6.27.10

Dinner at SPQR (thanks to BlackboardEats). Started off with creamy burrata, pepperonata, anchocress, and a drizzle of balsamic and we also tried the spring vegetable 'vignarola' - interesting salad with fresh lettuces, herbs, and lightly sauteed fresh veggies (peas, artichokes, etc.). The salad was good but I don't always love the wilty-sauteed texture in my salads - maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist. The burrata was scrumptious and a very generous serving of cheese.

We had three pasta dishes - the standout was the buckwheat spaghetti with a suckling pig ragu, broccoli rabe, and golden raisins.

For dessert I couldn't resist the brown sugar torte with lemon curd and candied kumquats. The torte was delicious and similar in flavor to sticky toffee pudding.

View from the chef's counter.

6.26.10

Love CUESA's "Iron-Chef" competitions, almost as much as a bag of tasty chicken heads.

Homemade Saturday night dinner: seared ono with avocado, mango, and corn salsa served with 'forbidden' rice.

6.25.10

iPhone madness . . .

6.24.10

RN74

Seafood Curry

Sea Bass (or Loup de Mer) with english peas and morels.

Soft-shell crab sandwich with roasted tomatoes and chips with celery salt.

6.23.10

The Jewish Museum Cafe, SOMA.

6.21.10

6.20.10

Ikea magic.

6.19.10

One of my favorite places in the bay area - Bakesale Betty in Oakland. Amazingly nice people accompanied by FANTASTIC food. I would like to keep it a secret because they don't seem to write it on the butcher paper menu (and everyone is busy ordering the fried chicken sandwich, which is also yummy), but . . . I adore the beef brisket sandwich with horseradish, potato chips, caramelized onions and arugula.

6.18.10

Schroeder's Restaurant

6.17.10

Fantastic day. Beautiful weather, Lakers won their 2nd championship and I made a rustic strawberry rhubarb tart . . . good day.

6.16.10

The Academy of Sciences, San Francisco

6.15.10

OTD Bush Street - The light fixture is made out of a weathered buoy.

The daikon rice cake with cilantro and spicy soy makes my day better.

6.14.10

Zinc Details, Fillmore Street.

6.13.10 . . .

Heart Wine Bar in the Mission. House wine is $6.00 (quite good) served in mason jars - what's not to like.

Appetizer at Flour + Water of sea bass wrapped in speck. We also tasted the seared yellowtail appetizer with greens and fresh lemon. For dinner we shared the osso pizza (who doesn't love lumps of bone marrow on dough-y goodness), the zucca pizza (which had ricotta, squash, cerignola olives, and the un-advertised addition of lavendar), a delicious raviolini with shaved fresh porcinis, and chitarra verde with fennel, agrumato & prosecco braised mussels & clams. yumm. For dessert all but one of us declined, yet all of us enjoyed tasting the chocolate budino with sea salt. Delish.

6.12.10

Enjoying a pint after a long bike ride (UP, and down, the hills of San Francisco in unheard of - but wonderful - 85 degree warmth). Liverpool Lil's.

6.11.10

Cowgirl Creamery in the Ferry Building. Lunch at Il Cane Rosso (Porchetta sandwich with a dijon pickled cabbage and Beef Brisket sandwich with pickled onions and dandelion greens - mm).

6.10.10

Heirloom tomatoes at the Crocker Galleria farmer's market.

6.9.10

I have no idea what kind of flower this is, but I liked it.

6.8.10

Campton Place Restaurant -
Ate here today for another Dine About Town meal. We had the carrot soup with a few spring pea morsels, herbs and a dollop of creme fraiche. For our main courses we had the steelhead trout (the most amazing crisped buttery skin) which came with two beautiful mussels out of the shell, spinach, and a deliciously creamy sauce AND the steak (fabulously tender and flavorful) with a veal jus, rapini, and potato velouté (hint of truffle). For dessert we had a lemon meringue tart with a raspberry sauce. The meal was delicious - yum yum.

6.7.10

View from the State of California building. Oakland.