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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Udupi Palace: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=260\">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/udupipalace13.jpg\" alt=\"Udupi Palace\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/udupipalace17.jpg\" alt=\"Udupi Palace\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/udupipalace18.jpg\" alt=\"Udupi Palace\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nRasam Spicy Soup, Thali Combo Platter, Udupi Special Spring Dosa\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 Udupi Palace:\u003c/strong> Monday, September 18, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of my all time favorite cuisines is South Asian cuisine. It is a well-practiced art form, juxtaposing intense flavors with a buttery smoothness and creating unforgettable feasts. With such variety, state to state, region to region, it continually surprises me that most restaurants in the Bay Area serve Northern, Punjabi-style cuisine only. While, I can no doubt appreciate the spicy, hot, oiled veggies and meats and a nice naan, fresh from the tandoor oven, there is so much more to experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ever so briefly, a Gujarati-run restaurant opened at 6th and Market in San Francisco. For almost six months, Gujarati regional dishes such as kadhi (yogurt and chickpea flour soup), dhokla (steamer chickpea flour snack), moong dahl, and freshly made roti could be enjoyed. After only a brief spell however, the restaurant had new ownership and was shortly serving Punjabi-style food, just like everywhere else. Then to my utter delight, I discovered Udupi Palace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Situated smartly on the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and University Avenue in Berkeley, Udupi Palace is a clean café style restaurant with many windows allowing ample natural light during the day. There is no cheesy décor and they usually steer clear of incense, but one time I do recall a heavy, smoky rose scent coloring the meal. The restaurant has natural plastered walls and simple wood tables and chairs. It reminds me of a new canvas ready to receive a brilliant stroke of color. Most importantly, Udupi Palace is a refreshing break from the norm, offering a distinctive selection of South Indian dishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having traveled through South India, I can also say that the food offered is mostly authentic and well made. I say “mostly,” because there does seem to be the occasional deviation in their quality. For example, on a recent visit I encountered a strange dessert of loose strawberry flavored yogurt with pineapple chucks instead of the more common payasam (rice pudding).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All things considered, you can typically enjoy a simple and delicious iddly (steamed patties of rice and black lentil), with sambar (spicy soup for iddly), or dosa (Indian crepe), stuffed with seasoned potatoes and topped with fresh coconut chutney. Better yet, try a bit of everything with a full thali. The thali comes with an abundance of sampler size portions of fresh seasonal vegetables in spicy masalas, both creamy and dry varieties, rasam (spicy soup), rice puloas (fried rice), a platter of poori (type of flat bread), papads (lentil cracker), and basmati rice on the side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh, and did I mention? Udupi is fully vegetarian. Each time I have gone I have encountered either a once-familiar vegetable prepared in a unique manner, or a vegetable or legume I had yet to try. I, myself, enjoy the occasional meat dish but truly appreciate the diversity and flavor of these vegetarian dishes. I have never left Udupi dissatisfied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Udupi is without a doubt for the adventurous, imaginative, and by all means, for the pennywise. While Udupi Palace has rare and lavish offerings, their prices are not in the least extravagant. You can experience a full variety of cuisine from South India and have a cup of chai or Madras coffee for under fifteen dollars, that’s including tax and tip. So put down your chicken tikka masala just this once and check out this true gem of the East Bay.\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 Udupi Palace:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I walked over to Udupi Palace Restaurant after meeting with some of my students at UC Berkeley. One of them recommended that I try spring dosa, which is a potato-and-pea combo wrapped in a crepe. I decided to take her advice, especially because I could compare the dosa at Udupi Palace to the ones I’d eaten at a hip new restaurant near my apartment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ambience is that of a typical startup, low-cost, dining joint: sparsely decorated, simply lit, and adorned with religious icons and movie posters signaling a certain authenticity, appealing to the customers for whom the cuisine represents home. And typical for me, I arrived after the lunch hour rush (I like quick service!). There were only a few diners present, and I was comforted by my students’ comments and the Zagat survey reviews prominently posted on the restaurant windows. I was also excited by the all-vegetarian menu, which meant that I –- even as a fish and poultry eater –- could have anything!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy lunch, so I tried the rasam, a peppery soup made from tamarind, tomato, ginger, and coriander. Not knowing that the lunch entrée would also be served with soup, I chowed down on the spicy-hot rasam, especially loving the combination of tamarind and tomato, which complemented and balanced each other well. Fortunately, the server had brought a pitcher of water to the table, because I needed it to cool my palate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right on cue, the server appeared with my entrée, the Udupi Special Spring Dosa. When he arrived at the table, my eyes popped at the size of the dosas –- cut in half, each portion was a foot long, served with a side of sambar (a spicy lentil soup), coconut chutney, and tomato chutney. I didn’t think I’d be able to finish, but once I dug into the dosas, I couldn’t stop! The crepe was stuffed with shredded cabbage (I think!), chopped red onions, creamy potatoes, and peas. I stopped worrying about what havoc the red onions would wreak on my post-lunch breath and enjoyed how they enhanced the potatoes and peas with an extra zing, the kind of zestiness (as opposed to spiciness) that really complemented the demure potatoes and peas. Speaking of potatoes, they were little puffs of heaven! Very light, creamy, and cooked all the way through -– not a Thanksgiving lump among them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wish that the crêpes would have been a little lighter (or even springier, like East African injera bread); my crêpes was a little on the crunchy side, which made it hard to cut cleanly with a knife. So I gave up cutting and started tearing the dosa and dipping it into the fantastic sides. I couldn’t get enough of the tomato chutney in particular, which wasn’t anything fancy but was perfectly and simply flavorful. I also loved the sambar soup, made from lentils and a tomato base. I forget how much I enjoy lentils until they’re on the plate in front of me; they’re like the great forgotten legume. Next time, I’ll try another appetizer instead of having both rasam and sambar soups (even though I ate both of them), since the sambar automatically comes with the dosa, and can be eaten as a soup or as a dipping sauce for the dosa; I ate it both ways, and it was delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I left Udupi Palace feeling full and happy, but not weighed down, since the meal was made from relatively light ingredients. I’ll definitely return to Udupi while in the East Bay, and will recommend it to others. I think I enjoyed its simplicity and “down-hominess” more than the trendy new dosa place in my San Francisco neighborhood. I’ll just remember to bring plenty of minty gum so that I can relax and enjoy the red onions.\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 Udupi Palace:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 12, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> My dining partner and I had a wonderful experience at Udupi Palace in Berkeley. We arrived for a mid-afternoon lunch, and the dining room was practically empty. The décor is quite stark and minimal with Formica tabletops and tubular steel chairs. The big, sunny, picture windows look out over the bustling street tableau that is campus-adjacent Berkeley. A commercial radio station was playing somewhat unobtrusively in the background as we were politely guided to our seats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t eat Southern Indian food regularly, so I was a bit swamped looking at the menu. Eyeing some fellow diners in close proximity, I noticed that they were all eating the same sampler platter. I asked my server what everyone was having and he pointed silently to the Thali Combo Platter (which was the chef’s choice). He was having quite a bit of trouble speaking Englishm so I plainly asked if the Thali included any curry and he said, “No.” “OK,” I thought, “Let’s sample the chef’s combo and an order of mixed vegetable curry as a nice dish to ‘go to.'” We were excited to try some starters, so we ordered them and a mug of warm, spicy, Masala tea while we waited. The tea was excellent. Think subtle Chai with a teensy grind of clove. It was interesting all the way to the bottom of the mug.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started with tomato soup and the traditional rasam spicy soup. I was warned by my server that the rasam was going to be intense, and it certainly was. It was bursting with powerful flavor combinations that my tongue had never before experienced in such a concert; sweet, salty, bitter, and peppery all at the same time. It was not overpoweringly hot, like a habanero chile, rather it was a screaming auditorium of flavor conversations all speaking at high pitch. I enjoyed the soup but was hesitant to finish the whole bowl for fear that these spices would overpower the rest of my meal. I needn’t have worried. The spices didn’t linger an uncomfortably long time. The tomato soup was another wonderful surprise. It masterfully melded many subtle spices in a thick and randy broth. I would gladly return to Udupi Palace just to savor a bowl of this creamy tomato soup. The samosas on the other hand were fine, though they lacked an interesting vegetal texture after a few bites. Though the potato filling (with an errant pea here and there) was certainly tasty, and the fried dough fresh and light, but ultimately I was bored with the one-note textures. Would it have KILLED them to add in a grated carrot or two?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our Thali combo was served on a large stainless steel platter featuring six or eight small steel bowls filled with various sauces, mini-entrées, and rice. We were also served two sides of bread. One was a Chana Batura; small loaf of puffed fried bread, and the other a flat, thin, cracker-ish salty bread. It was fun to dip the breads and rice into the different sauces. We had a blast deciding how to combine the different tastes, though after a while we settled into concentrating on a few favorites. There was a wonderful mixture of green beans, curried rice, and corn. This was offset by a surprisingly sweet tapioca-like sauce featuring chilled coconut. Marvelous! The Thali also featured a few curries, and we were quite surprised by this. The flavors were fresh and very interesting. But they were the same dishes as the mixed vegetable curry plate that we’d also ordered as a complementary main dish. It was a disappointing discovery when we realized that we’d ordered so redundantly. Eventually we came to understand that Udupi Palace is famous for its dosas -– a fried pancake stuffed with curry and more -– and we felt a bit cheated that our server hadn’t made the effort to point this out when we’d distinctly asked for guidance with the menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Feeling very comfortable in the able hands of the restaurant’s kitchen, we ventured to the dessert menu in search of some more interesting Southern Indian flavors. The lunch desserts were hit and miss. We ordered both the Galab Jamin: fried biscuit balls in a honey sauce, and the Carrot Halwa: a sweet grated carrot dish that was served warm with golden raisins. The honey balls were lackluster and felt too heavy after a meal of rice and thick sauces. But the carrots were interesting enough that, though we didn’t finish the portion, we were glad to have tried them. They were drenched in a sweet clarified butter sauce, which though delicious, was a bit too indulgent for me and my weight-conscious conscience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Udupi Palace was a wonderful find, and I plan to return very soon to sample their dosas and the many daily specials.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n1901 University Avenue (at Martin Luther King Jr. Way)\r\nBerkeley, CA 94704\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 510-843-6600\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.udupipalaceca.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.udupipalaceca.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> South Indian/Vegetarian\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Udupi Palace: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=260\">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/udupipalace13.jpg\" alt=\"Udupi Palace\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/udupipalace17.jpg\" alt=\"Udupi Palace\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/udupipalace18.jpg\" alt=\"Udupi Palace\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nRasam Spicy Soup, Thali Combo Platter, Udupi Special Spring Dosa\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 Udupi Palace:\u003c/strong> Monday, September 18, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of my all time favorite cuisines is South Asian cuisine. It is a well-practiced art form, juxtaposing intense flavors with a buttery smoothness and creating unforgettable feasts. With such variety, state to state, region to region, it continually surprises me that most restaurants in the Bay Area serve Northern, Punjabi-style cuisine only. While, I can no doubt appreciate the spicy, hot, oiled veggies and meats and a nice naan, fresh from the tandoor oven, there is so much more to experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ever so briefly, a Gujarati-run restaurant opened at 6th and Market in San Francisco. For almost six months, Gujarati regional dishes such as kadhi (yogurt and chickpea flour soup), dhokla (steamer chickpea flour snack), moong dahl, and freshly made roti could be enjoyed. After only a brief spell however, the restaurant had new ownership and was shortly serving Punjabi-style food, just like everywhere else. Then to my utter delight, I discovered Udupi Palace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Situated smartly on the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and University Avenue in Berkeley, Udupi Palace is a clean café style restaurant with many windows allowing ample natural light during the day. There is no cheesy décor and they usually steer clear of incense, but one time I do recall a heavy, smoky rose scent coloring the meal. The restaurant has natural plastered walls and simple wood tables and chairs. It reminds me of a new canvas ready to receive a brilliant stroke of color. Most importantly, Udupi Palace is a refreshing break from the norm, offering a distinctive selection of South Indian dishes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Having traveled through South India, I can also say that the food offered is mostly authentic and well made. I say “mostly,” because there does seem to be the occasional deviation in their quality. For example, on a recent visit I encountered a strange dessert of loose strawberry flavored yogurt with pineapple chucks instead of the more common payasam (rice pudding).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All things considered, you can typically enjoy a simple and delicious iddly (steamed patties of rice and black lentil), with sambar (spicy soup for iddly), or dosa (Indian crepe), stuffed with seasoned potatoes and topped with fresh coconut chutney. Better yet, try a bit of everything with a full thali. The thali comes with an abundance of sampler size portions of fresh seasonal vegetables in spicy masalas, both creamy and dry varieties, rasam (spicy soup), rice puloas (fried rice), a platter of poori (type of flat bread), papads (lentil cracker), and basmati rice on the side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh, and did I mention? Udupi is fully vegetarian. Each time I have gone I have encountered either a once-familiar vegetable prepared in a unique manner, or a vegetable or legume I had yet to try. I, myself, enjoy the occasional meat dish but truly appreciate the diversity and flavor of these vegetarian dishes. I have never left Udupi dissatisfied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Udupi is without a doubt for the adventurous, imaginative, and by all means, for the pennywise. While Udupi Palace has rare and lavish offerings, their prices are not in the least extravagant. You can experience a full variety of cuisine from South India and have a cup of chai or Madras coffee for under fifteen dollars, that’s including tax and tip. So put down your chicken tikka masala just this once and check out this true gem of the East Bay.\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 Udupi Palace:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I walked over to Udupi Palace Restaurant after meeting with some of my students at UC Berkeley. One of them recommended that I try spring dosa, which is a potato-and-pea combo wrapped in a crepe. I decided to take her advice, especially because I could compare the dosa at Udupi Palace to the ones I’d eaten at a hip new restaurant near my apartment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ambience is that of a typical startup, low-cost, dining joint: sparsely decorated, simply lit, and adorned with religious icons and movie posters signaling a certain authenticity, appealing to the customers for whom the cuisine represents home. And typical for me, I arrived after the lunch hour rush (I like quick service!). There were only a few diners present, and I was comforted by my students’ comments and the Zagat survey reviews prominently posted on the restaurant windows. I was also excited by the all-vegetarian menu, which meant that I –- even as a fish and poultry eater –- could have anything!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy lunch, so I tried the rasam, a peppery soup made from tamarind, tomato, ginger, and coriander. Not knowing that the lunch entrée would also be served with soup, I chowed down on the spicy-hot rasam, especially loving the combination of tamarind and tomato, which complemented and balanced each other well. Fortunately, the server had brought a pitcher of water to the table, because I needed it to cool my palate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right on cue, the server appeared with my entrée, the Udupi Special Spring Dosa. When he arrived at the table, my eyes popped at the size of the dosas –- cut in half, each portion was a foot long, served with a side of sambar (a spicy lentil soup), coconut chutney, and tomato chutney. I didn’t think I’d be able to finish, but once I dug into the dosas, I couldn’t stop! The crepe was stuffed with shredded cabbage (I think!), chopped red onions, creamy potatoes, and peas. I stopped worrying about what havoc the red onions would wreak on my post-lunch breath and enjoyed how they enhanced the potatoes and peas with an extra zing, the kind of zestiness (as opposed to spiciness) that really complemented the demure potatoes and peas. Speaking of potatoes, they were little puffs of heaven! Very light, creamy, and cooked all the way through -– not a Thanksgiving lump among them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wish that the crêpes would have been a little lighter (or even springier, like East African injera bread); my crêpes was a little on the crunchy side, which made it hard to cut cleanly with a knife. So I gave up cutting and started tearing the dosa and dipping it into the fantastic sides. I couldn’t get enough of the tomato chutney in particular, which wasn’t anything fancy but was perfectly and simply flavorful. I also loved the sambar soup, made from lentils and a tomato base. I forget how much I enjoy lentils until they’re on the plate in front of me; they’re like the great forgotten legume. Next time, I’ll try another appetizer instead of having both rasam and sambar soups (even though I ate both of them), since the sambar automatically comes with the dosa, and can be eaten as a soup or as a dipping sauce for the dosa; I ate it both ways, and it was delicious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I left Udupi Palace feeling full and happy, but not weighed down, since the meal was made from relatively light ingredients. I’ll definitely return to Udupi while in the East Bay, and will recommend it to others. I think I enjoyed its simplicity and “down-hominess” more than the trendy new dosa place in my San Francisco neighborhood. I’ll just remember to bring plenty of minty gum so that I can relax and enjoy the red onions.\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 Udupi Palace:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 12, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> My dining partner and I had a wonderful experience at Udupi Palace in Berkeley. We arrived for a mid-afternoon lunch, and the dining room was practically empty. The décor is quite stark and minimal with Formica tabletops and tubular steel chairs. The big, sunny, picture windows look out over the bustling street tableau that is campus-adjacent Berkeley. A commercial radio station was playing somewhat unobtrusively in the background as we were politely guided to our seats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I don’t eat Southern Indian food regularly, so I was a bit swamped looking at the menu. Eyeing some fellow diners in close proximity, I noticed that they were all eating the same sampler platter. I asked my server what everyone was having and he pointed silently to the Thali Combo Platter (which was the chef’s choice). He was having quite a bit of trouble speaking Englishm so I plainly asked if the Thali included any curry and he said, “No.” “OK,” I thought, “Let’s sample the chef’s combo and an order of mixed vegetable curry as a nice dish to ‘go to.'” We were excited to try some starters, so we ordered them and a mug of warm, spicy, Masala tea while we waited. The tea was excellent. Think subtle Chai with a teensy grind of clove. It was interesting all the way to the bottom of the mug.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started with tomato soup and the traditional rasam spicy soup. I was warned by my server that the rasam was going to be intense, and it certainly was. It was bursting with powerful flavor combinations that my tongue had never before experienced in such a concert; sweet, salty, bitter, and peppery all at the same time. It was not overpoweringly hot, like a habanero chile, rather it was a screaming auditorium of flavor conversations all speaking at high pitch. I enjoyed the soup but was hesitant to finish the whole bowl for fear that these spices would overpower the rest of my meal. I needn’t have worried. The spices didn’t linger an uncomfortably long time. The tomato soup was another wonderful surprise. It masterfully melded many subtle spices in a thick and randy broth. I would gladly return to Udupi Palace just to savor a bowl of this creamy tomato soup. The samosas on the other hand were fine, though they lacked an interesting vegetal texture after a few bites. Though the potato filling (with an errant pea here and there) was certainly tasty, and the fried dough fresh and light, but ultimately I was bored with the one-note textures. Would it have KILLED them to add in a grated carrot or two?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our Thali combo was served on a large stainless steel platter featuring six or eight small steel bowls filled with various sauces, mini-entrées, and rice. We were also served two sides of bread. One was a Chana Batura; small loaf of puffed fried bread, and the other a flat, thin, cracker-ish salty bread. It was fun to dip the breads and rice into the different sauces. We had a blast deciding how to combine the different tastes, though after a while we settled into concentrating on a few favorites. There was a wonderful mixture of green beans, curried rice, and corn. This was offset by a surprisingly sweet tapioca-like sauce featuring chilled coconut. Marvelous! The Thali also featured a few curries, and we were quite surprised by this. The flavors were fresh and very interesting. But they were the same dishes as the mixed vegetable curry plate that we’d also ordered as a complementary main dish. It was a disappointing discovery when we realized that we’d ordered so redundantly. Eventually we came to understand that Udupi Palace is famous for its dosas -– a fried pancake stuffed with curry and more -– and we felt a bit cheated that our server hadn’t made the effort to point this out when we’d distinctly asked for guidance with the menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Feeling very comfortable in the able hands of the restaurant’s kitchen, we ventured to the dessert menu in search of some more interesting Southern Indian flavors. The lunch desserts were hit and miss. We ordered both the Galab Jamin: fried biscuit balls in a honey sauce, and the Carrot Halwa: a sweet grated carrot dish that was served warm with golden raisins. The honey balls were lackluster and felt too heavy after a meal of rice and thick sauces. But the carrots were interesting enough that, though we didn’t finish the portion, we were glad to have tried them. They were drenched in a sweet clarified butter sauce, which though delicious, was a bit too indulgent for me and my weight-conscious conscience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Udupi Palace was a wonderful find, and I plan to return very soon to sample their dosas and the many daily specials.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=249\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=252\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/12/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-13-213/\">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/cp213iPod_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/sonomameritage10.jpg\" alt=\"Sonoma-Meritâge \" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/sonomameritage20.jpg\" alt=\"Sonoma-Meritâge \" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/sonomameritage22.jpg\" alt=\"Sonoma-Meritâge \" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\n Free-Range Chicken Breast Sautéed in a Kalamata Olive Sauce with Vegetable Couscous; Fresh Seafood Platter; Warm Apple Tart with Caramelized Wafers\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/brian-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Brian\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Wine Operations Manager\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sonoma\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 7, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The word “Meritâge” is indicative of the blend of regional cuisine influences to be found here on the Northern Italian/French Provencal/fresh seafood-themed menu, plus the full service bar specializing in innovative martinis, and a wine list highlighted by traditional red Bordeaux style blends (of course!) and Sonoma County selections. There is truly something on the menu for everyone…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few doors west of Sonoma’s quaint central plaza, Sonoma-Meritâge is a short walk from the hub of activity in this quintessential wine country town. The martini bar is a popular social hub for locals returning from their commutes, as well as winery workers unwinding from the hospitality scene (there’s a saying that it takes a lot of liquor to make a little wine…). The restaurant feeds the hungry masses finishing a day of wine tasting or shopping and picnicking on the Plaza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is plenty of free off-street parking, and after 6:00 p.m., parking on the plaza is unrestricted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What you notice first when entering the dining room, which presents itself through large expanses of glass fronting on Napa Street, is that the restaurant is bright, colorful, and lively. There are wonderful hand-blown glass fixtures suspended from the ceiling — made locally by Bacchus Glass Lights — fashioned into whimsical sea creature-like shapes. The walls of the bar and dining room are decorated with brightly colored paintings by local artists. Outdoor dining on the back patio is enhanced by a babbling fountain under the cover of a large, protective tent. Tables are covered in classic, simple white linen with fresh flowers and a flickering votive. The dining room is vibrant yet relaxed. If you visit after dark, the Bacchus light fixtures add to the soft, glowing ambiance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The executive chef and proprietor, Carlos Cavallo makes the rounds to chat with patrons and to confirm that everyone’s food is perfectly prepared. The friendly, efficient waitstaff bustle about unobtrusively. Fresh, savory bread is promptly served along with an olive tapenade that is as delicious as it is healthy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carlos’ cooking style is recognizable for its simplicity: fresh seafood is the highlight, a fact made obvious by the live lobster and crab tanks adjacent to the martini bar. There are risotto, chicken, and beef dishes, plus the requisite fresh pasta entrees on the menu. Vegetarians will find many selections to choose from, and fresh, locally grown vegetables and herbs are abundant. Classic salads, such as a traditional Caesar, as well as more contemporary ensembles, are delicious and inspired, and the housemade soups are superb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On this visit, for an appetizer, I tried the Littleneck Clams Casino: a half dozen tender clams on the half shell, baked with breadcrumbs, crisp bacon bits, and Parmesan cheese. I could have easily gobbled up a dozen, but I’m glad I saved room for the course to come: a half rack of slow-roasted wild boar baby back ribs served over wilted spinach with a balsamic reduction sauce. The ribs were succulent and meaty, and the reduction sauce was subtle enough to allow the flavors of the wild boar to prevail without being the least bit gamey. The portion was plentiful, and although I thought the wilted spinach was a bit too tart to counterbalance the semi-sweet reduction, the dish was satisfying and savory. My guest ordered a warm wilted spinach salad tossed with fresh tomatoes, a substantial chunk of rich Cambazola cheese, caramelized red onions, walnuts, and a pancetta-shiitake mushroom dressing. The proportions of the ingredients were perfectly balanced and delicious. This amazingly fresh concoction was followed by a simple, yet memorable dish of fresh Gemelli pasta cooked al dente, tossed with fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, and shaved Parmesan cheese…classic Italian pasta made perfect through its simplicity and elegance. We shared a bottle of Deerfield Pinot Noir that was reasonably priced and held up to the rich wild boar, yet added some pizzazz to the simple pasta dish. For desert we shared a scoop of vanilla bean gelato dunked into a warm cup of espresso… rich, decadent, yet refreshingly uncomplicated… a perfect finish. There are several other flavors of homemade gelato and sorbet available too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dinner for two including wine and a tip came to a little over a hundred dollars, and the wine was about $40. You should expect three courses for under $40 a person without beverage or tip, unless you immerse yourself in fresh seafood. Compared to other Sonoma restaurants of this caliber, the prices are reasonable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chef Cavallo’s menu includes two versions of chef tasting menus or prefix dinners of four dishes each plus dessert, one menu comprised of vegetarian dishes (also prepared in a vegan version if you prefer), the other inspired by seafood. There is a dinner special every night of the week except Tuesday when the restaurant is closed. Thursday night, for instance, is lobster night, and an entire fresh, steamed lobster with drawn butter, side dishes, and dessert is just $24. Friday is prime rib night, Saturday is Osso Buco, Sunday is leg of lamb, and so forth. Locals return weekly on their favorite night for the consistently delicious specials, charming atmosphere, and special prices. Seafood platters are a house specialty every night, and include seasonal selections of wonderful, fresh oysters, clams, lobster, crab, and perfectly prepared fish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wine list is, of course, highlighted by several choices of Meritage style, or Bordeaux blend wines, and the focus is on Sonoma County estates, as well as selections from Italy and France. There are plenty of intriguing varietals and hard to find small-lot selections to please even the most sophisticated oenophile; many available by the glass. The waitstaff is fairly well versed in the wine list and can help make recommendations to pair with your food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a Friday or Saturday night after 7:00, service can be a bit slow, due to the number of devoted locals and delighted visitors, and reservations are always recommended, but in such comfortable colorful surroundings, the time between courses tends to pass quickly. If you like fresh, simple flavors, culled from spectacular local produce and pasta, artisan cheeses and bread, and sublime seafood, Sonoma-Meritâge is certain to please. With an excellent glass of wine or an imaginative martini from the bar, this is a wonderful place to unwind and sample the bounty of the wine country and the northern California coast. Meritâge is truly a restaurant with something to satisfy every palate.