Wayfare Tavern, 558 Sacramento St. at Leidesdorff, SFCA

    I like upscale as much as the next person, so when my friend Roberta asked if I wanted to go to the new Wayfare Tavern I didn't hesitate. Designated as the flagship of Tyler Florence's restaurant empire, it is the hot spot of the FiDi right now. On a Monday night at 7pm it was packed. We had a 7:30 res, and with two of us there at 7:15 and a third person (Ms. Christine) joining us at 7:20, it was almost 8pm when we were seated.
   While waiting at the bar, we ordered a 209 Martini (13) and a Hot Brandy (8). The tender must have been new to either bar tending or SF, because he didn't know what a hot brandy was; he put a snifter of brandy on its side in a cup of hot water! He also added a mystery ingredient to my martini and it wasn't vermouth. Because it was busy and I was with company, I didn't say anything, but I intend to go back and have a discussion with the manager.
   After being seated, we were served some nice warm popovers with butter, compliments of the house. To get the ball rolling, some Angels On Horseback (11), California dates wrapped in smoked bacon, with fennel garlic puree and a raisin caper salsa verde. This is a nice variation on the traditional use of oysters. But here also is that pet peeve of mine - why five pieces? Why not six? 
   Grilled Monterrey Bay Calamari (9) came with toasted garlic, squid ink vinaigrette, smoked chile oil, breadcrumbs and celery. Perfectly cooked, tender and moist, this didn't really knock me out but my cohorts seemed to enjoy it.
   Christine ordered the Braised Beef Short Ribs (27) served with potato puree, black pepper creme
fraiche, Bosc pear, truffle and celery. This beef comes from a farm in Four Story Hills, New Jersey, and Ms. C. said it was fantastic and almost more than she could handle. I'm actually getting hungry just looking at the picture here.
   Roberta went with the Roast Liberty Farms Duck, Hunter's Style (25), coupled with parsnip puree, prunes, bacon lardon, Cipollini onions, chicory and red wine jus. Again, no complaints from her corner. Nice portion of duck, skillful blending of flavors.
   Yours truly felt the need for beef and I chose the Grilled Santa Maria Tri-Tip (26), with roasted heirloom onion, truffle butter and Kennebec French Fries. I remember when you almost couldn't give tri-tip away, it being a tough piece of meat to cook if you didn't have patience and you didn't know how to slice it. I can say they definitely know how to do both at Wayfare Tavern. I could have used about half the amount of fries, but that's how they roll in SF these days. They were nice and crispy and I didn't even need ketchup.
   To help ease all this goodness down into the old gullet, a beautiful 2008 Ridge East Bench Zinfandel (52). Ridge has been one of my fave wineries (along with Caymus and Burgess Cellars) since the 70's, and this particular vintage paired wonderfully with all the entrees.
   The ladies decided to forgo dessert, opting for a last glass of wine - Oberon Sauvignon Blanc (8) for Roberta, and Bucklin Zinfandel (12) for Christine. I had to try the Fried Apple Pie (9) only because it came with sage ice cream. The wait between the apps and the entrees was a bit long, and then it took twenty minutes to get my dessert. I'd also ordered an espresso to come with the pie, and we had to ask two different people where that was. Our server was charming and knowledgeable and it was busy, but still, this is supposed to be a first class restaurant.
   I should have those cute little noise level symbols like The Bauer, but let's just say it was LOUD, more so at the bar area than at table. Roberta's friend was responsible for all the interior design and decor, and I must say it's all dark wood and Americana, with Fall being the general theme right now.
   So, thumbs up on the food, an asi-asi on the service. Definitely the place for that power lunch, but perhaps not that intimate date.

