Kelsey E.'s Profile

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.....That's me, breathing a sigh of relief. After many months of somewhat lackluster meals, I finally stumbled into a dining experience that revived me from the dining dead. At last, I've found the motivation to write!

The magic began with a simple, well-composed SALAD of CRAB AND CARROT, accompanied by blood orange (both sliced and pureed with carrot), shaved fennel, chervil, and a bright blood orange gastrique. It was uncluttered, uncomplicated, and clean. For such a nonchalant dish, I was especially taken by the attention placed on contrasting textures: crunchy carrot and shaved fennel, firm but juicy slivers of blood orange, and soft, chewy crab whose characteristics were enhanced by the creamy underbelly of the blood orange and carrot puree.

Up next was the CELERY ROOT SOUP, which has become an all-time favorite. Pioppini and Golden Chanterelles - two of my favorite mushrooms? Tiny bites of sweet Mizuna kumquat? And a nettle puree?! Calm down! It's too much goodness for me to handle! So good that I've actually ordered it 4 times in 2 weeks.

The soup wasn't the only dish I've reordered - the POLENTA COOKED IN WHEY also made an encore appearance. Look I'm just going to say it, I'm not really a fan of polenta. Never have been. I've always thought of it like a bland, corny bowl of mush that wasn't worth all those carbs. Well, now I know it's not polenta's fault, I had just never had a deeply flavorful, creamy bowl of corn mush before. At Local Mission Eatery the polenta is cooked in whey, which adds an unmistakable richness to the dish. Combined with a perfectly poached farm egg, goat gouda, smoked braised beet greens and onions, and a healthy dollop of their exceptionally light and creamy ricotta cheese, a bowl of corn mush is transformed into a show stopper. I didn't just enjoy it, I inhaled it.

Finally, I can't leave out the meat of this article. No seriously, the meats that were served as the main entrees for my two meals, the BRAISED PORK SHOULDER and the GRILLED QUAIL, are worth noting. Despite how easy it is to overcook small gamebirds, The Grilled Quail, paired with wheat berries, turnips, salsify, and mustard jus, was perfectly moist. And the Braised Pork Shoulder, served with apples, cabbage, herb roasted potatoes, and boudin noir, was so tender it literally melted off in pieces the second it was touched by the tips of my fork. Talk about comfort food! I almost changed into sweatpants on the spot. And

The menu is constantly evolving with the season, so everything I just described will probably be completely out-of-date in a week or two, maybe even a few days. But because the ingredients are always fresh, carefully selected, and prepared in a way that allows their natural flavors to shine, you can be sure that no matter what's on the menu, it'll be delicious.

Dear Mr. Pollo,

I owe you an apology. No, it's not for what you might be thinking - I've never written unsavory remarks about you or slandered you to my friends. In fact I only had positive things to say in my previous write-up of your business. But I did make one mistake in that first review - one big mistake. I underestimated you.

See, even after publically endorsing your Pork and Cheese Arepa as one of the best I've ever tasted, I still wrote you off in my mind as a simple specialty shop. But then I finally opened my mind up enough to look past your arepas and venture into tasting menu territory. Now, after countless return visits, it's obvious that my initial perception of you was wrong. Completely, embarrassingly wrong, and for that, I'm sorry.

I've eaten some of the year's most memorable dishes while crunched into one of your 12, tightly-packed seats. First of all, every SOUP you serve is incredible. I mean, screw Campbell's, the next time I'm sick I'm heading straight to your door and begging you for any soup that comes from your stoves. Your LOBSTER BROTH and SEARED SCALLOP SOUP is the first that comes to mind, as it has your signature mark of being simple in its appearance, but complex in its execution. A homemade lobster broth filled with seared bay scallop, squid a la plancha, yucca, cucumber radish, fennel frond, potato, English peas, mushroom, carrot, red onion, and fava bean is far from your average, brothy soup and overflows with flavor.

