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Kid Friendly Dining #1: Milagros Cantina

What do you do when it's Sunday evening, you want a margarita and your baby goes to bed at 6:30?  A) Make one at home, B) Skip it, C) Load up the family in the car for an early dinner and 'rita.  I have to say that trying to eat dinner, sip a cocktail and feed an infant takes very special multi-tasking skills - it helps that Milagros in Redwood City feeds kids for FREE on Sundays.  Need another reason to go?  Great carnitas street tacos, Mexican chopped salad, and quesadillas.

The kid's menu was also good, and different.  The usual quesadilla, taco and enchilada made an appearance, but so did a taco salad.  I can't tell you how impossible it is to find vegetables on a kid's menu, which usually consists of white food only (quesadillas, french fries, pasta, grilled cheese).  So after we finally got Ivy into a high chair that wasn't broken (after two tries), we found that the high chairs are so much lower than the table that Ivy couldn't even see her food.  We usually bring our own clip on high chair but the table was to thick to clip it on.  Oh well, the food was decent.  Plus, they have a huge outside patio that is great for warmer days and nights, when those come again.

One warning: The smoke (or "steam" as the server called it) from the fajitas gets so thick at times that you think there is a fire in the kitchen.  After two visits we learned this is normal, though it is not pleasant and I imagine Ivy's not loving the bar-like atmosphere.

Rant on: At 5:00, anybody who expects to have a child-free dinner experience is trippin'.  5:00-6:00 is clearly reserved for those with kids, as evidenced by 1-3 kids under 10 at every table in the place.  Plus, it's Kids Eat Free Night, ya *might* expect some kids to show up.  The first time we dined at Milagros with Ivy, the table next to us, a couple in their 40s, commented about what a great baby we had, that she was so well-behaved "especially compared to kids these days".  WTF?  Like kids these days are unruly and out of hand, unlike how kids used to be?  Kids are kids, and Ivy has her moments, she just happens to love shoveling quesadilla, and was focused on her dinner that night.  But the implication that kids who don't say a word or laugh or cry or play are "good" just bugs me.  It's 5:00!  If you don't want to hear a child, try dining later.  Adults talk and laugh and make noise too, but a kid throws a bean and now she's one of those "kids these days".   Some people still think kids should be seen and not heard.  If that guy is lucky, Ivy might be paying his Social Security one day so he might want to chill it a bit.  Besides, we were gone by 6:30, just in time for adults to have their dinner surrounded by other adults (as I like to have as well when I can). Rant off.

Milagros Cantina
1099 Middlefield Road
Redwood City, CA  94065
650-369-4730

RATING: (out of 5 beans)
Kid food: 4.5 beans (.5 bean for the taco salad)
Kid entertainment: 2 beans (4 crayons and a sheet of paper)
Kid seating: 2 beans (2 broken high chair straps)
Kid friendly: 4 beans (friendly staff and FREE dinner!)
Overall: 4 beans

Woah

For those of you who are not regular visitors to Pim's blog, you should really take a look at her slideshow of her dinner at El Bulli in Spain.

El Bulli is arguably (and people do argue) the best, if not most innovative restaurant in the world, run by the infamous molecular gastronomist, Ferran Adria.  Regardless of what you think of these cutting-edge restaurants, you can't deny the utter oh-my-god-ness of those pictures.  I have never seen anything like it, absolutely the most beautiful presentation I have ever seen.  I am again amazed at the limitless nature of food and of people's imaginations.  Check it out.

La Fonda: A Finda

It happens every now and then, when you take a chance on that family-style Mexican restaurant that you have driven by a hundred times, you go in, suspiciously look around, take a seat at the bar and two margaritas and some carnitas later, you realize you have discovered a hidden gem.

La Fonda in San Mateo is such a gem.  Family owned and operated, mom, pop, uncle and three adult children, La Fonda is bustling and friendly and serving great, fresh traditional Mexican cuisine.  The vibe is warm and even newcomers like us felt welcome - they have been serving their regulars since 1976.  The people sitting next to us had been coming every Friday night for twenty years.  They order the mole or the enchiladas.

