Wednesday, January 29, 2014

THE CAVALIER IN SAN FRANCISCO IT'S A HOTEL RESTAURANT BUT THEN AGAIN IT'S NOT.....

Dine About Town is making it's way through San Francisco this month (it ends on January 31st) offering the chance to try some of the different restaurants in town that one may not normally get to, or be able to afford. It's basically a prix fixe lunch or dinner and depending on which place you hit up you can save some change off the regular menu price of the same items. It was with this in mind that the SO and I decided to saunter down to The Cavalier for lunch one day and finally give this place a try. Opened by the folks who run both Marlowe and Park Tavern, it sits on the ground floor of Hotel Zetta, and you can access it through the lobby, but it also has it's own entrance on a side street. So it is part of the hotel, but not really.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS


Tasty treats from Moscow & Tbilisi Bakery way out in the Richmond District on Geary.

Something called the Good Food Awards happened this past weekend and for those (like me) who couldn't afford the tix...here's who won.

Because San Francisco really needs a new pizza spot...(actually we do)...Pizza Hacker goes totally legit with a brick and mortar location.

Beer flavored Jelly Belly's----because beer is the new black in food.

The Super Bowl's coming up so here's where to get your wings for the game.

AQ is moving to prix fixe only menu...at least it's not as pricey as Saison. (and they are dropping brunch! horrors!)

Dishcrawl does a Mishcrawl (means they are hitting up the Mission...I think).

Restaurant soundtracks...now we know who to blame..for some of it anyway.

If you are going to nosh at the Ferry Plaza you may as well eat dessert...then walk it off.

Ha ha! $4 toast again!....ugh people, just let it go.

A fascinating history of Jell-O. No really.

Wearing those nasty rubber gloves affects your bartender too. Don't want your cocktail to taste like latex then sign this

Thursday, January 23, 2014

FALLING DOWN THE CRONUT KNOCK-OFF HOLE (AGAIN!) AT FILLMORE BAKESHOP

Just when it seems safe to move on from one food craze to another, an original rears it's sweetly sugared head again and you get suckered back into trying something you'd hereby given up as it will never be as good as the original that you have no acess to anyway. Yes, it's the local cronut knock-off again. After sugar-shocking myself through Posh Bagel Bakeries densely over-cooked monstrosity I swore off trying others. If you can't get the original, why bother? Then along came Fillmore Bakeshop with their own version which they are just flat out calling a cronut. Now it's not all that new, they started doing these toward the end of last year and got a lot of press and for awhile had lines out the door as they only made and served them on Saturdays. Marketing gimmick? Maybe, but it worked. They couldn't keep them in stock. Seeing this at the time I momentarily consider braving the early morning line and giving them a try. Then I realized, I don't have that much fear of missing out (FOMO for you online folks). And if they are truly good they will still be around in a few months time when lines will no longer need to be traversed just to try one.

So it was that I found myself on the 38 Geary one heavily misty Saturday morning venturing over to Fillmore Street to finally give their version of these things a try. Fortunately they only have two kinds, thus I won't have to run 20 miles after downing them. There is a glazed and a cinnamon sugar.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

EATALY CHICAGO IS A FOODPLOSION....BUT WAS IT WORTH IT?

I was in Chicago over the holidays and while there I was determined to check out Eataly--sort of a department store of food and eats aimed directly at the foodie market and a bit at the Food Network Market. I read innumerable things about the place before, during and after it opened and was intrigued at least to check it out and see what all the hype was about. It was a bitterly cold day when we got there right before they opened. They have a coffee cafe downstairs that we waited at until the place officially opened. Walking in the place is very clean, very white (lots of white tile) and very, very huge. It is two full floors of food and it's related accessories. I took a number of pictures of the place and below are a few--if you want to see the full range you can check them all at my tumblr here or flickr here.

       


Friday, January 17, 2014

FOOD NEWS YOU MIGHT NEED FOR YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION

The hot bar at Bayside Market in South Beach serves up some really good stuffed cabbage on their hot bar.


