New York, NY

Pudding Stones ~ 1457 3rd Ave, 212.717.5797

I nice little wine bar in the Upper East side that we found late one night. The atmosphere is very casual but chic, dimly lite and romantic. Their wine list is small but offers a nice selection from around the world. We opted for a couple of their flights, a red and a white which were pleasantly diverse and delicous. We also had the cheese plate which was very nice. Great little spot for stopping by on your way home or even to grab a glass before going out!

San Francisco, CA

Barracuda ~ 2251 Market Street, Tel: 415.558.8547

Dined with our friends A & J at this happening new sushi spot. It use to be the spot of Tin Pan. Still is a lively little spot which is dimly light and great house music playing in the background, not to mention the hunky waiters .... so, the Castro! We started the evening with a couple bottles of warm sake and a couple orders of the crazy crab roll - the sake was warm and went down nicely with this crazy crab which was pretty darn good as well. Very fresh crab tempura, which was not overly fried and the roll finished with a bit of a garlic bite to it - unexpected but nice touch. Then we ordered the gyoza, which I normally do not like, but thy were not too large, nice bite size, again not fried but still crispy on the outside and the dipping sauce was delicious! We then moved to a couple platters of the Pink Lady which was a lobster roll - out of this world! A little spicy and the lobster was succulent! Then we moved onto a couple orders of the super spicy tuna roll, which had a nice hamachi topping with sliced jalapenos - very yummy! We finished off the platters the sizzling steak tower, which was strips of steak, cooked medium rare and served over a bed of steamed spinach with a light teriyaki sauce. Everything was really fresh from the fish to the veggies and the service was equally as great from the bartenders all the way to the bus boys! We had a great time and will definitely go back!

I give this a 5 fork or 5 chopstick rating!

San Francisco, CA

TAO Cafe ~ 1000 Guerrero, Tel : 415 641 9955

I have driven by TAO on a daily basis for the past 5 years, but have never eaten there. Last night we wanted to meet our friend B for dinner somewhere casual, reasonable and good, where we could focus on catching up. In all honesty my moment of excitement was crushed when B said he was not really that impressed with TAO but that he would go along as company was more important. I arrived with low expectations at this point. The spot is really nice and very cozy – dimly light with soft yellow colored walls it really warms up the atmosphere. I loved the round tables with high backed straw chairs - not only great looking but very comfortable. As well you can't beat listening to Serge Gainsbourg in the background. The wait staff was very friendly as well as funny - always making these subtle little jokes during conversations. We started with the crab wontons - they were served on a bed of shredded carrots with a slightly spicy sauce. They were crispy on the outside and warm and flavorful on the inside - in all honesty, L loved them more than I did but they were tasty, I just was not in love with them. For our entrees, I ordered the Veggie Spicy Garlic noodles with zucchini, bell pepper, eggplant, tomato & onion, L ordered the Lemongrass-crusted bass fillet, plantain banana, light curry sauce with white rice and B ordered the Spicy Fresh rolls of grilled beef with lemongrass, ginger & green onion with tamarind sauce. I loved my noodle dish - spicy but not overwhelming, the veggies were still slightly crunchy and the garlic and chili sauce was bursting with flavor - I was very happy. L's dish of Lemongrass-crusted bass was outstanding as well. The fish was little fried, but not oily at all, a little crunchy on the outside and very moist and flaky on the instead and lightly seasoned the yellow curry sauce served with it was really delicious and brought out the flavor of the fish very well. The Plantain banana served on the side was a nice sweet surprise - sort of like dessert with dinner! B's dish - well, he did not share, he said it was okay and I think he just really wanted to eat somewhere else. We did not have dessert but they do offer anything from ice cream to tarts - something for everyone! I give it a 5 fork rating for pleasant atmosphere, friendly wait staff and an outstanding meal full of wonderful Vietnamese flavors with a French flair! Definitely a nice addition to our neighborhood meal picks!