THE MORRIS

2501 Mariposa Street
San Francisco
Tel: (415) 612-8480

OPEN TUES-SAT  5pm-9pm

The Chartreuse Slushy

Asparagus - Lobster Béarnaise


Mushroom Profiteroles


Yellowtail Crudo

Charcuterie Plate...Impressive!

Tartine Bread

Doughnuts!

The Morris is named after owner/sommelier Paul Einbund's late father.
His partner is Chef Gavin Schmidt is a pork aficionado and duck fancier.
The pair had been working together for some years at the Michelin-starred Coi restaurant in The City and they teamed up at The Morris.

The "reserve" wine list is formidable and quite daunting on a couple of counts.  First, it's 50+ pages with amazing selections and numerous trophy wines.  Secondly, it's top-heavy with expensive bottles to the point where the average person might think that having a $4 tea or $10 beer.  But there's a $38 beer in a 750ml bottle and another $26 beer in half-liter format.

We were seated in one of their alcove, outdoor tables and a denim-covered binder was presented, the "big wine list."
You'll need your smart-phone to scan a QR code to see the nightly menu.

The list is a marvelous assortment of wines from all over, with significant selections from France, Germany and the West Coast.
The list reads a bit like a "Who's Who" of winemaking, with an emphasis on France's Loire Valley, Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhône Valley.  There are a few Bordeaux offerings, but this comprises a tiny segment of the list.
There are, for example, significantly more Loire Valley Chenin Blanc wines on the list than Bordeaux!
(We, too, have a fondness for the under-rated Chenin Blanc grape.)

You'll find wineries such as Clos Rougeard, Pierre Peters, Selosse, Marie Courtin, Dauvissat, Raveneau, Ganevat, Roulot, PY Colin-Morey, Coche-Dury, Dujac, Rostaing, Allemand and more on the list (if you have time to plow through it).

The menu is a four page document, featuring a listing of cocktails, beers, Madeiras, more modestly-priced wines, vintage bottlings of the famous French liqueur Chartreuse.  In fact, The Morris features a "Chartreuse Slushy" ($12). 
 [ I had a taste and found it more citrusy than redolent of Chartreuse. ]


On our visit there were four sparklers on the menu pages.  A good Cava from Pere Mata is $64, a J. Lasalle Champagne for $88 and a bottling from Marie Courtin for $132.  We began with an off-the-beaten-path French bubbly from Domaine Allemand in the French Alps.  It cost $68 and it's made of the Mollard grape.  
The servers brought some nice-sized white wine glasses and deftly opened the bottle without showering anyone.

We kept the wine list as we'd be ordering more wine what with 5 adults sitting at the table.

Three Sparkling wines are offered by the glass, the Cava from Pere Mata going for $16,  the Allemand pink costing  $17 while the J. Lasalle Champagne going for $22.

Six white wines were available by the glass.  Sylvain Bailly Sancerre is $18, while a Gruner Veltliner from Malat is $15.  A Jasnières from Janvier is $16 while Domaine Aux Moines Savennières is $24.  One Rose from Provence is $19/glass.

Ten reds are offered by the glass.  I was curious as to how the 2001 Tour Grise Saumur was showing, but did not remember to order a glass at $19 ($74/bottle).  Bedrock 2018 Zinfandel is $15/glass ($60/bottle), while Domaine Chapel 2020 Beaujolais-Villages is $18 BTG and $72/bottle.

There are numerous starters to consider.  Ten Charcuterie items are on the list, priced at $12 for one, $40 for 5 of "The Full Monty" (10 items on our visit) for $75. Six items are presented under the heading of "Nibbles," which included Duck Heart Skewers for $6, Mushroom Profiteroles at $6, Asparagus with a Lobster Béarnaise ($10) and a couple of other enticing items.

There was a selection of three cheeses for $20.

Royal Sturgeon Caviar is $35 for a half ounce and $65 for a one ounce serving.  "Golden Oscetra" is $65 for a half ounce and $120 for an ounce.

An order of Tartine bread is $7 and worth every penny!
And we actually ordered a second round on the bread.

For an "official" First Course, there were 4 options.  Little Gem Salad with bacon and hazelnuts is $15, while Charred Broccoli with Grilled Squid, somewhat of a signature dish, is $17.  An Arugula Salad with Beets and Mozzarella is also $17, while Yellowtail Crudo with Avocado is $20.

We ordered five selections from the Charcuterie menu and this is beautifully presented and, my oh my, all were exceptional.  And they are house-made!  The Duck Rillette, Rabbit Terrine and Pâté de Campagne where standouts.
We also had the Asparagus with the Lobster Béarnaise, the Mushroom Profiteroles and Yellowtail Crudo.  I preferred those to the Charred Broccoli with the Grilled Squid.

For main plates, the signature dish is the Smoked Duck with Root Vegetables.  $75 for a half and $150 for the whole shebang.  Sounds expensive but with the various starters, five adults still had some leftovers to take home.
Other main dishes included Kabocha Agnolotti with Mushrooms  ($32), Black Cod with Soy Milks Dashi ($35), a Ribeye ($55) or Grilled Pork ($36).
Our friends ordered the Black Cod as their little kids were joining us and that was mighty tasty, as well. 

Black Cod

The Duck, though, was mighty impressive!

The Famous "The Morris" Duck

A FEW NOTES ON DINING
March 2022

We've been lax about posting notes regarding dining, as from the Fall of 2021 into Winter of 2022 so many restaurants have had staffing problems.

We have returned to some favorite haunts and enjoyed the return to what we knew as "normal."

We've been to Dumpling Time in San Francisco on a number of occasions...routinely good.

Dinners at Divino in Belmont have been good, as usual.

We went to a new breakfast/lunch spot out near Half Moon Bay:  Pilot Light.
It's at the Half Moon Bay Airport and is owned by the folks who have All Spice in San Mateo.
We had a lovely Sunday breakfast there in early March...casual, but good as the owners are serious "foodies."

Friends raved about lunch at Barbara's Fish Trap in Princeton out on the coast, so we had an early Sunday lunch there on day...the Tempura Artichokes ($12) were alright, but either made of frozen or jarred artichokes.  Fried Calamari (Ringy Dingy Calamari--$16) was good, but the best item was the Fish & Chips ($16).

FARM HOUSE

1301 Sixth Avenue
Belmont
Tel: 650-593-7311

Open for BRUNCH   FRI-SAT-SUN
11:00-2:30

DINNER
Wed-Sun 5pm-9pm

You have to scan the QR Codes to the menu and wine list.


Tuna Sliders


Focaccia & Olives

Wild Boar Tenderloin & Gnocchi

Hanger Steak & Fries

Broccolini

We are big fans of their Burger & Fries ($18) and we brought two bottles of Burgundy to taste.
What a pleasure this was!
Not having "dined out" in months, sitting at a restaurant table and enjoying a simple meal was a delight.

Kudos to proprietor David Hunsaker for running a terrific place.

By the way, 31st Union posts a daily dinner offering, available for take-out (and they delivery locally).  

We so look forward to being able to  dine out regularly, but it's difficult to predict what the safety conditions are these days.

UPDATE (June 2020)  31st Union closed for food service and indicated it would reopen as a more cocktail-centric venue.
But we drove past the place and the signage has been removed and replaced with a "For Lease" sign.
:(

RESTAURANT JEANNE D'ARC

715 Bush Street
San Francisco

TEL: 415-421-3154

The Vegetable Soup

Escargot

Rabbit

Rack of Lamb

The Grand Marnier Soufflé

The Raspberry & Blueberry Tartelette

As we might expect, there are more French wines on the list than domestic bottlings. Seven Loire Valley white wines are available, ranging from $30 to $40 for full bottles.  A Sancerre from the Millet winery goes for $36.
Five white Burgundies are offered, ranging from a $32 bottle of Macon from the Domaine de Denante to a Domaine Nudant Puligny Montrachet for $78.
We found four white selections from Alsace.  Allimant Laugner's Pinot Blanc is $32 while their Pinot Gris is $34.  There's a Riesling from the Grand Cru site Osterberg, but that $45 does not get identified as to the vintner.
A Gisselbrecht Gewürztraminer is a mere $32 a bottle.

There were two French Rosé wines, a Le Galantin Bandol for $34 and a Château Thivin from Beaujolais at $38.

There are 8 wines under the Bourgogne Rouge heading, though three of those are from Beaujolais.  They range from $30 for a Beaujolais Villages to $96 for a Domaine Nundant Nuits Saint Georges.
There's a nice bottle of Chinon from Domaine Beausejour which goes for $18 in half bottles or $34 in 750ml format.
From the Southern Rhône there's a half bottle of a simple Côtes du Rhône at $17.  The Clefs des Murailles Vacqueyras is $38 for a bottle.  Another curious entry is listed as coming from the Lavau appellation, but we suspect Lavau is the name of the winery.  It's shown as a "Cave de Rasteau," but we suspect this is Lavau's Rasteau wine.  $35 for that.

Under the heading of Rhône wines, we find 5 selections.  Three are actually from the Southern Rhône, so it's curious these are not listed under that heading.  There's a Gigondas of the Grapillon D'Or label at $48 along with the La Fiole Châteauneuf-du-Pape for the same price.
Le Galantin's Bandol Rouge is the lone red from Provence, offered at a mere $38.
There are 7 Bordeaux selections, ranging in price from $34 to $68.  You won't find anything along the lines of a blue-chip bottle, but the selections are certainly drinkable.

The wine list seems to feature but a few importers or distributors and it's not the work of a passionate wine director.  We suspect the buyer probably has a good relationship with the sales reps from the few distribution companies they work with.

The corkage fee is as gentle as the wine list pricing, a mere $20.

We perused the menu...lots of classically French offerings on the $58 price-fixed menu.  It starts with a vegetable soup and on our visit this was presented in a large, but quite shallow bowl.  I couldn't quite determine what sort of soup this was, apart from it being a bit bland...

A small basket of sourdough bread was on the table and we dove into that.

We ordered the Le Galantin Bandol Rosé ($34) and the server, a pleasant young lady from the Ivory Coast opened the bottle and poured "the say."  As it was a screw-capped bottle, this was perfectly fine and it accompanied the Escargot course we both ordered.  
The other options were salads; one featured truffled cheese while the other came with shrimp and half an avocado.
The Escargot are served out of the shell and in a ceramic dish...a small fork accompanies this and we asked for more bread to sop up the garlic butter.  Happily they used fresh garlic and this was a delightful rendition of an old classic.

There were 11 main plates.  There was a Chilean Sea Bass at the top of the menu, followed by a Prawns & Scallops dish.  They offer a Duck Breast or a Duck Leg Confit.  "Lapin Chasseur" was also quite tempting being Rabbit with Mushrooms.
Three Lamb dishes were on the menu, one being a Lamb Shank, another being a Lamb Loin or, my pick, the Rack of Lamb (with a $6 surcharge).
Three Beef dishes were offered including Braised Short ribs.  There's a New York Steak flambéed in Cognac for a $4 surcharge or you can opt for the Filet Mignon with Chanterelles for $6 extra.
We didn't see a vegetarian option, so good luck if you're in that culinary camp.

We brought a 12 year old bottle of Bordeaux and the server brought some red wine glasses from "the old days."  Perfectly serviceable, but not deluxe stemware.  She opened our bottle and immediately poured the wine without someone sniffing it to be sure it was of good quality.

The wine, as it turned out, was excellent.

My friend ordered the Rabbit dish and it looked quite good.  My Rack of Lamb featured three nice chops, possibly a shade more towards "medium" than the "medium rare" we had requested.   There was a thin fourth chop under the three which were artistically presented.  Accompanying the main courses are a trio of sides: fresh, crisp asparagus, steamed carrots and a potato purée.  All of these were good...not out of a freezer bag as we've seen at some places.

Three desserts are available (and we ordered dessert at the start of the evening).  My friend opted for the Grand Marnier Soufflé.  I chose the Raspberry & Blueberry Tartelette.  The other option was a Hazelnut, Mascarpone Rum-Cream Cake.
The desserts were both excellent.

I had a cup of coffee ($2)...our server did not remind us of dessert wine options.

The ambience of this place is quite "French" and they had some nice music playing in the background...well, a few accordion tunes, anyway.

The front door on Bush Street is locked, so you'll need to be buzzed in.

We thoroughly enjoyed the evening here, but it's a different dining experience than we had recently as the soon-to-be-closed La Folie.  That was a great and memorable gastronomic experience and it's truly "fine dining."  Jeanne D'Arc provides French "comfort" foods without the formality of a Michelin-starred place and it's well-priced.

We look forward to returning!

TELEFÉRIC BARCELONA

855 El Camino Real
(Town & Country Shopping Center)
Palo Alto

TEL: 650-321-0512

Sun-Wed: 11:30-9:15
Thurs-Sat 11:30-10:15

Pulpo with a Potato Puree

Gambas al Ajillo

Paella de Carnes Y Setas

BRITISH BANKERS CLUB

555 Santa Cruz Avenue
Menlo Park

Tel: 650-382-3191

Mon-Thurs:  11:30am-10pm
Fri-Sat  11:30am-11pm
Sunday 10am-9pm

Caesar Salad

Octopus with Fingerlings, Artichokes & Chorizo

Grilled Prime Ribeye Steak

Braised Short-rib with Fava Bean Purée and Root Vegetables.