\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/jaimie-lock.jpg\" alt=\"Jaimie\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Jaimie\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Multimedia Designer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 9, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was excited for the chance to venture out of town to Sonoma. I haven’t been there in a while and it was a great opportunity for me to swing by some of my favorite wineries. We did a little wine tasting before heading over to Sonoma-Meritâge for an early dinner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conveniently located right off the square, we arrived just about the time the restaurant was opening. The staff was very friendly and attentive. We opted to sit in the outdoor dining area since it was sunny and warm. I scanned the decor in the main dining room before heading out. Local art adorned the walls (priced for purchase), along with some interesting hand-blown glass fixtures. The decor of the outdoor seating area was puzzling to me. It consisted of a giant framed tent wrapped in hundreds of yards of tulle-like fabric, which had become slightly dusty from the Sonoma climate. We felt a little like we were attending someone’s abandoned wedding reception.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a day of wine, we opted to try some of Sonoma-Meritâge’s unique cocktails. We settled on a mojito and a bellini, the latter being a sparkling wine with fresh peach puree. The mojito was average but the bellini had a nice crispness — not too sweet and very refreshing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>None of the main entrees seemed very exciting. This was a little surprising to me since we were in the heart of wine country. There seemed to be some typical pasta dishes and fresh fish preparations. After much thought we decided to go with the fresh seafood and prepared oysters. This appeared to be a Meritâge specialty and what most other patrons were ordering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We first tried the Oysters Casino, which were baked oysters topped with Parmesean cheese and prosciutto. These were intensely flavorful and very salty. I am not shy when it comes to salt, but this was a bit much even for me. It they were less salty they would have been outstanding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next we ordered a seafood platter, which was a cornucopia of fresh oysters, clams, mussels, cracked crab, shrimp, and ceviche, served on a giant tray of crushed ice. I was impressed by the variety and the platter’s generous size was perfect to share. Mostly the seafood tasted very fresh and was served at the perfect temperature. The sauces accompanying the platter were also flavorful. The downside was the ceviche was tough, bitter, and dry. We tasted it a few times but couldn’t eat it. Considering this was the only really prepared item on the platter, I was disappointed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we opted to sample the famous housemade gelato and sorbet assortment: a large plate atop crisped, crêpe-like cookies. Nice presentation and the frozen specialties were tasty overall. The only disappointing part was it seemed the gelato and sorbet were all scooped and plated with the same spoon, and many flavors were tainted with the remains of what was scooped before it. Lemon sorbet does not taste so good with an extra coating of coffee flavored gelato.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My overall evaluation is: good service, fair food, and the outdoor seating could benefit from some new thought to the décor.\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/stanley-roberts.jpg\" alt=\"Stanley\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stanley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Reporter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Foster City\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> House of Prime Rib\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill:\u003c/strong> Monday, September 18, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we first entered Sonoma-Meritâge it was one of those E. F. Hutton moments. The whole restaurant appeared to stop and look as we entered. I was looking for the dirt on my face. Anyway, we were promptly seated near the window. This was a truly a foo-foo type restaurant and I am not a fan of foo-foo! Service was slow and the waiter seemed annoyed that we did not order wine. The appetizers we great: the escargot was served on a bed of polenta but the fried oysters were a little too bready for my taste. The main course of free-range chicken breast had an interesting flavor but I probably won’t order that again. The atmosphere was casual though somewhat loud. I liked the restaurant overall, but it is not one I would travel 66 miles to visit. Parking was no problem since the whole experience took about one hour to transpire which is not bad. I wish I could say more about the restaurant, I did enjoy the artwork on the walls and the vintage cash register by the door added a nice bit of flavor.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n165 West Napa Street (at 2nd Street West)\r\nSonoma, CA 95476\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 707-938-9430\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.sonomameritage.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.sonomameritage.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Northern Italian/Southern French Regional Cuisine\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=249\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=252\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/12/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-13-213/\">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/cp213iPod_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/sonomameritage10.jpg\" alt=\"Sonoma-Meritâge \" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/sonomameritage20.jpg\" alt=\"Sonoma-Meritâge \" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/sonomameritage22.jpg\" alt=\"Sonoma-Meritâge \" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\n Free-Range Chicken Breast Sautéed in a Kalamata Olive Sauce with Vegetable Couscous; Fresh Seafood Platter; Warm Apple Tart with Caramelized Wafers\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/brian-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Brian\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Wine Operations Manager\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sonoma\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 7, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The word “Meritâge” is indicative of the blend of regional cuisine influences to be found here on the Northern Italian/French Provencal/fresh seafood-themed menu, plus the full service bar specializing in innovative martinis, and a wine list highlighted by traditional red Bordeaux style blends (of course!) and Sonoma County selections. There is truly something on the menu for everyone…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few doors west of Sonoma’s quaint central plaza, Sonoma-Meritâge is a short walk from the hub of activity in this quintessential wine country town. The martini bar is a popular social hub for locals returning from their commutes, as well as winery workers unwinding from the hospitality scene (there’s a saying that it takes a lot of liquor to make a little wine…). The restaurant feeds the hungry masses finishing a day of wine tasting or shopping and picnicking on the Plaza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is plenty of free off-street parking, and after 6:00 p.m., parking on the plaza is unrestricted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What you notice first when entering the dining room, which presents itself through large expanses of glass fronting on Napa Street, is that the restaurant is bright, colorful, and lively. There are wonderful hand-blown glass fixtures suspended from the ceiling — made locally by Bacchus Glass Lights — fashioned into whimsical sea creature-like shapes. The walls of the bar and dining room are decorated with brightly colored paintings by local artists. Outdoor dining on the back patio is enhanced by a babbling fountain under the cover of a large, protective tent. Tables are covered in classic, simple white linen with fresh flowers and a flickering votive. The dining room is vibrant yet relaxed. If you visit after dark, the Bacchus light fixtures add to the soft, glowing ambiance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The executive chef and proprietor, Carlos Cavallo makes the rounds to chat with patrons and to confirm that everyone’s food is perfectly prepared. The friendly, efficient waitstaff bustle about unobtrusively. Fresh, savory bread is promptly served along with an olive tapenade that is as delicious as it is healthy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carlos’ cooking style is recognizable for its simplicity: fresh seafood is the highlight, a fact made obvious by the live lobster and crab tanks adjacent to the martini bar. There are risotto, chicken, and beef dishes, plus the requisite fresh pasta entrees on the menu. Vegetarians will find many selections to choose from, and fresh, locally grown vegetables and herbs are abundant. Classic salads, such as a traditional Caesar, as well as more contemporary ensembles, are delicious and inspired, and the housemade soups are superb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On this visit, for an appetizer, I tried the Littleneck Clams Casino: a half dozen tender clams on the half shell, baked with breadcrumbs, crisp bacon bits, and Parmesan cheese. I could have easily gobbled up a dozen, but I’m glad I saved room for the course to come: a half rack of slow-roasted wild boar baby back ribs served over wilted spinach with a balsamic reduction sauce. The ribs were succulent and meaty, and the reduction sauce was subtle enough to allow the flavors of the wild boar to prevail without being the least bit gamey. The portion was plentiful, and although I thought the wilted spinach was a bit too tart to counterbalance the semi-sweet reduction, the dish was satisfying and savory. My guest ordered a warm wilted spinach salad tossed with fresh tomatoes, a substantial chunk of rich Cambazola cheese, caramelized red onions, walnuts, and a pancetta-shiitake mushroom dressing. The proportions of the ingredients were perfectly balanced and delicious. This amazingly fresh concoction was followed by a simple, yet memorable dish of fresh Gemelli pasta cooked al dente, tossed with fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, and shaved Parmesan cheese…classic Italian pasta made perfect through its simplicity and elegance. We shared a bottle of Deerfield Pinot Noir that was reasonably priced and held up to the rich wild boar, yet added some pizzazz to the simple pasta dish. For desert we shared a scoop of vanilla bean gelato dunked into a warm cup of espresso… rich, decadent, yet refreshingly uncomplicated… a perfect finish. There are several other flavors of homemade gelato and sorbet available too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dinner for two including wine and a tip came to a little over a hundred dollars, and the wine was about $40. You should expect three courses for under $40 a person without beverage or tip, unless you immerse yourself in fresh seafood. Compared to other Sonoma restaurants of this caliber, the prices are reasonable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chef Cavallo’s menu includes two versions of chef tasting menus or prefix dinners of four dishes each plus dessert, one menu comprised of vegetarian dishes (also prepared in a vegan version if you prefer), the other inspired by seafood. There is a dinner special every night of the week except Tuesday when the restaurant is closed. Thursday night, for instance, is lobster night, and an entire fresh, steamed lobster with drawn butter, side dishes, and dessert is just $24. Friday is prime rib night, Saturday is Osso Buco, Sunday is leg of lamb, and so forth. Locals return weekly on their favorite night for the consistently delicious specials, charming atmosphere, and special prices. Seafood platters are a house specialty every night, and include seasonal selections of wonderful, fresh oysters, clams, lobster, crab, and perfectly prepared fish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wine list is, of course, highlighted by several choices of Meritage style, or Bordeaux blend wines, and the focus is on Sonoma County estates, as well as selections from Italy and France. There are plenty of intriguing varietals and hard to find small-lot selections to please even the most sophisticated oenophile; many available by the glass. The waitstaff is fairly well versed in the wine list and can help make recommendations to pair with your food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a Friday or Saturday night after 7:00, service can be a bit slow, due to the number of devoted locals and delighted visitors, and reservations are always recommended, but in such comfortable colorful surroundings, the time between courses tends to pass quickly. If you like fresh, simple flavors, culled from spectacular local produce and pasta, artisan cheeses and bread, and sublime seafood, Sonoma-Meritâge is certain to please. With an excellent glass of wine or an imaginative martini from the bar, this is a wonderful place to unwind and sample the bounty of the wine country and the northern California coast. Meritâge is truly a restaurant with something to satisfy every palate.\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/jaimie-lock.jpg\" alt=\"Jaimie\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Jaimie\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Multimedia Designer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 9, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was excited for the chance to venture out of town to Sonoma. I haven’t been there in a while and it was a great opportunity for me to swing by some of my favorite wineries. We did a little wine tasting before heading over to Sonoma-Meritâge for an early dinner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conveniently located right off the square, we arrived just about the time the restaurant was opening. The staff was very friendly and attentive. We opted to sit in the outdoor dining area since it was sunny and warm. I scanned the decor in the main dining room before heading out. Local art adorned the walls (priced for purchase), along with some interesting hand-blown glass fixtures. The decor of the outdoor seating area was puzzling to me. It consisted of a giant framed tent wrapped in hundreds of yards of tulle-like fabric, which had become slightly dusty from the Sonoma climate. We felt a little like we were attending someone’s abandoned wedding reception.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After a day of wine, we opted to try some of Sonoma-Meritâge’s unique cocktails. We settled on a mojito and a bellini, the latter being a sparkling wine with fresh peach puree. The mojito was average but the bellini had a nice crispness — not too sweet and very refreshing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>None of the main entrees seemed very exciting. This was a little surprising to me since we were in the heart of wine country. There seemed to be some typical pasta dishes and fresh fish preparations. After much thought we decided to go with the fresh seafood and prepared oysters. This appeared to be a Meritâge specialty and what most other patrons were ordering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We first tried the Oysters Casino, which were baked oysters topped with Parmesean cheese and prosciutto. These were intensely flavorful and very salty. I am not shy when it comes to salt, but this was a bit much even for me. It they were less salty they would have been outstanding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next we ordered a seafood platter, which was a cornucopia of fresh oysters, clams, mussels, cracked crab, shrimp, and ceviche, served on a giant tray of crushed ice. I was impressed by the variety and the platter’s generous size was perfect to share. Mostly the seafood tasted very fresh and was served at the perfect temperature. The sauces accompanying the platter were also flavorful. The downside was the ceviche was tough, bitter, and dry. We tasted it a few times but couldn’t eat it. Considering this was the only really prepared item on the platter, I was disappointed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we opted to sample the famous housemade gelato and sorbet assortment: a large plate atop crisped, crêpe-like cookies. Nice presentation and the frozen specialties were tasty overall. The only disappointing part was it seemed the gelato and sorbet were all scooped and plated with the same spoon, and many flavors were tainted with the remains of what was scooped before it. Lemon sorbet does not taste so good with an extra coating of coffee flavored gelato.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My overall evaluation is: good service, fair food, and the outdoor seating could benefit from some new thought to the décor.\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/stanley-roberts.jpg\" alt=\"Stanley\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stanley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Reporter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Foster City\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> House of Prime Rib\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill:\u003c/strong> Monday, September 18, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we first entered Sonoma-Meritâge it was one of those E. F. Hutton moments. The whole restaurant appeared to stop and look as we entered. I was looking for the dirt on my face. Anyway, we were promptly seated near the window. This was a truly a foo-foo type restaurant and I am not a fan of foo-foo! Service was slow and the waiter seemed annoyed that we did not order wine. The appetizers we great: the escargot was served on a bed of polenta but the fried oysters were a little too bready for my taste. The main course of free-range chicken breast had an interesting flavor but I probably won’t order that again. The atmosphere was casual though somewhat loud. I liked the restaurant overall, but it is not one I would travel 66 miles to visit. Parking was no problem since the whole experience took about one hour to transpire which is not bad. I wish I could say more about the restaurant, I did enjoy the artwork on the walls and the vintage cash register by the door added a nice bit of flavor.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "cajun-pacific-reviews",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=250\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=253\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/12/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-13-213/\">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/cp213iPod_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/cajunpacific12.jpg\" alt=\"Cajun Pacific\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cajunpacific16.jpg\" alt=\"Cajun Pacific\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cajunpacific19.jpg\" alt=\"Cajun Pacific\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\n Lump Crabmeat and Goat Cheese Strudel with Herbsaint Crème Glaze; Crawfish Monica; Bread Pudding in Whiskey 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/jaimie-lock.jpg\" alt=\"Jaimie\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Jaimie\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Multimedia Designer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering:\u003c/strong> Friday, September 22, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since this was my favorite pick, I knew exactly what to expect when we headed down to Cajun Pacific Friday night. Just as I’d predicted, the menu would be fresh and exciting, the cozy dining room would be alive with happy patrons, and the chef would be working his culinary magic in the kitchen. A little slice of New Orleans heaven located in the most unlikely of places: the Outer Sunset.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was Friday night, so we needed wine! We started with that as we tried to make our appetizer and dinner choices. As usual there were lots of offerings on the menu that combine traditional New Orleans dishes prepared with a truly creative approach while incorporating local, seasonal ingredients. In fact, this is my favorite aspect of the restaurant, and what keeps me going back so often in a city with limitless dining options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We settled on two appetizers (even though the Crawfish Beignets with Rémoulade are a favorite and it was hard passing them up!). We selected the Crabmeat and Brie Strudel and Oysters Poached in Herbsaint Crème. Fresh warm cornbread muffins arrived as we awaited our appetizers. The strudel puffs were presented and they were amazing. Moist crabmeat and creamy brie were neatly encased in flakey strudel pastry, drizzled with the herbsaint crème sauce. Heaven. Next our oyster appetizer was presented. Large, creamy oysters topped rounds of crisped bread, glazed with herbsaint crème. They were so flavorful and the texture was magnificent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For our entrees we ordered Crawfish Monica and a fresh interpretation of Chicken a la King served on homemade herb biscuits. Crawfish Monica is a house specialty and consists of meaty crawfish tails in a spicy cream sauce served atop corkscrew pasta. Always delicious. The Chicken a la King consisted of tender shredded chicken in a hearty, savory herb sauce served sandwiched between crumbly housemade biscuits. On the side was a helping of tasty potatoes au gratin. Both entrees were superb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cajun Pacific is another restaurant where people definitely don’t leave hungry. The great thing about it is you will likely leave with wonderful leftovers that make a great brunch the next day. However you should never leave without trying the Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce. Even if you can only eat a few bites, it makes a great dessert to your brunch leftovers the next day. A dense square of tasty bread pudding topped off with a glistening coating of sweet chocolate, whiskey-doused sauce. I’ve just never had anything like it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I can’t recommend Cajun Pacific enough. Each time I go there my enthusiasm only grows. It is off the beaten path for sure, but absolutely worth the trip. Amazing value, generous portions, unbeatable dishes — don’t miss it!\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/brian-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Brian\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Wine Operations Manager\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sonoma\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 23, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cajun Pacific’s dining room is only open Thursday through Saturday, and there was a deadline for submittal of this review, so after making reservations a week in advance, I followed up two days before the established date to confirm my reservations. Thus, I was very disconcerted when after spending ten minutes perusing the Sunset neighborhood for a parking space, we were told our name was not on the guest list. However, not to worry, the waitress promptly seated us anyways and apologized for the confusion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant is barely big enough for a kitchen, and if every one of the twenty or so seats were taken, it would be noisy and uncomfortable indeed. I was beginning to anticipate an unhappy experience, but once the food began to flow, all concerns vanished. First we were served a big, hot cup of andouille sausage and chicken gumbo. It was hearty and delicious, with a nice spicy kick. Wonderful, soft cornbreads muffins accompanied the gumbo, and I would gladly have made a meal of these two delights alone. My guest ordered lump crabmeat and goat cheese strudel with herbsaint crème glaze…light puff pastries with a perfect filling of delicate crabmeat and creamy goat cheese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next came a substantial plate of perfectly prepared pasta tossed with Creole cream and crawfish tail meat. It was rich and delicious, and I would have devoured every bit of it if I wasn’t already stuffed, but I did my best. My guest had pan-fried, pecan-encrusted catfish meunière served with two of five available side dishes. She chose sweet potato gratin and sautéed Blue Lake beans. The pecan crust was a bit flavorless, but the meunière sauce and perfect, flaky catfish more than made up for it. The garlicky sweet potato gratin made a perfect accompaniment to the catfish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By this time, it was clear we would need extra large to-go boxes, but we had to try the only desert: bread pudding with whisky sauce. I could have eaten just about anything if it was dipped in this dreamy, gooey whisky sauce, and we did out best to polish it off in spite of being full.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were only three wines available along with a few beers and soft drinks, but all were reasonably priced, and all were available by the glass as well as by the bottle. If you choose to bring your own wine, corkage is a modest ten dollars. All told, with wine by the glass, our check came to $97.00, including a full twenty percent tip (the waitress was distracted by the chef’s family, but showed a refinement more befitting the excellent food quality than the casual surroundings), a deal for cuisine this delicious, and we did order twice as much food as we needed, though I’d be tempted to do it again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decor was a bit cheesy, and the mismatched chairs were not all that comfortable, but this is a sort of family, neighborhood place where you don’t have to worry about your kids bumping into things or being noisy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the restaurant is only open three nights a week, I asked the owner what the deal was, and he explained that he and his staff of two (a dishwasher/sous chef and one waitress) take one night off, and the remaining nights are spent catering events. During the holidays, you may order a complete Cajun Christmas dinner including a deep fried turkey. I may just make the trip from Sonoma this year… and I won’t complain about the lack of parking.\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/stanley-roberts.jpg\" alt=\"Stanley\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stanley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Reporter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Foster City\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> House of Prime Rib\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 21, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let me start out buy saying the food was wonderful full of flavor and cooked to perfection. Now that I got that out of the way, Cajun Pacific is one of those high-priced local dives; it was like eating in a closet. When you walk in the door, you walk in to the dining area — there is no lobby or foyer. I had my wife and Brooke, my two year old, so we were kind of in the way. And we stood there for five minutes before being — oh wait, we were never greeted. We just stood there for five minutes. Finally I took 10 steps forward to the counter past the nine tables and was told as soon as a table leaves we would get a seat, so we continued to stand around. I guess we could have waited outside but with the two dogs lying outside the door, my little girl did not feel comfortable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After ordering, it took more than 45 minutes before we got our appetizers. As a matter of fact, 35 minutes after we sat down, a man with his son sat next to us and got their soup before us. Service was almost nonexistent. During most of the night our server (there was only one) would drop off the food and never check to see if we needed anything. Then after receiving the main course she did check on us twice in five minutes. By the time we got our main course, Brooke was fidgety so we ate a few bites then we packed up our food and departed, but not before ordering bread pudding to go. No one-course meal should take two hours to eat. This wasn’t just our problem — I overheard one customer say that she waited so long she had lost her appetite. The seats were so uncomfortable I was ready to leave after the first hour. Take out would probably be my next choice. Oh, and parking sucks; typical SF parking. The atmosphere: too cozy for my taste.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n4542 Irving Street (at 47th Avenue)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 99412\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-504-6652\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.cajunpacific.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.cajunpacific.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Cajun/Creole Seafood\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=250\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=253\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/12/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-13-213/\">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/cp213iPod_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/cajunpacific12.jpg\" alt=\"Cajun Pacific\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cajunpacific16.jpg\" alt=\"Cajun Pacific\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/cajunpacific19.jpg\" alt=\"Cajun Pacific\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\n Lump Crabmeat and Goat Cheese Strudel with Herbsaint Crème Glaze; Crawfish Monica; Bread Pudding in Whiskey 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/jaimie-lock.jpg\" alt=\"Jaimie\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Jaimie\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Multimedia Designer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering:\u003c/strong> Friday, September 22, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since this was my favorite pick, I knew exactly what to expect when we headed down to Cajun Pacific Friday night. Just as I’d predicted, the menu would be fresh and exciting, the cozy dining room would be alive with happy patrons, and the chef would be working his culinary magic in the kitchen. A little slice of New Orleans heaven located in the most unlikely of places: the Outer Sunset.