French food on Fillmore

Last weekend we tried one of what feels like the only places on Fillmore we have yet to eat at, Florio. Florio serves both French and Italian food, which sounds little off but the French dishes are where they really shine. The restuarant is very cute and cozy, so make sure to make a reservation in advance. The dim lighting and candles also make it a good place to go for a date.There's also a small bar area up front where you can try to get a stool if possible.

The bar offers a variety of 1920s inspired cocktails. They also have a great wine list and pay particular attention to what is local and in season. I tried one of the Rosés they were featuring and it was delicious. Their menu also pays particular attention to what is in season. To start, I tried the butternut squash soup, which was creamy, flavorful and that perfect autumn spice level. For dinner, I had the Poulet Rôti, which is roasted chicken with Chicory Aux Lardons (warm diced chicory with bacon), roasted pears, crispy shallots and poultry jus. It was a classic French dish and just the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Chris had the "le Hamburge Tartine" with Manchego cheese and caramelized onion, which he said was a pretty juicy and flavor-filled burger. One of the friends we were with got the Butternut Squash ravioli, which also looked pretty amazing. I think that everyone should eat as much squash and pumpkin as possible every Autumn. It's definitely one of the best seasons for food, it is the harvest after all!

Overall, I had a wonderful experience at Florio. It's not SPQR prices, but it's close. So while it looks like a cute cafe/bar on the outside, be prepared to spend if you want a good meal with a couple drinks.

Oh Netflix, why do I continue to love you?

After finding out that Netflix lost 800,000 subscribers in 2011 due to price increases and that dumb "Qwikster"idea, I'm really hoping this is the last of the fee increases for a while. If it isn't, I need to start getting my money's worth and renting better quality films. Here are my thoughts on the two latest duds.

Monday night we watch "Limitless," with Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish. Basically Bradley Cooper is a deadbeat with writers block when he comes across this magical pill that let's him tap into his full brain instead of just the 20% science says a normal person accesses. The twist? Gasp, you'd never believe it, this miracle drug has horrible side effects and ends up resulting in death. And somehow a bunch of financial whiz CEO guys are also on this pill. If this pill existed, more people would definitely know about it. It would probably be sold on the street like every other illegal drug with deadly side effects. De Niro is great as usual, which at least made his scenes more enjoyable to watch. Cooper's performance wasn't bad, but this whole movie is not that memorable. And the plot was a stretch feasibility-wise and fairly predictable when it's supposed to be a suspenseful thriller. Definitely wait for cable, I'm sure it will be on there soon enough.

The other movie I watched last weekend was "The Bounty Hunter" with Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston. Deep down, I knew this movie wasn't going to be good but for some reason I had blind faith that it wouldn't be awful. It was pretty awful. And boring. And predictable. Butler plays a down on this luck ex-cop turned bounty hunter who finds out he gets to hunt down his journalist ex-wife (Aniston) after she skips her court date to follow a story lead. It's hard to envision these two people being married. And they just don't have much chemistry on-screen despite rumors that they were hooking up during filming. Their on-screen shenanigans quickly get less cute and more annoying. Any viewer could clearly tell that they're going to end up back together. Jason Sudeikis plays a mildly funny character madly in love with Aniston. That was about all the movie had to offer. It's at a 7% on Rotten Tomatoes because one person watch it and gave it 4 stars. I'd stick with the majority on this one and just avoid watching all together.

Working on my cooking skillz

Most people who know me know that I'm a little challenged in the kitchen. Let's be honest, I'm a little "domestically challenged" in general. I used to think I hated cooking, but I think that's because I always tried to bake, which involves a lot of precise measuring. I have started to really get into cooking, as I've found that I can freestyle a little more, throwing in different herbs and spices and adjusting as I like. I took a cooking class a couple years ago with my mom, where I melted a cutting board, got burns from boiling oil and food sickness from eating a raw piece of bacon (which I though was some exotic type of prosciutto). I've been a little weary of cooking classes since then, but I feel like my skills have improved slightly so I decided to give it another try.

I found Chef Anna, who runs Simmer and Sear, via Groupon and decided to give it a try. She teaches all kinds of cooking classes, including Italian, Spanish, Indian and Moroccan. I took the Italian class since I figured that would be one of the easiest. The classes are either over lunch or dinner and are held in her apartment in North Beach. Class sizes sound like they can range from 3-5 people, which is a great size. You get to try a little bit of every stage of the process. Chef Anna is full blown Italian, so it was great learning from someone who clearly had  a lot of experience in traditional Italian food. She also teaches my style of cooking, not really measuring and basing seasoning off of taste. We started out making Italian Bruschetta. She taught us tricks to cutting onion, dicing garlic in less than a minute and chopping tomatoes. Add in some balsamic, olive oil and other seasonings (I can't give the recipes away, you'll have to take the class), slab some on top of a crostini and it was amazing! And totally something I will be able to make again. We also made Chicken Parmesan with a basil pancetta tomato sauce. I learned how to bread chicken, how to make sure your Chicken Parmesan ends up crispy and not soggy and how to make a good red sauce from basically scratch. This is definitely another recipe I will be easily able to make again at home.

