Mr. Pollo: San Francisco

Date:  22 octobre 2010
Location:  2823 Mission St x 24th
San Francisco, CA  94110
Tel:  +1 415 374 5546
www.mrpollosf.com 

I don't know where to begin!  This is a really fantastic restaurant and great bang for the buck.  A true San Franciscan experience.  Five star fine dining dishes in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the eclectic Mission neighborhood.  Executive Chef Manny Jimenez (a real cutie, by the way) hails from Michelin Star restaurants such as Quince and Coi in SF.  Taking his skills from the upscale restaurants to his smaller class room project, Manny now cooks as a 1 man team in his own restaurant:  Mr Pollo.  


The menu is short and sweet.  A few starters include classic cheese arepas, empenadas, and freshly made columbian fruit drinks (passion fruit, blackberry).  You will want to save your appetite for Manny's Chef Tasting Menu.  For roughly $20, you'll get a number of courses specially designed by Manny based on whatever he finds in season at the local farmer's markets that day.  Expect each dish to be cooked with personal attention and design.  His dishes are decorated with small details of orange flavored flowers, or tiny purple flower petals.  Manny does not rush it.  He loves his craft.  You can watch him create magic as he cooks in his open kitchen in front of his guests.  Smiling and winking all the while.  Yes, I am a fan!

Oh... save room for dessert.  I am serious.  You may THINK you are full, but once the dessert arrives, you'll be surprised to find that suddenly you have room in your stomach again.  The table of 4 sitting next to us couldn't stop ordering desserts after consuming their Chef Tasting Menus...  I think they ordered 7 desserts!

This is a tiny restaurant, with roughly 5 tables, and maybe two chicken pictures (one is made of velour) on the walls.  There used to be more, I guess (hence Mr. Pollo).  It's just Manny in there as one chef, cooking by himself.  He's got one assistant who helps him a great deal during the busy hours... if you get there early, Manny will be taking your order and serving you personally as he comes out from behind his kitchen.  Mr. Pollo aired on Food Network few weeks back.   But that's not how I discovered this gem.  It was through word of mouth from a fellow Master Sommelier Jesse Becker who recommended it.  Great call!  It's my #1 must share place for my fellow foodie friends.

Nombe Izakaya: San Francisco

Date:  2 octobre 2010
Location:  2491 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Tel:  +1 415 681 7150
http://www.nombesf.com/

I'll say it once and I'll say it again.  I love SF because it is one of the food and wine capitals of the world.  I love it more because I can find just about any sort of authentic cuisine, within minutes of my home (now in the eclectic Potrero Hill/Mission hood).  On a whim, I went on an athoc food run with a sommelier friend of mine.  Had no idea what I was in for.   

Nombe (pronounced nom-bay) is a fun, casual, very mission-esque restaurant in the heart of the Mission District.  Across the street from Medjool and Foreign Cinema.  Japanese street food directed by esteemed Executive Chef Nick Balla (who spent years perfecting his skills in Tokyo amongst other high end establishments in SF), crafted with the freshest seasonal ingredients the region has to offer.  Paired with great sake from a winning sake list prepared by Sake Sommelier Gil Payne (who also hails from Tokyo).

We sat at the bar (Soledad's favorite place to be seated) and ordered Asahi and Sapporo on tap to start.  Cold light beer on tap always gets a smile on!  Then came the menu...  yakitori sampler (chicken heart, chicken spicy sausage, fried chicken skin, CHICKEN!), seasonal persimmon salad (refreshing, sweet, tangy!), pork belly (wow - super soft and savory, melted in my mouth), and the FRIED CHICKEN WINGS was one of my favorites!  Crispy, sweet, a little tangy lime, with a little added spiciness from jalapeno...  small side dishes of gobo and cucumber... some other radish root thingy that offset the palate in between the savory bites of yummy grilled Japanese street food.

I felt like I was in Japan!  With one huge difference - the staff conversed with me in fluent English (thank God!!!) and even quenched (no pun intended) my thirst for sake pairing with the foods we ordered.  I appreciated that Gil Payne came to share two kinds of sake with us that evening and explained the characteristics in each one that would make it pair with the tendon, pork belly, and other fried or grilled dishes.  What a true delight!!  Of course, handy cold draft Sapporo was always at hand's reach to cleanse the palate in between tastes.  :)

I am so excited about this new find.  Nombe has been around for about a year, since November 2009.  Yay!  Oh and guess whaaattt.. they open and serve until 2am!!  Love it - another late night snack find in San Francisco (the city that sleep at 10pm PST).  I will definitely be bringing my Top Chef friends and out of towners to try this place out.  Tokyo - in San Francisco!  Thanks NOMBE!   

Okay, up next... MR POLLO!!

