Blackberry Ice Cream

I couldn’t decide which flavor ice cream I should get at Downtown Bakery & Creamery in Healdsburg, so I asked what their specialty is. “The blackberry – it’s grown locally here.” So there you go. Home-made blackberry ice cream, locally grown, locally made, and locally enjoyed. Enough said.

308 Center St
Ste A
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 431-2719

Croque Madam

I can’t say it’s the best I’ve ever had, but I do think that the croque madam from Bistro M over at Windsor is one of the best. There was a good balance of cheese, ham and bread, and the egg on top is always a good call. I think what made this dish even better was the fries that it came crispy and seasoned with garlic and parsley, plus a small side of greens. It was a pretty hefty dish, and all for only $10.

It was a Saturday, and their Saturday special was the cote de boeuf, or beef rib-eye. It was excellent – thick and melt-in-your-mouth juicy. They also offer a three-course pre-fixe option, which came with a soup, quiche florentine, and a small slice of lemon tart. Not bad!

Service was excellent, prices were decent, and there’s a lot in the menu to choose from. I’d go back the next time I’m in town.

610 McClelland Dr
Windsor, CA 95492
(707) 838-3118

I like Spork. It’s like a spruced up diner, like something right out LA, but in San Francisco so it’s not superficial at all. Just kidding. Anyway, I went there for brunch, and it was fun. The menu is small so it’s not too hard to decide what to order, and all the items are your standard brunch items with a twist. My favorites were their pastrami benedict, their toasted French bread pudding, and their in-side-out burger. See – nothing is quite normal, right? My one complaint is – where’s the spork?

1058 Valencia St
(between Hill St & 22nd St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 643-5000

Last time I tried the porchetta di testa at Boccalone. This time, I tried their coppa di testa, which translates to “cup of head”, and I liked it even better. From what they described, it’s basically the same as porchetta di testa – a deboned pig’s head, seasoned, tied, and cooked – but braised, so it has more flavor.

Click here to watch the video of how the pig’s head is done.

1 Ferry Bldg
San Francisco, CA 94111
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
(415) 433-6500

All the rave is on The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, which opened in SOMA a few months ago. Actually, it’s the vegetarians that seems to really love it. I went to check it out, and yes, it’s true – it is that damn good. Well, except I prefer my sandwich with meat. My favorite was their Club Turkey, with its sharp cheddar, havarti, and turkey. The turkey was nowhere near dry, which is why I really liked it. I also liked their Jalapeno Popper sandwich, which tastes like eating a jalapeno popper but without the spiciness so that anyone can enjoy it. (Note: I like spicy food.) At about $9 a sandwich, it’s possibly the most expensive grilled cheese sandwich you’ll ever eat, but that’s quality for you. Oh, and I went on a Saturday and there was plenty of parking, even non-metered ones.

1 S Park Ave
(at 2nd St)
San Francisco, CA 94107
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 243-0107

Just had lunch at Wayfare Tavern for Anita’s birthday (Happy Birthday Anita!) and we all loved it. The mac and cheese was rich and creamy, and the foie gras was, well, let’s just say the duck’s miserable life left four people happy. The steak and eggs was very comforting, the burger being one of the better ones I’ve had, the fried chicken also among the best (though my favorite by far is still from Little Skillet), and the halibut cooked the way it’s described – crispy.

I think that in terms of food, the restaurant is one of the best when it comes to pastries. The complimentary puff pastry before the meal was just so much better than your typical baguette from other restaurants, and it would actually be something I’d pay for. The burger used a very light and fluffy brioche bun. And their desserts – to die for.

We were torn between the peach pie and the pineapple upside-down cake. That pineapple upside-down cake was topped with salted caramel ice cream and it made for a great combo. However, I’d have to say that their peach pie was my favorite. I couldn’t figure it out at first, but after looking it up, now I know – it was topped with goat milk ice cream. It’s definitely a unique taste. The pie crust was made perfect – crispy, flaky, and it held together. The peaches were fresh and very thinly sliced. It’s a must eat!

