two plates of the scallops. The baby spinach salad is also one of our regular dishes. It’s hard to go wrong with fresh spinach, roasted tomato, warm pancetta and goat cheese. The last two dishes are newer to the menu: seared tuna and grilled lamb sirloin. Both were cooked perfectly. The tuna is marinated in chermoula (a Morroccan marinade for fish) and seared just enough so that it is warm all the way through without being overcooked. The tuna was served with fava beans and mint. A great combo that works. The lamb was served over orzo with cherries and mushrooms with cinnamon and star anise jus. If you don’t like your meat pink in the middle, you better tell your server because that’s how it comes, which is the way it should come in my book. I was a little skeptical about mushrooms with cherries, but along with the jus, it was rockin’. This time, Angela and I actually paced ourselves correctly, which meant dessert was an option. We had the warm chocolate cake. Ooey and gooey in the middle and very chocolatey. It came with a cherry sauce that we had on the side. A great way to end the meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Obviously, I really like this restaurant. I have eaten there with just my wife and with large groups, both with equal success. The menu is diverse enough to keep things interesting without getting too complicated. I have also eaten there with people who have restricted diets (myself included, being a heart attack survivor), and it has never been an issue. Casual or dress up, you’ll feel comfortable either way. If you go on a Friday or Saturday, I suggest dressing up a little. That’s when the hipsters are out and waiting for the restaurant to turn into a nightclub (11:00, I think). The rooftop is also a great place to grab a drink and enjoy the view of the City.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michelle-mayer.jpg\" alt=\"Michelle Mayer\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michelle\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Motor Clothing Buyer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Tropix\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Medjool:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, June 6, 2007\n\u003cp>My husband, baby, and I visited Medjool on a weekday. The restaurant is located in the Mission. We walked in, and I immediately like the atmosphere. The service was top-notch and everyone had a great attitude. They opened at 6 PM and we arrived early. We were seated in their lounge area and ordered our appetizers. We had a cheese platter and a sampler with hummus, tabbouleh, and baba ghanoush. The flavors were out of this world!!! The bartender Sven was very personable and kept our glasses full. We then went to our table and ordered our main dishes. My husband ordered an octopus platter and I ordered a lamb platter. The flavors exploded in our mouth! The menu has different regions of food which come in small portions that you can share. Jonathon made sure we enjoyed our meal, which we did. The portions were just right, and we left satisfied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We checked out the Sky Terrace there. It’s located on the roof. The restaurant is in the same building as a hostel and was fun for meeting new people and a mellow atmosphere. I would highly recommend Medjool to anyone!!!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/adam-rodriguez.jpg\" alt=\"Adam Rodriguez\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Adam\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Graduate Psychologist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Millenium\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Medjool:\u003c/strong> Thursday, June 7, 2007\n\u003cp>Medjool is located in the heart of the Mission District in San Francisco. Upon entering, you can take the world’s slowest elevator up to the roof terrace for drinks, which definitely has a fun atmosphere and phenomenal views of San Francisco, and is worth hanging out for a while, even though the scene can be a bit of a meat market. The only thing bad about the roof terrace is that because it’s so great, people probably neglect the exquisite lounge. The interior of the restaurant is quite modern and stylish, but even with their expansive ceiling and wide open spaces, it’s extremely comfortable and inviting. The lounge is more my taste, with an intimate and cozy feel. It’s laid out with lush sofas and chairs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My dinner companion and I arrived an hour and a half early for our reservation, so we decided to relax in the lounge with some wine. Foregoing the main dining room, we simply stayed at the lounge for dinner since Medjool is entirely small plates. The tapas idea is growing more and more popular in San Francisco, and we love it. The only word of caution is to know that these restaurants sometimes look cheaper than they are. For the two of us, we shared 5 small plates. You can look at the menu and see prices for items like $11 or $12 and think that it’s not too expensive, but once you have 4 or 5 small plates, plus wine or cocktails, it adds up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our first course featured the roasted beet salad with halloumi cheese and rosewater-orange vinaigrette along with the bruschetta with fava beans, cherry tomatoes, and basil-herb ricotta. I really hate beets. Seriously. I’ve never liked them, and I’ve tried them a hundred different ways; but my dining partner is passionate about them, so we ordered them anyway. They were amazing! The texture was just perfect, solid but tender and cooked through, and the light rosewater seeped through the beet and made the dish absolutely delicious. The bruschetta was a really great counterbalance to the salad with the rich herbed ricotta. Our next course included crispy Delta asparagus with Meyer lemon-roasted garlic aioli. The crispy component of the dish was, of course, that the asparagus was fried, which made this a relatively heavy dish, although it was really good. We also had the pita crisps with za’atar and lebni, which were nice and light. Even though I was full, I couldn’t resist trying the pommes frites with parsley and preserved lemon a little later on. The potatoes were cut flat and thin in an interesting twist. Overall, the food was fantastic, with a really eclectic mix of choices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service was attentive and quick. One thing that I always appreciate is when you’re dining slowly with small plates, that the server is experienced and wise enough to know when you’ve had enough time between courses and you’re ready to order a next one. At a place like this, while enjoying wine or cocktails, it’s nice to relax between courses and enjoy the ambience, and our server was always great in her timing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Believe it or not, we were having such a great time and enjoying the food that a DJ started playing music, and lo and behold, it turns out that we had been there for over four hours! Medjool turns into a club at night, and the music is club music for sure, but with a Persian flare. As we were leaving the owner attentively thanked us and gave me one of those masculine half handshakes-half hugs deals. He was really warm and sincere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We really loved Medjool and know that we’ll be bringing friends back. I’ve found a nice home at the lounge, and I know that our friends would really love the food and atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n 2522 Mission Street (at 21st Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94110\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-550-9055\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.medjoolsf.com\">www.medjoolsf.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Mediterranean Tapas\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2007",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Medjool: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=295\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2008/11/07/check-please-bay-area-season-3-joyce-goldstein-special-391/\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp216iPod_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/40/2007/10/medjool28.jpg\" alt=\"Medjool Sampler Plate\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/medjool26.jpg\" alt=\"Lamb Tagine\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/medjool27.jpg\" alt=\"Seared Sea Scallops with Preserved Lemon Grenolata and Sunchoke Puree\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nMedjool Sampler Plate: Hummus, Tabouli, Baba Ghanoush; Lamb Tagine; Seared Sea Scallops with Preserved Lemon Gremolata and Sunchoke Puree\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/nate-steger.jpg\" alt=\"Nate Steger\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nate\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Police Officer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Medjool\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Medjool:\u003c/strong> Sunday June 10, 2007\n\u003cp>Home again, home again. I’ve eaten here so many times that it is almost my home away from home. Trying to pick out a favorite restaurant in the Bay Area is almost impossible. There’s just way too many great restaurants to choose from, so I had to really think about which one to review. I have about four or five restaurants I recommend to people on a regular basis. Medjool is definitely up there. I won’t lie, convenience does play a part in why I go to Medjool. It’s close to home, and there is a parking garage around the corner. But the reason I recommend it, is the food. It was really my wife, Angela, who discovered Medjool. I think she found it while researching a place for “Girls Night Out.” She told me about the restaurant, and I wanted to try it. A couple weeks later, I tried it on a Thursday, and again on that Saturday. I was hooked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, here it is two years later, and I’m writing a little review. Angela and I went to Medjool on a Sunday evening (yes, they’re now open on Sundays) before the sun had set. Before walking in, I really tried to remember the first time I had eaten there, and clear my mind of any preconceived notions. As we entered, I remembered how open and large a space it is. There is a large foyer/lounge area up front. You walk past the bar and another lounge area to get to the dining room. All the way on the journey to your table, you are treated to a blend of modern and classic Middle Eastern decor. Once you sit down, look up at the very cool chandelier made of glass lamps. Because the sun was just starting to set, it was shining from the upstairs mezzanine onto the wall. This gave a very cool effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Angela sat down and started with a glass of cava. I had a beer. We were greeted by friendly faces and immediately ordered the Medjool sampler plate. The sampler plate comes with hummus, baba ghanouj, and tabbouleh with warm pita. I normally am not a big fan of baba ghanouj (I don’t like eggplant), but for some reason I love Medjool’s. It is the perfect consistency with the right amount of lemon. Their hummus and tabbouleh are some of the best I’ve had.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now the best part about eating at Medjool, in my opinion, is that the entire menu is small plates. I have the worst time trying to decide on a single entree, so this way I get to pick several dishes. We followed the sampler plate with the seared tuna, the seared scallops, the baby spinach salad, and the grilled lamb sirloin. The scallops are always one of my favorites. They come three to a plate and are served with preserved lemon gremolata and sunchoke purée. The scallops are perfectly cooked, never chewy, and the sunchoke (similar to a potato) purée just sends it home. If I’m with more than one other person, I always order at least two plates of the scallops. The baby spinach salad is also one of our regular dishes. It’s hard to go wrong with fresh spinach, roasted tomato, warm pancetta and goat cheese. The last two dishes are newer to the menu: seared tuna and grilled lamb sirloin. Both were cooked perfectly. The tuna is marinated in chermoula (a Morroccan marinade for fish) and seared just enough so that it is warm all the way through without being overcooked. The tuna was served with fava beans and mint. A great combo that works. The lamb was served over orzo with cherries and mushrooms with cinnamon and star anise jus. If you don’t like your meat pink in the middle, you better tell your server because that’s how it comes, which is the way it should come in my book. I was a little skeptical about mushrooms with cherries, but along with the jus, it was rockin’. This time, Angela and I actually paced ourselves correctly, which meant dessert was an option. We had the warm chocolate cake. Ooey and gooey in the middle and very chocolatey. It came with a cherry sauce that we had on the side. A great way to end the meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Obviously, I really like this restaurant. I have eaten there with just my wife and with large groups, both with equal success. The menu is diverse enough to keep things interesting without getting too complicated. I have also eaten there with people who have restricted diets (myself included, being a heart attack survivor), and it has never been an issue. Casual or dress up, you’ll feel comfortable either way. If you go on a Friday or Saturday, I suggest dressing up a little. That’s when the hipsters are out and waiting for the restaurant to turn into a nightclub (11:00, I think). The rooftop is also a great place to grab a drink and enjoy the view of the City.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michelle-mayer.jpg\" alt=\"Michelle Mayer\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michelle\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Motor Clothing Buyer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Tropix\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Medjool:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, June 6, 2007\n\u003cp>My husband, baby, and I visited Medjool on a weekday. The restaurant is located in the Mission. We walked in, and I immediately like the atmosphere. The service was top-notch and everyone had a great attitude. They opened at 6 PM and we arrived early. We were seated in their lounge area and ordered our appetizers. We had a cheese platter and a sampler with hummus, tabbouleh, and baba ghanoush. The flavors were out of this world!!! The bartender Sven was very personable and kept our glasses full. We then went to our table and ordered our main dishes. My husband ordered an octopus platter and I ordered a lamb platter. The flavors exploded in our mouth! The menu has different regions of food which come in small portions that you can share. Jonathon made sure we enjoyed our meal, which we did. The portions were just right, and we left satisfied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We checked out the Sky Terrace there. It’s located on the roof. The restaurant is in the same building as a hostel and was fun for meeting new people and a mellow atmosphere. I would highly recommend Medjool to anyone!!!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/adam-rodriguez.jpg\" alt=\"Adam Rodriguez\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Adam\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Graduate Psychologist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Millenium\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Medjool:\u003c/strong> Thursday, June 7, 2007\n\u003cp>Medjool is located in the heart of the Mission District in San Francisco. Upon entering, you can take the world’s slowest elevator up to the roof terrace for drinks, which definitely has a fun atmosphere and phenomenal views of San Francisco, and is worth hanging out for a while, even though the scene can be a bit of a meat market. The only thing bad about the roof terrace is that because it’s so great, people probably neglect the exquisite lounge. The interior of the restaurant is quite modern and stylish, but even with their expansive ceiling and wide open spaces, it’s extremely comfortable and inviting. The lounge is more my taste, with an intimate and cozy feel. It’s laid out with lush sofas and chairs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My dinner companion and I arrived an hour and a half early for our reservation, so we decided to relax in the lounge with some wine. Foregoing the main dining room, we simply stayed at the lounge for dinner since Medjool is entirely small plates. The tapas idea is growing more and more popular in San Francisco, and we love it. The only word of caution is to know that these restaurants sometimes look cheaper than they are. For the two of us, we shared 5 small plates. You can look at the menu and see prices for items like $11 or $12 and think that it’s not too expensive, but once you have 4 or 5 small plates, plus wine or cocktails, it adds up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our first course featured the roasted beet salad with halloumi cheese and rosewater-orange vinaigrette along with the bruschetta with fava beans, cherry tomatoes, and basil-herb ricotta. I really hate beets. Seriously. I’ve never liked them, and I’ve tried them a hundred different ways; but my dining partner is passionate about them, so we ordered them anyway. They were amazing! The texture was just perfect, solid but tender and cooked through, and the light rosewater seeped through the beet and made the dish absolutely delicious. The bruschetta was a really great counterbalance to the salad with the rich herbed ricotta. Our next course included crispy Delta asparagus with Meyer lemon-roasted garlic aioli. The crispy component of the dish was, of course, that the asparagus was fried, which made this a relatively heavy dish, although it was really good. We also had the pita crisps with za’atar and lebni, which were nice and light. Even though I was full, I couldn’t resist trying the pommes frites with parsley and preserved lemon a little later on. The potatoes were cut flat and thin in an interesting twist. Overall, the food was fantastic, with a really eclectic mix of choices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service was attentive and quick. One thing that I always appreciate is when you’re dining slowly with small plates, that the server is experienced and wise enough to know when you’ve had enough time between courses and you’re ready to order a next one. At a place like this, while enjoying wine or cocktails, it’s nice to relax between courses and enjoy the ambience, and our server was always great in her timing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Believe it or not, we were having such a great time and enjoying the food that a DJ started playing music, and lo and behold, it turns out that we had been there for over four hours! Medjool turns into a club at night, and the music is club music for sure, but with a Persian flare. As we were leaving the owner attentively thanked us and gave me one of those masculine half handshakes-half hugs deals. He was really warm and sincere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tropix: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=294\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/10/05/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-16-216/\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp216iPod_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/40/2007/10/tropix11.jpg\" alt=\"Fresh Warm Cornbread and Mango Chutney\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/tropix12.jpg\" alt=\"Bistec de Palomilla Served with Rice, Back Beans, and Maduros\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/tropix16.jpg\" alt=\"Huevos Verdes\">\u003cbr>\nFresh Warm Cornbread and Mango Chutney; Bistec de Palomilla with Rice, Back Beans, and Maduros; Huevos Verdes\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michelle-mayer.jpg\" alt=\"Michelle Mayer\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michelle\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Motor Clothing Buyer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Tropix\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Tropix:\u003c/strong> Thursday, June 7, 2007\n\u003cp>Tropix is a great restaurant getaway for the East Bay. I love going here for a nice Sunday brunch. They always have fresh, flavorful food that explodes in your mouth. Spicy, but not too hot. I love to sit in the patio on sunny days and enjoy either the mango mimosas or sangria with my meal. My husband enjoys their variety of non-alcoholic tropical drinks. The service is always stellar and the atmosphere is colorful. Tropix is very kid-friendly and we always have great conversations with other diners there. My favorite dish is Bistec de Palomilla, but they also have daily specials that catch my eye as well. There are plenty of vegetarian dishes as well to choose from. I love Tropix, because it takes me away to a little oasis in Oakland and I always leave happy and satisfied!