Kennebec Fries

My friend initially misread the Grilled Prime Ribeye as being "Prime Rib."  Luckily we sorted that out and she knew she was getting a steak.
I went for the Short-rib dish with Fava Beans Puree, roasted Root Vegetables and Horseradish jus.

The waiter cleared the starter plates and said the mains would arrive shortly.  To their credit, they didn't bring the main courses while we were still working on the starters.
My friend asked why they didn't bring bread and butter and the server indicated they do have bread, but it's served upon request only.

The Steak looked promising, but she described it as having a lot of gristle.  I suspect these were tendons, but in any case, she was not thrilled with the steak.
My Short-Rib dish had an odd fragrance and perhaps this was the Fava Bean Purée?  The little bits of root vegetables were okay, but this was simply not to my taste.
We had a side of the Kennebec Fries and these were presented in a small metal container.  I found a small piece of Calamari in this dish, curiously.

The server kept our wine glasses filled and we consumed a rather nice bottle of a young Chambolle-Musigny. 

There are some TV monitors over the bar and with a few mirrors and glass windows, it's difficult to avoid the sports being televised.  The restaurant has a sound system with pop tunes...I recall a loud Whitney Houston tune, amongst others, for example...perhaps more appropriate for their bar scene than for "fine dining."

Our server pretty much disappeared after pouring the last of the wine, so getting the check took a shade longer than it might have otherwise.  Of course, by this time it was after the place was officially closed, though a number of tables were still occupied.

We solved the "mystery" of this place and this was likely our sole dining experience at the British Bankers Club.

LA BALENA

JUNIPERO Between 5th & 6th
CARMEL, California

TEL: 831-250-6295

Open Tues-Sunday
Lunch 12-3:30
Dinner 5-10

Some warm bread with a nice olive oil for dipping.

Fried Cauliflower

Octopus and Watermelon...grilled.

Broccolini

Bruschetta...Eggplant, peppers & Capers

Crispy Potatoes & Aioli

Corkage is $32

Tuscan Bean Soup

Rigatoni with Housemade Sausage

Bavette Steak & Crispy Potatoes

Their California selections are fairly local, mostly bottlings from Monterey County or the Santa Cruz Mountains.  

Amongst the whites there's a Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay at $136, Birichino's Monterey Malvasia (non-fizzy) at $34 a bottle and Chalone Chenin Blanc for $72.
There we 32 Italian whites on the list when we visited.  There's no organization to the listings apart from lowest price to highest and these are quite varied. 
There's a Ciavolich Passerina at $40/bottle, while a Sylvaner from the Alto Adige producer of Abbazia di Novacella is $48.  There are two listings for a Torbato wine from Sardegna from the Parpinello family.  One is $45/bottle while the other is $48.  That winery does make a couple of different bottlings, but the notation of one being the "Torbato Centogemme" is not printed on the list.
There's a lovely Umbrian Trebbiano Spoletino from the Tenuta Bellafonte at $54.  From the Alto Adige there are two whites from Manincor, a Sauvignon Blanc costing $58 and a Chardonnay going for $64.  I Clivi's Friulano is $68 and the most costly white is Girolamo Russo's Etna Bianco at $80.

California reds range from $42 for Birichino's Grenache to $345 for Ridge Monte Bello (Cabernet). 
The Italian reds start at $46 for a Scarpa Barbera d'Asti to $188 for a 2012 vintage of E. Pira Barolo "Via Nuova."  There is a nice range of Piemontese reds, with some good producers of Barolo and Barbaresco being represented.  Giacomo Grimaldi's 2015 Barolo is $88, while a Produttori del Barbaresco single vineyard "Rabaja" from the 2011 vintage is $128/bottle.  Cantina del Pino 2009 Barbaresco "Ovello" is $145.
Jermann Pinot Nero (listed as Pinot Noir) is $65, while Perillo Taurasi from the 2004 vintage is $95.  A Corte Sant'Alda Valpolicella is $50 while a 2012 Amarone from Prà is $140.  
It's a terrific range of wines with many good choices.  Prices are reasonable and you can drink well at all price points.

The corkage fee is $32, high enough to discourage guests from bringing a bottle of plonk in hopes of cutting corners on the check.

We ordered a bottle of Mancini Vermentino Superiore, a wine wholesaling for around $11.50/bottle.  This is $44 on their wine list.

We perused the menu, which is printed daily.  And, yes, it was "hot off the press" as they were printing it as we were seated...we were first lookking at menus from the previous day.

There were 8 Antipasti, 4 Insalate, and 2 Zuppe.  

We were 5 people so we ordered a handful of plates to share as starters.  We had their Cavolfiore Fritto ($13)...fried Cauliflower with pine nuts, currants, chili and bread crumbs.  It was quite delicious.  The Polpo Grigliato ($22) is grilled octopus with watermelon, mint, onions and chili oil.
Bruschetta ($13) featured an eggplant mash with bell peppers, onions and capers.  We had a Gemma Salad ($10), comprised of Romaine Lettuce,, radish slices, olives, onions and a Gorgonzola cream dressing.

The server brought three nice stems for the white wine and opened the bottle at the table.  He poured the "say" and the bottle was fine, so we gave the go ahead to pour.

We placed a bottle of an older vintage of Barolo on the table, having brought along a special wine for celebrating the kid's birthday.  Too bad he is not yet old enough to enjoy it!  Larger stems were provided and we opened the bottle our self.  I'd asked for a decanter and they provided a nice one into which we poured the wine.

There were three panini (sandwiches) on the lunch menu.  The Marinated Steak is $18, which a Chicken sandwich with tomato sauce and Parmesan Cheese is $16.  A Prosciutto and Pecorino Sandwich is $15. 

There are five pastas offered, all "housemade."  A non-meat Spaghetti with San Marzano tomato sauce is $20.  Pappardelle with a wild boar sugo is $23.  Rigatoni with homemade Pork Sausage is $24.  Spaghetti Neri with Mussels, clams and prawns is $28.  Gnocchi with wild mushrooms is $24.

Main plates on our visit included a Frittata with organic eggs, potatoes, mushrooms & spinach on a salad at $18.  The Bavette Steak is $34, while the Pesce del Giorno was local wild salmon with spinach at $30.  Pollo Frito is $30 and it's Fogline Farm Chicken fried with a rice crust ($30). 

I asked the server to suggest something that's representative of the restaurant and he said to go with the Pollo Frito.  I did and this was stellar and I'd highly recommend it. One of our party ordered the steak and that was properly cooked and also quite good.

The others ordered pasta dishes and everyone was pleased by the kitchen artistry.

We were offered a dessert card at the end of our meal and chose a few items which were shared...all quite delicious.

This was a delightful lunch and we look forward to returning to La Balena on another foray to Carmel.

Parking was convenient, but you do have to watch the clock as the time limit for a space is two hours.

Reviewed by GW
July 2019

Desserts

PASTA MOON

315 Main Street
Half Moon Bay

Tel 650-726-5125

Lunch Weekdays 11:30-2:00
Lunch Weekends 12:00-3:00

Dinner from 5:30-8:30
Dinner Fri-Sat 5:30-9:00

The breads are homemade and quite good.

New England Style Clam Chowder


Since the soup isn't thick, it sloshes around making for a somewhat messy presentation.


Summer Peach Salad

We were amongst the first to be seated and were offered a two top close to the street in a bright sunny dining room.  No wine glasses are on the tables as part of the place setting, but the menu does have quite a few "wines by the glass" on the backside and the hostess presented a wine list as well.

With the Italian theme of the restaurant, the wine list features Italian wines, with just a handful of other selections.

Three sparkling wines are offered by-the-glass (BTG).  Canella Prosecco is $12 BTG and $45/bottle, while Bellavista's Brut Franciacorta is $15 BTG and $58/bottle.  Luigi Giusti's "Bolla Rosa" is listed as a sparkling rosé, but it's up to guests to know the wine is from the Marche region and made from the exotic Lacrima di Morro d'Alba grape.  That's $12 BTG and $48/bottle.

There's one pink wine listed under the "Blush" category.  It's from the Cantine di Dolianova but we do not know which bottling they have (the winery makes at least two different pink wines).

They offered 8 white wines by the glass, including Cantina Terlano's "Winkl" Sauvignon Blanc at $13 BTG and $50/bottle.  Pieropan's 2015 Soave is $15 BTG and $58 for a bottle, while Niklas Kerner from the Alto Adige is $12/BTG and $48 by the bottle.
Amongst the nine reds, we'd consider Elio Altare's 2017 Dolcetto d'Alba at $12/BTG and $46 for a bottle.  San Lazzaro's "Rosso Piceno" is listed solely by the grape varieties, Montepulciano and Sangiovese.  It's from Italy's Marche region and that goes for $13/glass or $49 for a bottle.  There's an importer's label for an Italian Gamay from the Valle d'Aosta called SFUSO21 at $12/BTG and $48 for a bottle.

The wines are listed with brief descriptions to entice guests to order them.
The Terlano Sauvignon Blanc is described as "Mandarin, hints of nettle and mint, intense minerality," while the Altare Dolcetto is said to show "sweet red stone fruit, silky smooth, spicy finish."

The wine list is presented in a book format.  There are a few half bottle selections and some large format bottles.  They offer a 3 liter bottle of Masi's 2003 "Campofiorin" wine at $325.  It seems to be priced for its rarity as the wine is not typically intended as a hugely cellarworthy wine and normal bottles of that retail for $13-$18 typically.  

The wine list then is broken down by regions.  Under Northern Italian White Wines we see four offerings under the heading of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia.   There's one from Lombardia, a Lugana wine from Otella.  I believe Otella's Le Creete bottling is from vineyards technically within the Veneto borders (the appellation overlaps from Lombardia into the Veneto).  That wine is $49 for a bottle.  There are two Piemontese whites, one being Brandini's Arneis at $42/bottle.  There are five selections under the "Trentino-Alto Adige" heading, but all five are from the Alto Adige.  Manincor's "Sophie" is $63 a bottle and the list does not indicate that it's predominantly Chardonnay (with a few drops of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc).
White Wines of Southern Italy includes one white from Puglia, three from Campania and two from Siclia.  Under "Extraordinary Non-Italian Whites" we see a Slovenian selection and an Oregon Chardonnay.

For Red Wines of Northern Italy there are 21 offerings from Piemonte and they range in price from $41 for a Pechinino Dolcetto di Dogliani to $285 for a 2010 vintage Barolo from Elio Altare's Brunate cru.
Luciano Sandrone's 2011 Barolo Le Vigne is $199, while a 2014 Gaja DaGromis Barolo is $175.  Vietti's 2015 Barolo Castiglione is attractively priced at $85.  
Under Trentino-Alto Adige we find one selection.  It's from the Trentino producer, Elisabetta Foradori.  Her once-great "Granato" bottling of the Teroldego is $100 and it's from the 2010 vintage.
There are ten reds from the Veneto region  and all are Valpolicella-area selections.  (No Bardolino, for example.)  A Valpolicella Ripasso from the Roccolo Grassi winery is $75, while the same winery's Amarone goes for $125.
From Central Italy there's a Cantina Tollo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo for $36...that's a wine wholesaling for $7 or less.  Marotti Campi's special bottling of Lacrima di Morro d'Alba called "Orgiolo" is $50, about twice the normal retail price.
Marco Caprinetti's "Nero Buono" from the Lazio region is $58, while the Perticaia Montefalco Rosso from Umbria is $65.  Curiously, for a list featuring many interesting indigenous varieties, there's no Sagrantino offered, a major red grape from Umbria.
There are 34 Tuscan selections, 18 featuring Sangiovese.  These range from $46 for Chianti Classico 2015 from Molino de Grace to $950 (!) for a Bibi Graetz "Colore" from the 2004 vintage, a "Super Tuscan" blend.
There's a 2013 Brunello from Piancornello at $85, a well-priced, top notch wine.  If you want something with some bottle age, the 2006 Casanova di Neri Brunello :Tenuta Nuova" is $285 a bottle.
There were 16 Tuscan reds featuring Bordeaux varieties or Syrah.  Those go from $50 to $520. The 2013 Sassicaia is $350 a bottle, while the 2015 is $400.
From Southern Italy and The Islands we find two Sicilian bottlings, both based on Nero d'Avola.  Etna has yet to make the cut at Pasta Moon apparently.

The wine list offers plenty of diversity in terms of price and styles of wine.  

The corkage fee is $20.

We had perused the wine list posted on-line and had identified a nice $50 bottle, but found the wine list we had been presented was slightly different from the one on the Pasta Moon website.
We ordered a bottle of wine by the winery name and type, but the server needed to have the four digit bin or stock number that's printed on the wine list.

The Old Bat ordered a Bloody Mary ($12 for one made with Ketel One Vodka) and we selected a bottle of wine from the wine list, a Masseria Li Veli "Verdeca," well-priced at $39.  After a few moments a basket of bread was brought to the table and a young fellow offered to pour olive oil and some vinegar on a shallow plate.  We rejected the vinegar but had him pour the olive oil.
(As mentioned in various other reviews, we cannot recall any restaurant in Italy offering oil and vinegar as a dipping sauce for bread.)

