I received an email from a reader today informing me of what appears to be a worthy and simple cause. June 5th was National Hunger Awareness Day, and to mark the occasion Dannon (the yogurt company), America's Second Harvest nad the Food Bank have launched a drive to raise money. It is pretty simple - you just go to this page on the Dannon website, click a button, and for every click a $1 donation is triggered. You also get a chance to email someone about the drive and raise another $1.
Stop by if you have the chance.
Read MoreCafe Mami
Although I was disappointed by my trip to Sapporo Ramen at Porter Square, I wasn't going to hold that experience against all of the other stalls too. Jeremy and Andrew told me that Cafe Mami, another stall that specializes in semi-Westernized cafe food is very good. The place is extremely crowded for Saturday lunches - like most of the stalls there are only a couple of tables (and a small counter). The menu at Mami is quite interesting indeed, boasting a variety of rice bowls and plates, all served with katsus, hamburg steaks, curries and various other Japanese interpretations of Western cafe foods. I'm glad I tried this place - we've actually gone back again since the first trip.
Tokyo-style hamburg set - ground marinated beef steak with Mami's special homemade tomato sauce - $7.5
wafu chicken cutlet set - chicken cutlet with daikon and scallions - $8.5
Both sets come with miso soup, side salad, and unlimited rice. The hamburg steak scared me a bit at first because it looked a bit like ketchup. Luckily for me, it was actually a very good and flavorful tomato sauce. The meat itself was like a dense, tender hamburger, and went very nicely with the sauce. On the second trip, I went for their wafu chicken cutlet (they have pork too - no idea why I opted for chicken here). Let me say - this is probably the best katsu I've had in Boston. I really must try the pork next time. The breading was crisp, and the chicken itself was incredibly tender and moist. Likely this is they used a nice piece of dark meat, and even included some skin inside. Simply delicious.
The only problem with Cafe Mami is I need a ride to get there. Other than that, the food is great, the portions are hefty, and the prices are reasonable. There's plenty of stuff I want to try on the menu so hopefully I can get back there a couple more times before I leave Boston.Maria's Pastry Shop
This isn't exactly a whole meal, but I thought I should post about it anyway. After our meal at Antico Forno, we did walk around the North End a bit. Anyone who's visited knows about the popular Italian bakeries in the area. Mike's Pastry is easily the most famous and quite a tourist destination. A lesser-known gem is Maria's Pastry Shop, which is a few blocks away and not quite as near the main North End action.
cannoli with ricotta filling - $1-2? (forgot to take note of it)
I must say that Maria's indeed puts out a better cannoli than Mike's. The shell was like a delicious cookie, and filled to order with the ricotta. The filling is superb - rich, creamy, and at the same time even a bit refreshing. Everyone always heads straight to Mike's for cannolis. I urge you all to give Maria's a try next time...
Read More
cannoli with ricotta filling - $1-2? (forgot to take note of it)
I must say that Maria's indeed puts out a better cannoli than Mike's. The shell was like a delicious cookie, and filled to order with the ricotta. The filling is superb - rich, creamy, and at the same time even a bit refreshing. Everyone always heads straight to Mike's for cannolis. I urge you all to give Maria's a try next time...Antico Forno
Near the end of the semester, my food anthro class took a Saturday morning field trip to the North End. We ended up eating lunch together at Antico Forno, a homey red sauce Italian spot. The dining room is small and simple, with some wooden tables and an impressive-looking brick oven in the back. The lunch menu is very straightforward, with a variety of appetizers, pastas, and pizzas. The prices are extremely reasonable, and the portions are quite hefty.