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/adam-rodriguez.jpg\" alt=\"Adam Rodriguez\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Adam\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Graduate Psychologist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Millenium\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Tropix:\u003c/strong> Sunday, June 3, 2007\n\u003cp>Inconspicuously situated in the attractive Piedmont area of Oakland, Tropix Caribbean Restaurant captures a light, fun, Caribbean feel. The interior is coolly decorated in breezy colors with fantastic Caribbean artwork adorning the walls. Outdoors on the patio is where the real party is during Sunday brunch. When the weather is just right, it’s easy to get swept away in sangria and mango mimosas. The owner is warm and gracious, and will proudly tell you all about the origins of the art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When seated, you’ll be brought out some fresh cornbread to snack on. The jalapeño addition to the cornbread is a fantastic touch, but overall it was far too dry. I grew up on cornbread, and this just crumbled into a thousand little pieces because it was so dry. I had to add butter to the cornbread! One should never have to do that. Before delving into brunch, I sampled the fried plantains with black bean dip. The plantains were fantastic. If you’ve never had them done well they’re a real treat, and Tropix does them very well. For brunch, I had the Huevos Verdes, a mix of hearty black beans, crisp tortilla, a fried egg, and salsa verde. The beans were disappointingly bland. I was having Creole food, and therefore was expecting explosive flavors and searing spice. The egg was cooked well and the salsa verde was rich with cilantro, done just right. Overall, the dish was very good, even though the black beans could have had more punch. The curry tofu scramble was a nice touch for this vegetarian, but all you could really taste on the dish was the yellow curry. It overpowered the flavors of the vegetables. My dining companion had the jerk chicken, which he regretted to say was also quite plain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ll always try the house specialty drink, and when I saw sangria on the menu, I knew I had to try it. Unfortunately, I was fairly disappointed with it. The fruit flavors didn’t come out, and it wound up tasting basically like a glass of chilled red table wine. The mango mimosas, however, are fantastic. The mango isn’t too syrupy, but instead compliments the effervescence of the sparkling wine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our entrées did take quite a while to come out, almost 30 minutes, but the biggest disappointment of the meal was when three of our entrées came to the table after that half hour, and the entrée for our fourth guest, a lady no less, didn’t come out for almost 10 minutes after everybody else’s dish. Should we be polite and let our food get cold, or have my poor guest watch in eager anticipation as we eat our brunch?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Piedmont is a great neighborhood, and we had no problem finding parking on a Sunday afternoon, (free at a meter). The atmosphere is fun and the décor is well put together, but the service and quality of food was not up to scratch. Tropix provides a great brunch atmosphere, but their regular menu looks far more inviting. I would have been far more interested in having the Puerto Rican Cabbage Salad, Jerk Tofu, or Stuffed Peppers on the regular dinner menu. Unfortunately, based upon the quality of the brunch menu, I don’t see myself going back during dinner to sample these items, though. It’s such a disappointment because the owner is really charming, and I desperately wanted to love this place.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/nate-steger.jpg\" alt=\"Nate Steger\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nate\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Police Officer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Medjool\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Tropix:\u003c/strong> Saturday, June 9, 2007\n\u003cp>Okay, another restaurant we had to rush to before the weekend was over (read my review of Millennium). Angela and I really wanted to attend a 40th birthday party for a good friend of ours, but I had committed to doing \u003ci>Check, Please!\u003c/i> and I wanted to do it right. So I called our friend and said we would only be able to stay for a little while. They were happy that they were going to see us, but disappointed that we would be leaving early. So then I jumped on the computer to see exactly where Tropix was located. To my pleasant surprise, only about six minutes from the party. I love it when things come together. I called the restaurant to make reservations. The gentleman who answered was very pleasant and happy to take our reservation. Angela had already looked online at the restaurant and had told me it was a Caribbean restaurant. Hmm, the guy I spoke to sounded more like he was from the East Indies not the West Indies. Anyway, we found Tropix without any problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we arrived, we found a brightly painted restaurant with simple decor and some great Salsa playing on the sound system (unfortunately, at some time while we were eating our appetizers, the music stopped). Being the eternal optimist, I had requested to sit outside on the deck, but even with the heaters, it was way too cold to sit outside (you gotta love June weather in the Bay Area). We were quickly reseated inside without any fuss. Reservations probably weren’t necessary, as there were plenty of tables available. Cornbread was immediately brought to the table, which I devoured without ceremony (I had been smelling barbecue for the past two hours at the birthday party, and I was starving). I tend to like my cornbread a little sweeter, but it was darn tasty just the same. We took a look at the menu and the specials, and it didn’t take us long to decide. We decided to split the salmon chowder — the soup of the day — the jerk pork skewers, and the crab cakes to start. Angela chose the Bistec de Palomilla off the regular menu, and I chose the Puerto Rican baked pork off the specials menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First off, let me tell you we ordered way too much food. Although our entire meal was about $45.00 per person, you could probably reduce that to $25.00 to $35.00 per person and be very satisfied. The soup came first. Now, I really like salmon, and I love chowders, but I was somewhat concerned about combining the two. One bite and all my worries disappeared. The chowder was creamy without being too heavy, and the salmon really made it interesting. It was a warm and comforting soup, the way chowder should be. The crab cakes and jerk pork arrived soon after. The crab cakes were disappointing. There was too much filler and not enough crab. As a matter fact, they tasted more like fried doughy bread than crab cakes. The jerk pork rocked, though. It was juicy and flavorful with grilled onion and red bell peppers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our entrees arrived, and they were huge. No way was I going to be able to finish mine. My pork was succulent, the way Puerto Rican pork should be. It was very fatty, and I overheard another customer complaining about that. What he failed to realize is that, if it ain’t fatty, it ain’t Puerto Rican pork. Whether roasted or baked, the fat is what keeps it moist. You just have to be willing to cut off and navigate around the fat. While I was happy with the pork, I wasn’t happy with the sides. It was served with greens and mashed potatoes. Unfortunately the greens were way too salty, to the point where I couldn’t eat them. The mashed potatoes were good. They had kind of a smoky ham flavor to them, but they didn’t compliment the pork. I would have been happier with rice and black beans as a side. Or maybe as the gentleman who was complaining of the fat had done and had mashed sweet potatoes with it. Angela’s Bistec de Palomilla was excellent. She ordered the meat cooked medium, and it was perfect. The steak was served with a chimichurri sauce that was a little much for her, but I thought it was delicious. (I ended up eating the excess she scraped off). It was accompanied by rice, black beans, and maduros (fried sweet plantains) that were perfect (I should have ordered a plate of those with my pork). Yet again, no room for dessert, but I’m anxious to try the key lime pie or bread pudding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think I was told I should go to Tropix for brunch, but because of my work schedule, I was unable to. Looking around the restaurant, I could see that it would be a nice place to have brunch on a sunny weekend. The walls are painted in orange, yellow, and reds, and there are windows in the back to let the sun in. The deck looks like it would be fun on a warm day to just to eat and lounge on. Looking at the brunch menu, I saw several things I would like to try, specifically the Picadillo. With the shops along Piedmont Avenue, one could take a nice stroll to help digest the large portions of food and make an afternoon of it. Tropix definitely deserves another visit in my book.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n 3814 Piedmont Avenue (at Yosemite Avenue)\r\nOakland, CA 94611\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 510-653-2444\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://tropixrestaurant.com/\">tropixrestaurant.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Caribbean\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2007",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tropix: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=294\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/10/05/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-16-216/\">full episode video\u003c/a> |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp216iPod_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/40/2007/10/tropix11.jpg\" alt=\"Fresh Warm Cornbread and Mango Chutney\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/tropix12.jpg\" alt=\"Bistec de Palomilla Served with Rice, Back Beans, and Maduros\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/tropix16.jpg\" alt=\"Huevos Verdes\">\u003cbr>\nFresh Warm Cornbread and Mango Chutney; Bistec de Palomilla with Rice, Back Beans, and Maduros; Huevos Verdes\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/michelle-mayer.jpg\" alt=\"Michelle Mayer\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michelle\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Motor Clothing Buyer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Tropix\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Tropix:\u003c/strong> Thursday, June 7, 2007\n\u003cp>Tropix is a great restaurant getaway for the East Bay. I love going here for a nice Sunday brunch. They always have fresh, flavorful food that explodes in your mouth. Spicy, but not too hot. I love to sit in the patio on sunny days and enjoy either the mango mimosas or sangria with my meal. My husband enjoys their variety of non-alcoholic tropical drinks. The service is always stellar and the atmosphere is colorful. Tropix is very kid-friendly and we always have great conversations with other diners there. My favorite dish is Bistec de Palomilla, but they also have daily specials that catch my eye as well. There are plenty of vegetarian dishes as well to choose from. I love Tropix, because it takes me away to a little oasis in Oakland and I always leave happy and satisfied!\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/adam-rodriguez.jpg\" alt=\"Adam Rodriguez\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Adam\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Graduate Psychologist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Millenium\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Tropix:\u003c/strong> Sunday, June 3, 2007\n\u003cp>Inconspicuously situated in the attractive Piedmont area of Oakland, Tropix Caribbean Restaurant captures a light, fun, Caribbean feel. The interior is coolly decorated in breezy colors with fantastic Caribbean artwork adorning the walls. Outdoors on the patio is where the real party is during Sunday brunch. When the weather is just right, it’s easy to get swept away in sangria and mango mimosas. The owner is warm and gracious, and will proudly tell you all about the origins of the art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When seated, you’ll be brought out some fresh cornbread to snack on. The jalapeño addition to the cornbread is a fantastic touch, but overall it was far too dry. I grew up on cornbread, and this just crumbled into a thousand little pieces because it was so dry. I had to add butter to the cornbread! One should never have to do that. Before delving into brunch, I sampled the fried plantains with black bean dip. The plantains were fantastic. If you’ve never had them done well they’re a real treat, and Tropix does them very well. For brunch, I had the Huevos Verdes, a mix of hearty black beans, crisp tortilla, a fried egg, and salsa verde. The beans were disappointingly bland. I was having Creole food, and therefore was expecting explosive flavors and searing spice. The egg was cooked well and the salsa verde was rich with cilantro, done just right. Overall, the dish was very good, even though the black beans could have had more punch. The curry tofu scramble was a nice touch for this vegetarian, but all you could really taste on the dish was the yellow curry. It overpowered the flavors of the vegetables. My dining companion had the jerk chicken, which he regretted to say was also quite plain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ll always try the house specialty drink, and when I saw sangria on the menu, I knew I had to try it. Unfortunately, I was fairly disappointed with it. The fruit flavors didn’t come out, and it wound up tasting basically like a glass of chilled red table wine. The mango mimosas, however, are fantastic. The mango isn’t too syrupy, but instead compliments the effervescence of the sparkling wine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our entrées did take quite a while to come out, almost 30 minutes, but the biggest disappointment of the meal was when three of our entrées came to the table after that half hour, and the entrée for our fourth guest, a lady no less, didn’t come out for almost 10 minutes after everybody else’s dish. Should we be polite and let our food get cold, or have my poor guest watch in eager anticipation as we eat our brunch?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Piedmont is a great neighborhood, and we had no problem finding parking on a Sunday afternoon, (free at a meter). The atmosphere is fun and the décor is well put together, but the service and quality of food was not up to scratch. Tropix provides a great brunch atmosphere, but their regular menu looks far more inviting. I would have been far more interested in having the Puerto Rican Cabbage Salad, Jerk Tofu, or Stuffed Peppers on the regular dinner menu. Unfortunately, based upon the quality of the brunch menu, I don’t see myself going back during dinner to sample these items, though. It’s such a disappointment because the owner is really charming, and I desperately wanted to love this place.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cimg src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2007/10/nate-steger.jpg\" alt=\"Nate Steger\" hspace=\"4\" align=\"left\">\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nate\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Police Officer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Medjool\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Tropix:\u003c/strong> Saturday, June 9, 2007\n\u003cp>Okay, another restaurant we had to rush to before the weekend was over (read my review of Millennium). Angela and I really wanted to attend a 40th birthday party for a good friend of ours, but I had committed to doing \u003ci>Check, Please!\u003c/i> and I wanted to do it right. So I called our friend and said we would only be able to stay for a little while. They were happy that they were going to see us, but disappointed that we would be leaving early. So then I jumped on the computer to see exactly where Tropix was located. To my pleasant surprise, only about six minutes from the party. I love it when things come together. I called the restaurant to make reservations. The gentleman who answered was very pleasant and happy to take our reservation. Angela had already looked online at the restaurant and had told me it was a Caribbean restaurant. Hmm, the guy I spoke to sounded more like he was from the East Indies not the West Indies. Anyway, we found Tropix without any problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we arrived, we found a brightly painted restaurant with simple decor and some great Salsa playing on the sound system (unfortunately, at some time while we were eating our appetizers, the music stopped). Being the eternal optimist, I had requested to sit outside on the deck, but even with the heaters, it was way too cold to sit outside (you gotta love June weather in the Bay Area). We were quickly reseated inside without any fuss. Reservations probably weren’t necessary, as there were plenty of tables available. Cornbread was immediately brought to the table, which I devoured without ceremony (I had been smelling barbecue for the past two hours at the birthday party, and I was starving). I tend to like my cornbread a little sweeter, but it was darn tasty just the same. We took a look at the menu and the specials, and it didn’t take us long to decide. We decided to split the salmon chowder — the soup of the day — the jerk pork skewers, and the crab cakes to start. Angela chose the Bistec de Palomilla off the regular menu, and I chose the Puerto Rican baked pork off the specials menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First off, let me tell you we ordered way too much food. Although our entire meal was about $45.00 per person, you could probably reduce that to $25.00 to $35.00 per person and be very satisfied. The soup came first. Now, I really like salmon, and I love chowders, but I was somewhat concerned about combining the two. One bite and all my worries disappeared. The chowder was creamy without being too heavy, and the salmon really made it interesting. It was a warm and comforting soup, the way chowder should be. The crab cakes and jerk pork arrived soon after. The crab cakes were disappointing. There was too much filler and not enough crab. As a matter fact, they tasted more like fried doughy bread than crab cakes. The jerk pork rocked, though. It was juicy and flavorful with grilled onion and red bell peppers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our entrees arrived, and they were huge. No way was I going to be able to finish mine. My pork was succulent, the way Puerto Rican pork should be. It was very fatty, and I overheard another customer complaining about that. What he failed to realize is that, if it ain’t fatty, it ain’t Puerto Rican pork. Whether roasted or baked, the fat is what keeps it moist. You just have to be willing to cut off and navigate around the fat. While I was happy with the pork, I wasn’t happy with the sides. It was served with greens and mashed potatoes. Unfortunately the greens were way too salty, to the point where I couldn’t eat them. The mashed potatoes were good. They had kind of a smoky ham flavor to them, but they didn’t compliment the pork. I would have been happier with rice and black beans as a side. Or maybe as the gentleman who was complaining of the fat had done and had mashed sweet potatoes with it. Angela’s Bistec de Palomilla was excellent. She ordered the meat cooked medium, and it was perfect. The steak was served with a chimichurri sauce that was a little much for her, but I thought it was delicious. (I ended up eating the excess she scraped off). It was accompanied by rice, black beans, and maduros (fried sweet plantains) that were perfect (I should have ordered a plate of those with my pork). Yet again, no room for dessert, but I’m anxious to try the key lime pie or bread pudding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think I was told I should go to Tropix for brunch, but because of my work schedule, I was unable to. Looking around the restaurant, I could see that it would be a nice place to have brunch on a sunny weekend. The walls are painted in orange, yellow, and reds, and there are windows in the back to let the sun in. The deck looks like it would be fun on a warm day to just to eat and lounge on. Looking at the brunch menu, I saw several things I would like to try, specifically the Picadillo. With the shops along Piedmont Avenue, one could take a nice stroll to help digest the large portions of food and make an afternoon of it. Tropix definitely deserves another visit in my book.