For Ham Fans and Oyster Eaters

I have an ever-growing list of San Francisco restaurants I want to try chicken-scratched on notebook paper, taped to my fridge. Even though I'm always adding (it seems like a new hot place pops up every week in this city), I'm also able to cross off quite a few. One that's been on my list for almost two years is Hog & Rocks. The San Francisco Chronicle had named it one of the "Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants" in 2013, so it was time to give it a try. It's advertised as a place for "oyster eaters, ham fans and whiskey lovers." While not on-board with the whiskey, the food combo sounds pretty unbeatable, so we finally went to check it out last weekend.

Exterior on 19th!

Interior Art

The restaurant is located on 19th in the Mission. It's the typical smaller size of a Mission gastropub but not impossible to get into. We made dinner reservations earlier the same day (OpenTable said they were full but a call to the hostess proved otherwise). The ambiance is dim lighting but highlighting wall art of what else but pigs, oysters and whiskey. While the restaurant was almost totally full and felt like an energetic Friday night, it wasn't hard to hear across the table (which I appreciate the older I get). For a whiskey bar, it still had a good wine list with some reasonably priced options, so that was a nice discovery. In terms of the menu, we first tackled the "rocks" portion. There were 6 different fresh oyster options, so we tried one of each. It was a wide selection from various regions, so you could actually tell the difference between them which was fun. We also ordered the BBQ oysters, which were tasty but didn't hold a candle to Hog Island's chipotle bourbon BBQ oysters. From the "snacks" menu, we got the artisan pretzels (one is not big enough to spit unless you only want 2-3 bites) and the pimento cheese dip (which  you have to order separately). For a smaller sized pretzel, they give you a giant bowl of cheese, so they should either give you more things to put the cheese on or a smaller bowl and drop the price. We also ordered the deviled eggs and as a huge fan of deviled eggs I feel completely comfortable saying they were possibly the best deviled eggs I've ever had. What really elevates them above other deviled eggs is that ham is involved, plus they're topped with deep fried oysters. Lastly we tried the trotter tots, which are basically deep-fried tater tots infused with pig's feet to give it a fatty pork flavor. They were served with a smoked garlic ranch dipping sauce and fennel bulbs. They definitely elevated plain old tater tots to a whole new level. In summary, their menu is pretty inventive and they stay within theme, so if you like pork products or oysters you'd be satisfied. My main point of contention with them is the price point. 4 glasses of middle of the price-range wine, plus all the food mentioned above came to $150 and frankly we probably could have eaten even more.

Deviled Eggs

Trotter Tots

Oh The Shows...

Sad to say but I've fallen a little behind on the blogging in the last couple months. Those travel ones took so much time I got a little burned out. But never fear loyal readers (aka Mom), I'm back at it! Even though I went to see the following shows in November and December, they were great enough to rehash.

The first weekend in November I went to see Charli XCX at Slim's in SOMA. She's a saucy English singer and songwriter who's been at it since 2008 (when she was 15). She gain notoriety when she was featured on Icona Pop's big hit, "I Love It." I enjoyed her second album "True Romance," which featured songs like "You- Ha Ha Ha," "Set Me Free" and "Cloud Aura." In concert she was very energetic and fun to watch. She's still pretty young so don't expect anything too deep, just an upbeat tempo that good for dancing and running. If she keeps playing smaller venues with space to dance I'd recommend checking her. In recent news she's been added to the SXSW 2014 lineup and will be releasing her third studio album in June.

The following week I went to check out a new venue and band in the Mission. The show was at the new venue, The Chapel, on Valencia. It was originally a mortuary and is now a venue, restaurant, bar and outdoor patio. The restaurant is called The Vestry. We ate and had drinks there before. They have a fun cocktail menu and a lot of small plate and flatbread options that are going for sharing. The cuisine is a blend of French, Italian and Mediterranean. The best part? Our server was fully up on what was happening at the venue next door so we knew exactly when it was time to pay the tab and head over. Inside the venue, you could tell it had been a mortuary at some point, with the high ceilings, stained glass windows and Gothic feel. The ambiance was original and very cool, with the size just big enough for an intimate show experience. The show we saw was Glasser, who I hadn't heard of until the friend I went with recommended her. Glasser is an American singer/songwriter hailing from Boston. Her first EP debuted in 2009, followed by her full album in 2010. Her other album dropped in 2013. Her sound is very funky. On her Wiki page they compared her to Joni Mitchell but with the eerie electronic vibe I'd go more with someone like Purity Ring. It was a good show, pretty outside the box, but considering what we paid plus the venue I'm happy I went.

