Cucina Urbana – San Diego, CA

Posted on February 13, 2013 | Leave a comment

Seven years ago, Laurel Restaurant occupied the space that is now occupied by Cucina Urbana, a trendy rustic Italian place in downtown San Diego.

And by trendy, I mean, when it is packed the hostess sends you to the bar to wait.  The unfortunate thing is that the bar is cool but always packed, and doesn’t have any service. There’s someone to clean up the bar seating area, but s/he can’t take your order. For that you have to physically walk up to the crowded bar, squeeze in between two people and order your drink or food. It’s ridiculous.

However, we’ve been back two or three times because the food is really, really good. Honestly, that’s the only reason we come back. The table service borders on annoying, like a gnat that hovers, to clear your plates or refill your water glass at the moment it gets below a millimeter full. Yet, where they could improve is with a description of the food when they set it down in front of you.

And while I spewing areas of improvement, it would be great if they had multiple types of wine glasses. After all, anyone who knows anything about wine doesn’t really want to drink their pinot noir in a cabernet glass?

But back to the food and the real reason why you should check out Cucina Urbana next time you are in San Diego.

Cucina Urbana polenta boardThe board: they often have “board” specials which are served on a mini pizza peel. We had the polenta with a pork ragu and let me tell you, 3 days later and I’m still thinking about it, it was that good! The dish was served tableside where the creamy polenta was spread out on the board and then a savory pork stew-like ragu was spooned into the center. If you like pork and you like polenta, you will LOVE this dish.

Although I’ve had their mason jars of delicacies in the past and I really wanted to have the decadent savory chicken liver mousse again, I felt like it might be too much food so we skipped it and went for salad and pasta.

The chopped house salad was slightly overdressed but had great flavor and a slight kick with the pepperocinis.

You can’t go wrong with any of the pastas. All homemade, all delicious and all moderate  portion sizes.

You definitely need a reservation, or you can try your luck at the bar.

505 Laurel St. (5th Ave.)
San Diego, CA 92101
www.urbankitchengroup.com
619-239-2222

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La Boqueria – Barcelona, Spain

Posted on February 3, 2013 | Leave a comment

boqueriaEvery town has a farmer’s market these days. For the locals in Barcelona, there is one place where they go to get fresh fruit and vegetables besides the super market – it’s La Boqueria. You have never in your life seen a more beautiful display of chocolates, candies, nuts, fruits, vegetables, fish, olives, or meats in your life.

From takeaway containers ready to eat on the spot, to picking out your fruit for the week, locals as well as tourists can get delicious fresh delicacies here. The locals tend to go to the back of the boqueria and avoid all of the dazzling colors of symmetrically aligned fruit and sweets. My favorite spot was a bakery on the right hand side perimeter as you are entering the boqueria from the street. They not only had the best Iberico ham and cheese sandwich, but they had homemade fresh baked goods too. My favorite: the honey almond torte. (kind of like elephant ears).

boqueria1You can also get great deals on olive oil, saffron, and olives. Plus nuts and chocolates by the piece or by the pound. Great spot if you want to bring back any food souvenirs or if you just want to grab a sandwich for the plane ride back (which is what we did). Just when I thought I had enough of Spanish food, the airplane food on Air France was so terrible that the ham and cheese sandwich from the boqueria was more than welcomed and hit the spot!

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Parallel 37 at the Ritz Carlton San Francisco

Posted on May 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

Paralllel 37 located in the Ritz Carlton, San Francisco,  features Contemporary American cuisine by Chef Ron Siegel. The food is inspired by foods found along their geographic name and local cultural influences from San Francisco.

The reviews  have been uneven, mostly due to service issues. However, the food was quite good, and so was the wine we brought – a 1986 Mouton Rothschild, still a little young, but opened up nicely and was outstanding for a 100 point wine.

