25 LUSK IN SAN FRANCISCO...HIGH END FARE THAT'S A LITTLE BETTER THAN FAIR

 It's mine and the SO's seventh anniversary so we are going out for some hifalutin eating to celebrate. This years choice is 25 Lusk down in SOMA, bonus points for it being only a couple blocks from where we live. The space is huge and has a big bar area downstairs.           

          

With cool space age looking fireplaces and big cushy couches I liked the area down at the bar, it pretty much outshines the upstairs dining room. Another one of those places with the industrial wood, metal and brick look. But tonight was about the food and company so we tucked into the menu. 

PICCINO...EATING IN DOGPATCH NEVER TASTED SO GOOD

Being on the edge of the Dogpatch neighborhood in San Francisco I've managed to eat at most of places down there. One place I finally got around to trying is Piccino.

A cute welcoming place with lots of blond wood, it's gotten tons of press since it opened a while back and though I may not be able to add anything new to the mixture of raves heaped upon the place, I figured I'd still give it my best shot. The menu is short and focused, again with the whole local/sustainable thing, which in this case works fine for me and I don't feel overwhelmed with choices. I've got the SO along to share with so we are going the full bore prime, secondi, pizza and dessert. 

FABLE IN THE CASTRO....A RESTAURANT TALE THAT'S OFT TOLD IN SAN FRANCISCO

Yes, it's relatively new restaurant time. My latest foray took me and a friend to a new place in the Castro called Fable.

PICA PICA MAIZE KITCHEN VENEZUELAN FOOD BEST SERVED HOT OFF THE GRILL

**SADLY LOOKS LIKE THIS LOCATION HAS CLOSED DOWN. BUT DON'T FRET YOU CAN STILL VISIT LOCATION ON VALENCIA AND 15TH.**

Pica Pica has had a location in the Mission for some time now and every time I go by the place I always say, I need to try them sometime. But, alas, my procrastination gets the best of me and I never quite make it. Then they decided to open a location in the Castro and fortunately for me, a friend of mine who lives near there wanted to grab a bite one night so I told her to meet me there. Tucked just off Market and Castro street and around the corner on 17th, if I hadn't been looking for it I probably would have missed it. Going inside it's a cute little bi-level place and since we are the only folks here (we are like blue plate special early) we decide to just sit upstairs and look down on everything, plus it makes a better picture. 

We are both pretty hungry but decide we want to try a few dishes so we pick 3 that we can split. 

CINECITTA...OLD SCHOOL TRADITIONAL ITALIAN PIZZA IN NORTH BEACH

***IN SAD NEWS, THIS PLACE HAS CLOSED. TOO BAD, SHE MADE REALLY GOOD FOOD IN A CASUAL ATMOSPHERE. SHE'LL BE MISSED***

What is it they say, "the best laid plans of mice and men...something..something...something." That's the way it was one Saturday night when the SO and I went to North Beach in search of pizza. Originally I had my eye on Tony's Neapolitan, but ugh, the hostess said the wait was 90 minutes! Are you kidding me! Just as well, the place was packed with tourists...and kids. We turned around in search of another place. About a block or so down, just across Columbus Avenue was a tiny narrow place called Cinecitta.

                      

Walking in, it did kind of remind me of the neighborhood joints I dined at when in Italy. There was only one other couple there so we seated ourselves and were greeted by the lady who actually owned the place. She was very lovely and while chatting she said she still had family in Italy and they had a large farm and that is where she got all her flour and yeast from. She gets a shipment every month along with some olive oil. Hey, if you can, why not? Keeping that in mind we decided to go with the fresh oven baked stuff and ordered a calzone and a pizza.

KILLED BY DESSERT EVENT...A PRETTY ACCURATE DESCRIPTION

Pastry chefs from some of the best eating places in San Francisco got together Saturday for a charity bake sale called Killed By Dessert. Proceeds raised go toward No Kid Hungry, which is both great and slightly odd at the same time as we would be gorging ourselves on sweets and stuff in order to help feed the hungry, but I went with it anyway. Held at the San Francisco Cooking School when I arrived there was already a line formed to get in. Fortunately I was early enough that the line wasn't too long and I didn't have to wait too long before getting in. Once you get in you get boxes to put your choices in but there was no place to sit and try it out, it was strictly cash (or credit) and carry. Here's the line up:

· Christina Tosi, Momofuku Milk Bar (NYC) compost cookies, cornflake cookies, blueberry & cream cookies, crack pie by the slice

· Bill Corbett, The Absinthe Group: A pretzel croissant and a porcini marshmallow meringue with roasted white chocolate ganache and an oatmeal crust, all blowtorched for a campfire taste.

· Shawn Gawle, Saison: Craquelins, caneles, and caramelized cocoa nib & sesame financiers

· Lincoln Carson, the Mina Group: Two times twisted vanilla brioche: version one with vanilla, bourbon and cardamom or version two with bacon, sage, and smoked pepper

· Nicole Krasinski, State Bird Provisions: Black sesame-walnut chocoyaki with roasted strawberries

· Melissa Chou, Aziza: An entremet of black currant, vanilla, hazelnut, and fennel

· Stephanie Prida, Manresa: Laminated brioche and Nutella

· Matt Tinder, Coi: Bittersweet bread with yuzu and chocolate

SIFT CUPCAKE AND DESSERT BAR...THIS ISN'T HELPING KEEP CUPCAKES POPULAR

I feel like I've pretty much established how much I like, no love, cupcakes. I'm always on a quest to try them wherever they pop up. Some have the folly to say the fad is over and it's all about donuts now, and while they are good, they are not the small servings of cake and icing that bring me small moments of sugary joy. That's what brought me to Sift Cupcake + Dessert Bar. This is their fourth location and they won an episode of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network so I took my high hopes to their shop to try 'em out. 

It's a cute little shop just off Fillmore with some tables out front to sit, a sitting bar around the wall and a case full of cupcakes and sweet confections. After looking at the choices I decided to go with the Battle Royale, which was a winner on Cupcake Wars and the Knock Your Sox Off. 

CITIZEN'S BAND IN SOMA...A GOOD FOOD FREQUENCY

Another Saturday night and, well, I got somebody, but we ain't got reservations anywhere. Saturday night dinner out can be just like brunch on Sunday in this town--you either have your name in somewhere or you better be prepared to wait because it seems everyone is out eating at the place you probably want to go. As it was for me and the SO when we just decided at the last minute to go out and grab a bite. I'm running through some places in my head that are in SOMA and remember Citizen's Band. It's been kicking around for a few years and I vaguely remembering going there some time ago but didn't remember much, besides the "decor".