Feast Blog

I am certainly a lucky person this week; a variety of visiting friends are insisting on taking me out to eat so I will have lots of reports this week…

Monday’s adventure was (finally) experiencing Zare’s Monday Meatball Madness with the Divine Miss Spieler. We got to experience a variety of tastes before the meatball arrived, including several appetizers;

Smoked trout on cucumber “linguini’ with dilled creme fraiche. This was an early favorite, both Miss S and I adoring the coolness of the dressing with the smoked fish and lovely cucumber strips (we are both cucumber fans).

The “pistachio meatball” is a small appetizer but with a huge taste; a harrisa/honey/pomegranate glaze which is just divine in its sticky sweet-spiceness.

The cinnamon-braised lamb’s tongue with apple chutney and chestnuts. God, I love this dish…. Perfectly tender tongue and the flavors of fruit and spice juxtaposes what becomes umami in the chestnuts. Lovely.

Spice-roasted marrow bones served with bergamot preserves, Persian baby pickles, fresh greens and toast. You know, Bix’s marrow bones used to be my favorite, but these have surpassed that. The spice is very subtle and the bergamot preserves, which could be sickly sweet is just a great, clean taste that helps cleanse the palate to the Persian pickle which has quite a bite.

One entrée we shared was the Moroccan-spiced Salmon with toasted fregola, seasonal vegetables, and cucumber raita. Again, the brightness of cucumber and dill complemented the ras al hanout compote with some of the best Salmon I’ve had in ages. I admit to saving a rather large portion of this to have for breakfast the next day and was not disappointed.

Then there was The Meatball. Six- or eight-inches in diameter, ours was stuffed with two small lamb chops. Barely swimming in a light broth, the meatball was surrounded with a few slices of oven-roasted tomatoes and wild mushrooms. The Meatball had pinenuts, spices, and was so tender and flavorful. There was obviously going to be leftovers and the neighboring table advised eating it cold, on a sandwich. They were right.

Two desserts were shared; a goat-cheese cheesecake and ….. wait for it ….. Fried Dough! Hoorah! Sing praises to the heavens…. What are called “fried milk torrijas” these long, rectangle delights might be the second best hunk of fried dough I’ve found in the city (Piperade’s is a nudge higher on my Fried Dough Scale of ecstasy, but not by much).

What a grand night — and what encouragement for me to get there more often.

I stumbled across the newly-opened Yemeni’s Restaurant on Sutter during a jaunt home this afternoon. Most restaurants are not open between 2:00 and 5:30, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the doors wide open. I stuck my head inside and asked if they were serving. Amber, the hostess, confirmed they were open all day and I took a seat, anticipating only a quick appetizer to curb some minor hunger pangs. (more…)

One of the things I love about living in the Fillmore Jazz District of San Francisco is the bounty of really fabulous restaurants within walking distance. I have often lamented the lack of a really good Indian restaurants (as well as the lack of a good Middle Eastern restaurant, so if anyone is listening…)  Several months ago, the well-known Mission-based Dosa restaurant took over the vacated Goodwill store on Fillmore and Post and having walked past it on an almost daily basis, like many locals, we have had the great anticipation of the transformation of that elegant, old building.  So it was with anxious anticipation that I was one of the first standing out front, waiting to get in on opening night. (Okay, I confess; I *was* the first customer and will gloat about that for a short while).

Dining solo, I headed straight to the bar. Putting myself in the capable hands of a bartender named Kevin, I asked for his favorite Gin drink and a tasting menu comprised of his favorite dishes. My first cocktail was called the Bengal Gimlet, with Tanqueray Rangpur, Kaffir lime juice, and I believe, some muddled curried-scented fruit. It was fabulous and while waiting, I was incredibly impressed to count 26 varieties of Gin. I will definitely be back on that regard…

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