Shereen A.

7/19/2018

I was staying at a cute boutique hotel nearby and made my way over here for dinner. I came solo and sat at the bar. This place is poppin! Literally, every hour of every night it's open.

After browsing both the English and Spanish menu (yes, they are the same but I like to keep it local) the bartender gave me the low down of his favorite dishes, and recommended popular favorites. He was super helpful and extremely attentive.

Since I hadn't eaten since before siesta hours, I was houngraaay and ready for everything. I had:

Special la Pepita Anchovy- the caramel on this is so savory and delicious. You must try it!

Marinated seabass with spinach, strawberry, basil, and piquillo peppers- so fresh! Once I took one bite, I knew I wanted to savor it. I ate the rest at a slower pace lol

Roasted octopus with green with "mojo picon", potato mash, and snap peas- this was my FAVORITE. I could eat ten of them. Yes, please!

Smoked aubergine fritters with goat cheese cream, honey, and apple- MmmMmMmMMmMm

Argentine beef skewer with chimichurri- I'd take seconds

Patatas bravas- I was so full by then, I probably should have skipped it. Delicious, nonetheless. I had to take a few breaks to eat almost all of them.

For dessert I had the Chocolate Pepita with oil, bread, and black olive jam - gawd, give me another one.

and I thiiiink that's it.

So, if you're dining solo and want to try lots of items with only so much stomach capacity you can opt for half portions (hallelujah!) This is great because you don't have to share AND you get everything you want!

I love this place. I should have come back more often than I did, but there's always room for more next time I'm back. The food here is absolutely delicious! Love, love!

Gracias por todo!

7/19/2018

The portions here are plentiful! Regardless of the size you choose, you won't be hungry and may even have left overs.

I tried the chicken adobo with half white rice and half salad greens. The chicken was dry and overly salty. I did enjoy the flavor of the sauce once I had some of the onions and cucumber with each bite, the vinegar balanced out the salty. I liked the fried garlic a lot. Don't forget to top your meal with that!

6/29/2018

• ROTD 1/31/2019

So, let me preface this review by telling you that the food at this location is better than the one on Fillmore; which is a good thing because I live pretty close and makes it super accessible. Plus I'm kind of obsessed.

It all started when I had a friend visiting from Houston for 24 hours that was on the hunt for clam chowder and oysters. Not wanting to take her to a touristy spot on the Embarcadero overcrowded with people ooh'ing and ahh'ing at mid sized meh oysters we decided to come here for lunch. I called in advance to see if they were busy and because they weren't, we got here as soon as possible for a second lunch.

We started with a ton of oysters, devoured them, and ordered more. Next up: squid ink pasta, soft shell crab sandwich, steamed artichoke, side of fries, clam chowder, and more oysters. Food on food on food.

Since we dined here the first time, we've come back weekly (sometimes twice a week) because it's THAT good. Even on a Tuesday when the wait was 40 minutes (which ended up being an hour and half once) we stuck it out because my little foodie heart wanted everything on the menu (almost). My must have's every time I'm here are the squid ink pasta (can you tell by how many pictures I upload of this dish?) and the steamed artichokes. The squid ink pasta is life and my favorite thing on the menu. Seriously. This is probably the best squid ink pasta I've had in SF. It's smoky, savory, it has great depth in flavor, and I can't get enough. The steamed artichoke comes with this parsley garlic sauce (a vegetarian must have!) which I want to rub on everything and anything. If you want a bite of either, get your own! I also really enjoy the mussels in white wine sauce topped with french fries.

I can't really comment on the fried food though since it's not my jam, but I'm sure it's great.

The food here is fantastic! Absolutely delicious.

Don't come on Tuesday, it's dollar oysters (only because I don't want the line to be so long haha).

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• See all photos from Shereen A. for Woodhouse Fish

3/18/2018

• ROTD 9/21/2018

I've been waiting my entire San Francisco life to say this. I finally found my favorite Thai restaurant in the city! 4.5 stars, so legit!

omg.