The Bloody Mary got the thumbs up, aside from the rim of the glass being coated with coarse salt.

Starters range from House marinated Olives ($6)  to Asparagus Fritti ($14)  (funny that it's not all in Italian: Asparagi Fritti) to P.E.I. Mussels ($18) or a Salumi Platter ($25) that serves 2 people (at least).
Six different pizzas a offered...Pear & Prosciutto is $24, as is a Shrimp & Avocado pie.  A Pizza Margherita is $19.
I saw some postings about a new pizza place near the shop and someone said the place was expensive...their Margherita pizza is $13.

Under the heading of Insalata E Zuppa (Salad and Soup) there were four salads and two soups.   A Chioggia Beet Salad is $15, as is a Classic Caesar.  Their "Della Casa" Salad is $12.   Their New England style Clam Chowder is $15, while the Tuscan Ribollita soup is $11.

Under the "Secondi Piatti" heading there are two more salads.  A Roasted Chicken Salad is $21, while it's $25 for a Seared Sea Scallop Salad.  Eggplant Parmesan is $23, while a Skirt Steak Marinated in Balsamic is $26.  Mary's Free-Range Lemon Chicken is $24.
Eight pasta dishes are on the menu and they indicate the pasta is "housemade."
Fettuccine Calabrese Sausage is $22, while Butternut Squash & Mascarpone Ravioli goes for $24. Linguini with Ahi Tuna is $26 and Spaghetti Puttanesca with Day Boat Sea Scallops, Clams and Mussels is $25.

My dining companion, who hails from New England, ordered the Clam Chowder ($15).  That's always a mistake because Chowder these days is never like it was when she was a youngster.  Back then they likely didn't have electricity, for one thing.  The soup was nicely presented, with a lone clam in its shell swimming in the middle of the bowl.
Immediately she squawked that New England Clam Chowder doesn't have "green stuff" in it.  There was some chiffonade of something (basil, perhaps) or chopped chives scattered on the soup.  She criticized it further for having (as noted on the menu) pancetta instead of bacon.  And she said it was not very hot and sent it back.
Yes, it's a joy dining with her.

I opted to start with the Ribollita ($11), curious to see how Pasta Moon's compared to one I enjoyed in Florence back in late March.  The menu described this as  "Florentine Bread Soup, Kale, Swiss Chard, Kohlrabi, Zucchini, Carrots Beans, Garlic, EVOO, Parmesan."  I requested it without the cheese.
I had always heard Ribollita should be so thickened with the bread that a spoon can stand up in it.
Here's a snapshot of the Ribollita I enjoyed in Tuscany:

What arrived was much closer to a simple Minestrone soup than Ribollita.  It comes in a rather shallow bowl, so being transported from the kitchen to the dining room, the soup sloshes around making a mess of the rim of the bowl.
It was perfectly standard, but I may have been more disappointed in my soup than the fuss-budget was with hers, except I didn't grouse at the server.  And my soup was moderately warm, but not particularly hot, either.

For a main plate, my friend ordered the Summer Peach Salad ($14) with Fifth Crow Farms Lettuces, Harley Farms Goat Cheese, Spiced Almonds with a Prosecco Citrus Vinaigrette.  She thoroughly enjoyed the salad and asked if they sell the dressing "to go."  (I don't think so.)

I ordered the Tagliatelle with Jumbo Shrimp & Calamari ($28) which comes with Basil, Spring Peas, Leeks, Red Pepper Flakes and I asked they not include the Pecorino.  The pasta was cooked al dente and there was a nice spice element to this, but I didn't note and red pepper flakes.  I think the spice was from a few grinds of black pepper.  Very good, though!

We skipped dessert and the bill tallied to $129 before the tip.

I should say the Italian theme of the restaurant carries only so far when the sound system is playing contemporary (I suspect) Latino tunes.  I'm not a Mariachi aficionado, so I didn't find the music being played to be much in keeping with the theme of the restaurant, for one thing and so it didn't enhance the dining experience.  Yeah, I'm an old curmudgeon, I suppose.

We enjoyed a nice, sunny day in Half Moon Bay and this was a sufficiently pleasing meal that we'll likely return.

LA VIGA SEAFOOD & COCINA MEXICANA

1772 Broadway
Redwood City

Tel: 650-679-8141

Open Sunday-Thursday 11am-9pm
Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm

Chips

Mildly spicy salsa

Half a dozen Oysters

Octopus, Calamari, Potato and Fennel "stew"

Tallarines con Mariscos

O' SOLE MIO

352 Broadway
Millbrae

TEL: 650-692-7905

Open Daily 4pm-9pm

Cup of Minestrone

Caesar Salad

Linguine with Clams

Chicken Cacciatore with Spaghetti

ARYA STEAKHOUSE

885 Middlefield Road
Redwood City

TEL: 650-367-4939

Open Daily from 11:30

Pita/Flatbread

A dipping sauce and butter for the bread

Persian Salad

Caesar Salad

A 12-ounce New York Steak with nice grill marks.

"Wild Mushrooms"...Crimini and Enoki.

A 12 ounce Ribeye

We had just seen a film Sunday afternoon down the block from this dining spot and had booked a table post-cinema.

There seem to be two dining rooms and we were guided to a table in the one away from the open kitchen.  The hostess presented menus and a wine list.

Wine glasses are on the table and there are many wine bottles on display in the restaurant to help nudge patrons to order a bottle of wine.
Our friend asked for a Martini, but they don't have a license for distilled spirits we were told.  Apparently an on-premise license to serve spirits is "difficult to obtain in San Mateo County."
Really?

We perused the wine list looking for a suitable cocktail white or bubbly by-the-glass (BTG).

There were two options listed under "Sparkling Wine."  One is Cavit Moscato ($10/glass) and it's not a full-throttle bubbly, coming in a standard wine bottle, not a sparkling wine bottle.
The other choice is a quarter bottle (a split of 187ml) of Banfi's "Mascio" Prosecco (wholesales for $2.50) at $11.
You'll find three Chardonnays...Wente's "Morning Fog" from Livermore is $10/glass while a wine called "Persian Tradition" is $13.  Rombauer is $17, so if you're a wine aficionado, good luck!
Other whites include Parducci "Sonoma County" Pinot Gris ($10/glass) which actually comes from Mendocino County vineyards.  Chloe Pinot Grigio, the work of a marketing company, goes for $11/glass.  There's a Pacific Rim Riesling at $11/glass, but the list does not indicate which of the five or six Pacific Rim bottlings this might be.  Finally there's a Rodney Strong Sauvignon Blanc at $12/glass.

You'll find maybe 15-17 red wines By The Glass.
Cabernets featured are from Liberty School ($12/glass), Wente  ($10/glass), Justin ($17) and Hess "Allomi" $18), while there's a Patz & Hall Pinot Noir ($19/glass) along with a Rodney Strong Pinot Noir ($15) and Rombauer Merlot ($18/glass).
They post Cline "Ancient Vines" Zinfandel as a Sonoma wine, but the fruit is actually from Contra Coast County.  Rombauer Zinfandel ($17/glass) is shown as a Sonoma wine, but their normal bottling is largely from the Sierra Foothills and has no Sonoma fruit in it.

There are two half bottle selections for white wines, a Landmark Chardonnay at $38 and a Silverado Sauvignon Blanc  for $35.
Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet is $66 for a half bottle while Patz & Hall Pinot Noir is $51.

There are eight sparkling wine selections, with Gloria Ferrer Brut going for $50.  Clicquot's Yellow Label is $99 and Dom Perignon is $350.

There were 11 Chardonnays offered by the bottle, with Far Niente costing $125.  Sonoma Cutrer's Russian River Ranches is $58.
Three Sauvignon Blancs are available, with Cakebread costing $52 and Rodney Strong going for $42.

We found 7 Zinfandels with brands such as Saldo (a second label of the Prisoner) costing $70.  They show the Rombauer on the bottle list as having a Napa Valley appellation and that goes for $70.  Rombauer does make a Napa Zinfandel, so there's a chance that could be posted correctly.
Merlots come from Stags' Leap Winery ($90). Coppola ($45) and Darioush ($120) amongst others.

Pinot Noirs include Josh Cellars ($55) and Deloach ($45) along with Flowers ($90) and Patz & Hall ($85).
There's a heading of "Meritage/Syrah/Shiraz" and we find BV's Tapestry at $130/bottle.  Conundrum Red is $54, while Stags' Leap Winery Petite Sirah is $85.  The Prisoner red is $95 and there's Inglenook Rubicon for $300.

You might expect there to be a good range of Cabernets given the steak-house theme.  Jordan is $130/bottle, while Robert Mondavi's Oakville is $120.  Mount Veeder is $85 and Caymus is $159.
"Extraordinary Cabernets/Meritage" sees a couple of Nickel & Nickel bottlings at $175 and $185.  Beringer Private Reserve is $240 while Far Niente Cabernet goes for $195.

Interestingly the wine list does not indicate the vintage dates of any wines except for three Opus One bottlings.  The 2006 and 2008 Opus wines are $600, while the 2013 is a mere $425.

The wine list, as you may have figured out, features brand name producers for the most part.  It's not a list for the adventuresome wine drinker.  Nor is it a list of wines selected by a particularly savvy wine aficionado.  The list is geared towards the neophyte wine consumer.
The lack of vintage dates on the list demonstrates it's constructed for the convenience of the restaurant, not the customer.

The corkage fee is $20 and we took advantage of that, putting a bottle of Bordeaux on the table.  The server opened the bottle and was ready to pour without our sniffing the wine to be sure it was not corked.
The stemware is 1970s Libbey...big, clunky glasses that can take a beating in the dishwasher.  
Again, this is out of convenience for the establishment, not for the enjoyment of the customer.

ITALICO

341 California Avenue
Palo Alto

TEL: 650-473-9616

Lunch: Mon-Fri  11:30-2

Dinner:
Mon 5-9
Tues-Thurs 5-9:30
Fri-Sat 5-10

Closed Sundays

Butter Lettuce Salad

Frittura Mista

Bucatini Pomodoro

Orecchio d'Elefante
smothered with vinegary mixed greens

Half a dozen white wines are offered at $12-$15 BTG with bottles costing 4 times the amount of a glass.
The list is almost entirely Italian.  
There's a "Di Leonardo" Chardonnay from Friuli at $14/BTG ($56/bottle), while Pinot Grigio from Zorzon in Friuli is the same price, as is Ciavolich's Passerina.  Capichera's Vermentino is $15 BTG and $60/bottle.
In reds there's Musso Dolcetto for  $13 BTG ($52/bottle), with Farnese Primitivo and Gran Sasso Montepulciano d'Abruzzo being the same price.
The Kaltern winery is not identified (only as  Kellerei Cantina which means winery in German and Italian), but their Pinot Nero is $18 BTG and $72/bottle.
There's a Refosco from a winery so obscure, I've not heard of it and it can't be found on the internet:  Genio is the brand.  $18/BTG and $72/bottle.
Benanti Etna Rosso is $16/BTG and $64/bottle.

There are some more costly wines, dubbed "Premium Selections," and these are offered in two-ounce pours, four-ounce pours and by the bottle.  The restaurant invested in a fancy wine dispensing system which keeps the wines under the inert gas called Argon.

The Produttori del Barbaresco 2015 Barbaresco is $9/$18 and $81/bottle.
Elio Grasso Barbera is  $8/$16 and $72, while Podere La Vigna Brunello from the 2014 vintage is $10/$20 and $89.  Antinori's Tignanello is $25/$50 and $225.

The wine list sold by the bottle is impressive.  Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Brut Rosé is $99, while the top-of-the-line Annamaria Clementi 2008 is $139 (that's quite reasonable for such a wine).  Ferrari's Riserva del Fondatore from the 2007 vintage is $220, while the 1995 is $800.

There are some nice selections of white wines from various regions,  with Antinori's Cervaro della Sala going for $94.  Tiefenbrunner's special bottling of Müller-Thurgau is $79, while Saint-Michael Eppan's Sauvignon Blanc is $94.
There's one California white wine selection and the brand is Gehricke.  $54 for the Chardonnay.

The range of red wines provides a broad spectrum, especially at the higher end of the price scale.
Giacomo Conterno's 2008 Monfortino Barolo is $2200/bottle, but if you're a bit more frugal you can go for Gaja's 2015 Barbaresco at a mere $470/bottle.
Of the 20 Nebbiolo bottles from Barolo or Barbaresco, there's only one with enough bottle aging to be fully developed.  That's a 1996 Gaja single vineyard at $900.
A Valpolicella from Romano dal Forno, whose wine resembles a red closer to a Cabernet, is $149 for the 2010 vintage.
The 2015 Sassicaia is $459 per bottle.  We've tasted several bottles of this and the character and quality has been inconsistent.
Chianti is, of course, a famous and popular Italian red, yet out of the 29 Tuscan choices there are but two Chianti Classico options.  The Felsina 2013 Chianti Classico Riserva of the Rancia vineyard is $96. 
The list features a number of Brunello di Montalcino wines ranging from $89 to $389 per bottle.  They also offer many Cabernets and Cabernet blends from Tuscany, along with Ornellaia's famous Merlot called Masseto at $1200.