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was Friday night, so we needed wine! We started with that as we tried to make our appetizer and dinner choices. As usual there were lots of offerings on the menu that combine traditional New Orleans dishes prepared with a truly creative approach while incorporating local, seasonal ingredients. In fact, this is my favorite aspect of the restaurant, and what keeps me going back so often in a city with limitless dining options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We settled on two appetizers (even though the Crawfish Beignets with Rémoulade are a favorite and it was hard passing them up!). We selected the Crabmeat and Brie Strudel and Oysters Poached in Herbsaint Crème. Fresh warm cornbread muffins arrived as we awaited our appetizers. The strudel puffs were presented and they were amazing. Moist crabmeat and creamy brie were neatly encased in flakey strudel pastry, drizzled with the herbsaint crème sauce. Heaven. Next our oyster appetizer was presented. Large, creamy oysters topped rounds of crisped bread, glazed with herbsaint crème. They were so flavorful and the texture was magnificent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For our entrees we ordered Crawfish Monica and a fresh interpretation of Chicken a la King served on homemade herb biscuits. Crawfish Monica is a house specialty and consists of meaty crawfish tails in a spicy cream sauce served atop corkscrew pasta. Always delicious. The Chicken a la King consisted of tender shredded chicken in a hearty, savory herb sauce served sandwiched between crumbly housemade biscuits. On the side was a helping of tasty potatoes au gratin. Both entrees were superb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cajun Pacific is another restaurant where people definitely don’t leave hungry. The great thing about it is you will likely leave with wonderful leftovers that make a great brunch the next day. However you should never leave without trying the Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce. Even if you can only eat a few bites, it makes a great dessert to your brunch leftovers the next day. A dense square of tasty bread pudding topped off with a glistening coating of sweet chocolate, whiskey-doused sauce. I’ve just never had anything like it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I can’t recommend Cajun Pacific enough. Each time I go there my enthusiasm only grows. It is off the beaten path for sure, but absolutely worth the trip. Amazing value, generous portions, unbeatable dishes — don’t miss it!\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/brian-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Brian\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Wine Operations Manager\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sonoma\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 23, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cajun Pacific’s dining room is only open Thursday through Saturday, and there was a deadline for submittal of this review, so after making reservations a week in advance, I followed up two days before the established date to confirm my reservations. Thus, I was very disconcerted when after spending ten minutes perusing the Sunset neighborhood for a parking space, we were told our name was not on the guest list. However, not to worry, the waitress promptly seated us anyways and apologized for the confusion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant is barely big enough for a kitchen, and if every one of the twenty or so seats were taken, it would be noisy and uncomfortable indeed. I was beginning to anticipate an unhappy experience, but once the food began to flow, all concerns vanished. First we were served a big, hot cup of andouille sausage and chicken gumbo. It was hearty and delicious, with a nice spicy kick. Wonderful, soft cornbreads muffins accompanied the gumbo, and I would gladly have made a meal of these two delights alone. My guest ordered lump crabmeat and goat cheese strudel with herbsaint crème glaze…light puff pastries with a perfect filling of delicate crabmeat and creamy goat cheese.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next came a substantial plate of perfectly prepared pasta tossed with Creole cream and crawfish tail meat. It was rich and delicious, and I would have devoured every bit of it if I wasn’t already stuffed, but I did my best. My guest had pan-fried, pecan-encrusted catfish meunière served with two of five available side dishes. She chose sweet potato gratin and sautéed Blue Lake beans. The pecan crust was a bit flavorless, but the meunière sauce and perfect, flaky catfish more than made up for it. The garlicky sweet potato gratin made a perfect accompaniment to the catfish.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By this time, it was clear we would need extra large to-go boxes, but we had to try the only desert: bread pudding with whisky sauce. I could have eaten just about anything if it was dipped in this dreamy, gooey whisky sauce, and we did out best to polish it off in spite of being full.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There were only three wines available along with a few beers and soft drinks, but all were reasonably priced, and all were available by the glass as well as by the bottle. If you choose to bring your own wine, corkage is a modest ten dollars. All told, with wine by the glass, our check came to $97.00, including a full twenty percent tip (the waitress was distracted by the chef’s family, but showed a refinement more befitting the excellent food quality than the casual surroundings), a deal for cuisine this delicious, and we did order twice as much food as we needed, though I’d be tempted to do it again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decor was a bit cheesy, and the mismatched chairs were not all that comfortable, but this is a sort of family, neighborhood place where you don’t have to worry about your kids bumping into things or being noisy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since the restaurant is only open three nights a week, I asked the owner what the deal was, and he explained that he and his staff of two (a dishwasher/sous chef and one waitress) take one night off, and the remaining nights are spent catering events. During the holidays, you may order a complete Cajun Christmas dinner including a deep fried turkey. I may just make the trip from Sonoma this year… and I won’t complain about the lack of parking.\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/stanley-roberts.jpg\" alt=\"Stanley\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stanley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Reporter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Foster City\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> House of Prime Rib\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 21, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Let me start out buy saying the food was wonderful full of flavor and cooked to perfection. Now that I got that out of the way, Cajun Pacific is one of those high-priced local dives; it was like eating in a closet. When you walk in the door, you walk in to the dining area — there is no lobby or foyer. I had my wife and Brooke, my two year old, so we were kind of in the way. And we stood there for five minutes before being — oh wait, we were never greeted. We just stood there for five minutes. Finally I took 10 steps forward to the counter past the nine tables and was told as soon as a table leaves we would get a seat, so we continued to stand around. I guess we could have waited outside but with the two dogs lying outside the door, my little girl did not feel comfortable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After ordering, it took more than 45 minutes before we got our appetizers. As a matter of fact, 35 minutes after we sat down, a man with his son sat next to us and got their soup before us. Service was almost nonexistent. During most of the night our server (there was only one) would drop off the food and never check to see if we needed anything. Then after receiving the main course she did check on us twice in five minutes. By the time we got our main course, Brooke was fidgety so we ate a few bites then we packed up our food and departed, but not before ordering bread pudding to go. No one-course meal should take two hours to eat. This wasn’t just our problem — I overheard one customer say that she waited so long she had lost her appetite. The seats were so uncomfortable I was ready to leave after the first hour. Take out would probably be my next choice. Oh, and parking sucks; typical SF parking. The atmosphere: too cozy for my taste.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>House of Prime Rib: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=251\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/12/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-13-213/\">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/cp213iPod_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/houseofprimerib9.jpg\" alt=\"House of Prime Rib\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/houseofprimerib25.jpg\" alt=\"House of Prime Rib\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/houseofprimerib2.jpg\" alt=\"House of Prime Rib\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nPrime Rib House Cut, House Salad, Prime Rib King Henry VIII Cut\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/stanley-roberts.jpg\" alt=\"Stanley\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stanley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Reporter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Foster City\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> House of Prime Rib\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed House of Prime Rib:\u003c/strong> Friday, September 15, 2006\u003cbr>\nUpon arrival to the House of Prime Rib, we were greeted by a large crowd of diners waiting to be seated. Due to the fact at we were more than 15 minutes late because of traffic, we were moved to the back of the line. Gus the maitre’d escorted us to our table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>House of Prime Rib is famous for one thing: prime rib. I have never been disappointed with the food, the atmosphere, or the service. I ordered my prime rib medium-rare, which, in my opinion, is the only way to eat prime rib. The meal started off with the salad presentation: the server brings out a large metal salad bowl on a bed of ice, he spins the bowl and tosses the salad while adding dressing and seasoning. This is followed by the meat cart that offers hand-carved prime rib, whipped potatoes, and creamed spinach. I am a not a foo-foo food eater and House of Prime Rib is not in any way foo-foo! You will almost always leave with a doggie bag and will leave with a full smile on your face, so if you like meat with a side of meat then go to the House of Prime Rib.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The atmosphere is very classy but with a casual feel, you almost feel like you’re at home during the whole process. Parking can be a bear but they offer valet parking, which I suggest you use. Be prepared for a little wait once you get there, so sit at the bar and order something while you pass the time away.\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/jaimie-lock.jpg\" alt=\"Jaimie\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Jaimie\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Multimedia Designer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed House of Prime Rib:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easy to see why the House of Prime Rib is a San Francisco dining landmark. As soon as you enter its historic doors on Van Ness, you feel like you are time traveling back to an era when dining out was a special occasion rather than a regular activity. Since living in San Francisco, I’ve never gotten a chance to eat there mostly because I lean towards seafood or more exotic options when dining out. A restaurant with “Prime Rib” in its name would never spark enough interest for me. The surprise was that I really enjoyed it, and now understand why the House of Prime Rib has been in business since the 1940s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decor is done up in dark wood, warm amber light, and roomy upholstered booths. Separate dining rooms allow a more comfortable and quiet setting. After being seated we were presented with a fresh loaf of baked sourdough bread and our menus. I enjoyed opening the menu and seeing roughly five different options, all variations of the same item — prime rib. Yes, prime rib and lots of it. The only differences being cut and size. Except for the fish option, offered to those not a fan of the house specialty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We enjoyed a nice Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and soon our dinner salads arrived, or I should say the salad presentation, which was nothing short of impressive, arrived. During the tableside preparation the server quietly remarked “no one leaves here hungry” when she saw my eyes widen at the salad’s size placed in front of me. The salad was crisp, flavorful, and perfectly chilled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the salad course, we were introduced to our tableside carver. Our dinners were prepared and soon we were faced with a plate brimming with the House of Prime Rib’s specialty cut of beef, creamed spinach, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Homemade horseradish sauce also accompanied the meal. The aroma alone defined this as comfort food, but soon we dug into the most tender, flavorful prepared prime rib. The side dishes were all wonderful, and very rich. I think my only regret was not choosing the baked potato, which I observed being prepared at a neighboring table. We diligently ate until we hit our limit, which was about halfway through. I was wondering why I noticed many small, red shopping bags at other tables. These were the take-home bags for just about everyone who was definitely not leaving hungry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We decided that since our dinners were so enjoyable, we had to at least sample dessert. We selected the English Trifle, which was a slice of pound cake soaked in Grand Mariner and topped with fresh berries and cream. I would probably eat anything soaked in Grand Mariner, and this was also absolutely delicious. The “sampling” of dessert turned into something a lot less dainty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall I would definitely recommend the House of Prime Rib. When a restaurant has a specialty and they’ve had more than 60 years to perfect it, it’s hard to go wrong.\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/brian-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Brian\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Wine Operations Manager\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sonoma\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed House of Prime Rib:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 10, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Writing a review for the House Of Prime Rib is a tricky assignment. There are few choices to make when ordering your meal, so the potential for bad food is pretty unlikely, and there’s really nothing controversial to ponder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plenty of valet attendants await guests at the curb along Van Ness, but we had no trouble finding parking just around the corner. Upon entering the foyer, an impressive display of first-rate red wines greets you, hinting at the promise of a great gastronomic experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restaurant’s decor is old world European, with the trappings of a turn-of-the-century English manor befitting a dining room intended for serious meat and potato aficionados.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wait staff is formally attired, though the guests were decidedly casual, and a diner at an adjoining table actually nodded off in his booth after consuming a generously proportioned meal (our waiter politely woke him with a gentle nudge).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you like tender beef, you will love the House Of Prime Rib. They do one thing with very little variation, but they do it well. You may choose the size and doneness of the cut, but otherwise, deciding whether you want a baked or mashed potato, and how spicy you want your horseradish is all the thinking you need to do. Everyone gets the same sides: First came a demi-loaf of tasty sourdough bread, with a huge pat of butter. Next came a simple chophouse salad with julienned beets, drenched in an apple cider vinegar dressing that’s delicious but overwhelming. At last came our entrees: a thick, juicy cut of prime rib with our choice of potato, creamed spinach (salty), and a generous chunk of buttery Yorkshire Pudding (far too rich for my palate). I could feel my cholesterol count burst upwards a hundred points as the platter was placed before me!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite being stuffed from all the intensely rich food, we decided to share a dessert. Tiramisu is one of my favorites, and I was a bit disappointed with this version. Perhaps we just selected poorly, as one would assume that a restaurant with so few choices would make certain what selections they do have are the very freshest, and perfectly prepared. We washed it all down with a bottle of A. Rafanelli’s 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine list was chock full of superb selections at fair prices just as the foyer display promised, though too few offerings are available by the glass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is clearly a special event restaurant — a place to go on the rare occasion when you feel like spending big, eating big, and ignoring your diet. The waitstaff is practiced in artful presentations, and the old world charm makes your visit an occasion even if you have nothing special to celebrate, but I couldn’t appreciate the extremely rich food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our bottle of wine was $55, and with a tip, the entire bill for the two of us came to $155, a bit expensive despite the theatrical service, for a meal with so little variety. I might return for a special occasion, especially with hard-core carnivores as guests, but my recommendation to friends will come with a health warning.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n1906 Van Ness Avenue (at Washington Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94109\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-885-4605\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca>www.houseofprimerib.citysearch.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Prime Rib\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>House of Prime Rib: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=251\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/12/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-13-213/\">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/cp213iPod_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/houseofprimerib9.jpg\" alt=\"House of Prime Rib\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/houseofprimerib25.jpg\" alt=\"House of Prime Rib\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/houseofprimerib2.jpg\" alt=\"House of Prime Rib\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nPrime Rib House Cut, House Salad, Prime Rib King Henry VIII Cut\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/stanley-roberts.jpg\" alt=\"Stanley\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Stanley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Reporter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Foster City\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> House of Prime Rib\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed House of Prime Rib:\u003c/strong> Friday, September 15, 2006\u003cbr>\nUpon arrival to the House of Prime Rib, we were greeted by a large crowd of diners waiting to be seated. Due to the fact at we were more than 15 minutes late because of traffic, we were moved to the back of the line. Gus the maitre’d escorted us to our table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>House of Prime Rib is famous for one thing: prime rib. I have never been disappointed with the food, the atmosphere, or the service. I ordered my prime rib medium-rare, which, in my opinion, is the only way to eat prime rib. The meal started off with the salad presentation: the server brings out a large metal salad bowl on a bed of ice, he spins the bowl and tosses the salad while adding dressing and seasoning. This is followed by the meat cart that offers hand-carved prime rib, whipped potatoes, and creamed spinach. I am a not a foo-foo food eater and House of Prime Rib is not in any way foo-foo! You will almost always leave with a doggie bag and will leave with a full smile on your face, so if you like meat with a side of meat then go to the House of Prime Rib.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The atmosphere is very classy but with a casual feel, you almost feel like you’re at home during the whole process. Parking can be a bear but they offer valet parking, which I suggest you use. Be prepared for a little wait once you get there, so sit at the bar and order something while you pass the time away.\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/jaimie-lock.jpg\" alt=\"Jaimie\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Jaimie\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Multimedia Designer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Cajun Pacific Restaurant & Catering\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed House of Prime Rib:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easy to see why the House of Prime Rib is a San Francisco dining landmark. As soon as you enter its historic doors on Van Ness, you feel like you are time traveling back to an era when dining out was a special occasion rather than a regular activity. Since living in San Francisco, I’ve never gotten a chance to eat there mostly because I lean towards seafood or more exotic options when dining out. A restaurant with “Prime Rib” in its name would never spark enough interest for me. The surprise was that I really enjoyed it, and now understand why the House of Prime Rib has been in business since the 1940s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decor is done up in dark wood, warm amber light, and roomy upholstered booths. Separate dining rooms allow a more comfortable and quiet setting. After being seated we were presented with a fresh loaf of baked sourdough bread and our menus. I enjoyed opening the menu and seeing roughly five different options, all variations of the same item — prime rib. Yes, prime rib and lots of it. The only differences being cut and size. Except for the fish option, offered to those not a fan of the house specialty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We enjoyed a nice Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and soon our dinner salads arrived, or I should say the salad presentation, which was nothing short of impressive, arrived. During the tableside preparation the server quietly remarked “no one leaves here hungry” when she saw my eyes widen at the salad’s size placed in front of me. The salad was crisp, flavorful, and perfectly chilled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the salad course, we were introduced to our tableside carver. Our dinners were prepared and soon we were faced with a plate brimming with the House of Prime Rib’s specialty cut of beef, creamed spinach, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Homemade horseradish sauce also accompanied the meal. The aroma alone defined this as comfort food, but soon we dug into the most tender, flavorful prepared prime rib. The side dishes were all wonderful, and very rich. I think my only regret was not choosing the baked potato, which I observed being prepared at a neighboring table. We diligently ate until we hit our limit, which was about halfway through. I was wondering why I noticed many small, red shopping bags at other tables. These were the take-home bags for just about everyone who was definitely not leaving hungry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We decided that since our dinners were so enjoyable, we had to at least sample dessert. We selected the English Trifle, which was a slice of pound cake soaked in Grand Mariner and topped with fresh berries and cream. I would probably eat anything soaked in Grand Mariner, and this was also absolutely delicious. The “sampling” of dessert turned into something a lot less dainty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Overall I would definitely recommend the House of Prime Rib. When a restaurant has a specialty and they’ve had more than 60 years to perfect it, it’s hard to go wrong.\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/brian-jones.jpg\" alt=\"Brian\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Wine Operations Manager\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Sonoma\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sonoma-Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed House of Prime Rib:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 10, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Writing a review for the House Of Prime Rib is a tricky assignment. There are few choices to make when ordering your meal, so the potential for bad food is pretty unlikely, and there’s really nothing controversial to ponder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plenty of valet attendants await guests at the curb along Van Ness, but we had no trouble finding parking just around the corner. Upon entering the foyer, an impressive display of first-rate red wines greets you, hinting at the promise of a great gastronomic experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restaurant’s decor is old world European, with the trappings of a turn-of-the-century English manor befitting a dining room intended for serious meat and potato aficionados.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wait staff is formally attired, though the guests were decidedly casual, and a diner at an adjoining table actually nodded off in his booth after consuming a generously proportioned meal (our waiter politely woke him with a gentle nudge).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you like tender beef, you will love the House Of Prime Rib. They do one thing with very little variation, but they do it well. You may choose the size and doneness of the cut, but otherwise, deciding whether you want a baked or mashed potato, and how spicy you want your horseradish is all the thinking you need to do. Everyone gets the same sides: First came a demi-loaf of tasty sourdough bread, with a huge pat of butter. Next came a simple chophouse salad with julienned beets, drenched in an apple cider vinegar dressing that’s delicious but overwhelming. At last came our entrees: a thick, juicy cut of prime rib with our choice of potato, creamed spinach (salty), and a generous chunk of buttery Yorkshire Pudding (far too rich for my palate). I could feel my cholesterol count burst upwards a hundred points as the platter was placed before me!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite being stuffed from all the intensely rich food, we decided to share a dessert. Tiramisu is one of my favorites, and I was a bit disappointed with this version. Perhaps we just selected poorly, as one would assume that a restaurant with so few choices would make certain what selections they do have are the very freshest, and perfectly prepared. We washed it all down with a bottle of A. Rafanelli’s 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine list was chock full of superb selections at fair prices just as the foyer display promised, though too few offerings are available by the glass.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is clearly a special event restaurant — a place to go on the rare occasion when you feel like spending big, eating big, and ignoring your diet. The waitstaff is practiced in artful presentations, and the old world charm makes your visit an occasion even if you have nothing special to celebrate, but I couldn’t appreciate the extremely rich food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jardinière: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=240\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=243\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/05/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-12-212/\">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/cp212iPod_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/jardiniere16.jpg\" alt=\"Jardiniere\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/jardiniere13.jpg\" alt=\"Jardiniere\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/jardiniere15.jpg\" alt=\"Jardiniere\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nLiberty Farms Duck Breast with Braised Bacon Bok Choy, Caramelized Turnips, Santa Rosa Plums and Candied Ginger; Hamachi Sashimi with Roasted Beet and Cucumber Salad; Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs with Horseradish Potato Puree and Herb Salad\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/charlene-nason.jpg\" alt=\"Charlene\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Charlene\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Social Work Supervisor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Jardinière\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Jardinière:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 17, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon first approach to this Hayes Valley brick building, one is met with graciously large glass and wooden double doors. Valet parking is available, but on Sunday evening, unnecessary, as the streets are clear of parked cars. A matinee at the nearby opera is long over, and the diners from there are also gone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We told the host we were early, and would be having drinks at the bar before our 8pm reservation. I requested that we be seated ringside upstairs, facing the piano. The hosts were very accommodating and friendly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the bar, where seating is in an oval, the atmosphere is elegant and attractive. Bar lights are stained glass shaded lamps; the service area is in the center of the bar, with a view of the sweeping metal staircase and curved, metal railings. There is a sophisticated atmosphere to the main floor, reminiscent of 1930-40’s New York nightclubs, shown in movies of that era. There are exposed brick walls, several impressionistic paintings, wall sconces, and window drapes of a red wine color, which support the warmth of the interior. One hears the piano throughout the restaurant. Music is nightly, usually a contemporary jazz, which is great.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While at the bar, we recognized a celebrity of international acclaim, seated next to me. We chatted and had a very fun experience talking with her. (A very exciting aspect of this sophisticated dining experience.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At our table upstairs, we were aware that although all the tables filled up, we never felt intruded upon by the presence of other diners. The server was able to help with wine pairing and was friendly, efficient, and did not hover. Due to the lower ceilings upstairs, there is more of an intimate feeling than dining on the main floor. We never felt rushed, as if they “needed our\u003cbr>\nPlates” in the kitchen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The scallop appetizer was fantastic with its seared crust, yet tender and sweet inside, on a bed of parsley sauce with green onions. The Vouvray, which was mellow with a little taste of fruit, went very well with the scallops. The sourdough rolls and sweet butter were warm when they were brought to the table before the meal. My main course, the duck, was cooked rare, with fabulous bits of ginger, plum, and potatoes exploding with complementary tastes. The Pinot Noir with its rich flavor went well with my companion’s short ribs, which were richly bursting with flavor of the Cabernet-infused sauce. Each bite was a delight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The portions were quite sufficient, certainly not the typical French restaurant joke of three peas rolling around on a large empty plate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we chose the chocolate mousse, which arrived on a plate sandwiched between two almond macaroons. Although they did not resemble any macaroon I’d previously seen, it was delicious. The mousse and the almond sherbet and the fresh raspberries offered great taste contrasts. As I had informed the hosts when we arrived, that we were celebrating my companion’s birthday, the kitchen had written her name and “happy birthday” in chocolate on the plate. A delightful treat. The decaf coffee was fresh, hot, and rich; a great companion to the dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although pricey, this restaurant is a very special treat and a great place for a dinner to linger and savor over, and to be remembered.