GLAZE TERIYAKI GRILL....IT'S KIND OF JUST A HIPSTER RICE PLATE PLACE

On a recent weekday afternoon I found myself on Fillmore amongst their many shops and restaurants and decided to give Bun Mee a try, having heard many good things about it. Sadly, the place was PACKED! I think my comment when I walked in the door was, oh hell no, or something like that. So I stood on the corner and looked around and saw this place called Glaze Teriyaki Grill. It's a new place I vaguely remember seeing mentioned in several foodie places online. In fact, this was their first day open and I thought, what better time to try a new place!

CHARLES CHOCOLATES MAKES A COMEBACK...NOW THEY JUST NEED A PLACE TO SIT

Roughly 2 years ago, Charles Chocolates took a little break from chocolatiering abruptly and now after the hiatus, Mr. Siegel has made a return to the world of chocolate with a new factory location in Portrero Hill. (You can read his full story at their website)

You can stop by the place and view the factory at work making all of Charles' specialty chocolate bars like the salty sweet cashew bar, the milk chocolate caramelized crisped rice bar, the crystallized ginger bar or the mocha java bar. Or they famous triple chocolate almonds or hazelnuts. So many to choose from that chocolate lovers may have trouble and you'll probably end up getting more than you need but no less than you know you will want. 

In addition to all the chocolate they have hot chocolate choices and a pastries case with cookies, cakes, s'mores and more to choose from if you want something right then. I decided I wanted something now and choose the bittersweet chocolate and caramel tort. 

For a mere $5 this thing was quite huge and I will say well worth it. The main thing I liked about this was it was not teeth achingly sweet. It was a nice combination of salty and sweet. The chocolate was bittersweet dark chocolate ganache with an almost most fudge like texture over the top of a creamy (not hard and chewy) caramel that had the touch of butter and saltiness of fresh made caramel. Add in the flaky and more buttery crust and this was a tasty sinful dessert that I was only going to eat part of but ended up gorging through the whole thing. Chocolate heaven after which I wanted to take a little nap. 

Now the place is located in an area that is not the easiest to get to without a car, it was a couple buses and a few blocks walk for me. And once I got there I thought for sure there would be a little space to sit down and enjoy the snacks they were selling out of the case, but alas there was not. It was just a retail front to the factory. Because of this I was a little bummed. Here I made the effort to get all the way over here and had to go to a nearby Starbucks to sit and enjoy my dessert. It would have been much nicer and quieter to enjoy it in the place I got it. I mean if you are going to serve drinks and snacks that require a plate and fork to eat you should really have some sort of seating area for those of us who make the trek there. Maybe that's a future plan for them, but at this point it's not available so remember that when you go there. I'm not saying don't go, by all means you should make an effort to try them, just remember you'll have to get it to go. Which in the grand scheme of things isn't so bad, there are worse things in life than walking around eating chocolate. At least you'll be getting some exercise too. 

FLOUR + CO. ANOTHER PLACE FOR ME TO GET FAT IN THIS TOWN

Bakeries, they are my weakness, especially ones that serve up cakes and cookies. I can't walk by one without going inside to check out all the goodies. All encompassing bakeries (ones that make more than just say cupcakes or donuts) also seem to be a new trend here in town, one I am in favor of, as long as the baked goods are tasty. So it is that when a new place like Flour + Co. opens, I am so there. It's a tiny space in the Nob Hill neighborhood with the with the counter upfront and a small eat in space in back.

 

I had to take in all the offerings from sandwiches, cookies, cake, pie in a jar, pot pies....lots of choices and I was hungry so I decided to just go for it and try 3 things. I picked the mini vegetarian pot pie, the pretzel sandwich and the peanut butter chocolate cake. And here's how it was served for eating in

Interesting, it is a way to save on plates and this tray service thing I've had before at a couple of other joints, so that seems to be a new trend also. But let's get to the food. The pretzel sandwich I hadn't seen before plus it had bacon, manchego cheese and house made apricot preserves, more like a breakfast sandwich but it works anytime of the day. I liked the mix of salty and sweet and the pretzel was more soft than crisp which works better for a sandwich and I really enjoyed this variation. The bread was fresh and light and all the flavors mixed well without one overpowering the other but I could still taste them individually. And there was more than enough bacon to make me happy. 

They have 2 sizes of pot pies, since I was getting several things I went with the mini. The crust was a nice buttery, flaky, rosemary affair and definitely the best part of this dish. The filling however, was another story. It was vegetarian, which meant it had only potatoes and kale in it, but no other vegetables  you find in pot pies like peas or carrots. Plus they were in a sauce that was more gravy than the normal creamy you might see. It reminded me of the gravy you see on biscuits and gravy--very floury with black pepper, though this one didn't have the added sausage. It was a little too thick for me and sadly this was not my favorite. I give the topper a B+ I give the filling a C-.

