A Broad Reference

1820 4th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 644-0444

Categories: Italian, Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: Fourth Street
4 star rating

Delighted to dine here, happy that I didn't pick up the tab. TS and I had a great meal here with a good friend. We ordered everything family style and shared a couple of wines by the glass. Details are fuzzy now, perhaps due to the wine that was consumed before the meal, but I left with a satisfied feeling about the place. I've heard it can be salty and snotty but this was absent during our visit. I'll return but prolly only if someone else is footing the bill (it's kind of pricey)

Posted by Misty at 12:06 PM | Permalink

5800 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 752-2222

Category: Moroccan
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
4 star rating

I'LL BE BACK
yes I will. Aziza was more than I ever expected. Recommended by a passing acquaintance who said that it had garnered a M* (He was wrong about the star- he could be wrong about the food...) We chose Aziza for it's location rather than food scores but TS & BFF all agreed that this was one of our faves for D@T. Space was well lit (everyone looked glamorous), jewel toned alcoves with ceramic tiles (a nice touch) and comfortable- we got a cozy table in back away from the chill and drafty entrance. Service was attentive but not overwhelmingly claustrophobic.
everyone else has listed what looks like the entire menu, so I'll limit myself to saying the lamb shank rocks. We were also impressed with the depth of vegetarian options which are somewhat under represented in SF. Portions were humongous, including the dessert; We ate so much and kept saying how stuffed we were. But it was too good to stop and still we had leftovers. I think when we go back we'll concentrate on the appetizers and maybe split a couple of mains. Great place for groups both large and small.

Posted by Misty at 12:04 PM | Permalink

1638 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 440-4959

Categories: French, Asian Fusion
Neighborhoods: Japantown, Pacific Heights
1 star rating
01/26/2007
the D@T option wasn't that great
ho hum salmon followed by dry and tasteless chicken and then sorbet (but not everyone gets the same flavors -too bad so sad)
if they're trying to get us to reutrn during a more spendy period they chose their prix fixe wrong.
if one carefully orders only appetizers
off the main menu, it's reasonable- i had the
whitefish and golden beet carpaccio-delicious and then followed it with the lobster and crab salad- also very tasty. based on the other diners'
comments the main dishes are a little short of where they need to be.
also their wine menu was sadly lacking in depth.
the space is very zen with spare wood and glass tables set up to look like there's a river flowing across the center of the room. HOWEVER with a large group this neat looking table becomes the grand canyon, at 6ft wide you have to shout to hear people across the table while the next table over rubs shoulders with you.
with chez panisse at only 1 star i'm not entirely sure why bushi-tei even made it onto the radar.
will i go again? maybe but only if someone else is paying

Posted by Misty at 11:24 AM | Permalink

Categories: Chinese, French
Neighborhood: Financial District
-1 star rating

HELL NO WE WON"T GO
the only reason this has a star is Yelp's interface doesn't give negatives.
We went to eat at Tommy Toy's last nite. It's supposed to be haute cuisine chinoise instead it was ... interesting. They had a great space with very good lighting- soft and warm so everyone looked fabulous; Especially all the old and wrinkled WASPs.
We waited close to 10 minutes for a waiter who took our drink order but left without giving us menus. After which we waited another 10 minutes (an eternity to a hungry stomach) for the waiter to reappear. We asked for menus and instead he said very quickly that he thought we should get the special meal. When we persisted, we got the dine about town menu but no regular menus (TS got a dessert menu-by mistake I think?) Eventually we persuaded the waiter that we REALLY wanted menus, he capitulated, and after perusing the pages I realized he was trying to sell us a meal that was $68/person! Can you imagine? So we went with the Dine about town menu- 4 courses for $32 sounded pretty good to me
Here was the line up
Appetizer phylo wrapped chicken (chestnuts?) triangle- not particularly tasty nor crisp
2nd course tomato crab bisque en croute served in ceramic coconut bowls
Yup you heard me right
Ceramic coconuts.
Texture was thin and watery with hard bits of carrot and shredded lumps that were supposed to be crab; one redeeming factor the puff pastry was excellent and buttery
1st main Sea bass fillet topped w/ ginger and scallion steamed in parchment paper- lite flaky fish, delicate flavors melded- delicious and a huge portion so that was worth it (my favorite dish of the evening)
2nd main Seared beef medallions on fried rice- tender beef but nothing much else to rescue the dish from bland bland flavors

