Déjà vu

After two years of passing by it on the bus to work, I finally made it to Sam’s on Bush Street (not to be confused with Sam’s in Tiburon – verrrrry different). When I walked in, I immediately thought of Tadich Grill: older male waiters in white tuxedos, box-car style seating, focus on fish, old-school San Francisco vibe. While Tadich was better, Sam’s was still a pleasant experience.

First impressions are important and Sam nails this one. Check out the bread waiting! And four pats of butter. Once the excitement of the sourdough bread died down, the rest of the experience was pleasant but nothing to write home about. The menu is extensive and has something for everyone – soups, salads, steaks, fish, vegetarian, pastas, and ranges in price from about $12-25. I love calamari, so I opted for the marinated calamari salad (realized breading and frying makes a big difference). My dad ordered the Salisbury steak while Mom-aroo went for the veal. Everyone seemed pleased and pleasantly full – if I were a teacher, I’d give Sam a B.

These are the hardest reviews to write – there was no single event or aspect to harp on, joke about, or recommend to others. I should point out that the noise level was optimal and the service was attentive without being overwhelming. But what restaurant wants to be remembered for its “optimal noise level”?

Going Green

The big bro turned the big 2-9 and to honor his final year as a twenty-something, the family met for a late lunch at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. For those of you unfamiliar, Chez Panisse was founded in the 1970’s by Alice Waters and, to me, pretty much epitomizes Berkeley. To this day, Alice still runs the show and has made famous the organic, locally-grown, grow-what-you-eat, etc. approach to fine dining. I distinctly remember a recent 60 Minutes segment featuring Alice in which she casually prepares an egg (cage-free, of course) for Leslie Stahl by sticking it on a long wooden paddle and warming it in her stone oven over open coals. ‘Cause that’s what we all do when we’re craving the Over Easy, right? Alice doesn’t own a microwave or a toaster (the disgrace!). It’s a nice concept but I wonder how feasible it is for the rest of America to install an open-air, million dollar stone oven in our kitchens…

Anyway, onto the meal. The menu changes daily to emphasize the freshest ingredients. Not feeling terribly hungry, I opted for two appetizers (supplemented with generous servings of free bread and butter, of course). My dad, brother, and I started with a roasted tomato and eggplant soup, which was fresh and flavorful. As one would expect, Alice’s stuff doesn’t taste like it came from a can of Campbell’s. I followed the soup with local halibut tartare; again the ingredients taste fresh and of high quality. My mom raved about her grilled halibut. My dad was pleased with his pesto pasta and my brother finished his steak.

If you don’t mind paying a premium for fresh food this is the place for you. We dined in the more casual upstairs “café” where lunch entrees run about $20-25 a pop. Dinner is prix fixe and run $75 each. I can definitely taste the difference in really high quality ingredients but I don’t really care all that much to spend twice as much.

To celebrate Adrienne’s birthday, four of us gals ventured 45 minutes southwest to The Moss Beach Distillery. MBD came recommended to me from a wise SF native currently residing in NYC; she claimed this restaurant is her top priority when she is back in town (I love tips like that). Half Moon Bay may be less than an hour away, but the rural and serene atmosphere makes it feel more like a few million miles away. We dropped our cars at the hotel and made our way to the cliff-side spot known for its ghost named Kate. I cried “Bull S&*%” each and every time one of the waiters or owner told us of a personal encounter with Kate but, admittedly, was pretty entertained to see adults passionately speak of possessed silverware or subliminal messages from the resident spirit.

Enough about ghosts, time for true stories: Moss Beach is tucked away on a cliff over-looking the bay. One can sit inside next to a window to enjoy the view or on a patio outside, where they provide blankets and fireplaces to combat the perpetual fog. If it weren’t 40 and misty, I might have been game to do the outdoor thing.

The menu could have been written for me: burgers, fish’n’chips, sliders, crispy fish tacos, fried calamari, salmon club, coast sliders. We split the fried calamari to start, which was solid but I have seen better (only red sauce option, bordering on lukewarm). It was painstaking, but I finally decided on the slider trio: bacon-cheddar, jack cheese-grilled onion, gruyere-sautéed mushroom. I am not exaggerating when I say the first bite nearly took my breath away. The beef was perfectly rare (a few drops of blood), the mini-brioche rolls soft and sweet, and the toppings paired to perfection. It helped that I hadn’t had a burger in several weeks, which made the victory all the more sweet.

