Bi-Rite

Even since Sal knew I was coming down for a visit, she has been raving about Bi-Rite. At first, it sounded like a pharmacy and it left me wondering why she would be so excited about prescription drugs. Well... Maybe I don't know her as well as I thought I did! In actuality, Bi-Rite is a small ice cream shop just down the block from Tartine. After our dinner at Chapeau! tonight, Sal had planned that we would all visit Bi-Rite. She's almost sounding a bit like me, as in "coercing" people in visiting a place of her choosing. Rice-a-Ronnie had no choice since Sal was giving her a lift. Cable Car Guy and AZee was my ride and I had promised to go to Bi-Rite. Thus, we all had to go!

Finding parking was quite the exercise. Round and around we went without a space in sight. Finally we spotted one and CCR did a nice U-turn to snag the space. While walking up the block, we noticed that Sal was attempting to park in a spot. Watching her try to park was equally amusing and painful. Even a bystander couldn't take it anymore and yelled out some instructions. Further perpetuating the Asian stereotype, she finally finished parking after 8 minutes. Fortunately for us, it was a cool night and there was no lineup at Bi-Rite. Apparently, when it's warm, you'd be waiting for quite awhile.

Sal picked a very peculiarly flavour - Honey Lavender. She kept swearing that it was the best flavour in the entire world! Uh, we'll see about that! One taste and... pitooey... No thanks! Tasted like soap to me. And believe me, I've tasted soap. Not intentionally; but I have. Me not likey. That goes the same for CCR, AZee and Rice-a-Ronnie. However, I did like the Salted Caramel as seen in the picture. The salt only helped heighten the sweet creamy caramel. Honey Lavender aside, the ice cream here was creamy and had much more flavour than Mitchell's. I liked the consistency of the ice cream where it was creamy without being thick. Pretty good ice cream except for the soap.

The Good:
- Interesting flavours
- Nice and creamy
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Interesting flavours
- Small store - you pay, get ice cream and leave

Chapeau!

After consultation with Foodnut, Bay Area's top food blogger, I made a reservation at Chapeau! out on Clement street. Honestly, I've never heard of the place and it really doesn't show up on the radar for most out-of-towners. Apparently, all my cousins have heard and dined at this place before. They had nothing but good things to say about it. Originally, it was only going to be Sal and myself; but Cable Car Guy, AZee and Rice-O-Ronnie were able to join us as well. Awesome, the more, the merrier... and more pictures! Residing at the old location of Clementine, Chapeau! was still in the process of renovations. That would
probably explain the bare walls and modern-on-traditional light fixtures. Sal was obsessed with the walls, constantly complaining that there should be wallpaper. It really didn't bother me, I was more interested with the food.

We had an early reservation for 5:45pm and the place was packed during this time. The reason? Between 5:00pm - 6:00pm, there is an early bird special consisting of 3 courses for $28.00. A pretty good deal in my books. I decided to order off the menu because I wasn't really in the mood for dessert. Actually, Sal was planning on taking us to Bi-Rite afterwards, so my "no dessert" idea was more strategic than anything. Prior to our appetizers, we were treated to complimentary amuse bouche in the form of a Creamy Corn Soup. Cable Car Guy was running late and they actually brought him his soup when he arrived. Moreover, they encouraged us to order for him before the 6:00 cutoff time for the early bird special. We liked how they took care of everyone, even the one that wasn't even present.

I got the PEI Mussels Soup as my starter and I was pleasantly surprised at how many fresh, plump mussels rested in the aromatic broth with a slight hint of heat. The addition of creme fraiche was a nice touch as it gave the soup some body. Cable Car Guy went for a classic - Escargot de Bourgogne in Butter-Parsley & Garlic Sauce. It was a bit hard to take a picture of it since each escargot were covered with plenty of butter and parsley. However, that made for some good eating, especially dipping the bread in the remaining sauce. For my entree, I had the Skate Wing in Brown Butter. It was served with fingerling potatoes and finished with a Grenobloise sauce. The skate was moist with a slightly crispy exterior. It was slightly on the overcooked side; but not terribly so. The capers, shallots and lemon juice (?) added both aromatics and tang.

