Weekend O' Food
As you can tell from the start of this blog, I do not get out to eat as much as I like or am I a bit lazy at keeping up on writing! Anyhow, here I am and I want to tell you it was a weekend of GREAT food! Maybe it was the weather or something in the air but everything tasted fantastic ~ and the company during the meals was as equally stimulating!
MAVERICK ~ 3316 17th Street
I have been dying to go here and have had to cancel 5 other reservations - there was no way we were canceling again! We arrived a little early to wait for our friends over a glass of Prosecco. There was not any room at the wine bar so they were kind enough to seat us at our table instead of making us wait for the rest of our party. (Bonus points!) It was a really nice evening, warm and balmy for a San Francisco night, the Prosecco (a Prosecco Fantinel Friul) was cold, bubbly and very crisp - great choice so far! Our friends, K & I, decided to order a glass of the Prosecco when they arrived and our waiter, Justy was nice enough to tell us he would charge us for the bottle instead of per glass since it was be a better deal, and we would have more to drink (Another Bonus Point)! The menu was fantastic and offered a range of dishes from vegetarian to full fledged meat eaters! We started with the Fried Baby Artichokes - they did not taste fried at all, I was pleasantly surprised and the arugula with a lemon thyme vinaigrette was a nice compliment. Next we had the Cincy Barbecue Ribs - two words ... kick ass! I love ribs and these tasty little morsels were great! A bit sweet at the beginning and then they ended with a bite!! Our table ordered two of the specials - a Scallop Dish, Ravioli & Fava Beans and the Bourbon Braised Pork Shoulder. I had the Scallop dish - it was a toss up between the trout and the friend chicken, per Justy's recommendation - there is a reason it is a special - ORDER it! I was worried it would be a couple little scallops and I would be starving. Instead it was 3 large succulent guys, grilled to perfection!!! They were nestled on top of some mashed potatoes with a really tasty reduction made w/Proscitto au jus and topped off with a shaving of fresh horseradish - Out of this world!!! I loved it as did my friend, K, who ordered it; our poor guys never even got to sample it! I had a taste of the Ravioli which was creamy but not over the top, still light and a little peppery with the arugula in it and the fava beans were cooked just right, not mushy just a little crisp, finishing with a bit of lemon. Perfect for a warm evening with a glass of bubbly! Next was the Pork - super tender, braised to perfection with a light and tangy bourbon glaze and you can never go wrong with butter beans and a nice pork jus- YUM! We were definitely getting fat & happy by this point but why stop now! We decided to order three desserts and four spoons. You can never go wrong with Huckleberry Bread Pudding, Scharffen Berger Chocolate Tart and a Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble and coffee - all were out of this world! My boyfriend hates eating out as he feels he eats at the best place in town every night & he even gave Maverick a HUGE thumbs up! To sum it up..... Great atmosphere, small & cozy, Justy was one of the best waiters we have ever had (funny, not over the top attentive and knew what he was talking about with regards to food & wine) and the food and wine was really Great! We give it a 5 forks rating and can not wait to go back for the Fried Chicken and their brunch!!! What are you waiting for ? Run, don't walk to get there!!
