San Francisco, CA

Moshi Moshi ~ 2092 3rd Street, (415) 861-8285

We do not hit the Dogpatch, except for the occasional drive by when trying to get home via a short cut. But, that is enough times, to drive by this little spot and make a mental note to go sometime. As well, I have heard very good things. So, when we got tickets to Kooza on Thursday night and needed somewhere to grab a bite we decided to hit Moshi Moshi.

Small and charming inside. Not your usual ultra modern techie sushi joint - just sweet, charming and cozy. We were seated immediately and asked upon sitting down what we wanted - cold night called for hot sake and an immediate order of Edamame. Loved that they brought a little candle heater and put our tea pot of sake on top of it to keep warm. Nice touch. As well almost immediately, the owner, came out and worked the room greeting each and every table and was making sure everything was perfect for his guest, this is definitely not standard in any sushi restaurant we eat at - you can not beat service like this.

We ordered a few rolls, the Centipede, Spider, Red Dragon, and Tiger. The presentation was beautiful. All the rolls looked very fresh and very appealing to the eye. The taste was outstanding ... fresh, full of flavor, not fishy, and not chewy at all. As well, the rolls were huge, nice big fat rolls, very filling. We are usually still pretty hungry after eating only 4 rolls but these were so filling that we were full half way thru. We needed a little sweetness after all that fish, so we each had some ice cream, Ciao Bella Red Bean and Blood Orange. I did not care for the red bean, but L. did and the Blood Orange was yummy as well!

I give Moshi Moshi a 5 fork rating for a very inviting atmosphere, great service from the moment you are seated until the moment you walk out the door and for very fresh fish that is tasty and priced very reasonably. We will definitely be back.

San Francisco, CA

The Blue Plate ~ 3218 Mission St. @ Valencia ~ 415.282.6777


We finally made it to Blue Plate! They say or I saw, good things come to those who wait, well, this is very true in the case! We had our good friends C. & J. in from Kansas City and they were dying to have some GOOD food so we were pretty happy to score a very last minute reservation (literally, 2 hours before eating).

While we pondered over the menu we started with a bottle of Bandol (mourvedre), Gros' Nore 2000, Provence France and an order of the padron peppers with laura chenel goat cheese and marcona almonds - as you may know these are some of our favorite eats right now! Both starters were OUTSTANDING! The wine was bursting with flavor, somewhat jammy but very mellow. The peppers were sauteed with olive oil and were slightly warm which melted the cheese just right - the combination was winning.

I and J. both ordered the "braised hill farm pork shoulder with citrus polenta, brown turkey figs and prosciutto" and C. and L. ordered the "blue plate meatloaf mashed potatoes and blue lake green beans", which they are noted for. The table started with an order of the "fresh cranberry bean and heirloom tomato salad albacore conserva, with arugula and basil aioli" as well as an order of the "macaroni and drunken spanish goat cheese".

Okay, braised pork shoulder is too GOOD! This had to be one of the best things I have ever put into my mouth. They braised the pork and then ripped it off the shoulder bones forming it into these delightful little cakes (2 hearty ones) and it was served on top of a citrus polenta which happened to be not cheesy and had just the right amount of citrus to give it a warm and inviting sent when the hot pork was seated on it. The sauce of figs and prosciutto was really outstanding and wrapped the entire dish up! I was stuffed after eating one of the pork cakes and forced myself to eat the rest. And who does not love figs with the saltiness of prosciutto. I highly recommend this dish - highly!

Now, I wish I could give a blast on the meatloaf but both meatloaf eaters would not share - they equally said they never order meatloaf at a restaurant but when the waitress described it to them, they knew they had to have it. It was basically gone before we could even reach our forks across the tables.

The heirloom salad was very "summer" - light and refreshing. The mac and cheese, well, we have a new favorite comfort food. The goat cheese gave it a nice tangy flavor!

For dessert, despite being stuffed we ordered a warm chocolate cake which was outstanding - dark, rich and very sinful and to counter-act all the badness in the cake we also had a sweet berry crisp, which was just that not to sweet and just like grandma made or like she should had made!

What we love about this place - local and organic cooking, comfortable and casual (mismatched silverware) atmosphere, romantic but not stuffy. I give The Blue Plate, 5 forks! We will be back again and again!!!

San Francisco, CA

Pescheria ~ 1708 Church Street, 415.647.3200.