By the way, I also want to add that even though this isn’t a $$$$$ restaurant, their service was among the best. We had reservations and ended up having to wait an extra 30 minutes, but the whole restaurant staff knew of it and was very apologetic, even to the point of offering us free dessert. Tyler Florence’s new restaurant is a winner!

558 Sacramento St
(between Leidesdorff St & Montgomery St)
San Francisco, CA 94111
Neighborhood: Financial District
(415) 772-9060

My favorite dessert bakery in the Bay Area is Satura Cakes. I usually go to their Palo Alto location since it’s closer to me. They bake European treats with a Japanese/Asian taste, which usually means less on the sugar overload and more on the flavors. Just about anytime I get something there, I’m never disappointed.

This time I went for their Chestnut Mont Blanc cake since I’m a huge fan of this French treat. It’s everything I could ask for – rich, chestnut cream and actual chestnuts topped on a layer of a moist sponge cake. My favorite this time, however, was their Strawberry-Misu – think Tiramisu, but strawberry. No rum or cocoa here – it’s been replaced with strawberry preserve and fresh strawberries. Add mascarpone and a sponge cake at the bottom and you have yourself a strawberry-misu.

320 University Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 326-3393

The first thing I thought after we finished lunching at 5a5 Steak Lounge was, that was a damn good burger! We all ordered our Kobe burgers medium, fearing that medium-rare would cause the patty to crumble, but when it came, it was red enough to be medium-rare but without it falling apart. It was nice and juicy, and I got mine with caramelized onions and peppered bacon, though all the toppings sounded good. Their “Philet” cheesesteak sandwich, a filet mignon-twist to a Philly cheesesteak, was also good, but the burger won us all.

I guess I can say that all of us who had lunch there are pretty picky when it comes to food, but we enjoyed everything right down to their mac & cheese and mashed potatoes. This is the gourmet versions, so don’t expect Kraft or Idaho Spuds. Only the good stuff here. Side of fries, onion rings, and salad were good too.

They were also nice enough to give us a complimentary cheesecake to share since they somehow overheard that it was Candy’s birthday. Speaking of service, our waiter even offered to place Candy’s bouquet of flowers in some water while we dined. Now that’s service!

Happy birthday, Candy!

244 Jackson St
(between Front St & Battery St)
San Francisco, CA 94111
Neighborhood: Financial District
(415) 989-2539

I know that a lot of people are big fans of PPQ Dungeness Island Vietnamese Cuisine over on Clement and 25th, but I haven’t really been impressed with it until this past weekend when I went there for lunch for my brother’s birthday. I’ve gone there a few other times before for dinner on the weekends and the quality just felt like a super low end version of Crustaceans or Thanh Long, but when I went there for lunch this time, everything was so much better. (Maybe because it wasn’t crowded at all and they actually put time and effort into their cooking?)

PPQ’s peppercorn crab (Cua Rang Muoi) came out fried, covered with bits of crispy garlic and peppers. There was no need for crackers as the shells easily cracked open after having been deep fried. Their roasted crab (Cua Xao Bo), doused with butter and garlic, was good too, but it was unanimous – we all loved PPQ’s peppercorn crab. (Seasonal rate was $37.99 per crab.)

2332 Clement St
(between 24th Ave & 25th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
(415) 386-8266

There’s a new ice cream shop in town and it’s name is Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous. I like that name. I think I’d go to just about any store named like that. The shop is loaded with families, probably because it is in the Potrero Hill/Dogpatch district, which is just about all residential. It was a little hard to find even though it was prominently at the corner of 22nd and 3rd, but once (if) they get their sign up, it should be easier.

Anyway, they have a lot of cool flavors, all home-made, of course. I won’t get into details about all of them, so for now, I’ll just talk about their “Ballpark” ice cream. It’s Anchor Steam beer, peanuts, and chocolate pretzels. Sounds fun! The beer flavor isn’t as strong as other ice creameries’ in the city, but you can definitely taste it. I guess it makes for a better treat to kids too since they shouldn’t be consuming alcohol. I’m not a fan of beer, but I’d get it again.

699 22nd St
(between Illinois St & 3rd St)
San Francisco, CA 94107
Neighborhoods: Dogpatch, Potrero Hill