There are two selections from Campania and yet neither is the famous appellation of Taurasi.  From Sicily there are just five offerings, one being Donnafugata's Cerasuolo di Vittoria ($56), described as a blend of  Nerello d'Avola (sic) and Frappato.  There's one Sardinian red, a Cannonau ($55) from the Cherchi winery (which is more famous for its Canuglari wine).

The list offers a page of Oregon and California wines.  The one Oregon red is Archery Summit Pinot Noir ($79).  They have three bottlings from The Prisoner Wine Company and yet none is the famed "Prisoner" bottling.
Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel is a winner, though, and that's $60.

The wine list offers interesting descriptions of many of the wines.  One might expect these to be the work of the wine director of Italico.

On a lark we searched for the description of their selection of the white wine made of the Fiano grape by the La Rivolta winery.
"The color is a definitive golden yellow with green reflections. There are sharp sensations of the Mediterranean: fresh flowers such as chamomile, yellow peach and candied orange. On the palate, there are typical notes of the softness of the vine that are supplemented by freshness and minerality."
It's the identical description for a Fiano wine made by Feudi di San Gregorio!  This description we found on the Feudi di San Gregorio website:

There are two different vintages of Barolo from the Ettore Germano winery, one being 2013 and the other being 2012.
They have identical descriptions:
Following an initially wet spring, growers enjoyed a long, temperate growing season that has produced voluptuous, balanced, enchanting wines.
As you can see, it's a generalized characterization of a vintage and not something really describing a particular wine.

The wine list shows Antinori's Cervaro della Sala as being from the 2015 vintage, yet the paragraph describing the wine tells about the 2013 vintage.

They offer a 2012 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto, yet the description is one published in the Wine Advocate journal.  They don't attribute this prose to that publication and, in fact, it's a description for the 2011 vintage, not the 2012.

The description of Giacomo Conterno's 2012 Barolo "Francia" is also cribbed from the Wine Advocate without crediting wine critic Monica Larner who penned that prose.
A description of a Gaja Barbaresco is actually published by The Wine Enthusiast magazine.

We found other descriptions to be from a few other publications or the handiwork of the wine producer or its importer.

****************

The corkage fee at Italico is an ambitious $30.

****************

Our server was busy, apparently, and it took maybe 15 minutes for her to stop by the table to see what we might want.  My friend had arrived earlier than had I, and must have asked for pane as there was some nice bread on the table with a rather good, intense olive oil for dipping.

We ordered a glass of Franciacorta from the Camossi winery at $17/glass.
We were told the reason the sparkling wines from this region are called "Franciacorta" is because the wines resemble those from France.
You learn something new everyday, even if it's not true.

We also asked for a glass of Tiare Sauvignon ($14) from Friuli.

It took more than a few minutes, but these finally arrived and were presented in stylish, elegant stemware.

I brought a bottle of red and placed this on the table.

We had perused the menu.  They had a nice selection of salumi and also a handful of cheese selections.
There are 9 "small plates," ranging from Potato crochette ($14) to Polipo ($16), breaded Octopus to Bresaola ($16).  Polpette (meatballs) are $16 as are Verdure al Forno (wood fired baked Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes with Grana Padano cheese).
There are five salads and my friend ordered the Butter lettuce Salad with Pistachios  and Grana Padano ($14).  
I opted for the Frittura Mista ($17) which featured Calamari, Sardines and a few Prawns.
This was quite good, but large enough to easily split two ways.

Now our bottle of red was noticed by the server, but it stayed there for a few more minutes until I grew a bit impatient and opened it myself.  I was going to pour it into the nice white wine stems, but a manager showed up and brought two larger stems.  He immediately poured some for my friend and I indicated he should pour a small amount to get the "okay" first.
He then poured some in my glass and, uh oh!  It was not a bad bottle, but the glass was redolent of the bleach rinse they employed after washing the stemware.  It had not been properly rinsed, though.  I had a quick sniff of my friend's glass and hers was fine.

This was a bit embarrassing for not only the restaurant, but for me, as well.  My friend had just mentioned a work colleague who's a wine aficionado and she finds him to be extremely fussy "as he's always sending things back."
Now here I am doing the same!

Before the red wine was poured, we should mention, the main plates had arrived.
The lady ordered Bucatini Pomodoro ($17) which comes with a simple tomato sauce.  The restaurant is proud to use either the Rustichella brand of dried pasta or that of Felicetti.  They do claim to have a few "housemade" pasta offerings.
My main dish was the "Orecchio d'Elefante" ($30).  It's described as "Breaded Beef Cotoletta, French Fries, Mixed Greens."
This is not exactly a Milanese version of Wiener Schnitzel.  It's a de-boned cutlet and it's quite in vogue in Milan these days.
What arrived was a large, oval plate with a large cutlet which was smothered with vinegary mixed greens.  Having sharp, pungent vinegar on the plate made sniffing the wine a challenge.
The meat, though, was well over-cooked as it had not been pounded to a uniform thickness.  Some forkfuls were dried out and leathery.  It was a disappointing rendition of this dish, frankly.

We did go for dessert.
The separate dessert menu features  8 sweet wine selections, yet they don't list the brand name or wine producer of most of them.  There's a "Moscato d'Asti"  and a "Brachetto" at $10/glass or $40 for a bottle.  The bottle size is not listed, so we don't know if these come in half bottle or full bottle format.
Vin Santo, again unidentified, is $20/glass and $90 for some sort of bottle.
A Recioto di Soave is $13 and $57, while a Moscato Rosa is $15 and $69.  
A Passito wine identified as "Passito Comtess" is likely from the St. Michael-Eppan winery and this is $24/glass and $95 (I don't believe it comes in a 750ml bottle, so it's likely a half-bottle).
The Ben Ryé Passito comes, of course, from the Donnafugata winery, but this is not listed as such on the menu.  It is $15/glass and $75 for what is surely a half bottle.
They don't seem to be consistent in pricing these dessert wines at four times the price of a glass, do they?
I suspect these are smaller pours by-the-glass.

My friend had a serving of Chocolate Gelato ($7) and I had the Affogato al Caffé ($8).

The bill tallied to about $133 before the tip.

My friend, who picked up the check, was delighted with the meal.  I was less impressed.

The ambience was okay...with a pro basketball game being televised, a number of people were loudly wound up with the Golden State Warriors on the night of our visit.

Reviewed by GW
February 2019

DOPPIO ZERO


160 Castro Street
Mountain View

TEL: 650-938-4147

OPEN Mon-Fri 11:30-2:30
Dinner: Mon-Thurs 4:30-10pm
Friday & Sat until 11pm
Sunday until 9:30pm


Bread

A Dipping Sauce of sorts...

Spinach Salad

Grilled Salmon

Pizza Salsiccia

The night of our visit there were 34 red wines on the wine list with nearly half of them being available By the Glass.  I wonder how they keep these opened bottles "fresh."
The reds from Italy feature some off-the-beaten-path selections.
Some are listed by the type of wine, missing the name of the winery.  There's a "Nebbiolo Valtellina Sassella" at $65, but we have no clue as to which winery in the Valtellina made this wine.
The reds are listed by wine type first, followed by the winery.
There's a Chianti Classico from "Albola" at $11 BTG and $42/bottle. We see "Montepulciano Bosco - Abruzzo 15"  at $11 BTG and $42/bottle.  This would be Nestore Bosco as the producer and the wine is a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.   Quacquarini's "Serrapetrona" (a Vernaccia Nera from Italy's Marche region) is $13 BTG and $50/bottle.
There's "Pellaro Malaspina Calabria" at $14 BTG and $54/bottle.  I'm betting few people would know that Malaspina is the winery name and Pellaro is the appellation, being made of Nerello Cappuccio and Nocera.  These are not mentioned on the wine list and there's not a sommelier to guide customers.  Of course, this is an upscale pizza place, so the wine list is a bit ambitious.
There are three Italian reds at $20 BTG and $78/Bottle.
"Barolo Francone" from the 2014 vintage is one of those options and there's  Corte Majoli's Amarone from 2012.  Tenuta Pietrino Brunello from 2013 is the same price.
Allegrini's "Palazzo delle Torre" red, is described as a "baby Amarone" and that's $13 BTG and $50/bottle.  A wine from the giant Zonin winery is listed as "Primitvo Sasseo Puglia" at $10 BTG and $38/bottle.  
Doppio Zero offers a couple of Gaja's Tuscan wines.  There's a Ca' Marcanda bottling called Magari at $110/bottle.  The Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello is $160/bottle.  Caprili Brunello is $110/bottle.  Antinori's famous Tignanello Super-Tuscan is $190.
Rosenblum Zinfandel from Paso Robles is $45/bottle while a 2012 Jordan Cabernet from Sonoma is $90.
The wine list, as mentioned previously, is a bit ambitious, featuring some good artisan bottles as well as some obscure industrial wines.

The corkage fee is $20.

THREE

50 East Third Avenue
San Mateo

TEL: 650-344-9444

BRUNCH:
Mon-Fri 8:30-2pm
Sat-Sun 9:00-2pm

DINNER:
Sun-Mon 5:30-8:00
Tues-Thurs 5:30-9:00


Chips

"ceaser" (sic) salad

Steamed Clams with Chorizo

Chicken Ratatouille

Lamb Adobo

We'll probably wait until this place changes to another format or name before returning.

Reviewed by GW
December 2018

XANH

110 Castro Street
Mountain View

TEL: 650-964-1888

Lunch Mon-Fri  11:30-2:00
Dinner Fri-Sat 4:30-10:00
Sun-Thurs 4:30-9:00

Grilled Shrimp Rolls

Rolling Duck Rolls

Bun Thit Nuong

Miso Salmon

They have a number of cocktail creations and asked if we wanted a libation.  Our old friend wanted a Tanqueray Gin Martini, but the choices were just Bombay Gin or Hendrick's.  She went with Bombay and this seemed to be satisfactory.

With a $20 corkage fee, I said we'd bring a bottle out of our bag and asked the server for a couple of wine glasses.

There are three Sparkling wines on the list...there's a quarter bottle of Chandon for $14.  Clicquot's Yellow Label is $120 and Dom Perignon is $425.

There are nine white wines on the list, all offered By-The-Glass (BTG) and By the Bottle.
Zonin Pinot Grigio is $11 BTG and $38 for a bottle. Two Sauvignon Blancs are available, both $12 BTG and $44/bottle.  Your choices are "Montess" (sic) from Chile or Angeline from California.
BEX Riesling, a very modest German wine, wholesales for about $8 and it's $12 BTG or $44/bottle.  
There's a Cuvee Los Gatos Chardonnay (Testarossa Winery makes this from Monterey, not Los Gatos-grown grapes) is $12 BTG and $45/bottle.
Napa Cellars Chardonnay is $13 BTG and $47/bottle, while Chardonnays from La Crema and Sonoma-Cutrer are $14 BTG and $49/bottle.

XANH offers a dozen reds.
Testarossa's Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir is $16 BTG and $60 for a bottle.  La Crema Pinot is $55 for a bottle and not offered by the glass.
A Lodi Merlot called Noble Vines is $11 BTG and $40/bottle.
Cabernet choices include Hess Select ($13 BTG $47/bottle), Joel Gott ($14 BTG $50/bottle, Jordan at $25 BTG and $95/bottle or Stags' Leap at $90/bottle.
Zinfandels are from DeLoach ($12 BTG, $44/bottle) or St. Francis ($13 BTG, $47/bottle).  It's curious they proudly note the Testarossa wines as being "Local," yet don't offer Zinfandel from a hugely prestigious, equally local winery, Ridge Vineyards.
The final red wine offering is a Lodi Syrah called 6th Sense ($13 BTG, $47/bottle).

Overall it's a mediocre selection of rather standard to weak wines.

We perused the menu and when the server brought the two wine glasses, perfectly serviceable stemware, we ordered a couple of starters.
They have a number of "rolls" and we opted for the Grilled Shrimp Roll ($8 for 2 or $14 if you want four) and The Rolling Duck ($14).

We waited for the server to open our chilled bottle of white wine...she did ask if we wanted an ice bucket, which we declined.  The two starters arrived before she opened the wine.  In fact, curiously, she did not ask if we wanted her to open the bottle.
We opened it ourselves.

As the appetizers arrived, we chose a couple of main plates.  After putting in the order, she returned a moment later to ask if we would want anything else as the kitchen was closing!
The restaurant posts its closing at 9pm.  We had not yet seen the main plates and it was only 8:10.
We added a plate of noodles to our order, not knowing what we'd be getting.

The Shrimp Rolls are deep fried, crispy rolls...good.
The Rolling Duck rolls featured 8 small pieces...the duck was well done and if you told me it was pork, I'd have believed it.  Still, both were nice starters.

We asked the server about the Cha Gio, the classic Vietnamese "egg rolls."  She turned us away from those saying the Bun Thit Nuong ($16) was better.
This is your choice of beef, pork or shrimp  with rice noodles and we opted for the pork.  It's an artistic plate and the fellow who brought the dish asked if we wanted him to mix it...and he took each item and deconstructed each into a blended plate.  Perfectly fine, but I'd go for the Cha Gio next visit.

We also ordered Miso Salmon ($28) which came with a "log" of slightly over-cooked salmon and little pot of beans and cauliflower, topped with a couple of small carrots.