Weed butter ?! Wow! Really? Umm...I guess this would go over well here and possibly parts of the South?

Another San Francisco food critic who doesn't "totally" like TBD....though he still gave it 2 1/2 stars?

Mission Chinese Food gets its own beer. In related news Danny Bowien's ego reaches new heights.

Dine About Town abounds in San Francisco and Eater SF rounds up best and worst deals--must get to The Cavalier.

Look out here they come--it's Dunkin' Donuts. God help us all and our cholesterol. 

SOMA StrEatFood Park may have some challenger at 2nd and Townsend. Though eating under a freeway? Could pretend your homeless?

Traci Des Jardins' new Presidio restaurant the Commissary, I'm sure it will be better than Army food. 

A donut breakfast sandwich in San Francisco--and not from a chain. Straw keeps ramping up the ridiculous carnival fare. 

Because there just aren't enough brunch spots in town 7x7 adds more to the mix. Does it mean I won't have to wait in line though is the more important question.

When you are too busy (lazy) to go out for food SFist says try these places.

Monday, January 13, 2014

AUNTIE APRIL'S SERVES UP DOWN HOME IN SAN FRANCISCO

Ahhh...chicken and waffles--it's become a staple here at a number of Bay Area restaurants--and it's done to varying degrees of good to ehh. I won't say I'm the biggest fan of the trend, I mean I like a good fried chicken and I like a good waffle, but I not necessarily together. For me I have to be in a particular mood to chow down on them and today is one of those days. I decided to go off the beaten track for it as it were and head out to one of the original purveyors of the trend Auntie April's (no website but lots of reviews around).

Saturday, January 11, 2014

FOOD NEWS FOR THE WEEK YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEEDED...THOUGH YOU PROBABLY DON'T



Red velvet twinkie and pumpkin spice twinkie knock-offs from Pretty Please Bakeshop. Nice idea but these were way too sweet. Just the cream filling would have been fine, the sugar glaze on top was too much even for me. 


KQED tells area newbies how to fix crab in different ways, since it's crab season.

Foodie(?) restaurant updates from 7X7...and these might actually be worth checking out. 

You can get pizza in the Presidio now!! Because you couldn't before?              

Another San Francisco 2013 best of...by another person who doesn't live here.

Yeah! Frances will be open on Mondays for dinner! Now can someone get me a reservation?

7x7 says these are the 10 new restaurant openings to be excited about...I'd say they are half right.

Breakfast ice cream? Of course it's from Humphrey Slocombe. Eater breaks it down for you. Though it's really only for skinny hipsters and people with high metabolisms...b***tards.  

Domino's Pizza and Ford Trucks teamed up for an app..for when you want to sit in a parking lot and order a pizza.

Why Bay Area food prices are higher, so says SFGate. Can't we just blame techies for this too?

San Francisco Magazine gives up the recipe for Mission Chinese Foods wings. Make them to serve at your 49er game get together this weekend and watch your friends roll their eyes.

The rubber glove industry just got a big boost from California. But will the food have a latex after taste? (I read this and am still confused)

Thursday, January 9, 2014

CHEESE GONE WILD FOOD TRUCK...A GRILLED CHEESE SHOULDN'T BE THAT HARD TO DO

It's a bright, warm, sunny day on Treasure Island and me and the SO are traipsing through the weekend flea market here. It's gotten a lot bigger since the last time we came by--more vendors and fortunately more food choices. After wandering down the length of the row of offerings I settle on one that I haven't seen before called Cheese Gone Wild. Their specialty is variations of grilled cheese sandwiches and something buttery, crunchy and cheesy sounds really good right now.


Sunday, January 5, 2014

1760 ON POLK IN SAN FRANCISCO...IT'S MORE THAN A NUMBER BUT LESS THAN EXPECTED

Expectations, I've talked about them before in relation to trying new places. Going in I usually try to temper down things and just go with the flow of the place and see what they offer. However, with 1760 I had a bit of hope since it is a new venture by the folks from Aquerello, a place I had one of the best meals I've ever had. From the appetizer to the entree to the dessert and the wine pairings, it was a spot on meal (and most expensive). So in the back of my mind there was a little excitement for this new place. The goal and mission statement is to be a local, organic, etc. ingredient driven mid-priced range restaurant. At least that's how I interpreted it.

