Foodie Digest

As much as I love fine dining (for the interesting food rather than the interesting place settings) I’m a big fan of extremely casual dining. Extremely casual but tasty dining. Such bring me to one of my favorite Indian/Pakistani places in SF –Lahore Karahi. I like it because:

• No liquor license so BYOB
• Casual, usually no wait
• Really cheap and extremely tasty Indian food
• Friendly service
• In the tendyloin!

I will say I couldn’t tell the difference between the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Butter Chicken, but it didn’t really matter. They were both good. The tandoori fish had a nice hit of spice. The saag paneer also was good.

All in all, nothing disappointed. Good food and a lot of it. We fed 5 hungry people for $60.

Overall thumbs: 5 up.

Food tastiness: Very good. I like it best of the different places I’ve gone to in that neighborhood (naan n curry, chutney).

Service rating: Decent. As soon as we sat with our brown paper bag they brought over wine glasses, then brought over a bottle opener when they realized the paper bag contained beer and not wine. Food was prompt. Our server could have been warmer/friendlier but I think we were a bit intimidating as a group.

Would definitely go back (and I have !)

ww points: Indian is not a very WW friendly meal. Naan is like 4 points for a piece. Saag Paneer is 7 points (I think) for a half cup. But save your points, work out, then splurge here. (or go for ethiopian. It’s a little more WW friendly. Injera is low point!

Saturday night, or date night, and we’re off to Japantown. The Kabuki theater is the only one we’ll go to on a weekend because they have reserved seating. New Batman movie is out so we thought we’d grab some cheap ramen before the movie.

Except I happen to mention shabu shabu. Even as we’re walking through Japantown mall to our comfort food destination, Big is thinking shabu shabu. When I point out Shabusen and mention it has good reviews, he suggests we see how long the wait is.

10 minutes or so is what we’re told so we tough it out. We end up with a prime table near a window that opens.

Service here is super friendly and efficient. Big orders the seafood combo (shrimp and scallops) and then says AND to which our server says “oh, that’s plenty for 2 people”. He points out that he’s big and eats a lot and we add a dry aged ribeye shabu shabu. We order beverages and barely have time to sip before the hot pot is put on the table to boil. Before the boiling occurs 2 big plates with cabbage, veggies, tofu and udon appear along with a plate of shrimp and scallops, and another plate of thinly sliced beef.

We also get plates for the shrimp shells, and towel to clean our hands after removing said shrimp shells, and a bowl of rice each.

We eat. and eat. the servers keep asking us if we want more rice or need anything else (no). The food is really good. The broth doesn’t even get clogged with fat.

We pay the bill and leave. And notice the review on the way out that says “an order of shabu shabu is x dollars and serves two”. Um, yeah. Unless you’re us.

There’s really no other way to describe it. Big and Small spent many hours of the weekend doing hard physical labor–more than 8 hours each day.  At the end of each day we were starved, but too exhausted to really “fill the gap”. Needless to say, we woke up Monday morning still hungry.

Traffic down the peninsula (and some canceled meetings) presented a breakfast opportunity. Some quick research showed Millbrae Pancake House as a highly recommended spot.

We detour and pull into the parking lot. The PACKED parking lot (at 8 a.m. on a Monday).

It’s definitely a gateway into the past. And we’re clearly in the suburbs. No matter; the pancake house pancakes in many shapes and forms.

Big orders the banana pancakes with a side of sausage, I get the swedish pancakes. The banana pancakes come 5 gigantic pancakes to an order. The bananas are both grilled in with the pancakes and slathered across the top.  The sausage are small links with a flavor much like Jimmie dean.

The swedish pancakes are large, and served 3 to an order. They come sprinkled with powdered sugar and a side of lingonberry butter. (all the reviews said lingonberries but in my opinion, berries are a fruit and butter is butter.

So the good. The portions here definitely fill the gap. To excess. Given that Big is, well, BIG and that he was hungry, it says something that he could only eat half his portion. (self control? restraint? or excessively large portions).

Overall thumbs: sideways.

Food tastiness: Moderate. A pancake is a pancakes. These were a little bit dense but tasty enough. Probably wouldn’t go back for a return trip.

Service rating: Mediocre. We were seated and offered drinks right away. But our drinks were never refilled and we had to wait over 10 minutes to get our check.

