There are so many things right about this place - it's unpretentious and let's the quality and preparation of the food speak for itself. I had been read multiple reviews about Sushi Zone and was most notably warned that lines start to form outside before the restaurant opens. Molly and I arrived at 4:45pm on Saturday evening and got in line behind the 5 people who were already there. By the time the doors opened at 5:02pm, there were at least 10 people in line eager to get a seat. The restaurant is small and simply, but tastefully, decorated with a background of classic rock playing. I think the sushi chef was singing along to most of the songs. There are two small booths in the window (that can each seat 4) and a sushi counter with 8 or 9 barstools. We were seated at the bar and quickly scanned the specials board and menu. The kitchen is minimal and consists of a small hot plate and toaster oven just to the side of the suhsi counter. There is one man who makes the hot dishes (soup and a couple baked items, etc.), one waitress and one sushi chef.
We placed our order and were glad to be towards the front of the line-up. Since one sushi chef makes everything, you can't be in a huge rush to get your food. We started with a miso soup, sunomono salad w/ octopus, hot tea and a large unfiltered sake. Slowly our food began to arrive. We started with baked sea bass with mango. It isn't something I would normally be drawn to order, but we overheard a woman outside while we were in line talking about it. The sea bass, mango, butter and some creamy topping are all placed in a large mussel shell and baked in the toaster oven until the top is lightly browned. This dish is amazingly delicious and if i didn't think it would eventually clog my arteries, I would want to eat it everyday. We ordered two rolls; a spicy hamachi roll with avocado, jalapeno and lime, and a soft shelled crab w/ avocado roll (spider roll). I have to say that the spicy hamachi roll may be the best roll I've ever had. The hamachi was left in pretty large chunks lightly covered in a spicy mayo, the jalapeno was flavorful but not too spicy, the avocado fatty and sweet and the lime brightened all of the flavors. We also ordered 2 orders of maguro, 1 hamachi & 1 sake. Everything was superb. The fish was fresh and buttery and the sushi chef cut and prepared everything perfectly. Our meal took and hour and a half and there were a steady stream of people coming in and waiting. I will definitely be back, but do fear the lines a little bit. I've also hear that Sushi Time on Market and Noe is great (inside that little mall below the book store) and doesn't have the lines. That will be my next stop....
Sushi Zone is located at 1815 Market St. @ Pearl St. and is open from 5pm - 10pm daily.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Pinkberry, Los Angeles
I don't know why these new amazing frozen yogurt stores aren't on every corner in every city, because they should be. I visited one in LA this past weekend and it changed the way I feel about frozen yogurt....forever. The store itself is sparse with a wall lined in japanese anime style plastic dishwear and figurines. The frozen yogurt base is a delicious non-fat lemony, panna cotta-y tasting yummy yogurt (there is also a green tea option, but I didn't try that...and don't see a reason to). On top of that you can choose from a variety of fresh fruit (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, kiwi, mango, pineapple...) and dry toppings (almonds, captain crunch, granola, cocoa pebbles, chocolate chips, yogurt chips...). On the day I was there they also had a mochi topping option. Molly and I shared a medium and we able to choose 3 toppings; mango, raspberry and mochi. It was so good! I want one right now just thinking about it. Its a tiny bit pricey at $4.95 for a medium, but the fruit is fresh and I would probably pay twice that for some of that incredible frozen yogurt. If you have the chance to go there, do...repeatedly.
http://www.pinkberry.com
http://www.pinkberry.com
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Sunflower, October 15, 2007
This is one of my all-time favorite restaurants in San Francisco. Molly and I stopped in for a quick lunch on Monday around 1:30pm. They have the best lunch special in town, in my opinion. For $7.95 you get a cup of hot & sour soup, asian cabbage slaw, fresh spring rolls (usually comes with an imperial roll, but I substitute the fress roll for 50 cents), rice and entree. I got the lemongrass prawns, a heaping portion of sauteed green beans, onions, prawns, garlic, lemongrass and chilies. I absolutely love the soup, a tangy and slightly spicy broth with chunks of pineapple, tomatoes, tofu, mushrooms and bean sprouts. The fresh spring rolls, filled with vermicelli noodles, lettuce, mint, basil and shrimps, are one of my favorite food items ever. They serve it with a clear sauce, today a little heavy on the fish sauce, so I also asked for a side of peanut sauce for dipping. I can never eat the entire plate of 5 different items, so it usually makes a great second meal or afternoon snack. Molly ordered the vegetarian noodle soup, a giant bowl filled to the brim, overflowing with rice noodles, cabbage, mushrooms, tofu and a meriad of other vegetables. The portion is definitely enough for 2-3 people, so for $6, this is definitely a great bargain. I never get sick of Sunflower and especially reccommend the lunch special (though any meal there is usually great). I also like the full portion of the hot & sour soup and could probably eat that everyday.