  To see the full menu, go to: www.wayfaretavern.com

Dinner With James

   This was my second dinner with James Stolich, a Haight-Ashbury resident who conducts cooking classes, does catering and occasionally holds these get-togethers in his flat. This dinner focused on the food of Spain where James has spent a fair amount of time traveling and learning to cook local specialties. Aperitivos (appetizers) began with Boquerones con Aceitunas Verdes y Pimientos Rojos - white anchovies with green olives and red peppers; Real Spanish Chorizo con "Quicos" - sausage with Spanish-style corn nuts; and Pimientos del Padron - locally grown green chile peppers pan-charred and seasoned with olive oil and salt.
   The white anchovies are marinated in vinegar and vastly superior to their dark cousins packed in oil, with a milder, sweeter, less fishy taste. The chorizo is more akin to salami than its Mexican counterpart, with a pronounced garlic/paprika flavor. The "quicos" are lighter in texture and milder in flavor than the salty, teeth-cracking corn nuts you normally buy.
   The padron peppers were the hit for me - I think I ate the very last one, as well as the largest one, in order to settle a debate over size versus heat content. It (the large one) was indeed higher in Scoville Units, but there were some small ones that proved to be just as pungent.
   Primeros included Croquetas con Jamon Serrano - croquets with Serrano ham; and Tortilla de Patatas - potato tortilla. Not all Spanish hams are allowed into the US, due to FDA requirements and restrictions on meat products and their preparation. Luckily we can get this grade of Serrano and some of the Ibericos. The croquets were crispy with a delicate smokiness, and the tortilla a bit reminiscent of scalloped potatoes with a rich buttery undertone.
   Segundo - Pulpo alla Gallega - octopus with new potatoes, smoked pimenton, olive oil and salt. Well, at least person at the table was reluctant to eat this delicious little morsel, saying it reminded her of the movie where the mutant octopus climbs the Ferry Building (It Came From Beneath The Sea, 1955). I like octopus but I can't honestly say there was anything terribly exciting about this dish. Give me some octopus from Japantown with soy sauce and wasabi and I'll be happy.
   Tercero - La Fabada de Asturias - giant white beans (aka runner beans) cooked with smoked hot pimenton (paprika), saffron, morcilla (blood sausage), chorizo, Serrano ham hocks, locally-cured slab bacon, onion, garlic and water. You can see the sausages and bacon at right, just as they were pulled from pot to be sliced, and below that the resultant serving. The beans are similar in flavor to the large white lima bean and provided a nice contrast to the spices in the sausage, but I think I still would have preferred a plate of navy beans and ham hock with raw onion and some cornbread (you can take the boy outta Missouri...).
   Postre - La Quesada de Santander - basically, a cake rich with eggs, cheese and cream, served with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar. A nice way to finish the meal.
   Overall, I'd have to say this repast wasn't quite as satisfying as the previous endeavor, a 'wild game' oriented affair. First off, it cost $95, exclusive of wine, which you are requested to provide if you desire any with the dinner. Second, it is time consuming, lasting about four hours. I like James, he's an amiable bloke who likes to cook and is sincere in his attempt to provide a quality meal for his guests, but he's going to have come up with something really irresistible next time.
  If you'd like to learn more, go to: www.cookwithjames.com

Eatin' in The Mission - The Front Porch, 65A - 29th St., SFCA

    Ladies and gentlemen, we have ham! I mean honest-to-God real country ham, not some vile pressed-and-formed, water-injected, sliced-from-a-roll garbage like you get in a lot of places here in SF. Take a good look at it so that the next time you order 'country ham' and it doesn't look like this, send it back! The Country Ham and Eggs (9.50) comes with red eye gravy and, normally, home fries. Charles had the fries with his Chicken Fried Steak (12) they were the closet approximation to the real thing (like the kind I make at home) - cut the right size, slightly crispy on the outside, soft inside, not big lumps of soggy mush. I'm layin' off the taters these days, so I opted to split an order of Biscuits and
Gravy (8) which were pretty good, but I don't think
they merit eight bucks. Charles was happy with the steak and his Diet Coke (for breakfast? He says, 'It's a Southern thing'), my decaf was perfect.
   Normally I don't discuss ambiance but I have to say I enjoy blues music with my breakfast. Add a pleasant wait staff and amiable crew in the kitchen, a nice little bar left over from the cantina days of this joint and you've got a pleasant dining experience. They're now open for breakfast Wed.-Sun. To see the menu got to:www.thefrontporchsf.com