Near the end of November I went to the Fox Theater in Oakland for Chvrches. I was very excited by this one, as they've started selling out shows since they got big and I missed them the first time around. Chvrches (don't ask me say this band name out loud although apparently it's just "churches") is a Scottish synthpop band that formed in 2011. The band has no religious affiliation, just thought the name "sounded cool." They started releasing tracks in 2012, including my favorite "The Mother We Share." Their next single "Recover" starting blowing up in early 2013. Chvrches ended up 5th on BBC's Sound of 2013, of which Haim was named the winner. Another lesser known favorite of mine, Little Green Cars, was also on the list. Back to the show, it was amazing. The lighting was fun but not overdone. Sometimes when you hear synthpop live it just sounds like over-processed EDM but their sound was crystal clear. Her voice sounded exactly like it does on the albums, so there's no digital processing there. I would highly recommended seeing them live if you can.

In early December I went back to the Fox to see the Head & the Heart. an indie folk rock band out of Seattle. They formed in 2009 and self-released their first music in 2010, got signed and released the album on CD and vinyl in 2011. The band is comprised of five guys and though it's not on their Wiki page (which lacks detail and clearly needs to be updated), there's a girl member (who plays a killer violin). Their songs range from being piano, violin or percussion driven, which shows a wide range of skill. Their lyrics are beautiful and soulful. Live it was one of those truly impactful shows where you can tell the whole audience is having an emotional connection with the music. While already a darling on the indie scene, I think this band is still in the process of taking off even more. Expect them to start showing up on a lot of festival lineups. Definitely check them out.

Even Artichokes Have Hearts

Earlier this week I went to dinner at Locanda, a restaurant that despite its high profile location (16^th and Valencia) I hadn't heard much about. It opened in April 2011 and is run by the same owners as Delfina. I knew I’d like it right off the bat since its logo is an artichoke. I had decided to go there for dinner after scanning 7X7’s list of “100 Things to Eat Before You Die” and the Jewish style artichokes at Locanda popped out to me. How does one make Jewish style artichokes? And why had I not heard of this before?

Turns out they’re fried, herb-seasoned and delicious. But let me start from the beginning. Walking into Locanda, it has the similar atmosphere of its neighbors in the Mission.  It was darker, primarily candlelit and had bar and open kitchen spanning the length of the restaurant. After assessing the menu, we settled on calling it an Italian Roman fusion. Pretty much every antipasti on the menu looked delicious so we went for a wide variety. On top of the Jewish style artichokes, which were an obvious must, we also went with the king salmon crudo, shaved artichoke salad, egg and asparagus, grilled pizza bianca and peas and shoots. Let’s start with the last. We ordered the peas and shoots as we’d heard the owner requires the wait staff to say one of his favorite jokes, “peas shoot, peas score” whenever serving the pea shoots. Sadly our server did not, but with the spring onion and straus yogurt mixed in, they were still the most flavorful pea side dish I've ever had. My least favorite starter (and let me caveat that this just means it was the least amazing) was the king salmon crudo. I liked that it was topped with salted capers and kept simple with a little xvoo. Unfortunately it lacked the acidity that really makes a crudo sing. The asparagus was not lacking in flavor, as it was topped with a poached egg, bottarga (cured fish roe) and burro nero (butter), finished off with crunchy breadcrumbs. Outside of the Jewish style artichoke, my favorite was the pizza Bianca, while was charred bread topped with an amazing amount of burrata, herbs and oil. It sounds so simple on paper but if you saw it in person you would understand. Even the basic bread brought for the table was anything but basic. It was fresh out of the grill, doused in olive oil and topped with sea salt.

But back to the artichokes. The shaved artichoke salad was mixed with arugula and avocado but what really brought it a step above other shaved salads I've had was the grilled ricotta. Usually when I have ricotta it’s in its softer form but this was the hard cheese. And grilling it added this great smoky flavor to the cheese. It turns out Jewish style artichokes (carciofi all giudia) are a delicacy from the olden Roman days. The artichokes are fried in oil with their leaves out-turned, making them look like sunflower. The whole, fried artichokes is seasoned with herbs, lemon, salt and pepper. They're crunchy, flavorful and another fun way to enjoy artichokes.

For my main dish I ordered the chicken, which could be perceived as boring, but it was wrapped in pancetta and stuffed with some form of herbs. It was some of the most perfectly cooked chicken I've ever had and the pancetta really held in the flavor and moistness. After checking out everyone else’s dishes, I’d also recommend the pork spareribs based off looks and that that person’s satisfaction level. I ducked out before dessert but was more than satisfied. I highly recommend this spot and plan to go back soon.

The Best & Worst Restaurants of October

October has been a crazy month, as the holiday season starts to kick of. Ugly holiday sweaters are just around the corner! I decided to condense my whirlwind of eating out down to one that blew me away and one that left me disappointed.