1st 3 courses were all baked (which is unusual in Chinese cuisine)
Both entres were good but the appetizer and soup were completely bizarre. So does the experience make me want to go back? HELL NO
We talked about whether we would go back- I thought it was appalling especially for the prices they charge.
So maybe I like ghetto Chinese food but I would never refer to what we ate as Chinese except that Chinese people cooked it. Perhaps you interject here- "no, it's haute cuisine chinoise" yeah right- it was not and not what I had hoped for. Don't waste your money with so many other fantastic Chinese places to eat at
I can't understand why but they get a 25 in zagat so I think it's all old WASPy people who eat there and think they're eating chinese food and are delusional about it being really good quality because of the location, price and buzz, it's all about marketing

When I was in Shanghai I had cuisine chinoise- totally awesome tofu soup, delicious seafood, tasty beef, fantastic squab and duck. It was a galaxy apart, sounds like tommy toy needs to take a field trip.
I'm sure they do very well with their aged WASPy clientele but they don't need our support.

Posted by Misty at 11:22 AM | Permalink

It's funny how attending one event kind of snowballs into meeting tons of new people and finding out about great places to eat and good options to drink.
At the Bordeaux tasting I met a girl who is part of the tasting group aka FOL "friends of Les".
We were exclaiming over an amazing stickie (dessert wine) and she recommended
Burgans Albarino- costs about $10 retail,
which she discovered at Coco500.
Its a medium bodied white, with notes of tropical fruit.
she found some at K&L recently.

I shall have to try both the wine and Coco500

Posted by Misty at 05:20 PM | Permalink

Wandering around the floor of the FFS I bumped into an interesting booth marketing copper products. The artist- Jonathan Beall is based in Texas but has strong ties to a small Mexican community in the Sierra Madres.

Here's an image of "natural and polished pieces" I lifted from their website. The shots I took with my phone-camera just don't do them justice.

I was very impressed with the quality and design work. There are definitely some things I'm going to order- the prices were very reasonable. He had serving platters (interesting shapes- half moons/triangles and sizes-small/medium/large), chafing dishes (regular and roll tops), paella pans, bain maries and basins/tubs. Another useful option was chafing dish bases that fit standard sized water pans (which works great if you already have some chafing sets but want to upgrade your look).

Contact information is
www.sertodo.com
sertodocopper@sertodo.com
512-923-4885

Please mention this blog if you order.

An excerpt from their site

"Each piece is individually handcrafted by autonomous artisans in Santa Clara del Cobre, a village located high in the Sierra Madres Occidental of Southwestern Mexico. Their tradition of copper work originated mysteriously over 1000 years ago.... In this world of mass production, industry, and automaton labor, Sertodo Copper supports a different, more direct approach in business. We believe that business is mutually beneficial for all parties involved and has vast potential for bringing understanding and cooperation between cultures. Your money is your vote in the economic world. Thank you for patronizing a small business with a different approach!"

Posted by Misty at 03:00 PM | Permalink

My tasting notes for Scott Howard
Started with Foie gras w/ huckleberries • Brioche • Golden enoki mushrooms • Sauternes syrup
paired with Chenin Blanc, Regis Cruchet, Vouvray Sec, Loire Valley, France, 04
Followed by Veal sweetbreads Yukon potato puree • Smoked bacon • Madeira jus

white: 1999 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Corton-Charlemagne (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Aloxe-Corton) Consistently a first-rate Corton-Charlemagne from a traditional producer. Nose grapefruity, honey, nuts. To me palate is acidic and tight with flavors of pear and some spicy oak. Could maybe age for at least another year.
red: 1999 Domaine Bertagna Chambertin (France, Burgundy, Côte de
Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin)
Very small plot, far from the first-rank of Chambertins, but the '99 wines were very nice from barrel when JP visited the estate. They've been easing up on the new oak over the past few vintages.
Not deep, rich, or complex, but it's decent, and a very nice match with the food; Pale garnet, with a soft nose of earth, black berry, cherry, strawberry and fungusy, notes prominent, and a discernable pinot character. Not a huge Burgundy funk happening- thank goodness but it has a recognizable chew, smooth soft tanins, clean, angular with fruit, some structure but a bit thin for me.
Perhaps overpriced at full retail a good deal if visiting the winery.