Eatin' in North Beach - The House, 1230 Grant Ave., at Columbus, SFCA

    Talk about being asleep at the wheel, I just realized a couple of weeks ago that this is the same House that used to be at 9th and Irving, and that this location has been here for 18 years. Well, I sez to myself, I guess it's time to go - hey, it only took me 23 years before I went to Tadich Grill!
   I don't have the prices for these lovely dishes because they said they were unable to give me an itemized receipt, but assured me the prices could be seen at their website. Alas, not so. At any rate, nothing was over $9.
   Dining solo, I opted for small plates to get max variety. At the top, a nice plate of Baby Greens with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette, laced with apple, tomato and figs. What a taste treat! I don't think this even needs fresh ground pepper - if you want pepper,

go easy so as not to overpower the sweetness of the
vinaigrette.
   Next, to satisfy the need for something fried, we have Blue Lake Bean Tempura with pickled ginger soy sauce, which is hiding underneath. Again, you need a little restraint with the sauce, which has a strong acidic/salty flavor - a little goes a long way. Nicely cooked, with that requisite crunch.
   To round things out, some White Shrimp and Chinese Chive Dumplings. I think these could have used more shrimp and fewer chives, which weren't the yellow Chinese chives I'm accustomed to, but the more pungent green variety that tended to be the dominant flavor.
   For once there was no room for dessert, but I'll not be dining alone when I return to this little
gem.
To see the full menu, go to: www.thehse.com

The Liberties, 998 Guerrero at 22nd St., SFCA

   Let me preface this review with a little reminiscence of Ireland. When I vacationed there in 1973 the economy was in the toilet. Bad for them, good for me. The pound was valued at US$2.50 and the average B&B was 1.5 to 2 pounds a night. By far the best one was in Galway, run by a charming widow on her own. Breakfast there began with your choice of cereal or oatmeal, followed by (literally) a shot of orange juice, a precious commodity at the time. Then came your eggs, rasher bacon, black and white 'pudding' (sausage) and fried potatoes. To top it off, six slices each of white and brown bread, orange marmalade and an ashtray full of those rolled up pats of butter that look like little ears of corn. A pot of hot tea, with a smaller pot of hot water to dilute it to your liking. I would usually eat all the bread, and she would ask if I wanted more! I always declined.
   Sunday Charles and Joanne joined me for brunch at The Liberties so I could make good use of my $40 coupon from Liquor.com. I kicked things off with a Bloody Mary (7), nice and spicy, and Charles had his form of milk, an Anchor Steam (5). I don't know if it was coupon swarms or football or what, but they were full by 11:30. With only two servers, service was slow - it took ten minutes to put our order in and about half an hour to get our food. Empty glasses remained on our table forever.
   Charles had the Breakfast Quesadilla (10) with scrambled eggs, Irish sausage and bacon and jack cheese. To round out his plate, a side of Home Fries (2) which were actually deep-fried and quite tasty.
   Joanne decided on the Irish Potato Pancake (10) topped with Irish bacon and eggs. To me, this was the weak link, not worth $10 and bland to boot.
   My Traditional Irish Breakfast (11) was passable. Poached eggs are meant to be barely cooked so the yolks are nice and runny - not so in this case. The black and white pudding were good, but the link sausage, which came in skins, had the texture of hot dog filling, not coarse ground and not much flavor, spice wise. Beans out of a can and barely toasted bread with no flavor. The rasher bacon passed muster, not being too fatty.
   Oddly enough, the quesadilla seemed to be the best bet on this particular day, with home fires coming in second.
    To see the menu got to:www.theliberties.com