focaccina con caprino - flat aromatic bread topped with mixed greens salad, goat cheese, fresh roasted cherry tomatoes and grilled zucchini - $9.5
gnocchi di patate - homemade potato dumpling baked in a brick oven with plum tomato sauce topped with mozzarella cheese and basil - $11
A wonderful, simple meal. The focaccina was a great starter for the table. The combination of flatbread and goat cheese was delicious, and the zucchini had nice texture and flavor. The accompanying salad was crisp and refreshing. The gnocchi was a deceivingly large portion. I'm typically more of a white sauce guy than a red sauce one, but this tomato sauce was very good. I think Carlo's sauce might still be better, but Antico Forno's version of the dish was quite different mainly because of its trip to the oven, leading to a more potato-ey, cooked through gnocchi. I also had a slice of pizza from someone else (not pictured), and it was great - thin crust with delicious sauce. All in all, a great place for a nice lunch.Typhoon
A while back, I went out for sushi with Jackie. I wanted to try a new place, so we figured Typhoon might be worth a shot since it is equidistant from us, and they also had a 15% off coupon on their website. I heard they were at least decent. Typhoon serves a bunch of various "Asian" hot foods but I didn't try any of those. The description of the sushi rice process on their website made their sushi look quite promising.
various sushi - salmon, hamachi, tai, uni, spicy tuna, negihama, some unagi roll - about $40-50
I'm gonna keep this short. This sushi sucked. The irony of it is that despite the emphasis on sushi rice on their site, this was the worst sushi rice I've ever had in a restaurant. I'd say it was probably even worse than supermarket sushi rice. It was just horrible. The fish, fortunately, was not bad (not great either), but the rice really made everything almost inedible. I pictured the rice being made in the morning and just chilling on the counter or something all day (we ate at 8pm or so). It would have been better used for fried rice. I've read that Typhoon's hot dishes have more promise, but to be honest I'm never setting foot in there again.Sapporo Ramen
There is a small minimall by Porter Square called Porter Exchange that is the center of a little Japanese Community. Inside, they have a variety of different food stalls. We went there for a food field trip in my food anthropology class earlier in the semester. I was anxious to try it as I'd never bothered to make the trip. We decided to eat at Sapporo Ramen, which I'd heard some decent things about. As many of you know, I'm on an ongoing hunt for good ramen anywhere I can find it. Each stall in Porter Exchange is really really tiny, with room for just a few tables each. On weekend afternoons the place gets really packed. Luckily we were there pretty early and snagged a table right when they opened.
pork gyoza - $4.25
shoyu chashu ramen - $6.25
I was very disappointed by this place. The gyoza were alright - the skins were thin and pretty light, but the filling was a bit on the bland side (and there was too much of it considering the lack of flavor). I used more dip than I would usually. The ramen was absolutely forgettable. The noodles were alright, but I'd say only marginally better than good instant noodles. The roast pork was lean and fairly tasteless, and the broth had little flavor. Men-Tei isn't great but I think it's got Sapporo beat. Or maybe that trip to actual Sapporo has just ruined ramen for me everywhere else...Steve's
I'm finally done with finals. Summer has officially begun! I'm off until summer classes start on May 24th, so it's time to bum around and eat. Here is a meal at Steve's, one of the few relatively cheaper options along Newbury. They serve a pretty good variety of Greek in a very casual atmosphere. They've been at their corner for a long time now, but this is actually the first time I went.
fried kalamari lightly buttered in lemon wine sauce - $7.45
gyro - homemade layers of marinated lamb and beef mixed with herbs and spices, with hot pita bread, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and tzatziki sauce - $5.25
I guess the Greeks spell calamari with a K. It was pretty good, but maybe ever so slightly too fried. I was happy with the abundant tentacle pieces though - people don't usually give a lot of those. The accompanying tartar sauce was yummy. The gyro was quite overwhelming at first - it's stuffed to the absolute brim, and pretty much fell apart as soon as I tried to pick it up. It was pretty tasty, but I'm not sure if it was worth the difficulty of eating it. It was huge though and well worth the $5. I'll probably go back to Steve's at some point... they have a steak sandwich on their menu that I want to try.Great Bay
Mike wanted to show Mishi some place nice so we checked out Great Bay, which I heard a lot of good things about. Keith and I tagged along. Great Bay is a seafood restaurant inside the new Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square. The place has a pretty cool underwater theme going, with an "island" in the center of the room which puts out raw food and appetizers. A nice-looking bar runs along one wall. We sat in the back part of the main room. I've read numerous reports that Great Bay is the best place in Boston right now for good, inventive seafood preparations.
halibut tacos, mango salsa, pickled onions, avocado - $12
maine diver scallops, blood orange, leeks, Carolina white rice risotto - $32
I thought the food was really good. The halibut had a nice fresh taste with a slight tang. The shells were crisp and held their form well. The mango salsa was sweet and refreshing. My scallops were also wonderful - big, plump, tender, and tasty. They had a beatufiul smooth texture. The blood orange sauce went well together with the risotto. Very good scallops overall - Ahrie, you'd like these.
