Salt House, 545 Mission Street, The Financial District (BDYW)

I really like this place!  It's great for lunch and excellent just for a drink, but it's divine for dinner.


It's reputation is that it's a great bar in the Financial District that is also a great grill place, but I think there's a new emphasis on the food instead of the martinis. 






There's a new Chef, Vernon Marales, who has a resume of exceptional experience at some of the top restaurants in NY, Spain and California.  Salt is going through a metamorphosis and seems to be in the midst of getting it's new legs, so service may be a little slow, and the menu may need to be a little more cohesive, but what's hot is hot and Salt House is on fire!!

The ambiance is cool and understated, located in a old warehouse that was used in the early 1900s for printing presses.  The high ceiling and brick interior give it that NY loft effect and the place is always filled with happy, customers in deep conversation and appear to be feeling right at home.




Our staff photographer and I decided to take this experience slow and for you, our faithful readers, we tried all the courses.  We started with  the Pickled Quail Eggs filled with salmon roe and drizzled with horseradish crème.  They were gorgeous to look at and delish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to boot.

To begin this feast, Rosalie ordered the "Peas and Heirloom Carrots" with rhubarb jam and pea shoots, served with green goddess dressing.  I decided on "Zuckerman Asparagus" with roasted strawberry,  wood sorrel & Idiazabal cheese.  I would rank this salad as one of the best things I've ever eaten in my life!!  The mix of flavors and textures were so amazing and the presentation was beautiful.

Salt house serves a homemade bread that you know you don't need, but the fresh baked aroma and that heavy cold European butter actually call to you.  Really heavenly!  Just have one bite!  Yeh, right, I know, I know!!!!!!

Our staff photographer conferred with our server and decided on the pork loin for her main course.  The "Coleman Farms Pork Loin" was beautifully plated with spring peas, rye berries, bacon and a black pepper sauce.








I enjoyed the "Double 'R' Ranch New York Steak", beautifully served with shitake mushrooms, asparagus, charred spring onion and potato puree.  Just how good can this experience get?!?

 

Although we knew we should call Uber and leave before we saw the dessert menu, it was too late........this is where we really fell off the wagon.............I ordered the "Olive Oil Griddle Cake" with Swanton strawberries and roasted strawberry ice cream with a red wine glaze. 

Rosalie conferred again with our server and ordered the Urban S'More, brown butter panna cotta, chocolate balsamic gastrique & an espresso marshmallow.

What a fabdelish dinner.  As usual, the pictures are worth a thousand words.  This is one of our top picks so far this year. 
You need to try Salt House because it is trully a fab dining experience. Take your time and enjoy every bite of every course!  A siesta is in your future and the only real exercise you have to do is  "blow the dust of your wallet"!

 

Universal Cafe, 2814 19th Street, The Mission (BDYW)

What a fabulous neighborhood find for " More is Less Mula"!  There are so many good little cafes in San Francisco, but when you come upon "Universal Cafe" on a Saturday morning, you're quickly reminded that cream always rises to the top.....and this place is sweet!!!!









The chef & owner, "Leslie Carr Avalos", has taken fresh, farm-like dishes and made them sophisticated and just different enough to be a newer, fresher, organic version of themselves.

Sitting quietly on 17th and Florida, partly hidden behind a wall of beautiful purple flowers and tall green grasses, is this delightful neighborhood cafe.  It is packed and although you have to put your name on the list and wait to be called to your table (patio or inside preference), no one appears to be impatient.  There's an atmosphere of "it's well worth the wait" and most are waiting with a mimosa in hand.

Rosalie  ordered the "Soft Scrambled Eggs" with tapenade, rapini, ricotta with toasted Acme bread and lettuces.  I had the most delish "Poached Eggs & Sage Sausage Gravy" served on Buttermilk Biscuits with orange marmalade-glazed spring onions and herb salad.  OMG!!!!!!!

Our staff photographer especially enjoyed the coffee and I couldn't rave enough about the fresh-squeezed Valencia Orange Mimosas.  (Was it the OJ or the champagne that I was smitten with?)

 

 

I know you'll find this hard to believe, but again, just for you.....our faithful readers, we also ordered the homemade "Cinnamon Cake Doughnuts" with peach leaf creme anglaise!  Ohhhhhhh yeh we did!!!!!!!!!   OUT OF THIS WORLD!

 

 

You have to try this little cafe in the Mission.  There's plenty of parking and we did leave a few doughnuts for you.

 

Well, we're off again, rolling along the streets (literally) of this "city by the bay" investigating our next food blog-find.  It's going to be tough to top this one!!