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Grubstake: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=266\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=269\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/26/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-15-215/\">full episode video\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayareabites/\" target=\"new\" rel=\"noopener\">photo gallery\u003c/a> (flickr.com) |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp215iPod_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/40/2015/09/grubstake14.jpg\" alt=\"The Grubstake\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/grubstake15.jpg\" alt=\"The Grubstake\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/grubstake16.jpg\" alt=\"The Grubstake\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nGrilled Linguiça on a French Roll with Butter; Caldo Verde Soup: Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup with Linguiça; Bacalhau à Gomes de Sà: Portuguese Salt Cod Baked with Potatoes, Onions, Hard Cooked Eggs, Parsley, and Olives\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/stuart-smith.jpg\" alt=\"Stuart\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stuart\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Producer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Grubstake\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Grubstake:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 24, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Grubstake is one of the longest running diners in the Polk Gulch area and is well loved by locals ranging from log cabin Republicans; celebrated drag queens, like Juanita More; artists, like Jose Guzman-Colon; actors from A.C.T.; and touring productions of every play in town to judges cops, firefighters, students, skateboarders, and tourists from every corner of the globe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An old San Francisco streetcar is half the building, and the other half is a well-maintained and unique diner with a red banquet stretching the length of the building. There are also booths, a counter, and additional tables for a maximum guest load of about 50. The tables along the banquet can be joined for parties from two to 24 with beautiful butcher block tops and inserts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the menu, served from 5:00 PM to 4:00 AM weekdays and starting at 11:00 AM on weekends, is available until the kitchen runs out of the items that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the regular menu, which features gargantuan sandwiches, salads, breakfasts, burgers, and a host of daily specials, like roast turkey, fresh fish, chicken Kiev, meatloaf and Steak Diane, there is a full page on the back of the menu devoted to home cooked Portuguese food, which draws a devoted clientele of its own. Owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Linda and Fernando Santos and a staff of waiters, cooks, bussers under their attentive and caring eyes, the restaurant makes sure that the customer is always king, which makes for laughter and conviviality without interruption.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our recent visit found the whole restaurant decorated for Halloween with hundreds of photos of staff and customers hand-mounted on the walls, and a multitude of pumpkins and masks making it a real party setting. This is a place where the owners and staff know the customers after a few visits and strive to make each one feel part of the family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Never to be neglected are the housemade desserts put out by Linda, including cheesecakes of every description, apple and pumpkin pies, rice pudding, and Santos’ equally intoxicating chocolate mousse. The love they and the staff have for this restaurant is contagious, and it is also shared by the staff and almost all the customers, who return time and time again to this true family restaurant, where the abundance and love of fresh ingredients and quality preparations are celebrated with creativity and care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Linda and Santos even grow the multitude of fresh flowers that adorn every table year round. This is a must visit for every local and visitor alike.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/karen-soo-hoo.jpg\" alt=\"Karen\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Karen\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Musician\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Viognier\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Grubstake:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 23, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I entered the “converted railroad car diner” known as The Grubstake and knew that I would be in for a nice surprise. I walked into a cozy little diner filled with the warm vibe of being a family-owned restaurant. Adorning the walls were colorful murals and street scenes. I was pleased by the lack of pretension, as it was a definite jeans and tee shirt kind of place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first thing that came to mind when I saw the menu was “comfort food.” The Grubstake offered a fanfare of hearty American-style breakfast items, steaks/chops, and burgers. However, what I found intriguing was “The Portuguese Corner” of the menu. Admittedly, I am an “all day breakfast kind of girl,” so I found it tempting to just order breakfast for dinner. However, I was set on trying something new, so I selected some traditional Portuguese dishes in an attempt to broaden my culinary horizons. I began my meal with a hearty bowl of Caldo Verde Soup. A charming terra cotta bowl set the stage for the piping hot soup. This rich broth consisted of chopped kale, which still had a nice bite to it, potatoes, and possibly a hint of fish stock. I enjoyed it but I felt it was slightly over salted. That was surprising for me because I, admittedly, love salt. Other than that, it really was a comforting dish against the settling fog outside. For my main course, I selected a dish called Bacalhau à Gomes de Sà. The entree arrived nestled in a lovely terra cotta platter similar in appearance to the Spanish styled cazuela. The dish was a combination of traditional Portuguese salt cod (bacalhau) (it was well soaked and not the least bit salty), sautéed onions, chopped bits of hard cooked egg, minced parsley, and olives. It was very flavorful dish. I felt pleased with my selection. It definitely was in keeping with my initial “comfort food” assesment. By the end of my meal, I was really too full to even attempt dessert. However, I know I will return to give their homemade pies and flan a try.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Portion size: Good/generous\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Quality of food: Good/homestyle presentation\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Service: Good. It was also a pleasure to meet the owner who invited me back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Décor and atmosphere: Mix and match with a definite charm of being family owned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Bang for buck: Value priced/inexpensive\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Comfort: Comfortable…a neighborhood feel…nice place for locals without the “locals only mindset.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Wine service (if applicable)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Noise level: Quiet at the time I was there…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Wait for table: No waiting\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Food arrival speed: My entree took about 15-20 minutes to arrive, which, as stated on the menu, was due to baking time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I like the funky neighborhood around Polk. There are lots of colorful characters meandering the streets. It is a “come as you are” scene and The Grubstake fits right in. As a musician, I’ve played in a few clubs in that area and it would’ve been nice to know about it, as it stays open on the weekends until 4 AM! (In keeping with musician hours). Parking is a gamble in that area, but there are a few parking garages. I’d recommend The Grubstake to folks who want a value priced/hearty meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/mark-rhoades.jpg\" alt=\"Mark\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Mark\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Director Public Relations\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Charanga\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Grubstake:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everyone should try The Grubstake at least once because is it a San Francisco Institution. The service was great. It felt like a Mom and Pop restaurant. The staff was very warm and kind. The portions were generous. The prices were fair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is open until 4:00 AM. Face it, San Francisco closes at 9:00 PM or 10:00 PM. There is not much open after that time. I know The Grubstake is famous for people going there after 2 AM when the bars close. I so glad that the show did not make us go at that time, as I am sure that it is packed at that time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We did go on a Tuesday night, and it was busy from 7 PM to 9 PM. However, we did not have to wait for a table. It was a mixed group of people, but the majority was a hot and sexy senior citizen crowd, laughing and having fun. I did notice that quite of few tables ordered the steak and fries as I did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I started the meal with the linguiça appetizer. It came with a toasted French roll and butter. The French roll looked like a dinner roll to me, but I was happy with it, as I try not to eat butter and white bread so this was heaven for me. I felt like I was breaking all the rules. Crazy!!!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would go back to The Grubstake just for this appetizer alone. The steak had a lot of flavor but a little tough. Since there are so many great steakhouses in San Francisco, I would probably not choose The Grubstake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dessert was ok. I had the blueberry cheesecake. I would not go back for the cheesecake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To sum it up, if it was late at night and I was in the neighborhood, I would go there, especially with a group of friends to people watch. It would be more interesting watching the reality of this crowd than it would be to watch reality TV at home.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n 1525 Pine Street (at Polk Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94109\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-673-8268\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://sfgrubstake.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sfgrubstake.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Portuguesse American Cuisine\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Grubstake: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=266\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=269\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/26/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-15-215/\">full episode video\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayareabites/\" target=\"new\" rel=\"noopener\">photo gallery\u003c/a> (flickr.com) |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp215iPod_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/40/2015/09/grubstake14.jpg\" alt=\"The Grubstake\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/grubstake15.jpg\" alt=\"The Grubstake\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/grubstake16.jpg\" alt=\"The Grubstake\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nGrilled Linguiça on a French Roll with Butter; Caldo Verde Soup: Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup with Linguiça; Bacalhau à Gomes de Sà: Portuguese Salt Cod Baked with Potatoes, Onions, Hard Cooked Eggs, Parsley, and Olives\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/stuart-smith.jpg\" alt=\"Stuart\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stuart\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Producer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Grubstake\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Grubstake:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 24, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Grubstake is one of the longest running diners in the Polk Gulch area and is well loved by locals ranging from log cabin Republicans; celebrated drag queens, like Juanita More; artists, like Jose Guzman-Colon; actors from A.C.T.; and touring productions of every play in town to judges cops, firefighters, students, skateboarders, and tourists from every corner of the globe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An old San Francisco streetcar is half the building, and the other half is a well-maintained and unique diner with a red banquet stretching the length of the building. There are also booths, a counter, and additional tables for a maximum guest load of about 50. The tables along the banquet can be joined for parties from two to 24 with beautiful butcher block tops and inserts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the menu, served from 5:00 PM to 4:00 AM weekdays and starting at 11:00 AM on weekends, is available until the kitchen runs out of the items that day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the regular menu, which features gargantuan sandwiches, salads, breakfasts, burgers, and a host of daily specials, like roast turkey, fresh fish, chicken Kiev, meatloaf and Steak Diane, there is a full page on the back of the menu devoted to home cooked Portuguese food, which draws a devoted clientele of its own. Owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Linda and Fernando Santos and a staff of waiters, cooks, bussers under their attentive and caring eyes, the restaurant makes sure that the customer is always king, which makes for laughter and conviviality without interruption.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our recent visit found the whole restaurant decorated for Halloween with hundreds of photos of staff and customers hand-mounted on the walls, and a multitude of pumpkins and masks making it a real party setting. This is a place where the owners and staff know the customers after a few visits and strive to make each one feel part of the family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Never to be neglected are the housemade desserts put out by Linda, including cheesecakes of every description, apple and pumpkin pies, rice pudding, and Santos’ equally intoxicating chocolate mousse. The love they and the staff have for this restaurant is contagious, and it is also shared by the staff and almost all the customers, who return time and time again to this true family restaurant, where the abundance and love of fresh ingredients and quality preparations are celebrated with creativity and care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Linda and Santos even grow the multitude of fresh flowers that adorn every table year round. This is a must visit for every local and visitor alike.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/karen-soo-hoo.jpg\" alt=\"Karen\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Karen\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Musician\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Viognier\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Grubstake:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 23, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I entered the “converted railroad car diner” known as The Grubstake and knew that I would be in for a nice surprise. I walked into a cozy little diner filled with the warm vibe of being a family-owned restaurant. Adorning the walls were colorful murals and street scenes. I was pleased by the lack of pretension, as it was a definite jeans and tee shirt kind of place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first thing that came to mind when I saw the menu was “comfort food.” The Grubstake offered a fanfare of hearty American-style breakfast items, steaks/chops, and burgers. However, what I found intriguing was “The Portuguese Corner” of the menu. Admittedly, I am an “all day breakfast kind of girl,” so I found it tempting to just order breakfast for dinner. However, I was set on trying something new, so I selected some traditional Portuguese dishes in an attempt to broaden my culinary horizons. I began my meal with a hearty bowl of Caldo Verde Soup. A charming terra cotta bowl set the stage for the piping hot soup. This rich broth consisted of chopped kale, which still had a nice bite to it, potatoes, and possibly a hint of fish stock. I enjoyed it but I felt it was slightly over salted. That was surprising for me because I, admittedly, love salt. Other than that, it really was a comforting dish against the settling fog outside. For my main course, I selected a dish called Bacalhau à Gomes de Sà. The entree arrived nestled in a lovely terra cotta platter similar in appearance to the Spanish styled cazuela. The dish was a combination of traditional Portuguese salt cod (bacalhau) (it was well soaked and not the least bit salty), sautéed onions, chopped bits of hard cooked egg, minced parsley, and olives. It was very flavorful dish. I felt pleased with my selection. It definitely was in keeping with my initial “comfort food” assesment. By the end of my meal, I was really too full to even attempt dessert. However, I know I will return to give their homemade pies and flan a try.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Portion size: Good/generous\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Quality of food: Good/homestyle presentation\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Service: Good. It was also a pleasure to meet the owner who invited me back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Décor and atmosphere: Mix and match with a definite charm of being family owned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Bang for buck: Value priced/inexpensive\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Comfort: Comfortable…a neighborhood feel…nice place for locals without the “locals only mindset.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Wine service (if applicable)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Noise level: Quiet at the time I was there…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Wait for table: No waiting\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Food arrival speed: My entree took about 15-20 minutes to arrive, which, as stated on the menu, was due to baking time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I like the funky neighborhood around Polk. There are lots of colorful characters meandering the streets. It is a “come as you are” scene and The Grubstake fits right in. As a musician, I’ve played in a few clubs in that area and it would’ve been nice to know about it, as it stays open on the weekends until 4 AM! (In keeping with musician hours). Parking is a gamble in that area, but there are a few parking garages. I’d recommend The Grubstake to folks who want a value priced/hearty meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/mark-rhoades.jpg\" alt=\"Mark\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Mark\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Director Public Relations\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Charanga\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed The Grubstake:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Everyone should try The Grubstake at least once because is it a San Francisco Institution. The service was great. It felt like a Mom and Pop restaurant. The staff was very warm and kind. The portions were generous. The prices were fair.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is open until 4:00 AM. Face it, San Francisco closes at 9:00 PM or 10:00 PM. There is not much open after that time. I know The Grubstake is famous for people going there after 2 AM when the bars close. I so glad that the show did not make us go at that time, as I am sure that it is packed at that time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We did go on a Tuesday night, and it was busy from 7 PM to 9 PM. However, we did not have to wait for a table. It was a mixed group of people, but the majority was a hot and sexy senior citizen crowd, laughing and having fun. I did notice that quite of few tables ordered the steak and fries as I did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I started the meal with the linguiça appetizer. It came with a toasted French roll and butter. The French roll looked like a dinner roll to me, but I was happy with it, as I try not to eat butter and white bread so this was heaven for me. I felt like I was breaking all the rules. Crazy!!!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would go back to The Grubstake just for this appetizer alone. The steak had a lot of flavor but a little tough. Since there are so many great steakhouses in San Francisco, I would probably not choose The Grubstake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dessert was ok. I had the blueberry cheesecake. I would not go back for the cheesecake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To sum it up, if it was late at night and I was in the neighborhood, I would go there, especially with a group of friends to people watch. It would be more interesting watching the reality of this crowd than it would be to watch reality TV at home.