Food around the table was not as successful. The prices are fairly steep here, and Mike and Keith didn't find their dishes very exceptional or worth the money (they had salmon and cod, I believe). The big problem with this place however was the service. Our waiter was generally friendly, but there is something very strange with the timing here that needs working out. We went in the middle of the week and the place was mostly empty, but for some reason we waited an hour in between courses. We ended up staying there for something like two and a half hours, which was far longer than we wanted. By the time our mains came, everyone was so hungry and frustrated that we were probably angry at the food. I guess I was lucky to have picked the best dish. That said, come dessert time, we figured we were there for that long already so we may as well stick around a bit longer.
homemade butterscotch pudding, caramelized pecans, whipped cream - $9
We were so glad we stayed. Their signature butterscotch pudding is absolutely decadent - rich, smooth, creamy, and just all-out awesome. One of the best desserts I've had in a long time. That said, it's definitely quite heavy, and the four of us barely finished it.
In general I thought my food was pretty good, but the place certainly isn't cheap. I really hope the timing issues were either bad luck, or get worked out, because it really ruined the whole meal for us. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if I stopped by just to eat that pudding again...Server Upgrade
My web host is doing a server upgrade and my site is in the process of being moved over, so I apologize for any weirdness that goes on. Performance should improve after the switch!
Read MoreSonsie
Okay, so I know I promised to update more, but I've been entering crunch time lately here at school. Had 2 papers to work on this week, and now finals are coming up, so I'm not gonna promise much! I'll note that I do have a stockpile of photos sitting on the computer that need to be posted. Here are some pictures from Sonsie on Newbury St., which I've been to a couple of times this semester. I went for dinner a while back with Mike, his girlfriend Mishi who was in town for a little bit, and her friend Amy. Sonsie by virtue of its location is considered to be a bit of a touristy spot. I guess there's some truth to that, but it really is an excellent Newbury St. people-watching spot on warm afternoons. At night, the dining room is dark and naturally has a bit of a less casual atmosphere. It's crowded anyway even when the big doors to the sidewalk are shut.
stewed black mussels fra diavolo with toasted bread fingers - $11.5
flash fried calamari with lemon parsley gremolata & roasted garlic mayo - $10.25
Mike and I both ordered two courses each, intending to eat them ourselves, but when the apps came out we just had to share. These plates were huge, and both were actually quite good. I get the feeling Sonsie does a pretty good job with these table-style appetizers. The mussels weren't very spicy but still had a nice flavor and texture. I don't recall any bad mussels in the lot, except one that was pretty much closed shut. The bread and broth were great, as is common with mussel dishes like this. The fried calamari was a well-executed version of a very normal dish. The squid was tender and the batter was crisp.
grilled loin lamb chops with creamed spinach & truffled potato croquettes - $27
I elected to go with the lamb chops (I was largely convinced by the spinach and the potatoe croquettes), and I was pretty happy with my choice. The lamb chops had a nice gamey flavor, but were perhaps a bit too charred. The sides were all pretty good, but didn't sit too well - they got cold pretty quickly, and had I known, I would have eaten it all up quicker. It was a decent dish but nothing special.
I made another quick stop at Sonsie a bit back on an afternoon with Keith, Steph, and Felicia. The cafe menu during the afternoon is pretty limited, with just a soup, sandwich, a couple of salads, and the full list of pizzas. The front section of the room is open to the sidewalk, and you get a great view of the activity on Newbury.
traditional boston clam chowder with hand made crackers - $7
I just wanted a snack anyway, so I decided to give their clam chowder a shot. $7 is pretty hefty for a bowl of soup when a decent-sized pizza is just a few bucks more, so I was taking a bit of a risk. Unfortunately, the chowder didn't turn out very good. It didn't have too much flavor and was too creamy and thick. The cracker thing was alright, but it was kind of like a biscuit/cookie type of thing more than a cracker - I would have preferred good oyster crackers.