We were wandering through Potrero Hill with the dogs and needed a relatively quick, relatively healthy place for lunch. Oh, and it needed to have outside seating. Since we’d just had pizza from Gialina’s last night, we ruled out Piccinos. The last few meals we’d had at Aperto were nice surprises so we drove by.
Seats were available outside so we parked the car and wandered over. Small looked at the specials board and noted: huevos ranchero, huevos w/ chorizo, enchiladas verde, veggie sandwich, and orechette w/ lamb ragu.
If you’ve ever been here you know it’s a predominately italian menu. We’ve noticed that weekend brunches introduce some mexican options. In the past we’ve had the enchiladas verdes and remembered them being quite good. The menu is rounded out with classics like french toast and pancakes, along with lunchy items like a grilled chicken salad and sandwiches.
Small opted for the huevos rancheros but requested scrambled egg whites instead of eggs over medium and no sour cream.
Big went for the Orechette w/ lamb ragu pasta of the day.
Our server brought our drinks along with complimentary mini banana muffins. Big ate them so I forgot to ask if they were good.
The outdoor seating was roomy enough to fit two large dogs. There was one other couple seated outside; they also had a dog.
The huevos rancheros arrive. It’s 3 corn tortillas each topped slightly differently. One is with scrambled egg whites and a green salsa; the second scrambled egg whites with a red salsa, and the third with black beans. Both salsa have a fantastic flavor. The beans are nicely spiced as well. Something between the green salsa and the beans add a great smokey taste. This dish is very successful and very healthy.
The orechette is well-prepared (maybe a tad overcooked for Small’s al dente preference but perfectly suited for Big). The sauce is rich and flavorful. This dish is polished off by Big with Small stealing bites of the orechette.
Service is warm and friendly. Food is good. Definitely recommended. Small’s only complaint with the place is they almost ALWAYS have lilies inside. Small can’t be near lilies and usually dings restaurants a star in ratings for having something so fragrant interfering with her food. Sitting outside, tho, means the lilies are forgotten. Still, if you have the same allergies I do something to be aware of before you plan indoor dining.

Overall thumbs: Two thumbs up. Good relaxing place for brunch.

Tastiness rating: high. The food is always well prepared. The mexican dishes are a great weekend bonus and the salsas are rich and flavorful without being robust.

Service: Good. Our server was nice. We were checked on but not very frequently.

Dog friendliness: Very good. Our dogs were fine under the table and it’s not too crowded. They also keep a dog bowl filled in front of the restaurant.

WW points: 4.5 for the huevos rancheros (Small only ate 2 of the 3 corn tortillas for 2 points, plus the egg whites and beans). 

mall was craving pizza two days in a row, and managed to convince Big it was a good option for Friday night. She’d been curious about Gialina so we called them up and placed an order.
Service on the phone was pleasant and friendly. We ordered three pizzas from the web site menu:

• the Atomica pizza with the addition of italian sausage: Atomica- tomato, mushrooms, mozzarella, spicy chilies & red onions $14.50
• Wild Nettles w/ pancetta & provolone $15
• Speck w/ tomato, mozzarella, basil & arugula $15

Total with tax was $51.

I’ll admit that 3 pizzas is a bit much for 2 people. Big was really hungry but we still had plenty leftover.

Big would rank his preferences as Atomica, Speck and Nettles. Small goes in the exact opposite order.

The Atomica was loved for its simplicity. The onions were grilled, which was a lovely touch. The tomato sauce was nicely flavored. Not overly spiced. The chilies added a spicy touch

The Speck pizza continued with the simple tomato sauce. The speck was like a thinly shaved proscuitto with fresh arugula tossed on top.

The Nettles pizza had sauteed nettles on top of a sauce-less crust. The pancetta was a perfectly crisped bacon. Big thought this was greasy. I did not, but maybe it was wishful thinking.

The crust on all three pizzas was perfectly prepared. Crispy around the edges and a little chewy in the center.

The place itself was cute. I’d probably think about stopping in on our way home from the South bay some evening.

Celebrating a beautiful sunny Sunday in San Francisco Big and Small ventured out with a final destination of Bi-Rite Creamery in mind. That, combined with the desire to sit outside, led us to Farina. We’ve gone to Farina for lunch one time before and remembered really enjoying it.

We head to the Mission and drive around the church-infused parking lot streets. As luck would have it church was just getting out and parking spaces were freeing up. We drive past Farina and into a parking lot across the street. Score!

We pop in to Farina and ask for 2 seats outside. We get prime seating right in the sunshine. We’re given glasses and a bottle of water, and we each order iced teas. We lean forward to relax and read the menus and OUCH. The outdoor tables are topped with steel and can get very hot. Well-placed napkins become your friend here. Big immediately orders a Salumi plate to get us started. 

We’re also served some nice bread. We ask about the daily specials (there’s always a pasta and soup of the day) and order our entrees. Service the entire time is warm and friendly. Our iced teas are constantly refilled and silverware is changed out between the salumi course and our main courses.