Sal picked my 2nd choice if I hadn't chosen the skate wing. It was the Cassoulet de Toulouse which is essentially a bean stew with a duck leg (or duck confit) and a lamb sausage. Definitely rich and robust, the dish was quite filling. I tried the duck and it was tender and full of flavour without being salty. Sal could only finish 1/3 of it and instructed the assistant waiter to pack it up. We're not sure what got lost in translation; but he ended up dumping the rest of the dish. More on that later... Both AZee and Rice-a-Ronnie had the Louisiana Gulf Wild Flounder which was served with mashed potatoes, braised leeks and roasted tomatoes. The dish was finished off with a mussels-saffron sauce. I also got to sample this dish and the flounder was cooked perfectly. Moist, tender and only flavoured by the sauce, this was a simple; yet well executed dish. Rice-a-Ronnie didn't care for the mussels in the sauce and on the dish. I would tend to agree with that since the mussels could detract from the delicate flavour of the fish. For me, I love mussels, so it
was a non-issue.

For dessert, Cable Car Guy went for the Profiterolles. These chocolate-covered cream puffs were decadent; yet light at the same time. Don't ask me why that is, it just tasted that way. Not a good dish for someone who is on a diet. Now if you were, Sal chose a very light dessert in the form of a Basil Napoleon with Maui Pineapple, Manilla Mango, Banana, Kiwi & Strawberries with
Champagne-Citrus Pastry Cream. Similar to a mini fruit salad, this was both refreshing and very light. Now on the other hand, AZee went all out
and got the French Toast. Yes, French toast in a French restaurant, go figure... It was finished with a rich caramel sauce with hazelnut ice cream. I normally do not go OMFG over French toast; but I will here. Pure buttery, sweet and slightly crispy heaven which would blow any calorie restrictions.

Chef and owner Philippe Gardelle greets and welcomes every guest sometime during their meal. He is a gracious host and shows his appreciation for their patronage. In fact, when he found out that Sal lost her leftovers, he marched straight into the kitchen and made up a partial portion for her to take home. I really enjoyed my dinner at Chapeau! from the food to the service. Combine this with reasonable prices, especially with the early bird, you really can't go wrong here.

The Good:
- Great value
- Well-executed dishes
- Philippe Gardelle is a gracious host

The Bad:
- Although bigger than the old location, it's still pretty small

Pho Garden

I gotta say, I really love Pho. The combination of slow-cooked beef broth, rice noodles and an abundance of meat really hits the spot, especially in colder weather. Honestly, I could probably eat more than one bowl at a time, including the soup! But I need to be careful what I wish for. Before my visit to San Francisco, I had heard about this place that had a really big bowl of Pho for $22.00. When I say big, it's a massive understatement. Imagine 2lbs of noodles, 2lbs of meat and soup, all in a really honking huge bowl which is specifically made for Pho Garden. The challenge is that if you could finish it within 1 hour, it's on the house. I'm not trying to play hero here, there is no bleeping way I could finish such a monstrosity. For me, it's more of the novelty than anything. It's a food adventure of epic proportions.

Of course, I had just finished up eating at Sol Food out in San Rafael; thus I wasn't really in the mood for more eats. In fact, I'd already been to Bakesale Betty and Cheeseboard Pizza! However, I'm dedicated to my craft and this was the only time I could squeeze in the massive bowl of Pho. Sal said she would only watch me eat the Pho. She was in no mood for more eating, especially since we had a reservation for Chapeau! in less than 3 hours. Before it even began, I told the server that I gave up because there is no way I'd be able to eat 4lbs+ of food, even on a good day. She seemed a bit taken aback and it didn't seem to register with her. Finally, I told Sal to grab a bowl so she could try some of the Pho. However, this is not really allowed because it's suppose to be for one person only, even if you do not intend to finish it. Think of it. A bowl of Pho that could feed a family of 4 or more, that costs only $22.00. It's actually a pretty good value. You can see why they don't really want you to share.

Even though I was not in the least hungry, the Chinese in me took over and I finished all the meat. I ate some of the noodles and drank some of the broth. Honestly, the Pho was not bad contrary to other reviews I've read. Of course I've had better; but it was more than acceptable. The meats were tender and the broth was not overly salty. The only complaint is that the noodles were a bit soft. In terms of the Pho of Fame, I'm not sure how someone could finish the whole bowl. They must've been real hungry!