Everyone gets a bowl of soup to start.  It is called bean soup but no beans were to be found.  Brothy with tomato and plenty of cilantro, I suspect that the base is the bean cooking liquid.  And it is delicious, a great precursor of things to come.  My carnitas arrives, Chris ordered the chile verde.  Whole beans, a scoop of guacamole, cabbage salad, fresh tortillas and a pile of hot, salty carnitas.  I was very pleased and set about rolling the pork and beans in the tortillas and munching happily away.  Then I tried Chris's chile verde.  A unique sauce, it was thinner than I was used to and had tomatoes in it which made it red, not the usual tomatillo green.  But what made it different made it incredible.  Did I detect a bit of cinnamon? Allspice? But just a hint, it was perhaps the best chile verde I have ever had.

When in need of comfort food, this is the spot.  Check it out, order some mole while Maureen and Pablo make you feel at home.

La Fonda
2310 South El Camino Real,
San Mateo, CA 94403
650-574-9699

Incanto's Meat

After the recommendation of numerous people, I paid a visit to Incanto in Noe Valley recently.  I love places like this, slightly off the beaten path, neighborhood patrons, a destination spot.  Before being seated I always enjoy a drink at the bar, it allows me to absorb the atmosphere of a place, to watch the tempo and flow of service and to get a feel for the menu.  I was thrilled with the wine list, mostly Italian and mostly wines that I had never tried, and served by the glass, half-glass, half-liter, as well as themed flights.  This is something I am seeing more and more of, it is great to be able to taste and enjoy a wider variety of wines, especially when you have a many course meal.

The food was good.  Not great though, which surprised me, as Incanto has been compared to A16 (which I love) and Delfina.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that we had a bad meal, I just didn't have one of those "Oh My God this is FANTASTIC" meals.  A particular standout, however, was the Antipasto Platter of porchetta, mortadella, country pate, salumi, head cheese & mustard, Tuscan pecorino & roasted garlic.  Not only was this platter beautifully presented, but the porchetta and salami were incredibly flavored and perfect with the pecorino.  The rough, rustic pate was excellent, one of the best I've had.  We split this four ways, but I really just wanted the whole thing for myself.

I will return to Incanto because I believe that this is a great place, and based on the quality of the recommendations, I think it deserves a second chance.  Next time I will try the pork ragu or maybe the hanger steak, but I am definitely going to get the Antipasto again.

Incanto
1550 Church Street
San Francisco, CA
415-641-4500

Yuzu, revisited

Already described in eloquent detail by Fatemeh and Alice, and previously visited with Alice last month, our revisit to Yuzu last week presented an impossibly detailed and delicious venture into the finest Japanese food I have ever had.  I think I might have to hire Alice to accompany me to all future Japanese food outings; to have someone who knows the food and all it's ingredients and preparation really enhances the dining experience.

My favorite dish of the meal was the Nanban-zuke (literally Nan/Southern Ban/ Barbarian Zuke/Marinaded).  A chilled dish, the snapper was lightly fried and garnished with a mild, sweet pepper, called Shishito, and then it was surrounded by a light soy-vinegar broth.  It was perfectly salty and utterly scrumptious.  Plus it's called Barbarian Zuke which totally rules (for the name origin see the link above).

We were also served an incredible plate of fried karei, that cross-eyed fish known to you and me as flounder, complete with deep-fried skeleton.  While I have eaten, and love, soft-shell crab, eating the deep-fried bones of a fish was a new experience.  And what a tasty skeleton it was, crispy and salty, like potato chips!

Can you say 8 different sakes?  Well, I could if I could remember what they were called and if I could read Japanese.  All I remember is my favorite, Ginban.

Next time you go to a sushi restaurant, I recommend calling ahead if you can and asking for the omakase ("entrusting" or chef's choice).  Let them know any food restrictions you have and then let them prepare a meal for you.  They know what is freshest and they know their specialties.  It is a great way to really enjoy the best that a chef has to offer.

Yuzu Sushi and Grill
54 W. 37th Ave.
San Mateo, CA 94403
(650) 358-0298

Walking in LA: Part 2

So what do you do after a late night out of fine food, wine and conversation??  Why you wake up early and go to breakfast!