Another stand out from the dozens of dishes I've tried is your CONFIT of BABY OCTOPUS. That night it was served with shaved fennel salad, fish eggs, parsley, burnt spring onion, garlic oil, and papitas, making an amazing balance of toasty, bitter, smoky, and salty flavors. Not to mention the protein was beautifully executed, making it one of the most tender versions of octopus I've tried.

And it's worth repeating that, in my eyes, your AREPAS are still the best in town. While the crispy pork and cheese is consistently one of my favorites, the one time when you unexpectedly swapped fried pork for insanely moist pork loin was the pinnacle of your arepa prowess. I may have initially questioned why you'd change a good thing, but after one bite there was no question that pork loin was king and I had a new menu favorite.

Manny, you once said that your goal in opening a restaurant in that location and charging pennies for the food was to be able to feed any and every person, rich or poor, in the Mission. So finally, I want to say thank you for only charging $20 for your tasting menu. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for serving me so much delicious food for so little money. Because of your beyond-reasonable pricing, I've been able to recommend Mr. Pollo to pretty much anyone looking for a good SF restaurant, and I've been able to make weekly trips without worrying about my bank account. In short, you've made your restaurant accessible for almost any occasion, and that makes you a rare gem in a city overflowing with dining options.

Thanks for everything! Your biggest fan,
Kelsey

San Francisco is obsessed with perfecting the Neapolitan pizza. Actually, more accurately, San Francisco is obsessed with adding their own unique twist to the classic recipe, instead creating variations that almost classify as the original but more closely resemble a close cousin. A16, Flour and Water, Ragazza, Delfina Pizzeria, Beretta, Una Pizza Napoletana, Tony's Pizza Napoletana, Zero Zero...the list goes on. It's so prolific that, other than a few, well-known deep-dish pizzerias I began thinking that this was practically the only non-chain type of pizza available in this city.

My problem is that, frankly, it's just not my favorite style of pizza. Yes, of course a panna and prosciutto pie can be magically delicious, and yes being presented with pizza menus that actually change depending on the season keeps things interesting. Hell, I've even been to Naples and had the real thing! And you know what? I just didn't understand what the craze is all about. I understand that the perfect Neapolitan pizza has a special place in the hearts of many SF inhabitants, but you know what I have to say? F*** Neapolitan pizza.

Sometimes I just want a big, thick, overly-mozzarella-cheesed, greasy slice of heaven. So you can imagine my excitement to find my very own neighborhood version of Round Table Pizza just around the corner from my house in the Mission.

Serrano's Pizza serves up just what I like: incomparable slices of hot, chewy, pepperoni-covered pizza large enough to feed a small family. Actually, a large is so large that I was able to feed two people a satisfying lunch and dinner for two days straight. Of course, those two days were so spectacular that I thought, "Why stop at just two?" and kept going for a full four days in a row.

And no, I'm not ashamed.

CocoaBella, you had me at "try a free sample."

Not only is this the best chocolate I've had in San Francisco, it's also some of the best chocolate I've had - and that coming from a girl who went on a chocolate tour of both Brussels and Paris...I called it my "Obesity Tour." Basically, CocoaBella has chocolates imported from all over the world and brings them together in one convenient location so that you can save all of that flight money and put it towards buying chocolate.

Unlike many chocolate boutiques, all of the chocolates taste as good as they look. And their selection is impressive to say the least. I think when they were coming up with the concept for their store, they made a list of everything you can put in a chocolate and decided to stock at least one of each. From traditionals like dark chocolate or hazelnut truffles to non-traditionals like olive oil or cayenne pepper treats, they have something for everyone. A perfect place for picking up a gift that tells your friends and relatives "I'm classy, and you're lucky."

Also, the customer service was impeccable. Quick, attentive, and patient as I was being extremely picky and saying no to about 1/2 of her suggestions. Even after pacing back and forth through the store roughly 246 times trying to find my ideal chocolate selections she kept a smile on her face and stuck with me.

