Friday, December 11, 2009
Entertained by EOS...
Eeeeee......
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 Café 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
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Discovering Da Flora...
In fact, to be completely candid here, my expectations heading into “D” restaurant were pretty low. To use a dating analogy, it kinda felt like going from the hot underwear model with size 12 feet to being set up with someone’s 5’2” cousin on a blind date.
Speaking of restos you’d take a first date to, the ambiance at da Flora was surprisingly romantic. Ruddy faux finished walls, sailing ships and low hanging Moorish lamps completed the nautical Venetian theme without being too cliché or overly done.
Upon arrival, our little coven had ordered a bottle of Prosecco Giol Veneto, adding to the intimate vibe. The Gluttony gang was in full form this evening as FB addict Lisa Y snapped unflattering candid shots of the group. “Have I captured your soul?” she asked Oliver, revealing a ghastly blurred picture that was something out of The Ring.
We noshed on some pretty tasteless focaccia (seriously, it was church host wafer bland), and contemplated the elegant handwritten menu.
The fall menu was seasonally inspired, and this included the gnocchi. Square shaped pillows of dough were light to the taste. Surprisingly, they reminded me of toasted campfire marshmallows, both in flavor and texture. The flavor of the gnocchi wouldn’t stand on its own but the sweet and smoky sauce gave it an edge.
The speck and persimmon antipasti was a neat twist on the usual melon/prosciutto combo. It came simply dressed with a light vinaigrette. The end result was pretty underwhelming as the subtle flavor and dryness of the persimmon didn’t offer up a hearty contrast to the boldness of the speck. The Caesar Salad was bright, citrusy and crunchy, with a good dose of anchovy.
Since seafood is a staple of traditional Venetian fare, I was really looking forward to my main of grilled Dayboat Scallops. They were done to perfection, a seared crust and delicate, moist interior. The scallops were server on a bed of pumpkin puree—again, an original twist on a classic which didn’t quite deliver. The sugary sweet pumpkin overpowered the dish.
Duck livers were an unusual offering, but again, could have benefitted from more seasoning to bring out the decadent richness of the dish.
The vegetarians in our group had the Orchiette Broccoli Rabe—the toothiness of the pasta was great but was bland as a whole—can a girl get a little sea salt already? Sheesh.
Without a doubt, the highlight of the meal was the dessert. Pot de crème chocolates were velvety smooth without a hint of chalkiness, and the Camila and Grapefruit Granita was the best upscale interpretation of a Creamsicle I’ve ever had. The dessert wine selection piqued our interest, and the nutty caramel wine we tried complemented the desserts perfectly.
Overall, the dishes were original but really missed the mark when it came to balancing the flavors. The brusque service was slow and not everyone was served at the same time, also a big miss in my book.
Add that to the fact that the bill (including wine) come to a heady $93 per person, I won’t be navigating down da Flora’s culinary canals anytime soon.
Our search for D...
- Da Flora - A Venetian Ostaria North Beach - Italian (known for their Gnocchi)
- Daffodil - Downtown/Union Square - Contemporary American
- Daily Grill - San Francisco Downtown/Union Square - American
- Darbar Restaurant - Polk - Indian
- Darla’s - Inner sunset - Burgers
- De Rosario - Restaurant Mission Terrace- - Latin
- Deep - Castro/Noe/Glen Park - Japanese
- Delancy Street - SOMA - American
- Delfina - Mission - Italian
- Destino - Castro /Noe/Glen Park - Latin American
- Domo - Hayes - Sushi
- DOSA - Fillmore Pacific Heights - Indian
- Ducca - SOMA - Italian
Initially we selected Deep - we had all heard great things about it and wanted to go, however we heard that they closed down for the month for a renovation and might open with a new name, so we quickly had to rethink our selection. We all love Italian and looked a several f the options. Delfina was high on the list, but so many of us had been there before and the rule is to try to pick a place that we had ever been to, so after a little bit of debate and a couple of changes to our schedule we ended up selecting Da Flora. So what was this place like.... please read on to the next review!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Monday, October 19, 2009
- Cafe Altano - Hayes Valley Italian
- Cafe Andree - Downtown / Union Square Californian
- Cafe Bastille - Financial District / Embarcadero French
- Café Bistro - Nordstrom San Francisco Downtown / Union Square Contemporary American
- Cafe Claude - Downtown / Union Square French
- Cafe de la Presse - Downtown / Union Square French
- Café Ethiopia - Mission
- Cafe KATi - Pacific Heights Californian
- Cafe Maritime - Marina / Presidio Seafood
- Cafe Mozart - San Francisco Downtown / Union Square French
- Cafe Pescatore - Fisherman's Wharf Italian
- Cafe Tiramisu - Financial District / Embarcadero Italian
- Caffe Macaroni Sciue Sciue - North Beach Italian
- Campton Place - Downtown / Union Square Californian
- Capannina - Marina / Presidio Italian
- Capurro's - Fisherman's Wharf Seafood