My favorite restaurant in all of LA is The Rose Cafe in Venice.  This place has the perfect combination of all things that please me.

1. Huge outside patio in the back with umbrellas for shade when it's hot and heat lamps for when it's cold, and overflowing with lush plants.
2. Great breakfast special in the front cafe, $4.00 for a plain croissant with brie and marmalade and a great cup of coffee.  Any place that understand that brie should come with breakfast pastry is the kind of place for me.
3. Deli case full of fresh, seasonal, unique and healthy salads and entrees.
4. Interesting and local art and artists.
5. Cool little store that sells the kinds of things that I want but don't need.  Still, I love to look and touch.
6. Parking lot in the back.

The front cafe is where one can order a snack or a coffee and sit at high tables and chat or read or people watch.  The back cafe is a sit down restaurant, with some inside seating and the huge, wonderful patio I spoke of in #1.  This is where I go for breakfast if I go for breakfast.  I always order one of two things...

1. Salmon Florentine - Salmon, Spinach & Roasted Tomatoes in a Puff Pastry with a Dill Hollandaise Sauce
2. Ham & Cheese Omelet - Prosciutto-Ham, Swiss, Cheddar & Goat Cheese with Chives, with potatoes au gratin and wheat toast
3. Chris ALWAYS gets the Eggs Scandia - Poached Eggs served on Croissant with Lox and Dill Hollandaise

Just writing about it makes me dream of the food, that's the kind of place it is.  And once I saw Luke Wilson there, that was cool.  Check it out.   

Rose Cafe
220 Rose Ave.
Venice, CA
310.399.0711

Walking in LA: Part 1

Randy Newman and I both love LA.  And we have the same last name! Coincidence? *cue Twilight Zone music*

I recently drove the 5.5 hours down the lovely I-5 to Santa Monica where I spent the weekend eating, drinking, rowing and, well, I got my hair cut.  The drive down was gorgeous, thunder and lighting, everything green and in bloom...SPRING!!!!!

I got down there just in time to have a wonderful dinner with my friends at Joe's on Abbott Kinney in Venice.  Abbott Kinney is the hipster part of Venice, and of the Westside really, where the exact same thing is happening that is happening in many rundown cities across our great nation.  Gentrification.  Not a bad thing generally, as just blocks away, parts of Venice are known to be kind of tough and are indeed, rundown.  But all that is changing and hipsters and thirty-something couples and rising young actors need places to live and eat and drink, dammit, hence the revival of Abbott Kinney.  History time!!! In the 1900s, Abbott Kinney had a vision to create Venice-of-America, and set to building the city and the canals, using Venice, Italy as the model.  A few of the canals still exist today, many were paved over and are now roads (booooooo), but they are somewhat mucky and green, but they have paddle boats and arched bridges so I love that about Venice.  Venice was a huge resort draw for a while, but after a chain of unfortunate events, (fires, death, the usual) Kinney's vision of Venice-of-America started to fall apart.  *fade to late 1990s* Soaring housing prices to the rescue!

Despite my cynicism, I love Venice.  Perfect weather, close to the beach, a great walking town and a few very shining stars in the culinary world.

Joe's is crowded every night, but we were able to get a reservation for 8:30.  And like Spiderman, I arrived just in time.  Joe's does everything seasonally which is just how I like to eat, don't give me tomatoes in January please, just don't.  Keep reading for a few of the highlights...

Joe's Restaurant
1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291

Anniversary - Yuzu Style

I learned three things last night:

1) food bloggers are EVERYWHERE
2) uni is better than I thought it would be
3) sushi chefs do terrible magic

We decided on a stay-close-to-home anniversary celebration, so we cancelled our reservations at Aqua and made our way down to the delightful Yuzu Sushi and Grill.  I had read great things on Chowhound about Yuzu and knew that they were the sister restaurant to arguably the best sushi in the Bay Area, Sakae Sushi.  I had read that to sit at the sushi bar, you really should make reservations, but when we got there, it was mostly empty.  Shocking really, I guess the word just has not gotten around yet how much this place rocks.

