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.

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The appetizer platter came with a classic raita dipping sauce, baba ghanouj, hummus, and a third eggplant-based spread that was entirely different than the baba ghanouj and just as enticing. Studded with large olives and drizzled with olive oil, the plate was also surrounded with a little decorative slaw that was mostly unnecessary. I found the hummus to be extremely smooth; these are people who are peeling their garbanzo beans.  I wish I had taken notes on the difference between the two eggplant spreads; one green and a bit piquant and the other (assuming to be the baba ghanouj), with a red pepper base and distinctly more garlic. This was served with very freshly made, warm paratha bread.

Amber, my waitress, was very patient as I took copious notes (which I seemed to have lost on the way home!), so I don’t have all the names of the spices that I wanted to remember. I do, however, remember the special Yemen coffee she recommended. Made with the dried husks of the coffee beans and spiced with ginger and cardamom, Qishr is more of a tea than coffee. It is pale and smooth with hints of the added spice, it did not have the strong tannins of an actual tea nor the bitterness of a brewed coffee. I added a touch of sugar and was very intrigued.

Even though I was very full, chatting with Amber had me intrigued at the national dish of Yemen, salteh, served in a clay pot. This arrives still boiling; the top is a combination of fenugreek and hulba, a spice that has been hand-frothed until very light and fluffy. It is stirred in when the pot arrives. The dish is a rich concoction of vegetables, lamb, and egg in a lamb broth. The hulba is the Yemen version of salsa and it can apparently be very, very hot. I think I was lucky that it was a bit more on the mild side. The vegetables I uncovered included zucchini and peas and there was a thickness brought about from potatoes. This was served with a different flat bread. Ali, the owner came out to see if I was enjoying myself and told me that this square flatbread was made by a Moroccan woman he knows and is lightly grilled in butter. The richness of the butter helped cut through the spiciness of the dish.

Water is served with sliced cucumbers, the service is exemplary and helpful, and when Ali, the owner, came out to serve the salteh himself (he probably wanted to see the lone, fat white woman who was asking so many questions), I inquired about the potential of fried dough… His eyes lit up and he assumed I knew already what the dish was (since there was nothing like it on the menu). He kissed my hand and told me that he would be happy to prepare any classic Yemen dish for me, whether or not it was on the menu. I am so looking forward to returning. A word on the prices; the current menu prices were exceedingly cheap. Amanda acknowledged that the menus are being re-printed. Currently, appetizers are listed between $1.75 and $3.95 with entrées listed between $5.95 and $9.95. Way too inexpensive if they want to stay in business. My two dishes and coffee with bread came to just over $21.00 and the salteh came home with me for dinner (and probably breakfast). I need to go back with lots of friends to order lots and lots of dishes. One last note: This is a wholly Muslim restaurant and no wine is served.

(415) 441-8832

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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…

The first course to come out was a salad of mung sprouts with chopped tomatoes, ginger, coconut, a bit of chili and a very light dressing of mustard seeds and cumin. I was slightly foolish in cleaning my plate as I didn’t realize how much more food was coming, but the salad was so bright and refreshing with an enticing, spicy bite.

The second course was a serving of two Samosas; one from the North and one from the South; the Southern version was filled with an enticing compote of caramelized onions and vegetables while the Northern Samosas was the one I am more familiar with, stuffed with spiced potatoes. Both were perfectly fried and two sauces were offered; my favored tamarind and a green, cilantro-based that I’ve never cared for (not being a cilantro lover).

Finishing up my first cocktail, I asked for a different Gin-based drink and again, the server offered up a lighter, more refreshing offering of gin. I’m sorry I don’t remember the exact ingredients, but it was served in tall glass with a bit of spritzer, ginger beer, and tea. This is a drink I could see consuming a lot of on a hot, summer afternoon.

The third course was a giant Masala Uttapam, the thicker, pancake-like dosa stuffed with spinach, potatoes, and fresh herbs. This was served with two chutneys, tomato and coconut. There was also a side bowl of sambar, a spicy vegetable stew. I loved the richness of the Uttapam and being a bit of an admitted spice wimp, preferred the cooler coconut chutney to either the tomato or sambar.

I asked my server if I had any more savory courses coming as I wanted to make sure that in spite of his dinner suggestions, that I wanted to specify my dessert choice. However, either through a mix-up or mis-order, an additional course arrived consisting of vegetable curry. Tender potatoes, cauliflower, and fresh tomatoes were served in a creamy — almost hedonistic — sauce alongside aromatic jasmine rice and a small bowl of raita. Being quite done in, I only had a single bite, knowing it would make a great lunch tomorrow.

The dessert of choice for me is Gulab Jamin. I love a good Gulab Jamin and these did not disappoint. More dense than some I’ve had in the past, they were obviously fresh and perfectly warm.

For a first night, the staff was a bit shaky in the first half hour but it quickly dissipated as the restaurant filled up quickly. The décor is inviting and elegantly edgy with Chihuly-like chandeliers in the windows, a giant multi-armed golden Buddha seemingly holding up the back wall, and dark wood juxtaposed against the rich, rust-colored walls. My biggest problem with the new Dosa? The fact that I don’t make enough money to eat there every day. My tasting menu with two cocktails and tip (for one!) ran $80.00. But I hope to treat myself frequently on a single cocktail and single course now and then — or at least until I have had the opportunity to eat through the entire menu…

I have since returned to the restaurant several times and while the food is quite decent, it is horrifically over-priced for what is offered and served. I can appreciate good Indian food, but not at $50+ per person.

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