Me and Miss O decided to give the place a try as a holiday dinner and it was surprisingly easy to get a reservation. Located on Polk Street, past the Tenderloin section, on a corner that used to host a Mexican chicken joint. The space is what I'll call many shades of gray and dark, even though two whole sides are windows to the street.

Friday, January 3, 2014

THIS PAST WEEK IN FOOD NEWS YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEEDED......


                       

Market and Rye are still churning out great brunch stuff in their new expanded location in Portrero Hill...they really are worth checking out. 


SF Weekly really has it in for TBD the new restaurant from the AQ folks...

That Tamale Lady person gets a store...what do the rest of us get?

And not to be outdone she tells Inside Scoop SF all about it....

Eater asks writers what's hot and what's not...and alas they tell us.

The best things Zagat people ate last year...though they didn't really have to pay for it like us...

Owners of recently re-opened Tosca Cafe already expanding empire into "seedier" locations....SFGate

Mission Bowling Clubs fried chicken recipe by way of 7x7 Magazine because...why not.

The Taste season 2 (why?!) returned to tv screens Thursday night and you'd think an off the cuff Anthony Bourdain and an (allegedly?) coked up Nigella Lawson would make this show more interesting....it doesn't.

All the new restaurants that are due to open in 2014 are here on SFGate... though don't get too excited until they actually open.


Saveur serves up 28 one pot recipes to get your "I'm totally lazy" new year off right.

Or if you want to eat right (why?) Delish serves up 50 recipes to try in the new year.

Ever wonder what went on at a restaurant? (okay, not me, been there, done that) If so check out 24 hours at Delfina.


Oh, and a HAPPY FOOD NEW TO EVERYONE!!



Wednesday, January 29, 2014

THE CAVALIER IN SAN FRANCISCO IT'S A HOTEL RESTAURANT BUT THEN AGAIN IT'S NOT.....

Dine About Town is making it's way through San Francisco this month (it ends on January 31st) offering the chance to try some of the different restaurants in town that one may not normally get to, or be able to afford. It's basically a prix fixe lunch or dinner and depending on which place you hit up you can save some change off the regular menu price of the same items. It was with this in mind that the SO and I decided to saunter down to The Cavalier for lunch one day and finally give this place a try. Opened by the folks who run both Marlowe and Park Tavern, it sits on the ground floor of Hotel Zetta, and you can access it through the lobby, but it also has it's own entrance on a side street. So it is part of the hotel, but not really.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS


Tasty treats from Moscow & Tbilisi Bakery way out in the Richmond District on Geary.

Something called the Good Food Awards happened this past weekend and for those (like me) who couldn't afford the tix...here's who won.

Because San Francisco really needs a new pizza spot...(actually we do)...Pizza Hacker goes totally legit with a brick and mortar location.

Beer flavored Jelly Belly's----because beer is the new black in food.

The Super Bowl's coming up so here's where to get your wings for the game.

AQ is moving to prix fixe only menu...at least it's not as pricey as Saison. (and they are dropping brunch! horrors!)

Dishcrawl does a Mishcrawl (means they are hitting up the Mission...I think).

Restaurant soundtracks...now we know who to blame..for some of it anyway.

If you are going to nosh at the Ferry Plaza you may as well eat dessert...then walk it off.

Ha ha! $4 toast again!....ugh people, just let it go.

A fascinating history of Jell-O. No really.