This place has just plain fabdelish food, friendly service and an atmosphere that reminded us of some little neighborhood place you'd find in Europe.  Maybe that's why it's named "Universal Cafe"!

 

 

délicieux! delizioso! delicioso! köstlich! вкусный!

 

A16, 2355 Chestnut Street, The Marina (BDYW)

"A16" is a highly-rated Italian restaurant located on Chestnut Street in the Marina.  I enjoyed a fabulous dinner there, but Rosalie and I were sorely disappointed when we chose to lunch-blog this San Francisco "top spot", highly praised for it's southern Italian cuisine, specifically "Campania".

Our staff photographer and I shared the Burrata with olive oil, sea salt & crostinis (that were, unfortunately, not even toasted) and the arugula salad with pickled and dried grapes, fried almonds and pecorino monte poro.  That salad is truly delish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  However............... the service was sooooooooooooo bad, that had we not finally received and started drinking our delightful pinot noir, we honestly would have left.

I ordered the Pizza Margherita, tomato, mozzarella, grana padano, basil and olive oil.  Rosalie ordered A16's famous Pork Meatballs, braised in tomato with basil and grana padano.

My pizza was blahhhhh and not even warm to the touch when I finally got it and Rosalie's meatballs were good, but not great.  A16 has impressive decor, an exceptional wine list, but inconsistent food and service. 

Why oh Why???????????????????????  It looks so fabdelish in the photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If only the food and service matched the wine list, we wouldn't be saying "Ciao" to A16.

Special Addition "Top Eight" (BDYW)

This is a "Special Addition" list of my favorite "Top Eight" restaurants that I have had the privilege to enjoy since I moved to the city in August of last year.  For a special occasion or just for an exquisite dinner, you might want to try one of these.
Throw caution to the wind and blow the dust off your wallet, because these restaurants are not part of the "easy on the pocketbook" blog finds.

Sons and Daughters                                                   
708 Bush Street San Francisco
www.sonsanddaughterssf.com

Central Kitchen
3000 20th Street San Francisco
www.centralkitchensf.com

Seven Hills
1550 Hyde St San Francisco
www.sevenhillssf.com

Rich Table
199 Gough Street San Francisco
www.richtablesf.com 

Murray Circle
601 Murray Circle Sausalito
www.cavallopoint.com
 
Absinthe
398 Hayes Street San Francisco
www.absinthe.com

Capannina
1809 Union Street San Francisco
www.capanninasf.com

Zazuela
2000 Hyde St San Francisco
www.zazuela.com


                                                                                                                                       

Mission Bowling Club, 3176 17th Street, The Mission (EOPB)

We LOVE this "fabdelish" place! This is definitely one of our top "food blog finds". 

 

 

"MBC" (Mission Bowling Club) is a great restaurant with a fab bar and 6 sleek & cool bowling lanes.  From the outside, this building looks like a warehouse, located behind a chicken wire, fenced-in patio.
 

What a surprise when you walk in the door!  The lighting is Hollywood and the menu covers "comfort food" to "gourmet chic" with cocktails to complement the whole experience.  Have a Perfect Manhattan, a Gin Fizz or a glass of scrumptious Prosecco from Veneto, Italy.  If you just have to have a beer to go with the sound of those bowling balls hitting those pins, enjoy a "La Chouffe" Belgian Golden Ale.  Are you getting the picture?  Hollywood meets Bowling!!!!!

 

Once we got over our "oohs" and "aahs", Rosalie and I settled down to enjoy a burger that you won't get at any other bowling establishment.                         This half-pound aged and granulated patty, covered with caramelized onion, Monterrey Jack and caper aioli, melts in your mouth. 

Now this is "One Bowling Burger!!!!!!

Chefs Sommer Peterson and Molly Bradshaw have created a bill of fare that sports many more delicacies other than "our" favorite burger and fries.  Just 2 examples are: "Root Beer Glazed Duck Breast" served with farro verde, turnip puree, pickled cauliflower and chicories........ & brunch items like "Fried Chicken & Waffles" with whipped maple butter and salted chili, which looked absolutely divine!!!!!
There is such genius and creativity when it comes to food in this "City by the Bay".  Our staff photographer and I have decided to eat our way through The Mission. So follow us on twitter and facebook (Rosalie and I are still trying to figure out how to do that ourselves) to see what these 2 ex-private investigators turn up in our investigation of this food-wealthy area of San Francisco.

You really have to try "MBC".  Parking is pretty easily found and there is a large parking lot just across the street  .Where else could you enjoy "fabdelish" food, delicious drinks, "Hollywood" ambiance and grab a pair of shoes to wear while you're dining??????