Let's start with the good news first. I had a friend* in town two weekend ago and I knew she was adventurous enough to come with me to one of my bucket list restaurants, Bar Crudo. Bar Crudo is located on Divisidero in the heart of NOPA. Bar Crudo serves, as the name suggests, a modern raw bar with only a few cooked dishes. After going a friend was disappointed I didn't get the clam chowder, which according to her is the best clam chowder you'll ever have. However, I am a fan of raw seafood (sushi addict extraordinaire) so I wanted to take full advantage of the raw fare Bar Crudo has to offer. After ordering a refreshing bottle of cava, we started out with a plate of various oysters at the recommendation of our server. They all delivered on their promise and tasted like they'd just come out of the ocean. For our main course we had the crudo sampler for two. The sample included four different kinds of fish: ahi tuna, arctic char, scallop and butterfish. The ahi tuna tasted like poke, with it's sauce of soy, lime, ginger and green onion. The arctic char, which was topped with horseradish creme fraiche, wasabi tobiko and dill. If only I could recreate this, it would be the perfect horderves for parties. The scallop was a nice pop of flavor, with blood orange, olive, fennel and tarragon accouterments. The sampler finished with the butterfish, which I was wary of but was actually delicious. It's a very smooth fish with little flavor, so it was almost like dessert when they served it with apples, pear vinaigrette and beet saffron caviar. We finished our mean with the artisan cheese plate, with fruits, pickles, honey and marmalade for pairing. This may be one of my new favorite restaurants in the city. The space is smaller and minimalistic with pops of interesting sea-related artwork. The kitchen is open so you can see all the fresh fish. The wait staff was very nice and extremely knowledgeable. I can't wait to go back!

The worst restaurant of the month was an unfortunate surprise as it came highly recommended by several foodie friends. It's the Beast & the Hare in Mission on Guerrero, which looks adorable and cozy from the outside. It called itself  an American style restaurant with an emphasis on meat (as the name would suggest). I would more classify it as American with a very strong Italian influence.We started with the avocado toast topper with boquerones. The bread used for the toast was hearty and had a ton of avocado on it. Unfortunately we did not know what boquerones are, which is fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar (a popular tapas in Spain). We then went to a samplers of meats and cheese. We got the coppa (cured pork neck) and the smoked duck, along with the feia (sheep/cow milk, semi-soft, Italian). This came on a plate with pickled vegetables, marmalade and honey. The coppa was "meh" (yes, I'm clearly an eloquent writer). The duck was really good but not what we expected. It was served as more of a paste in a jar. I think what makes the difference if you like or hate this restaurant is the level of service you receive. We had a reservation and got there right on time, but had to stand and wait an additional 30 minutes. The place is super small so you just have to stand in the entry way. A girl at work who liked this restaurant said she had a very informative server, who explained everything on the menu and made recommendations based on their tastes. We had a server who was clearly slammed and spend a brief amount of time with us. That's too bad, as that could have potentially changed my view of this dining experience. 

*Thanks to one of my all-time favorite people Tammy for visiting San Francisco. It was amazing to have you here to adventure with. Thanks for drinking wine and trying acro-yoga in Sonoma, singing Prince songs with Lyft drivers and trying to help your single friend flirt with cute waiters. I miss you already!

Brunching in the Bay

In my opinion, one of the best ways to spend a weekend morning is "brunching." Brunch is the best of breakfast and lunch, combined into one delicious meal. The only downside is having to wake up a little earlier, but as I get older, the option to sleep until noon because less and less feasible. This weekend was perfect because I made it to brunch both mornings!

On Saturday morning I met a friend at the Mission Beach Cafe. This place has great reviews on Yelp and I've heard there can be quite the line. When we went there was only a 15 to 20 minute wait, which for a buzzed about brunch place in San Francisco is not bad at all. I've spent multiple times waiting 45 minutes at Brenda's. The restaurant is pretty small and cozy, so we ended up being seated along the bar facing the window. This was actually a great spot to be on a sunny day, soaking up rays and people watching in the Mission. Our server was super friendly and hilarious, so that automatically made the dining experience better. We ordered some Blue Bottle iced coffee, although MBC just ended their contract with Blue Bottle and will be switching to someone else moving forward. We ended up splitting the pork and duck confit hash and the crab and shrimp eggs benedict. I started with the confit hash, which was tender pieces of braised pork and duck over a sweet potato- butternut squash hash, topped with two over-easy eggs and creme fraiche. The flavor profile was well-balanced and fresh, with everything prepared well. The only downside is that the dish was a little on the greasy side and since it was served in a bowl, whatever ingredient was making it greasy made everything a little greasy. The benedict was two english muffins slathered in their house-made guacamole and topped with shrimp and dungeness crab. The eggs on top were slightly over-poached but good for people who don't like runny yolks. The hollandaise sauce drizzled on top was good and balanced out with an orange reduction to cut the creaminess a bit. Overall, I had a pretty good experience there. It wasn't amazing for me, but definitely enjoyable and affordable. And apparently they have Pot Pie Tuesdays, which I wouldn't mind going back to try. We Midwesterners love our pot pies and I never see them out here.