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Charanga: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=267\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/26/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-15-215/\">full episode video\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayareabites/\" target=\"new\" rel=\"noopener\">photo gallery\u003c/a> (flickr.com) |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp215iPod_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/40/2015/09/charanga16.jpg\" alt=\"Charanga\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/charanga18.jpg\" alt=\"Charanga\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/charanga20.jpg\" alt=\"Charanga\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nYuca Frita: Fried Cassava Root with Chipotle Aïoli; Arroz Con Pollo: Plantains, Black Beans, and Chicken; Budin de Pan Con Caramelo: Rum Raisin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/mark-rhoades.jpg\" alt=\"Mark\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Mark\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Director Public Relations\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Charanga\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Charanga:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 26, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is a Latin restaurant specializing in Cuban and Costa Rican cuisine. City Search has named it the top Latin restaurant for the past three years, and it has been a favorite in \u003ci>San Francisco Weekly\u003c/i>. I have been going to this restaurant for the past four years. It’s been open for nine years now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most restaurants have a few great dishes that people go for and love. You cannot miss with any of the dishes. In all honesty, every dish I’ve had has been great.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I love everything, and I cannot say enough nice things about it. I have taken my family, friends, and co-workers. It is always good every time I go or recommend it. The prices are great and the portions are good as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started off the meal with the yuca frita, which are basically short steak fries that you dip in homemade chipotle aïoli. We also had the ceviche, which is ahi tuna marinated in lime, soy sauce, and ginger. It is light and flavorful and refreshing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had the Niman Ranch steak. It was so moist that you did not need a knife. My friend had the sautéed shrimp and calamari; this dish is complete heaven. Everyone should try this dish once. \u003ci>SF Weekly\u003c/i> voted this as their favorite on Charanga’s menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had the mango and blueberry baked crisp, which is a Latin style cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream. My friend had the Mexican chocolate cake. It came warm with caramel sauce. It was flavorful without being too sweet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I absolutely love the owner, Gabby. She knows all the customers and pops out of the kitchen every so often to check on her guests and ensure that everyone is enjoying themselves and the food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I see families, dates, big groups of friends, all ages, and ethnicities. This is an old Latin family restaurant feel. I am a big fan of the famous San Francisco artist Deborah Walker whose paintings are on the walls.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/stuart-smith.jpg\" alt=\"Stuart\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stuart\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Producer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Grubstake\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Charanga:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 21, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Charanga is a neighborhood “nuevo Latin American” restaurant, featuring a large plate tapas menu from Central American Islands and countries seldom seen in San Francisco eateries. A long, narrow room with 16-foot ceilings, colored spot lighting, a single ceiling fan, rustic hardwood floors, simple wood tables and chairs, pottery, and artifacts mixed with vibrant paintings in exotic colors, representing the area the food and drinks focus on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dining room was full with an eclectic mix of large families, hipsters, straight and gay couples, and even a solo diner or two. It reminded me of many small and intimate cafes one finds scattered around coastal tourist areas of Costa Rica, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, where sexy music lolls guests into serene vacation scenes of freedom from the workday blues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food is lush and rich, using fine, fresh produce, fish, meats, and poultry, and slow cooked with lots of mild yet flavorful seasonings. The salad was served just seconds before my entrée, which filled the small table to capacity and left no room for a wine glass or my bread plate. The food outshone the minor detractions from the spare setting and charming but amateur service. The setting, music, colors, and other guests made for a fun and joyful evening dinner experience. Portions are generous, and I hope you save room for dessert because they have some very good choices, including a great ginger cake with coconut ice cream and a wonderful fresh fruit crisp with vanilla bean ice cream. Imported beers and ginger lemonade along with bottled waters and soda join wine, coffee, and teas in the beverage category.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parking is a real problem in the Mission, so I used public transit and had no problems, but the neighborhood can be a little sketchy, so be careful. Prices are approximately $7.00 for salads and appetizers, $12.00 to $17.00 for entrees and $6.00 for all desserts. A sophisticated but limited wine list is fairly priced, and they offer a wide selection of sake-based fresh fruit cocktails, ports, and after dinner libations as well as non-alcoholic drinks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I plan on going back and will recommend Charanga to friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/karen-soo-hoo.jpg\" alt=\"Karen\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Karen\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Musician\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Viognier\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Charanga:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 25, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like most Americans, I’ve never been to Cuba before. But one step inside the wrought iron grills and the heavy black doors of Charanga, I felt instantly transported to a bodega in the heart of Havana. Coloful photographs and paintings of Cuban life lined the pastel colored walls. Articles like musical instruments, cooking pans, colorful dolls, pottery, and empty cigar boxes studded the walls, too. The high ceilings, old hardwood floors, ceiling fan, and red brick walls all added to its character. Lively music filled the air, and I loved the pulse of the Afro-Cuban rhythms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was seated at a simple wooden table with a set of small wooden salt and pepper cellars. I began my meal with a wonderful appetizer of yuca frita (fried cassava root). It was accompanied by a spicy chipotle aïoli. I know this is very selfish thing to say but I was so happy that I didn’t have to share that plate with anyone. I ate them all because they were so delicious! From the first bite to the last was this infusion of crispy texture seasoned just right moving into a light and fluffy center…just like a buttery potato. It’s always a nice surprise to be reminded of the importance of simple flavors. They really made my meal worthwhile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For my entree, I selected the arroz con pollo (chicken and rice). A charming blue dish was heaped with a steaming mound of spicy rice infused with tender pieces of stewed chicken, plump raisins, green olives, peas, and cilantro. The garnishes were lovely elongated plantain chips and some thinly sliced grilled chayote squash. On the side of the plate were delicious homestyle Cuban black beans. I sipped on a refreshing glass of red sangria as I ate my meal. The entree portion was just too big to finish. Even though I didn’t think I could eat another bite, I gave in and ordered budin de pan con Caramelo. An incredible plate of rum raisin bread pudding arrived topped with carmel sauce and a mix of fresh mangos and strawberry garnishes. Sadly, I could only eat a few bites of this masterpiece. I needed a stretcher or at least a good turn on the dance floor to work off my fabulous meal at Charanga! I know I will return just for the yuca frita!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Portion size: Very generous; each plate is enough for two people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Quality of food: Excellent, very fresh and tasted like home cooking!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Service: Good/fair. There were only two other people there when I ate and I had to remind my waiter about my sangria order, but it wasn’t a big deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Décor and atmosphere: Charming. It really goes well with the theme and menu of the restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Bang for buck: Excellent. Like I said, the portions are generous. Eventhough I spent $37, two people would’ve had more than enough to share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Comfort: Very comfortable…friendly staff…good vibes\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Noise level: Moderate…I’m sure with the high ceilings it could get noisy…but I think that that would only enhance the venue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Wait for table: None; was seated immediately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Food arrival speed: Maybe 5-7 minutes; food was piping hot!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can always find some kind of adventure in and around the Mission District. Parking in the area is probably sketchy at best. Luckily, there are parking garages and BART is easily accessible. The staff was very personable. After my meal, the owner Gabby, came out to greet me and invited me back for one of their special tasting dinners. The waiter even gave me tips on how to make my own version of yuca frita. I am so going to make it now! I will definitely recommend and return to Charanga!!!\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n 2351 Mission Street (at 19th Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94110\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-282-1813\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.charangasf.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.charangasf.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Pan-Latin\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Charanga: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=267\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/26/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-15-215/\">full episode video\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayareabites/\" target=\"new\" rel=\"noopener\">photo gallery\u003c/a> (flickr.com) |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp215iPod_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/40/2015/09/charanga16.jpg\" alt=\"Charanga\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/charanga18.jpg\" alt=\"Charanga\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/charanga20.jpg\" alt=\"Charanga\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nYuca Frita: Fried Cassava Root with Chipotle Aïoli; Arroz Con Pollo: Plantains, Black Beans, and Chicken; Budin de Pan Con Caramelo: Rum Raisin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/mark-rhoades.jpg\" alt=\"Mark\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Mark\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Director Public Relations\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Charanga\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Charanga:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 26, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is a Latin restaurant specializing in Cuban and Costa Rican cuisine. City Search has named it the top Latin restaurant for the past three years, and it has been a favorite in \u003ci>San Francisco Weekly\u003c/i>. I have been going to this restaurant for the past four years. It’s been open for nine years now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most restaurants have a few great dishes that people go for and love. You cannot miss with any of the dishes. In all honesty, every dish I’ve had has been great.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I love everything, and I cannot say enough nice things about it. I have taken my family, friends, and co-workers. It is always good every time I go or recommend it. The prices are great and the portions are good as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started off the meal with the yuca frita, which are basically short steak fries that you dip in homemade chipotle aïoli. We also had the ceviche, which is ahi tuna marinated in lime, soy sauce, and ginger. It is light and flavorful and refreshing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had the Niman Ranch steak. It was so moist that you did not need a knife. My friend had the sautéed shrimp and calamari; this dish is complete heaven. Everyone should try this dish once. \u003ci>SF Weekly\u003c/i> voted this as their favorite on Charanga’s menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had the mango and blueberry baked crisp, which is a Latin style cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream. My friend had the Mexican chocolate cake. It came warm with caramel sauce. It was flavorful without being too sweet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I absolutely love the owner, Gabby. She knows all the customers and pops out of the kitchen every so often to check on her guests and ensure that everyone is enjoying themselves and the food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I see families, dates, big groups of friends, all ages, and ethnicities. This is an old Latin family restaurant feel. I am a big fan of the famous San Francisco artist Deborah Walker whose paintings are on the walls.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/stuart-smith.jpg\" alt=\"Stuart\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stuart\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Producer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Grubstake\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Charanga:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 21, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Charanga is a neighborhood “nuevo Latin American” restaurant, featuring a large plate tapas menu from Central American Islands and countries seldom seen in San Francisco eateries. A long, narrow room with 16-foot ceilings, colored spot lighting, a single ceiling fan, rustic hardwood floors, simple wood tables and chairs, pottery, and artifacts mixed with vibrant paintings in exotic colors, representing the area the food and drinks focus on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dining room was full with an eclectic mix of large families, hipsters, straight and gay couples, and even a solo diner or two. It reminded me of many small and intimate cafes one finds scattered around coastal tourist areas of Costa Rica, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, where sexy music lolls guests into serene vacation scenes of freedom from the workday blues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food is lush and rich, using fine, fresh produce, fish, meats, and poultry, and slow cooked with lots of mild yet flavorful seasonings. The salad was served just seconds before my entrée, which filled the small table to capacity and left no room for a wine glass or my bread plate. The food outshone the minor detractions from the spare setting and charming but amateur service. The setting, music, colors, and other guests made for a fun and joyful evening dinner experience. Portions are generous, and I hope you save room for dessert because they have some very good choices, including a great ginger cake with coconut ice cream and a wonderful fresh fruit crisp with vanilla bean ice cream. Imported beers and ginger lemonade along with bottled waters and soda join wine, coffee, and teas in the beverage category.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parking is a real problem in the Mission, so I used public transit and had no problems, but the neighborhood can be a little sketchy, so be careful. Prices are approximately $7.00 for salads and appetizers, $12.00 to $17.00 for entrees and $6.00 for all desserts. A sophisticated but limited wine list is fairly priced, and they offer a wide selection of sake-based fresh fruit cocktails, ports, and after dinner libations as well as non-alcoholic drinks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I plan on going back and will recommend Charanga to friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/karen-soo-hoo.jpg\" alt=\"Karen\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Karen\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Musician\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Viognier\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Charanga:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 25, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like most Americans, I’ve never been to Cuba before. But one step inside the wrought iron grills and the heavy black doors of Charanga, I felt instantly transported to a bodega in the heart of Havana. Coloful photographs and paintings of Cuban life lined the pastel colored walls. Articles like musical instruments, cooking pans, colorful dolls, pottery, and empty cigar boxes studded the walls, too. The high ceilings, old hardwood floors, ceiling fan, and red brick walls all added to its character. Lively music filled the air, and I loved the pulse of the Afro-Cuban rhythms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was seated at a simple wooden table with a set of small wooden salt and pepper cellars. I began my meal with a wonderful appetizer of yuca frita (fried cassava root). It was accompanied by a spicy chipotle aïoli. I know this is very selfish thing to say but I was so happy that I didn’t have to share that plate with anyone. I ate them all because they were so delicious! From the first bite to the last was this infusion of crispy texture seasoned just right moving into a light and fluffy center…just like a buttery potato. It’s always a nice surprise to be reminded of the importance of simple flavors. They really made my meal worthwhile.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For my entree, I selected the arroz con pollo (chicken and rice). A charming blue dish was heaped with a steaming mound of spicy rice infused with tender pieces of stewed chicken, plump raisins, green olives, peas, and cilantro. The garnishes were lovely elongated plantain chips and some thinly sliced grilled chayote squash. On the side of the plate were delicious homestyle Cuban black beans. I sipped on a refreshing glass of red sangria as I ate my meal. The entree portion was just too big to finish. Even though I didn’t think I could eat another bite, I gave in and ordered budin de pan con Caramelo. An incredible plate of rum raisin bread pudding arrived topped with carmel sauce and a mix of fresh mangos and strawberry garnishes. Sadly, I could only eat a few bites of this masterpiece. I needed a stretcher or at least a good turn on the dance floor to work off my fabulous meal at Charanga! I know I will return just for the yuca frita!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Portion size: Very generous; each plate is enough for two people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Quality of food: Excellent, very fresh and tasted like home cooking!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Service: Good/fair. There were only two other people there when I ate and I had to remind my waiter about my sangria order, but it wasn’t a big deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Décor and atmosphere: Charming. It really goes well with the theme and menu of the restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Bang for buck: Excellent. Like I said, the portions are generous. Eventhough I spent $37, two people would’ve had more than enough to share.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Comfort: Very comfortable…friendly staff…good vibes\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Noise level: Moderate…I’m sure with the high ceilings it could get noisy…but I think that that would only enhance the venue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Wait for table: None; was seated immediately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Food arrival speed: Maybe 5-7 minutes; food was piping hot!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can always find some kind of adventure in and around the Mission District. Parking in the area is probably sketchy at best. Luckily, there are parking garages and BART is easily accessible. The staff was very personable. After my meal, the owner Gabby, came out to greet me and invited me back for one of their special tasting dinners. The waiter even gave me tips on how to make my own version of yuca frita. I am so going to make it now! I will definitely recommend and return to Charanga!!!