The other dish we ordered was "Mellow Yellow Noodles" ($18).  We are not sure what makes the noodles yellow, though.  There's chicken and shrimp with this.

We finished our meal and the server eventually stopped by to present the bill.  She did not ask if we wanted dessert because, we suspect,  the kitchen had closed earlier in the evening and the crew was anxious to go home.

The bill tallied to about $125 including the $20 corkage fee for the bottle of wine we had to open ourselves.

TASCA TASCA

122 West Napa Street
Sonoma

Tel: 707-996-8272

Open Daily  Noon-Midnight

Wines are served in a water glass.

Nicely presented Tapas.

The Double Espresso was a bit weak and lacked aroma and flavor.

There are 7 Tawny or Vintage tawny Ports and one Vintage-dated Madeira.

DISPENSA

39 Taylor Street
San

TEL: 415-896-4021

Tues-Sat  5pm - 10pm
Sunday 4pm - 8pm

Pizza-like bread...served fresh from the oven.


Pork Belly & Maitake Mushroom

Octopus

The Chef at Work
Michele Bevilacqua

Pork Chop

Ribeye Steak

Roasted Vegetables

They offer two sweet wines, a Marsala and a Moscato d'Asti.  The former is $9 for a 3 ounce pour while the Moscato is $12/BTG and $60 for a bottle.

The corkage fee is $25 which might make the $7 beers an attractive alternative for some people.  We did have a bottle of Lauretana sparkling water and that added $7 to the tab.

It's an Italianesque dining spot with the name "dispensa" referring to the pantry.  Yet, different from most Italian restaurants, this place does not offer pasta, risotto or pizza.

One of the innovations here is an environmentally-friendly indoor "charcoal" grill.  It's an indoor "grill" called an X-Oven and it burns charcoal made of vegetable waste we're told.  You can smell a sort of charcoal-like fragrance when you enter the restaurant.

The menu is small, with four starters and three salads.  
There's "Sopa de Tripe," ($14) which is described as "Slow Cooked Tripe, Organic Tomato Sauce and Pecorino Sardo."
There's "Folpo aea Grgilia" which is "Polpo" or Octopus...perhaps this is some special dialect with which we are not familiar?    That's $18.  "Stracietea" is $16 and it's Stracciatella (soup) with Mediterranean Pesto and Anchovies.
How about "Panseta Rosta"?  That's "Crispy Pork Belly with Maytake (sic) Mushrooms" ($20).

There are three $15 salads.
One called "Cavoeo" features "Kale, Persimmons, Sesame Seeds and Ricotta with a Dijon Vinaigrette."  "Saeta" is Baby Lettuce, Granaresu (A Sardinian cheese), Cherry Tomatoes, Olives and a red wine vinaigrette.  The third is called "Betarave" and this is "Beets, Lemon Zest, EVO and Ricotta Sarda."  

There were a handful of main plates;
"Pesse del Giorno"  is the fish of the day...Sorry, I did not make a note of what this was.   "Brixioea ai Feri" is a thick-cut Pork Chop with Roasted Organic Delicata Squash ($28).  "Gaeto Rosto" is an "Organic Cornish Hen with paradise Farm Organic Carrots" ($32).  "Verdure Roste" is a plate of mixed vegetables and is not only vegetarian, but can be vegan.  Not vegan is the "Bisteca ai feri," a 12 ounce Ribeye with 2 Dog Farm Zucchini and Salsa Verde ($36).

They offer three $ 9.00 "sides," one being "Pavaroni ae Bronse," which is described as "Padrons pepper Lemon Zest."  "Caoli ai formaio" is "Organic Cauliflower, ricotta spicy aioli."  "Fungheti in tecia" simply described as "Seasonal Mushroom."  

We were asked is we wanted water as mentioned previously, sparkling or flat.  Our guest ordered a bottle of sparkling water...$7 for that.

We put a bottle of a light, fruity Italian red on the table and the server brought some large, rather elegant stemware for us and opened the bottle at the table.  The "say" was poured and then, given the go-ahead, the wine flowed for the guests.

The two ladies split the Beet Salad starter while I went for the 24 Hour Slow-Cooked Octopus.  They loved the Beets and the Octopus was good, too.  The chef, having recognized me from when he worked selling wine some years ago, brought us some beautiful, perfectly baked "pizza bread."  Very fine!  And the Crispy Pork Belly was also excellent.  Don't miss it if your a fan!

We really filled up on these starters, making the main courses a challenge.
The vegetarian chose the Roasted Vegetables as her main dish.  Our friend went for the Pork dish which was a thick-cut chop...also very good.
The chef said the Ribeye was really good so I went for that.  He was right...a beautifully cooked steak with lots of zucchini wedges.  There was his "salsa verde" on the steak which was fine, but I didn't think this was necessary.

THE VILLAGE BAKERY

3052 Woodside Road
Woodside

Tel 650-851-5555

Lunch Daily 11-3:30
Dinner  Daily 5-9:30

Rosemary & Garlic Flatbread

Baby Romaine Lettuce Salad

Atlantic Salmon

St. Louis Ribs

Shoestring Potatoes

Nine white wines are available by-the-glass, ranging from $10 to $17.
An Austrian Sauvignon Blanc from Glatzer is $13 BTG.  Regis Minet's old vines Pouilly-Fumé is $17.
Arnaldo Caprai's Grechetto is $10, while a Kabinett Riesling from the Mosel estate of Josef Rosch is $15.  Three Chardonnays to choose from,  Wrath from Monterey is $11, Aerena from Sonoma is $14 while a Comte Lafon Macon is $16.
Three pink wines are offered, a Sancerre Rosé from Pascal Jolivet is $13, a Graci Rosé from Etna is $14 and a California bottling from The Withers is $15.
There are nine red to choose from under the By The Glass heading, priced between $10 and $20.
Giacomo Fenocchio's Nebbiolo Langhe is $16 as is a Catena Malbec from Argentina.  Seghesio's Sonoma Zinfandel is $14, while Mount Veeder Cabernet is $20.

There are 16 pages of wine selections, categorized by "Old World Reds," "New World Reds," etc.  There are some "Local Favorites" featuring three Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnays.   Alfaro ($54), Neely ($82) and Portola Vineyards ($60), but not, curiously, Ridge, Mount Eden or Thomas Fogarty.
Five Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noirs are offered, Clos de la Tech going for $90, Mindego Ridge for $94 and a Rhys bottling for $100.  There's a Woodside Vineyards Cabernet at $92.

They have 13 Italian white wines, five German Rieslings and five Austrian Grüner Veltliners.  We found half a dozen New World Rosé wines, all from the most recent vintage and all from California.  From the Old World there a 6 entries, four French and two Italian.
The Village Bakery Cafe has two pages of New World Reds, with an emphasis on Pinot Noirs from California and Oregon.  
Four Zinfandels including a Ridge Ponzo from Sonoma at $64 while Rafanelli Zin is $84. There are seven Cabernet or Cab blends.  Simi's Landslide is  $80 while a Robert Craig is $100.
The wine list offers half a dozen French reds made from the Gamay grape and six Loire Valley Cabernet Francs.  There are five Tuscan reds but not one is from the Chianti Classico region!  There are seven Piemontese Nebbiolo wines.  Of the four Spanish reds, there  are two Mencía bottlings but just one Tempranillo, a Rioja producer called Milenrama.

There are twelve Champagnes on the Reserve list.  Krug's Grand Cuvée is only offered in half bottle format and that's $140 for a 375ml bottle.
A Jacques Selosse "Substance" is $600 for a bottle.  Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé, on the "reserve list" is $180, while Clicquot's Rosé is $118.
Kistler's entry-level Chardonnay is $120 on the reserve list, but there are no single vineyard Kistler bottlings.
Bartolo Mascarello's 2013 Barolo is $280 a bottle and years away from being worth drinking.  Similarly Paradigm's Napa Cabernet is from the 2014 vintage and it's $140 a bottle.  There's a 2006 Monte Bello Cabernet from Ridge at $500.

So, what about the food to go with these fancy wines?

Sweet Corn Soup is $12, while a Roasted Tomato Soup is $16.  Avocado Toast is $15.  Hand-Cut Steak Tartare is $16, while Prince Edward Island Mussels are $19 if they have them.  On our Sunday evening visit, these were not available.
They offer 4 pizzas, ranging from $17 to $23.  There was a Spaghettoni pasta with Olive Oil, Garlic and Tomatoes at $19, while Gulf Prawn Orecchiette with Red Swiss Chard, Lemon Zest, Garlic and Bread crumbs is $22.

A Burger is $19.  Fried Chicken is $27.  Roasted Atlantic Salmon is $34.
Riesling Braised Chicken is $27.  Seared Amberjack Tuna is $32.  A Bavette (sort of a Flank) Steak is about $34 if I recall correctly and St. Louis Ribs goes for $23.

It's a terrific selection of wines, for one thing.  For another, though, I wonder if it's necessary to have such an extensive list given they have a relatively limited menu.
It seems a bit unbalanced.
Do you need to offer such an extensively roster of wine when the menu is limited?
Do customers request $200-$600 bottles of wine to pair with $20-$35 main plates?

Does it need to have three Rosso di Montalcino selections and no Chianti, for example?

Why don't we see world famous, locally-produced wines such as Ridge Santa Cruz Mtns. Cabernet?  Where's Fogarty Chardonnay and Pinot Noir?  What about Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay?  You can't tell me these esteemed wines don't belong on this list as they are, in my view, superior to most of those on the list.
Might those wines find an audience more easily than the half a dozen French Gamay or Cabernet Franc selections?

My dining companion requested a Tanqueray Gin Martini, but her brand is not amongst the dozen gin selections.  Beefeater and Bombay?  Yes.  Tanqueray?  No.  We selected a locally-made, artisan gin called Bummer & Lazarus.
I opted for a Nigl Grüner Veltliner at $14 BTG.
This arrived several minutes ahead of the Martini, which our friend disliked.  I suspect there was nothing "wrong" with the Martini, but she's accustomed to Tanqueray Gin.  
Along with the aperitifs, we ordered "Rosemary and Garlic Flatbead with Extra Virgin Olive Oil" at $9.
It did not mention coming with cheese, so we were surprised to see and smell some sort of cheese sprinkled on this.

My friend asked for the Mussels to start, but by 7:30 on a Sunday, these were no longer available.  So we both had "Baby Romaine Lettuces with Creamy Anchovy and Herb Dressing, Parmesan, Croutons" ($14).
I asked for mine without cheese and this was noted, thank you.
Each of us received a lovely serving of Romaine, nicely chilled and perfectly crispy and fresh.  
I could easily taste the anchovies in the dressing, another positive feature.
As for the croutons, it's entirely possible they were house made, though they more perfectly resembled the industrial ones sold in packages at the grocery store.  Maybe for a $14 serving of lettuce they might consider offering croutons of higher quality?

We put a bottle of a nice red wine on the table and the server brought some nice sized Burgundy glasses.
He then, instead of opening the bottle at our table, took the bottle off into a back room where one of his colleagues apparently opened it.  She brought it to the table and mentioned she had not tasted this particular wine.  We offered her a taste and she was delighted to bring a glass.
Typically the guest pours his/her own bottle for the service crew, but the gal helped herself.  It's not a big deal, but another point about fine and proper service.
Corkage is a hefty $30.


Our friend ordered the Roasted Atlantic Salmon ($34) and this was a nice, if smallish piece of fish, beautifully presented.
I inquired about their Fried Chicken and the server told me this was not especially flavorful.  I gather they don't use near the eleven herbs and spices favored by The Colonel, for example.  So I asked about the St. Louis Ribs and the fellow said "now those are good!"
So I went with the ribs.  They brought a small bowl with a hot towel to the table.  Was I supposed to wash my hands at this stage or wait until they were a sticky mess after (when the napkin was cold)?
I never get this right, I'm afraid.
The ribs were perfectly fine, with the meat falling off the bone.  Mild spice.  Not vinegary, thankfully.

The main plates come relatively unaccompanied, so they have a handful of side dishes.  I ordered Shoestring Fries ($8) and my friend asked for the Eggplant Ratatouille ($8).  The fries were nicely done and the Ratatouille was okay, if a bit under-seasoned.

We skipped dessert.

The bill tallied to about $170 with tax and a 3.5% "Living Wage Surcharge" for living wages and Health Insurance according to the note of the front page of the drinks list.

The back room where we sat was a bit noisy.  There might have been some sort of sound system playing music, but this was not easily heard.
Once a couple of parties of 4 or 6 departed, the sound level was much more comfortable.

Given the cost of dining here, I'm not sure I'll be making a return visit in the near future.  The quality of the food is certainly good, but the overall dining experience is a bit pricey in terms of value.  If you're in the Woodside area, though, you might consider dining here.

2021 Broadway
Redwood City

TEL: 650-367-7974

Mon-Thurs: 11:30-10:00
Fri: 11:30-11:00
Sat: 3:00-11:00
Sun: 3:00-9:00

A Pour of Chalk Hill Chardonnay.