Sunday morning I went with the boyfriend to The Liberty Cafe in Bernal Heights. I'd only been to Bernal Heights once before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This cafe ended up being near the top of the "heights" so there were plenty of nice houses with amazing skyline views. The neighborhood was very quaint and family-filled (although the fact that it was Father's Day may have been a factor in this). The Cafe has inside dining, patio dining and a back area dedicated to the bakery. Once again the wait was approximately 15 minutes, so not too bad. I had not heard of this place before so I went in with no expectations, which was kind of refreshing. Sadly they were out of the seasonal frittata, so I opted for the meat lover's scramble. The scramble was delicious. The eggs were served with bacon, sausage, chorizo, onion and Monterey cheese. It would probably be hard to go wrong with such a combination. The breakfast potatoes on the side were average. I chose the whole wheat walnut toast, which was pretty tasty so I think it's safe to assume their bakery selection has a lot to offer. Parking in this area is a lot better than most spots in the city, so if you have a car and your headed that way, this cafe is worth a stop.

Cha Cha Cha= Yum Yum Yum!

Last weekend we had friends in town and wanted to take them out for good food, so The Mission was the obvious choice. However, I am notoriously bad at planning ahead and making reservations, so the first few places we went to had waits over an hour. After wandering up and down Mission St, we decided to venture into Cha Cha Cha (2327 Mission St, cha3.com). There's also another location in the city at 1801 Haight. The place was packed, but large with lots of tables crammed in so the wait wasn't too bad. There's a long bar in the middle of the restaurant, so we saddled up and ordered a pitcher of the white sangria, which was quite peachy and refreshing. While Cha Cha Cha has some entrees on the menu, it's mainly about the tapas. We ordered the fried calamari, steamed black mussels, sauteed mushrooms, fried platanos maduros and both the chicken and pork quesadillas. While everything was pretty tasty, the black mussels steamed in garlic, tomatoes, fresh herbs and saffron broth was the scene stealer. They were fresh, flavorful and light. We also had a pitcher of the red sangria during dinner. While it was good, I think the white was better just because it was a little different. After hitting up Cha Cha Cha, we headed for drinks at the Beauty Bar down the street. The place was packed, the drinks were strong and the music was great. All in all, a good night out on Mission Street!

The most amazing restaurant in the Mission!

Last Friday night we had dinner at my new favorite restaurant in San Francisco. My new love is Lolo in the Mission district, located at 3230 22nd Street. The restaurant serves contemporary spins on Latin inspired food. They have wine on tap, sparkling sangria, small plates of amazing food, oh and did I mention WINE ON TAP?? The ambiance is fun, lively and colorful.

Getting to the food (oh the food), for veggies dishes we started with the grilled artichokes, coated in olive oil and Hawaiian black salt, with a mint aioli for dipping. The simple salt seasoning with the grilled flavors was absolutely clean and perfect. The other veggies dish we got was fried brussel sprouts, shallots and hazelnuts in a zinfandel vinaigrette. They were maybe some of the best brussel sprouts I've ever had and I like my brussel sprouts. The whole hazelnuts added a great crunch. On Yelp, everyone raved about the sparkling sangria and the crab tostadas, so of course we had both. The crab tostadas were Chris's favorite part of the meal, with chorizo, leeks, fried dungeness crab, sandia aioli and avocado puree on a crispy shell.We also had the taco tropical, which I think may be my favorite, although it's hard to choose. It consists of panko and spice-dusted shrimp, topped with tropical mango relish and spicy aioli. Instead of a tortilla, it was served on a slice of leek which added the perfect watery crunch. Last but not least we ate the gorditas, blue corn masa pockets filled with braised short ribs, roasted three chile sauce and pickled onions. For dessert we had the apple wontons, drizzled with strawberry sauce and a side of Mexican vanilla ice cream.

Everything is pretty well priced, although with small plates and so many options, it's definitely easy to run up quite a tab. The only downside was that the service wasn't terribly attentive. The people at the bar next to us got this amazing looking dish, so we inquired what it was and found out they had a nightly special that we were never told about. In fact it turned out only one couple in the area near us had been told about the special. Also, it gets pretty busy, so get there early, have a reservation or be prepared to wait. But it is definitely worth the wait...