You can bring wine to drink while you learn how to cook (necessary!) and Chef Anna is very easy to learn from. I left this class not feeling embarrassed by my cooking skills, but proud and excited to recreate these recipes. I would definitely recommend taking one of her small classes, especially if you're a beginner. For those with already developed skills, you can schedule a private lesson that's more advanced. Class schedules can be found here.

 

Haven't seen too many movies lately...

October has been a pretty crazy month and I'm getting behind on my movies and Netflix queue, which is no good. I have seen one flick in theaters this month, "The Ides of March." This political film stars some heavy hitters, like George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti. The female lead is played by Rachel Evan Wood. The movie was really good. While the story is not true, it is clear that inspiration for the two presidential candidates is pulled from a lot of the political scandals that have happened in the last few years. Clooney's campaign poster is very reminiscent of Obama's "Hope" poster. While I left this movie feeling a little depressed about the state of politics, I do recommend this movie. Everyone in it did an amazing job. It seems like Clooney is gunning to be this generation's Robert Redford, as he not only starred but helped write a direct.

The last movie I rented was "Source Code," starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga. I do have to say one quick thing about Vera. She's Ukrainian and is you enjoy borscht, my mom said the way Vera makes it with beef is pretty tasty. So anyway, I'm normally not into the sci-fi types of movies. The premise is that Gyllenhall is a solider that keeps getting sent to the scene of a train explosion to find the terrorist. When he's sent there, he somehow takes over this guy on the train's mind and body. You find out later what technology the military is using to make this possible. I won't run it, but let's just say its a bit of a stretch and would never be approved in real life. The ending really bothered me, as a lot of the movie has to do with time travel. If you have a plot like this, take some time to wrap up the ending and at least make it semi-believable. This movie ends so abruptly and the ending doesn't make any sense if you take two seconds to think about how that would actually work. This seems like the type of movie that will definitely be running on cable a lot in the future, so I would just wait for that.

Caturday is the best day and it's almost here!

Sensational food at Spruce SF

I've pretty much been in foodie heaven since I moved to San Francisco. Last week I had one of the best meals I've had here yet (and probably one of the most expensive). We went to Spruce (3640 Sacramento St), which is right between the Presidio Heights and Laurel Heights neighborhoods. The area is very cute, with a ton of little restaurants and boutiques. Spruce serves contemporary American cuisine, using fresh and local ingredients (the standard for most restaurants in California).

Walking into Spruce, it was clear that this was a pretty swank restaurant. The interior was actually designed by Stephen Brady from Williams-Sonoma, another company headquartered in San Francisco. It was darker, with little geo-crystal lights on each table. The interior had a lot of dark wood, with a black, white and chocolate color scheme. There are high ceilings featuring Baccarat crystal chandeliers, with a glass-paned wine bottle storage wall in the middle of the room, separating the dining from the bar. The outer walls are mirrored, giving the illusion that the restaurant is larger, when its actually fairly small and cozy. The lounge area and some if the dining room has oversized faux ostrich chairs, which are ridiculous comfortable. There’s also a bar area that has a smaller menu with more casual fare, such as burgers. If you want to eat at Spruce but can’t get a reservation or don’t want to spend a fortune, grabbing a seat at the bar may be a better option to consider.

We went for dinner. The appetizer we went with was the heirloom tomatoes with burrata, focaccia, basil and aged balsamic. The tomatoes were so fresh, with the burrata adding that creamy element and the foccaia adding a bit of crunch. They also bring the table one or two rounds of amuse bouches, which is always fun and gives you a real feel for the chef’s style and flavor profile. For a drink before the meal came, I had the Pamarosa, which is rose and pomegranate liqueurs and sparkling wine. They actually float a rose petal in it! For dinner, I tried a couple different wines. Their sommelier has amassed a wine list of over 2,500 selections from all over the world. I’m a huge pinot noir fan, which is typically a fruitier red wine that’s low in tannins (less acidity and bite). The Cobb 2007 from the Sonoma Coast was probably my favorite that I tried on their list. For an entrée I ordered the deliciously decadent butter-poached lobster, served with braised lettuce and handmade golden potato gnocchi. Everything on the plate was succulent and melted in my mouth. Others at the table gave rave reviews for the grilled bavette steak and local yellowtail.

The desserts they offer are very fun and playful, such as the watermelon soda float and the caramel corn panna cotta. We tried the mini beignet, which came with chocolate and creme anglais dipping sauces. The sauces were so amazing I found myself wishing I could lick them clean (don't worry, I'm a classy gal and resisted this urge). We also tried the chocolate peanut butter bar, which also has layers of raspberry jelly and coffee infused marshmallow. I about died, it was so delicious. So, if you’re looking for a restaurant to go for a celebration or anniversary, this one is a good pick. You’ll get an amazing meal, just be prepared to leave with a much lighter wallet.