Friday, December 11, 2009

Entertained by EOS...

So it was only our fifth dinner and already we’re breaking the rules.  Well folks, that’s my fault.  When ‘E’ came up there was one place I love that I knew I had to introduce to my fellow Gluttons: EOS.  Tucked away in Cole Valley you may have seen it if you ride the N Judah but otherwise you may never have heard of it.

If you’re like me and you love tasting a few bites of a large selection of fantastic food then this place is for you.  EOS serves their Asian fusion cuisine tapas style; small plates meant for sharing.  That night we sampled a majority of the menu and the hands down winner for best dish was the mouthwateringly savory shiitake mushroom dumplings.  We also had to have two orders of the madras curry potato cakes which are lightly curried and browned morsels served with sweet pineapple chutney that pairs with them perfectly to make a sweet and spicy mouthful.

You haven’t met me yet as this is my first entry for the team.  I’m a lifelong vegetarian who has only started to eat a little fish over the last few years.  Let’s say I’m extremely picky about what if any fish I’ll eat.  One thing I won’t pass up however is EOS’ ahi tuna poke rolls.  They are wonderfully smooth and spicy and surprisingly light for being fried. We also had the oysters, clay pot roasted black soy chicken, hanger steak, scallops, Thai spiced chopped salad, and mushroom risotto and more. The only disappointment of the evening was the Brussels sprouts which were at the same time over cooked and yet too firm.

EOS also offers a quality wine list by the bottle or glass but the real attraction is the wine flights.  While I love sampling, enjoying 3 or 4 small glasses of wine does mean you will get some you like more than others. I had the fruit, acidity & minerality flight and the Von Buhl Riesling was not to my taste.
To round out your meal there are a number of good deserts including a selection of house made ice creams. The chocolate lava cake with salted caramel ice cream is delicious and filling enough to be shared between two people.  Beware of trying the caramel ice cream alone as it is quite salty and was too much for some in our group.

There were nine of us so we ate in the main dining area downstairs.  If you’re planning a more romantic date night request a table on the small balcony level.  You’ll have to negotiate the low ceiling to get to your table but the more intimate atmosphere is well worth it. Reservations are a must as seating is limited and the place has a strong following.


- Dale


EOS offers a happy hour Sun-Thurs 5:30 -7:00pm and is located at 901 Cole Street in San Francisco.  For reservations call 415.566.3063 or book online at eossf.com.

Eeeeee......

So after our experiences at Da Flora we moved onto E.


E&O Trading Company                  San Francisco Downtown / Union Square, Asian
Ebisu                                                    Inner Sunset Sushi
Eight Immortals                                                Parkside (Sunset) Chinese
El Cachanilla Restaurant                         Mission Mexican
El Majahual Restaurant                  Mission Latin American
El Mansour                                          Outer Richmond (Clement st) Moroccan
El Perol                                                  Mission Latin American
El Toreador Restaurant                   West Portal Mexican
Elephant & Castle                                     Financial District British Pub
Elite CafĂ©                                              Pacific Heights, Creole / Cajun / Southern
Emporio Rulli Gran Caffe & Ristorante  Marina / Presidio, Italian
Enrico's                                                  North Beach, Italian
EOS Restaurant and Wine Bar       Cole Valley, Fusion / Eclectic
Epic Roasthouse                                SOMA, Steakhouse
Espetus Churrascaria                       Civic Center / Van Ness, Brazilian Steakhouse
Eureka Restaurant – Lounge        Castro / Noe / Glen Park, American

We got to our initial list and very quickly whittled it down to two - EOS and Espetus. And so ensued a debate - do we go for the meat centric Brazilian food and relegate our few veggies to the the Salad bar.  For a while it looked like we would and we got ready to book at Espetus, however after some strong rearguard action (or maybe complaining!!! ) from our resident veggies, we saw the light and booked at EOS.  


We eagerly await our chance to try their highly regarded Asian fusion small-plates and their very extensive wine selection....