Wearing those nasty rubber gloves affects your bartender too. Don't want your cocktail to taste like latex then sign this

Thursday, January 23, 2014

FALLING DOWN THE CRONUT KNOCK-OFF HOLE (AGAIN!) AT FILLMORE BAKESHOP

Just when it seems safe to move on from one food craze to another, an original rears it's sweetly sugared head again and you get suckered back into trying something you'd hereby given up as it will never be as good as the original that you have no acess to anyway. Yes, it's the local cronut knock-off again. After sugar-shocking myself through Posh Bagel Bakeries densely over-cooked monstrosity I swore off trying others. If you can't get the original, why bother? Then along came Fillmore Bakeshop with their own version which they are just flat out calling a cronut. Now it's not all that new, they started doing these toward the end of last year and got a lot of press and for awhile had lines out the door as they only made and served them on Saturdays. Marketing gimmick? Maybe, but it worked. They couldn't keep them in stock. Seeing this at the time I momentarily consider braving the early morning line and giving them a try. Then I realized, I don't have that much fear of missing out (FOMO for you online folks). And if they are truly good they will still be around in a few months time when lines will no longer need to be traversed just to try one.

So it was that I found myself on the 38 Geary one heavily misty Saturday morning venturing over to Fillmore Street to finally give their version of these things a try. Fortunately they only have two kinds, thus I won't have to run 20 miles after downing them. There is a glazed and a cinnamon sugar.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

EATALY CHICAGO IS A FOODPLOSION....BUT WAS IT WORTH IT?

I was in Chicago over the holidays and while there I was determined to check out Eataly--sort of a department store of food and eats aimed directly at the foodie market and a bit at the Food Network Market. I read innumerable things about the place before, during and after it opened and was intrigued at least to check it out and see what all the hype was about. It was a bitterly cold day when we got there right before they opened. They have a coffee cafe downstairs that we waited at until the place officially opened. Walking in the place is very clean, very white (lots of white tile) and very, very huge. It is two full floors of food and it's related accessories. I took a number of pictures of the place and below are a few--if you want to see the full range you can check them all at my tumblr here or flickr here.

       


Friday, January 17, 2014

FOOD NEWS YOU MIGHT NEED FOR YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION

The hot bar at Bayside Market in South Beach serves up some really good stuffed cabbage on their hot bar.


Weed butter ?! Wow! Really? Umm...I guess this would go over well here and possibly parts of the South?

Another San Francisco food critic who doesn't "totally" like TBD....though he still gave it 2 1/2 stars?

Mission Chinese Food gets its own beer. In related news Danny Bowien's ego reaches new heights.

Dine About Town abounds in San Francisco and Eater SF rounds up best and worst deals--must get to The Cavalier.

Look out here they come--it's Dunkin' Donuts. God help us all and our cholesterol. 

SOMA StrEatFood Park may have some challenger at 2nd and Townsend. Though eating under a freeway? Could pretend your homeless?

Traci Des Jardins' new Presidio restaurant the Commissary, I'm sure it will be better than Army food. 

A donut breakfast sandwich in San Francisco--and not from a chain. Straw keeps ramping up the ridiculous carnival fare. 

Because there just aren't enough brunch spots in town 7x7 adds more to the mix. Does it mean I won't have to wait in line though is the more important question.

When you are too busy (lazy) to go out for food SFist says try these places.

Monday, January 13, 2014

AUNTIE APRIL'S SERVES UP DOWN HOME IN SAN FRANCISCO

Ahhh...chicken and waffles--it's become a staple here at a number of Bay Area restaurants--and it's done to varying degrees of good to ehh. I won't say I'm the biggest fan of the trend, I mean I like a good fried chicken and I like a good waffle, but I not necessarily together. For me I have to be in a particular mood to chow down on them and today is one of those days. I decided to go off the beaten track for it as it were and head out to one of the original purveyors of the trend Auntie April's (no website but lots of reviews around).

Saturday, January 11, 2014

FOOD NEWS FOR THE WEEK YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEEDED...THOUGH YOU PROBABLY DON'T



Red velvet twinkie and pumpkin spice twinkie knock-offs from Pretty Please Bakeshop. Nice idea but these were way too sweet. Just the cream filling would have been fine, the sugar glaze on top was too much even for me. 