- Careme 350 - Potrero Hill / Dogpatch Contemporary French
- Carnelian Room - Financial District / Embarcadero Californian
- Cassis - Pacific Heights French
- Castafiore - Financial District / Embarcadero Italian
- Castagnola's - Fisherman's Wharf Seafood
- Catch - Castro / Noe / Glen Park Seafood
- CAV Winebar and Kitchen - Civic Center / Van Ness Contemporary American
- Cha Cha Cha - Haight
- Cha Ya - Mission Vegetarian Japanese
- Chapeau - Richmond District French
- Charanga Restaurant - Mission / Bernal Heights Latin American
- Chaya Brasserie - Financial District / Embarcadero French
- Chenery Park - Castro / Noe / Glen Park American
- Chez Papa - Potrero Hill / Dogpatch French
- Chez Papa Mint Plaza - Downtown / Union Square Provencal
- Chez Spencer - SOMA French
- CHIAROSCURO - Financial District / Embarcadero Italian
- Chouchou - Forest Hill / West Portal Contemporary French
- Chouquet's - Pacific Heights French
- Cioppino's On The Wharf - Fisherman's Wharf Seafood
- CIRCA - Marina / Presidio Contemporary American
- CIRCOLO - SOMA Californian
- Citizen Cake - Civic Center / Van Ness Californian
- Citrus Club - Haight – Asian Fusion
- Cityhouse - Parc 55 Hotel - Downtown / Union Square Steakhouse
- COCO5OO - SOMA Californian
- Coi - North Beach Contemporary American
- Colibri - Mexican Bistro - Downtown / Union Square Mexican / Southwestern
- CONDUIT - Mission / Bernal Heights American
- Cosmopolitan Restaurant Lounge - Financial District / Embarcadero Contemporary American
- Côté Sud - Castro / Noe / Glen Park French
- Crab House at Pier 39 - Fisherman's Wharf Seafood
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
B is for beauty, balance and our latest Gluttony Club restaurant visit... Bushi-Tei.
Bushi-Tei is the French California Fusion creation of Tak Matsuba and Siji "Waka" Wakabayashi. The decor is beautiful and cool in a modern and zen-like way - with the old wood brought over from Japan that dates back to 1863 and the floor to ceiling windows on the face of Bushi-tei offering a full view of Post Street. Even the place settings were designed by them. Chef Wakabayashi describes his French Fusion as "the world on one plate" - his dishes bring a wonderful combination of taste, color and composition together in one meal.
Bushi-tei offers an a la carte menu and Waka's Omakase, where the chef takes control of the nightly changing menu and creates five courses and a couple of extras. Also offered is a vegetarian 3-course Omakase.
We kicked off our dining experience with a tasty amuse bouche - a croquette in tomato sauce. Delicious, light, flaky. Nice start.
Our server brought us Bushi-tei's unique version of bread and butter that looked like a piece of art. The bread is home-made with roasted brown rice that adds a wonderful nutty taste and made their bread unique from anywhere else I've been. Im a big fan of bread and a strong believer that any restaurant that has great bread has to be a great restaurant - this bread rule has yet to fail me. Also served with the bread and butter was a seaweed speckled cracker that stood up from the bread plate like a sail. Beautiful.
I took the server's suggestion and started with the Foi gras, a perfect creation by the chef that mixes sweet and savoury. Served in a covered souffle dish, the foie gras is arranged over the kabocha and is swimming in an onion marmalade sauce speckled with bits of pistachio. There's a hint of maple syrup in there and I was tempted to lick the bowl clean but thought it best to save that urge for dessert.
My main course was the beef and it was cooked perfectly, complemented with potatoes that were wonderfully crispy on the outside and soft and delicate on the inside.
My dessert, the black sesame blanc mange, was also suggested by our server. This special treat was like a Japanese creme brulee; gentle, light and perfect - topped with a few delicate pieces of jewel-colored fruit. When you dig deeper, the blanc mange has the appearance of a spa treatment that would feel wonderful on your face. Hmm, a spa treatment you can eat, i like that idea.
The check comes with madeleines and chocolate cookies that added an explanation point to a wonderful dining experience.
Service is top notch and the restrooms have to rank in my Top 5 in SF. From the rock formation in the sink to the Japanese high tech Toto toilet. Nice touch.
The evening was full of wonderful food, wine and great conversation. We had a couple of glasses down courtesy of DL who has a habit of spilling when we're out and about. And, I can't remember who said it but they said it was like "the chef put a little bit of love in every bite". How's that for a complement to the chef.
John and I talked about our dining experience for a couple of days following this evening. Words that came up were: delicious, surprising, complementary, subtle, beautiful, meticulous, understated and excellent. I will definitely go back and I'll try the chefs selection. I highly recommend that you go there too.
My menu for the evening:
- Foie gras, kabocha pot de crme, pistachio, red onion marmalade
- Grass fed tender beef loin, potato anna, perigourdine
- Black sesame blancmange with a pineapple salsa, coconut milk reduction
- La Bastide St. Dominique, Chateauneuf du Pape
1638 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Ph. 415-440.4959