Which leads me to explain number one on my list of things learned last night.  A couple were seated just after us at the sushi bar, and I notice them taking pictures of their food.  Food bloggers always give themselves away.  Sure enough, when asked, it turns out the lovely Alice has started her own food blog, Epicurean Debauchery, a detailed and enthusiastic blog that you really ought to check out.  She in turn was speaking in Japanese to the lone gentleman next to her, and laughing, explained that he too had a food blog, Franklin at Filbert.  It is only in Japanese but the pictures are nice!  I foresee Yuzu getting a lot of good publicity from last night.  Crazy food bloggers are everywhere!

On to the food.  I say this cautiously because, well, I always have something to complain about, but, not one misstep.  Everything was perfect.  Possible? Go and see for yourselves.  We ordered a tempura appetizer, because tempura is a good test of a kitchen I think, do they make it crispy and light or oily and soggy?  Of course, it was perfect, light and crispy, even the broccoli was good and didn't have the batter in the nooks and crannies all soggy and uncooked.  We then had a chef's choice sashimi platter, which included Maguro, Aji, Hamachi, Conch, Albacore Tataki, Hirame, and Sake.  It was beautifully presented and each piece was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  I enjoyed the Aji so much that we had some more sushi, with HUGE pieces of fish on top.  This place has cured me of my pickiness over sushi.  I put myself in the hands of Chef Yoichi Arima and trusted everything he served me.  I even tried Uni.  Yes I did.  And despite my squeamishness, I liked it, and was not expecting it to be so delicate and creamy.  Chef Yoichi explained that it was special uni, from Japan and that normally they get it from Santa Barbara but that the recent runoff from the rough weather there has meant they need to import the Uni from Japan, so it was very special.  Hey, you tell me something is special, love it or hate it, I'm going to try it.  We also had the HUGEST pieces of Blue Fin Tuna Toro, and oh my, next time I'm getting the sashimi (even for $29).  It was that good.

Throughout the evening, Chef Yoichi gave us some special treats, one included Sea Bass roe in ponzu with some green onions and blanched snapper skin (that info came from dear Alice).  Again, my squeemish brain said, uh oh, but I ventured forth and it was good, nutty and salty.  The roe was in a ball and was firmly held together, so there was no squishiness like I expected.  Next time, I hope to try more new things and have more of that Blue Fin. Wow.

To drink, we started with the sake flight, and then chose a bottle of Ginban that they had unfortunately run out of.  Chef Yoichi explained that there was a sake that he was sure we would really like, and so we ordered that and enjoyed the whole half bottle of that, which we shared with Chef Yoichi, so, he of course, in turn, shared some other sake with us.  So much sake was had, which brings me to why we enjoyed number 3 so much.

Magic tricks!  Really bad magic tricks with folding and bunching up paper, but really fun magic tricks.  I mean how  can you resist the best sushi, yummy sake and wonderful company AND magic tricks by the chef!?  Check it out.

Yuzu Sushi and Grill
54 W. 37th Ave.
San Mateo, CA 94403
(650) 358-0298

A Townhall Valentines Dinner

We got to Townhall a bit early for our 8:00 reservation, enough time to appreciate the decor, order a drink and see what Townhall had to offer in the Sidecar category. Conclusion: Unusual in that it was made with Calvados and a bit of apple juice, generally good but a bit too sweet. Chris’s Sazerac (whiskey, sugar and two types of bitters) was very tasty, like a spicy fruit cake but not sweet. Once my sister Erin and brother-in-law Gary got there, they generously treated us to a delicious bottle of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut, which was beautiful and dry and with some strawberry fruitiness.

There was no special Valentines Menu, which was just fine by me, I'd rather order off the regular menu to get a feel for a place.  For dinner I decided to go with a series of appetizers. I have been finding lately that I just want to try a few small things rather than one large. First, the four of us just HAD to share the Dungeness Crab and Cheddar Fondue with Broccoli, Potatoes and Andouille Sausage for dipping. So rich and delicious, I think we all could have eaten about 4 more of those.

Cream of Celery Root garnished with Duck Confit was creamy and smooth and perfectly salted which I find is always a problem with soups. I swear I have eaten more duck confit in the last month than in my whole life. Duck confit is the new black.