\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Viognier: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=268\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/26/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-15-215/\">full episode video\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayareabites/\" target=\"new\" rel=\"noopener\">photo gallery\u003c/a> (flickr.com) |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp215iPod_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/40/2015/09/viognier14.jpg\" alt=\"Viognier\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/viognier18.jpg\" alt=\"Viognier\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/viognier20.jpg\" alt=\"Viognier\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nPetite Charcuterie Plate: Pâté with Fruit Conserve, Fois Gras with Minced Black Truffles, and Rillette; Herb and Lavender Encrusted Lamb Chops with Potato Purée and Braised Lamb Morsels, Summer Vegetables, Wild Mushrooms with a Red Wine Reduction; Parchment-Baked Figs and Raspberries\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/karen-soo-hoo.jpg\" alt=\"Karen\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Karen\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Musician\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Viognier\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Viognier:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 21, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the moment I arrived a Viognier, I knew that I would have a wonderful dining experience. When I walked into the restaurant, I was immediately greeted by the concierge, who showed me to a lovely booth by their cozy fireplace. The restaurant was decorated in a modern yet casual style. Elements of wood, stone and glass were apparent. Earth tones and vases of sunflowers offered a warm and inviting atmosphere. My place setting was a lovely saffron-colored charger with a paisley mosaic design with a gold rim. It was a nice contrast to the cream colored linens on the table. I fancied the sterling Laguiole steak knife with its trademark “little bee” above the handle. I purchased the farmer’s version of this knife during my trip to Paris a few years ago. A glowing votive candle and a silver bud vase with a lavender calla lily accented the table nicely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the direction of Chef Michael Greuel, I was presented with a fabulous meal. It was consistent with my expectations of rustic French cuisine. I began with a glass of Maso Cavali Pinot Grigio. My waiter then surprised me with a wonderful amuse bouche consisting of a crostini with smoked salmon and crème fraîche with a julienne of apples and chives. It was lovely. I selected their signature charcuterie platter as my appetizer. The samples of rillette, pâté with a fruit conserve, and the foie gras with minced black truffles were a perfect match with my selection of warm homemade breads. I was in heaven!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My entree selection was the herb and lavender-encrusted lamb chops with a potato purée with morsels of braised lamb. Tender summer vegetables and wild mushrooms dotted the plate. A rich red wine and natural jus reduction glazed the plate. It was a wonderful and generous portion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though I didn’t think I could eat another bite, I gave in and selected one of their Grand Desserts of figs and raspberries baked in parchment. It was presented in a little parchment package secured with bamboo toothpicks. The waiter presented it tableside and skillfully opened it with a small pair of scissors and small silver tongs. It was an artful pairing of fruit with a sliver of bay leaf for contrasting flavor. A yogurt mousse and almond financiers enhanced this dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was truly an amazing meal. I think you would agree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Portion size: Substantial entree for French faire. The appetizer was in keeping with the counterpoint of the richness of the menu items.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Quality of food: Superb! They utilized seasonal items and prepared all the dishes with quality ingredients. The cooking staff adheres to skillful execution and artistic presentation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Service: Impeccable. The top-of-the-line waitstaff enhanced the dining experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Décor and atmosphere: Warm and inviting. Low lighting and candle accents. Low volume jazz flowed through the restaurant. A stone fireplace added a lovely glow and character to a room steeped in earth tones. Enhancements came from the elements of hardwood flooring, high ceilings, large bay windows, and deep crown molding. The booth was very comfortable, and it was accentuated by tapestry backing and leather seating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Bang for buck: Pricey, but well worth the money spent. It was a total dining experience; not just having dinner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Comfort: Very comfortable. They’ve created an “unrushed” dinner. You start to relax the moment you enter the establishment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Wine service (if applicable): Although I am not much of a wine drinker, the wine list appeared to be extensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Noise level: Low noise level. It was very quiet and the acoustics maintained a comfortable level even though there was a cooking class going on in the next room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Viognier is a French restaurant located above Draeger’s Epicurean Center. For any foodie, it is an amazing place to shop, explore, and eat. Draeger’s boasts a flower market, a bakery, deli-service, sushi maker, wine boutique, a REAL butcher counter, a professional cookware shop, gift and cookbook library, and a cooking school. I could live there…seriously. It has great parking and easy access to Caltrain (two blocks away).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a special restaurant that really forces you to relax and enjoy your dining experience in keeping with the French manner. Americans tend to eat and run. Viognier is the reinforcement to taking time to truly enjoy your meal. As I dined, a mother/daughter (adult) team was seated in the booth in front of me. It became apparent that the mother was a novice to French food and loved it. She asked the waiter if the crème fraîche could be purchased downstairs in Draegers. He said, “Yes.” The daughter then replied, “My mother wants to buy everything now!” Behind me sat a Frenchman who obviously found comfort in the food of his country. Both parties were a nice contrast in my dining experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the salon next to the restaurant, a cooking class was in session. Chef Tom Douglas was the instructor. He was the James Beard Foundation Award 1994 Winner Best Chef of the Northwest. He was demonstrating his famous crab cakes. Admittedly, I glanced through the windows as I dined. I secretly wished I could’ve joined the class after my memorable meal. I would definitely recommend Viognier to my family and friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/mark-rhoades.jpg\" alt=\"Mark\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Mark\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Director Public Relations\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Charanga\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Viognier:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 23, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service was wonderful. They called me Mr. Rhoades. They were so thoughtful, helpful and friendly. I feel the quality of the food was very good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started the meal with the charcuterie — the large platter — all were made on site. We ordered the large sampler platter for $29. We all enjoyed it, and the waiter did a wonderful job of describing the different meats. It was a promising start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I also had two Cokes — these were fountain drinks — I really enjoyed the Cokes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bread was all baked there, so it was very fresh and hot. It was awesome. Plus they would give us more every time we asked, which I did quite a bit. The butter that they served had salt on it. It tasted great.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My two friends and I ordered off the prix fixe menu; it came with soup or salad and I chose the salad. My friends had the onion soup. Two of us chose the rib-eye steak as the entrée, and the other person chose the ahi tuna.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My salad was good. My friends really enjoyed the onion soup. It was flavored heartily with onion, and unlike other French restaurants, it did not have the heavy layer of melted cheese and crust. The steak was tender and moist, and the portion size was nice, about four ounces. It was a nice steak — very friendly. It came with collard greens and mushrooms. The collard greens were bland as were the mushrooms. My friend, who has a fondness for bland food, really enjoyed it. My friend who had the ahi tuna thought it was nondescript in contrast to other restaurants that do a really job on ahi tune, e.g. House, which has an amazing mustard sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My friend had the lamb chops, which were not on the prix fixe menu and they were great! I would definitely recommend them and would go back just for that entrée. The lamb chops came with mashed potatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The prix fixe menu came with a choice of sorbet or ice cream. Two of us choose the sobert, which was watermelon, melon, and cantaloupe; light and delicious! One of us chose the ice cream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I enjoyed the lamb chops, the bread, and the Cokes. I would return just for that. After dinner, I was still hungry and went downstairs to Draeger’s where I proceeded to gobble up two cookies.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/stuart-smith.jpg\" alt=\"Stuart\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stuart\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Producer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Grubstake\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Viognier:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, September 27, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had heard and read much about Viognier but had resisted trying it because I’m suspect of grocers partnering with restaurant operators in schemes of expanding their bottom line at the cost of a primary focus in their business. I’m happy to say that Viognier is a pretty good white-linen dining room that complements one of the greatest independent grocery operations in existence, Draeger’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To me, the dining room felt like a cross between a Cheesecake Factory and a Denny’s in terms of design, because of the color choices, which were predominantly blonde woods, out of the can yellows, and burgundy wall shades. They all lent an institutional feel to the space. Sophisticated appointments, like reach-in floor to ceiling wine coolers, an exposed kitchen, and cheap lighting work together to eliminate the destination feelings of great dining rooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That said, the food was quite good, and the service was excellent. We were shown to a generous table for two that looked out through flowering vines from the 2nd level that Viognier occupies directly above the gourmet market. There is a full bar, expensive and sophisticated wine list, and trained servers who can guide the diner to smart pairings sure to help guests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We went for lunch and first tried a silky and lush pumpkin soup with pear chutney and mascarpone, which was sensational. We then shared a salad made up of fresh greens with seared scallops and shrimp, ripe Haas avocado, and bacon in an inconsistently dressed vinaigrette, which lacked acidity. A generous serving of warm housemade breads and chilled butter were served and replenished throughout the meal by professional and attentive waitstaff, who were unseen but always close and observant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have always measured a good restaurant by the burger they serve, because it showcases so many important things a restaurant must do to make it a noteworthy contender to a burger aficionado, starting with the meat, bread or bun, produce, cheese, condiments, cooking, and presentation. As routine and simple as we think a great burger is, it is a big challenge to a full service restaurant because of the difference in cooking times and quality of all the ingredients that a good burger demands. I’m happy to say that Viognier’s burger is a good one and is worth a try. It was cooked to order, medium rare, and came with excellent heirloom tomatoes, butter lettuce, red onion, mustard, catsup, and mayonnaise. The bun had been grilled or toasted with a hint of butter and worked perfectly with the whole thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we shared a panna cotta, which was OK but not something I would accept again. With the produce department just below the restaurant, I’d expect a broader selection of fresh fruit pastries and sorbets, but that wasn’t our experience this visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would visit Viognier again and will recommend it with a few simple reservations.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n222 East Fourth Avenue (at South Ellsworth Avenue)\r\nSan Mateo, CA 94401\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 650-685-3727\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.viognierrestaurant.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.viognierrestaurant.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Rustic Southern French\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviews:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Viognier: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=268\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/26/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-15-215/\">full episode video\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayareabites/\" target=\"new\" rel=\"noopener\">photo gallery\u003c/a> (flickr.com) |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp215iPod_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/40/2015/09/viognier14.jpg\" alt=\"Viognier\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/viognier18.jpg\" alt=\"Viognier\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/viognier20.jpg\" alt=\"Viognier\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nPetite Charcuterie Plate: Pâté with Fruit Conserve, Fois Gras with Minced Black Truffles, and Rillette; Herb and Lavender Encrusted Lamb Chops with Potato Purée and Braised Lamb Morsels, Summer Vegetables, Wild Mushrooms with a Red Wine Reduction; Parchment-Baked Figs and Raspberries\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/karen-soo-hoo.jpg\" alt=\"Karen\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Karen\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Musician\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Mateo\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Viognier\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Viognier:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 21, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the moment I arrived a Viognier, I knew that I would have a wonderful dining experience. When I walked into the restaurant, I was immediately greeted by the concierge, who showed me to a lovely booth by their cozy fireplace. The restaurant was decorated in a modern yet casual style. Elements of wood, stone and glass were apparent. Earth tones and vases of sunflowers offered a warm and inviting atmosphere. My place setting was a lovely saffron-colored charger with a paisley mosaic design with a gold rim. It was a nice contrast to the cream colored linens on the table. I fancied the sterling Laguiole steak knife with its trademark “little bee” above the handle. I purchased the farmer’s version of this knife during my trip to Paris a few years ago. A glowing votive candle and a silver bud vase with a lavender calla lily accented the table nicely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the direction of Chef Michael Greuel, I was presented with a fabulous meal. It was consistent with my expectations of rustic French cuisine. I began with a glass of Maso Cavali Pinot Grigio. My waiter then surprised me with a wonderful amuse bouche consisting of a crostini with smoked salmon and crème fraîche with a julienne of apples and chives. It was lovely. I selected their signature charcuterie platter as my appetizer. The samples of rillette, pâté with a fruit conserve, and the foie gras with minced black truffles were a perfect match with my selection of warm homemade breads. I was in heaven!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My entree selection was the herb and lavender-encrusted lamb chops with a potato purée with morsels of braised lamb. Tender summer vegetables and wild mushrooms dotted the plate. A rich red wine and natural jus reduction glazed the plate. It was a wonderful and generous portion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though I didn’t think I could eat another bite, I gave in and selected one of their Grand Desserts of figs and raspberries baked in parchment. It was presented in a little parchment package secured with bamboo toothpicks. The waiter presented it tableside and skillfully opened it with a small pair of scissors and small silver tongs. It was an artful pairing of fruit with a sliver of bay leaf for contrasting flavor. A yogurt mousse and almond financiers enhanced this dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was truly an amazing meal. I think you would agree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Portion size: Substantial entree for French faire. The appetizer was in keeping with the counterpoint of the richness of the menu items.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Quality of food: Superb! They utilized seasonal items and prepared all the dishes with quality ingredients. The cooking staff adheres to skillful execution and artistic presentation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Service: Impeccable. The top-of-the-line waitstaff enhanced the dining experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Décor and atmosphere: Warm and inviting. Low lighting and candle accents. Low volume jazz flowed through the restaurant. A stone fireplace added a lovely glow and character to a room steeped in earth tones. Enhancements came from the elements of hardwood flooring, high ceilings, large bay windows, and deep crown molding. The booth was very comfortable, and it was accentuated by tapestry backing and leather seating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Bang for buck: Pricey, but well worth the money spent. It was a total dining experience; not just having dinner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Comfort: Very comfortable. They’ve created an “unrushed” dinner. You start to relax the moment you enter the establishment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Wine service (if applicable): Although I am not much of a wine drinker, the wine list appeared to be extensive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>– Noise level: Low noise level. It was very quiet and the acoustics maintained a comfortable level even though there was a cooking class going on in the next room.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Viognier is a French restaurant located above Draeger’s Epicurean Center. For any foodie, it is an amazing place to shop, explore, and eat. Draeger’s boasts a flower market, a bakery, deli-service, sushi maker, wine boutique, a REAL butcher counter, a professional cookware shop, gift and cookbook library, and a cooking school. I could live there…seriously. It has great parking and easy access to Caltrain (two blocks away).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a special restaurant that really forces you to relax and enjoy your dining experience in keeping with the French manner. Americans tend to eat and run. Viognier is the reinforcement to taking time to truly enjoy your meal. As I dined, a mother/daughter (adult) team was seated in the booth in front of me. It became apparent that the mother was a novice to French food and loved it. She asked the waiter if the crème fraîche could be purchased downstairs in Draegers. He said, “Yes.” The daughter then replied, “My mother wants to buy everything now!” Behind me sat a Frenchman who obviously found comfort in the food of his country. Both parties were a nice contrast in my dining experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the salon next to the restaurant, a cooking class was in session. Chef Tom Douglas was the instructor. He was the James Beard Foundation Award 1994 Winner Best Chef of the Northwest. He was demonstrating his famous crab cakes. Admittedly, I glanced through the windows as I dined. I secretly wished I could’ve joined the class after my memorable meal. I would definitely recommend Viognier to my family and friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/mark-rhoades.jpg\" alt=\"Mark\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Mark\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Director Public Relations\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Charanga\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Viognier:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 23, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service was wonderful. They called me Mr. Rhoades. They were so thoughtful, helpful and friendly. I feel the quality of the food was very good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started the meal with the charcuterie — the large platter — all were made on site. We ordered the large sampler platter for $29. We all enjoyed it, and the waiter did a wonderful job of describing the different meats. It was a promising start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I also had two Cokes — these were fountain drinks — I really enjoyed the Cokes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bread was all baked there, so it was very fresh and hot. It was awesome. Plus they would give us more every time we asked, which I did quite a bit. The butter that they served had salt on it. It tasted great.