Not wanting to risk rapid weight loss, we ordered the flourless chocolate cake and banana-marshmallow samosas for dessert. The cake tasted more like a dense brownie, which was fine with me. The samosas – fried bananas, chocolate, and marshmallows deep fried in pastry dough – went down just right with the warm chocolate dipping sauce.

Topping off the excellent meal, the restaurant had wonderful customer service. One gets the sense the waiters have been there for years and treat you like an old friend. They brought Adrienne an ice-cream sundae (yes, we had three desserts) and sang Happy Birthday. The manager stopped by to make sure we were happy. They also offer a free shuttle service to any of the nearby hotels, which we readily accepted after toasting Adrienne's entry into drinking age. Oh, to be 21 again!

Shake your money maker

Fun Factoid: Slanted Door was San Francisco’s highest grossing restaurant in 2008 (http://sanfrancisco.grubstreet.com/2009/04/slanted_door_is_sfs_highest_gr.html). Based on how large the space is, the crowds I saw today, and the prices on the menu – I don’t doubt it. The combination of unique food and million-dollar views doesn’t hurt, either.

Back to my gymnastics analogy, Vietnamese food will never be a perfect 10 for me, but I still left SD’s (perpendicular) door with the upmost respect. Each of the four plates I tasted today had something distinct or memorable about it:

- Crispy Imperial Rolls (appetizer): This is fried food where you’re not overwhelmed by the breading and oil and can focus on the substance. The rolls are stuffed with quality pork, shrimp, and peanut bits. It’s only lightly friend (hence “crispy”) – so it’s quite healthy for you, actually. The platter comes with lettuce, noodles, and mint to build a wrap but I found this distracted from the roll itself. (Bottom photo, 90% decimated)

- Crab with cellophane noodles (a dish on 7x7’s Top 100!): It’s not every day I have cellophane noodles. The texture – lighter than a normal noodle – was a pleasant change and the flavors used were equally refreshing. (Top photo)

- Grilled lemongrass pork: As you can see from the picture, this dish is more about the rice noodles than the pork. It also comes with more crispy rolls (yes!) Mint, a flavor I don’t encounter often, infuses the plate. (Second photo)

- Chicken claypot: This was my favorite. It was heartier than the other two meat dishes. The ginger sauce is subtle but flavorful and the chicken chunks were juicy.

One comment about the meat: in both the crab and pork plates, the meat serving was quite small – a few small pieces in each. The crab dish was 90% noodles and 10% crab. I wouldn’t classify this is a complaint but rather as something that surprised me (especially considering the dishes run $18 - $20 a pop).

What I liked most about Slanted Door is none of the dishes are heavy, but the flavors still leave a lasting impression. Strong but subtle (subtly strong? Whatever.). Great place to bring out-of-towners for a classic SF experience – just book your reservation early.

Pleasing a tough crowd

Monday night found me meeting a friend of twenty years (yes, twenty!) downtown for an early dinner at a Mexican joint I had never heard of. According to Lauren, she chose Tropisueno based on several walk-by observations. Good enough reason for me. Lauren and I grew up together eating delicious, hearty Mexican food; neither of us easily fooled by mediocre south-of-the-border fare, so Tropisueno had its work cut out.

When I walked in, my first observation was how delightful the place was. You walk into a decent-sized bar area, which appeared quite lively for a Monday night. To its left is a large, charming dining room. Immediately, I felt like I had walked into one of the restaurants I visited in Mexico earlier this year.

Lauren, a full bowl of chips, and two salsas awaited me in the dining room. The chips were good and addicting, as all good Mexican restaurant chips are and should be. The menu is comprehensive but not overwhelming. I was tempted by several options (a seafood soup, chile verde, and the stand-by combo option) but ultimately decided on something a little different: Camarones Tropisueno. This dish consists of a generous serving of jumbo shrimp swimming in an arbol sauce (best described orange and slightly spicy – almost curry-like) accompanied by Mexican rice, corn tortillas, refried beans, and salsa. The arbol sauce was quite memorable and not something you see every day. I was very pleased.

Onto two critical factors when evaluating Mexican food: portions and prices. Naturally, I managed to find the most expensive item on the menu ($16) but most options are in the very reasonable $10 range. When you consider all the accompaniments that are included with the entrees – rice beans, tortillas – it makes for a very filling meal (sadly, this is not always a given nowadays...ahem, Mamacita). Nothing makes me happier than finding a new Mexican spot that meets my unreasonably high taste, portion, and price standards. I will definitely go back and would highly recommend it to others (especially since Chevy’s is around the corner). Gracias, Lauren!