Had dinner tonight with my friend, K. We had intended to go somewhere else when we stumbled upon Pescheria. We were very pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful dining room that decorated in a minimalist tone with beautiful blue and green tiles, as well it is very casual - very "neighborhood chic"! Unfortunately, we did not have a reservation (highly recommended) and could not get a table; lucky for us, there were two seats at the bar, which is simple and very cozy . We normally hit the wine list immediately but this time around, we noticed everyone was drinking cocktails so we decided to go that way. I ordered a Processco cocktail which was favored with a bit of orange bitters, very refreshing! K. ordered a limoncello cocktail - she was worried it may be too sweet but was pleasantly surprised that it was not, as well it was very refreshing. We both started with the Insalata di spinaci - which was made with Bloomsdale farms organic spinach, oven-dried tomatoes, black mission figs, Lauren chenel goatcheese. The spinach was slightly wilted and the fresh figs added a nice texture and taste with the dressing. K. ordered the Halibut d' Alaska con patate tartufate e fagiolini, which was a Pan seared halibut, with a truffle potato puree and served with baby green beans. I ordered the Butterfish al Cartoccio with Chanterelle mushrooms, baby spring vegetables and a lemon/herb butter, this dish was cooked in parchment paper. Both dishes were very fresh. All meals are cooked with organic vegetables and they grow their herbs in the back - you definitely can tell the difference with the freshness. I did prefer the Halibut over the Butterfish, as it had a lot more flavor as well the texture was a little more firm. The Butterfish was good but I found it a little on the bland side and a bit overcooked. For dessert we ordered the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp and the Chocolate Panna Cotta. The crisp was fantastic - cooked perfectly and still crispy! The Panna Cotta was lacking in the chocolate department and the texture was that of a jello product as well it was served with some cherries which were soaked in something particular - did not go that well with the chocolate. The espresso was fantastic! I did look at the wine list and was very pleased as there is a nice assortment of wines and red covering just about all wine regions as well they are reasonably priced. Overall, I was very happy to find a new restaurant to eat at in Noe Valley and one that is considered fine dining but also very casual, as I said, "neighborhood chic". I will definitely go back there and highly recommend that you do as well, you will not be disappointed. I give them a 4 fork 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!

San Francisco, CA

Le Zinc ~ 4063 24th Street, Tel : 415 647 9400

Last night we dined at Le Zinc. I had the impression Le Zinc would be very casual. I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived to find that it was casual but also romantic - very French and charming. Our waitress was French, very pleasant and knowledgeable about the menu. Even though I wish she would had began by telling us what they did not have on the menu; you will see why. We started with a couple glasses of Lillet. The Lillet was served over ice with a swirl of orange peel - I had never had Lillet served this way and I really enjoyed how refreshing it was. It was the perfect way to start the evening especially since it was warm outside and it seemed to be the perfect summer cocktail. We had wanted to order a Crab and Avocado dish only to find out, they did not actually have it this evening. So we ordered the Special Shrimp appetizer and a Warm Goat Cheese Salad to start the evening. The shrimp was very interesting as they wrapped the shrimp around a very small pepper, which only had a small amount of fire to it, just enough to really enhance the grilled shrimp flavor. The Warm Goat Cheese Salad was very simple - a blend of mixed salad greens with light vinaigrette, along the side was a small slice of goat cheese on the top of a toasted piece of baguette which was then drizzled with some honey. Now I loved the combination but I was disappointed in the size of the goat cheese and the fact that it had been warmed awhile back as it was not as soft as it should be. For our main course we ordered the Steak Frite and the Lamb Special with a 2003 Margaux. The Margaux was beautiful - full bodied with lots of jammy flavors which exploded in your mouth on the first sip. We knew this was going to go very well with the full red meat dishes we had ordered. The Steak Frite was a big disappointment mainly because the cut was terrible. They used a hanger cut and this particular one was very small, not the size of what you usually get in a French restaurant neither in the states nor in France. As well it had been over pan-fried, very crisp on the outside, though it was rare instead. It lacked flavor and could have definitely used an added touch of Roquefort butter or some sautéed shallots not to mention a little salt and pepper would have been a nice addition to the cooking process. The fries were the winner for this dish - cooked to perfection, light golden brown in color, crisp on the outside and soft in the inside. The lamb special was fantastic and I enjoyed every bite! There was a small rack of lamb as well as a small cut of meat next to it. The lamb was coated with Herbs de Provence and was cooked to perfection - nicely done medium rare - bursting with flavor. The lamb was served with a French green bean dish that was enhanced with Tarragon. I normally do not like Tarragon and was concerned when I saw it sprinkled all over the plate; but, it was done very nicely, just enough to bring out the flavor of the beans and the butter sauce. There was also a sunchoke puree served along side this dish - I could take it or leave it, nothing really great or terrible to say about it. I was really looking forward to the Baba au Rhum for dessert as it is hard to find in the states on a regular bases and I was very disappointed when our waitress said she did not have it. We opted for the Profiteroles and a Crème Brulee. Both dishes were “good” but not out of this world. I had not had Profiteroles in years and have been thinking of making them for a couple months now, so I did enjoy them, but, they could have skipped the almond slices which were sprinkled all over the dish and I would have enjoyed it more. The Crème Brulee was good but not as good as what we usually enjoy. Overall, we loved Le Zinc and give it a 4 fork rating, only because they did not have 2 of the dishes we really wanted as well as the Steak Frite. Will we go back? Definitely!