Tuba Restaurant, 1007 Guerrero at 22nd St., SFCA

www.tubarestaurant.com

   Time was running out on my Liquor.com coupon for this place so I hightailed it over there from Bender's last Friday. Being by myself made it easy to get a seat at the small counter - otherwise I would've been up a certain creek. They've gotten so much response from the promotion that they're planning to extend the expiration date! So if you plan on going any time soon, make a res.
   The owner, Ali, is from Turkey and the menu reflects a good deal of Mediterranean influence. The hot and cold apps include old standbys like dolmas, humus and falafel, as well as some intriguing items like Feta Prawns sauteed in pepperoncini sauce (9) and Crab Cakes with polenta, herbs and pine nuts (9). I chose the Piyaz (6), a white bean salad with green onion, tomato, tahini, lemon and vinegar in a bit of yogurt sauce. Quite nice, the beans still firm and not too heavy on the onion, a slightly piquant finish.
   For a hot dish, I picked the Icli Kofte (7), spiced ground sirloin in a crispy bulgur shell. You see kofte (kofta, kefta) in numerous cuisines of the Mediterranean and Middle East - basically, meatballs. These were very similar to falafel, nicely spiced with more of the yogurt to cool your tongue a bit.
   I probably should've stayed with small plates, but I got carried away and ordered one of the daily specials, the Tuba Stuffed Catfish (18) with red and green bell pepper, crab, onion, bread and special herbs. I have to say I've tried several ways of eating catfish, from various ethnic cuisines, and the only one I've ever liked was a Thai preparation, the fish wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. Otherwise, dredge that fish in seasoned cornmeal and fry it up! I admire the chef's attempt here and the portion was good sized - I took most of it home, where I nuked it with some Southwestern style green chile sauce. That still didn't help. If I was doing this dish, I'd pick a milder flavored fish like cod or basa.
   Overall, I liked this place. It's simply appointed, a very pleasant wait staff and good service in spite of being fairly slammed on a Friday night. I'll be back.

Not On The Menu...

   Long before St. John's in London, Incanto in SF and all the other current darlings of the 'nose-to-tail' food movement, there were the Chinese (among others) making use of all the critter, sometimes out of dire necessity.
   As I mentioned a few posts back, Bund Shanghai Restaurant has a new chef who is adding some new dishes to the menu. As of yesterday, the printed menus hadn't arrived, but my trusty waiter Michael, who knows I have a 'tendon-cy' to try different things, suggested the dish you see here: Pork Tendons, with white chicken meat, snow peas, mushroom and ham in a white sauce. The tendons are soft, not chewy, and on their own they don't have much flavor except for the occasional piece that has that wok-fried tinge. Hot sauce is available in a small saucer and I just dipped the tendon in that, which perked it right up. The snow peas add crunch, the chicken a bit of sweetness and the ham (Chinese-style) a little smokiness. On the Flav-O-Meter, I'd give it a 6.5; a dish I would order with a large dinner party.
   If you've never tried tendon and you like spicy Chinese, try the Spicy Beef Tendon at places like Z&Y, Panda Country Kitchen and a number of other Sichuan/Hunan restos. Spices II also has pig's ear in 'numbing oil'.

Fast Food And You

   In a previous post I stated that I was no longer going to go to In-N-Out. This was primarily a combination of excluding fast food and chain restaurants from my curriculum and freeing up more time to indulge in high quality burgers that are now offered on every other corner, it seems. I've just finished reading Chew On This, by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson, which is a companion to Fast Food Nation. After reading about the workplace ethics of the majority of fast food chains - deplorable, in a word - the authors do have something good to say about In-N-Out:
   "...Esther (Snyder) still serves as president of the family-owned company. The Snyders have declined countless offers to sell the chain, refuse to franchise it, and have succeeded by rejecting just about everything the rest of the fast-food industry does.
   In-N-Out isn't your typical fast-food chain...the chain pays the highest wages in the fast-food industry. Full-time workers get a benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision and life insurance. The typical In-N-Out restaurant manager has a salary about three times higher than that of managers at other fast-food chains. The In-N-Out managers have, on average, have been with the company for more than a decade. The higher wages at In-N-Out haven't led to higher prices or lower-quality food...There are no microwaves, heat lamps or fancy machinery in the kitchens...The ground beef is fresh, the potatoes are peeled every day to make French fries and the milk shakes are made from real ice cream...For seven years in a row, a survey by Restaurants and Institutions magazine has found that among fast-food hamburger chains, In-N-Out ranks first in food quality, value, service, atmosphere and cleanliness. As a result, the company earns some of the highest profits, per restaurant, in the industry."
   So, if you have to have a fast-food fix every once in a while, please patronize In-N-Out.