\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/richland-tester.jpg\" alt=\"Richland\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Richland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Chemist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Alameda\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Esperpento\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Jardinière:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 16, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our party of four arrived at Jardinière a bit early for our 7:30 reservation, but we were shown right to comfortable booth up stairs. The restaurant is beautifully decorated in dark colors, and the tables were elegantly set. The background music provided by a piano player was very nice, but not intrusive. It is not what I would consider a quiet restaurant, but the noise level allowed for normal conversation without feeling like you had to whisper to be polite or shout to be heard. The hostess was quick to offer menus and a wine menu, as the waiter immediately appeared to ask if we had any questions or time constraints for our dinner (the opera is nearby). We had no constraints and took some time to look over the menu. We all agreed that the way to sample the offerings of such an elegant restaurant was to choose the chef’s six-course tasting menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We knew we were in for a real treat as the first course arrived among a flurry of servers. A detailed explanation was given about the sashimi of hamachi on a cucumber salad. It included several slices of very fresh hamachi on a salad of roasted tiny beets and thinly sliced cucumbers. It was dressed with a light lemony dressing and topped with caviar. The caviar added a salty taste to the dish that rounded it out perfectly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next we were offered a dish of perfectly poached halibut with calamari and Manila clams. The halibut sat nestled in a small amount of tomato broth on top of the shelling beans (like fava beans), olives, peeled halved cherry tomatoes, and ringed by tiny clams in the shell. It was like a miniature cioppino with a very small amount of broth. It was delicious and had us convinced that we had made the right choice to have the tasting menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the second dish they started to appear in pairs. The rabbit coarse and had rabbit prepared two ways. One was simple rillettes served on a thin piece of toast. It was light and delicious. Served on the same plate was a roasted saddle of rabbit that had been tied and stuffed with herbs and roasted. It was great served on a bed of roasted figs and caramelized onions. The whole plate had wonderful thyme jus drizzled around it. Two of our group almost did not get the tasting menu because it had the rabbit coarse (both were not fans of rabbit). They were happy once they tasted the rabbit!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last among the entrée courses was a duo of beef again served on the same plate. On one side there were slices of rare New York steak served with chanterelle mushrooms and bordelaise sauce. It was savory and very nicely prepared. On the other side of the plate there was the boneless short rib served on creamed nettles. The nettles were a nice accompaniment to the braised rib meat that was cooked tender enough to eat with a fork.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cheese course was a bit of a let down. It was a single cheese that was very fragrant. There was a musty flavor that did not go well with the more subtle flavors of the rest of the meal. I like strong cheeses, but this one was not my favorite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lastly, they served Asian pear and shiso with yuzu gelée and ginger sorbet. The sorbet was busting with ginger flavor, slightly sweet and went perfectly with the gelée. The Asian pears were sliced very thinly and also complemented the sorbet quite well. The shiso was a little hard to eat in this setting. The texture did not complement the sorbet and pears as well as a regular mint might have. All in all it was a very good dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The evening at Jardinière was wonderful and lasted over two hours. It is the mark of a truly great restaurant when after two hours you look at your watch and wonder how you could have been sitting there that long. The service was impeccable and the meal could not have been more perfectly paced. It is a great place for a special occasion, or for a special night out with 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/alexandra-kealy.jpg\" alt=\"Alexandra\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Alexandra\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Architectural Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Trattoria La Siciliana\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Jardinière:\u003c/strong> Friday, September 15, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our reservation was at 6:15 on a Friday evening, and I requested a balcony seat in order to view the restaurant as a whole. My dining partner and I arrived a little early at 5:30! We promptly sat at the bar and engaged ourselves in the most wonderful conversation with the bartender, Danni, who served our cocktails. Michael recommended the house favorites and we began to scan the menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My dining partner ordered the tasting menu with wine pairings, and I ordered the house specialty Duck Confit and New York Steak. Then the show began. Eugeneo the Sommelier came over to talk about the wines we would be lucky enough to pair with our meal. He incorporated stories of small families in Italian vineyards, who made their wines by hand. Michael was very attentive and explained each and every delectable course. The Tombo Tuna tartare with caviar, baby beets, cucumber, and crème fraîche was so mouthwatering I was jealous that I could only have one bite. Yet I was lucky enough to sample their salmon tartare with fresh edamame, which made all the difference, the textures blended in a way I had never been introduced to. My dining partner’s favorite item was the halibut, her reaction was moist, moist, moist. As for me I can’t decide between the perfectly rare New York steak or the cheese. I love the cheese course here and was even granted permission to enter the cheese cave, which contained Traci Jardinière’s favorites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though the evening came with a higher price tag than I would normally spend (over $120 per person), I plan on returning to Jardinière to chat with the bartenders, enjoy the knowledge of Eugeneo the wine sommelier, and eat from the daily changing menu time and time again. It is a true dining experience.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n 300 Grove Street (at Franklin Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94102\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-861-5555\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.jardiniere.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.jardiniere.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> California/French\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"description": "Location:\r\n 300 Grove Street (at Franklin Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94102\r\nPhone: 415-861-5555\r\nWebsite: www.jardiniere.com\r\nType of Cuisine: California/French\r\nReviewed: Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jardinière: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=240\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=243\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/05/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-12-212/\">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/cp212iPod_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/jardiniere16.jpg\" alt=\"Jardiniere\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/jardiniere13.jpg\" alt=\"Jardiniere\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/jardiniere15.jpg\" alt=\"Jardiniere\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nLiberty Farms Duck Breast with Braised Bacon Bok Choy, Caramelized Turnips, Santa Rosa Plums and Candied Ginger; Hamachi Sashimi with Roasted Beet and Cucumber Salad; Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs with Horseradish Potato Puree and Herb Salad\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/charlene-nason.jpg\" alt=\"Charlene\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Charlene\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Social Work Supervisor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Jardinière\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Jardinière:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 17, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon first approach to this Hayes Valley brick building, one is met with graciously large glass and wooden double doors. Valet parking is available, but on Sunday evening, unnecessary, as the streets are clear of parked cars. A matinee at the nearby opera is long over, and the diners from there are also gone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We told the host we were early, and would be having drinks at the bar before our 8pm reservation. I requested that we be seated ringside upstairs, facing the piano. The hosts were very accommodating and friendly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the bar, where seating is in an oval, the atmosphere is elegant and attractive. Bar lights are stained glass shaded lamps; the service area is in the center of the bar, with a view of the sweeping metal staircase and curved, metal railings. There is a sophisticated atmosphere to the main floor, reminiscent of 1930-40’s New York nightclubs, shown in movies of that era. There are exposed brick walls, several impressionistic paintings, wall sconces, and window drapes of a red wine color, which support the warmth of the interior. One hears the piano throughout the restaurant. Music is nightly, usually a contemporary jazz, which is great.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While at the bar, we recognized a celebrity of international acclaim, seated next to me. We chatted and had a very fun experience talking with her. (A very exciting aspect of this sophisticated dining experience.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At our table upstairs, we were aware that although all the tables filled up, we never felt intruded upon by the presence of other diners. The server was able to help with wine pairing and was friendly, efficient, and did not hover. Due to the lower ceilings upstairs, there is more of an intimate feeling than dining on the main floor. We never felt rushed, as if they “needed our\u003cbr>\nPlates” in the kitchen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The scallop appetizer was fantastic with its seared crust, yet tender and sweet inside, on a bed of parsley sauce with green onions. The Vouvray, which was mellow with a little taste of fruit, went very well with the scallops. The sourdough rolls and sweet butter were warm when they were brought to the table before the meal. My main course, the duck, was cooked rare, with fabulous bits of ginger, plum, and potatoes exploding with complementary tastes. The Pinot Noir with its rich flavor went well with my companion’s short ribs, which were richly bursting with flavor of the Cabernet-infused sauce. Each bite was a delight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The portions were quite sufficient, certainly not the typical French restaurant joke of three peas rolling around on a large empty plate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we chose the chocolate mousse, which arrived on a plate sandwiched between two almond macaroons. Although they did not resemble any macaroon I’d previously seen, it was delicious. The mousse and the almond sherbet and the fresh raspberries offered great taste contrasts. As I had informed the hosts when we arrived, that we were celebrating my companion’s birthday, the kitchen had written her name and “happy birthday” in chocolate on the plate. A delightful treat. The decaf coffee was fresh, hot, and rich; a great companion to the dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although pricey, this restaurant is a very special treat and a great place for a dinner to linger and savor over, and to be remembered.\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/richland-tester.jpg\" alt=\"Richland\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Richland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Chemist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Alameda\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Esperpento\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Jardinière:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 16, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our party of four arrived at Jardinière a bit early for our 7:30 reservation, but we were shown right to comfortable booth up stairs. The restaurant is beautifully decorated in dark colors, and the tables were elegantly set. The background music provided by a piano player was very nice, but not intrusive. It is not what I would consider a quiet restaurant, but the noise level allowed for normal conversation without feeling like you had to whisper to be polite or shout to be heard. The hostess was quick to offer menus and a wine menu, as the waiter immediately appeared to ask if we had any questions or time constraints for our dinner (the opera is nearby). We had no constraints and took some time to look over the menu. We all agreed that the way to sample the offerings of such an elegant restaurant was to choose the chef’s six-course tasting menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We knew we were in for a real treat as the first course arrived among a flurry of servers. A detailed explanation was given about the sashimi of hamachi on a cucumber salad. It included several slices of very fresh hamachi on a salad of roasted tiny beets and thinly sliced cucumbers. It was dressed with a light lemony dressing and topped with caviar. The caviar added a salty taste to the dish that rounded it out perfectly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next we were offered a dish of perfectly poached halibut with calamari and Manila clams. The halibut sat nestled in a small amount of tomato broth on top of the shelling beans (like fava beans), olives, peeled halved cherry tomatoes, and ringed by tiny clams in the shell. It was like a miniature cioppino with a very small amount of broth. It was delicious and had us convinced that we had made the right choice to have the tasting menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the second dish they started to appear in pairs. The rabbit coarse and had rabbit prepared two ways. One was simple rillettes served on a thin piece of toast. It was light and delicious. Served on the same plate was a roasted saddle of rabbit that had been tied and stuffed with herbs and roasted. It was great served on a bed of roasted figs and caramelized onions. The whole plate had wonderful thyme jus drizzled around it. Two of our group almost did not get the tasting menu because it had the rabbit coarse (both were not fans of rabbit). They were happy once they tasted the rabbit!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last among the entrée courses was a duo of beef again served on the same plate. On one side there were slices of rare New York steak served with chanterelle mushrooms and bordelaise sauce. It was savory and very nicely prepared. On the other side of the plate there was the boneless short rib served on creamed nettles. The nettles were a nice accompaniment to the braised rib meat that was cooked tender enough to eat with a fork.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cheese course was a bit of a let down. It was a single cheese that was very fragrant. There was a musty flavor that did not go well with the more subtle flavors of the rest of the meal. I like strong cheeses, but this one was not my favorite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lastly, they served Asian pear and shiso with yuzu gelée and ginger sorbet. The sorbet was busting with ginger flavor, slightly sweet and went perfectly with the gelée. The Asian pears were sliced very thinly and also complemented the sorbet quite well. The shiso was a little hard to eat in this setting. The texture did not complement the sorbet and pears as well as a regular mint might have. All in all it was a very good dessert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The evening at Jardinière was wonderful and lasted over two hours. It is the mark of a truly great restaurant when after two hours you look at your watch and wonder how you could have been sitting there that long. The service was impeccable and the meal could not have been more perfectly paced. It is a great place for a special occasion, or for a special night out with 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/alexandra-kealy.jpg\" alt=\"Alexandra\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Alexandra\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Architectural Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Trattoria La Siciliana\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Jardinière:\u003c/strong> Friday, September 15, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our reservation was at 6:15 on a Friday evening, and I requested a balcony seat in order to view the restaurant as a whole. My dining partner and I arrived a little early at 5:30! We promptly sat at the bar and engaged ourselves in the most wonderful conversation with the bartender, Danni, who served our cocktails. Michael recommended the house favorites and we began to scan the menu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My dining partner ordered the tasting menu with wine pairings, and I ordered the house specialty Duck Confit and New York Steak. Then the show began. Eugeneo the Sommelier came over to talk about the wines we would be lucky enough to pair with our meal. He incorporated stories of small families in Italian vineyards, who made their wines by hand. Michael was very attentive and explained each and every delectable course. The Tombo Tuna tartare with caviar, baby beets, cucumber, and crème fraîche was so mouthwatering I was jealous that I could only have one bite. Yet I was lucky enough to sample their salmon tartare with fresh edamame, which made all the difference, the textures blended in a way I had never been introduced to. My dining partner’s favorite item was the halibut, her reaction was moist, moist, moist. As for me I can’t decide between the perfectly rare New York steak or the cheese. I love the cheese course here and was even granted permission to enter the cheese cave, which contained Traci Jardinière’s favorites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even though the evening came with a higher price tag than I would normally spend (over $120 per person), I plan on returning to Jardinière to chat with the bartenders, enjoy the knowledge of Eugeneo the wine sommelier, and eat from the daily changing menu time and time again. It is a true dining experience.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Esperpento Tapas Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=241\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/05/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-12-212/\">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/cp212iPod_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/esperpento8.jpg\" alt=\"Esperpento\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/esperpento9.jpg\" alt=\"Esperpento\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/esperpento17.jpg\" alt=\"Esperpento\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nTortilla de Patata, Grilled Calamari, Flan\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/richland-tester.jpg\" alt=\"Richland\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Richland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Chemist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Alameda\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Esperpento\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Esperpento:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 14, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Esperpento has a lively atmosphere that makes it a great place to join friends for an evening of sharing good food and companionship. Our party of four arrived at 6:00 on a weeknight, and we were promptly led to a table. We ordered some nice sangria, and the waitress brought us some bread while we perused the menu, which boasts a large array of Spanish tapas and traditional Spanish specialties. We decided on tapas and proceeded to order a variety of the vegetarian, meat, and seafood offerings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started our meal with Tortilla de Patata (potato and onion omelet), Alcachofas a La Plancha (grilled baby artichoke slices), Calamari Fritos (fried calamari), and Cazuela De Pescado Con Almejas (snapper and clams in Spanish sauce). We also ordered the Aceitunas Rellenos De Anchoas (olives stuffed with anchovies), but they were out of them, so we settled for the pimento-stuffed olives that were offered as a replacement. The small plates (to be shared by all) began to arrive almost immediately it seemed, but the food was hot and tasty. The Tortilla de Patata is a thick potato pancake served sliced into six slices. It is touted as the “most popular Spanish tapas” and everyone enjoyed it. The calamari was very nicely seasoned and very soft in texture. Along with this came the sliced artichoke, which was sliced very thinly and grilled with garlic and olive oil. Last out of the kitchen was the Cazuela De Pescado Con Almejas. The clams and broth were very nice, although the snapper was a bit “fishy” for my taste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finishing the first round of food only left us wanting more. Figuring we would need around 2-3 plates per person for a full meal, the waitress had thoughtfully left us a menu. We decided to try Patatas Bravas (spicy potatoes), Judias Verdes Rehogadas (sautéed green beans), Gambas Al Ajillo (garlic shrimp), Pescado Rebozado Con Ali-oli (deep fried snapper strips), Pollo Adobo (spicy chicken), and the Ropa Viejo (beef, chicken, and chorizo stew). We also opted for a second pitcher of sangria at this point. Once again, the dishes started to appear as if by magic. The Pollo Adobo was the star of round two. The tender chicken pieces were served in a spicy chili sauce that was delicious. The Patatas Bravas were crispy potato wedges also served in a light, spicy sauce, and the fried snapper was a hit. The Ropa Viejo was a stew of delicious sauce, which seemed to be mostly peppers and onions. Lastly were the shrimp, which turned out to be slightly larger than cocktail shrimp and served in a thin garlic sauce that was somewhat lacking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Somewhere along the second round of food we noticed the mariachis gathering outside the restaurant. A man appeared inside the restaurant and began to play guitar and sing in Spanish. He was very talented, and it added to the fun ambience of the restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At this point, despite being stuffed to the gills, we decided we should sample a couple of the desserts. We decided to go with the traditional flan and the Crema Catalana. The flan was great. It was light and creamy in texture and disappeared very quickly. The Crema Catalana (touted by the waiter to be “like crème brûlée”) was a bit of disappointment. In contrast to the delicate flan, the custard had a gritty quality and the sugar crust had a distinctly burnt taste to it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all, we had a fun time at Esperpento enjoying the food, music, and the company. Here you will find a comfortable atmosphere you can enjoy with any size group of people. It is a social dining experience to be shared by all.\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/charlene-nason.jpg\" alt=\"Charlene\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Charlene\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Social Work Supervisor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Jardinière\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Esperpento:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 12, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comfortable and welcoming local restaurant provided a fun and tasty dining experience. The waitress was accommodating and friendly, giving us time to settle in and review the wine list before ordering. She helped us in negotiating our selections of tapas, and indicated when we seemed to be over-ordering more than we could eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The environment is pleasantly painted and decorated with yellows and abstract designs on the walls and tables. There are copies of paintings and portraits that relate to the meaning of the restaurant’s name. Esperpento is a Spanish literary form depicting stylized portraits intended to ridicule institutions, as a small sign on the wall explains. There is a wall display of fans, and women’s shawls are hung in overhead windows. The music is flamenco and Spanish, although at times it is too hard to hear. This does allow one to converse easily with fellow diners. There is an upstairs, which was closed at the time. The main floor seats about fifty people, in comfortably spaced tables. Unlike many restaurants, this is a spacious location.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food and the wine were very good choices, matching each other well. The entire experience was very pleasant. Unlike other tapas restaurants, we felt the portions were fairly sized for the cost. The artichoke dish, the calamari, and the potato torta were outstanding. Four dishes had a sauce that just made the dish fantastic. Much use of garlic and olive oil contributed to this. The two other dishes also had excellent sauces, although the beef in the ropa vieja was tough. Service was fast, and included bread and butter, and a pitcher of water on every table. A neighboring diner was licking her fingers from her choice of the grilled quail combination plate and gave it two thumbs up when I asked her for a recommendation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would definitely return to this Mission district gem.\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/alexandra-kealy.jpg\" alt=\"Alexandra\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Alexandra\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Architectural Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Trattoria La Siciliana\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Esperpento:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is refreshing to know that one can still get a great meal for reasonable prices. This was the case at Esperpento in the eclectic Mission District. It has a lively, energetic décor with colorful shawls and wonderful art. I ate there on a Tuesday evening and by 7:30pm the place was packed. There was a large birthday party in the center of the ever-so-small restaurant. If seated with one’s back against the street, one is transported to Spain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ordered from their tapas menu the Almejas a la Marinera: clams in Spanish marinera sauce made with sautéed onion, garlic, parsley, and white wine. Unfortunately the promise was worth more than the delivery, the clams were small, and I wanted more flavor present. Next the garlic chicken and Patatas Alioli, which included house made garlic mayonnaise. My dining partner exclaimed that she could put the mayonnaise on cardboard and eat it all, so yummy. The flavors of the garlic chicken were mouth-gasmic as well. I gobbled up the Repollo Rehogado: cabbage sautéed with garlic and paprika, the more garlic the better, I always say. I finished off the meal with an Insalata Mixta and the light vinaigrette perfected the salty olive and flaky tuna.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert flan — I can’t remember the last time I had flan and it wasn’t at some fancy restaurant for $12. The flan at Esperpento was perfect and was under $4.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last I would like to recommend everyone in the world to venture to the Mission District, fight against the parking gods, and drink as much of their SANGRIA as possible. It alone was worth the price of admission, which was less than $30 per person with beverage and tip. Salud, amore, dinero! (health, love, money).\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n3295 22nd Street (at Valencia Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94110\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415.282.8867\r\n\u003cstrong>Email:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"mailto:siulsolrac@aol.com\">siulsolrac@aol.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Spanish Tapas\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Esperpento Tapas Restaurant: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=241\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/05/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-12-212/\">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/cp212iPod_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/esperpento8.jpg\" alt=\"Esperpento\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/esperpento9.jpg\" alt=\"Esperpento\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/esperpento17.jpg\" alt=\"Esperpento\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nTortilla de Patata, Grilled Calamari, Flan\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/richland-tester.jpg\" alt=\"Richland\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Richland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Chemist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Alameda\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Esperpento\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Esperpento:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 14, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Esperpento has a lively atmosphere that makes it a great place to join friends for an evening of sharing good food and companionship. Our party of four arrived at 6:00 on a weeknight, and we were promptly led to a table. We ordered some nice sangria, and the waitress brought us some bread while we perused the menu, which boasts a large array of Spanish tapas and traditional Spanish specialties. We decided on tapas and proceeded to order a variety of the vegetarian, meat, and seafood offerings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We started our meal with Tortilla de Patata (potato and onion omelet), Alcachofas a La Plancha (grilled baby artichoke slices), Calamari Fritos (fried calamari), and Cazuela De Pescado Con Almejas (snapper and clams in Spanish sauce). We also ordered the Aceitunas Rellenos De Anchoas (olives stuffed with anchovies), but they were out of them, so we settled for the pimento-stuffed olives that were offered as a replacement. The small plates (to be shared by all) began to arrive almost immediately it seemed, but the food was hot and tasty. The Tortilla de Patata is a thick potato pancake served sliced into six slices. It is touted as the “most popular Spanish tapas” and everyone enjoyed it. The calamari was very nicely seasoned and very soft in texture. Along with this came the sliced artichoke, which was sliced very thinly and grilled with garlic and olive oil. Last out of the kitchen was the Cazuela De Pescado Con Almejas. The clams and broth were very nice, although the snapper was a bit “fishy” for my taste.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finishing the first round of food only left us wanting more. Figuring we would need around 2-3 plates per person for a full meal, the waitress had thoughtfully left us a menu. We decided to try Patatas Bravas (spicy potatoes), Judias Verdes Rehogadas (sautéed green beans), Gambas Al Ajillo (garlic shrimp), Pescado Rebozado Con Ali-oli (deep fried snapper strips), Pollo Adobo (spicy chicken), and the Ropa Viejo (beef, chicken, and chorizo stew). We also opted for a second pitcher of sangria at this point. Once again, the dishes started to appear as if by magic. The Pollo Adobo was the star of round two. The tender chicken pieces were served in a spicy chili sauce that was delicious. The Patatas Bravas were crispy potato wedges also served in a light, spicy sauce, and the fried snapper was a hit. The Ropa Viejo was a stew of delicious sauce, which seemed to be mostly peppers and onions. Lastly were the shrimp, which turned out to be slightly larger than cocktail shrimp and served in a thin garlic sauce that was somewhat lacking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Somewhere along the second round of food we noticed the mariachis gathering outside the restaurant. A man appeared inside the restaurant and began to play guitar and sing in Spanish. He was very talented, and it added to the fun ambience of the restaurant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At this point, despite being stuffed to the gills, we decided we should sample a couple of the desserts. We decided to go with the traditional flan and the Crema Catalana. The flan was great. It was light and creamy in texture and disappeared very quickly. The Crema Catalana (touted by the waiter to be “like crème brûlée”) was a bit of disappointment. In contrast to the delicate flan, the custard had a gritty quality and the sugar crust had a distinctly burnt taste to it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All in all, we had a fun time at Esperpento enjoying the food, music, and the company. Here you will find a comfortable atmosphere you can enjoy with any size group of people. It is a social dining experience to be shared by all.