www.sunflower-restaurant.com
www.sunflower-restaurant.com
Monday, October 15, 2007
Incanto, October 14, 2007
A good friend of mine, Elijah, and I had both been watching Iron Chef and happened to see the episode with Chris Constentino vs. Mario Batali. Constentino is a San Francisco-based chef and owner/executive chef of Incanto, and is known for using the "nasty" pig parts. Elijah's birthday was last week and Molly and I decided to take him to Incanto as a birthday present.
We arrived on time for our 6:45pm reservation and emerged into the warm foyer. We started with a glass of prosecco, marinated olives and the salumi platter. I won't lie, I'm not always the most adventurous eater of weird animal parts, and this platter was full of them. Everything was housemade and the platter included; mortadella, house-cured pork belly, head cheese, crispy pig skin/ear/snout salumi, a pate of big belly/shoulder and other parts w/whole grain mustard, pickled ramps, pickled organic baby carrots, pickled onions and heirloom radishes. I was a little overwhelmed when the plate was delivered and in front of me were thinly sliced weird pig parts. BUT, that was part of my excitement in dining at Incanto--- trying new things. The mortadella was delicious; smooth, mildly smokey and sweet. The cured pork belly was amazing and practically melted in my mouth. The pickled ramps (and all of the other pickled items) I could pretty much eat every day, delicious with a hint of clove/allspice. I tried each of the other salumi, but don't know if my tastebuds are sophisticated enough, or accustomed to the taste.
For our next round of appetizers we ordered heirloom peppers stuffed with fresh ricotta with pesto and baby arugula and a crudo of kampachi with pomogranate seeds and smoked salt. Both of these dishes were outstanding and I would eat them again and again. The peppers were delicious and ricotta was soft and frest. The bitter greens and the basil added nice compliments to the softness and sweetness of the peppers and ricotta. The wine we had with this course was perfect (I can't remember the name, but it had the word "kerner" in it), slightly sweet but not too sugary with a muscat-like nose. The crudo was delicious. There was a sauce which tasted like a pomogranate reduction/molasses and there were scattered pomogranate seeds scantly scattered over the plate. The smoked salt was spare in the best way--- not every bite was bombarded with the flavor, but the hint of it was a wonderful complex flavor with the sweetness of the sauce and the bitterness of the seeds.
For our entrees, I ordered papradelle with oxtail ragu and bitter greens (i can't remember which one). Molly ordered skate with sunchokes and chantrelle mushrooms. Elijah ordered the hare with farro polenta, dandilion greens w/ caramelized onions and grapes. Although I ordered the half portion, I found my dish to be incredible small and there wasn't enough of the good stuff. But, I had never eaten oxtail before and was interested in trying it. I don't feel like there was enough of the oxtail, but the bits I had I liked. Elijah's hare dish was delicious-- a large portion with big flavors. I had never had hare and really enjoyed it. It was cooked perfectly and was falling off the bone. The gamey-ness of the hare went well with the full flavor of the farro polenta. There was a heartiness in the farro that could stand up to the hare. A standard polenta would have been lost. The dandilion greens were incredible bitter, but the sweetness of the onions and especially grapes were a clean and refreshing break in the dish. I think Molly's skate was my favorite dish. Molly's only complaint was that it felt a little heavy on the butter, but all of the elements worked incredible well together. The sunchoke cubes and chantrelles made a mound in which the two pieces of fish laid over top. The skate was crispy on the outside, sweet and stringy on the inside and went extremely well with the earthiness of the sunchokes and chantrelles. The chantrelles were beautiful; plump and full of flavor. Sunchokes are something I'm not terribly familiar, but would like to start cooking with. They have the flavor of an artichoke and the texture more like a potato. Overall, a delicious dish.