Basically, I think Sonsie is a great place to sit with some decent food. If you need a place to just chill when the sun is out, Sonsie is a good bet. Just make sure to get a pizza and not the soup. The food at dinner wasn't good enough to make me want to go back there given the number of places I still want to try around Boston, but if I need a break while shopping or something it's a pretty decent choice.Audubon Circle
One of the best places around BU campus to eat has to be Audubon Circle. It has a simple, modern decor, with some tables lining the black walls and a very sleek (and long) black bar. Check out an older visit here. They a variety of simple dishes, and put out very reliable pressed sandwiches and burgers. They also do a good job with ribeye. On weekends it gets a bit busier as the bar crowd fills up. It's a great spot to stop for a nice lunch though.
crispy cod cakes, roasted corn tartar - $8
burger with swiss cheese, onions, portabello mushroom, and roasted potatoes - $8
I think the prices may have gone up by a dollar or so, but it remains an extremely good deal. The cod cakes came out hot and crisp, but were a bit dry on the inside. I guess when I saw it listed I was reminded of the bacalao I had at Piperade back home. I set the bar high, but I wouldn't order these again... probably the worst thing I've tried on the menu. The burger, on the other hand, is pretty damn good. They're not afraid to cook it medium rare and it comes out very juicy. The bun and the toppings are all exceptional. It's not Mo's, but it's the best burger I've had near campus (far better than the one I had at Sunset Grill). The roasted potatoes are very well done, but honestly I still prefer fries with my burgers.Chart House
Sorry about the slow updating... real work is gonna start soon. Then again, that may mean I'll update more to procrastinate my big paper. Anyway, I've been to Chart House a couple of times this semester. Chart House is a very reliable seafood/prime rib place near the Aquarium, and I stop by every once in a while (here's a past trip that wasn't a full meal). It's actually one of the first Boston restaurants I ever went to. The restaurant has two floors, with a pretty big bar area on the bottom. The place has a pretty old-school feel to it - apparently the building is one of the oldest along the wharf. Hmm, from their website, it seems it's a pretty big national chain... Well, either way, the food is still pretty good. They make a mean prime rib.
clam chowder - $5.5
crab-stuffed mushrooms baked in a white wine sauce - $10.95
I am by no means a clam chowder expert, but I think Chart House does it extremely well. It comes piping hot (which has been a problem in other places) and is neither too thick nor too thin. There are lots of tasty clams and not too much potato. As for the mushrooms, I think the word "rich" sums it up best. Each large mushroom is stuffed with a good amount of crab, and the whole thing is covered in a very thick, very creamy, very buttery sauce. They were great, and quite filling.
fried calamari - $8.95
lobster spring rolls with tangy mustard sauce - $10.95
We had a decent-sized group of people so the fried calamari was a safe choice. Chart House does a pretty good version, although I'm not a fan of the dipping sauce we got. It was some kind of weird very sweet (supposedly Thai-style or something) stuff rather than your typical marinara. The pseudo-Asian theme continued with the lobster spring rolls which were good but not great. The skin was the really thick and really fried egg-roll type. The sauce was indeed tangy - it had an almost horseradish-like kick to it.
prime rib, Chart House cut - $22.95
baked crabmeat-stuffed flounder with rice pilaf - $25.95
The main event here is the prime rib, and boy it's good. I admit I once ordered the bigger Callahan Cut, and it was way too big. The prime rib here is tender, juicy, and just all-around great. I suppose some may be put off by the big red chunk of meat bathing in its own juices, but carnivores such as myself adore the sight. You can also get a topping of jumbo lump crab with avocado pico di gallo (sadly not pictured) which really makes the prime rib great. The second time I went this year I decided to try out fish because I'd gotten the prime rib the past few trips. It was good but perhaps a tad overcooked. It wasn't as flaky and moist as I was hoping for. The buttery sauce of course fixed everything, and paired with the rice it was still pretty good.
hot chocolate lava cake - Godiva chocolate liqueur cake with molten chocolate center, chocolate sauce, Heath Bar Crunch & vanilla ice cream - $8.95
The other reason to go to Chart House is their excellent rendition of this now very common dessert. I prefer the one here to the overhyped version at Finale. I think the key is the Heath Bar Crunch, which melds wonderfully with the ice cream and the molten cake. The serving is huge and can be shared by a good number of people (especially people who are stuffed from prime rib).