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My two friends and I ordered off the prix fixe menu; it came with soup or salad and I chose the salad. My friends had the onion soup. Two of us chose the rib-eye steak as the entrée, and the other person chose the ahi tuna.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My salad was good. My friends really enjoyed the onion soup. It was flavored heartily with onion, and unlike other French restaurants, it did not have the heavy layer of melted cheese and crust. The steak was tender and moist, and the portion size was nice, about four ounces. It was a nice steak — very friendly. It came with collard greens and mushrooms. The collard greens were bland as were the mushrooms. My friend, who has a fondness for bland food, really enjoyed it. My friend who had the ahi tuna thought it was nondescript in contrast to other restaurants that do a really job on ahi tune, e.g. House, which has an amazing mustard sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My friend had the lamb chops, which were not on the prix fixe menu and they were great! I would definitely recommend them and would go back just for that entrée. The lamb chops came with mashed potatoes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The prix fixe menu came with a choice of sorbet or ice cream. Two of us choose the sobert, which was watermelon, melon, and cantaloupe; light and delicious! One of us chose the ice cream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I enjoyed the lamb chops, the bread, and the Cokes. I would return just for that. After dinner, I was still hungry and went downstairs to Draeger’s where I proceeded to gobble up two cookies.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/stuart-smith.jpg\" alt=\"Stuart\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stuart\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Producer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> The Grubstake\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Viognier:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, September 27, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had heard and read much about Viognier but had resisted trying it because I’m suspect of grocers partnering with restaurant operators in schemes of expanding their bottom line at the cost of a primary focus in their business. I’m happy to say that Viognier is a pretty good white-linen dining room that complements one of the greatest independent grocery operations in existence, Draeger’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To me, the dining room felt like a cross between a Cheesecake Factory and a Denny’s in terms of design, because of the color choices, which were predominantly blonde woods, out of the can yellows, and burgundy wall shades. They all lent an institutional feel to the space. Sophisticated appointments, like reach-in floor to ceiling wine coolers, an exposed kitchen, and cheap lighting work together to eliminate the destination feelings of great dining rooms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That said, the food was quite good, and the service was excellent. We were shown to a generous table for two that looked out through flowering vines from the 2nd level that Viognier occupies directly above the gourmet market. There is a full bar, expensive and sophisticated wine list, and trained servers who can guide the diner to smart pairings sure to help guests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We went for lunch and first tried a silky and lush pumpkin soup with pear chutney and mascarpone, which was sensational. We then shared a salad made up of fresh greens with seared scallops and shrimp, ripe Haas avocado, and bacon in an inconsistently dressed vinaigrette, which lacked acidity. A generous serving of warm housemade breads and chilled butter were served and replenished throughout the meal by professional and attentive waitstaff, who were unseen but always close and observant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have always measured a good restaurant by the burger they serve, because it showcases so many important things a restaurant must do to make it a noteworthy contender to a burger aficionado, starting with the meat, bread or bun, produce, cheese, condiments, cooking, and presentation. As routine and simple as we think a great burger is, it is a big challenge to a full service restaurant because of the difference in cooking times and quality of all the ingredients that a good burger demands. I’m happy to say that Viognier’s burger is a good one and is worth a try. It was cooked to order, medium rare, and came with excellent heirloom tomatoes, butter lettuce, red onion, mustard, catsup, and mayonnaise. The bun had been grilled or toasted with a hint of butter and worked perfectly with the whole thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we shared a panna cotta, which was OK but not something I would accept again. With the produce department just below the restaurant, I’d expect a broader selection of fresh fruit pastries and sorbets, but that wasn’t our experience this visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would visit Viognier again and will recommend it with a few simple reservations.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Buckeye Roadhouse: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=258\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/19/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-14-214/\">full episode video\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayareabites/\" target=\"new\" rel=\"noopener\">photo gallery\u003c/a> (flickr.com) |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp214iPod_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/40/2015/09/buckeyeroadhouse14.jpg\" alt=\"Buckeye Roadhouse\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/buckeyeroadhouse15.jpg\" alt=\"Buckeye Roadhouse\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/buckeyeroadhouse16.jpg\" alt=\"Buckeye Roadhouse\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nChili-Lime Brick Chicken; House-Smoked and Orange-Glazed Sonoma Duck with Balsamic Red Wine Sauce and Mushroom-Goat Cheese Bread Pudding; S’Mores Pie\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/michael-lipman.jpg\" alt=\"Michael\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michael\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Independent Animator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Mill Valley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Buckeye Roadhouse\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Buckeye Roadhouse:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 21, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> An evening dinner at the Buckeye Roadhouse really begins in the shower. You’re standing under that massaging spray and your mind wanders. “What will the specials be tonight? Should I try the fish with some surprisingly light –- yet savory — accompaniment or maybe just tuck into one of those perfectly roasted cuts of beef?” And, “Oooh, I wonder what the salad special will be?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Buckeye Roadhouse is one of the few restaurants in Marin that maintains a standard by which all surrounding eateries are judged. From the dramatic dining room to the adrenaline–charged bar scene, a visit to the Buckeye “commits.” We had dinner in the lower main dining room on a gorgeous fall evening, as the sky was ablaze with pastel washes of coral and orange. I noted as the sun was setting, that the dining room lights were lowered not once but twice –- in small increments — so that the adjustment was not too jarring to me and my fellow diners. This level of detail is evident in every aspect of the dining experience, from the expertly smoked duck to the perfect crispness of the frito misto.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started with an assortment of appetizer specialties. The Oysters Bingo are the house favorite and they were exceptional. These savory “poppers” contain a generous mélange of oyster, nutty parmesan, and spinach all broiled to a crispy bubble-brown and served on the half shell. They never disappoint. Two other standouts on the appetizer menu were the fried calamari with frito misto veggies and the sesame encrusted ahi tuna. The calamari was coated with an impossibly light dusting of breading, almost tempura-like, and served with a tomatillo dipping salsa that was right on the money. The ahi was as flavorful a slice of seared tuna as I have ever had. But the accompanying cabbage salad is what took this starter over the finish line. The expert touch of adding crispy wonton shavings paired with a ginger-hoisin vinaigrette brought this cabbage salad standing at attention. Note to the management: you could present a larger fillet of ahi with more salad and offer this as a lunch entrée.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only flat note on the starters menu was a seasonal tomato soup made with fresh heirloom tomatoes. Though it featured a generous “island” of fresh crab along with basil and tomato chunks, this soup was surprisingly tasteless and muddled. The carrot and celery base seemed to have leeched all of the sparkling tomato essence out of the mixture and I was left with a sort of rust-colored musky bouillon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server was an expert guide of the wine list, and in fact suggested a particularly rich Cabernet loaded with spicy fruit and tannins. It quickly became a favorite of the table. We tried a varied assortment of entrees. The Buckeye is known for its on-the-premises smokehouse, so our expectations were high for the house-smoked Sonoma duck. We were not disappointed. The fowl was slow cooked to a deep and spicy tenderness and was served with a balsamic-red wine reduction sauce. The sauce was outrageously good, and in fact the dining room filled with the smells of different diners’ smoked meats lofting through the air. I also have to single out the mushroom and goat cheese bread pudding that accompanied the duck. This rich side dish expertly enhanced the dark smokiness of the duck with its own savory-sweet indulgence. Another standout was the grilled Meyers Ranch rib-eye steak with roasted potatoes and vegetables. Not only was this beef done exactly to our order (dusty pink in the center), but it had an enormously complex flavor that stayed interesting through the meal. We ordered a side dish of cauliflower and broccoli au gratin just to be decadent…and it was. This is gourmet “comfort food” defined!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a seared scallop risotto with pancetta and English peas that was lovely in its subtlety of flavor and, along with the roasted sole, was surprising in the way it kept our interest throughout the meal. Likewise the lamb shank and pork chop were studies in expertly prepared meats. It was all the more disappointing to be stopped dead in our tracks when presented with an odd concoction, which the menu had described as “Lasagna with Portobello Mushroom and Fontina.” We were a bit dumbfounded by this particular “lasagna.” It had layers of paper-thin pasta sheets seemingly hand-placed in an attractive stack, but featured thick leek skins and voluminous greens (raw green beans? asparagus?) overpowering every bite. The crunchy texture was unpleasant and the other tastes too subtle. It was very difficult to get a distinct flavor from the dish. It became more of an exercise in eating textured volume rather than a taste delight. I have heard that this lasagna typically features a butternut squash center that makes the whole dish work. I highly recommend a question to your server to see if the butternut is being included in the dish on your particular visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we were thrilled by the outstanding pineapple upside-down cake with caramel sauce. Paired with a dollop of deliciously rich vanilla ice cream, and served warm, this dessert was worth every calorie! When my partners tasted the pineapple upside-down cake, they proclaimed it the taste of their childhoods. I was especially impressed by the buttery sweet cake, and could have been satisfied with that alone, sans the “glitz.” We also tried the S’mores pie (teenyboppers only, please), the baked lemon pudding (more huckleberry sauce would have helped), and the strawberry shortcake (a butter cookie substituting for rich shortcake?). All were serviceable desserts but none came close to the magical zenith achieved by the pineapple cake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have been going to the Buckeye Roadhouse regularly for the past ten years, and every time is like going there anew. Be prepared for a wonderfully complex dining experience in a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere. The Buckeye excels in just those kinds of contradictions: “down-home” smoked meats coupled with detailed sides and sauces.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/esperanza-pallana.jpg\" alt=\"Esperanza\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Esperanza\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Public Health Professional\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Udupi Palace\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Buckeye Roadhouse:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 16, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Located directly off of Highway 101 at 15 Shoreline Highway, the Buckeye Road house has a warm, welcoming, dressed-up lodge feel. The taxidermied moose head lends its own charm, and the bookshelves upstairs give a comfy feel. My husband and I made reservations for a Saturday evening, and it was packed. The acoustics in our area made for a near unbearable volume, but our table did offer a sense of privacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server, Megan, was attentive, graceful, and friendly enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let me say upfront, the food was solidly and comfortably good. We did not walk away disappointed. My duck had a full flavor and was cooked so as to obtain its optimal balance of juiciness and crispness. The Prime Steak was equally as satisfying. The accompanying dishes leaned toward fat, earthy, comfort food flavor, and were tasty but not exciting. The portions were more than substantial and the food was presented well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we tried the Strawberry Shortcake, a simple but cheery combination of mascarpone cream, fresh strawberries, and shortbread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During my dining experience, I could not get out of my head that Buckeye seems like an upper middle class Denny’s. Undoubtedly their food is of much better quality but their vision seems to be the same. They cater to a clientele that is looking for a reliable and comfortable experience. They enjoy immense popularity from the local residents. Their menu doesn’t make you think too much and they offer quality food that tastes very good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given the full experience, the prices are steep but not unreasonable. It is a great place to take that friend or relative that does not have an adventurous palate but likes the “going out” feel.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cedric-brown.jpg\" alt=\"Cedric\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Cedric\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Education Program Director\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Canto do Brasil\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Buckeye Roadhouse:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 16, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve passed by the Buckeye Roadhouse many times on the way back to San Francisco from various points in Marin County, and never really thought about dining there. Now that I’ve visited, I’ll definitely remember it as a dining destination and not a place to pass by. My partner Ray and I ventured up to the Buckeye Roadhouse for a leisurely Saturday lunch. By early that afternoon, I’d worked up quite a bit of an appetite and was ready to sample what the restaurant had to offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon entering, I was immediately impressed by how fast we were seated (I’d wisely called for reservations, as the restaurant was pretty full, even for Saturday lunch). The main dining room is a spacious, comfortable lodge, evidently built in the Arts and Crafts architectural style, made famous by Frank Lloyd Wright. Out back is the smokehouse, from which the scent of slow-burning wood wafts into the air. That scent is enough to make me hungry. The restaurant looks like a great place to have a meal in the fall or winter, where the coziness of the interior would offset the cold weather outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server, Liz, was quick, friendly, and efficient. We tore into the sourdough bread that she brought out to the table; that was the best sourdough I’ve ever (noticed) eating! It was crispy on the outside without being tough, and light and springy on the inside without being too, well, sour-tasting. We soon asked for another helping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I started my meal with a scrumptious salad of butter lettuce accompanied by walnuts, thinly-sliced apples, Pt. Reyes Original Blue Cheese, and a fantastic slightly sweet vinaigrette dressing. I couldn’t figure out what subtle flavor graced the dressing, guessing that it was something citrus –- wrong! It was maple! Once Liz told me that, I could recognize the barely-present sweetness of pure maple (not the concocted stuff). Who would’ve guessed? It is an understated and clever use of flavor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since I don’t eat any mammals (and that means pig, cow, goat, or lamb, for people who forget), I’m always a little bit apprehensive about menu choices when I try out a new place –- especially one with a smokehouse: “Aw man, am I going to be relegated to one little vegetarian dish?” But worry not! There were quite a few chicken, fish, and vegetarian entrée choices. Instead of going with one of the offerings of grilled fish, which seems to be cooked similarly in restaurants across the spectrum, I decided to be more adventurous and try something like the Chili-Lime Brick Chicken. Maybe it was the rhythm in the name that drew me in – lee-li, brick chick. The folks at Buckeye Roadhouse flatten and roast half a chicken and serve it topped with crunchy baked pumpkin seeds, avocado salsa, and a small risotto cake. I was surprised by how juicy the chicken was! The skin, or perhaps the way that it is roasted, seals in the moisture so that the meat, especially the breast, is tender and succulent, with a slight tanginess from an infusion of lime. Yum. The avocado salsa was a good complement to the chicken, as it provided a counter-flavor to the chicken with a cool smoothness that only avocado provide. I also loved the pumpkin seeds for an extra crunch and a bit of nuttiness, which added another dimension of texture to the entrée. The risotto cake was breaded lightly with a scoopful of risotto on the inside. It was okay –- I didn’t think that it added greatly to the chicken-avocado-seed combination, which is also served with a cheese-stuffed green chili, which I also skipped over (I have a thing about eating a lot of cheese nowadays –- I keep thinking about my heart). But perhaps other diners will enjoy them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I love desserts, and the Buckeye Roadhouse doesn’t disappoint! I had to play eeny-meeny-miney-moe between the key lime pie, the S’Mores pie, the baked lemon pudding, or my childhood favorite, the pineapple upside-down cake. Since I believe that no one can bake a better pineapple upside down cake than my mama, I chose the S’Mores Pie. Like its campfire namesake, the pie has a foundation of graham cracker crust, layers of dark chocolate, and is topped by mountainous inches of meringue-y marshmallows –- like two or three inches of the light white stuff. The entire slice is perhaps baked for a moment for a fireside taste and served warm. As one can imagine, the pie is quite rich; I couldn’t eat anything else sweet for the rest of the day, but it was worth it! I wish that there was more chocolate and crust, as those flavors and textures took a back seat to the marshmallow, but nevertheless, the whole thing was scrumptious!