Crab Cake

Tuna Poke

Prime Rib....14 ounce cut

Ten Ounce Filet Mignon

Mushrooms

Asiago Whipped Potatoes


Truffle Fries

3324 Steiner Street
San Francisco

Tel:  415-567-9588

Tue-Thurs 5:30-9:30
Fri 5:30-10:00
Sat 5:00-10:00
Sun: 5:00-9:00

Tomales Bay Oysters

Local Grilled Calamari with Flageolet Beans

Flat Iron Steak with Tarragon Butter, Haricots Verts and a Polenta Cake

Rack of Lamb

Flourless Chocolate Cake and Vanilla Bean Gelato

LE SOLEIL

133 Clement Street
San Francisco

Open: Wed-Monday 11:30-3
Wed-Monday: 5pm until 9:30
(Fri-Sat 5pm-10pm)

Imperial Rolls

Shrimp Rice Crispies

Sizzling Seafood

Claypot Rice

Garlic Noodles

The menu has about a dozen starters.
There's Beef Carpaccio ($9) which is hardly a traditional Vietnamese dish. Quail flambéed tableside is $8.  They have a handful of "rolls," such as a Pork & Shrimp Spring Roll, BBQ Pork Spring Rolls and Duck Spring Rolls (all $9). A Vegetarian Spring Roll is $8.  There are two Crepe offerings, Chicken & Shrimp ($15) or Mushroom & Tofu ($14).
Two salads are on the menu, both $12.  Lotus Root comes with beef while there's a Green Papaya Shrimp Salad.    Soups are $9.50 and there's a Spicy Chicken Coconut and a Hot & Sour soup that comes with Catfish.

There is a dozen Seafood & Non-Meat dishes. Tofu Eggplant is $15 as is the Curry Veggies dish.  Caramelized Sea Bass is $24, while Sizzling Seafood (tiger Prawn, Calamari, Fish, onion, Basil and House Sauce) is $30.  There's a Dungeness Crab dish with garlic,, egg, Crab Roe and Garlic Noodles going for "market price."  This can be had in half or whole portions.
There were nine Meat & Poultry items.  Roasted Five Spice Chicken is $18, while Macadamia Lamb Chops are $19. Shaken Beef is $22 and Lemongrass Beef is $18.  House Fried Rice is $14 and comes with duck, while Curry Short Ribs are $20.
The choices are difficult to choose from.

We put a bottle of a nice, crisp Sancerre on the table and paid the $15 Corkage fee.  Our server brought two glasses which reminded me of Riedel's "Degustation" stems.  They're about a 12 or 13 ounce-sized glass.

ENOTECA DONATO

1041 Middlefield Road
Redwood City

Open Mon-Thurs 11:30-9:30
Fri-Sat 11:30-10
Sun: 11:30-9:00

Tel 650-701-1000

Bread and Tapenade

Farro and Calamari

Shrimp and Panelle

Here's a close-up of the rather unappetizing Romano Bean item they included in this dish.

The server laughed uproariously when I asked him what those unusual items were.



Lamb Shank

A Veal T-Bone with squash, beans and a Mushroom Tortino

In the white wine category the prices range from $9/glass to $15 and these go from $40/bottle to $69.  There's Malabaila Arneis for $10/glass, $16, $31 and $46.  Graci's Etna Bianco is $14/glass, $23, $45 and $65.  

Other white wines by the bottle are categorized as "$30 & $40," "Oltre" and then the interesting heading of "Caveat Emptor."

You'll see Montenidoli's Vernaccia di San Gimignano at $39, while $49 gets you a Pecorino from Abruzzo by Cataldi Madonna.  Peter Dipoli's Sauvignon "Voglar" from the Alto Adige is $58, while Isole e Olena's Tuscan Chardonnay is $99.
Under the "Caveat Emptor" heading we find a couple of naturalista wines.
One is posted as "Paolo Bea Lazio Bianco Coenobium" at $67 a bottle.  But this wine is not made by Paolo Bea, but the Monastero Suore Cistercensi.  It's a wine made in roughly the same neighborhood as Paolo Bea's and the Bea family are friendly with the sisters.
Our experience with this wine is that many vintages are a bit oxidized and this is viewed by some as a "feature" and not a flaw as the wine is "natural."
The second wine under the Caveat Emptor heading is Damijan's Bianco Kaplja, a blend from Friuli which spends 2 to 3 months on the skins.  The 2009 vintage is $85/bottle if you're sufficiently adventuresome.

There are ten red wines offered by the glass and in various-sized pours.
All are Italian and none are big, corporate-type wine brands.  Bravo!
You'll find Gulfi Nero d'Avola "Nerojbleo" at $11/glass, $18, $35 and $52.  There's a Nebbiolo from the Valtellina by Sandro Fay, the "Ca Morei" bottling  at $16/glass, $26, $51 and $76.
Francesco Rinaldi's 2013 Barolo is $21/glass, $35, $69 and $99.
With so many wines open at one time, we wondered how the restaurant preserves these.  
Do they sparge the bottles with argon, for example, to replace the oxygen? 
(We have an argon tank in our shop and if the bottles are sparged each time we pour wine, the bottles can last for several weeks.)
Donato, like many places, uses a Vacuvin gizmo which sucks a bit of air out of the bottle...This system might be okay for bottles opened for a day or two, but we've not had great success with wines being opened for a week.
A Coravin gizmo, which costs more, would also be useful and a superior option for these wines.


They have two wines listed as "Chilled Red" and one is a Lagrein from the "Michael Eppan" winery in the Alto Adige at $44/bottle.  The other is Burlotto's Pelaverga from Verduno in Piemonte at $54.

The rest of the red wine selections are categorized at "$30 & 40,"  "$50 & $60" and "Other."  There's also the page dubbed "Riserva" and there we find Barbaresco, Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Super Tuscan and Others.
As with the white wines, you will not find big, corporate wine brands on the list, for the most part.

Paolo Scavino's "Vino Rosso" from Piemonte is $35 a bottle, Vignalta's  2011 Gemola (a Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend) from the Veneto is $74/bottle.  Luciano Sandrone's 2012 "Le Vigne" Barolo is $185.
Under the Reserve page heading we find a Paitin Riserva Barbaresco "Vecchie Vigne" from the 2004 vintage at $175.   Gaja's 1999 "Sori Tildin" bottling from Barbaresco is $414/bottle.
The 2007 Barolo from Bartolo Mascarello is $585/bottle, while the 2008 goes for $494.  Massolino's 2009 "Margheria" Barolo is  $232, while Oddero's 2006 "Vigna Rionda" is $265.
The Monte Vertine 2011 "Le Pergole Torte" is $344 a bottle.  Quintarelli's 2006 Valpolicella is $198, while Romano Dal Forno's 2004 Valpolicella is $360.

There's a notation at the bottom of the reserve list: "Local wine available upon request."
Corkage is $20 for the first two bottles and $30 per bottle for the third, an on.

The list is easy to navigate and unlike the East Bay location, there are no spelling errors apart from the one on the specials list.

2635 Ashby Avenue
Berkeley

Open Monday-Thursday 11:30-9:30
Friday 11:30-10pm
Sat 10am-10pm
Sunday 10am-9pm

TEL: 510-838-1131

Bread with their olive dipping sauce

Fresh Spinach Fettuccine with a Pork Ragu

Monterey Bay Calamari & Mediterranean Octopus

Braised Lamb Shank, Torpedo Onion and Polenta

Pork Tenderloin, Red Bell Peppers and Polenta Targana

Cioccolato e Frutti di Bosco

Donato & Co. has done a nice job in selecting wines from good wineries and the list does not feature a bunch of quota-driven bottlings from the large liquor distributors.  Bravo for that!

The corkage fee is a reasonable $20.

My friend ordered a Martini and was thrilled at its good quality.  One of the white wines on the By-The-Glass list did not indicate its producer, a Passerina, so I inquired.  It took maybe five to ten minutes for this information to reach our table and I ended up ordering a glass of what I think was from Poderi San Lazzaro at $10/glass.
The wine was brought in a small carafe and poured into the empty glass on the table.

We asked for bread, as they don't automatically bring it unless requested.  Two really good artisan breads are brought along with a lovely olive dipping sauce that resembles tapenade to a degree.  Very good!

The menu  features categories such as "Farm and Fields," "Salt & Water," "Pasta & Co" and "Iron and Fire."

From the Farm & Fields category, there's a Chicken Liver mousse served in a vasetto or glass jar.  $9 for that.  Arancini are $11,  while "Carne Salada with Farro Wheat, Oyster Mushrooms and a Parsley-Celery Emulsion" is $12.
Under Salt & Water we find "Prosciutto di Parma, Taleggio cheese, Tigella Bread and Balsamic Roasted Apricots" for $13.  "Pizzelle mushroom & Pecorino, oven-dried tomatoes & Mozzarella; Burrata & Bresaola" is $5 for a small serving or $13 for a regular-sized plate.
Under Pasta & Co. there are 7 offerings. "Squid Ink Spaghetti with Calabria Peppers, Monterey Bay Calamari, Tomato Confit & Bottarga" is $18.  "Carnaroli Risotto with green Asparagus, Crispy Pork Belly, demiglace" is  $19.  "Fresh Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe with Sarawak Black Pepper and Pecorino Romano" is $17.
Under Iron & Fire there's "Tonno Rosso Pistachio Ahi Tuna, Black Rice, Tomatoes, Sicilian Capers and Taggiasca Olives" at $26, while "Herbs & Garlic grilled Pollo, Yukon gold roasted Potatoes, Romano green beans and garlic" is $21.  

We began with two small serving-sized portions.  One was "Monterey Bay Calamari & Mediterranean Octopus, Sicilian Caponata & Salmoriglio sauce" at $12.  The large serving is $20.  We also had the small size of "Fresh Spinach Fettuccine pasta with Pork ragu," asking that they serve it without the Grana Padano.  This is $10 for the small plate and $18 for a large.
These arrived in a timely manner and both were excellent.

We put a bottle of Brunello on the table and our server cheerfully opened it and brought new stemware.  Wine glasses are of good quality and elegant.
We invited the server to bring a glass and have a taste.  She was on the run as it seemed like she was charged with virtually all the tables and had about 25-30 covers to handle. She brought a glass and we poured her a nice serving which she finally fetched after running herself ragged for a good hour or two.

As we had finished the starters, the used silverware was removed from the table and new utensils were brought for the main courses.

The fellow who brought the main plates had no idea as to which plate went where, but that's a minor criticism in dealing with the "food auction."

Our friend ordered the "Braised Lamb Shank Garretto, Mushrooms, Torpedo Onion & Soft Polenta" at $26.  They had a Braised Pork Shank on the specials blackboard, but this was erased just as we were ordering it.   So I opted for the "Duroc Pork Tenderloin Maiale, Sweet Bell Peppers, Onion and Tomatoes, Soft Polenta Targana" at $24.  The lamb tasted mildly gamey and very much like lamb.  The Pork Tenderloin was pink in the middle and the peppers and polenta accompanying it were quite good.  Both main plates were flavorful and done properly.

Our personable and bubbly young server was delighted we shared the wine with her.  We were ready for the check and going to skip dessert, but the young lady brought us a little surprise:  Cioccolato e Frutti di Bosco.  
This was a nice mound of a dark Chocolate Mousse with a few berries and a berry sauce.

They also had an Affogato at $7, a Semifreddo al Pistacchio at $9 or Panna Cotta e Grattachecca at $8.

There are some dessert wines available.  Degiorgis Moscato d'Asti is $7 a glass, while Cascina Ca' Rossa's Birbet is $10.  They have a handful of Amari, with Averna, Nardini and Lucano costing $9, Villa Zarri is $7 and Montenegro is $8/glass.    There are four kinds of Grappa, too.  Well, one is an eau-de-vie, a J. Poli Pear distillate at $16.    Sibona's Barolo grappa is $12.

MONTESACRO PINSERIA

510 Stevenson Street
San Francisco

TEL: 415-795-3040

Lunch:  Mon-Sat  11:30-2:30
Aperitivo Mon-Sat  4-6

Dinner: Mon-Thurs 4-10
Fri-Sat 4-11
Sun 4-9:30

Caprese Classica

Prosciutto di Parma

Cauliflower

Porchetta

Sardella e Pane Tostato

Mushrooms and Eggplant "Sott'oli"

Focaccia der Muratore with Mortadella

Pinsa Corviale

Pinsa Centocelle

We've heard good things about this newish San Francisco dining spot, with recommendations from a number of wine & food aficionados.  We booked an early table for Saturday evening during the summer and found our way to their Stevenson Street address, a sketchy neighborhood with numerous "street people" out and about.  We found parking on 6th Street, just a few steps from the restaurant and crossed our fingers that the car would be safe

The corkage fee is $30 a bottle and they limit customers to two bottles.