Generally I think of Chart House as the place to go to fulfill that prime rib craving I get every half-year or so. The place isn't inventive or anything, but it doesn't try to be, and the quality has been very consistent for me. You get exactly what you expect.Croma
We were looking for a spot to eat on Newbury St. after a day of walking and shopping. We decided on Croma, which has gotten a few positive mentions on the Boston Chowhound board. Croma is a sort of fairly hipster Newbury-style place the puts out Neopolitan style pizzas. The menu boasts pizzas with a huge variety of different and interesting toppings, from standards like a margherita to odd things such as a peking duck pizza and a tandoori chicken pizza. The place appears small and bustling around the upstairs entrance, which houses a bar, some high top tables, and a slightly bigger dining area in the back. Going downstairs reveals a very large dining room that has a bit more space than the top level. The crowd appears young and hip - we saw a few other tables of college students, and a lot of 20-somethings.
Croma tomato and basil soup, served in a bread bowl - $4.95
They had the Croma emblem on the menu next to this soup, which I guess means it's a specialty. I thought the soup was alright, but the soup to bread ratio was off. They didn't hollow out the bread bowl enough, which meant there wasn't much soup to actually drink. I basically used all the soup to eat the bread, and afterwards there was still extra bread left over. I'm not sure how intentional this is - the soup is indeed extremely thick, so maybe that's what they're going for. This doesn't hold a candle to the Jeanty tomato soup, but I guess that's an unfair comparison at under $5.
parma - prosciutto di parma, marinated olives, shaved parmesan, mozzarella, tomato sauce, arugula - $12.25
The pizza was good. Not excellent, but still very satisfying and tasty. The crust is thin, but not super thin - it didn't crack the way some thin crust pizzas do, and it had a nice chewiness to it inside. The toppings were all nice, and I'm glad to say they added the prosciutto and arugula after baking, something that apparently not everyone does. My pizza was maybe just a tad heavy on the tomato sauce, but nothing to complain too much about (maybe it was because I just had tomato soup). It was also pretty decent-sized, and a good deal at $12.
I will likely go back to Croma - it's a nice comfortable spot to grab a bite, and is a great value considering its location. I am pretty interested in trying the tandoor chicken...Reef Cafe
So I'm finally back to posting about Boston. As some of you know I tend to eat a lot of the same stuff over and over again while I'm at school, so this post is as appropriate a start as any. I hereby continue to work through the menu at Reef Cafe, my food destination of choice around here in Allston. I eat at Reef Cafe usually at least every 3 days or so, often in the form of takeout or delivery (see a previous post here). It's a very small, family-run, styrofoam-plate Lebanese joint, and damn the food is good. The people there are as nice as anyone you'll ever meet (usually, younger brother Salam is at the counter when I walk in). I implore you to go if you get the chance!
meat pie - $1.5
The meat pie, which took me a while to discover, is a revelation. They're not too big, and I usually get one as a side for whatever other item I'm eating, but to be honest I'd be happy eating 3 or 4 of them and calling it a meal. I have no idea what exactly is in it - it's some kind of lamb mixture if I'm not mistaken - but it really is delicious. The crust is doughy and thin, and if you're lucky and the pies just came out, wonderfully crisp.
chicken shawarma rice plate - $7.95
Perhaps the most go-to thing I get at Reef is the chicken shawarma. Like many of the items, it comes in either as either a rice plate or a sandwich. I usually get the sandwich (actually, I like it better that way), but I for some reason don't have a good photograph of that, so I'll leave it for another time. When I'm a bit more hungry, I get the huge rice plate. Again, I have no idea what goes into the chicken shawarma - the color seems to indicate a tomato-based sauce, but I don't actually know. I just know it's delicious, and I have to have it at least once or twice a week or I go into withdrawal. That white stuff at the top of the plate next to the pink pickled radishes is a devilishly good lemon-garlic sauce/mixture.
