The Girl and The Fig

Not everything is fig here. Located on the Sonoma Square, it is a must stop in, have a glass of wine at the bar, sample some cheese and fig spread at the cheese bar or if you are hungry sit on the patio and have lunch or dinner. I have the best quiche, so light, so fluffy and the crust was DE-LIC-OUS. Their Bloody Mary's are small but oh so tasty. I never knew I could get Fried Green Tomatoes that were good so far from the south.

Barracuda

I do not mean the song from Heart. This is a great place for Sushi. Dimly lit tones of orange and yellow accented with brown. It is as thought they brought "Fall" into a restaurant. Before I came to SF.CA I promised myself I would not eat at the same restaurant twice, I think I may break my rule. Located on Market Street in the Castro, you will certainly have enough to look at. Oh yeah the Sushi is good too! I have been to other places in the city and their Sushi was almost too big to eat in one bite and who wants to cut Sushi? BTW their rolls are a perfect size to put in your mouth and your date will not wonder what that bulge is in your cheeks. Bon Appetite.

Polkers Gourmet Burgers

So what is someone to do if they like the concept of burgers, but they do not eat read meat? I often look at a burger menu and salivate at the endless options you can have with your cow. All the toppings, the cheese, grilled onions, lettuce and tomato; OH MY! HMMMM! Well I have found my oasis at Polkers. I noticed in the fine print, you could substitute with ground turkey or salmon. WHAT????? Is this true, can you actually have a delicious Basil Burger with Provolone Cheese or a Blue Cheese Burger? Why yes, Virginia you can.

Polkers is located one minute from my apt in Russian Hill and I wish I knew about it a month ago. The fries are cooked well and the ranch dressing is dipable. The service is well...who cares though you can have a burger! Yes Polkers is good and yes it is reasonably priced. Who cares that there is no parking in Russian Hill, I take the bus.

Fresca

So I have only been here for brunch. Sure the salmon and egg club sandwich was tasty. The decor was small yet warm, but go go go for the $7 bottomless mimosas. You read that correctly, $7 all you can drink, mimosas. If you drink one it is $7, drink 6, it is $7. Get the point? Good!

Yummy Yummy

I am serious here, the name of the place is Yummy Yummy and it is YUMMY! This little Vietnamese place in Sunset is about as authentic as they come. I love a place that is not mainstream and you can dress in jeans and a t-shirt or shorts and not worry about the dress code. All I care about is good food at a good price and I found it here. The menu is written in English, it is numbered and it is written in Vietnamese. I have been 3 times and never had the same thing twice. Try the Vietnamese Iced Coffee for dessert, it is so rich and sweet you will need it for dessert. The soups are nice and hot; the fresh spring rolls have the right amount of basil. I do not even mind that the place has a funky carpet, mirrored walls and glass table tops. Who the heck cares about a non-fancy place? Run to Yummy Yummy for authenticity with a big smile. Oh yes, you can even pick put your own crab.

Stacks

So who does not love pancakes? Stacks located on Hayes Valley is a must run to and not just go to for breakfast food. If you have to wait, then help yourself to the iced tea which has a hint of sweetness or have some coffee. As for the inside of Stacks, the two brothers who own and run the place did a nice of making it feel warm and welcoming. On your mark, get set GO! Try the signature pancakes, but they are sweet really really SWEET! Banana, Macadamia Nut and Coconut pancakes, sound good? If there are two of you you may want to get one, but no more then 2. They have your basics; eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and real hashbrowns. If you want crepes, they you have a plethera of choices, oh you say waffles then dig in to a variety of toppings. Really people, you can not miss out this incredible place to eat. Oh yeah, I will be back!