The menu is quite varied, too.  Under the heading of Insalate e Piatti Freddi we find all sorts of temptations.  Five are listed as "vegetarian" or "vegan" dishes.  We ordered a plate of "Cavolfiore," ($14) which is Cauliflower with olives, capers, tomatoes, black olives and hot chili.  It's served at room temp and was quite tasty.  Sardella e Pane Tostato ($13) is a small bowl of a spicy sardine spread and some toasted slices of bread.  Also very good and moderately spicy.  Caprese Classica is $16 and features Mozzarella and Tomatoes with some Basil.
Porchetta ($16) featured about four slices of meat, beautifully savory and delicious.  This is served close to room temperature.
There are two selections of Prosciutto.  We had the Parma at $10 which was very good.  There's a San Daniele, aged longer, at $12.
There's a category called "Sott'Oli" and these are $6.  It's various vegetables marinated in extra virgin olive oil with parsley, chili, garlic and salt.  We ordered two of the 6 items, Mushrooms and Eggplant.  Both good...the mushrooms were not basic button mushrooms, but something along the lines of the cultivated "Alba" mushrooms.  
They had something called "Focaccia der Muratore" ($16) which was some kind of focaccia sliced horizontally and then with Mortadella tucked between the two pieces of oven-baked dough.  Very good.
 We picked a couple of pinse:  Corviale (Mozzarella, Porcini Mushrooms, Lardo and Parsley.  We had another called Centocelle which featured Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Artichokes, Olives, Prosciutto di Parma and a hard-boiled egg.  Both were $21.
The pinse come on a wooden board with a pizza cutter wheel.
These were both delicious.

We ordered in stages as, we gather, if you order everything at once, they will bombard the table with everything at the same time.

We dined well and my friends took home a few slices of the two pinse.

They do have a handful of desserts and a number of dessert wines & digestives.  There's a Sauternes for $11/glass and three Italian sweet selections including a Moscadello from the Brunello producer Caprili.  That's $8/glass or $65 for a bottle. There are two Sherries, a Marsala, a Madeira and a Tawny Port as well. Cappellano's Barolo Chinato is $17/glass and $120 for a 500ml bottle.

We appreciate the interesting wine list, of course.  We understand restaurants are being killed by the high cost of operation, but guests can bypass the high mark-ups on wines and corkage fees by simply ordering a $7 or $8 beer.  

We had a lovely evening and our friend's toddler enjoyed the food (she's an adventuresome eater).  The bill, with one $30 corkage fee, tallied to $188 with the taxes and before the tip.  

Montesacro is a nice dining spot and it would be even more pleasant if the neighborhood gets cleaned up.

Reviewed by GW
July 2018

CAFE EUROPA


4318 California Street
San Francisco

TEL: 415-386-100

OPEN DAILY 12pm to 10pm

The casually-dressed server

Mushroom Soup

Potato Dumplings with Mushroom sauce

Bread

Beef Stroganoff with German Egg Noodles

A good Veal Schnitzel

Cherry Pierogies

My friend started with a cup of Mushroom soup after asking about the Mushroom Crepes.  "We only have Beef Crepes tonight.  No Mushroom Crepes."  This seems curious, no?  They have all sorts of Mushroom sauces and soups and they can offer Beef Crepes.  We wondered if there was simply a mushroom shortage or if these are perhaps pre-made/frozen and reheated?

 I asked about the Potato Dumplings and was told those were "made with mashed potatoes and are sort of like Italian gnocchi."  I went with those.
My friend, after consuming the soup asked if they didn't serve bread and the fellow brought three half slices of a packaged German brown bread.
The Dumplings were not much akin to Gnocchi and they didn't seem to be made of normal Mashed Potatoes, but perhaps came out of a box?   The Mushroom "sauce" or soup was nice, while there was a slightly metallic taste to the rubbery little dumplings.
I was brought a knife and fork for this despite the dumplings swimming in a mushroom soup and had to request a soup spoon.

The fellow brought the main plates and cleared the starters. 
He did bring proper utensils for the main plates.
My friend ordered the  Beef Stroganoff which came with German Egg Noodles and a Mushroom Sauce.  The noodles were close to room temperature and not hot, so naturally they went back to the kitchen.

My main plate was the Veal Schnitzel.  This was quite good, though the potatoes seemed a bit tired and the accompanying vegetables, Broccoli and Cauliflower, were close to room temperature and steamed or boiled to "al dente" status.

We opted for the Pierogies with Cherries at $8.75.  Desserts, they claim, are homemade.  A Poppy Seed Roll is $6.50 and there are Blintzes with Farmers cheese:  $8.75 for 2 or $5.50 for one.
The Cherry Pierogies were  okay...accompanied by sour cream and some whipped cream.

We heard some tunes sporadically, didn't we?  There's a phonograph and some records in one of the front windows.  Our server was not the most cheery fellow, but perhaps we caught him on a bad day.  He did smile occasionally but I can't say he's the most engaging or friendly server we've encountered.

 The bill tallied to about $86 with the corkage and sales tax.

This is a a little neighborhood place and it's casual and modestly-priced.  People around us seemed to sit down, have a single plate and dash...A number of parties arrived after we did and departed well before we left.
If you're in the neighborhood and have a hankering for a good Schnitzel, this isn't a bad stop.

2161 Larkin Street
San Francisco

TEL: 415-447-0441

OPEN DAILY SUN-THURS 5:30 to 10pm
FRI-SAT 5:30-10:30

A small offering of bread...accompanied by a little bowl of olive oil (and to their credit, no vinegar!)

Carpaccio

Gnocco Fritto and assorted salumi
This was the highlight of the evening.

A nice image of the afternoon sun illuminating those wine glasses.


Salmone alla Capocaccia

Linguine allo Scoglio

They brought an ice bucket for our white wine which was moderately chilled to start with.  This was appreciated as the restaurant catches the late afternoon sun and it was a rather warm place.

Main plates arrived shortly after they cleared the starters.

My friend ordered Salmone alla Capocaccia ($28.95).  Capo Caccia is a seaside venue on the west coast of Sardegna.  It comes with "Organic Cherry Tomatoes,  Calamata Olives, Capers, Raw Red Onions in a Light Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sauce with a side of Sauté Green Beans."
The salmon bit that I tasted was a tad over-cooked.  My friend claimed the green beans were over-cooked, but the one I tasted was al dente. 

I chose their Linguine allo Scoglio (linguine with seafood).  Prawns, Mussels, Manila Clams, Calamari in a lightly spicy tomato sauce.
The seafood was okay...the prawns were overcooked.  Calamari was about right...shellfish was standard.  

My friend, who routinely takes home a doggy bag, wanted something chocolate for dessert.
Amarena offers "Amarena Mousse Tiramisu," "Crema Catalana," "Gelato all'Amarena" and "Salame al Ciocolatto."  All are $9.
Dessert wines are listed on the menu, too.
There's "Moscato" for $10/glass.  It's not listed as "Moscato d'Asti" and there is no indication as to the maker of this wine, or where it comes from.
There's a "Porto Fonseca" at $9.50 and this doesn't indicate what bottling it might be.  We would expect it to be the entry-level bottling called Bin 27.
There's "Vin Santo" at $9.50 with no indication as to its origins or the winery which produced it.  The last entry on the dessert page is "Vin Santo and Biscotti" for $12.50.

My friend ordered the Salame al Ciocolatto and this was a slice of a dense chocolate confection accompanied by a scoop of a rather bland vanilla ice cream.

The bill tallied to $148 (before the tip) as the dessert was comped by the staffer (or maybe co-owner) with whom we shared a glass of our wine.


The restaurant did have some music on its sound system, but it was not especially audible.  



Perhaps the owners are simply tired or they're content with offering modest quality cooking.  With a bit more energy and attention to detail, this could be a really nice, charming dining spot.

Having witnessed that server topping up a glass of Vermentino with some other bottle of white wine, we'll likely not make a return visit.

Reviewed by GW
June 2018

HERITAGE RESTAURANT & BAR

708 Clement Street
San Francisco

TEL: 415-386-2200

OPEN DAILY 3pm til Midnight
Weekend Brunch 11am-3pm

Salmon Poke and Avocado Toast

The Spring Salad...

Mesquite Grilled Steak

Pan Roasted Salmon

Water and Wine Glass

Strawberry and Rhubarb Cake

MESOCLANZA

3750 Geary Boulevard
San Francisco

TEL: 415-668-2221

OPEN SUN-Thurs  5-9:30
Fri & SAT 5-10

A few pieces of bread

Carciofi con Gamberetti and our half bottle of 2015 St. Michael Eppan 
Pinot Grigio.

Carpaccio

Gamberoni Mescolanza

Of the nine pasta offerings, two are listed as Pasta Fresca, but they don't claim to be made on the premises.  
From the specials page, there's a Spinach  Pasta Fresca with cream, Gorgonzola, Parmesan Cheese and Pine Nuts ($17.95).  The regular menu also has a Fresh Spinach Pasta, Tomatoes, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Goat Cheese ($17.50). Linguine al Limone ($17.50)  is described as having  Cream, Parmigiano, butter and Fresh Lemon Juice.  Curious that this is said to have Parmigiano while another pasta dish has Parmesan, a more generic term for a cheese similar to Parmigiano.
Linguine alle Vongole Veraci ($19.50) is your choice of a Tomato, Cream or "clear" sauce with clams and garlic.
They have two Gnocchi offerings and these both claim to be homemade.  A Potato Gnocchi dish comes with a meat sauce which the Spinach Gnocchi  has a creamy tomato sauce.  Both are $15.95.

Main plates are listed as Piatti Forti and here we have Pollo alla Cacciatora ($19.95) and this is described as a "Chicken Breast Sautéed with Garlic, Roasted Bell Pepper, Marinated Tomatoes, Butter (!) and White Wine."  The Petto di Pollo alla Parmigiana ($19.95) is a "Chicken Breast with Tomato Sauce, Béchamel Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese and Parmesan Cheese."
Pollo Saltimbocca ($20.50) is a "Chicken Breast, Fontina Cheese and Prosciutto."  They don't offer a Veal Saltimbocca, but do have Vitello Piccata and Vitello Marsala at $23.95.  The weekly menu has Vitello Foresta ($24.95) which is "Veal, garlic, White Wine, Porcini Mushrooms, Chopped Tomatoes and a bit of Cream."  There's a Calamari Steak Meuniere ($19.95) or Gamberoni Mescolanza ($23.95) which are prawns, lemon, shallots and cream.  The "Pesce del Giorno," fish of the day is also $23.95.

The Antinori Tignanello is a French oak aged blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet, but it's not clear that much of the menu at Mescolanza would pair handsomely with such a wine.  The Brunello doesn't seem to match up exceptionally well to these dishes.
No Lamb.  No Beef.  No Pork.

We perused the wines by the glass and opted for a half bottle of the St. Michael Eppan Pinot Grigio at $28.  The server brought two large, clunky, Libbey glasses of maybe 14 to16 ounce capacity.  He opened the half bottle of 2015 vintage and poured a small taste into the glass.  The wine was fine and he knew to not over-pour.

Our dining companion chose the Carpaccio ($12.50) while I was torn between the Polenta ai Funghi ($10.95) or the Carciofi con Gamberetti ($11.50).  I asked the server if the artichoke bottom was fresh and he assured me it is.  I expected a single artichoke bottom with some Bay Shrimp scattered around but what came out was a plate covered in a few lettuce leaves and four small artichoke bottoms mounded with Bay Shrimp and some sort of green sauce on top.  My friend said the Carpaccio was "excellent."  I thought the Artichoke and Shrimp dish was pretty good, though I wasn't completely sold on those artichoke bottoms being absolutely fresh.

 We asked about the corkage fee...$20.
And so we placed a nice bottle on the table about halfway through the starters.  They cleared away the starter dishes and brought the main plates before opening our bottle of red.
In fact, the fellow asked if we wanted to open the bottle.
Uh, hello...yes!

He brought two more large Libbeys and opened the bottle.  He correctly poured a small amount and the bottle was fine.  We invited him to have a taste but I don't recall him bringing a glass.

My friend chose the Gamberoni Mescolanza ($23.95) and asked for it without cream.  She said this was quite a good plate.
I had hoped for something along the lines of Pork or Lamb, but as they didn't offer any of those, I chose a dish that was so special it was not even on the weekly specials page.  It was a Pasta con fruitti di mare ($25.95)and it came with clams, maybe a sea scallop and a couple of prawns and possibly a morsel of fish all bathed in a tomato sauce.
Curiously the Italian waiter asked if I wanted cheese.
I inquired as to whether or not he's ever put cheese on such a dish in Italy and he said "Well, no...but this is America."
The pasta was cooked perfectly and the clams and other bits of seafood were good.

There are a half a dozen, or so dessert offerings and at least a couple of dessert wines.  They have a "Vintage Port" for around $9, but don't inform guests as to the winery or the year.  There's also a Vin Santo from the Villa Artimino winery at about $9.

My friend wanted to split a dessert so we opted for something they call "Bambino di Cioccolata" ($9.50) which is a three tier mold of chocolate mousse (white, milk and dark chocolates) which was quite acceptable, but I'll be surprised if this was homemade.

We asked for the check and the bill tallied to about $121 as we were not charged the $20 corkage fee.  The server did not mention waiving the charge, so perhaps he simply forgot to include it?

The ambience was pleasant and they had some pop music playing in the background.

It's a nice neighborhood restaurant and the price of a meal is perfectly okay.  

We'll probably make a return visit following another movie run in The City.

CHEZ MARIUS


4063 24th Street
San Francisco

TEL: 415-757-0947

Open Lunch: Tues-Sunday
Dinner Tues-Sunday from 5pm

Soup du Jour--Potato on this day

Escargot

Stemware...perfectly serviceable.

A Salmon Filet

Cassoulet

Tarte aux Pommes

Our friend's dessert choice...some sort of Strawberry and Banana Crepe.