This "food find" is a STRIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                           

Tartine Bakery & Cafe, 600 Guerrero Street, The Mission (EOPB)

 

"Tartine Bakery" is one of those famous spots in San Francisco where people line up for days to enjoy the fare (made from local organic ingredients) and the "Tartine celebrity".
Soooooooooooooo, our staff photographer and I joined the throngs!  This small cafe is located on the corner of Guerrero and 18th.  We didn't see any sign identifying the cafe, but it was so crowded inside and out, that we couldn't have missed it. 
Assuming it must be worth the wait, we went to the back of the line and waited our turn. 


Once inside, I grabbed 2 seats at the community table (littered with dirty dishes, napkins and glasses) while Rosalie ordered our sandwiches.  At that point, we were just happy to have survived almost being crushed by our fellow diners.

When our open-face Croque Monsieur's were delivered to our table, they did not look delish!!!
The crust of the homemade country bread was toasted to a "teeth shattering" crispness and the rest of the bread was soggy with bechamel.  The grilled asparagus that topped the Gruyere cheese slab was really tasty, but the meat had been sliced thin, then grilled, and resembled small strips of shoe leather. Our plates were garnished with a pickled carrot that was interesting, but added to the "been through the war" appearance of our most disappointing lunch.

I think the pictures say it all!

Now, to be fair....................the pastries, tarts and cakes looked divine!!  Eclairs, filled with vanilla custard.....Banana Cream Tarta coated in dark chocolate with caramel and sweetened cream.....("Tres Leches Cake Round") chocolate chiffon 3-tiered cake layered with cajeta and crema................Need I go on?????????? 

Really looked tres fabdelish!!!!!

In retrospect, I think Rosalie and I "missed the plot" on this one.  We should have gone to "Bar Tartine" for lunch (their very cool restaurant located just 2 blocks away on Valencia) and then gone to "Tartine Bakery & Cafe" for dessert!  A late morning or late afternoon trip to the bakery might result in shorter lines and a calmer dining experience.

Even the pups line up for just a bite!!!!!!!

"Bar Tartine" is now on our list of new places to blog, so you haven't heard the last of San Francisco's famous "Tartine's"!!
These 2 "Inspectors Clauseau's" (ex-private investigators) are still on this case!!!!!!!!!!

Troya Mediterranean Kitchen, 2125 Fillmore Street (EOPB)

Rosalie and I had a "fabdelish" lunch at "Troya" on Fillmore.  The restaurant reflected a clean, modern approach to dining decor.  When you walk in the door, the only hint of the food's ethnicity is the light background sound of "Bollywood" music.  This restaurant is Turkish, but the food encompasses all the Mediterranean flavors.    


Our waiter was excellent and steered us to some delicious "specialties" of the house.
I stayed with the more traditional lamb kabob which included bulgur and a mixed green salad, dressed with a lightly spiced vinaigrette.  Rosalie ordered the Turkish meatball wrap, topped with shaved green onion-fennel & feta cheese.

My lamb was tender and the vegetables that accompanied it were done to perfection.  Rosalie thoroughly enjoyed the Turkish meatballs.  "Mais, oui"!!!.............we both found room for dessert.  As bloggers, we feel an obligation to our followers to critique both the savory and sweet fare at the eateries we discover!!!!!
What a treat for us and "you-all".  Because now you know to save room for the "Kunefe", made of freshly baked, shredded filo dough (kadayif), house-made fromage blanc (burrata/mozzarella-like cheese), & grapefruit, baked to perfection, then lightly dusted with crushed pistachios.  OMG!!!!!!!!!!!  DELISH!!!!!  This dessert is soooooooooo worth the extra ten minutes required to prepare it.


By the way, with lunch, I had a really nice Mediterranean "Matu Valley" Pinot Noir and Rosalie enjoyed a freshly brewed glass of iced tea.
As you can see, the lighting was not the best for our staff photographer's shots of the dishes, but our "lighting crew" was on vacation.  At least we remembered to take the pictures before we devoured the cuisine!
Bottom line, if you're in this beautiful "City by the Bay" and want a really good spot for lunch, Troya is among our top pics on "More is Less Mula".  This staff-lunch "food" tab was under $20.00!!!!!
As you may know, Rosalie and I are taking this blog viral!  We are now on "facebook" & "twitter".  As soon as these two X-PI's (Private Investigators) figure out how to access these social media sites, we'll be looking for your "likes" and "tweets"!  But, until then, as now noted on our food blog:

Don't bother us. Only contact us if it's an emergency 9-1-1!

 

Staff Writer (X-PI, Food Blogger, Good Eater, Luddite)

Staff Photographer ( X-PI, Food Blogger, Good Eater, Luddite)