KQED tells area newbies how to fix crab in different ways, since it's crab season.

Foodie(?) restaurant updates from 7X7...and these might actually be worth checking out. 

You can get pizza in the Presidio now!! Because you couldn't before?              

Another San Francisco 2013 best of...by another person who doesn't live here.

Yeah! Frances will be open on Mondays for dinner! Now can someone get me a reservation?

7x7 says these are the 10 new restaurant openings to be excited about...I'd say they are half right.

Breakfast ice cream? Of course it's from Humphrey Slocombe. Eater breaks it down for you. Though it's really only for skinny hipsters and people with high metabolisms...b***tards.  

Domino's Pizza and Ford Trucks teamed up for an app..for when you want to sit in a parking lot and order a pizza.

Why Bay Area food prices are higher, so says SFGate. Can't we just blame techies for this too?

San Francisco Magazine gives up the recipe for Mission Chinese Foods wings. Make them to serve at your 49er game get together this weekend and watch your friends roll their eyes.

The rubber glove industry just got a big boost from California. But will the food have a latex after taste? (I read this and am still confused)

Thursday, January 9, 2014

CHEESE GONE WILD FOOD TRUCK...A GRILLED CHEESE SHOULDN'T BE THAT HARD TO DO

It's a bright, warm, sunny day on Treasure Island and me and the SO are traipsing through the weekend flea market here. It's gotten a lot bigger since the last time we came by--more vendors and fortunately more food choices. After wandering down the length of the row of offerings I settle on one that I haven't seen before called Cheese Gone Wild. Their specialty is variations of grilled cheese sandwiches and something buttery, crunchy and cheesy sounds really good right now.


Sunday, January 5, 2014

1760 ON POLK IN SAN FRANCISCO...IT'S MORE THAN A NUMBER BUT LESS THAN EXPECTED

Expectations, I've talked about them before in relation to trying new places. Going in I usually try to temper down things and just go with the flow of the place and see what they offer. However, with 1760 I had a bit of hope since it is a new venture by the folks from Aquerello, a place I had one of the best meals I've ever had. From the appetizer to the entree to the dessert and the wine pairings, it was a spot on meal (and most expensive). So in the back of my mind there was a little excitement for this new place. The goal and mission statement is to be a local, organic, etc. ingredient driven mid-priced range restaurant. At least that's how I interpreted it.

Me and Miss O decided to give the place a try as a holiday dinner and it was surprisingly easy to get a reservation. Located on Polk Street, past the Tenderloin section, on a corner that used to host a Mexican chicken joint. The space is what I'll call many shades of gray and dark, even though two whole sides are windows to the street.

Friday, January 3, 2014

THIS PAST WEEK IN FOOD NEWS YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEEDED......


                       

Market and Rye are still churning out great brunch stuff in their new expanded location in Portrero Hill...they really are worth checking out. 


SF Weekly really has it in for TBD the new restaurant from the AQ folks...

That Tamale Lady person gets a store...what do the rest of us get?

And not to be outdone she tells Inside Scoop SF all about it....

Eater asks writers what's hot and what's not...and alas they tell us.

The best things Zagat people ate last year...though they didn't really have to pay for it like us...

Owners of recently re-opened Tosca Cafe already expanding empire into "seedier" locations....SFGate

Mission Bowling Clubs fried chicken recipe by way of 7x7 Magazine because...why not.

The Taste season 2 (why?!) returned to tv screens Thursday night and you'd think an off the cuff Anthony Bourdain and an (allegedly?) coked up Nigella Lawson would make this show more interesting....it doesn't.

All the new restaurants that are due to open in 2014 are here on SFGate... though don't get too excited until they actually open.


Saveur serves up 28 one pot recipes to get your "I'm totally lazy" new year off right.

Or if you want to eat right (why?) Delish serves up 50 recipes to try in the new year.

Ever wonder what went on at a restaurant? (okay, not me, been there, done that) If so check out 24 hours at Delfina.


Oh, and a HAPPY FOOD NEW TO EVERYONE!!