So, we were walking around the Design District and bumped into this place. No wait, Thai food, a welcoming smell of faint fish sauce as you open the door, and recognition on the wall had me interested in less than ten seconds.

Having been to Thailand (which btw, the food there is absolutely unreeeaaaal!), I often have thai chili and fresh coconut dreams. I can now come to Saap Ver to get my fix. If I had to give the street food in Bangkok a 10, Saap Ver is a very high 7. I love this place!

The menu is pretty large, I wanted everything. But, between the two of us we started off with jasmine tea, stir fried squid in salty egg yolk, red chili beef, chicken pad thai, and white rice on the side. I also wanted red curry and tom kha soup, but that would a little gluttonous. So, we stuck with three entrees.

The red chili beef was spicy rich in flavor, so delicious! The squid was super fresh, and you could taste the tamarind in the pad thai (no ketchup used here!).

Just like in Thailand, the food here is really addicting, you really can't stop eating it (nor do you want to). It's so flavorful AND get this: they have "thai spicy"! You will never have to ask for hot sauce if you opt for thai spicy. But, be ready for your mouth to burn baby buuurn!

The service is really attentive, the waiter was super chatty and nice. The ambiance is great too, very much reminded me of the nightlife in Bangkok.

I can't wait to come back and try other food. It's "Damn Good!" =P

2/10/2018

So, came in for a pre birthday dinner. We were seated immediately and there was a sweet little birthday card signed by all the staff at the restaurant on the table. What a lovely touch! I was suuuuper excited to dine at Nightbird, having heard so many great things. I love the presentation of the menu, even the font is whimsical and the little owl is the cutest.

The waitress kindly brought us the cocktail and drink menu and we each picked something from it. She looped back around during our meal and asked if we wanted anything else to drink. She was greatly attentive! Dinner buddy opted in for another drink.

Our meal started off with a poached quail egg with hollandaise. It was pretty good and I especially enjoyed the fried onions. It added a nice contrasting texture. The second course was a beet truffle salad. The beets were fresh and delicious. We were then brought a little loaf of sourdough rye bread to share. This wasn't my favorite but I ate it anyways.

The next course made me a little sad to eat. We ate Sonic the Hedgehog =/ But, he was tasty and the agnolotti was made really well and perfectly toothy. The next round of bread showed up- sesame nori was my one of my favorite items of the evening. The cod was good, the beef was a bit chewy and I felt there could have been more on the plate (every plate, that is). The heart of palm was omg so good. I wish there were two or three more!

On to dessert, there was a tangerine, mandarinquat which I enjoyed (anything citrus steals my heart) and a dark chocolate with pears and hazelnut ice cream. I think the pears took away from the dessert and didn't like it. Our waitress then brought us a chocolate truffle each (which I was all chocolate'd out by then so I ate half) and a salted caramel which wasn't very firm, almost paste-like. Lastly, she brought a small rectangular chunk of ganache (this was my favorite dessert of the evening) with a lit candle. So thoughtful!

The ambiance is extremely plain (did they just move in today?), the waitstaff is great and attentive, but the portions are pretty tiny and sadly I just don't think the food was above average, nor filling. Presentation was really lovely though. I can't say the dinner wasn't good, because it was. Yes, it's a tasting menu and portions are small. But either add more food on each plate or increase the number of tastings you get. We both were still pretty hungry when we left and disappointedly went to find a second dinner.

Three stars? Seems harsh, I know. I actually feel it's quite generous. Everyone and their dog likes this place. Not to say I didn't like it, I just don't think the food is memorable, sets them apart, or worth the price. Definitely not worth the price.

Two tasting menus and 3 drinks later we blew through about $396.00 (gratuity was included). Should I have flown to Seattle and back for dinner at Altura instead?

12/27/2017

What a great find! The food here is fantastic!

While visiting my brother in Austin during the holidays he sent me a list of new places he wanted to check out; Saffron being one of them. After perusing the menu and pictures of their food you didn't need to twist my arm to get me to eat here.