More posts about Reef Cafe will surely come in time. They just have so much more good stuff, including lamb-beef shawarma, chicken livers, soujouk... even their french fries. I've contemplated selling out and getting a Reef Cafe t-shirt.A16
At long last, here is my last post from San Francisco. The fact that this meal was a sort of pre-birthday dinner with some family friends just shows how far behind I am... Anyway, we went to the much-loved A16 on Chestnut, which specializes in the Southern Italian fare of Naples. Thanks to my friend John for snapping a photo of the sign for me - I forgot to do it myself when I was there (as an aside, he's got some great photos). A16 has gotten some pretty good pub around the city, and for good reason. They really emphasize the fact that they do food from Naples, which results in a lot of great meats and some well-executed pizza. The place is always pretty packed. We got a pretty large table in the back room, which would have been relatively quiet compared to the bustling main dining room were it not for a table of very loud mid-high 20s women seated right next to us. The main room has a very active and booming atmosphere - must be from all the hype the restaurant is receiving.
mozzarella burrata with olive oil, sea salt & crostini - $10
This dish was highly recommended by just about everyone, and for damn good reason. This mozzarella is delicious. It's smooth, incredibly silky, and creamy. The olive oil and salt give it just enough flavor. An absolutely sublime dish - easily the best part of the meal.
laghane with porcini, potato and pancetta - $9
The menu is fairly light on pasta - there were only two listed when we went, but I guess this is because of the Naples slant. The laghane was offered in both app and main portions ($9/$15), and was described as a thick, wide, flat noodle, so I went with it. The dish was unfortunately a bit of a disappointment, especially following a superb appetizer. The pasta itself was quite well done, and the porcinis were great, but the sauce was far too soupy - you can see the amount of liquid in the photo. I also thought they were a bit too heavy-handed with the parsley, which overpowered the other more subtle flavors.
beef short ribs braised in tomato with basil and bread crumbs - $20.5
Fortunately the meal rebounded very strongly with the short ribs. The beef was deliciously tender, and the tomato sauce lended a deep, hearty flavor. The toasted bread crumbs on top gave the dish an occasional crunch. I loved the simplicity of this dish; its execution was superb.
I didn't get a pizza because I'd tried one the last time I was here (sadly I don't have that trip on the site), but let me assure you that they do a pretty mean version for you Italian pizza lovers. They also specialize in various salamis and meats that are cured on the premises. There are a lot of things on the menu I want to try (on top of the list is a supposedly excellent tuna conserva), but it's gonna be tough to not order the burrata every time I go... Anyway, Boston food is coming up.Arthur Hungry Version 2.0
Notice anything different? Still some kinks to work out, I'm sure...
Read MoreNick's Crispy Tacos
I've been wanting to try Nick's Crispy Tacos for a while now. It's an interesting little place off of Broadway. At night, the place is Harry Denton's Rouge, a fairly hip bar/club that seems to have become a stable singles spot in the city. For whatever odd reason, during lunch, they clear out the floor and half of the club becomes Nick's Crispy Tacos. When you walk in at first, it's a bit strange - just imagine walking into any typical club, except that it's all empty and cleaned up, and it's daytime. Yeah, the dance floor looks pretty messed up. Anyway, I heard they have some pretty good tacos at this place so I finally tried it out.
carne asada and carnitas tacos, Nick's Way - $3.25 each
These tacos are a bit pricier than a taco truck taco, but they're definitely significantly bigger. Nick's Way means they crisp the tortilla and add jack cheese and guacamole (for $0.75 more per taco). The tacos themselves were great - stuffed to the brim as you can see, and I'll admit not very easy to eat. To my surprise the tacos had beans in them, which I don't like in my tacos, so if you don't either make sure you tell them. Overall I'd say it was pretty good - the meats were tender and flavorful but just a touch salty. The salsa was great (though not spicy) and the guac was not bad. I've since read that I should have gotten the fish tacos, which are significantly better. I'll try them next time.Lime
Sorry about the slowdown lately - things are afoot at Arthur Hungry HQ. I'm just about done with my SF stuff and I'll be getting to Boston soon. Here is dinner at Lime. Now let me say a few things... First, I picked this place after browsing OpenTable for a little bit. Restauranteurs out there, getting on OpenTable will bring customers like me - it's not unusual for me to have no idea where I want to go, and just pop it open and pick a place that looks interesting. I encourage you all to use it. Second, Lime's website is great - pictures, info, menus, prices. This sounds obvious, but that was another big factor that convinced me to go. I also remembered my dad mentioning it at some point (though I didn't remember details) so it stuck out a bit in my mind. Now, upon arrival, I was almost shocked at how hip/chic the scene was. The decor is tough to describe - they advertise it as "1960s-era modernist," and from my computer at home this sounded pretty cool. It is indeed very cool, and quite over the top. Sadly, I was there with Keith and my mom to have dinner. It turns out Lime wasn't the greatest choice in terms of its scene; it's much better suited for grabbing some drinks and eating a bit with some friends. Parking was hell too. So with that caveat in mind, here's the food.