For dessert we shared a dessert wine flight and a cheese plate with 3 cheeses, fruit & nut bread, stuffed date, and housemade cherry jam. This was the perfect way to finish the meal and the flight included the most delicious 10 yr. masala wine. Overall, the food was delicious, the quality impecible and the presentation elegant. I was least impressed with the service and thought our server left something to be desired. Had the service been better, this would have been a truly great meal. Its funny how much people take great service for granted, but in its absence you can really notice how much it takes away from a meal. It just seems like a shame when you're spending hundreds of dollars, not to feel like you're getting fair & attentive and service.
www.incanto.biz
We arrived on time for our 6:45pm reservation and emerged into the warm foyer. We started with a glass of prosecco, marinated olives and the salumi platter. I won't lie, I'm not always the most adventurous eater of weird animal parts, and this platter was full of them. Everything was housemade and the platter included; mortadella, house-cured pork belly, head cheese, crispy pig skin/ear/snout salumi, a pate of big belly/shoulder and other parts w/whole grain mustard, pickled ramps, pickled organic baby carrots, pickled onions and heirloom radishes. I was a little overwhelmed when the plate was delivered and in front of me were thinly sliced weird pig parts. BUT, that was part of my excitement in dining at Incanto--- trying new things. The mortadella was delicious; smooth, mildly smokey and sweet. The cured pork belly was amazing and practically melted in my mouth. The pickled ramps (and all of the other pickled items) I could pretty much eat every day, delicious with a hint of clove/allspice. I tried each of the other salumi, but don't know if my tastebuds are sophisticated enough, or accustomed to the taste.
For our next round of appetizers we ordered heirloom peppers stuffed with fresh ricotta with pesto and baby arugula and a crudo of kampachi with pomogranate seeds and smoked salt. Both of these dishes were outstanding and I would eat them again and again. The peppers were delicious and ricotta was soft and frest. The bitter greens and the basil added nice compliments to the softness and sweetness of the peppers and ricotta. The wine we had with this course was perfect (I can't remember the name, but it had the word "kerner" in it), slightly sweet but not too sugary with a muscat-like nose. The crudo was delicious. There was a sauce which tasted like a pomogranate reduction/molasses and there were scattered pomogranate seeds scantly scattered over the plate. The smoked salt was spare in the best way--- not every bite was bombarded with the flavor, but the hint of it was a wonderful complex flavor with the sweetness of the sauce and the bitterness of the seeds.
For our entrees, I ordered papradelle with oxtail ragu and bitter greens (i can't remember which one). Molly ordered skate with sunchokes and chantrelle mushrooms. Elijah ordered the hare with farro polenta, dandilion greens w/ caramelized onions and grapes. Although I ordered the half portion, I found my dish to be incredible small and there wasn't enough of the good stuff. But, I had never eaten oxtail before and was interested in trying it. I don't feel like there was enough of the oxtail, but the bits I had I liked. Elijah's hare dish was delicious-- a large portion with big flavors. I had never had hare and really enjoyed it. It was cooked perfectly and was falling off the bone. The gamey-ness of the hare went well with the full flavor of the farro polenta. There was a heartiness in the farro that could stand up to the hare. A standard polenta would have been lost. The dandilion greens were incredible bitter, but the sweetness of the onions and especially grapes were a clean and refreshing break in the dish. I think Molly's skate was my favorite dish. Molly's only complaint was that it felt a little heavy on the butter, but all of the elements worked incredible well together. The sunchoke cubes and chantrelles made a mound in which the two pieces of fish laid over top. The skate was crispy on the outside, sweet and stringy on the inside and went extremely well with the earthiness of the sunchokes and chantrelles. The chantrelles were beautiful; plump and full of flavor. Sunchokes are something I'm not terribly familiar, but would like to start cooking with. They have the flavor of an artichoke and the texture more like a potato. Overall, a delicious dish.
For dessert we shared a dessert wine flight and a cheese plate with 3 cheeses, fruit & nut bread, stuffed date, and housemade cherry jam. This was the perfect way to finish the meal and the flight included the most delicious 10 yr. masala wine. Overall, the food was delicious, the quality impecible and the presentation elegant. I was least impressed with the service and thought our server left something to be desired. Had the service been better, this would have been a truly great meal. Its funny how much people take great service for granted, but in its absence you can really notice how much it takes away from a meal. It just seems like a shame when you're spending hundreds of dollars, not to feel like you're getting fair & attentive and service.
www.incanto.biz
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