Harvest Farm-to-Table: Carmel

Date:  25-26 septembre 2010
Location:  Quail Lodge Golf Club
8205 Valley Greens Drive
Carmel, CA 93923
Tel: +1 831 624 2888

What an amazing event!  Fresh, organic, seasonal food, wine, and music all in one place!  "Harvest:  Farm-to-Table" is a yearly event presented by my friends at Coastal Luxury Management in Carmel, California.  Appropriately named, Harvest takes place just at the end of summer/beginning of fall, when produce is at its best.  Colorful, bright, rich in flavors and textures, summer/fall seasons are a chef's delight.  Over 50 regional celebrity chefs and over 100 wineries gather to showcase their goodies in a series of non-stop food and free flowing wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, and also cheese education!  A celebration of local agriculture and viticulture!

The weather was perfectly sunny and warm as we made our way around the entire event at least twice.  We made super repeat visits to the raw oysters and the Pouilly Fuisse!  I loved the mini strawberry muffins with strawberry icing on top.  I had two.  A difficult place to be if you're on a diet.  I really liked the mini salad made with organic seasonal broccoli and cauiliflower, summer greens and arugula, heirloom tomatoe, some feta, and ANCHOVY!  So bright, delicious, fresh, and savory!  Then, I walked right up to any of the wines and asked for a pour to help wash down the food.  Really hard to beat this day!

I made sure to attend the Riedel wine tasting demonstration.  We tasted four different wines in the appropriate stemware.  What a difference the proper wine glass truly makes.  I had no idea that Chardonnay would have such an open bouquet in the right glass.  Thought my bordeaux "one glass for all" was suitable... apparently not. 

Gin Blossoms was also playing live that Sunday.  It was an intimate gathering as we were able to get up close and personal to the lead singer Robin Wilson.  Over ten years later, he is still looking hot and singing smooth!!

Can't wait for Harvest Farm to Table 2011!

Quince: San Francisco

Date:  16 septembre 2010
Location:  470 Pacific Avenue
San Francisco, CA  94133
Tel:  + 1 415 775 8500
www.quincerestaurant.com

This is a beautiful and sophisticated restaurant.   Modern French and Italian food is the specialty here, with fresh home made pasta daily.  PERFECTLY Al Dente!  An evening at Quince is truly a dining experience. 

Quince has impeccable service.  Their staff is hospitable, warm, inviting, and of course - knowledgeable.  The  atmosphere is older professional, experienced, probably worldly and well traveled.  Beautiful jazz quietly emanates from the ceilings throughout the restaurant, and a large, subdued, dark blue oil painting provides a calming effect as you enter into the dining area from the hustle and bustle of downtown San Francisco.  Warm amber lighting, dark hues of blue and black, and colors of toned down sky blue lighten up the beautiful bar area.  Quince might be new favorite bar in town...

I can't say that I perused the menu much that night.  Uncle Henry Chan (of the famed Yank Sing Dim Sum Restaurant) ordered the Chef's tasting menu for the four of us, including his special request of the Foie Gras Pasta (yes it is more than you could ever imagine it to be).  A combination of rich, yet light, yet savory, yet delicate flavors seeking their way through every salivary gland in your mouth.  One perfectly designed tasting dish came after the other, every single one a surprise and delight for both the eyes and palate!  Mostly I am a discerning patron and study the menu from top to bottom;  other times, when dining in good hands (as is the case when dining with Uncle Henry and his wife), I am so content to just sit and watch in awe as dinner is fluidly orchestrated by him and the restaurant staff (who always know him). 

I immediately noticed the fine stemware Quince uses.  I believe it is by Schott Zwiesel.  Longer than usual stems - extremely sophisticated.  I was afraid the stems would break when I performed my customary tilt of the wine glass to examine its character and color.  Not a chance.  :)

Four hours later, we were comfortably satiated and happily imbibed (white wines, red wines, fine vodka).  Being with close friends, engaged in conversation about world food and travels, while experiencing very finely done Italian pasta - makes for a calm and perfect evening.  I felt fortunate and blessed.

Delarosa SF: San Francisco

Date:  12 septembre 2010
Address:  2175 Chestnut street
San Francisco, CA 94123
Tel:  (415) 673-7100
www.delarosasf.com

What a surprise!  My Top Chef friend Hosea Rosenberg was visiting this particular weekend, as a chef contestant in the yearly Kendall Jackson Tomato Heirloom Festival in Sonoma.  Driving back into the city on Sunday, hungry, we wanted to try a new place in a different neighborhood.  Rule of thumb - do what you normally would say no to, traverse a different route, experience something new!  As we drove through the Golden Gate Bridge toll, I suggested the Marina neighborhood.  Where to eat though in the Marina, that's not touristy??  We called our new SF friends Top Chef Ryan Scott and his beautiful girlfriend Ali, for suggestions.  Ali immediately sms'd Hosea back "Delarosa in the Marina, get the Margherita Pizza with Buffalo Mozzarella!"  DONE!