deviled eggs, "like mom made" (i don't think my mom has ever made deviled eggs)- $5
zucchini frites, crispy buttermilk batter, basil aioli - $6
roasted yukon gold potatoes, spicy smoked paprika aioli - $5
The menu is categorized by price ($5-$10, in $1 increments). The deviled eggs were quite good, but I admit it's been years since I've had another deviled egg so I don't know how this compares to the ones "mom" makes/made. The zucchini frites were alright, but just a touch greasy. After eating them for a while, the batter started to dominate a bit. The roasted potatoes were the best of the lot I think, with the skins ever so slightly crisp. The aioli was addictive.
fish tacos - cornmeal dusted halibut, avocado & sour cream, tomato salsa - $8
tuna poke - diced ahi tuna, cucumber, avocado, soy vinaigrette, won ton chips - $9
ricotta gnocchi, with a sautee of shiitake mushrooms, sweet white corn & herbs - $8
These plates were a little bit worse. The fish tacos were good, but a bit heavy on the guacomole. The fish was light and would have stood well on its own. A good dish, but obviously nothing for a good tacqueria to worry about. The tuna poke was bland, bland, bland. Something was off with the ratio of vinaigrette, and to make things worse, there was too much cucumber. The won ton chips were way too thick, and had a weak, stale crunch to them. My mom can make a better tuna tartare (so can Michael Mina), and this poke just couldn't compete. The ricotta gnocchi would have been much better if they'd put a bit less parmesan on top. I liked the gnocchi themselves as well as the corn, but the parmesan just overpowered everything else.
I think Lime is actually a really great place - the food isn't excellent, but it would serve very well as an accompaniment to some drinks with friends. The drink menu looked very interesting, and I certainly see myself coming back for a good time. It just isn't the best choice for a serious meal. So, my diligent online research didn't do too well this time around, but don't get me wrong - OpenTable plus good websites still equals customers! I just happened to pick Lime for the wrong occasion.Zuni Cafe
Keith had an itch to go to Zuni Cafe while he was in town. I'd been as recently as this past summer, but I was happy to oblige on the condition that he'd split the roasted chicken with me - a dish that I hadn't had in a long time because I can't order it with my mom. Zuni Cafe is an SF establishment... it has its lovers and its haters, but I'm a firm supporter of the place. Judy Rodgers (of Chez Panisse lineage) consistently puts out simple, reliable food using great ingredients. The space is casual and booming with natural light. I'm not a big fan of their famous burger (it's on the fancy side for me), but I think their chicken is easily one of the best chicken preparations in the city.
Red Kuri squash soup with garlic, cumin and cr�me fra�che - $7.5
roasted chicken for two with warm Tuscan-style bread salad - $38
The soup was just the right thickness and had a clean, mellow flavor. It was a perfect starter for the crisp, sunny day. I do think I let the waiter crack a touch too much pepper on it, though - I wish I said stop a second earlier. The chicken was just as good as in the past: moist, tender, juicy, flavorful... the bread salad, which doesn't get as much pub, is really a key element of the dish. The big chunks of bread soaked with vinaigrette were just stellar. The portion was enormous - a third person could easily have joined in and ate until he/she were full.