Beet and Goat Cheese Napoleon - One of my all time favorite combinations, this version was ruined for me by the fact that it rested on a mustardy mayonnaise sauce.  Two things I DO NOT EAT, mustard and mayonnaise, ruined an otherwise good dish.  I am sure others would find it more appealing than I.

Roasted Veal Meatballs with Potato Puree and Green Peppercorn Sauce - can you say WOW?  I am on a hunt for the best meatballs ever, and these are definitely in the top 5.  Rich and moist but not greasy and heavy.  I almost never eat veal but this seemed like a good time to do it. 

My people had the Lamb with Nicoise Olive Sauce, a Peanut and Tasso Encrusted Pork Chop, and the Ribeye with Crispy Potatoes.  All looked and tasty yummy, though the lamb was really outstanding and I would even think about ordering that if I go back and they have it again.  Again the lesson here is: ALWAYS ORDER THE SPECIAL.

Wine was a delicious bottle of Etude Pinot Noir, Carneros, which had rave reviews from my sister and she was absolutely right.  Ripe raspberry and a tad smokey, it paired well with practically everyone's food, and I savored every sip.

The highlight came at dessert.  This thing should be illegal: Butterscotch and Chocolate Pot De Crème with a Layer of Buttercrunch.  Trying to kill me much?  I'm still dreaming about that dessert, and I am sure that they have other great desserts but I will never know.

The Rosenthals have really created a beautifully lit, modern, arts and crafts warmspace to gather, and at pretty reasonable prices; the meal cost us about what Chris and I usually pay alone for this type of meal (not including the champagne).  We also had good service and really just enjoyed the space and the environment, never found the noise or service distracting and felt well taken care of.  Check it out.

Townhall
342 Howard Street at Fremont
San Francisco, 94105
(415) 908-3900
Reservations can be made on OpenTable

Great Time at Luka's Taproom

When I heard that there was a new restaurant in the wasteland of Downtown Oakland, I was excited and skeptical at the same time.  Let's face it, Downtown Oakland is not exactly a destination one goes to on purpose, unless you need to go to Court or jail.  Growing up, we passed through Downtown on our way to other places, like Alameda or Jack London Square, but it appears the gentrification of Oakland has finally passed the Lake Merritt boundary.  Good or bad, it means that Luka's Taproom was packed on a Saturday night with people from all walks of life.

In the former Hofbrau location (RIP 1951-2003), Luka's Taproom is decorated bistro style, a long bar, bar tables for two with tall stools, and plenty of standing room.  The main dining room is quite small, with booths for four, and which is the entrance for one of the backrooms, complete with pool table, jukebox and various signs and other leftovers in homage to the Hofbrau.  In the other back room, is Luka's Lounge, with low, soft chairs, a DJ booth and space for groovin'. See the schedule for the haps for the Lounge.

I started with a lovely Sidecar, very good and a generous pour.  I moved on to trying a Belgian Ale, since that's basically what they are all about and WOW did I have a wonderful beer, Duchesse de Bourgogne.  Is it even in the same category as beer?  It had almost a tamarind cherry cola flavor but wasn't too sweet, and since I like sweet beer, I was in heaven.  We were informed by our server that they pour a lot of this beer, and I can see why. Yum.

Our starters were very good, a nice Duck Confit Salad paired well with Pomegranate Seeds and a Tuna Carpaccio (Ahi and Hamachi) with Arugula, Preserved Lemons & Black Olive Oil (and pickled red onions that were delicious).  The Ahi was great, the Hamachi was mostly flavorless, but we still enjoyed the dish.  The real winner was the Hamburger and Fries with an herbed Aioli, perfectly seasoned, and actually cooked the way we requested (medium).  I would go back just to have the hamburger and the perfect fries.  Dessert was a scrumptious Pineapple Upside Down Cake and a mediocre Cheese Plate that needed way more love or to remove it from the menu altogether.

Overall, I love this place and will likely go back very soon to eat a Hamburger and get my groove on.  Check it out.

Luka's Taproom
2221 Broadway at West Grand
Oakland, CA 94612
510-451-4677