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I loved the Buckeye Roadhouse. It’s definitely a place I’d return with guests or friends. We were fortunate to eat there at the end of the lunch hour, so there wasn’t a lot of dining room noise, and the service was very speedy and wonderfully friendly. I look forward to returning one cold evening for dinner — having made a reservation first, of course.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n15 Shoreline Highway\r\nMill Valley, CA 94941\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-331-2600\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.buckeyeroadhouse.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.buckeyeroadhouse.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> American, using the best local fresh ingredients\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Buckeye Roadhouse: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=258\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/19/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-14-214/\">full episode video\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayareabites/\" target=\"new\" rel=\"noopener\">photo gallery\u003c/a> (flickr.com) |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp214iPod_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/40/2015/09/buckeyeroadhouse14.jpg\" alt=\"Buckeye Roadhouse\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/buckeyeroadhouse15.jpg\" alt=\"Buckeye Roadhouse\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/buckeyeroadhouse16.jpg\" alt=\"Buckeye Roadhouse\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nChili-Lime Brick Chicken; House-Smoked and Orange-Glazed Sonoma Duck with Balsamic Red Wine Sauce and Mushroom-Goat Cheese Bread Pudding; S’Mores Pie\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/michael-lipman.jpg\" alt=\"Michael\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michael\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Independent Animator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Mill Valley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Buckeye Roadhouse\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Buckeye Roadhouse:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 21, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> An evening dinner at the Buckeye Roadhouse really begins in the shower. You’re standing under that massaging spray and your mind wanders. “What will the specials be tonight? Should I try the fish with some surprisingly light –- yet savory — accompaniment or maybe just tuck into one of those perfectly roasted cuts of beef?” And, “Oooh, I wonder what the salad special will be?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Buckeye Roadhouse is one of the few restaurants in Marin that maintains a standard by which all surrounding eateries are judged. From the dramatic dining room to the adrenaline–charged bar scene, a visit to the Buckeye “commits.” We had dinner in the lower main dining room on a gorgeous fall evening, as the sky was ablaze with pastel washes of coral and orange. I noted as the sun was setting, that the dining room lights were lowered not once but twice –- in small increments — so that the adjustment was not too jarring to me and my fellow diners. This level of detail is evident in every aspect of the dining experience, from the expertly smoked duck to the perfect crispness of the frito misto.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started with an assortment of appetizer specialties. The Oysters Bingo are the house favorite and they were exceptional. These savory “poppers” contain a generous mélange of oyster, nutty parmesan, and spinach all broiled to a crispy bubble-brown and served on the half shell. They never disappoint. Two other standouts on the appetizer menu were the fried calamari with frito misto veggies and the sesame encrusted ahi tuna. The calamari was coated with an impossibly light dusting of breading, almost tempura-like, and served with a tomatillo dipping salsa that was right on the money. The ahi was as flavorful a slice of seared tuna as I have ever had. But the accompanying cabbage salad is what took this starter over the finish line. The expert touch of adding crispy wonton shavings paired with a ginger-hoisin vinaigrette brought this cabbage salad standing at attention. Note to the management: you could present a larger fillet of ahi with more salad and offer this as a lunch entrée.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only flat note on the starters menu was a seasonal tomato soup made with fresh heirloom tomatoes. Though it featured a generous “island” of fresh crab along with basil and tomato chunks, this soup was surprisingly tasteless and muddled. The carrot and celery base seemed to have leeched all of the sparkling tomato essence out of the mixture and I was left with a sort of rust-colored musky bouillon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server was an expert guide of the wine list, and in fact suggested a particularly rich Cabernet loaded with spicy fruit and tannins. It quickly became a favorite of the table. We tried a varied assortment of entrees. The Buckeye is known for its on-the-premises smokehouse, so our expectations were high for the house-smoked Sonoma duck. We were not disappointed. The fowl was slow cooked to a deep and spicy tenderness and was served with a balsamic-red wine reduction sauce. The sauce was outrageously good, and in fact the dining room filled with the smells of different diners’ smoked meats lofting through the air. I also have to single out the mushroom and goat cheese bread pudding that accompanied the duck. This rich side dish expertly enhanced the dark smokiness of the duck with its own savory-sweet indulgence. Another standout was the grilled Meyers Ranch rib-eye steak with roasted potatoes and vegetables. Not only was this beef done exactly to our order (dusty pink in the center), but it had an enormously complex flavor that stayed interesting through the meal. We ordered a side dish of cauliflower and broccoli au gratin just to be decadent…and it was. This is gourmet “comfort food” defined!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a seared scallop risotto with pancetta and English peas that was lovely in its subtlety of flavor and, along with the roasted sole, was surprising in the way it kept our interest throughout the meal. Likewise the lamb shank and pork chop were studies in expertly prepared meats. It was all the more disappointing to be stopped dead in our tracks when presented with an odd concoction, which the menu had described as “Lasagna with Portobello Mushroom and Fontina.” We were a bit dumbfounded by this particular “lasagna.” It had layers of paper-thin pasta sheets seemingly hand-placed in an attractive stack, but featured thick leek skins and voluminous greens (raw green beans? asparagus?) overpowering every bite. The crunchy texture was unpleasant and the other tastes too subtle. It was very difficult to get a distinct flavor from the dish. It became more of an exercise in eating textured volume rather than a taste delight. I have heard that this lasagna typically features a butternut squash center that makes the whole dish work. I highly recommend a question to your server to see if the butternut is being included in the dish on your particular visit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we were thrilled by the outstanding pineapple upside-down cake with caramel sauce. Paired with a dollop of deliciously rich vanilla ice cream, and served warm, this dessert was worth every calorie! When my partners tasted the pineapple upside-down cake, they proclaimed it the taste of their childhoods. I was especially impressed by the buttery sweet cake, and could have been satisfied with that alone, sans the “glitz.” We also tried the S’mores pie (teenyboppers only, please), the baked lemon pudding (more huckleberry sauce would have helped), and the strawberry shortcake (a butter cookie substituting for rich shortcake?). All were serviceable desserts but none came close to the magical zenith achieved by the pineapple cake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I have been going to the Buckeye Roadhouse regularly for the past ten years, and every time is like going there anew. Be prepared for a wonderfully complex dining experience in a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere. The Buckeye excels in just those kinds of contradictions: “down-home” smoked meats coupled with detailed sides and sauces.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/esperanza-pallana.jpg\" alt=\"Esperanza\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Esperanza\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Public Health Professional\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Udupi Palace\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Buckeye Roadhouse:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 16, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Located directly off of Highway 101 at 15 Shoreline Highway, the Buckeye Road house has a warm, welcoming, dressed-up lodge feel. The taxidermied moose head lends its own charm, and the bookshelves upstairs give a comfy feel. My husband and I made reservations for a Saturday evening, and it was packed. The acoustics in our area made for a near unbearable volume, but our table did offer a sense of privacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server, Megan, was attentive, graceful, and friendly enough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let me say upfront, the food was solidly and comfortably good. We did not walk away disappointed. My duck had a full flavor and was cooked so as to obtain its optimal balance of juiciness and crispness. The Prime Steak was equally as satisfying. The accompanying dishes leaned toward fat, earthy, comfort food flavor, and were tasty but not exciting. The portions were more than substantial and the food was presented well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we tried the Strawberry Shortcake, a simple but cheery combination of mascarpone cream, fresh strawberries, and shortbread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During my dining experience, I could not get out of my head that Buckeye seems like an upper middle class Denny’s. Undoubtedly their food is of much better quality but their vision seems to be the same. They cater to a clientele that is looking for a reliable and comfortable experience. They enjoy immense popularity from the local residents. Their menu doesn’t make you think too much and they offer quality food that tastes very good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given the full experience, the prices are steep but not unreasonable. It is a great place to take that friend or relative that does not have an adventurous palate but likes the “going out” feel.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cedric-brown.jpg\" alt=\"Cedric\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Cedric\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Education Program Director\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Canto do Brasil\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Buckeye Roadhouse:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 16, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve passed by the Buckeye Roadhouse many times on the way back to San Francisco from various points in Marin County, and never really thought about dining there. Now that I’ve visited, I’ll definitely remember it as a dining destination and not a place to pass by. My partner Ray and I ventured up to the Buckeye Roadhouse for a leisurely Saturday lunch. By early that afternoon, I’d worked up quite a bit of an appetite and was ready to sample what the restaurant had to offer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon entering, I was immediately impressed by how fast we were seated (I’d wisely called for reservations, as the restaurant was pretty full, even for Saturday lunch). The main dining room is a spacious, comfortable lodge, evidently built in the Arts and Crafts architectural style, made famous by Frank Lloyd Wright. Out back is the smokehouse, from which the scent of slow-burning wood wafts into the air. That scent is enough to make me hungry. The restaurant looks like a great place to have a meal in the fall or winter, where the coziness of the interior would offset the cold weather outside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server, Liz, was quick, friendly, and efficient. We tore into the sourdough bread that she brought out to the table; that was the best sourdough I’ve ever (noticed) eating! It was crispy on the outside without being tough, and light and springy on the inside without being too, well, sour-tasting. We soon asked for another helping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I started my meal with a scrumptious salad of butter lettuce accompanied by walnuts, thinly-sliced apples, Pt. Reyes Original Blue Cheese, and a fantastic slightly sweet vinaigrette dressing. I couldn’t figure out what subtle flavor graced the dressing, guessing that it was something citrus –- wrong! It was maple! Once Liz told me that, I could recognize the barely-present sweetness of pure maple (not the concocted stuff). Who would’ve guessed? It is an understated and clever use of flavor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since I don’t eat any mammals (and that means pig, cow, goat, or lamb, for people who forget), I’m always a little bit apprehensive about menu choices when I try out a new place –- especially one with a smokehouse: “Aw man, am I going to be relegated to one little vegetarian dish?” But worry not! There were quite a few chicken, fish, and vegetarian entrée choices. Instead of going with one of the offerings of grilled fish, which seems to be cooked similarly in restaurants across the spectrum, I decided to be more adventurous and try something like the Chili-Lime Brick Chicken. Maybe it was the rhythm in the name that drew me in – lee-li, brick chick. The folks at Buckeye Roadhouse flatten and roast half a chicken and serve it topped with crunchy baked pumpkin seeds, avocado salsa, and a small risotto cake. I was surprised by how juicy the chicken was! The skin, or perhaps the way that it is roasted, seals in the moisture so that the meat, especially the breast, is tender and succulent, with a slight tanginess from an infusion of lime. Yum. The avocado salsa was a good complement to the chicken, as it provided a counter-flavor to the chicken with a cool smoothness that only avocado provide. I also loved the pumpkin seeds for an extra crunch and a bit of nuttiness, which added another dimension of texture to the entrée. The risotto cake was breaded lightly with a scoopful of risotto on the inside. It was okay –- I didn’t think that it added greatly to the chicken-avocado-seed combination, which is also served with a cheese-stuffed green chili, which I also skipped over (I have a thing about eating a lot of cheese nowadays –- I keep thinking about my heart). But perhaps other diners will enjoy them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I love desserts, and the Buckeye Roadhouse doesn’t disappoint! I had to play eeny-meeny-miney-moe between the key lime pie, the S’Mores pie, the baked lemon pudding, or my childhood favorite, the pineapple upside-down cake. Since I believe that no one can bake a better pineapple upside down cake than my mama, I chose the S’Mores Pie. Like its campfire namesake, the pie has a foundation of graham cracker crust, layers of dark chocolate, and is topped by mountainous inches of meringue-y marshmallows –- like two or three inches of the light white stuff. The entire slice is perhaps baked for a moment for a fireside taste and served warm. As one can imagine, the pie is quite rich; I couldn’t eat anything else sweet for the rest of the day, but it was worth it! I wish that there was more chocolate and crust, as those flavors and textures took a back seat to the marshmallow, but nevertheless, the whole thing was scrumptious!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I loved the Buckeye Roadhouse. It’s definitely a place I’d return with guests or friends. We were fortunate to eat there at the end of the lunch hour, so there wasn’t a lot of dining room noise, and the service was very speedy and wonderfully friendly. I look forward to returning one cold evening for dinner — having made a reservation first, of course.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Canto do Brasil: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=259\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=261\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/19/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-14-214/\">full episode video\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayareabites/\" target=\"new\" rel=\"noopener\">photo gallery\u003c/a> (flickr.com) |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp214iPod_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/40/2015/09/cantodobrasil16.jpg\" alt=\"Canto do Brasil\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cantodobrasil11.jpg\" alt=\"Canto do Brasil\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cantodobrasil13.jpg\" alt=\"Canto do Brasil\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nMandioca Frita (Fried Yucca); Muqueca de Peixe (Red Snapper with Coconut Milk and Spices); Caipirinha: a traditional Brazilian cocktail of smashed lime, sugar, and cachaça\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cedric-brown.jpg\" alt=\"Cedric\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Cedric\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Education Program Director\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Canto do Brasil\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Canto do Brasil:\u003c/strong> Friday, August 4, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Canto do Brasil is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the Bay Area. I get happy just thinking about it. I’ve always had a great meal and good service there, and more than a few times I’ve been pulled up to dance with the fabulously feathered samba dancers! I love Canto do Brasil, and the spirit of Brasilian generosity, friendliness, and celebration that the place embodies. From the colorfully painted murals on the walls to the tiny wooden toucans that sit atop the skewers of fruit in the drinks, Canto brings the color and flavor of Brasil to San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brasilian food is heavily reflective of the country’s landscape and the convergence of three cultures: African (Yoruba and Bantu), European (mostly Portuguese), and indigenous. Here one will find ingredients present in many other tropical cuisines — coconut, seafood, beans, rice, peppers, and a preponderance of fruit. Nearly all of these ingredients are part of my favorite dish at Canto -– the one that I order almost every time –- Muqueca de Peixe (pronounced MUH-keh-kah dgee PEH-she). The muqueca at Canto is a slightly Americanized version of a popular dish in coastal Brasil, namely Salvador da Bahia, the African heart of Brasilian culture. The chefs at Canto make the muqueca using lemon juice, onions, garlic, coconut milk, peppers, as a sauce for a succulent portion of red snapper. The richness of the coconut milk is balanced perfectly by the starchy farofa, a golden brown flour which I wouldn’t really eat by itself, but it is great for soaking up the muqueca and eating with the pinto beans. I also usually top the beans with a little bit of pimenta, or hot sauce, for extra spiciness! The rice is also well-matched with the muqueca, as rice tends to provide additional volume (and satisfaction) to meats and sauces. The entire combination results in a clean plate every time!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a Southerner, I grew up eating collard greens as a Sunday staple. Brasilians cook greens (sometimes collards, sometimes kale) in a similar fashion, using a little oil and garlic, but the couve (as the greens are called) at Canto is usually sautéed and nicely firm (unlike the almost-soggy slow cooked greens back home).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An added treat is the live samba show, held every Friday and Saturday, where inevitably the fast hip-shaking dancers pull diners onto the floor for a little samba lesson and a conga line dance through the restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I first visited Brasil in the late 90s, I discovered passion fruit and became enchanted by this indescribable sweet yet tart fruit. Canto offers a delicious passion fruit mousse that invites dessert diners to dive right in! It is smooth with just the right amount of tanginess without being too rich. I love it!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The waitstaff is friendly and efficient, and always make me feel welcome and comfortable. Parking is relatively easy, given that this is San Francisco, but diners may need to circle around the block. Canto do Brasil is definitely a gem in the Civic Center area.