Delarosa has an energetic and relaxed cool, clean vibe.  Bright, lively place to have lunch on a Sunday.  We sat at the communal table, which seems to be a welcome trend in SF these days.  The other dining tables sat a medley of typical San Francisco culture - young trendy parents out to lunch with their new toddlers, friends reconvening post Saturday night out, a few scattered tourists here and there... but one thing is clear - everyone dining here knows good food!  Feeling San Franciscan cool!  

On the menu:  Thin sliced fresh organic pizzas, seasonal salads, and a MUST TRY:  add their BUFFALO MOZZARELLA to your pizza!!!!  I added ONE sunny side up egg to one of my slices... love that dripping yellow egg on fresh thin sliced italian pizza!  Hosea forbid even one drop of my egg to touch any of his slices.  Fair enough!  Hosea also ordered the chicken sausage served with grapes and mustard seed sauce.  Pretty good! 

I also enjoyed their short wine list (I had Prosecco to start my Sunday afternoon) and cocktail menu.  Will have to return for another drink or two!  By the way, I liked Delarosa so much that I returned alone on Friday afternoon to grab a pie (pizza) and dined at the bar 230pm PST.  

LOLO SF: San Francisco

Date:  18 aout 2010
Location:  3230 22nd Street (bt Valencia and Mission)
San Francisco, CA  94110
Tel:  +1 415 643 5656
http://www.lolosf.com/

HELLLLLOOOOOO Spanish/Medi/Turkish San Franciscan Mission style TAPAS!  I LUUUV Lolo's!!!

<-- Left:  Tuna wrap...

I've been to this trendy, funky, city hidden gem about a handful of times within the past year.  It's in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco... which means.. yup, come as you are (Nirvana).  Messy artist, high street, grunge, aging hipster, _relaxed_.  LOLO's is one of Soledad's favorite restaurants!  Not pretentious, not too noisy, electic, SAVORY tapas - style small dishes... and a happy wine list to choose from!  Oh, don't forget the cute Mexican boys straight from Mexico City that work there... providing warm, inviting service... with a twinkle in their sparkling dark eyes and dark hair, and that sexy roll of the "rrrrrr" on their tongue!  I truly look forward to Friday unwinds at this place after a long hard 75++hour, 6day work week.  Whhheeeee!!

What WOWS me about Lolo's is their unique and savory spin on Spanish style tapas.  You won't get this anywhere else in the world, literally.  Only in San Francisco, on 22nd Street.  :)  The hot sexy chefs hail from Mexico City and... TURKEY.  Yup.  So now it's so obvious right?  When was the last time you had Panko and spice-dusted shrimp, topped with tropical relish and spicy aioli, served on a thinly sliced JICAMA WRAP instead of a taco wrap?  Served with a creative squeeze of lemon wedge dipped in cayenne pepper?  (RIGHT -->)

This is the kind of "thinking outside the box" clever cooking that absolutely tantalizes my taste buds and makes them want to DANCE!  I love daring chefs who mix cross-cultural cuisine and spices, creating a completely solid dish that really makes you think - mmm what WAS that ingredient?? Where in the world did I last taste that??? 
RIGHT--> Very thinly sliced octopus tiradito: urfa isot flakes, sea salt, and cascabel aioli.

On of my recent visits here last, a dear friend joined me for Friday chillax to celebrate friendship.  He, being a wine collecter, brought from his cellar a Altesino 1997 Brunello di Montalcino...  Tasting notes follow:

Altesino 1997 Brunello di Montalcino:
"absolutely incredible....... heavenly on the palate. massively intoxicating aroma - our server juan carlos asked to try some as he could not resist the nose once he opened the bottle for us!"

-Dark ruby and red color. Blackberry, licorice and grilled meat aromas. Full-bodied, with layers of beautiful tannins and fresh ripe fruit and sliced mushroom. Very, very long. So powerful and rich, yet racy and beautiful. Still needs some time (1997 Italian blind retrospective).
-13 years later - its rightful perfect. patience.... and rewarded grand.

Above:  Pistachio encrusted salmon with wasabi cream sauce.

Above:  Endive served with fried cheese, baby heirloom tomatoes, sherry viniagerette dressing.

Above:  PEPPER STUFFED with herbed rice, pine nuts, YELLOW RAISINS, and CINNAMON. I LOVE THIS DARLING AND CUTE small dish. totally TURKISH. Yummmmmeezzz. i love the hat on this thing. :)

Above:  Bay scallop and chorizo tostada with sandia aioli and roasted tomatillo sauce.

Above:  Arugula and radicchio, dried cherries, pine nuts, goat and sheep feta cheese, with orange muscat vinaigrette.

Above:  Dessert!!  Mascarpone cheese served with fresh strawberries, blueberries and trifle. paired with yummy Velenosi, Visviloe, Sour Cherry, Marche, Italy.

Finalement... !