Ended the meal with chocolate mousse and butterscotch pudding. With a Friendly staff and nice space, Scott Howard makes a great choice for a fun dinner with good friends.
Easy access via BART and a short hike up the hill.
Apparently the resopnse to the D@T menu was so good, they're planning on keeping the $32 prix fixe option for the rest of the year.

Scott Howard

www.scotthowardsf.com
500 Jackson St
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 956-7040

Posted by Misty at 02:16 PM | Permalink

A friend LH sent me this site which was helpful in learning about the 2005 Bordeaux vintages and what we can expect from the 2005 Grand Cru wines coming from France in early 2008. With the 2005 wines in California shaping up to be one of the best vintages in years, it seems like the world will be swimming in great cab and great bordeaux for many years when these come out in 2007 and 2008!

http://www.meritagewinemarket.com/featured_content.php?id=3

Another friend of mine (WH who was the co-host of the CorkDorks party)
just sent me his futures club info. Download file

there are 7 people in for $20k+ right now
minimum $2k gets a share of the whole portfolio- the breakdown is a %
of total contribution..
that will tell you how many bottles you get
not sure if one can register it as a roth ira investment?

A bit more information on the web on 2005 Bordeaux Futures....

http://www.sherry-lehmann.com/2005-bordeaux-futures.asp

http://www.wallywine.com/t-rpiscoming.aspx

I went to a Grands Crus de Bordeaux Vintage Tasting the other day. It was a trade event, and since we're working on our "Futures Investment Portfolio", it was a great opportunity to try a bunch of wines and be able to compare them.

"The prestigious Bordeaux society – Unions des Grands Crus – staged the largest single private Bordeaux wine tasting in the history of San Francisco! 100 of the worlds greatest Chateaux owners and winemakers gathered to pour and discuss over 150 wines from the delicious, soon-to-be-released 2004 offerings."
Below is a list of attendees.

Pessac-Léognan
Château Bouscaut
Château Carbonnieux
Domaine de Chevalier
Château de Fieuzal
Château de France
Château Haut - Bailly
Château Haut - Bergey
Château La Louvière
Château Larrivet - Haut - Brion
Château Latour - Martillac
Château Les Carmes Haut-Brion
Château Malartic - Lagravière
Château Olivier
Château Pape Clément
Château Picque Caillou

Graves
Château de Chantegrive
Château Ferrande
Château Rahoul

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru
Château Angélus
Château Balestard La Tonnelle
Château Beau - Séjour Bécot
Château Belair
Château Berliquet
Château Canon
Château Canon - La - Gaffelière
Château Cap de Mourlin
Château Cheval Blanc
Château Dassault
Château Figeac
Château Franc Mayne
Château Grand - Mayne
Château La Couspaude
Château La Dominique
Château La Gaffelière
Château La Tour Figeac
Château Larcis Ducasse
Château Larmande
Château Pavie
Château Pavie Decesse
Château Pavie - Macquin
Château Troplong Mondot
Château Trottevieille
Clos Fourtet

Pomerol
Château Beauregard
Château Clinet
Château Gazin
Château L’ Évangile
Château La Croix de Gay
Château La Pointe
Château Petit-Village
Vieux Château Certan

Haut Médoc
Château Beaumont
Château Belgrave
Château Camensac
Château Citran
Château Coufran
Château de Lamarque
Château La Lagune
Château La Tour Carnet
Château Malescasse
Médoc
Château Greysac
Château La Tour de By Margaux
Château Brane-Cantenac
Château Cantenac-Brown
Château d’Angludet
Château Dauzac
Château du Tertre
Château Durfort Vivens
Château Ferrière
Château Giscours
Château Kirwan
Château Lascombes
Château Malescot Saint-Exupéry
Château Marquis d’Alesme
Château Marquis de Terme
Château Monbrison
Château Prieuré - Lichine
Château Rauzan Gassies
Château Rauzan - Ségla
Château Siran

Saint Julien
Château Beychevelle
Château Branaire - Ducru
Château Gruaud Larose
Château Lagrange
Château Langoa Barton
Château Léoville Barton
Château Léoville Poyferré
Château Talbot

Pauillac
Château Batailley
Château Clerc Milon
Château Croizet-Bages
Château d’ Armailhac
Château Haut - Bages Libéral
Château Lynch - Bages
Château Lynch - Moussas
Château Mouton Rothschild
Château Pichon - Longueville
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Château Pontet-Canet

