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.