\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/charlene-nason.jpg\" alt=\"Charlene\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Charlene\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Social Work Supervisor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Jardinière\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Esperpento:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 12, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This comfortable and welcoming local restaurant provided a fun and tasty dining experience. The waitress was accommodating and friendly, giving us time to settle in and review the wine list before ordering. She helped us in negotiating our selections of tapas, and indicated when we seemed to be over-ordering more than we could eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The environment is pleasantly painted and decorated with yellows and abstract designs on the walls and tables. There are copies of paintings and portraits that relate to the meaning of the restaurant’s name. Esperpento is a Spanish literary form depicting stylized portraits intended to ridicule institutions, as a small sign on the wall explains. There is a wall display of fans, and women’s shawls are hung in overhead windows. The music is flamenco and Spanish, although at times it is too hard to hear. This does allow one to converse easily with fellow diners. There is an upstairs, which was closed at the time. The main floor seats about fifty people, in comfortably spaced tables. Unlike many restaurants, this is a spacious location.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food and the wine were very good choices, matching each other well. The entire experience was very pleasant. Unlike other tapas restaurants, we felt the portions were fairly sized for the cost. The artichoke dish, the calamari, and the potato torta were outstanding. Four dishes had a sauce that just made the dish fantastic. Much use of garlic and olive oil contributed to this. The two other dishes also had excellent sauces, although the beef in the ropa vieja was tough. Service was fast, and included bread and butter, and a pitcher of water on every table. A neighboring diner was licking her fingers from her choice of the grilled quail combination plate and gave it two thumbs up when I asked her for a recommendation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would definitely return to this Mission district gem.\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/alexandra-kealy.jpg\" alt=\"Alexandra\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Alexandra\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Architectural Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Trattoria La Siciliana\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Esperpento:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is refreshing to know that one can still get a great meal for reasonable prices. This was the case at Esperpento in the eclectic Mission District. It has a lively, energetic décor with colorful shawls and wonderful art. I ate there on a Tuesday evening and by 7:30pm the place was packed. There was a large birthday party in the center of the ever-so-small restaurant. If seated with one’s back against the street, one is transported to Spain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I ordered from their tapas menu the Almejas a la Marinera: clams in Spanish marinera sauce made with sautéed onion, garlic, parsley, and white wine. Unfortunately the promise was worth more than the delivery, the clams were small, and I wanted more flavor present. Next the garlic chicken and Patatas Alioli, which included house made garlic mayonnaise. My dining partner exclaimed that she could put the mayonnaise on cardboard and eat it all, so yummy. The flavors of the garlic chicken were mouth-gasmic as well. I gobbled up the Repollo Rehogado: cabbage sautéed with garlic and paprika, the more garlic the better, I always say. 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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trattoria La Siciliana: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=242\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=244\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/05/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-12-212/\">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/cp212iPod_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\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/trattorialasiciliana6.jpg\" alt=\"Trattoria La Siciliana\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/trattorialasiciliana8.jpg\" alt=\"Trattoria La Siciliana\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/trattorialasiciliana9.jpg\" alt=\"Trattoria La Siciliana\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nOlive Oil and Garlic Dipping Sauce; Meatballs with Rigatoni; Linguini with Shrimp and Lobster\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/alexandra-kealy.jpg\" alt=\"Alexandra\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Alexandra\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Architectural Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Trattoria La Siciliana\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Trattoria La Siciliana:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 16, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a kitchen the size of a large bathroom, I don’t know how the D’Alo brothers do it. Each and every dish served was made by one of them. And they still make the time to chat with the many regulars who visit, some on a weekly basis. If there is a long wait, especially on the weekends, he hands you a glass of rosé, which prepares the visitor for the gastronomical marvels soon to come. It is always packed, and I mean jumping; an orchestrated mad house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After raving about this authentic Sicilian restaurant to my mother for years, I was finally able to take her back to Italy (or at least for a few hours). First words out of her mouth were to complain that the chairs were not comfortable. Soon to be forgotten once the Olio Della Mamma arrived, the most delicious dipping oil on the planet. We enjoyed the complex blends of the freshest herbs and spices around, God bless garlic, while studying the vast menu. Too many choices, not enough stomach. We decided on the “Featured in \u003ci>Bon Appetit\u003c/i>” antipasti Caponata Con Crostini: a chilled sweet and sour Sicilian specialty of eggplant, olives, and Aeolian capers served with toasted crostini. I have never tasted anything quite like it. You are able to taste every ingredient and the way they blended together, complementing each other; one sweet, one sour. The capers were even sweet, and I usually find eggplant tart, yet here it melts in your mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next was the Rollatini di Melanzane, which was eggplant filled with three cheeses, breadcrumbs, pine nuts, raisins, herbs, and prosciutto served over a delectable tomato sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For our main course I chose my all-time favorite: Rigatoni San Giovanella, which is prepared with a light tomato-cream sauce, mushrooms, peas, pancetta, and nutmeg. Now, I could bathe in the sauce or eat it on its own for a soup, it is that good! As for the other ingredients — the popping of the peas mixed with the salty pancetta give it just the right amount of texture. My dining partner ate the Risotto alla Marinara, which had a distinct flavor married by tomato sauce. She enjoyed it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service is bright, efficient, and friendly. I love coming here as much as possible!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Total Cost per person including tax, tip, and wine: $50\u003cbr>\nTotal Cost for an evening enjoying the fruits of family-style Sicilian cooking: Priceless\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/richland-tester.jpg\" alt=\"Richland\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Richland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Chemist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Alameda\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Esperpento\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Trattoria La Siciliana:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 9, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The four of us arrived at Trattoria la Sicilliana on College Ave. at 6:30. We had a reservation, and a nervous looking hostess met us out to ask if we were this missing party. She immediately whisked us upstairs to the last table in the restaurant. The table was in the back of the upstairs part of the restaurant, conveniently located inches from the busboy’s clearing station. My first impression was that it was difficult to navigate through the closely packed together tables to get to ours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once seated at our table, the hostess passed out menus and asked if we had eaten there before. We said that it was first visit, and she proceeded to explain that it would preferable if we did not each order our own dinner, but rather eat family. Apparently there is only one chef at this busy restaurant, and if each person orders their own entrée, there is no way for them to bring them out at the same time. So, she suggested we order two dishes for the four of us and left us to the menus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu was another interesting experience. It reiterated the restaurants preference for family-style dining and added that we were expected to not take more 1.5 hours to complete our meal and that only cash was accepted as payment. The menu itself was lengthy and full of wonderful sounding Sicilian dishes. After twenty-five minutes of waiting and negotiating what we would share for dinner, we finally met the waiter. He took our order and asked if we would like bread. I checked my watch and wondered aloud if we would make our 1.5 hour time limit. This is apparently not a rule they take very seriously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At this point we felt like we were on our way. The bread was mediocre by Bay Area standards, but was made up for by the spicy garlic-flavored dipping oil that accompanied it. After another wait of twenty minutes or so, the appetizers began to arrive. We had ordered the antipasti misti for two, and half of a cracked crab. The antipasti was a mixed bag of forgettable antipasti. The calamari salad was a bit fishy tasting, while the eggplant caponata was quite good. The pickled vegetables were tart and crisp, but otherwise somewhat nondescript. The cracked crab was the highlight of our first course. It was served cold with a light dressing. The crabmeat was sweet and fresh tasting. It was a nice treat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a nice long time to enjoy our appetizers. Once they were completed, the table was cleared and more bread was brought to the table. We ordered a second bottle of the Pinot Grigio to go with dinner. The first of the entrees to arrive was the linguini pesto con gamberi (linguini with shrimp and pesto). There were a lot of nice shrimp, and the large pile of linguini was cooked perfectly. The pesto, on the other hand, got a mixed review. It was more of a cream sauce than a pesto, leaving the pesto lovers of the group feeling it was severely lacking. I enjoyed the dish, but I must admit I am not a huge pesto fan. Our second entree arrived about five minutes after the first. The penne polpette was another large dish of penne covered with a nice tomato sauce and four large meatballs. The pasta was once again cooked perfectly, but the meatballs were fantastic. The four of us agreed that the meatballs were the stars of the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The desserts, in contrast to the dinner, came at the same time and we were allowed to each order our own. We had the cannoli stuffed with whipped ricotta and candied fruit. This dish was a disaster. The fruit was a maraschino cherry cut in two, and it went down hill from there. Next we sampled the affogato (vanilla ice cream with espresso and biscotti). The ice cream was very nice and the biscotti were crunchy and tasty. Then I tasted the fagole fresce. This was a large glass filled with fresh strawberries and topped with a rum and blood orange sauce. It was excellent!\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/charlene-nason.jpg\" alt=\"Charlene\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Charlene\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Social Work Supervisor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Jardinière\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Trattoria La Siciliana:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 10, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon first arriving at this small Elmwood-area trattoria, we were pleasantly welcomed into a nearly empty but charming restaurant by the waiter. He allowed us to select our own table and was friendly and attentive. The restaurant seats about forty people in the main area, and also has an upstairs, which was not open at the time we arrived. We were there at 2pm for a late Sunday lunch and were told we could order from either the lunch or dinner menu. A tape of operatic instrumentals added to authenticity of an Italian neighborhood “kitchen.” Decorations included ceramic pottery, wine bottles, photos of Sicily, and marionettes of medieval knights. The walls glowed, awash in golden and terra cotta-colored faux paint. We were both feeling very positively about the upcoming dining experience. We were uncertain about a wine choice, so the waiter gave us a small tasting of our two selections. It seemed all would be enjoyable, that is, until nearly every table filled up within a matter of moments. It became apparent that the full house was too much for the one cook and one waiter. It took about a half hour after ordering to get our appetizer. We had to ask for water refills and bread. These arrived later when we were eating our entrees. We never did receive butter or olive oil with the bread, which was cold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appetizer arrived on a plate of cold, tart tomato sauce, topped by two undercooked, mildly warm rollatini. My companion’s chicken entree was from the dinner menu and overall, it was tasty and a good portion size. I did think the white meat was overcooked and dry, but with the sauce, this was less noticeable. The sauce was nicely flavored but too salty for my taste. The plate was bare of any accompanying starch or vegetable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was shocked when my entree arrived, as I expected the salmon to be the main ingredient, not the pasta. I received a large bowl of penne pasta in a creamy sauce with a very small number of little cubes of salmon. After inquiring if this were the correct dish, since it had so little salmon in it, he said it was. I indicated that this looked more like it was a half-order, and he insisted that it wasn’t a mistake. A few minutes later, he came back and said he would get me some more salmon. I believe he had incorrectly placed my order. (At lunch there is the option of a full or half order for entrees).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This restaurant was very noisy when full, although it has a charming feel to the dining room, when minimally occupied. The overall experience was inconsistent at best, in its service and meal preparation. I think there is potential for the quality of the dishes, but additional attention to the preparation and service would only happen with additional staff. I think this restaurant was not good value for the cost of meal. And I would not make the trip to the East Bay to dine there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This restaurant accepts cash or personal check only!\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n 2993 College Avenue (at Ashby Avenue)\r\nBerkeley, CA 94705\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 510.704.1474\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.trattorialasiciliana.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.trattorialasiciliana.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Sicilian and Italian\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"description": "Location:\r\n 2993 College Avenue (at Ashby Avenue)\r\nBerkeley, CA 94705\r\nPhone: 510.704.1474\r\nWebsite: www.trattorialasiciliana.com\r\nType of Cuisine: Sicilian and Italian\r\nReviewed: Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Trattoria La Siciliana: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=242\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=244\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/04/05/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-12-212/\">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/cp212iPod_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\u003chr size=\"1\" noshade>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/trattorialasiciliana6.jpg\" alt=\"Trattoria La Siciliana\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/trattorialasiciliana8.jpg\" alt=\"Trattoria La Siciliana\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/trattorialasiciliana9.jpg\" alt=\"Trattoria La Siciliana\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nOlive Oil and Garlic Dipping Sauce; Meatballs with Rigatoni; Linguini with Shrimp and Lobster\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/alexandra-kealy.jpg\" alt=\"Alexandra\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Alexandra\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Architectural Administrator\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Oakland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Trattoria La Siciliana\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Trattoria La Siciliana:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 16, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a kitchen the size of a large bathroom, I don’t know how the D’Alo brothers do it. Each and every dish served was made by one of them. And they still make the time to chat with the many regulars who visit, some on a weekly basis. If there is a long wait, especially on the weekends, he hands you a glass of rosé, which prepares the visitor for the gastronomical marvels soon to come. It is always packed, and I mean jumping; an orchestrated mad house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After raving about this authentic Sicilian restaurant to my mother for years, I was finally able to take her back to Italy (or at least for a few hours). First words out of her mouth were to complain that the chairs were not comfortable. Soon to be forgotten once the Olio Della Mamma arrived, the most delicious dipping oil on the planet. We enjoyed the complex blends of the freshest herbs and spices around, God bless garlic, while studying the vast menu. Too many choices, not enough stomach. We decided on the “Featured in \u003ci>Bon Appetit\u003c/i>” antipasti Caponata Con Crostini: a chilled sweet and sour Sicilian specialty of eggplant, olives, and Aeolian capers served with toasted crostini. I have never tasted anything quite like it. You are able to taste every ingredient and the way they blended together, complementing each other; one sweet, one sour. The capers were even sweet, and I usually find eggplant tart, yet here it melts in your mouth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next was the Rollatini di Melanzane, which was eggplant filled with three cheeses, breadcrumbs, pine nuts, raisins, herbs, and prosciutto served over a delectable tomato sauce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For our main course I chose my all-time favorite: Rigatoni San Giovanella, which is prepared with a light tomato-cream sauce, mushrooms, peas, pancetta, and nutmeg. Now, I could bathe in the sauce or eat it on its own for a soup, it is that good! As for the other ingredients — the popping of the peas mixed with the salty pancetta give it just the right amount of texture. My dining partner ate the Risotto alla Marinara, which had a distinct flavor married by tomato sauce. She enjoyed it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The service is bright, efficient, and friendly. I love coming here as much as possible!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Total Cost per person including tax, tip, and wine: $50\u003cbr>\nTotal Cost for an evening enjoying the fruits of family-style Sicilian cooking: Priceless\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/richland-tester.jpg\" alt=\"Richland\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Richland\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Chemist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Alameda\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Esperpento\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Trattoria La Siciliana:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 9, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The four of us arrived at Trattoria la Sicilliana on College Ave. at 6:30. We had a reservation, and a nervous looking hostess met us out to ask if we were this missing party. She immediately whisked us upstairs to the last table in the restaurant. The table was in the back of the upstairs part of the restaurant, conveniently located inches from the busboy’s clearing station. My first impression was that it was difficult to navigate through the closely packed together tables to get to ours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once seated at our table, the hostess passed out menus and asked if we had eaten there before. We said that it was first visit, and she proceeded to explain that it would preferable if we did not each order our own dinner, but rather eat family. Apparently there is only one chef at this busy restaurant, and if each person orders their own entrée, there is no way for them to bring them out at the same time. So, she suggested we order two dishes for the four of us and left us to the menus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu was another interesting experience. It reiterated the restaurants preference for family-style dining and added that we were expected to not take more 1.5 hours to complete our meal and that only cash was accepted as payment. The menu itself was lengthy and full of wonderful sounding Sicilian dishes. After twenty-five minutes of waiting and negotiating what we would share for dinner, we finally met the waiter. He took our order and asked if we would like bread. I checked my watch and wondered aloud if we would make our 1.5 hour time limit. This is apparently not a rule they take very seriously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At this point we felt like we were on our way. The bread was mediocre by Bay Area standards, but was made up for by the spicy garlic-flavored dipping oil that accompanied it. After another wait of twenty minutes or so, the appetizers began to arrive. We had ordered the antipasti misti for two, and half of a cracked crab. The antipasti was a mixed bag of forgettable antipasti. The calamari salad was a bit fishy tasting, while the eggplant caponata was quite good. The pickled vegetables were tart and crisp, but otherwise somewhat nondescript. The cracked crab was the highlight of our first course. It was served cold with a light dressing. The crabmeat was sweet and fresh tasting. It was a nice treat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a nice long time to enjoy our appetizers. Once they were completed, the table was cleared and more bread was brought to the table. We ordered a second bottle of the Pinot Grigio to go with dinner. The first of the entrees to arrive was the linguini pesto con gamberi (linguini with shrimp and pesto). There were a lot of nice shrimp, and the large pile of linguini was cooked perfectly. The pesto, on the other hand, got a mixed review. It was more of a cream sauce than a pesto, leaving the pesto lovers of the group feeling it was severely lacking. I enjoyed the dish, but I must admit I am not a huge pesto fan. Our second entree arrived about five minutes after the first. The penne polpette was another large dish of penne covered with a nice tomato sauce and four large meatballs. The pasta was once again cooked perfectly, but the meatballs were fantastic. The four of us agreed that the meatballs were the stars of the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The desserts, in contrast to the dinner, came at the same time and we were allowed to each order our own. We had the cannoli stuffed with whipped ricotta and candied fruit. This dish was a disaster. The fruit was a maraschino cherry cut in two, and it went down hill from there. Next we sampled the affogato (vanilla ice cream with espresso and biscotti). The ice cream was very nice and the biscotti were crunchy and tasty. Then I tasted the fagole fresce. This was a large glass filled with fresh strawberries and topped with a rum and blood orange sauce. It was excellent!\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/charlene-nason.jpg\" alt=\"Charlene\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Charlene\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Social Work Supervisor\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Jardinière\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Trattoria La Siciliana:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 10, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon first arriving at this small Elmwood-area trattoria, we were pleasantly welcomed into a nearly empty but charming restaurant by the waiter. He allowed us to select our own table and was friendly and attentive. The restaurant seats about forty people in the main area, and also has an upstairs, which was not open at the time we arrived. We were there at 2pm for a late Sunday lunch and were told we could order from either the lunch or dinner menu. A tape of operatic instrumentals added to authenticity of an Italian neighborhood “kitchen.” Decorations included ceramic pottery, wine bottles, photos of Sicily, and marionettes of medieval knights. The walls glowed, awash in golden and terra cotta-colored faux paint. We were both feeling very positively about the upcoming dining experience. We were uncertain about a wine choice, so the waiter gave us a small tasting of our two selections. It seemed all would be enjoyable, that is, until nearly every table filled up within a matter of moments. It became apparent that the full house was too much for the one cook and one waiter. It took about a half hour after ordering to get our appetizer. We had to ask for water refills and bread. These arrived later when we were eating our entrees. We never did receive butter or olive oil with the bread, which was cold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appetizer arrived on a plate of cold, tart tomato sauce, topped by two undercooked, mildly warm rollatini. My companion’s chicken entree was from the dinner menu and overall, it was tasty and a good portion size. I did think the white meat was overcooked and dry, but with the sauce, this was less noticeable. The sauce was nicely flavored but too salty for my taste. The plate was bare of any accompanying starch or vegetable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I was shocked when my entree arrived, as I expected the salmon to be the main ingredient, not the pasta. I received a large bowl of penne pasta in a creamy sauce with a very small number of little cubes of salmon. After inquiring if this were the correct dish, since it had so little salmon in it, he said it was. I indicated that this looked more like it was a half-order, and he insisted that it wasn’t a mistake. A few minutes later, he came back and said he would get me some more salmon. I believe he had incorrectly placed my order. (At lunch there is the option of a full or half order for entrees).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This restaurant was very noisy when full, although it has a charming feel to the dining room, when minimally occupied. The overall experience was inconsistent at best, in its service and meal preparation. I think there is potential for the quality of the dishes, but additional attention to the preparation and service would only happen with additional staff. I think this restaurant was not good value for the cost of meal. And I would not make the trip to the East Bay to dine there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pear Street Bistro: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=231\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/03/29/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-10-210/\">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/cp210iPod_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/pearstreetbistro10.jpg\" alt=\"Pear Street Bistro\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/pearstreetbistro11.jpg\" alt=\"Pear Street Bistro\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/pearstreetbistro14.jpg\" alt=\"Pear Street Bistro\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\n Signature Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Dungeness Crab and Avocado Salad, Molten Chocolate Cake\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/david-cole.jpg\" alt=\"David\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Former Mayor Pinole, CA\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Pinole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant: \u003c/strong>Pear Street Bistro\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Pear Street Bistro:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 14, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do it right, you show up early, so you can have a drink in the buzzing bar. This is the place to see and be seen. They pour a great drink, and you always get your money’s worth in the bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole place has a great young energy about it, from the service to the decor, and the patrons too. As you are seated, you might forget you are in the East Bay and not San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is always nice to start off with a great wine; this place makes it easy to choose from the best of California’s best. They do the whole wine service the right way too, so you know the whole night will be done well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pace is just right, and the food matches what we in the Bay Area expect from our top spots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I love to see an open kitchen, and anywhere in the main dining room, you get to see the fire jumping, and your food being made with precision and love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu has just enough choices to make it hard to pick your meal, but not to much so you need a snack just to get through it. You make your choice knowing you will have to come back for more anyway. Each bite you take is fun in this place, but you never seem to overeat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Who needs San Francisco when you have a slice of heaven without the traffic?\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/nicole-lewis.