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/michael-lipman.jpg\" alt=\"Michael\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michael\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Independent Animator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Mill Valley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Buckeye Roadhouse\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Canto do Brasil:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ah, my beautiful Canto. I am still singing the wondrous song of Brazil! I had a fabulous lunch at Canto Do Brasil bolstered by the festive atmosphere and colorful décor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I knew I was in good hands when I was greeted at the door by a server who knew my name — from the reservation — and seemed very pleased to see us. He directed us to a special table in front of the main picture window where we started lunch with an appetizer assortment of chicken croquettes, fried yucca strips (think densely textured steak fries), and fried calamari; the server’s number one recommendation. While we waited for the starters to be prepared we sipped our traditional Brazilian “Caipirinha,” a cocktail of crushed cane sugar, lime, and cachaça (a distilled cousin of rum). I would liken the taste and refreshing flavor of this drink to a very fresh margarita. I liked it so much, in fact, that I ordered a second with the main course. These cocktails took a bit of time to prepare, and it was obvious from the exacting mélange of crushed lime and sugar that amateurs need not apply!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appetizers were plated artistically on colorful hand-painted serving chargers. The yucca came with an unremarkable salsa that, while fresh, was ultimately forgettable. This was a small disappointment because the very dense texture of the strips and their subtle flavor could have used a more robust complimentary addition. I probably wouldn’t order these again. No reason to waste the calories on a deep-fried vegetable that has such a minimal flavor profile. Next I tried the chicken and cheese croquettes. These were a flavor treat, and their mix of crunchy, chewy, and gummy textures kept them interesting. Our final appetizer was the fried calamari, easily the standout starter on the lunch menu. The calamari was immediately disarming because they looked like medium sized onion rings –- no tiny calamari morsels, these! They were bathed in a sprightly dressing of lemon, garlic, and cilantro. We eagerly finished every bite of this delectable “sea basket,” and I was weighing the possibility of ordering another round of calamari for the table. I’m not a big calamari fan and under “normal” circumstances I’d never order such deep-fried fare. But these rings (while certainly oily) were neither heavy nor greasy, and were greatly enhanced by their superlative dressing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Canto is known for its traditional Brazilian Feijoada Completa, a stew of black beans, smoked ham, beef, sausage, and garlic. Imagine my disappointment when I read the menu and discovered that they only serve it Friday thru Sunday. I wish their website would have noted this on its menu page. I would have certainly re-scheduled my lunch for a day that featured the Feijoada. Demerits for this glaring lack of attention to detail on their part. That disappointment aside, the entrees that we did order were prepared quite quickly and again served on festive plates with generous side portions of beans, rice, and farofa, which is a tasty yucca flour meant to be mixed in with the other side dishes. I was especially charmed by the spicy and hearty flavors of the traditional Brazilian sauces, which complemented the protein of the main courses. The red snapper was cooked to a good fluffy firmness and had a nice “flavor conversation” with its mixture of perfectly seared vegetables. Likewise the grilled chicken breast strips were prepared to an impossibly light moistness as to have an almost sea bass-like texture. Somewhat less successful were the beef dish and the beer-marinated chicken on the bone. The beef’s flavor was curiously lost in its sauce of traditional Brazilian spices, while the Galinha chicken was actually lacking a strong complementary sauce. Although certainly tender and literally falling off the bone, the marinated chicken was, in a word, bland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We treated ourselves to a light dessert of passion fruit mousse with Brazilian coffee. The mousse could have used a bit more brightness in its flavor, but in general was a refreshingly sweet after note to a fine Brazilian lunch.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/esperanza-pallana.jpg\" alt=\"Esperanza\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Esperanza\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Public Health Professional\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Udupi Palace\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Canto do Brasil:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 9, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Canto do Brasil offers a relaxed, festive, and romantic atmosphere. They’ve created a fun twilight effect with dusky blue walls, string lights, and a dimmer. The décor suggests coastal Brazil with Carnival close by. I’ve heard rumor of stringy outfits, feather boas, and dance performances, but this evening while busy, was relatively calm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server was brusque but sincere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food is down home casual Brazilian fare. The main dishes were ample, well-flavored, and authentic. I was eager to try the Mandioca Frita, a favorite dish of mine in Latin American cuisine. This yucca was well cooked and crispy. They serve theirs with a salsa cruda (fresh chopped onions, tomatoes and garlic). I am partial to the brightness a squirt of lemon or lime brings to the starchiness of the yucca, but their condiment worked to moisten and flavor the yucca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I also tried the Risolis de Queijo, or cheese croquettes. Right here I need to say that what I believe is successful about any breaded and fried or baked cheese is the balance between the crisp, breaded exterior with the melty, round fatness of a cheese interior. In this case, I found the balance off. The croquettes were too large and the ratio of cheese to bread was affected, which resulted in a soggy lifeless wad of breaded bland cheese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, I quickly recovered from this experience when I received my main dish, Feijoada Completa, a traditional Angolan, Brazilian, Portuguese dish. In Brazil, it is a stew of black beans with a variety of slow cooked pork, links, and beef morsels. I find that it can be a challenge to properly season black beans, but this dish was very well prepared. The flavors were smoky, salty, and meaty and worked to amend the starchiness of the beans. The stew was very solid and, as the name indicates, complete. The feijoada was accompanied with a side of collard greens, white rice, and a mound of farofa, toasted ground yucca. I began to raise an eyebrow at the starch heavy selection, but all was saved by the collard greens, which were, by my definition PERFECT. They were cooked only to bring out their color and tenderness but not overdone. They were salted, simple, and delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My dining companion tried the Sopa de Feijao, a nicely flavored puree of black beans that he claimed was the highlight of his dinner. As a main dish he selected the Muqueca de Peixe. Muqueca is another type of Brazilian stew preparation blending fish, onion, garlic, bell peppers, and coconut milk. Fragrant and tropical, this entrée was reminiscent of Caribbean flavors but perhaps a touch lackluster, relying on the coconut to bring life and interest to the dish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall, I would consider this a novel adventure in Brazilian cuisine and would definitely suggest it as a fun date spot, a restaurant to take friends and family visiting the area, and I may perhaps pop back in myself for those delectable greens and another bowl of complete black bean stew.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n41 Franklin Street (at Oak Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94102\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-626-8727\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.cantodobrazil.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.cantodobrazil.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Brazilian\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"description": "Location:\r\n41 Franklin Street (at Oak Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94102\r\nPhone: 415-626-8727\r\nWebsite: www.cantodobrazil.com\r\nType of Cuisine: Brazilian\r\nReviewed: Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Canto do Brasil: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=259\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=261\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/19/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-14-214/\">full episode video\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/bayareabites/\" target=\"new\" rel=\"noopener\">photo gallery\u003c/a> (flickr.com) |\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Watch episode online (and on video iPod):\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"http://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/tv/checkplease/cp214iPod_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/40/2015/09/cantodobrasil16.jpg\" alt=\"Canto do Brasil\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cantodobrasil11.jpg\" alt=\"Canto do Brasil\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cantodobrasil13.jpg\" alt=\"Canto do Brasil\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nMandioca Frita (Fried Yucca); Muqueca de Peixe (Red Snapper with Coconut Milk and Spices); Caipirinha: a traditional Brazilian cocktail of smashed lime, sugar, and cachaça\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cedric-brown.jpg\" alt=\"Cedric\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Cedric\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Education Program Director\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Canto do Brasil\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Canto do Brasil:\u003c/strong> Friday, August 4, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Canto do Brasil is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the Bay Area. I get happy just thinking about it. I’ve always had a great meal and good service there, and more than a few times I’ve been pulled up to dance with the fabulously feathered samba dancers! I love Canto do Brasil, and the spirit of Brasilian generosity, friendliness, and celebration that the place embodies. From the colorfully painted murals on the walls to the tiny wooden toucans that sit atop the skewers of fruit in the drinks, Canto brings the color and flavor of Brasil to San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brasilian food is heavily reflective of the country’s landscape and the convergence of three cultures: African (Yoruba and Bantu), European (mostly Portuguese), and indigenous. Here one will find ingredients present in many other tropical cuisines — coconut, seafood, beans, rice, peppers, and a preponderance of fruit. Nearly all of these ingredients are part of my favorite dish at Canto -– the one that I order almost every time –- Muqueca de Peixe (pronounced MUH-keh-kah dgee PEH-she). The muqueca at Canto is a slightly Americanized version of a popular dish in coastal Brasil, namely Salvador da Bahia, the African heart of Brasilian culture. The chefs at Canto make the muqueca using lemon juice, onions, garlic, coconut milk, peppers, as a sauce for a succulent portion of red snapper. The richness of the coconut milk is balanced perfectly by the starchy farofa, a golden brown flour which I wouldn’t really eat by itself, but it is great for soaking up the muqueca and eating with the pinto beans. I also usually top the beans with a little bit of pimenta, or hot sauce, for extra spiciness! The rice is also well-matched with the muqueca, as rice tends to provide additional volume (and satisfaction) to meats and sauces. The entire combination results in a clean plate every time!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a Southerner, I grew up eating collard greens as a Sunday staple. Brasilians cook greens (sometimes collards, sometimes kale) in a similar fashion, using a little oil and garlic, but the couve (as the greens are called) at Canto is usually sautéed and nicely firm (unlike the almost-soggy slow cooked greens back home).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An added treat is the live samba show, held every Friday and Saturday, where inevitably the fast hip-shaking dancers pull diners onto the floor for a little samba lesson and a conga line dance through the restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I first visited Brasil in the late 90s, I discovered passion fruit and became enchanted by this indescribable sweet yet tart fruit. Canto offers a delicious passion fruit mousse that invites dessert diners to dive right in! It is smooth with just the right amount of tanginess without being too rich. I love it!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The waitstaff is friendly and efficient, and always make me feel welcome and comfortable. Parking is relatively easy, given that this is San Francisco, but diners may need to circle around the block. Canto do Brasil is definitely a gem in the Civic Center area.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/michael-lipman.jpg\" alt=\"Michael\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Michael\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Independent Animator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Mill Valley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Buckeye Roadhouse\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Canto do Brasil:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ah, my beautiful Canto. I am still singing the wondrous song of Brazil! I had a fabulous lunch at Canto Do Brasil bolstered by the festive atmosphere and colorful décor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I knew I was in good hands when I was greeted at the door by a server who knew my name — from the reservation — and seemed very pleased to see us. He directed us to a special table in front of the main picture window where we started lunch with an appetizer assortment of chicken croquettes, fried yucca strips (think densely textured steak fries), and fried calamari; the server’s number one recommendation. While we waited for the starters to be prepared we sipped our traditional Brazilian “Caipirinha,” a cocktail of crushed cane sugar, lime, and cachaça (a distilled cousin of rum). I would liken the taste and refreshing flavor of this drink to a very fresh margarita. I liked it so much, in fact, that I ordered a second with the main course. These cocktails took a bit of time to prepare, and it was obvious from the exacting mélange of crushed lime and sugar that amateurs need not apply!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appetizers were plated artistically on colorful hand-painted serving chargers. The yucca came with an unremarkable salsa that, while fresh, was ultimately forgettable. This was a small disappointment because the very dense texture of the strips and their subtle flavor could have used a more robust complimentary addition. I probably wouldn’t order these again. No reason to waste the calories on a deep-fried vegetable that has such a minimal flavor profile. Next I tried the chicken and cheese croquettes. These were a flavor treat, and their mix of crunchy, chewy, and gummy textures kept them interesting. Our final appetizer was the fried calamari, easily the standout starter on the lunch menu. The calamari was immediately disarming because they looked like medium sized onion rings –- no tiny calamari morsels, these! They were bathed in a sprightly dressing of lemon, garlic, and cilantro. We eagerly finished every bite of this delectable “sea basket,” and I was weighing the possibility of ordering another round of calamari for the table. I’m not a big calamari fan and under “normal” circumstances I’d never order such deep-fried fare. But these rings (while certainly oily) were neither heavy nor greasy, and were greatly enhanced by their superlative dressing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Canto is known for its traditional Brazilian Feijoada Completa, a stew of black beans, smoked ham, beef, sausage, and garlic. Imagine my disappointment when I read the menu and discovered that they only serve it Friday thru Sunday. I wish their website would have noted this on its menu page. I would have certainly re-scheduled my lunch for a day that featured the Feijoada. Demerits for this glaring lack of attention to detail on their part. That disappointment aside, the entrees that we did order were prepared quite quickly and again served on festive plates with generous side portions of beans, rice, and farofa, which is a tasty yucca flour meant to be mixed in with the other side dishes. I was especially charmed by the spicy and hearty flavors of the traditional Brazilian sauces, which complemented the protein of the main courses. The red snapper was cooked to a good fluffy firmness and had a nice “flavor conversation” with its mixture of perfectly seared vegetables. Likewise the grilled chicken breast strips were prepared to an impossibly light moistness as to have an almost sea bass-like texture. Somewhat less successful were the beef dish and the beer-marinated chicken on the bone. The beef’s flavor was curiously lost in its sauce of traditional Brazilian spices, while the Galinha chicken was actually lacking a strong complementary sauce. Although certainly tender and literally falling off the bone, the marinated chicken was, in a word, bland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We treated ourselves to a light dessert of passion fruit mousse with Brazilian coffee. The mousse could have used a bit more brightness in its flavor, but in general was a refreshingly sweet after note to a fine Brazilian lunch.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/esperanza-pallana.jpg\" alt=\"Esperanza\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Esperanza\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Public Health Professional\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Udupi Palace\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Canto do Brasil:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 9, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Canto do Brasil offers a relaxed, festive, and romantic atmosphere. They’ve created a fun twilight effect with dusky blue walls, string lights, and a dimmer. The décor suggests coastal Brazil with Carnival close by. I’ve heard rumor of stringy outfits, feather boas, and dance performances, but this evening while busy, was relatively calm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server was brusque but sincere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food is down home casual Brazilian fare. The main dishes were ample, well-flavored, and authentic. I was eager to try the Mandioca Frita, a favorite dish of mine in Latin American cuisine. This yucca was well cooked and crispy. They serve theirs with a salsa cruda (fresh chopped onions, tomatoes and garlic). I am partial to the brightness a squirt of lemon or lime brings to the starchiness of the yucca, but their condiment worked to moisten and flavor the yucca.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I also tried the Risolis de Queijo, or cheese croquettes. Right here I need to say that what I believe is successful about any breaded and fried or baked cheese is the balance between the crisp, breaded exterior with the melty, round fatness of a cheese interior. In this case, I found the balance off. The croquettes were too large and the ratio of cheese to bread was affected, which resulted in a soggy lifeless wad of breaded bland cheese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, I quickly recovered from this experience when I received my main dish, Feijoada Completa, a traditional Angolan, Brazilian, Portuguese dish. In Brazil, it is a stew of black beans with a variety of slow cooked pork, links, and beef morsels. I find that it can be a challenge to properly season black beans, but this dish was very well prepared. The flavors were smoky, salty, and meaty and worked to amend the starchiness of the beans. The stew was very solid and, as the name indicates, complete. The feijoada was accompanied with a side of collard greens, white rice, and a mound of farofa, toasted ground yucca. I began to raise an eyebrow at the starch heavy selection, but all was saved by the collard greens, which were, by my definition PERFECT. They were cooked only to bring out their color and tenderness but not overdone. They were salted, simple, and delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My dining companion tried the Sopa de Feijao, a nicely flavored puree of black beans that he claimed was the highlight of his dinner. As a main dish he selected the Muqueca de Peixe. Muqueca is another type of Brazilian stew preparation blending fish, onion, garlic, bell peppers, and coconut milk. Fragrant and tropical, this entrée was reminiscent of Caribbean flavors but perhaps a touch lackluster, relying on the coconut to bring life and interest to the dish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"soldout": {
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"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
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"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
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