Here’s what we had:

To start:

  • Polenta Fries – served with a lightly pickled hedgehog mushroom relish. Quite yummy. You get 6 to a plate and they are fat thick version of steak fries. Tasty if you like polenta.
  • Foie Gras – with huckleberries, rome apples with longpepper. It was placed on the smallest piece of brioche I ever saw – could have used more of that, but otherwise, the sauce was so delicious, you needed to reach for a piece of bread to sop it up and serve as a vehicle to your mouth.
  • Seasonal salad with asparagus, romaine, shaved parmesan in a light vinaigrette.

Entrees:

  • Mushroom Risotto with asparagus and black truffle oil. Creamy and rich. Plenty of asparagus and mushrooms throughout, but if you don’t like asparagus then steer clear from this dish as it is one of the two main components.
  • Black Sea Bass perched atop of an artichoke filled ravioli in a creamy daikon sauce, fava beans and marcona almonds. The almonds gave it a crunch, the ravioli was tender and melted in your mouth along with the fish which was perfectly cooked.
  • Halibut with English peas. If you like halibut then you’ll want to get this dish. Light and healthy, yet packed with flavor.

Dessert:

  • Lemon semifreddo – the crust was a little too hard, good, but not great. Could use some refinement.
  • Assorted ice cream  and sorbet – you get 3 scoops and as contrary to as boring as it sounds, the vanilla bean is a MUST get.

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Nico’s Tacos – North Beach, San Francisco

Posted on April 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

Nico’s Tacos, not to be confused with Nick’s Crispy Tacos on Polk Street, was pretty solid. Opened less than a year, I finally got around to trying it out. With Don Pisto’s up the road, it’s been hard to force myself to go to Nico’s Tacos but I’m glad I finally did.

Here’s what we had:

  • Chips and Guacamole – homemade guac with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and avocado. Quite good. Appeared to be made fresh, daily.
  • Grilled fish taco – accompanied with slaw which they refer to as “crakslaw” – was delicious. Next time I’m going to try the Baja style fish taco (I know the grilled is more healthy, but the Baja is probably full of good guilt.
  • Grilled Shrimp taco – also accompanied with the “crakslaw” and a orange-mayo sauce that had a slight kick.
  • Softshell crab taco – deepfried softshell crab with the “crakslaw” and orange mayo sauce was outstanding. A MUST order!

They often have Happy Hour specials from 3pm-6pm such as $1 tacos. So definitely check it out.

Located 1310 Grant Avenue  San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 362-6163

http://nicostacossf.com/

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Range – SF

Posted on March 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

I hadn’t been to Range in about four or five years. And even though Range lost its Michellin star, I was not disappointed. They are famously known for their chicken dish, but I didn’t go there this time. This time I ventured out and it was really, really good.  Reasonably priced, you won’t be disappointed either.

Here’s what we had to start:

  • chicory salad with walnuts, dates, parmesan and champagne – a fantastic salad that had crunch, citrus and sweetness. Yummy!
  • steamed manila clams with fennel sausage and jalapeños-vinaigrette – let’s just say we wanted to drink the jalepeño juice at the end but thought it wouldn’t be too classy.

Then on to entrees:

  • braised gulf flounder and shrimp with green cabbage, bacon, celery root purée and meyer lemon – this was my favorite. If you don’t go with their famous oven roasted chicken, then this should be your next choice.
  • seared hawaiian ono with black trumpet mushrooms, asparagus, sunchokes and horseradish vinaigrette  - a crispy seasoned skin that was not only healthy but earthy and tasty.
For dessert we went for marieke gouda, a semi-soft, creamy, raw wisconsin cow’s milk cheese with barhi dates. I know dates are “nature’s candy” and I’ve had plenty of Gouda cheeses but this one was exquisite. I’ll be adding it to my next shopping list. 
842 valencia street | san francisco, california |415.282.8283 – Reservations required.

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Fifth Floor – San Francisco

Posted on March 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

ImageWe’re on a restaurant binge! Last week we ate at the Fifth Floor (located appropriately on the 5th Floor of the Palomar Hotel). The layout is a tad strange, but the food was stellar. I haven’t been to Fifth Floor in about 5 years and I was glad I gave it another whirl.