Our choices:

• Tagliere Di Salumi Misti this was the salumi plate. It came with normal thick slices of salami and shaved thin slices of both speck and bresola(sp?). The salami was fine but could have used more pepper or spice. The speck was my favorite. The bresola (dry cured beef) was Big’s. Both of these were very lean pieces of meat with great flavors. 
• Taglierni with meat sauce the sauce on this was more a braised beef sugo. Very rich flavor and perfectly prepared pasta. This was Big’s main.
• Spinach tortellini This had a much more interesting Italian name. It was handmade tortellini that were a cross between tortellini and ravioli. Filled with spinach, cheese and nuts. The recommended sauce for this was a walnut cream sauce but Small (in an attempt to make it slightly healthier) asked for tomato sauce. I was happily accommodated. I LOVED this dish. The pasta was perfectly prepared; it was delicate with robust flavor. I’ll dream about this.

Overall thumbs: Two thumbs up. Service is great, the pastas are incredible and the patio is really comfortable.

Tastiness rating: Very high. I think these are some of my favorite pastas in the city. The salumi plate also had some interesting additions. Oh! and they gave us cookies with meringue along with our check that were also very tasty.

Service: Very good. Our server was warm and friendly. Our iced teas were constantly refilled and we had plenty of water. Plates were cleared quickly and fresh silverware was provided.

Dog friendliness: Very good. We’ve been here before with our two big dogs. They also have a dog bowl outside.

WW points: 8 for the ravioli, 2 for the salumi (small avoided the salami).

Sunday workouts have left both Big and Small hungry. The planned exploration to a new to us vietnamese restaurant finds the restaurant closed, so the backup plan—a return visit to Poc Chuc—is put in place.

We’d first gone to Poc Chuc a few weeks ago. It was closer than our original destination of El Metate. The first time around Small (me) ordered a turkey taco and a ground pork taco. Big ordered the signature Poc Chuc. The combination of these 3 things was quite substantial. And given that the tacos were under $3 each, the meal was quite economical and incredibly satisfying.

This time around Small stuck with the two taco combo, this time opting for turkey mole and carne asada. Big ordered a pork pibil (I can’t remember the exact menu description). 

Even though the selections below spanned two visits, I’ll do my best to remember the details of each.

• Housemade tortillas: I break this out because this was the base for each of the tacos and also served on the side of the main dishes. These were some of the best I’ve had in a while. Perfectly prepared with a great texture.
• Shredded turkey taco: This was served with pickled onions. Good flavor.
• Ground pork taco: Served on a black bean puree with a roasted tomato sauce and avocado. The flavors of this were Small’s favorite and her motivation for a return visit.
• Poc Chuc: Grilled and marinated pork served with a side of black bean puree. The citrus flavor of the marinade comes through wonderfully here. The portion is substantial and the accompanying tortillas let you make your own tacos. This was another favorite.
• Carne asada taco: This has the same presentation as the ground pork taco above. On a black bean puree with roasted tomato sauce. This also has roasted peppers and satisfying Small’s craving for the return visit (the ground pork weren’t available).
• Turkey mole taco: This was Big’s favorite. The mole was more a black pepper sauce than what we’d consider a traditional chocolate based mole. The flavors were great and very unique. The turkey was shredded (same as the turkey taco above). 
• Pork stew: because I can’t remember the exact menu selection. This was a large bowl of shredded pork and broth. It comes with a side of bean puree and tortillas. This was rich and flavorful. Between the two I preferred the poc chuc, but that may be because I really loved the poc chuc.

With the exception of the Poc Chuc, everything we’ve ordered is from the daily specials menu. There are no tacos on the regular menu.

Overall thumbs: Two thumbs up. The food is consistently good and flavorful. The prices make this place a great value. Both time we’ve visited there’s been no wait for a table.

Tastiness Rating: High. The flavors are unique for a mission Mexican restaurant. 

Service Rating: Good. Service is friendly and accommodating, though sometimes a teeny bit slow. 

Dog friendliness factor: No outside seating. No spot for dogs.

Weight watcher points (Small’s selections): 6.5

We’re lucky to live in a neighborhood with a bunch of weekly lunch options. Unfortunately we don’t work in this neighborhood, but on the coveted Work at home days we can pretend we’re the dot.com hipsters we used to be.

This past Friday I (Small, that is) was feeling a little under the weather and craved some healing Asian soup. The closest holder of my elixir? Grab n Go Vietnamese restaurant. I stress Vietnamese because Grab n Go used to be Grab n Go Italian (which was also a purveyor of healing soup but has been replaced). I called ahead and ordered a chicken noodle soup.  It’s a version of pho (usually beef) made with grilled chicken.

The soup is packaged much like a bun (Vietnamese grilled meat served on rice noodles with assorted stuff). Noodles and chicken are in one container. A second container holds steamy broth. And a third container, a plastic bag, contains mint, bean sprouts, and a lime. I’m also given a small container (yes, a fourth container) of 2 different sauces (rooster sauce and a brown sauce).