Slanted Door

The best Vietnamese Restaurant in Town!
Oh it is so delicious!
You will love it!
The previous three brief statements are what I heard before I went to the Slanted Door. My old roommate was Vietnamese and I have eaten is at some great restaurants so I had my reservations about an "Upscale Vietnamese" Restaurant. If you can go you should. No more sitting on plastic covered chairs, not more cheap table cloths. Sure you still have cloth napkins and chop sticks, but the condiments on the table are a thing of the past at Slanted Door. PLUS! You have a view of the watersince it is located in San Francisco's Ferry Building. From the Clay Pot Chicken with a scrumcious carmel sauce to the Japanese eggplant, you cannot go wrong. The eggplant was tender the chicken juicy. The servers are all smiles, it seems everyone is happy happy to work at the Slanted Door. Try the Alaskan Halibut with a spicy giner fish sauce (I warned you), Caramelized Prawns with a chili sauce and the Dirty Girl Haricots Verts for all you dirty girls. The five of left feeling full, but not stuffed and hungry in 30 minuters.

Tangerine

This little eatery located in the Castro on 16th has some great Brunch fair. My friend that I was with even liked it and it is not easy pleasing a man who has an aversion to carbs, cheese and egg yolks. His scrambled egg whites, shrimp and avacado dish with a side of fresh fruit looked great, NOTE! They had apples in this fruit side, yes apples! It was not your boring Whole Foods fruit cup here people.

I had a hard time deciding between the Coconut Pancakes with Ginger Maple Syrup and the Salmon Latke with 2 poached eggs. Well the Latke won and it was GOOD!

Hahn's Hibachi

This small Koren BBQ on Post Street is a must to eat. The inside sits about 18 people and no more. The menu is in English so those nervous about reading Korean, do not need to take the Zanex on that trip. I ordered the Beboppin' Bi Bim Bop, it is said it's a "Traditional Korean Favorite" so why not go for something traditional...oh and I ordered it Sizzling. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect. In about 10 minutes I heard a sound similar to fajitas, you know the sound of them sizzling at Chili's or Applebee's. After I was told to mix all of the veggies, rice, raw egg and chicken together, I was then instructed NOT to touch the bowl. Well if something in front of me is making a sizzling sound and can cook a raw egg without electricity or a gas flame, then yeah I am going to stay away.

Be prepared to wait at leat 5 mintues, because this food was hot, very hot. Once you can handle the temperature, try the hot sauce. This is a quick easy simple dinner, that I would eat again and again.

NOPA

So if you were wondering what the name NOPA mean? Well wait no more, North of the Pan Handle. You know that small piece of heaven that extends past Golden Gate Park.

At first I did not understand why people raved about this place. Make a reservation (ask to sit upstairs) or sit at the community table and you will find out quickly. Having put myself thru undergrad working in restaurants it is hard to find fellow servers who understand teamwork; well at NOPA they have it down to a "T".

Research bottle water and you will find out that approximately 25% of H2O bottle are actually recycled..."GASP" YEAH! and do some more research and you will find out that the amount of bottles in our 1,500 landfills is growing faster then the bottles made. If you look further you will notice that it takes more energy to recycle bottles = more harmful gases released into the air. EAH! So feel guilty about buying bottle H2O, when you can use a Brita filter? Well Nopa has done something about this. They use tap water in their restaurant. Hold on, not just regular tap water and a slice of lemon. BUT, Nopa uses tap water and a soda fountain style carbonating machine to make the water sparkling. GENIUS! On to the food.

Salmon Carpaccio was divine with the arugla and lemon. It was fresh and a great starter.
The fish stew was so good, I wanted to see if I could feed it thru intravenous, seriously it is that good! It is a hearty meal, very filling.
Their marinated squid salad was light and just the right bite for my entree; I had to save room for dessert. The squid paired with kalamata olives burst with flavor after the first bite.
My friend had the Braised Lamb Shank. I think it was good because his eyes rolled behind his head and he was smiling the entire time and it was not just the company.
There is more! Try the Chocolate pot de creme and cocoa nib cookies, WOW! This is where my eyes rolled back in my head. You may not want to share this dessert.

So I hope that you can now understand why there is a wait for NOPA. I hope your experience was or will be as memorable as mine.