We left in time to beat traffic out here and were seated immediately upon arrival. We were greeted warmly by a host and smells of delicious curries that filled the air. There weren't many people dining when we got there, but when we left there wasn't an empty seat in the house.

We ordered the Gobi Manchurian, Murg shahi Korma, chicken momo's, lamb sekuwa, and garlic naan. I liked all the appetizers but I liked the entrees a lot more. My favorite was the murg shahi korma. The pistachio and cashew curry is so silky and flavorful I wanted to lick the bowl (but obviously I didn't lol). In fact, I loved it so much I went home and looked up recipes for how to make it.

Looks like it's BYOB but there's a shop nearby that will help with that.

I wish I came for the buffet because it'd be reallyyyy hard to get me out of there! Anyways, if you're in the area it's a must have. If you're not in the area, why aren't you?!

Sooooo good!

12/22/2017

I absolutely LOVE the Chef's Tasting Menu here.

Now, Rich Table had been on my list foreverrrrr, I just wanted someone to eat with! Not that I mind eating alone, but a tasting menu is way more fun when you compare notes. So, the first time I was here was with a Seattle friend that was visiting and we got here early enough to snag dinner seats at the cozy little bar. So lucky, we got seated without reservations!

Having been here a second time, some of the Bites were different but no less delicious than when I had the Chef's Tasting Menu the first time. Some of my favorites the second time around were the aged beef wonton, fermented cabbage with pastrami spiced mustard, and the savory black sesame macarons (#omgidie).

The few things on the menu that seem to be regulars that I really like are the sardine in a chip blanket, and the cacio e pepe with sea urchin butter.

I do have to say though, the first time I came I enjoyed the vegetarian tastings more than the meat tastings. The meat dishes the second time around were executed better but if you're vegetarian there's a lot to enjoy here. There's a whole tasting menu of reasons why they have a Michelin Star! :)

The honeycomb bite at the end steals my little foodie heart.

I'll tell you, bring a Benjamin or two for tax, tip, and drinks.

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• See all photos from Shereen A. for Rich Table

12/22/2017

We came here to go to town.

San Tung (as usual) had an insane line. I put our names down at both places and played the waiting game. So as luck would have it, those in front of us here were tired of waiting and left. We were bumped up 3 parties and were seated almost immediately.

They usually list what they are out of, and if you are ok with that you'll have a great meal here. We didn't care they were out of dumplings. Ok, I kinda did but I was more here for the wings.

Chicken fried rice, hot and sour soup, salt and pepper wings, sticky wings, green beans, tea, and another order of chicken fried rice later the four of us threw in the towel with pajamas in the near future.

We all had crazy big food babies and left happy.

12/22/2017

Here's a little pro tip trick for you. Put your name on the list then go next door and put your name on their list as well. The cafe next door is the same restaurant and same owner with a limited menu. Let's be real, all you're really here for are the chicken wings anyways. You're welcome!

The food here is pretty good. I found the green beans and peanut noodles to be a bit too salty but still enjoyed the dinner overall.

I really liked the chicken wings. They are perfectly crispy, sticky, succulent, and full of flavor. I enjoyed the dry wings just as much. Just order both of these!

12/22/2017

Brunch time!

Ordered the Corned Beef in the Hopper and was pretty disappointed. The corned beef was overly salty and it needed some mustard or acidity. I asked for stone ground mustard on the side.

The description didn't indicate the chipotle slaw was a huge quantity of orange mayonnaise (I'm not a huge fan of mayo to begin with, especially so bland) which the fresh slaw was practically bathing in. Sad! AND it was ALL over the dish.

The potatoes were good but with every bite being overall salty, fried, creamy, and bland I basically had cut up corned beef dipped in mustard for brunch. Taste-wise, this dish lacked any sort of fresh component. I probably would hesitate to come back here.

The dozen oysters were a nice start and the french press coffee was good.

Service was slow and semi attentive.