I head home and dump container one in a bowl. Then, I pour on the contents of container two. I’m using a large bowl but there’s so much broth I need to reserve some of the liquid. I top it off with the contents of the bag and keep the sauces on the side.

And… inhale. The broth is either really salty or spicy or something, (or I’m even more on the verge of a cold than I think) but I go through many glasses of water. Useful if you’re catching a cold to stay hydrated. The chicken is grilled almost teriyaki-style and is quite flavorful. There are a huge amount of bean sprouts. I’m almost full eating sprouts and chicken before I even get to the noodles! I have to say the dish is immensely satisfying and really reasonably priced.

Overall thumbs: Up. Service is warm, the soup was nourishing but I’ve also had the banh mi (vietnamese sandwiches) in the past here and really enjoyed that. Location can’t be beat.

Tastiness rating: Grilled dishes, soup, and sandwiches are all hits here. Not the best in the city but combined with the location and flavors a pretty solid win.

Service: Good. Not white tablecloth wait on you service (though I’ve only done takeout) but definitely bend over backwards make sure you’re happy service.

Dog friendliness: Fair. There are sometimes tables outside but the location on 6th street isn’t a winner. They do always smile at the dogs, tho, so I know they’d be welcomed (outside).

Beautiful Sunday and Big and Small are hanging in the park with the dogs. We decide it’s almost time for a bite to eat so we head over to Piccino Cafe. Piccino Cafe is in Potrero Hill right near Just For You.

We arrive just as they begin their lunch menu for the day. A little confusion as to ordering inside or staying outside at our seat. We figure it out (stay outside) and a friendly server brings us menus and water. Our two good-sized dogs fit comfortably around our table. They don’t stand out as there are many good sized dogs hanging out. This place is definitely high on the dog friendliness factor, tho no special accomodations—such as snacks or water—are provided for the dogs

Still, it’s a beautiful day to be outside. We order an antipasti plate and two pizzas. We get

• Antipasti plate This is an interesting combination of fresh peas (fresh in the pod), pickled baby carrots, olives, cheese, chickpea spread, some fatted calf speck and some flatbread. The highlights here: the chickpea spread is light and lemony. Doesn’t fall into hummus flavors at all. The olives are well flavored and rustic. The peas are a nice touch but I wanted more.
• Margherita pizza This was a very simple pizza. The crust is very homemade tasting and almost pretzel like. Rustic, again, would describe the food. The sauce is inoffensive but nothing special. The cheese is lightly applied. The pizza is almost what one would order if they were trying to conserve calories. It’s not greasy or oily whatsoever and there’s only a small amount of cheese. We both thought the pizza tasted fine, but wouldn’t proclaim it tasty or special.
• Broccolini pizza This looked very much like the margherita pizza but has small amounts of broccolini and shredded cheese instead of slices. Again, a very calorie friendly pizza. Still the two pizzas were so similar we would have been better off with one of the white pizza combos.

Overall verdict? There’s nothing wrong with the pizza here and it really is kinder to your waistline than most of our other options. The corner location was pleasant and relaxing and very dog friendly. Still, pizzas at places like South Beach Cafe are similar in size, a little bit cheaper, and offer much more flavor (and calories).

Overall thumbs Flatlined. There was nothing we didn’t like about the place, but there was nothing to rave about, either.

Tastiness rating A slight increase from flatlined. The olives and chickpea spread were standouts but not enough to lift the place up. Still, nothing was bad.

Service rating Good. Service here was very warm and friendly.

Dog friendly rating Good. Dogs are accommodated outside and have many friends nearby.

Big and Small are lazy during the week and like having a good standby place to eat.
And, of course, Small is a big fan of conserving calories.

Live Sushi Bar has become our regular Thursday night dinner. So much so that we confuse them when we come in some other night during the week.

Since this is quick bites, we’ll give you a list of why we love Live.

• They greet us when we arrive. They even gave us our own chopsticks (that they store with our names written on the chopsticks boxes).
• They have live uni. This is by far the best uni we’ve had in the bay area. Add to the awe-factor it induces in spectators at the sushi bar. Yes, they serve it on its shell. And yes, you can poke the quills and it’s still moving. Yes, it’s very cool (and a bit sadistic).
• The sushi is always fresh. They don’t necessarily have the uber intriguing selection you might find at Sakae, but they do have great takes on the standbys. Usually a few types of toro. The aji is always amazing here and the live scallops always impress our friends.
• It’s easy parking and usually easy to get a seat. But they’re on Open Table so you can plan in advance!

Overall thumbs: always up.

Tastiness rating: consistently good.

Service rating: Good. Service is warm and friendly.