Here’s what we had:

Hot and Cold Foie Gras - textures of grapes, challah toast, almonds, sauternes gelee. Since they are going to outlaw this soon in California, I had to get it. The seared foie gras was perfectly seared and the grape relish gave it a nice balance. The pate was silky smooth and melted in your mouth with the sauternes gelee. Served with two narrow slices of challah toast (like brioche).

Mendocino Uni Flan - dungeness crab fondue, saffron, sichuan pepper, aged kaffir lime - wow! This was deliciously unctuous and the Dungeness crab balanced the flavor of the uni perfectly. A winner for sure!

Brillat-Savarin Ravioli - chanterelles, sage, brown butter, mizuna, pistou, hazelnuts -  Oh my God! I love brillat-savarin cheese by itself. It’s like butter. I would have never thought it could withstand the inside of a ravioli but it was exquisite – really. Heavenly.

Foraged Mushroom Risotto - sylvetta, parmigiano-reggiano, white truffle butter and shaved truffles. I love a good risotto, yet if not done right it can be quite pedestrian. However, I think it was the shaved truffles and the truffle butter that put this over the top and a creamy sensation in your mouth.

Sauteed Skate Wing - squash, baby turnip, matki beans, brown butter, apple, garam masala.  I love Indian food, but I didn’t love this. It was different and flavorful, but it just didn’t work for me. Also, the amount of Skate Wing was too much fish for a 3-course meal. 

Duo of Quail – made up of the breast and thigh, this was delicious but again, with a 3 course meal it seemed like it was too much food. But this was a winner for entrees.

Dessert:

Walnut and Date Tart - goat cheese cream, poached pear, persimmon sorbet, pomegranate date puree, pear espuma.  The goat cheese cream was like eating soft cheese cake – it was really, really good. All in all thought, the desert was tasty, but not too sweet. Solid. But next time I’ll try the Milk Chocolate Mousse Bomb!

Fifth Floor Restaurant
12 Fourth Street

San Francisco , CA 94103

Within the Hotel Palomar

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Commonwealth (San Francisco)

Posted on February 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

Commonwealth is located in one of the seedier sections of the Mission but it was worth the trek. A small space that seats around 35 people offers, Executive Chef Jason Fox showcases innovative modern techniques and flavors that will stimulate your mind and your taste buds. Fit for foodies.

Jerusalem Artichoke dish at Commonwealth SF

Jerusalem Artichoke dish at Commonwealth SF

To start off you get handmade potato chips that are lightly dusted with seaweed and served with a malt vinegar foam.  They offer a 5 course tasting menu for $65 of which $10 goes towards a local charity or you can go a la carte. We opted for the latter.

Here’s what we had:

  • Pumpkin salad asian pear, chicory, idiazabal cheese, almond tuile, cocoa nib
  • Jerusalem artichoke, onions cooked in hay, chickweed, quinoa, quail egg
  • petrale sole, wrapped in feuille de brik, nicoise olive, celery root, grape, spinach, verjus
  • butter poached hen, savoy cabbage, black trumpets, rutabaga, vanilla
  • pork loin and belly, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, beech mushrooms, mustard, apple, miso

The pumpkin salad was refreshing, healthy, and delicious. The apple balls burst

Pumpkin salad at Commonwealth SF

Pumpkin salad at Commonwealth SF

in your mouth but the dollops of goat cheese with the cocoa nibs and the pumpkin were an amazing combination of flavors that made you want more.

The jerusalem artichoke was one of the most delicious things I have eaten in a long time. I’m still thinking about it (so you should definitely order it). The artichoke was cooked two ways – the leaves were fried up like potato chips and then the pulp was mashed up. I never knew quinoa could taste so good and combined with the artichoke, chickweed and onions it was a symphony going off in your mouth.

The pork loin and belly were also delicious, but then again, I’m partial to anything bacon related. The brussel sprouts and kohlrabi were flavorful accompaniments to the already delicious pork.

The petrale sole was good, kind of like a play on fish and chips. However, compared to everything else we had it was the least favorite of the five. Just nothing special here.

I’d definitely go back again here. Two thumbs up.

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