Despite Zuni's many critics, I maintain that it's as solid a place as any to enjoy a nice simple lunch that exemplifies California cuisine. Fresh ingredients, simple preparations, lots of sunlight and a casual atmosphere equal one enjoyable SF afternoon.Tartare
After Geoff went back to Vancouver, Keith again came to stay for the few days before school started. We went for dinner with my dad at Tartare, the new restaurant by George Morrone, who opened Aqua with Michael Mina back in the day. Since then, you could say Mina has hit real stardom, while Morrone has seen some tougher times. Anyway, Tartare is supposed to be Morrone's big SF comeback. He took over the old spot that used to be Elizabeth Daniel, and decked it out with some swanky new design. The room has an arched ceiling with across-hatched square-patterned cover (for lack of a better word) and orange lights coloring the space � la Frisson. The initial table setting is unusual, with the silverware placed diagonally next to a long, rectangular plate bearing a Tartare emblem. It's quite a funky place, really. The menu consists of, as the name implies, a very large variety of raw dishes, but also hot main dishes as well. Actually, I think all of the raw items are appetizers. They also have a selection of supposedly very good soups.
classic hand-cut beef tartare, pre-tableside mix
classic hand-cut beef tartare, post-tableside mix - $14
I read mixed reviews of the beef tartare at Chowhound, but I had to try it - I mean, the place is called Tartare! They have a few other interesting items like an ostrich tartare and a buffalo carpaccio, but I decided I had to order the beef in order to gauge the place a bit. I personally thought this dish was the star of the night. The ingredients around the beef are: dijon mustard, salt, red onion, lemon zest, I think jalapeno, pepper, I think parsley, and more lemon zest. I'm pretty sure I got that right. Anyway, I hope you guys can see the way the beef is cut - they're in significantly larger chunks than every other beef tartare I've tried, and this technique worked to striking success. It had a very unique and pleasing texture; chewy is an ugly word to use, but I'm not sure how else to describe it. I read complaints that this was seasoned too much or not enough, but it was just right on our trip. I really can't say enough about the way it was cut - this seemingly simple technique made a normal dish like beef tartare truly memorable. I'm surprised I haven't really heard others praising it! Maybe I'm just weird.
tuna foie gras "melt" - $29
This is the dish that everyone raves about here, and, to be honest, when I first saw the name of this thing, I was dead set on a personal mission to try it. Tuna? Foie Gras? Melt? Ohhhh gooddddd. Anyway... I'm not usually one to boast, but I think this is probably the best-looking photo I've ever taken of food. That's not saying much since my other photos are all so crappy, but I think in this one I actually managed to capture the different layers of the dish. I've been using it as my desktop background for a while.
That said, I was a bit underwhelemed. I guess my expectations were set a bit high. The melt is composed of a big potato cake thing at the bottom (basically a good hash brown), spinach, a seared tuna steak, seared foie gras on top, and some chopped mushroom (I think they were shiitakes). Don't get me wrong, the dish was good - very good, even. Eating a cross-section bite of potato, tuna, and foie gras was a delicious experience. But something was missing. On a return trip, I'd probably try something else. I think the fact that it's a "tuna foie gras melt" coupled with everyone raving about it just set the bar too high to be fulfilled. Maybe if it were a toro foie gras melt...
warm chocolate cardamom cake, vietnamese coffee ice cream, made to order - $10
orange blossom cr�me br�l�e, cinnamon sugar - $9
gingerbread pumpkin ice cream sandwiches - freebies
The desserts were forgettable. I think the enticing nature of the "made to order" note on the chocolate cake backfired on us. The ice cream was indeed clearly made to order - it wasn't frozen enough yet! The cake was nothing special. The cr�me br�l�e was okay, but the top layer of sugar was a bit thick for my taste. The freebie ice cream sandwiches at the end were pretty good, but unfortunately I'm not a big fan of either gingerbread or pumpkin.
My dad did try one of the soups and gave me a sip; it was wonderful. Keith had high praise for the steak frites, but considering he ordered a beef tartare followed with a steak, he may have just had a severe bovine craving. The duck fat french fries were good, but at $7 a pop I'm not sure if they're worth it. So I guess Tartare lived up to its mixed reviews - I really loved the beef tartare. I think it will be worth a return trip some time to try some of the other interesting stuff on the menu, most notably the other tartares.