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nicole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Textile Painter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sociale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Pear Street Bistro:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 12, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My husband and I arrived at Pear Street Bistro for a leisurely lunch. We were greeted by a friendly hostess as we entered the eclectically decorated restaurant. We passed through a room with a lovely large bar and an area for nighttime music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dining room we ate in had nicely textured walls that had the look of rafia in the paint. We sat in front of the open kitchen and watched two very busy chefs, as they cooked for the lunch crowd. The wall surrounding the kitchen was painted with multi-colored squares. We loved the lighting treatments that looked like large balls of twine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that said the restaurant is very inviting. Now on to the food. We started with a Dungeness crab cake, it was plump and cooked well, yet didn’t have a lot of flavor. However, the jicama slaw that came with it was very tasty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We then were served the french onion soup, which came with a lovely long housemade crouton on the side to be crumbled into the soup. The soup looked delicious, yet it was so heavily salted that we couldn’t eat it. This is coming from a self-confessed salt-a-holic. Moving on, next came their signature pizza, and we agreed this was the best item on the menu. The pizza, which is really a flatbread, had a cracker-like crust, and had a heaping helping of yummy caramelized onions, gorgonzola cheese, and roasted pears. This was a great combination of textures and flavors. Unfortunately the meal goes downhill from there. The linguine bolognese had all the right elements to be quite tasty, ground beef, carrots, onions, tomato sauce, yet again, it had very little flavor. Next came the worst item of the day: the flank steak, which was piled of top of red-skinned mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes again suffered from too much salt –somebody put a lock on the shaker! I don’t think anything could have saved the steak, it was a poor quality piece of meat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I must add that the service was very friendly and efficient. When our server noticed that it was taking a long time in between courses, he apologized and said it would be out shortly. Our lemonade was refilled promptly, as were our water glasses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a piece of chocolate cake that came with the $16.00, three-course, fixed-price lunch. The rest of the fixed-price meal was the onion soup and the steak and mashed potatoes. Back to the cake, first you must know ALL meals that I eat must begin or end with dessert. The cake had a layer of ganache, white chocolate\u003cbr>\nmousse, and chocolate cake. It wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t good. That last statement kind of sums up my general feeling about the restaurant. I think that it is probably a fun place to go for a drink and listen to some music. They have a huge selection of specialty cocktails that all sounded yummy. I also feel that if they refined their cooking, they could definitely be a better restaurant.\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/brett-eilers.jpg\" alt=\"Brett\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brett\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Political Advocacy Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Presidio Bowling Center Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Pear Street Bistro:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Okay, I’m going to Pinole. Where is it again? Gotta love the East Bay. I pull into the parking lot behind the restaurant, see the sign that reads, “Old Town Parking.” I look for the accompanying sign stating, “For towed cars…” There isn’t one. I am able to park for free right next to the building. Ruby (four months and counting) and I stroll in, and the hostess takes us to a seat by the window. I’m dressed barely acceptably, but as I’m in Pinole, I have no change of clothes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Décor is top-notch, with shapes and lights and contrast (that’s Ruby talking). I just want some iced tea. It comes. I eventually drink three of these. What strikes me about eateries is how many people it takes to run one with great service. This place is clearly service oriented, even on a Tuesday noon. I don’t know how they make the Dungeness crab and avocado salad, but I have a hunch they put in a juice glass and then turn it upside down, garnishing it before serving. Delicious, fresh, crabmeat with perfectly ripe avocado; I could have gone home happy right after this, but wait. Next up is tortilla chicken soup. When asked if I wanted bread, I said, “Just one piece.” I was happy he brought two, as it was sourdough heaven with some fluffy butter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, when I see an entrée list that has “Southern Fried Chicken” with garlic mashed potatoes, I stop looking. Except today. Because right above it was listed, “Pan Seared Rainbow Trout” on a rice pilaf. I’ll have to go back for the chicken, but I am very happy with my choice, with crunchy vegetables on a plentiful mound of seasoned rice. The trout was flaky without being dry and the bits of trout skin here and there were a delicacy. By now Ruby is on my knee, facing out, taking in the colors of the pilaf and the rest of the diners; the place has a good lunchtime vibe. I zip up my jacket to hide the “Turkey Trot” t-shirt I’m wearing. Keep in mind, I’m an amateur restaurant reviewer and don’t know how to just take a sample of the dishes. I eat them all and take my lemon cheesecake to go and eat it surprisingly soon after returning home. When my wife asks, when I mention how good Pear Street Bistro was, if I brought her home anything, I quickly change the subject.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n2395 San Pablo Avenue (at Pear Street)\r\nPinole, CA 94564\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 510-741-8875\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.pearstreetbistro.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.pearstreetbistro.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong>\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pear Street Bistro: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=231\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/03/29/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-10-210/\">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/cp210iPod_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/pearstreetbistro10.jpg\" alt=\"Pear Street Bistro\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/pearstreetbistro11.jpg\" alt=\"Pear Street Bistro\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/pearstreetbistro14.jpg\" alt=\"Pear Street Bistro\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\n Signature Pizza with Caramelized Onions, Dungeness Crab and Avocado Salad, Molten Chocolate Cake\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/david-cole.jpg\" alt=\"David\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Former Mayor Pinole, CA\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Pinole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant: \u003c/strong>Pear Street Bistro\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Pear Street Bistro:\u003c/strong> Thursday, September 14, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you do it right, you show up early, so you can have a drink in the buzzing bar. This is the place to see and be seen. They pour a great drink, and you always get your money’s worth in the bar.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole place has a great young energy about it, from the service to the decor, and the patrons too. As you are seated, you might forget you are in the East Bay and not San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is always nice to start off with a great wine; this place makes it easy to choose from the best of California’s best. They do the whole wine service the right way too, so you know the whole night will be done well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pace is just right, and the food matches what we in the Bay Area expect from our top spots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I love to see an open kitchen, and anywhere in the main dining room, you get to see the fire jumping, and your food being made with precision and love.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The menu has just enough choices to make it hard to pick your meal, but not to much so you need a snack just to get through it. You make your choice knowing you will have to come back for more anyway. Each bite you take is fun in this place, but you never seem to overeat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Who needs San Francisco when you have a slice of heaven without the traffic?\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/nicole-lewis.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nicole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Textile Painter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sociale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Pear Street Bistro:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 12, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My husband and I arrived at Pear Street Bistro for a leisurely lunch. We were greeted by a friendly hostess as we entered the eclectically decorated restaurant. We passed through a room with a lovely large bar and an area for nighttime music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dining room we ate in had nicely textured walls that had the look of rafia in the paint. We sat in front of the open kitchen and watched two very busy chefs, as they cooked for the lunch crowd. The wall surrounding the kitchen was painted with multi-colored squares. We loved the lighting treatments that looked like large balls of twine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that said the restaurant is very inviting. Now on to the food. We started with a Dungeness crab cake, it was plump and cooked well, yet didn’t have a lot of flavor. However, the jicama slaw that came with it was very tasty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We then were served the french onion soup, which came with a lovely long housemade crouton on the side to be crumbled into the soup. The soup looked delicious, yet it was so heavily salted that we couldn’t eat it. This is coming from a self-confessed salt-a-holic. Moving on, next came their signature pizza, and we agreed this was the best item on the menu. The pizza, which is really a flatbread, had a cracker-like crust, and had a heaping helping of yummy caramelized onions, gorgonzola cheese, and roasted pears. This was a great combination of textures and flavors. Unfortunately the meal goes downhill from there. The linguine bolognese had all the right elements to be quite tasty, ground beef, carrots, onions, tomato sauce, yet again, it had very little flavor. Next came the worst item of the day: the flank steak, which was piled of top of red-skinned mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes again suffered from too much salt –somebody put a lock on the shaker! I don’t think anything could have saved the steak, it was a poor quality piece of meat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I must add that the service was very friendly and efficient. When our server noticed that it was taking a long time in between courses, he apologized and said it would be out shortly. Our lemonade was refilled promptly, as were our water glasses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We had a piece of chocolate cake that came with the $16.00, three-course, fixed-price lunch. The rest of the fixed-price meal was the onion soup and the steak and mashed potatoes. Back to the cake, first you must know ALL meals that I eat must begin or end with dessert. The cake had a layer of ganache, white chocolate\u003cbr>\nmousse, and chocolate cake. It wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t good. That last statement kind of sums up my general feeling about the restaurant. I think that it is probably a fun place to go for a drink and listen to some music. They have a huge selection of specialty cocktails that all sounded yummy. I also feel that if they refined their cooking, they could definitely be a better restaurant.\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/brett-eilers.jpg\" alt=\"Brett\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brett\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Political Advocacy Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Presidio Bowling Center Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Pear Street Bistro:\u003c/strong> Tuesday, September 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Okay, I’m going to Pinole. Where is it again? Gotta love the East Bay. I pull into the parking lot behind the restaurant, see the sign that reads, “Old Town Parking.” I look for the accompanying sign stating, “For towed cars…” There isn’t one. I am able to park for free right next to the building. 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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sociale: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=232\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=235\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/03/29/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-10-210/\">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/cp210iPod_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/sociale7.jpg\" alt=\"Sociale\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/sociale14.jpg\" alt=\"Sociale\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/sociale15.jpg\" alt=\"Sociale\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nBone Marrow and Figs, Spinach Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn, Pear Galette with Mascarpone\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/nicole-lewis.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nicole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Textile Painter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sociale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sociale:\u003c/strong> Friday, September 15, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sociale is a wonderful restaurant hidden in an alley off of Sacramento Street in the Laurel Heights neighborhood. My family and I have been eating there since they opened. Sociale is a unique restaurant in that it can fill many different needs. I often meet friends there for lunch. I can come straight from a workout or be more dressed up, either way I am just as warmly welcomed. It is the type of place where it is common to see a baby or bridal shower taking place in the charming courtyard, with lots of greenery surrounding you as you dine. Since it is nestled off the street, it is quiet and private, and at night they have the heatlamps burning, so you are warm and cozy, feeling much like an evening in Tuscany.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My mom and I arrived at 6:30 on Friday night. We parked right in front of the restaurant, a common occurrence in this neighborhood, especially at night. I had made a reservation, and we were seated immediately. David, the owner, is very welcoming and always makes his customers feel special. Our server Sheila greeted us as we sat. My mom and I surveyed the menu, which was filled with housemade pastas, different cuts of meat, chicken, and fish. Sociale’s menu is filled with wondrous and varied Italian delights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My mom and I decided to start with the Bone Marrow and Figs, a recommendation from our server. Wow, was she right! It was melt in your mouth, rich and decadent, perfection. The figs were a perfect foil for the intensity of marrow. We also shared the soup of the day, which they were kind enough to split for us without even being asked. This is just one of the details that makes this one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco. The soup was hearty and light, all at the same time. It was tomato-based with chunks of perfectly cooked potatoes and pancetta, very satisfying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered lasagna bolognese and the lamb chops for our entrees, and they were beautifully presented, as are all of the dishes at Sociale. The lamb chops were cooked perfectly, medium rare. Another sign that Sociale knows what they’re doing in the kitchen is their ability to cook meat to the desired temperature. The lamb chops were seasoned with rosemary and other herbs, so that the flavor of the chops were complemented and not overwhelmed. My mom had a wonderful glass of Pinot Noir to accompany her lamb chops. Sociale has an extensive wine list, many of them available by the glass. They also offer special flights of three featured whites or reds at very reasonable prices. The lasagna was layered with a yummy bolognese sauce and a creamy béchamel sauce, a very delicious and uncommon combination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We managed to save room for dessert, of course. We shared a rustic pear tart with whipped mascarpone cheese and a caramel crème brûlée. The tart was served warm, which brought out the flavor of the pears, and crisped up the crust to give it just the right flakiness. The caramel crème brûlée had a thick cover of caramelized sugar on top, which, when broken, revealed a perfectly creamy and caramelly custard underneath. Wholly satisfying, and the perfect end to a perfect meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would recommend Sociale for a special occasion or an everyday restaurant — it has the ability to morph into any need that you have for a delicious dining experience.\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/david-cole.jpg\" alt=\"David\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Former Mayor Pinole, CA\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Pinole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant: \u003c/strong>Pear Street Bistro\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sociale:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 16, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What a charming setting and great way to have outside dinner service in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You enter the from the street through a real live hole in the wall, and down a brick path you go, and then this beautiful courtyard opens up in front of this small restaurant. They have done well to maximize the space they have in this almost Pacific Heights, Laurel Heights charming neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The staff was warm and inviting, as we sat under the numerous heating lamps surrounding the courtyard tables, which make up over half the total tables. Service was slow but steady. They obviously don’t mind the three-hour dinner, neither do I!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fried olives jumped off the menu as a starter, so we started there. They were huge and we enjoyed. They wine menu was just as huge, so we needed some time to navigate it. Much to our surprise, their bar was not a full one. We finally made our selection, and it was so good, we needed a second one before we where done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food was hit and miss. We all loved the halibut, but all found the soup and the lamb to be way too salty to eat. The homemade spinach pasta was a surprising smash hit homerun with the fresh corn and tomatoes mixed in abundance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rib-eye was not the best cut of meat we had ever seen, but the pork chops were delightful. We just had to have the Brussels sprouts and they were perfect. These are always a big hit, so why are they always so hard to find?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ate family-style as we always do, and this seemed to throw our server a curve, because he did not know what to do. Nice and all, we just wondered if he was new. We did, however, never get our crème brûlée as ordered. You should never short a party on the sweets! On the up side, it did not make its way to the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We liked the cake, but the doughnuts took the cake — warm, soft, and gooey. The cheese plate is the way to end a nice meal, in my mind, and this one hit the spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I am not sure I would leave the Marina or the drive past North Beach for this one, but it was better than just about any place not located in those areas.\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/brett-eilers.jpg\" alt=\"Brett\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brett\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Political Advocacy Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Presidio Bowling Center Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sociale:\u003c/strong> Monday, September 18, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sociale is a bit hard to find — it’s down some alley in Laurel Heights. (Having just laid down a brick patio in the backyard, I must remark that that’s some fine brickwork on the walkway!)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We gambled and brought our four-month-old infant daughter with us and dined outside under a warm heat lamp on an initially quiet Monday early evening. Denise, our server, took fantastic care of us throughout the night, and all the staff were friendly. We started with the stuffed, fried olives, which were filled with melty cheese and had a salty taste as a starter. I opted for the “Tasting Menu,” choosing between two options in each of four categories. The endive Caesar salad was small and piled up high with a pair of real anchovies on the peak, my favorite. My wife ordered the heirloom tomato salad, which was served with a different cheese than usual, and she thought it was disappointingly plain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next I had the ravioli with wild boar, which, as a phrase, seems to me to be both an oxymoron and redundant. There were three good-sized delicious ravioli that were robust and meaty. Next up was the grilled quail on top of polenta in a red pepper. The quail was juicy and well-spiced. The polenta tasted buttery, and the cheese left a hint of extra flavor. Now, at this point, I must admit to helping myself of my wife’s duck pappardelle, which reminded us both of an upscale beef bourguignon from our childhood, no small praise indeed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert: two words: “Fried Dough.” I ordered this with my tasting menu, and then my wife talked us into trying both the tiramisu ice cream (a strongly espresso-flavored ice cream), and Denise talked us into her favorite dessert on the menu: a delicious flaky pear galette that my wife declared to be the perfect dessert — crisp pastry with a warm, juicy filling that was not too sweet. The galette was the star of the night’s feast. We rolled out of that fine alleyway onto a quiet sidewalk with our sleeping baby, and walked back to our happy dog, waiting in the car with her head resting on the back seat to watch for us.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n 3665 Sacramento Street (at Spruce Street)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94118\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-921-3200\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.caffesociale.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.caffesociale.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Rustic Country Italian\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sociale: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=232\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=235\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/03/29/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-10-210/\">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/cp210iPod_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/sociale7.jpg\" alt=\"Sociale\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/sociale14.jpg\" alt=\"Sociale\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/sociale15.jpg\" alt=\"Sociale\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nBone Marrow and Figs, Spinach Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn, Pear Galette with Mascarpone\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/nicole-lewis.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nicole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Textile Painter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sociale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sociale:\u003c/strong> Friday, September 15, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sociale is a wonderful restaurant hidden in an alley off of Sacramento Street in the Laurel Heights neighborhood. My family and I have been eating there since they opened. Sociale is a unique restaurant in that it can fill many different needs. I often meet friends there for lunch. I can come straight from a workout or be more dressed up, either way I am just as warmly welcomed. It is the type of place where it is common to see a baby or bridal shower taking place in the charming courtyard, with lots of greenery surrounding you as you dine. Since it is nestled off the street, it is quiet and private, and at night they have the heatlamps burning, so you are warm and cozy, feeling much like an evening in Tuscany.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My mom and I arrived at 6:30 on Friday night. We parked right in front of the restaurant, a common occurrence in this neighborhood, especially at night. I had made a reservation, and we were seated immediately. David, the owner, is very welcoming and always makes his customers feel special. Our server Sheila greeted us as we sat. My mom and I surveyed the menu, which was filled with housemade pastas, different cuts of meat, chicken, and fish. Sociale’s menu is filled with wondrous and varied Italian delights.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My mom and I decided to start with the Bone Marrow and Figs, a recommendation from our server. Wow, was she right! It was melt in your mouth, rich and decadent, perfection. The figs were a perfect foil for the intensity of marrow. We also shared the soup of the day, which they were kind enough to split for us without even being asked. This is just one of the details that makes this one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco. The soup was hearty and light, all at the same time. It was tomato-based with chunks of perfectly cooked potatoes and pancetta, very satisfying.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ordered lasagna bolognese and the lamb chops for our entrees, and they were beautifully presented, as are all of the dishes at Sociale. The lamb chops were cooked perfectly, medium rare. Another sign that Sociale knows what they’re doing in the kitchen is their ability to cook meat to the desired temperature. The lamb chops were seasoned with rosemary and other herbs, so that the flavor of the chops were complemented and not overwhelmed. My mom had a wonderful glass of Pinot Noir to accompany her lamb chops. Sociale has an extensive wine list, many of them available by the glass. They also offer special flights of three featured whites or reds at very reasonable prices. The lasagna was layered with a yummy bolognese sauce and a creamy béchamel sauce, a very delicious and uncommon combination.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We managed to save room for dessert, of course. We shared a rustic pear tart with whipped mascarpone cheese and a caramel crème brûlée. The tart was served warm, which brought out the flavor of the pears, and crisped up the crust to give it just the right flakiness. The caramel crème brûlée had a thick cover of caramelized sugar on top, which, when broken, revealed a perfectly creamy and caramelly custard underneath. Wholly satisfying, and the perfect end to a perfect meal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would recommend Sociale for a special occasion or an everyday restaurant — it has the ability to morph into any need that you have for a delicious dining experience.\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/david-cole.jpg\" alt=\"David\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Former Mayor Pinole, CA\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Pinole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant: \u003c/strong>Pear Street Bistro\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sociale:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 16, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What a charming setting and great way to have outside dinner service in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You enter the from the street through a real live hole in the wall, and down a brick path you go, and then this beautiful courtyard opens up in front of this small restaurant. They have done well to maximize the space they have in this almost Pacific Heights, Laurel Heights charming neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The staff was warm and inviting, as we sat under the numerous heating lamps surrounding the courtyard tables, which make up over half the total tables. Service was slow but steady. They obviously don’t mind the three-hour dinner, neither do I!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fried olives jumped off the menu as a starter, so we started there. They were huge and we enjoyed. They wine menu was just as huge, so we needed some time to navigate it. Much to our surprise, their bar was not a full one. We finally made our selection, and it was so good, we needed a second one before we where done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food was hit and miss. We all loved the halibut, but all found the soup and the lamb to be way too salty to eat. The homemade spinach pasta was a surprising smash hit homerun with the fresh corn and tomatoes mixed in abundance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rib-eye was not the best cut of meat we had ever seen, but the pork chops were delightful. We just had to have the Brussels sprouts and they were perfect. These are always a big hit, so why are they always so hard to find?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We ate family-style as we always do, and this seemed to throw our server a curve, because he did not know what to do. Nice and all, we just wondered if he was new. We did, however, never get our crème brûlée as ordered. You should never short a party on the sweets! On the up side, it did not make its way to the bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We liked the cake, but the doughnuts took the cake — warm, soft, and gooey. The cheese plate is the way to end a nice meal, in my mind, and this one hit the spot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I am not sure I would leave the Marina or the drive past North Beach for this one, but it was better than just about any place not located in those areas.\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/brett-eilers.jpg\" alt=\"Brett\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brett\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Political Advocacy Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Presidio Bowling Center Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Sociale:\u003c/strong> Monday, September 18, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sociale is a bit hard to find — it’s down some alley in Laurel Heights. (Having just laid down a brick patio in the backyard, I must remark that that’s some fine brickwork on the walkway!)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We gambled and brought our four-month-old infant daughter with us and dined outside under a warm heat lamp on an initially quiet Monday early evening. Denise, our server, took fantastic care of us throughout the night, and all the staff were friendly. We started with the stuffed, fried olives, which were filled with melty cheese and had a salty taste as a starter. I opted for the “Tasting Menu,” choosing between two options in each of four categories. The endive Caesar salad was small and piled up high with a pair of real anchovies on the peak, my favorite. My wife ordered the heirloom tomato salad, which was served with a different cheese than usual, and she thought it was disappointingly plain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next I had the ravioli with wild boar, which, as a phrase, seems to me to be both an oxymoron and redundant. There were three good-sized delicious ravioli that were robust and meaty. Next up was the grilled quail on top of polenta in a red pepper. The quail was juicy and well-spiced. The polenta tasted buttery, and the cheese left a hint of extra flavor. Now, at this point, I must admit to helping myself of my wife’s duck pappardelle, which reminded us both of an upscale beef bourguignon from our childhood, no small praise indeed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert: two words: “Fried Dough.” I ordered this with my tasting menu, and then my wife talked us into trying both the tiramisu ice cream (a strongly espresso-flavored ice cream), and Denise talked us into her favorite dessert on the menu: a delicious flaky pear galette that my wife declared to be the perfect dessert — crisp pastry with a warm, juicy filling that was not too sweet. The galette was the star of the night’s feast. We rolled out of that fine alleyway onto a quiet sidewalk with our sleeping baby, and walked back to our happy dog, waiting in the car with her head resting on the back seat to watch for us.