The Good:
- It's clean
- The food ain't bad (contrary to other reviews)
- A $22.00 bowl of Pho!

The Bad:
- There is indeed better Pho elsewhere

Sol Food

When I first mentioned to Sal I wanted to try Sol Food out in San Rafael, she paused briefly. Since she lives in Fremont, it's not exactly a neighbourhood spot for her. I tried to be as courteous as possible by giving her an out. If she didn't want to head out there, we could've easily gone somewhere else. But I'll give it to her, she's a good sport because that's where we headed after Cheeseboard Pizza. However, the one concession I had to make was to BART it from the Dublin/Pleasanton station over to Castro Valley where she would pick me up. A small price to pay for many eats today! With GPS set and me at the wheel, we set off for San Rafael. Before we knew it, we were there. Apparently, it wasn't as far as we thought it would be. So before it even hit 11:00am, we were onto meal #3!

At the very least, this meal was going to be far and away the most unique of the bunch. Being a Puerto Rican restaurant, I was looking forward to trying their something a bit different. The Camarones Criollos caught my eye. It's a dish comprising of prawns sauteed in a tomato sauce with garlic and onions. It's served on white rice and comes with a spring salad, avocado quarter, Toston Con Mojo and Marduro. Despite what you see in the picture, the prawns are not terribly overcooked. Yes, they are cooked longer than what you'd find in Chinese cuisine; but they were still very good. To me, the texture resembled that of cooked lobster. The tomato sauce itself was not overwhelming with just enough garlic and onion flavour; thus I could still taste the sweet prawn. Although, I did add some hot sauce and it made it all the more better.

I'm not the biggest fan of Tostones Con Mojo (fried green plantain smashed and fried again) since I find it dry and flavourless, so I'm a bit biased. This one was pretty much consistent with the ones I've had before. Again, with a bit of hot sauce, it made it better. However, I did like the Marduro (fried sweet yellow plantain) since it resembled a fried banana. Sal had the Mofongo, which is fried green plantain mashed up with olive oil and garlic. Naturally, I wasn't a big fan of it; but Sal seemed to enjoy it. It was a bit sweet and quite dense, she could only eat one half.

Overall, a pretty satisfying meal which is a bit out of the ordinary. I thought the prices were quite reasonable for the amount of food we got. There are not a lot of places to eat here. In fact, there are only 3 real tables outside. 2 of which are on the sidewalk. Most of it is bar seating. You might want to take it to go. So was it worth the drive out here? We thought it was since the food was pretty good, the ambiance was sorta neat and we had a good time walking around looking at all the shops in the neighbourhood.

The Good:
- Nice selection of dishes
- Good portions
- Authentic

The Bad:
- Not a lot of seating

Cheeseboard Pizza

The other night, Cable Car Guy and I were a bit hungry before meeting up with Azee for dinner at Chez Panisse. We intended to pay a visit to Cheeseboard Pizza; but it was closed on Mondays. Mind you, we were also considering grabbing some hot dogs from Top Dog too! Disappointed, but undeterred, I talked Sal into going there immediately after a fried chicken sandwich from Bakesale Betty. Not being really all that hungry, it was more of a curiosity visit than anything. Naturally, the store wasn't open so early; yet The Cheeseboard next door was open, Over there, you can buy cheese and baked goods. Furthermore, the daily pizza is available for purchase as well. Today, the pizza was Broccolini, Red Onions, Canadian Cheddar, Mozzarella, Garlic Olive Oil and Gremolata. There was an option to buy a whole pizza or one-half. I picked up the half while Sal picked up some Corn Scones.

I was skeptical of the scone; but one bite into the crunchy cornmeal combined with sweet cherries and I was sold. With a baked sugary top, the scone was sweet and a touch of savory at the same time. There were lots of textures and flavours at work here. I was only going to have a taste; but ended up eating half. It really didn't leave much room for the pizza; however, I needed to try it, right? Too bad the pizza wasn't exactly hot; but it was very tasty. Unlike most run of the mill pizzas, this one had lots of different flavours. The gremolata provided the added kick of flavour. I love garlic and the double-dose of garlic oil and garlic in the gremolata made the pizza very tasty, despite the absence of meat. I also liked the thin crust. Not exactly New York-style, the crust was a chewy and not soggy. Not the best pizza I've had; yet it was satisfying.