It's a problem when I can go through a 20 piece box in a day and a half, and that was when I was exercising some self control! Otherwise they would've been gone in an hour flat. It's also a problem when as soon as I'm done, I go onto their website to find out how I can get more.

Didn't you hear? Being a size 2 isn't fashionable nowadays anyway - chocolate is in.

Even if you've been living in some secluded cave for the last five years, you probably still would've heard about NOPA. As a restaurant that has really defined and shaped an area, NOPA has been a prominent force in the City's culinary picture for years - one which everyone seems to have an opinion about.

I had been hesitant to try it out for a long time, after hearing from a few people that they thought it was relatively overrated. However, as soon as that first bite hit my mouth I knew those people were just flat-out wrong: NOPA deserves all of the attention it has received.

It's not reinventing New American cuisine, and it's not trying to be one of the most refined restaurants in the City. There is value in simplicity, and NOPA offers straight-forward, seasonal, well-composed dishes that taste fantastic. Bruschetta with butter beans ($11), Sun Gold tomato, and grilled calamari isn't shockingly original, but the execution and flavor is spot-on; serving up a grass-fed burger ($13) may seem commonplace, but served at a perfect medium rare with pickled onion, gruyere, house-cured bacon, on a house-made brioche bun makes something simple into something absolutely mind-blowing - arguably the best burger in the City. And, I hate to compliment the Flat Bread because it's just so easy to cover it with bacon and make it taste delicious, but damn that flat bread is good.

Add in a full bar and one of the best cocktail menus in the City, and it's easy to see why it's been one of SF's most popular restaurants for so many years. The only problem with being so popular is that, even though the restaurant is sizable, there is almost always a wait. During the peak hours of almost every night of the week, expect to feel like a wolf, eyeing your prey and ready to attack as soon as someone gets up from their bar stool.

If nothing else, NOPA is the definition of consistent. Dishes are never overworked, flavors are always clean, and every item is beautifully cooked and seasoned. No matter what the season, or what modifications have been made to the daily-changing menu, at NOPA you can always expect solid food and solid cocktails.

After more than a year of vegetable-driven cuisine, it was about damn time I ventured out of the norm and found myself a giant, no-frills, juicy steak. My hunger for meat led me to an unlikely location: Seasons Restaurant at the Four Seasons.

Because Seasons isn't situated on the ground floor I didn't even realize there was a notable restaurant in this hotel. But what the fourth (or possibly fifth) floor has that the street lacks is a beautiful view of the city. Having recently changed the menu's concept from what I like to refer to as "seasonal power lunch" cuisine to one found in a more traditional steakhouse, I was excited to see if the transition was successful. After 2 dinners, it's clear that Seasons should only have 1 season: steak season.

To begin, the cocktails are delicious, and with such a lengthy selection you're sure to find something to quench your thirst.
In terms of cuisine, the focus may have changed but there is still a strong sense of upscale seasonality that doesn't come in the form of steak on the menu. In fact, the majority of the menu is steak-less.

Take the appetizers for example: Seared Foie Gras "Pot-au-Feu" with roasted red flame grapes, or Seared Scallops with Asian pear, parsnip, chanterelle, warm pancetta vinaigrette, and young cress.  The Foie would be more successful if less emphasis was placed on the accompaniments and more on the foie itself. On the other hand, the scallops were perfectly cooked, however, the creativity and composition of this dish didn't blow me away - a solid dish that tasted like it should, but not overwhelming. Similarly, the Baby Organic Greens and Sweet Gem Lettuce Salad (with a wonderfully assertive white anchovy dressing) are both nicely composed and tasty, but again not entirely memorable.

The beautifully cooked Loup de Mer followed, accompanied by one of the highlights of the meal: the Rancho Gordo beans. While beans may seem insignificant to some, they were perfectly seasoned, not cooked into mush, and are the cornerstone of this dish. But again, despite being a solid entrée it didn't really leave a lasting impression.