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Presidio Bowling Center Grill: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=233\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/03/29/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-10-210/\">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/cp210iPod_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/presidiobowling11.jpg\" alt=\"Presidio Bowling Center Grill\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/presidiobowling6.jpg\" alt=\"Presidio Bowling Center Grill\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/presidiobowling14.jpg\" alt=\"Presidio Bowling Center Grill\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nFrench Fries with Ketchup, Cheeseburger and Fries, Onion Rings with Ranch Dressing\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/brett-eilers.jpg\" alt=\"Brett\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brett\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Political Advocacy Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Presidio Bowling Center Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Presidio Bowling Center Grill:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 10, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon walking into this tucked-away restaurant in the Presidio, you are immediately struck by the fact that it is not a restaurant at all; it is, instead, a bowling alley. That being true, realize it’s noisy because of the bowling. “But where’s the food?” you say. It’s there, over there, on your left — you can’t miss it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, what if you aren’t hungry enough to eat yet? Good question. Go bowl a game; use a heavy ball for a better workout. Now we’re ready to have some food, so go order it up at the counter, pay, and give \u003cstrong>your\u003c/strong> name (remember which name you gave if it isn’t yours, as you’ve pre-paid for the food).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food is standard bowling alley fare, with a twist. Actually there is no twist, it’s cheeseburgers and onion rings and fries, and sodas and shakes, and AND Budweiser beers in bottles that are shaped just like bowling pins. These make a great souvenir (actually, after being awkwardly displayed in the garage for one week, I just recycled it.) The food is good, and you are here to bowl a game or two anyway, so enjoy it for what is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ultimate breakfast special awaits your next visit — a truly epic assortment of all your favorites, if you get there in the morning, between, like, 8 and 11. For the price, it would cost more to prepare this breakfast at home, plus the sizzling bacon would require lots of cleaning time. Done eating? Overate, did you? Need to lay down a spell? That’s easy. Take a nap in the Presidio!\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/nicole-lewis.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nicole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Textile Painter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sociale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Presidio Bowling Center Grill:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 2, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I began this adventure by inviting my aunt, uncle, mom, stepfather, husband, and two sons to join in the review of the bowling alley diner. Our expectations were somewhat like yours would probably be, not gourmet food, but adequate considering it is a bowling alley. When we arrived, at 6:00 p.m, there was a note posted on the door, that there was a private party, beginning at 7:15. We didn’t think this would be a problem. We were not expecting this to be a long dining experience. Little did we know that at 7:15, we would be dining at a different restaurant, where the food was actually edible (I know harsh, but true). We ordered at the counter, mostly a variety of burgers and fries, the young man who took our order seemed indifferent to us. He did muster a smile when I gave him a twenty percent tip. Mind you, this is a restaurant where you pick up your own food and bus your own tables. He wasn’t unpleasant, just maybe bored. After ordering, I went back to the table to wait for our food. We moved two tables together to have enough seating for the eight of us. They did a nice job in decorating the small eating area. The tables were a highly polyurethane wood grain. The chairs were also wood with a fun cutout of a bowling pin in the back. Nicer than your average bowling alley decor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When our food was ready, the cook placed it on the counter, however he did not call out to us to let us know. Eventually someone in our party noticed. My husband and I went up to collect the order. There were a few mistakes, like no grilled onions for my husband’s burger, and they forgot the bacon for my\u003cbr>\nstepfather’s burger. My husband stayed at the counter while they made the bacon, which was actually the best item on the menu. The bacon was thick cut and very tasty. I ate most of it because I gave my burger away to my hungry stepfather. This was not an act of extreme generosity on my part. I had had two bites of the very gristly burger and could stomach no more. The fries I ate were also consumed only to stave off hunger. The fries were thin and flavorless, though on the bright side, they were hot and not too greasy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh, did I mention the music was harsh and loud? Now I know it’s a bowling alley, but pulleez! Just to add a little to the bowling alley aspect of this experience, they do have an extensive variety of beers, so I suppose if you drink enough of them, the food might seem just fine. I also must add I have been to several childrens’ birthday parties here. The children and adults all seem to have a good time. I would certainly come back for a party or just for bowling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I guess that is all I have to say, other than all eight of us agreed upon the experience, and all eight of us enjoyed our second dinner on Chestnut Street much more.\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/david-cole.jpg\" alt=\"David\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Former Mayor Pinole, CA\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Pinole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant: \u003c/strong>Pear Street Bistro\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Presidio Bowling Center Grill:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 17, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Who doesn’t love the Presidio? We found ourselves making one wrong turn after another trying to find this hidden gem, but when we got there, we found plenty of parking and lots of fried food. Sundays, fried food, cold beverages, and bowling — how can this go wrong?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portions were not too big, just like the lanes. If I owned the place I would have to tell everyone the place was quaint, or cozy, but on a Sunday it’s a great place to hang out with friends, drink, and hit the jukebox.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service was as you would expect at a bowling alley, they called our number just as fast as they fried it up. Although it would have been nice to have a hot tuna melt where the cheese actually melted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one thing lost on me as a non-beer drinker was the countless types of beer offered. If you love beer, this place would have to be a regular spot. For me and my friend, however, we like a full bar!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I found my self rained out in the city and fed up with shopping and the Metreon, I would head on back.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n93 Moraga Avenue (at Arguello Boulevard)\r\nSan Francisco, CA 94129\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 415-561-2695\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.presidiobowl.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.presidiobowl.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> American Grilled\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Presidio Bowling Center Grill: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=233\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/03/29/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-10-210/\">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/cp210iPod_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/presidiobowling11.jpg\" alt=\"Presidio Bowling Center Grill\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/presidiobowling6.jpg\" alt=\"Presidio Bowling Center Grill\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/presidiobowling14.jpg\" alt=\"Presidio Bowling Center Grill\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nFrench Fries with Ketchup, Cheeseburger and Fries, Onion Rings with Ranch Dressing\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/brett-eilers.jpg\" alt=\"Brett\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Brett\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Political Advocacy Writer\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Presidio Bowling Center Grill\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Presidio Bowling Center Grill:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 10, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon walking into this tucked-away restaurant in the Presidio, you are immediately struck by the fact that it is not a restaurant at all; it is, instead, a bowling alley. That being true, realize it’s noisy because of the bowling. “But where’s the food?” you say. It’s there, over there, on your left — you can’t miss it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, what if you aren’t hungry enough to eat yet? Good question. Go bowl a game; use a heavy ball for a better workout. Now we’re ready to have some food, so go order it up at the counter, pay, and give \u003cstrong>your\u003c/strong> name (remember which name you gave if it isn’t yours, as you’ve pre-paid for the food).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food is standard bowling alley fare, with a twist. Actually there is no twist, it’s cheeseburgers and onion rings and fries, and sodas and shakes, and AND Budweiser beers in bottles that are shaped just like bowling pins. These make a great souvenir (actually, after being awkwardly displayed in the garage for one week, I just recycled it.) The food is good, and you are here to bowl a game or two anyway, so enjoy it for what is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ultimate breakfast special awaits your next visit — a truly epic assortment of all your favorites, if you get there in the morning, between, like, 8 and 11. For the price, it would cost more to prepare this breakfast at home, plus the sizzling bacon would require lots of cleaning time. Done eating? Overate, did you? Need to lay down a spell? That’s easy. Take a nap in the Presidio!\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/nicole-lewis.jpg\" alt=\"Nicole\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Nicole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Textile Painter\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Sociale\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Presidio Bowling Center Grill:\u003c/strong> Saturday, September 2, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I began this adventure by inviting my aunt, uncle, mom, stepfather, husband, and two sons to join in the review of the bowling alley diner. Our expectations were somewhat like yours would probably be, not gourmet food, but adequate considering it is a bowling alley. When we arrived, at 6:00 p.m, there was a note posted on the door, that there was a private party, beginning at 7:15. We didn’t think this would be a problem. We were not expecting this to be a long dining experience. Little did we know that at 7:15, we would be dining at a different restaurant, where the food was actually edible (I know harsh, but true). We ordered at the counter, mostly a variety of burgers and fries, the young man who took our order seemed indifferent to us. He did muster a smile when I gave him a twenty percent tip. Mind you, this is a restaurant where you pick up your own food and bus your own tables. He wasn’t unpleasant, just maybe bored. After ordering, I went back to the table to wait for our food. We moved two tables together to have enough seating for the eight of us. They did a nice job in decorating the small eating area. The tables were a highly polyurethane wood grain. The chairs were also wood with a fun cutout of a bowling pin in the back. Nicer than your average bowling alley decor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When our food was ready, the cook placed it on the counter, however he did not call out to us to let us know. Eventually someone in our party noticed. My husband and I went up to collect the order. There were a few mistakes, like no grilled onions for my husband’s burger, and they forgot the bacon for my\u003cbr>\nstepfather’s burger. My husband stayed at the counter while they made the bacon, which was actually the best item on the menu. The bacon was thick cut and very tasty. I ate most of it because I gave my burger away to my hungry stepfather. This was not an act of extreme generosity on my part. I had had two bites of the very gristly burger and could stomach no more. The fries I ate were also consumed only to stave off hunger. The fries were thin and flavorless, though on the bright side, they were hot and not too greasy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh, did I mention the music was harsh and loud? Now I know it’s a bowling alley, but pulleez! Just to add a little to the bowling alley aspect of this experience, they do have an extensive variety of beers, so I suppose if you drink enough of them, the food might seem just fine. I also must add I have been to several childrens’ birthday parties here. The children and adults all seem to have a good time. I would certainly come back for a party or just for bowling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I guess that is all I have to say, other than all eight of us agreed upon the experience, and all eight of us enjoyed our second dinner on Chestnut Street much more.\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/david-cole.jpg\" alt=\"David\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> David\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Former Mayor Pinole, CA\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Pinole\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant: \u003c/strong>Pear Street Bistro\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Presidio Bowling Center Grill:\u003c/strong> Sunday, September 17, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Who doesn’t love the Presidio? We found ourselves making one wrong turn after another trying to find this hidden gem, but when we got there, we found plenty of parking and lots of fried food. Sundays, fried food, cold beverages, and bowling — how can this go wrong?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portions were not too big, just like the lanes. If I owned the place I would have to tell everyone the place was quaint, or cozy, but on a Sunday it’s a great place to hang out with friends, drink, and hit the jukebox.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service was as you would expect at a bowling alley, they called our number just as fast as they fried it up. Although it would have been nice to have a hot tuna melt where the cheese actually melted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one thing lost on me as a non-beer drinker was the countless types of beer offered. If you love beer, this place would have to be a regular spot. For me and my friend, however, we like a full bar!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I found my self rained out in the city and fed up with shopping and the Metreon, I would head on back.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Doña Tomás: Reviews",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Doña Tomás: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=221\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/03/22/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-9-209/\">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/cp209iPod_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/donatomas13.jpg\" alt=\"Dona Tomas\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/donatomas19.jpg\" alt=\"Dona Tomas\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/donatomas15.jpg\" alt=\"Dona Tomas\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nChiles Rellenos, Tacos de Pescado (halibut taco with fresh mango salsa), Quesadillas de Flor de Calabaza (goat cheese-stuffed squash blossom)\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/sylvia-doane.jpg\" alt=\"Sylvia\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Sylvia\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Business Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Berkeley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant: \u003c/strong>Doña Tomás\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Doña Tomás:\u003c/strong> Thursday, August 24, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a resident of the East Bay, one of my favorite restaurants is Doña Tomás, where the food is inspired by the Oaxacan and the Yucatan regions of Mexico. The quality of ingredients is stellar, with flavors that come forward elegantly in an earthy and deeply satisfying manner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I dine at Doña Tomás regularly and generally I ask to be seated either out back on the patio in fair weather, or in the “Red Room,” both of which I prefer to the room one first encounters via the entrance. However, on this particular evening we did not want to wait for a table, so we sat in the window table of the front room. The downside of the location we were in is that, although tucked away comfortably out of the way, we were somewhat neglected by our server. There were several times we needed to flag her down for more water, new utensils, etc.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After taking your seat, you are presented with a plate of delicious homemade corn chips that are thick-cut and perfectly crisp and salty, served with a spicy, roasted chili salsa that imparts deep a smokiness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My favorite margarita that I have ever experienced anywhere is served at Doña Tomás. They have many to choose from, and an impressive tequila list. My favorite is the incomparable Margarita de la Reyna, which is a perfect balance of fresh-squeezed lime juice, El Tesoro Tequila, and Cointreau (and is nowhere in the same universe as those sickly concoctions that are all sweet and sour mix and cheap tequila). The Reyna is served up in a martini glass. Delicious. This is cocktail perfection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On this recent excursion to Doña, we started with the watermelon spiced with lime and chili, the pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds), and Reyna Margaritas. The watermelon was succulent, dark red perfection and a nice companion to the smoky seeds. We also shared the perfect guacamole and chips, Sopa de Lìmon, and a spicy chorizo and fingerling potato dish. The guacamole was delicious; we could have eaten much more, it was perfectly ripe and expertly spiced. The Sopa de Lìmon was a nice balance of sour and spicy, but somehow it lacked the depth I was craving. It was good but not truly satisfying, as if the stock was just not quite rich enough. The appetizer with the chorizo and potatoes was very good; smoky, complex flavors with a salty, spicy depth that was foiled by a chewy melted Oaxaca cheese crust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After all of this we moved on to the main course. We shared the vegetarian casserole with mushrooms, tortillas, cheese, and tomato sauce; carne asada with elote refried beans; and chicken enchiladas with mole, corn custard, and arugula. The casserole was the highlight — it was a stack of earthy wild mushrooms, melted cheese, summer squash, thick corn tortillas, and a bright, fresh tomato sauce. It was a satisfying dish, comforting, and the clean, clear, fresh flavors of summer shined through. The carne asada, on the other hand, lacked flavor and interest in general — it was just flat tasting. Enough said. The chicken enchiladas were dry, very dry, and there wasn’t nearly enough mole sauce to offset the filling, which was simply chicken. The chicken lacked flavor, contrast, and moisture. The highlight on this plate was the delicious corn custard, which was moist, sweet and creamy. It was good enough to be a lovely side dish, all on its own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Typically I order my very favorite Doña menu item (but this time I wanted to break out and try something new): chiles rellenos. These are not the typical abomination of deep-fried, overly cheesy, globs of flavorless canned chilies that result in a blob of grease resembling deep-fried omelets. These rellenos at Doña are sublime. The chiles are fresh and hand-roasted, resulting in a complex, deep smoky flavor and texture. They are not battered or deep-fried. They are stuffed with seasonal ingredients that change from time to time. On a previous visit they were filled with goat cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and spinach served in a rich pool of roasted tomato sauce and drizzled with a Mexican cream. They are served with a side dish of perfectly mashed refried black beans that are smooth and addictive, and warm, thick, homemade corn tortillas that are chewy and moist. This is an incredibly satisfying dish!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we shared a dish of creamy, cold, and intensely satisfying chocolate and coffee ice creams with chocolate and caramel sauces and mounds of fresh whipped cream dotted with salty nuts. We also tried a stone fruit and berry crisp with vanilla ice cream, which was decent, but it tasted a bit over cooked. The bright, haunting flavor of perfectly ripe summer fruits was missing; it was probably prepared with less than perfect fruit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We sipped our Mexican hot chocolate and mint teas and watched the East Bay restaurant fill to the brim with diners having a great time as usual at this East Bay institution. Doña Tomás is a real gem, albeit sometimes rough around the edges, and I will always come back for the margaritas, the chiles rellenos, and the soul.\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/alan-rosenfeld.jpg\" alt=\"Alan\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Alan\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Special Effects Artist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Scala’s Bistro\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Doña Tomás:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, August 23, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From San Francisco during the week, it was a breeze to get there if you start out at 7:15pm. Parking was easy. I had reservations, and you should as well, as it seems most any time at this place was very busy. We were seated close to our reservation time. We waited at the bar. Folks, when someone steps up to the bar and you are busy making other drinks for the servers, PLEASE look the client in the eye and say politely “I’ll be with you in a moment.” We waited at least five minutes before the bartender even looked up at me to ask what I would like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restaurant was very busy. It was also intolerably loud. Suggestion: a few Mexican woven anything on the walls would dampen the sound. If you go there, ask to be seated outside. It’s very pretty out there, there are heaters, and you can hear yourself think.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appetizer Quesadillas de Flor de Calabaza was good. It had good flavors and was not too spicy. It got cold rather fast (this is a repeating theme I’ll get to). My friend had the sautéed scallops (Callos con Salsa de Elote y Poblano). The corn and roasted poblano cream sauce that I tasted from his dish was very good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As my main dish, I had the halibut tacos with mango salsa (Tacos de Pescado). It was tasty and the fish was very fresh. But eat it fast. It too got cold rather fast. My friend liked the carnitas. He said it was very flavorful and not too spicy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The portions were good size. However, NONE of the plates that came to the table were warm/hot. Thus, the food on the plates got cold too fast. May I suggest a few plate warmers from Economy Restaurant Fixtures?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert I had the Cazuela de Fruta (seasonal stone fruit and fresh berry crisp served with vanilla ice cream). It was very tasty. My friend had the Pay de Chocolate. A Mexican chocolate cream pie in a graham cracker crust with whipped cream. I understand where they were going with this chocolate dessert, in that it wasn’t meant to be too sweet, but the graham cracker crust had a very unfriendly taste to it. We were told all the desserts, other than the sorbets, are made there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server was very helpful and knew her stuff and was able to suggest items on the menu and how much she liked each. All of our food came to the table in very good time. And in general, all the wait staff was nice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As far as bang for the buck, I’m not sure what the problem is with ALL restaurants these days when they can get away with charging the price of a main course for appetizers. Each of our appetizers were over $10. I felt the main dishes were priced at market prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Would I go there again or suggest it to others? I think there are other better Mexican restaurants within San Francisco I would go to before I would hop over the bridge. However, if you are in that area, I would suggest a try, once they get the plate warmer thing under control and bartenders that acknowledge you exist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Be aware they change their menu every six weeks, as I was told, and the next round is coming up soon. However, they do keep key dishes constant.\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/lauren-john.jpg\" alt=\"Lauren\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Lauren\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Librarian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Menlo Park\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Amber India\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Doña Tomás:\u003c/strong> Saturday, August 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We live in Menlo Park, so it was an effort to drive to the Oakland/Berkeley border to dine, but boy was it worth it!\u003cbr>\nUp front, I should say that my husband George said that the Mexican home cooking with fresh ingredients was so wonderful and so unavailable where we live that he would drive back there again just for dinner. I loved it too, although would probably incorporate a restaurant visit into a fuller day in Oakland/Berkeley. We also may buy the new cookbook that the chefs have written called (you guessed it) \u003ci>Doña Tomás\u003c/i>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is a casual restaurant — jeans were fine on a Saturday night –and the crowd was young and extremely attractive. But this is a family place as much as it is a place for singles; there were young families with children, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While we waited for our drinks, we tried to figure out if we were the oldest people in the restaurant (we are in our late forties) and it looked like we were. But by the time that we finished our meal, we noticed a few other couples even older than us, all seated in the same center (quieter) section of the restaurant with us. We asked our waitress if they deliberately grouped the older folks together and she smiled sheepishly, but said she was not aware of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our favorite dish was the budin de elote, a corn and zucchini pudding side dish ($4.27) that we shared. With both corn and zucchini in season when we went (late August), it was amazingly fresh, beautifully seasoned (we think we tasted lime in there), and light. There are a lot of vegetarian choices here, and all the entrees we tried were prepared with a light touch — spices were just right (citrus used in many of the dishes), and nothing was heavily fried or overcooked. We also loved the fried tortilla chips served with fresh grated cheese over them and accompanied by a black tomato salsa (we asked what kind of salsa it was, otherwise would have had no clue about black tomatoes). The grated cheese was a nice touch and it was the first time that I had tortilla chips topped that way. My cold gazpacho also had some citrus in it and was filled with large fresh chunks of avocado — the best gazpacho I have ever had!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My main entree was Caserola con Huitlacoche ($16.25)–which I would describe as Mexican lasagna or, for the Greek food fans, as Mexican pastistio. It was a wonderful casserole of tortillas layered with mushrooms, poblano chiles, spinach, and tomato sauce and an arugula salad on the side. The salad was a great touch instead of the customary beans and guacamole that accompany many Mexican entrees at other restaurants I have been to. Here, the casserole was warm and filling enough, and the salad was a cooling accompaniment. The casserole looked humble on the plate (as home cooked casseroles tend to do) but was wonderfully spiced and a sophisticated blend of flavors. Overall, the presentation of the food here is simple; no fancy garnishes or high towers of food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parking was easy because there is a shopping center across the street, anchored by Walgreens, that allows the restaurant patrons to park there. The restaurant has a front room, a quieter center room, a beautiful patio, and a separate bar area. You can go there for a snack, drinks (they serve trio samplers of fine rums and tequila), or dessert. Decorations are simple — high ceilings, a few tapestries, and I was facing a red painted wall decorated with several Frida Kahlo portraits. I felt her sad eyes upon me as I enjoyed me fine meal and wondered if she would have been jealous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The patio looked like the best dining option in good weather, because the tables are further apart and they are covered with festive oilcloth tablecloths, and there are nice plants, and heat lamps. If you come with a group and the weather is good, this is probably the best place in the restaurant to dine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service was fast and efficient, especially considering how busy the restaurant was and how many different sections it has. The only weak point was the dessert. The chocolate ice cream sundae spiced with jalapeno was odd. My husband’s chocolate torte was just OK — a little dry although the cinnamon spice was a nice touch. Guess I should have tried the flan. I will the next time I go, which should be soon. I am already coming up with lists of things to do in Oakland and Berkeley!\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n5004 Telegraph Avenue (at 51st Street)\r\nOakland, CA 94609\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 510-450-0522\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.donatomas.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.donatomas.