Show Dogs Anniversary Wing Ding, 1020 Market St. at Golden Gate

   This Friday, 10/15/10, Show Dogs is celebrating their anniversary from 6-8pm. For $20 you can sample various items from their menu of dogs, sausages, sandwiches and main courses, plus indulge yourself by washing it all down with their numerous beers on tap.

A Bit of Levity...

   Did you hear about the dyslexic who could never get served in a Chinese restaurant?
   Every time the waiter asked what he wanted to order, he said, 'Not now'.

Eating Right and Righteously

   If you're concerned about not only where your food comes from but how it was treated before it reached your plate, please check out www.certifiedhumane.org Humane Farm Animal Care is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that producers maintain a high degree of fair treatment, feeding and housing of animals. You can also use their site to find the stores in your area that sell Certified Humane foods.

For My Fellow Soup Addicts...

   It'll soon be that time of the year to crank up the thermostat a little and get out the sheepskin-lined booties. You'll also probably be putting that big pot on the stove and making soup. If so, you should definitely have this cookbook in your house. As it says on the back cover, "More than 150 recipes from Tuscan grandmothers...bustling Roman restaurants, rustic inns and regional cooks." From simple to elegant, traditional to exuberant. You'll also get hints on wine pairings, family secrets and favorite wine spots in Italy. Joe Famularo is a widely traveled food writer whose articles have appeared in Bon Appetit, Gourmet and The New York Times Magazine.
   15 copies of this book are currently available at:
www.abe.com for $1 on up!

It's Tops - 1801 Market St. at Octavia, SFCA

   The first time I went to It's Tops they still had a waitress - that's right, I said waitress - with a name like Edna or Velma, who wore a little uniform with an apron and kept her hair in a snood, who'd probably been there thirty years. It was just a quaint little neighborhood diner. Now they have Anchor Steam on tap, soju cocktails and espresso and they push the fact that they've been there forever and a day. This should have something good to say about the food, but alas all I can say it's pretty average. The combo at right cost $10.50 and with a cup of decaf and tax, a total of $14. For that amount I'd like four sausage links that come with skins, just like the ones I had as a kid. The pancakes were nothing special, but I will say they put butter on all of them, not just the top one. I'm still searching for that place that serves real ham steaks, fluffy buttermilk pancakes and basted eggs. Help me, somebody!