It was the most cliché item on the menu, the steak, that left the deepest impression. The 28-Day Dry Aged Ribeye ($48) was nothing short of velvety meat butter encased in caramelized complex sugars and dripping with mouthwatering, natural juices. At the time I described it as, "knock-me-on-my-ass good," and it was this meat, and this meat alone, that drove me back and left me equally impressed just a few weeks later.

That said, the sauces were a different story. Of all five options, the only really appealing sauce was the hollandaise with freshly shaved horseradish and thyme -a wonderful complement to the meat.
Similarly, the sides (the black truffle, hazelnut and parmesan Spätzle, and the Braised Greens with 63 hen egg) were too overcooked to thoroughly enjoy.

Finally, dessert was decadent, flashy, and delicious. Although selections are somewhat traditional (Dark Chocolate Mousse with salty caramel ice cream and a Lemon Raspberry Tart made of lemon curd, raspberry gelée, and crème fraiche ice cream), they were exquisitely executed. It's this type of execution that reminded me that classic desserts are labeled "classic" for a reason.

When the extremely attentive service and broad wine list are factored in, the question remains: would I go back or recommend it to friends? For a full meal? Probably not. If I wanted to pay those kind of prices, I would probably opt for something more consistent. For drinks and dessert? If I'm in the area, sure. For steak? Seeing as how I've already made a return trip, I think so.

Cotogna. San Francisco's new hot spot. Situated on a beautiful block in the financial district, right next door to a little place called Quince. Rustic Italian cuisine brought to you by one of this city's most celebrated chefs, Michael Tusk.

Clearly, Cotogna has a lot going for it - and many people have noticed. This establishment has attracted a huge amount of attention, so much that on my first visit there was such a cloud of hype surrounding this restaurant that it was hard to even see the front door. Having dined at Quince several times, I had always left with the feeling that, while delicious, it never quite lived up to its widespread publicity. So, in all honesty, I walked into Cotogna with a bit of an attitude, entering with my chin held high as if to say, "Okay hot shot. Impress me."

And let me tell you...it did. As much as I wanted to be underwhelmed, everything about my three dining experiences amazed me.

Although the menu may seem rustic and relaxed, the plates that come out of the kitchen are sophisticated. I was hooked as soon as I took my first bite of the starters: a Salad of Chicories with pomegranate, olio nuovo & burrata ($10), and a serving of Grilled Monterey Bay Squid with grapefruit & puntarella ($10). The salad, while uncomplicated, was perfectly balanced, refreshing, and not overly dressed; much can be said about a restaurant that serves impeccable salads. The calamari was perfectly executed - not rubbery at all and incredibly juicy.

Next came the pastas, the most notable of which is the Farm Egg Raviolo with brown butter ($16) - also the most decadent dish of the meal. A beautiful, delicate farm egg is cooked in 180 degree water for 2-3 minutes, until the yolk is runny enough to spill slightly when cut, but firm enough to not run out over the entire plate.

Skip the pizza. However, a side order of Ember Roasted Onions with fonduta & hazelnut ($6) left a lasting impression on my mouth (that's what she said...) Smothered in cream and layered with different textures, a simple onion became supple, rich, smoky, and outstanding.

SPIT ROASTED PORK with wild fennel & hot pepper ($24) came as an entrée, and absolutely blew me away. I usually don't adore simple, roasted meats, but this pork loin was so moist and so well-seasoned that for me it is one of the most stand-out dishes on the menu.

Finally, but importantly, the desserts. After 1 bite of the Crème Fraiche Panna Cotta with pinenut cookies ($7), it's clear that this is not a place where you should skip dessert.

Don't expect to walk in and be seated within 15 minutes; the wait at Cotogna, even on a weeknight, looks more like 60-90 minutes. It doesn't matter who you are, if you don't have a reservation you're going to wait. But the food is worth it. Luckily, there's a wonderful bar right next door in Quince to make that wait a little less painful.