Saint Estephe
Château Cos Labory
Château Lafon - Rochet
Château Ormes De Pez
Château Phélan Ségur

Sauternes et Barsac
Château Bastor-Lamontagne
Château Broustet
Château Climens
Château Coutet
Château de Malle
Château de Rayne Vigneau
Château Doisy Daëne
Château Doisy - Védrines
Château Guiraud
Château La Tour Blanche
Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey
Château Nairac
Château Sigalas - Rabaud
Château Suduiraut
Moulis en Médoc
Château Chasse - Spleen
Château Maucaillou
Château Poujeaux

Listrac Médoc
Château Clarke
Château Fonréaud
Château Fourcas-Dupré
Château Fourcas-Hosten

Posted by Misty at 04:34 PM | Permalink

So I have a fairly happy windowsill of plants, including a sturdy Ficus that keeps the background green. I dutifully water these, since they're next to the sink and easy to remember. (Don't tell the orchids on the other window sill- they think they live in the Sahara) Yesterday I noticed that there was something growing out of the Ficus pot. What could it possibly be? Little green stalks with a dark seed covering?

Then the light dawned. I'd been eating a Hachiya (soft variety) persimmon by the sink and found only 2 seeds in this delicious pudding of a fruit. Rinsing them litely, I popped them into the potting soil and promptly forgot about them. 3 months later, what with the water and thinking of spring, these seeds are making a run for it. Now for the tough decisions- how long should they live in the Ficus pot? And then where should I plant the trees? The next-door neighbors have a Fuyu (hard variety) persimmon on their south fence that does well. But I want to keep my south wall free for espaliering my tomatoes and I could put them in the front by the driveway? Which then brings up fruit and bird poop dropping on the car, besides the obvious positives of shade during the summer and deliteful tasty snacks in the fall.

Still I don’t have to decide instantly, they’ll prolly be ok in pots for another couple of years, and at this point are vulnerable to the kamikaze weed-whacker gardening service that I have. What do you think?

Posted by Misty at 01:47 PM | Permalink

A group of friends and I have vowed to lose 10% of our body mass by the 1st day of Spring. March 21st or there abouts is the 1st day.

I'm tired of being heavy. I can’t get into half my clothes and climbing small mounds (ok it was a bigger hill than that) leave me sweaty and breathing hard. My weight right now is probably the highest it’s ever been. Now you all do not have to have to reveal what your current weight is to your fellow club members but peer pressure helps. To achieve our goal all we have to do is lose 2 pounds per week. That is a healthy reduction rate.

Simply said, all we have to do is eat healthy and exercise more. I will periodically post updates on my progress.

Join me in a healthy life style change.

Posted by Misty at 02:57 PM | Permalink

So it’s time for San Francisco's Dine About Town during January 1-31, where participating restaurants offer specially prepared 3-course prix fixe lunch for $21.95 or dinner for $31.95

I've gone through and generated a list based on a metric of food score vs. $$ cost. (I've only done it for dinner since I won't be able to sample the lunch offerings) For the most part my food scores and prices are drawn from Zagat.com with minor reference to Yelp.com and the (gasp) Michelin guide where Zagat entries were missing. This isn't an endorsement of Zagat's listings per se, rather an attempt to use a standard metric with enough granularity to prioritize my selections. I find the Yelp ratings to be over-inflated based on my experience for specific restaurants; so I used a conversion factor (YelpStars/5 x25=approx Zagat score). Yelp also doesn't list a cost, which is essential for this analysis. For the lone Michelin entry I used a conversion factor (MStars x 30=approx Zagat score) but ended up adjusting it to the Yelp score; thus this entry may be under-ranked.

Download file

In general my strategy is to target high food scores that are also fairly expensive. I've colour coded based on score and then sorted by score within the price category. If the average price is less than $40 it falls below the red line. This means you could go to this restaurant anytime and not spend as much as the prix fixe offer. I've included them for completeness but given the constraints of time and so many restaurants...

Pay attention to days where the offer is valid. Reservations are recommended. Oh yeah they say you need to pay with VISA, but I don’t think anyone is enforcing that.
I'd love feedback, comments and suggestions.
Enjoy and I'll see you around town.

Posted by Misty at 03:19 AM | Permalink