An Addendum to My Shanghai Dining Experience

  After uploading all the pics, I couldn't seem to add dialogue, so here's a few comments. The dish at the top is Soy Sauce Braised Duck, served at room temp. The food featured at Shanghai Spring (9th floor, Super Mall, in the Pudong district) and Lao Zheng Xing (556 Fuzhou Rd., in the Bund District) is mostly traditional Shanghai style.My most favorite dish at Lao Zheng Xing was You Bao Xia, the fried river shrimp. Least favorite - the Pork Intestine with Cao Tou. Cao tou is a Chinese vegetable for which I don't have an English name. The Braised Pork Knuckle was sent back because Edward's sister determined that it wasn't properly cooked. Edward explained that restaurants which are owned and operated by the government aren't always up to snuff in food quality, preparation and service. But overall I thought the food was pretty good. Edward even admitted that the Ma Lan Tou was better than what he serves at his own restaurant! As for Shanghai Spring, the Tofu in Crab Cream Sauce was the hit dish for me - Edward may offer this dish at Bund Shanghai in San Francisco.
   The Yu Xiang Rou Ssu Mian, which I had at another government owned cafe down the street from my hotel, was all noodles and hardly any meat, 'rou ssu' being shredded pork, and was very oily. This is supposedly customary. The cafe itself is open late and is over 100 years old.
   The Beef and Bell Pepper Noodles were my choice at another little hole-in-the-wall called Lanzhou Noodles. Edward tells me this place is a 'Hui style' restaurant, meaning that it's an Islamic minority style of cooking from Lanzhou Province in northwest China, where people speak Arabic as well as Chinese. There is a picture of the restaurant, and part of their dishes pictured on one wall, in my Facebook album, Shanghai 2010.
   The food at Legend Taste is from Yunnan Province. You may have seen Andrew Zimmern's pilot show where he visits Yunnan and shows you some of the really off-the-wall stuff they eat, like goat fetus stew. Well, I didn't see anything quite like that on the menu. This place is in the Jing An district and the menu comes in English with pictures. The food is a bit more spicy and less sweet than Shanghai style. Z&Y restaurant in SF claims to serve this style along with their Sichuan and Hunan cuisine.
   Yakexi restaurant features food from Xinjiang Province in western China. The people here are called 'Uighurs' and their cuisine includes a lot of mutton and breads, among other things. The Smoked Horsemeat Roll tasted a great deal like corned beef; the Lamb with Cumin and Garlic is a dish you can get here at Spice's II on 6th Ave. The dark Sinkiang beer was also quite tasty. The second floor here has live native music and I'm told you might be dragged out on the dance floor - I sat downstairs. The closest to this style of food in SF is at the Old Islam out on Vicente St.
  The satay shown was at a window of a food store on Xizang Rd. near Guangdong Rd. A stick of octopus was cooked to order and cost RMB 3, or about 20 cents.
  The Bread Stuffed with 5 Spice Beef and Onion came from a small vendor on Zhejiang Rd., about two blocks from my hotel. I forget what it cost, but it wasn't much. It was fried on the bottom and still warm when I got to my room. I'd give anything if someone in SF sold these - delicious, especially with a cold beer and a shot of bourbon!
   After doing some research, I found the English names for Xian Cai (amaranthus leaves) and Cao Tou (Chinese clover).
    

My Dining Experiences In Shanghai, 2010

Bean Curd, Lao Zheng Xing Restaurant

"Grandma's Meat Pot" - Braised Pork Belly with Bean Curd Knots, Shanghai Spring Restaurant

Deep Fired "Creme" - rather chewy Won Ton with Powdered Sugar, Legend Taste Restaurant

Dzui Ji - "Drunken Chicken", marinated in rice wine, Lao Zheng Xing

Eel, Lao Zheng Xing

Eggplant with Hot Peppers, Lao Zheng Xing

Bread filled with 5 Spice Beef and Onion, from a street vendor on Zhejiang Rd.

Fish Fillet with Garlic, Ginger and Hot Pepper, Legend Taste

Fresh Bamboo Shoots with Xian Tsai, Shanghai Spring

Deep Fried Ribbon Fish, Lao Zheng Xing

Jellyfish, Shanghai Spring

Julienne Carrots, Bell Pepper and Onion in Vinaigrette, Yakexi Restaurant

Lotus Root, Lao Zheng Xing

Ma Lan Tou, Lao Zheng Xing

Pork Intestine with Cao Tou, Lao Zheng Xing

Braised Pork Knuckle, Lao Zheng Xing

Sauteed Eight Treasures, Lao Zheng Xing

Cold Pork Belly with Aspic, Lao Zheng Xing

Shenjiang Bao, Shanghai Spring

Carrot and Cucumber Salad, Legend Taste

Smoked Fish, Lao Zheng Xing

"Squirrel Fish" - Fried Fish in Sweet and Sour Sauce, Lao Zheng Xing

Lamb with Cumin and Garlic, Yakexi

Beef and Bell Pepper Noodles

Tofu in Crab Cream Sauce, Shanghai Spring

Dark Beer from Xinjiang Province, Yakexi

You Bao Xia - "Oil Explode Shrimp", river shrimp eaten whole, Lao Zheng Xing

Yu Xiang Rou Ssu Mian - "Fish Flavor Pork Noodles", noodle cafe near my hotel

Yunnanese Beer, Legend Taste