My love affair with Coi began roughly one year ago, when I stepped into the serene dining room and proceeded to have one of the best meals of my life. After 2 more tasting menu extravaganzas, I quickly realized that maintaining such a regular schedule at one of the most notable, expensive restaurants in SF was sheer madness, and a cloud of sadness crept over me. Until I discovered one of San Francisco's best-kept secrets: the Lounge at Coi.

First - important to note that that lounge closes April 1st and gives way to more dining room seating, but I wanted to write about it anyway. Coi's lounge is quite simply one of the best deals in this city. It offers its own special menu AND you can order any item off of the tasting menu! With all plates priced under $20, I clearly thought it was too good to be true.

Luckily, it's not too good to be true. It's real. And my two dining experiences in the lounge have turned into my favorites in a long line of memorable meals. But it was Chef Patterson's ability to convey a genuine, clear sense of place in every dish that made my most recent visit truly the most impressive.

The Geoduck and Manila CLAM was the perfect way to start the meal. By combining the clam's hints of subtle sweetness with the geoduck's fish-fragrant flavor of the ocean, and adding in refreshing bites of bull kelp which suggested the presence of coastal waters, this dish brought the sea to the plate.

The dish that followed, which Chef Patterson entitled "Pasture," caught me by surprise. Described as "BEETS Roasted in Hay, Fresh Cheese, Wild Sprouts, and Flowers" I expected a simple, semi-firm roasted beet on a plate. However, what arrived was more of a thick beet purée, with the fresh Andante cheese combined with the mashed red beets to form a soft, creamy puddle on the plate. Simply topped with a smattering of wild sprouts and flowers, I felt like the best fed horse in the history of the world.

This was followed by a taste of the California coastline: a CRAB MELT with Steffan's Lardo and Wheatgrass. I was suddenly transported back to the local farms of California with the next dish: the FARM EGG with Cauliflower and a Nettle-Dandelion Salsa Verde. The egg's gooey richness, the cauliflower's firm but succulent flavor, and the freshness of the greens were in perfect harmony and communicated the unique location of these ingredients.

Then came yet another surprise: Savory Chanterelle PORRIDGE with Crisp Root Vegetables, Cress, and Sherry. The last time I saw porridge on the menu was on a visit to the Three Bears' House, and even though I thought that the bowl I had there was just right, I was wrong. The warm, comforting, coziness of this earthy dish absolutely blew me away. Despite my initial reservations, this was not only my favorite dish of the meal, but one of the most memorable dishes I've experienced at Coi.

And although there's never much meat on Coi's menu, every time they do it, they do it to perfection.  The taste of the Prather Ranch BEEF, with Potato, Coastal Grasses, and Monterey Cypress was so pure and cleanthat it would almost be unfair to other restaurants if Coi offered multiple meaty selections on the menu.

Finally, in my mind putting a GRILLED CHEESE sandwich on the menu is taking a big risk. I quietly thought to myself, "Okay Patterson. Bring it." Oh, and he brought it my friends. Oh yes...he brought it. As skeptical as I might have been, that grilled cheese sandwich, with house-made pickles, was just about as close to flawless as a sandwich can get.

I left thinking two things. The first: "Wow. I can't believe I just fell in love with porridge." But more seriously, my second thought was that Coi, which I've regarded as the best fine-dining restaurant in the Bay Area for some time, is only getting better. Impressive indeed.

First of all, let me say that my last trip to New York City happened at the end of May 2010, so this post is sadly a bit outdated. But, it has been sitting as a draft in my files for the last 8 months, which means this article was written when the meal was still fresh in my mind. Although some tweaks may have been made to the menu, 3 of the 4 items that I ordered last May are actually still on the menu, and since I haven't revisited the restaurant, my initial opinion has stuck with me. So, rather than let a completed article go to waste, I'm sharing it now.