MONSIEUR BENJAMIN

451 Gough Street
San Francisco

TEL 415-403-2233

Open Sun-Thurs 5:30pm-10:30
Fri & Sat 5:30-Midnight
Weekend Brunch 11-2:30

White wine "by the glass"

Escargot Bordelaise

Steamed Razor Clams
Served chilled and on ice

Steak Frites with Pommes Purée instead at the request of our dining companion.

Duck Confit

Side of Frites

The wine list features "Vins Petillants" with 8 sparklers being offered, three of them By-The-Glass (BTG).  Val de Mer Brut from a Chablis producer is $16 BTG or $64 for a bottle, while Lanson Black Label Brut Champagne is $25 BTG or $100 for a bottle.  Simonnet-Febvre Brut Rose is $15 BTG and $60 for a bottle.
There's a Lasalle Blanc de Blancs 2006 for $192 a bottle along with Demiere-Ansiot Grand Cru Brut for $125.  Apart from Lanson, no "big names" on the bubbles list.

There are 20 white wines on the wine list, all but one being French.  Five white wines are offered by-the-glass.  The list has two Muscadet wines, the Chateau de Chasseloir 2013 costing $12 BTG and $52 for a bottle.  Daulny 2016 Sancerre is $15 BTG and $64 for a bottle.  Vocoret Chablis is $16 BTG and $68 for a bottle, while Meyer-Fonne Pinot Blanc goes for $15 BTG and $64 for a bottle.  The lone California wine, Hartford Court Chardonnay (from the Kendall-Jackson family) is $16 BTG and $68 by the bottle. 
Other white wines of interest would by JB Ponsot's Rully "Montpalais" at $78 or the Marcel Deiss Pinot d'Alsace at $62.  The most spendy bottle of white goes for $178 and is by Rudolph Demougeout.

Twenty-nine red wines are available by the bottle with six being offered by-the-glass. Four California reds are on this list.  Domaine de Colette Morgon is $12 and $52, while Cep Pinot Noir from California is $16 and $68.  Charles Jouguet Chinon goes for  $13 and $56.  There's a Côtes du Rhône Villages labeled Les Cassagnes de la Nerthe for $14 and $60.
There's a Château Les Graves de Levaud 2014 Lalande de Pomerol for $17 BTG and $74 for a bottle.  Wolf Family Napa Cabernet is $20 BTG and $86 for a bottle.
Other wines by the bottle of interest would be Domaine Piaugier's Sablet at $42 for a bottle or the Château du Hureau Saumur-Champigny at $42.
Overall, it's a nicely-selected list featuring good selections at sensible prices and is devoid of trophy wines and Sommelier favorites which say "Look at me!  Look what wines we have!"

And speaking of sommeliers, there was no wine steward or sommelier working the floor.

My dining companion ordered a Lillet Blanc ($8) for an aperitif and I opted for a glass of Meyer-Fonne's Pinot Blanc ($15).

The wine by-the-glass is brought poured at the bar, not poured at the table.  It was approximately a 5 or 6 ounce pour.  Nice stemware with maybe 10-12 ounce capacity.

Their corkage fee is $30.

We perused the menu, having seen their menu posted on the restaurant website as well as on Open Table.  Both listed Gooseneck Barnacles which we have never seen locally, but enjoyed these immensely in Portugal.
Sadly, this item was not on the menu on this occasion.

Oysters go for $4.50 apiece.  Poached Shrimp, Court Bouillon is $16 and the menu indicates you'll be served four.  Gulf Blue Crab Remoulade is $17.50 and a grand seafood platter is $84.
"Small Plates" offers Oeufs Mayonnaise at $2.50 each.  Trout Roe Tartlet is $7.50 while a serving of Bayonne Ham is $8.50.  Potato & Leek Croquettes are $8.50, while Crispy Frog Legs go for $14.50 and Epoisses Toast is $13.50.
They also offer Hors d'oeuvres such as a Butter Lettuce Salad at $15.50 or an Endive & Apple Salad at $18.  Foie Gras Confit is $24.  A Chicken Liver terrine is $18, while Steak Tartare is $22.  A Seafood Sausage is $ $20 and Veal Sweetbreads are $22.

"Plats de Resistance" were also quite interesting.  Gulf Flounder Gratinée with Shrimp Cream is $36.   Arctic Char Amandine  with Haricots Verts and a Sunchoke is $38, while a Braised Rabbit Leg that comes with a Saucisse Chipolata is $32. Quail a la Chasseur comes with Mushrooms and Cabbage goes for $38 and there's a Hamburger "Fully Dressed" that comes with Frites for $22.

For starters, my friend chose Escargots Bordelaise with Mushroom Duxelles at $20 and I chose the "Steamed Razor Clams with Celery and Espelette Peppers at $18.

The Escargot are presented in a small iron snail dish smothered in parsley and mushrooms...quite hot...not in their shells which is convenient.
Now perhaps most people might expect the Steamed Razor Clams to be a hot dish, but these are served chilled on a little bowl of crushed ice.
It's a rather small serving, but was delicious and I used their wonderful sourdough bread to sop up the sauce.

My dining companion chose the Steak Frites which is a 12 ounce Ribeye at $54 while I went for the Duck Confit with Vegetables Écrasés at $34.

She substituted Mashed Potatoes for the Frites and the steak was quite good.  The duck confit was also very good, perches atop a bed of diced vegetables.  I asked for a side of Frites $8, one of five different "garnitures."   Other side dishes include Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce at $12.50 or Grilled Gem Lettuces with a Sauce Ravigote at $9.  Roasted Mushrooms with a Foie Gras Vinaigrette goes for $9.50.and the Pommes Purée is $8.50.

We put a bottle of what turned out to be a nice Bordeaux on the table and the server asked about opening this.  He brought two proper Bordeaux stems and we invited him to bring one for himself...his was a bit smaller and we poured him a nice taste which he appreciated.

The ambience is comfortable...bistro style, not terribly formal.  The crowd was fairly young and dressed casually.  My senior citizen dining companion wondered how these young people who look like they may drive a truck can afford such a place.  She's quite unaware of young hipsters who are paid handsomely by local tech companies.  The place was quite busy by 8pm and we probably were out of there after an hour and a half or two hours.

We skipped desserts, though these looked mighty tempting. Île Flottante is $13.50, while a Gateau Marjolaine is $15.50.  Tarte au Chocolat with Mint  Sherbet is $14.50.
They had a number of good dessert wines by the glass, too.  A Clos Guirouilh Jurançon is $12 BTG, while a 2013 Château Doisy-Védrines Sauternes is $18.  Chapoutier's Banyuls is $13, while Graham's 20 Year Tawny Port goes for $18.

The restaurant automatically adds a 20% tip to each and every item and says the tips are shared by the entire staff, so the dishwashers and kitchen crew also get a piece of the action.

The server brought the bill with a couple of thimbles-full of some sort of interesting herbal digestif and he announced he waived the $30 corkage.  Our bill tallied to about $204.
I paid with a credit card and have noticed a number of places that add a gratuity to the bill present an invoice with a tip line.  Monsieur Benjamin does not ask for a further tip which we found rather civilized.

We will certainly make a return visit to this place.

Reviewed By GW
May 2018

CENTRAL KITCHEN

3000 20th Street
San Francisco

TEL: 415-826-7004

Dinner Daily from 5:30pm

Duck Mortadella

Fry Bread

Roasted Garlic

Smoked Salmon Rillettes

Pappardelle with Braised Pork Belly and a Nettle Salsa Verde

Pork Loin with Marble Potato, Charred Calcot Onions and Chicharrones.


Charred Asparagus with a Grilled Blood Orange, 
Almonds and Nasturtiums

Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Sorbets

You'll find six white wines by the glass.  There's a Greek white from the Sigalas winery that features the Assyrtiko grape.  $13.  Similarly priced is the Pedralonga Albariño.  Massican Sauvignon Blanc from Napa is $14.  Edmunds St. John's Grenache Blanc is $15.
For reds BTG, we find a Foillard Beaujolais at $15 BTG, while Mount Eden's "Domaine Eden" Pinot Noir is $16.  A Rosso di Montalcino by Donatella Colombini is $17.

The wine list offers 12 Sparkling wines and that French cider.
There's a tiny production California sparkler made of Carignan going for $105 if you're a gambler.   Caraccioli 2010 Brut from Monterey is $95.  I'd go for the Pierre Moncuit Brut Champagne at $110 if I was spending that kind of money, though.    

If you're interested in pink wine, be prepared to shell out $55 to $90 a bottle.  Robert Sinskey's Vin Gris is $80.

White wines are categorized as "Refreshing, Mineral, Crisp" or "Textured, Floral, Bright" or "Rich, Waxy, Aromatic."
The white wines go from $45 for a bottle of a French Macabeu from the Roussillon to $195 for a Jobard St. Aubin 1er Cru.  
Wine aficionados will recognize names such as Venica, Ostertag, Verzier, Ryme and Arnaud Ente (not sure I'd spend $150 for Ente's Aligoté, though).
The average bear will likely need some help.
We did not test the server's wine knowledge, but should note there did not seem to be a wine director or sommelier patrolling the floor.

Red wines are categorized as "Elegant, Floral, Light" or "Silky, Herbal, Structured" or "Robust, Bold, Spiced."
There were 31 selections of reds when we visited.  The least expensive red is $45 and there's a Folk Machine Valdiguie or a Gries Bauries Côtes-du-Rhône for that price. 
A Morey Saint Denis from Hubert Lignier is $235 a bottle and Corison 2014 Napa Cabernet is $225.  
Montevertine's 2014 Rosso from Tuscany is $135 a bottle, while Sean Thackrey's Sangiovese blend called Pleiades is $65.  

The corkage fee here is $25 and I'd have put a bottle on the table, but my dining companion had a palate for Ginger Beer or Root Beer, so I opted for some of their "BTG" selections.  These are brought to the table in a glass, so guests do not see the bottle and label of the wine they've ordered.

Casa Coste Piane makes a terrific Prosecco and that was $14 for a flute.  I also ordered a Côtes-du-Rhône of Alain Ignace at $14.  A Bedrock Zinfandel from Sonoma is also $14.

Overall the wine list offers a nice range of wines from off-the-beaten path producers.  The restaurant doesn't have selections from the big liquor distributors which usually leads to industrial wines that are on a quota list for sales reps.  The mark-up is about 350%, sadly a bit standard these days thanks to high operation costs here in the Wild, Wild West.

The menu is interesting and indicates the plates are intended for sharing.  We began with a Duck Mortadella ($10) with a Nectarine Tapenade, Kumquats and Pistachios.  I can't say the Mortadella had intense flavors but the other items on the plate certainly did.   It comes with some crispy, brittle cracker bread that's likely made in house.

We also ordered their Smoked Salmon Rillettes ($12) which has Meyer Lemon and Horseradish in the mix, topped with Salmon Roe.  This was a bit more soupy than I expected and I can't say I detected any smoky notes.  Again this came with their crackers, but we also ordered what they called "Fry Bread" ($6) and a side of their Roasted Garlic ($3).  The Fry Bread arrived with two puffy "rolls" with some Green Onion Powder on them.  The garlic was a whole head of garlic, sliced in half.
We also ordered the Josey Sourdough ($6)...four beautiful wedges of fresh country bread.

For a mid-plate, we chose a pasta as the reputation of the place is based, in part, on their pastas.  (They offer pasta-making classes, by the way.)  Pappardelle with Braised Pork Belly and a Nettle Salsa Verde ($19).  It comes in a smallish bowl and you might find it satisfactory as a small course, but you'd likely be expecting a bigger portion were you to order it for your main plate.  The pasta was al dente to where it really could have used another 30 to 60 seconds in boiling water or a minute or two in the sauce pan.  The little bits of pork were tasty and the dish was nicely seasoned.
 

We then had the Pork Loin, Marble Potato,  Charred Calcot Onion and Chicharrones ($26).  The pork was a bit bland, frankly, but the potatoes were nicely crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.   The Chicharrones were good.  The serving size here was fine, though the pork did have a modest amount of fat which we left off to the side.

We also had a side dish of Charred Asparagus with Almond, Grilled Blood Orange and Nasturtiums ($12).  This was a nice-sized serving and the Asparagus were mildly charred and quite crisp.

I should note they have two interesting main plates which I'd be interested to try on the next visit here.  One is a Roasted Chicken ($48 for a whole one, but available in a half) and the other is a Bone-In 24 ounce Ribeye ($72). 
They also had Beef Cheeks as a main plate or Grilled King Salmon, both priced at $28.

Three desserts were on the menu and we opted for the simple Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Sorbets ($8).
We missed, then, the Chocolate Custard, Chocolate Crumble with Coffee Ice Cream ($10) and the Mint Ice Cream in a Chocolate Shell ($8).
The Meyer Lemon Sorbet was a bit icy, while the berry sorbet was smoother and silkier.

The music system played some nice jazzy tunes and this helped moderate the noise of the animated conversations taking place.  I likely brought the average age of their dinner guests up to 35 or 40 years.  It's a young, hip crowd to be sure.

The bill tallied to just shy of $170 before the tip.

This is a nice dining spot in a somewhat out-of-the-way part of The City.  We'll likely return and try a few more of their interesting menu offerings.