In addition to the corn scone, there are many more other baked goods available. It's too bad I didn't get to try all of them. After all, I just had visited Bakesale Betty and had pizza too. Believe it or not, we were on our way to Sol Food in San Rafael next. This must be a new achievement, fried chicken sandwich and pizza, scone and Puerto Rican food, all before 11:30am.

The Good:

- Great tasting pizza with a great crust
- A nice selection of baked goods and cheeses next door
- Reasonably priced

The Bad:
- Only one type of pizza per day

Bakesale Betty

What's with these places with no signage whatsoever in the Bay Area? First, there was Tartine, with it's plain exterior, and now it's Bakesale Betty. In fact, they are much the same. Big windows, black tile and bustling with activity inside and outside. Normally, a visit to BSB would require lining up in a queue that could scare some people. However, Sal and I made the trek early on a Tuesday morning @ 9:00am. Not only did we get a parking spot near the front, there was no lineup. So what's the deal with the lineup anyways? Well, there is this very popular Fried Chicken Sandwich... A fried chicken sandwich at 9:00am??? Yes, we're dedicated eaters. With ironing boards doubling as tables lining the sidewalk outside of BSB, we were already put into a whimsical mood. Sal has been here before, lining up for the sandwich and other tasty treats. She got a couple of cookies this time around; but I had my sights set only on the sandwich. I would've considered getting some scones or even a slice of apple pie if we weren't going to Cheeseboard afterwards. However, once we got the sandwich, I immediately knew that no other food was necessary. The thing is absolutely enormous! Even splitting half with Sal was not enough to substantially lessen the quantity of food. Stuffed in between the soft but rest 4 large pieces of crispy fried chicken topped with marinated cabbage, peppers and onions. Too bad the chicken wasn't freshly fried, otherwise it would've been even better. Whatever the case, I wasn't complaining, a fried chicken sandwich early in the morning is a treat. If you thought this was strange, wait til you read the next post. How about adding some pizza to the already consumed fried chicken sandwich? Yup, call me a food rebel...

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Great fried chicken sandwich!
- It's quirky

The Bad:
- Usually a lineup
- Only a modest selection of products

Top Dog

For those who don't know, there is a phrase that I once coined while dining at a nice restaurant. The portions were so small, it left us quite hungry. Therefore, we decided to pay McD's a visit afterwards for some Filet-O-Fish. After that point, if any meal didn't fill us up, we referred to it as a Filet-O-Fish meal. Today, after dining at Chez Panisse, I was not exactly bursting at the seams. Without a McD's in sight, we made our way over to Durant and went for something quick and cheap. So, instead of a Filet-O-Fish, we went for hot dogs at Top Dog instead.

Yah I know, after a fine French meal at one of the best restaurants in the Bay Area, I have sunk to the depths of mystery meat stuffed inside intestinal casing. Well, food is food and no matter how much it costs, if it's tasty, I'll eat it. We ended up getting 3 hot dogs: Bockwurst, Frankfurter and Hot Link. While our dogs were being prepared, I started snapping photos and the guy behind the counter remarked that, "It's nice to see someone so enthusiastic about my cooking". He has a point, I was busily taking pictures of him cooking hot dogs. I really am crazy!

Cable Car Guy decided to add Russian hot mustard to his already spicy dog and he didn't look all that comfortable eating his hot dog. We were not sure if it was the dog or the mustard. Didn't matter, it was amusing watching him gag. He did say it was good despite the spiciness. I thought that the bun was quite nice since it was a French roll and it was nicely toasted. My Bockwurst was meaty and mildly seasoned. With some sauerkraut, the thing rocked. For $3.00, it's a nice cheap eat which is really pretty good. With all the "gourmet" hot dog joints that are all the rage, it's nice to see a place that makes great "regular" hot dogs for a great price. Oh, it's open late too, so you can grab a couple while piss drunk. They probably would taste even better!

The Good:
- It's cheap
- It's a good hot dog
- Open late

The Bad:
- No fancy stuff here