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Mexican\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Doña Tomás: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=221\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/03/22/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-9-209/\">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/cp209iPod_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/donatomas13.jpg\" alt=\"Dona Tomas\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/donatomas19.jpg\" alt=\"Dona Tomas\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/donatomas15.jpg\" alt=\"Dona Tomas\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nChiles Rellenos, Tacos de Pescado (halibut taco with fresh mango salsa), Quesadillas de Flor de Calabaza (goat cheese-stuffed squash blossom)\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/sylvia-doane.jpg\" alt=\"Sylvia\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Sylvia\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Business Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Berkeley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant: \u003c/strong>Doña Tomás\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Doña Tomás:\u003c/strong> Thursday, August 24, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a resident of the East Bay, one of my favorite restaurants is Doña Tomás, where the food is inspired by the Oaxacan and the Yucatan regions of Mexico. The quality of ingredients is stellar, with flavors that come forward elegantly in an earthy and deeply satisfying manner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I dine at Doña Tomás regularly and generally I ask to be seated either out back on the patio in fair weather, or in the “Red Room,” both of which I prefer to the room one first encounters via the entrance. However, on this particular evening we did not want to wait for a table, so we sat in the window table of the front room. The downside of the location we were in is that, although tucked away comfortably out of the way, we were somewhat neglected by our server. There were several times we needed to flag her down for more water, new utensils, etc.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After taking your seat, you are presented with a plate of delicious homemade corn chips that are thick-cut and perfectly crisp and salty, served with a spicy, roasted chili salsa that imparts deep a smokiness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My favorite margarita that I have ever experienced anywhere is served at Doña Tomás. They have many to choose from, and an impressive tequila list. My favorite is the incomparable Margarita de la Reyna, which is a perfect balance of fresh-squeezed lime juice, El Tesoro Tequila, and Cointreau (and is nowhere in the same universe as those sickly concoctions that are all sweet and sour mix and cheap tequila). The Reyna is served up in a martini glass. Delicious. This is cocktail perfection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On this recent excursion to Doña, we started with the watermelon spiced with lime and chili, the pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds), and Reyna Margaritas. The watermelon was succulent, dark red perfection and a nice companion to the smoky seeds. We also shared the perfect guacamole and chips, Sopa de Lìmon, and a spicy chorizo and fingerling potato dish. The guacamole was delicious; we could have eaten much more, it was perfectly ripe and expertly spiced. The Sopa de Lìmon was a nice balance of sour and spicy, but somehow it lacked the depth I was craving. It was good but not truly satisfying, as if the stock was just not quite rich enough. The appetizer with the chorizo and potatoes was very good; smoky, complex flavors with a salty, spicy depth that was foiled by a chewy melted Oaxaca cheese crust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After all of this we moved on to the main course. We shared the vegetarian casserole with mushrooms, tortillas, cheese, and tomato sauce; carne asada with elote refried beans; and chicken enchiladas with mole, corn custard, and arugula. The casserole was the highlight — it was a stack of earthy wild mushrooms, melted cheese, summer squash, thick corn tortillas, and a bright, fresh tomato sauce. It was a satisfying dish, comforting, and the clean, clear, fresh flavors of summer shined through. The carne asada, on the other hand, lacked flavor and interest in general — it was just flat tasting. Enough said. The chicken enchiladas were dry, very dry, and there wasn’t nearly enough mole sauce to offset the filling, which was simply chicken. The chicken lacked flavor, contrast, and moisture. The highlight on this plate was the delicious corn custard, which was moist, sweet and creamy. It was good enough to be a lovely side dish, all on its own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Typically I order my very favorite Doña menu item (but this time I wanted to break out and try something new): chiles rellenos. These are not the typical abomination of deep-fried, overly cheesy, globs of flavorless canned chilies that result in a blob of grease resembling deep-fried omelets. These rellenos at Doña are sublime. The chiles are fresh and hand-roasted, resulting in a complex, deep smoky flavor and texture. They are not battered or deep-fried. They are stuffed with seasonal ingredients that change from time to time. On a previous visit they were filled with goat cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and spinach served in a rich pool of roasted tomato sauce and drizzled with a Mexican cream. They are served with a side dish of perfectly mashed refried black beans that are smooth and addictive, and warm, thick, homemade corn tortillas that are chewy and moist. This is an incredibly satisfying dish!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert we shared a dish of creamy, cold, and intensely satisfying chocolate and coffee ice creams with chocolate and caramel sauces and mounds of fresh whipped cream dotted with salty nuts. We also tried a stone fruit and berry crisp with vanilla ice cream, which was decent, but it tasted a bit over cooked. The bright, haunting flavor of perfectly ripe summer fruits was missing; it was probably prepared with less than perfect fruit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We sipped our Mexican hot chocolate and mint teas and watched the East Bay restaurant fill to the brim with diners having a great time as usual at this East Bay institution. Doña Tomás is a real gem, albeit sometimes rough around the edges, and I will always come back for the margaritas, the chiles rellenos, and the soul.\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/alan-rosenfeld.jpg\" alt=\"Alan\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Alan\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Special Effects Artist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Scala’s Bistro\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Doña Tomás:\u003c/strong> Wednesday, August 23, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From San Francisco during the week, it was a breeze to get there if you start out at 7:15pm. Parking was easy. I had reservations, and you should as well, as it seems most any time at this place was very busy. We were seated close to our reservation time. We waited at the bar. Folks, when someone steps up to the bar and you are busy making other drinks for the servers, PLEASE look the client in the eye and say politely “I’ll be with you in a moment.” We waited at least five minutes before the bartender even looked up at me to ask what I would like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The restaurant was very busy. It was also intolerably loud. Suggestion: a few Mexican woven anything on the walls would dampen the sound. If you go there, ask to be seated outside. It’s very pretty out there, there are heaters, and you can hear yourself think.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The appetizer Quesadillas de Flor de Calabaza was good. It had good flavors and was not too spicy. It got cold rather fast (this is a repeating theme I’ll get to). My friend had the sautéed scallops (Callos con Salsa de Elote y Poblano). The corn and roasted poblano cream sauce that I tasted from his dish was very good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As my main dish, I had the halibut tacos with mango salsa (Tacos de Pescado). It was tasty and the fish was very fresh. But eat it fast. It too got cold rather fast. My friend liked the carnitas. He said it was very flavorful and not too spicy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The portions were good size. However, NONE of the plates that came to the table were warm/hot. Thus, the food on the plates got cold too fast. May I suggest a few plate warmers from Economy Restaurant Fixtures?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For dessert I had the Cazuela de Fruta (seasonal stone fruit and fresh berry crisp served with vanilla ice cream). It was very tasty. My friend had the Pay de Chocolate. A Mexican chocolate cream pie in a graham cracker crust with whipped cream. I understand where they were going with this chocolate dessert, in that it wasn’t meant to be too sweet, but the graham cracker crust had a very unfriendly taste to it. We were told all the desserts, other than the sorbets, are made there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our server was very helpful and knew her stuff and was able to suggest items on the menu and how much she liked each. All of our food came to the table in very good time. And in general, all the wait staff was nice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As far as bang for the buck, I’m not sure what the problem is with ALL restaurants these days when they can get away with charging the price of a main course for appetizers. Each of our appetizers were over $10. I felt the main dishes were priced at market prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Would I go there again or suggest it to others? I think there are other better Mexican restaurants within San Francisco I would go to before I would hop over the bridge. However, if you are in that area, I would suggest a try, once they get the plate warmer thing under control and bartenders that acknowledge you exist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Be aware they change their menu every six weeks, as I was told, and the next round is coming up soon. However, they do keep key dishes constant.\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/lauren-john.jpg\" alt=\"Lauren\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Lauren\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Librarian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Menlo Park\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Amber India\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Doña Tomás:\u003c/strong> Saturday, August 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We live in Menlo Park, so it was an effort to drive to the Oakland/Berkeley border to dine, but boy was it worth it!\u003cbr>\nUp front, I should say that my husband George said that the Mexican home cooking with fresh ingredients was so wonderful and so unavailable where we live that he would drive back there again just for dinner. I loved it too, although would probably incorporate a restaurant visit into a fuller day in Oakland/Berkeley. We also may buy the new cookbook that the chefs have written called (you guessed it) \u003ci>Doña Tomás\u003c/i>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is a casual restaurant — jeans were fine on a Saturday night –and the crowd was young and extremely attractive. But this is a family place as much as it is a place for singles; there were young families with children, too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While we waited for our drinks, we tried to figure out if we were the oldest people in the restaurant (we are in our late forties) and it looked like we were. But by the time that we finished our meal, we noticed a few other couples even older than us, all seated in the same center (quieter) section of the restaurant with us. We asked our waitress if they deliberately grouped the older folks together and she smiled sheepishly, but said she was not aware of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Our favorite dish was the budin de elote, a corn and zucchini pudding side dish ($4.27) that we shared. With both corn and zucchini in season when we went (late August), it was amazingly fresh, beautifully seasoned (we think we tasted lime in there), and light. There are a lot of vegetarian choices here, and all the entrees we tried were prepared with a light touch — spices were just right (citrus used in many of the dishes), and nothing was heavily fried or overcooked. We also loved the fried tortilla chips served with fresh grated cheese over them and accompanied by a black tomato salsa (we asked what kind of salsa it was, otherwise would have had no clue about black tomatoes). The grated cheese was a nice touch and it was the first time that I had tortilla chips topped that way. My cold gazpacho also had some citrus in it and was filled with large fresh chunks of avocado — the best gazpacho I have ever had!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My main entree was Caserola con Huitlacoche ($16.25)–which I would describe as Mexican lasagna or, for the Greek food fans, as Mexican pastistio. It was a wonderful casserole of tortillas layered with mushrooms, poblano chiles, spinach, and tomato sauce and an arugula salad on the side. The salad was a great touch instead of the customary beans and guacamole that accompany many Mexican entrees at other restaurants I have been to. Here, the casserole was warm and filling enough, and the salad was a cooling accompaniment. The casserole looked humble on the plate (as home cooked casseroles tend to do) but was wonderfully spiced and a sophisticated blend of flavors. Overall, the presentation of the food here is simple; no fancy garnishes or high towers of food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parking was easy because there is a shopping center across the street, anchored by Walgreens, that allows the restaurant patrons to park there. The restaurant has a front room, a quieter center room, a beautiful patio, and a separate bar area. You can go there for a snack, drinks (they serve trio samplers of fine rums and tequila), or dessert. Decorations are simple — high ceilings, a few tapestries, and I was facing a red painted wall decorated with several Frida Kahlo portraits. I felt her sad eyes upon me as I enjoyed me fine meal and wondered if she would have been jealous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The patio looked like the best dining option in good weather, because the tables are further apart and they are covered with festive oilcloth tablecloths, and there are nice plants, and heat lamps. If you come with a group and the weather is good, this is probably the best place in the restaurant to dine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service was fast and efficient, especially considering how busy the restaurant was and how many different sections it has. The only weak point was the dessert. The chocolate ice cream sundae spiced with jalapeno was odd. My husband’s chocolate torte was just OK — a little dry although the cinnamon spice was a nice touch. Guess I should have tried the flan. I will the next time I go, which should be soon. I am already coming up with lists of things to do in Oakland and Berkeley!\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amber India: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=224\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=225\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/03/22/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-9-209/\">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/cp209iPod_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/amberindia10.jpg\" alt=\"Amber India\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/amberindia11.jpg\" alt=\"Amber India\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/amberindia12.jpg\" alt=\"Amber India\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nButter Sweet Chicken, Lamb with Almond Cream Sauce, Chicken Masala and Potato-Cheese Dumplings in Tomato Cream\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/lauren-john.jpg\" alt=\"Lauren\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Lauren\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Librarian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Menlo Park\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Amber India\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Amber India:\u003c/strong> Saturday, August 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Usually when I go to Amber India, I order the butter chicken (which I have described in a previous review and absolutely adore). So this time, for a different experience, I ordered a lamb dish called Chandani Gosht. It was tender pieces of stewed lamb cooked in a wonderful Indian white sauce with cardamom and a hint of butter and almond. I scooped up the sauce with the Frontier Naan, which was like a sweet pita bread but with nuts and raisin paste. I could have just eaten the bread and the sauce. I enjoy all of the breads here; another favorite is the lamb-stuffed bread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dishes were brought to the table family-style and elegantly assembled by the waiter over a bed of rice. My husband had a scallop dish, which was a spicy scallop curry with coconut milk and peppercorn sauce with tamarind. I tasted a bit of it, but the scallops, though fresh, did not seem to have much flavor. I stuck mostly to the lamb, which I really, really enjoyed. I am not sure that fish dishes are Amber India’s strongest suit. The lassi drink I had at the start of the meal and finished during the meal was refreshing and cooling — a great combination with the hot spicy food. (There is also a great wine list and a wide selection of Indian beers.)\u003cbr>\nLassi drinks are thinner than smoothies or other blender drinks but still have some froth, and the cool yogurt with both a bit of sugar and salt really cooled and cleansed the palate. They are a perfect drink on a warm day, with or without a food accompaniment. The restaurant also has a sweeter fruitier lassi with mango, but I prefer the one with a bit of salt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service, as always, was attentive, elegant, and swift, and the setting with fine china, wall tapestries, golden wall ornaments and paintings provided a respite on a busy work week and a ride to the restaurant on El Camino Real. Apparently, lots of other Silicon Valley folks feel the same way — there were lots of guys stopping in after work in tech company logo shirts. Weekend nights appear to be reserved more for couples. Three different serving people asked us if we wanted a dessert. That is the first time this has ever happened to us at Amber India, we did not even know there was a dessert menu. But we were full and turned it down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portions were large enough that we had leftover food. The waiters asked if we wanted to take it with us, but we declined, knowing that it would cause us to binge on breads again the next day — using them to scoop up the 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/sylvia-doane.jpg\" alt=\"Sylvia\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Sylvia\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Business Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Berkeley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant: \u003c/strong>Doña Tomás\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nReviewed Amber India:\u003c/strong> Sunday, August 27, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This restaurant was decent…but not worth the drive from Berkeley, where there are many more sophisticated and all around better Indian restaurants. If I worked near Amber India, I would consider it for lunch. The menu was overpriced, not a great bang for the buck. Dishes that can be ordered in Berkeley for $8-10 were closer to $15. The atmosphere was not all that great either, again, it wasn’t bad, just not great. Average comes to mind as an accurate descriptor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food was pretty good. The lamb dish was probably the best item; nice flavors, tender meat. The samosas were good, but again, not great. I have had better, I have had worse. The pastry was good, buttery, and tender, but the filling was rather flat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other dishes were good, but again, nothing made me feel like I would return. The desserts were pretty bad. The pistachio ice cream was awful! It takes a lot for me to say that, but in this case it is justified. It tasted like cleaning supplies. We did not touch it after the initial attempt. This brings me to the service aspect of our dining experience: it was not very good. Our server did not seem to notice or care that we did not eat our desserts. The hostess was self-absorbed and indifferent to our arrival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So in a nutshell, I would say that decent food is not worth all of the other more negative aspects of the experience — the long drive, the low-level service, and the high prices.\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/alan-rosenfeld.jpg\" alt=\"Alan\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Alan\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Special Effects Artist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Scala’s Bistro\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Amber India:\u003c/strong> Saturday, August 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tucked into the corner of a small strip mall in Mountain View is Amber India Restaurant. From the outside, it did not even look open. I decided to go with a friend who lives down there, and who has eaten more Indian food than I. As it was lunchtime, we were presented with the daily lunch buffet. The restaurant was actually very busy, but we were seated promptly. The decor was modest and unassuming and, in general, the facility was clean. The waitstaff was attentive and courteous and promptly removed plates before you returned to your table with another helping. The noise level was fine, and there was a good family atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a good thing I went with a friend who has eaten more Indian food than myself. When you get to the rather small selection of dishes in the self-serving line, most of them were not labeled as to what they were or what was in them. The meat dishes were labeled, which was good, since I’m allergic to chicken. If you don’t eat meat, be prepared to eat a lot of potato-based dishes. The “fire” level of the vegetarian dishes I had were very acceptable. The flavors, for example, of the panir and vegetable pakora didn’t bowl me over. Although they were not bad, they didn’t blow wind up my skirt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They did have a dessert-type table, but since everything was not labeled, I did not want to venture there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easier for those who know what to look for in the specific flavors than for those of us who are pretty new to Indian cuisine. Without some help on the buffet line, I don’t feel I had a good experience. When I asked what each dish was on the serving line, I was just presented with a paper copy of their evening menu. Unless there are pictures to go with this menu, it is of no help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My friend who went with me said there is a much better Indian restaurant just down the road that is very popular. It’s called Passage to India. He said it has comparable prices, a wider selection of dishes, and a good variety of naan. At Amber India, we were served naan in a basket that I felt was just too soggy and reminded me of a poor flat bread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Would I return to Amber India? No. There are much better Indian restaurants in San Francisco with no need to schlep down to Mountain View. Perhaps next time I’m down there with my friend I’ll try his other suggestion of Passage to India.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong>\r\n2290 W El Camino Real (at Ortega Avenue)\r\nMountain View, CA 94040\r\n\u003cstrong>Phone:\u003c/strong> 650-968-7511\r\n\u003cstrong>Website:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.amber-india.com\">www.amber-india.com\u003c/a>\r\n\u003cstrong>Type of Cuisine:\u003c/strong> Indian\r\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed:\u003c/strong> Summer 2006",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Amber India: Reviews\u003c/strong>| \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=224\">restaurant info\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/?p=225\">recipe\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/2007/03/22/check-please-bay-area-season-2-episode-9-209/\">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/cp209iPod_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/amberindia10.jpg\" alt=\"Amber India\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/amberindia11.jpg\" alt=\"Amber India\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/checkplease/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2015/09/amberindia12.jpg\" alt=\"Amber India\" hspace=\"3\">\u003cbr>\nButter Sweet Chicken, Lamb with Almond Cream Sauce, Chicken Masala and Potato-Cheese Dumplings in Tomato Cream\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/lauren-john.jpg\" alt=\"Lauren\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Lauren\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Librarian\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Menlo Park\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Amber India\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Amber India:\u003c/strong> Saturday, August 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Usually when I go to Amber India, I order the butter chicken (which I have described in a previous review and absolutely adore). So this time, for a different experience, I ordered a lamb dish called Chandani Gosht. It was tender pieces of stewed lamb cooked in a wonderful Indian white sauce with cardamom and a hint of butter and almond. I scooped up the sauce with the Frontier Naan, which was like a sweet pita bread but with nuts and raisin paste. I could have just eaten the bread and the sauce. I enjoy all of the breads here; another favorite is the lamb-stuffed bread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dishes were brought to the table family-style and elegantly assembled by the waiter over a bed of rice. My husband had a scallop dish, which was a spicy scallop curry with coconut milk and peppercorn sauce with tamarind. I tasted a bit of it, but the scallops, though fresh, did not seem to have much flavor. I stuck mostly to the lamb, which I really, really enjoyed. I am not sure that fish dishes are Amber India’s strongest suit. The lassi drink I had at the start of the meal and finished during the meal was refreshing and cooling — a great combination with the hot spicy food. (There is also a great wine list and a wide selection of Indian beers.)\u003cbr>\nLassi drinks are thinner than smoothies or other blender drinks but still have some froth, and the cool yogurt with both a bit of sugar and salt really cooled and cleansed the palate. They are a perfect drink on a warm day, with or without a food accompaniment. The restaurant also has a sweeter fruitier lassi with mango, but I prefer the one with a bit of salt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Service, as always, was attentive, elegant, and swift, and the setting with fine china, wall tapestries, golden wall ornaments and paintings provided a respite on a busy work week and a ride to the restaurant on El Camino Real. Apparently, lots of other Silicon Valley folks feel the same way — there were lots of guys stopping in after work in tech company logo shirts. Weekend nights appear to be reserved more for couples. Three different serving people asked us if we wanted a dessert. That is the first time this has ever happened to us at Amber India, we did not even know there was a dessert menu. But we were full and turned it down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Portions were large enough that we had leftover food. The waiters asked if we wanted to take it with us, but we declined, knowing that it would cause us to binge on breads again the next day — using them to scoop up the 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/sylvia-doane.jpg\" alt=\"Sylvia\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Sylvia\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Business Consultant\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> Berkeley\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant: \u003c/strong>Doña Tomás\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nReviewed Amber India:\u003c/strong> Sunday, August 27, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This restaurant was decent…but not worth the drive from Berkeley, where there are many more sophisticated and all around better Indian restaurants. If I worked near Amber India, I would consider it for lunch. The menu was overpriced, not a great bang for the buck. Dishes that can be ordered in Berkeley for $8-10 were closer to $15. The atmosphere was not all that great either, again, it wasn’t bad, just not great. Average comes to mind as an accurate descriptor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food was pretty good. The lamb dish was probably the best item; nice flavors, tender meat. The samosas were good, but again, not great. I have had better, I have had worse. The pastry was good, buttery, and tender, but the filling was rather flat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other dishes were good, but again, nothing made me feel like I would return. The desserts were pretty bad. The pistachio ice cream was awful! It takes a lot for me to say that, but in this case it is justified. It tasted like cleaning supplies. We did not touch it after the initial attempt. This brings me to the service aspect of our dining experience: it was not very good. Our server did not seem to notice or care that we did not eat our desserts. The hostess was self-absorbed and indifferent to our arrival.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So in a nutshell, I would say that decent food is not worth all of the other more negative aspects of the experience — the long drive, the low-level service, and the high prices.\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/alan-rosenfeld.jpg\" alt=\"Alan\" align=\"left\" hspace=\"4\">\u003cstrong>Name:\u003c/strong> Alan\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Occupation:\u003c/strong> Special Effects Artist\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Location:\u003c/strong> San Francisco\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Favorite Restaurant:\u003c/strong> Scala’s Bistro\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Reviewed Amber India:\u003c/strong> Saturday, August 19, 2006\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tucked into the corner of a small strip mall in Mountain View is Amber India Restaurant. From the outside, it did not even look open. I decided to go with a friend who lives down there, and who has eaten more Indian food than I. As it was lunchtime, we were presented with the daily lunch buffet. The restaurant was actually very busy, but we were seated promptly. The decor was modest and unassuming and, in general, the facility was clean. The waitstaff was attentive and courteous and promptly removed plates before you returned to your table with another helping. The noise level was fine, and there was a good family atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a good thing I went with a friend who has eaten more Indian food than myself. When you get to the rather small selection of dishes in the self-serving line, most of them were not labeled as to what they were or what was in them. The meat dishes were labeled, which was good, since I’m allergic to chicken. If you don’t eat meat, be prepared to eat a lot of potato-based dishes. The “fire” level of the vegetarian dishes I had were very acceptable. The flavors, for example, of the panir and vegetable pakora didn’t bowl me over. Although they were not bad, they didn’t blow wind up my skirt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They did have a dessert-type table, but since everything was not labeled, I did not want to venture there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easier for those who know what to look for in the specific flavors than for those of us who are pretty new to Indian cuisine. Without some help on the buffet line, I don’t feel I had a good experience. When I asked what each dish was on the serving line, I was just presented with a paper copy of their evening menu. Unless there are pictures to go with this menu, it is of no help.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My friend who went with me said there is a much better Indian restaurant just down the road that is very popular. It’s called Passage to India. He said it has comparable prices, a wider selection of dishes, and a good variety of naan. At Amber India, we were served naan in a basket that I felt was just too soggy and reminded me of a poor flat bread.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Would I return to Amber India? No. There are much better Indian restaurants in San Francisco with no need to schlep down to Mountain View. Perhaps next time I’m down there with my friend I’ll try his other suggestion of Passage to India.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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