Prior to arriving in New York City, my fourth visit in 4 years, I had done a significant amount of research on what new restaurants were catching headlines and had already made reservations at all of my top picks. Although Marea wasn't one of them, after only one day in Manhattan I realized that I'd had made a big mistake - everyone, and I mean everyone, was talking about Marea. With only two days notice and one incredibly lucky phone call, I found myself with a lunch reservation at New York's hottest restaurant.

The setting was exactly what you would expect of a celebrated Midtown restaurant located just across from Central Park: tables of businessmen in important looking suits alongside elegantly coiffed women donning pearls, over-sized rings, and classic Chanel jackets despite the summer heat. Combined with its spacious, open dining room, Marea is the cliché Big Apple business lunch destination: a place to see and be seen. Unfortunately, like most "business lunch" establishments, the grandeur of the atmosphere and crowd outweighed the grandeur of the food, surprising seeing as how even the Times' food critic had nothing but glowing things to say about Marea. And to top it off, we even ordered the exact dishes that were being praised by food journalists and NYC locals alike!

Our first small bite, the Sea Urchin paired with lard and sea salt, was plain in presentation, uninspired in flavor, and simply fell flat. Similarly, the Seppia that followed - Cuttlefish cut to resemble tagliatelle, soffritto crudo (raw veggie sauté), and bottarga di muggine (grated grey mullet roe) - was one-dimensional, lacked adequate seasoning, and was equally disappointing.

Despite the lackluster appetizers, the most-hyped dish on the menu and the one I was most excited to try was still to come. My mouth instantly began to water when the Fusilli with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow, coated in an elegant, deeply-colored Sangiovese wine sauce, was placed in front of me. Little fault could be found in this dish: the pasta was perfectly cooked, the braised octopus was beautifully tender, and the sauce was full-flavored and rich. Despite its perfect execution and flawless composition, it just wasn't especially compelling; I've simply had better pasta at numerous other establishments. Surprisingly, it was the dry aged Sirloin that stole the show: a flavorful, perfectly cooked piece of meat that literally melted in your mouth. Finally, I understood the appeal behind the classic, business-lunch power-steak.

Overall, I left feeling underwhelmed and slightly bitter by having been misled by public opinion. Sure, I went for lunch rather than the more decadent evening tasting menu. And yeah, at a restaurant where it probably pays to be somebody, I was a big nobody. But no matter. For a restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star and a three-star New York Times review, I would expect higher quality cuisine no matter what the time, or who the clientele happens to be.

I've been so wrapped up in writing about food that I didn't realize it's been almost 2 years since I wrote about one of the most important people in my life: my hair stylist.

Jodi Stetson has been the only person I trust with highlighting my hair for the last 3 years. Even though San Francisco seems to have everything a person could possibly need, I am still traveling from SF to Sacramento every couple of months to get my hair did. Sure, visiting my parents is nice, but they shouldn't fool themselves - I primarily go home to see Jodi.

First of all, she's consistent. Whether I ask to be a bit blonder or just get a touch up, I get exactly what I want every time. In 3 years I've never left the salon thinking, "I wish it was a bit lighter, but I guess it looks good." Instead, I leave thinking "Goddamn! I look good!"

Secondly, her prices are incredibly reasonable. As I said before, it's actually just as cheap for me to get a round trip ticket to Sac and have Jodi do my hair vs. going to a local salon. And to clarify, I'm not saying that and getting some kind of friend discount - the price of a full highlight (2 colors, btw) is actually that inexpensive.

Finally, and what's been the most important for me, she's very flexible and always works around my schedule, even if it's incredibly short notice. Sure I've known her for some time, but I have no doubt that she's super accommodating with all of her clients. There's no "Jodi has an opening in a month" bs like you often find in chi-chi SF salons. And the results are just as good as those elite salons! I mean, just look at my hair in my Yelp photos. It's goddamn gorgeous. ;)