For dessert I went all out and got the peanut butter chocolate layer cake. Flat out--I loved it. Peanut butter and chocolate got together in more things than just a Reece's and this is one of them. The cake was spectacularly moist and the peanut buttercream frosting was plentiful but not totally overly sweet. More of that slightly salty and sweet that my tastebuds really enjoy. There is also a thin layer of chocolate ganache on the top and some crushed peanuts to give it a hint of texture--just delicious. I could have eaten 3 slices and then curled up for a nice sugar coma nap. But really, who am I kidding, I could have eaten a whole cake. 

So, two out of three ain't bad as they say, especially when the two are very good and one is worth the trip across town for me. They have a whole host of decadent treats in the case upfront.....

and I for one can't wait to go back and try one (or more) of each of them. 

AUNT MARY'S CAFE...WHY YES...HIPSTERS DO BRUNCH IN OAKLAND

It's a lazy, breezy Sunday and I've just spent the day at the Alameda Flea Market, or as it is called now, the Alameda Point Antiques Faire. I won't say all the stuff was antiques, but it's definitely fascinating for both the people and stuff on sale. It is worth going to at least once whether you need anything or not. That being said, we were hungry, so the SO's cousin suggested heading to Aunt Mary's Cafe on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland since we were in the East Bay. 

SINBAD'S RESTAURANT....IT'S A SIN JUST HOW BAD THIS PLACE WAS

Ahhh....institutions....they are what gives a town charm and character and can be a great draw for tourists and locals alike. But at what point does an institution lose it's kitschy charm and character and become just a sad shell of it's former self needing to be put out of its misery? Let's find out shall we.....
Sinbad's Restaurant has been a fixture on the San Francisco waterfront from some 35 years. Located at Pier 2, it has the advantage of built in crowds of tourists who come down to visit the historic Ferry Building. So it was one Sunday when me and the SO were heading down there to grab a quick bite. As we were passing Sinbad's he says "hey let's go." I said "I've never been, but I've heard nothing but bad things about it." "C'mon," he says, "it will be fun and you can write all about it." "Fine," I say, "but you're paying." And that brought us to here.

TAVA INDIAN KITCHEN...IT'S LIKE AN INDIAN VERSION OF CHIPOTLE

When you work in the south of Market area (SOMA) in San Francisco, sometimes it can be a challenge to figure out what to eat for lunch. Yes, there are a fair number of choices, but many have been there awhile and after working down there for over 5 years you can get pretty tired of what there is. Thus, it's always nice when a new place opens to add to the choices. And not just new, but different than the usual sandwich places that seem to abound. One new place is Tava Indian Kitchen. This is their first location in San Francisco but the original is locate in Palo Alto and has done well there. The basic concept here is simple, you can pick either a burroti (an Indian burrito), a rice bowl or a salad bowl and then pick your meat, sauce topping then choose our fixings. It's pretty much like at a Chipotle except instead of Mexican burrito choices it's Indian food choices.

         

If you go with the burroti, this guy (or some other guy) will press a fresh one out for you on this machine that basically flattens and cooks the dough all at the same time. It's kind of neat to see. From there you then go down the line and add the stuff you want. Watching my carbs this day I decided to go with the salad bowl and added chicken and tikka sauce. 

Basically it's chicken tikka masala over lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, purple onions, chilies and a medium spiced cilantro chutney. Yes, it looks a little messy but that was because I bumped it as I sat down at the table. When they are loading it on the lettuce the do nice coordinated portions. First impressions however, are that it all looks really fresh and green and fortunately, it tastes that way too. The chicken was nicely grilled and the tikka sauce was a not too sweet or overly spicy blend of tomatoes and the usual spices cumin, garam masala, paprika, coriander, etc. I like the flavors and with the addition of the cilantro chutney, it added that small extra kick of a medium spice with a touch of lime. The vegetable toppings were crispy and crunchy, adding great additional texture and color to what is a surprisingly tasty and filling lunch meal. I had a brief chat with one of the owners of the place as he was making rounds of the tables asking folks how they liked things. I told him I really enjoyed the food and how fresh things were and he said they cut the vegetables and make the sauces every morning to maintain the flavors and I said keep it up because it's really working. 

If you work near this 2nd and Mission location and are looking for a quick, healthy and new thing to try for lunch one day I highly recommend stopping in and giving them a try--affordable, fast and tasty--you'll be glad you did.