Frances

Frances

3870 17th St

San Francisco, CA 94114

frances-sf.com

Yelp

I was about ready to burst with my last and final meal for my SF summer trip.  Luckily, I pulled through and did not disappoint my fellow dining companions Triple F and Running Man, nor my dedicated readers/followers.  I always take one for the team.  After Lazy Bear, Frances was my next favorite spot during the weekend trip.  The food was simple but perfectly imagined and executed.  Everything about this place is what is right about the San Francisco dining scene.  Seasonal.  Farm to table.  No fuss.

Brokaw Avocado & Roasted Cauliflower zante currants, vadouvan, yogurt

I never really thought avocados and cauliflower would go together but I was proven wrong.  The buttery smoothness of the avocados went nicely with the crispy yet tender cauliflower florets.  The currants added some sweet tartness.  The yogurt was a cool creamy touch.

Grilled Beet Salad charred spring onion, blu del moncenisio, hazelnut

I loved the beet salad.  I love salads with varying textures and this definitely had that.  The charred spring onion definitely added some depth of flavor.

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Hog Island Oyster Co.

Hog Island Oyster Co.
1 Ferry Building, Shop 11
San Francisco, CA 94111
hogislandoysters.com
Yelp

The eat-a-thon continues with lunch at one of my favorite spots in San Francisco, The Ferry Building.  I love coming here on the Saturdays when the farmer's market is really bumpin'.  I usually get filled up by all the eats from the food stalls and fruit vendors before I've even set foot in the building.  So I've actually never had a sit down meal at any of the restaurants at the Ferry Building.  I was looking forward to lunch with Panda Bear and Mani Bear at Hog Island for some oysters.

Black Mission Fig radicchio, treviso, pine nuts, honey-sherry vinaigrette, figs
The salad definitely had a lot of texture from the radicchio which was a nice change from lettuce or spinach.  It leaned a little bitter as a result.  The dressing was light, maybe too light.  The pine nuts added some more crunch.  The figs were not very plentiful.

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Lazy Bear

Lazy Bear
3416 19th St
San Francisco, CA 94110
lazybearsf.com
Yelp

There are very few times I hand over the reigns to food planning.  Most people are not interested in dedicating the time to figure out what's good to eat.  Triple F is not that person.  She keeps her ear to the ground.  She subscribes to foodie newsletters just like I do.  She has been tracking Lazy Bear since its days as a pop-up.  They are now so successful and popular, that a ticket, at their now brick and mortar establishment, can be pretty hard to come by.  It's no exaggeration that this place is $$$$, but it was well worth it.  BEST MEAL OF 2015!

The set up is interesting.  They have 2 seatings for the night.  You arrive for your dinner service and pass the time upstairs noshing on little bites and sipping on drinks/cocktails, while overlooking the dining room below.  It's like a pre dinner cocktail hour.  The punch we were served wasn't terribly memorable.  It was light on the alcohol.  The little appetizers were a great way to start.

Whipped Scrambled Eggs bacon, maple, hot sauce

Those scrambled eggs were expertly infused with the flavor of Benton bacon.  It was a shot from umami heaven.  That savoriness was enhanced by the maple syrup and hot sauce.  It was everything that is great about breakfast in one fell swoop.  Yums!

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Mr. Holmes Bakehouse

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
1042 Larkin St
San Francisco, CA 94109
mrholmesbakehouse.com 
Yelp


Being a true hardcore foodie entails dedication.  That could play out in any number of ways.  Trekking hundreds of miles for food.  Standing in long lines for food.  Waking up really early for food.  Basically, doing something that most people probably wouldn't be willing to do, just to eat something delicious, earns you the foodie badge of commitment in my book.  The friends I can deeply relate to on a food level will all go to the same great lengths as I would to satisfy the fat kid that lives within us all.  Fishing Zebra Man is such a friend.  He has been talking about the signature cruffin and California croissants from Mr. Holmes for some time now, but I was not looking forward to the early morning wait and long line.  

The Twin Tornadoes caused a bit of a travel delay, and I ended up arriving 30 minutes later than our agreed meet time of 8am.  I had just missed out on the "golden tickets," or in this case, the "pink sticker."  These were passed out to the first"x" amount of customers waiting in line prior to the bakeshop opening.  A pink sticker guaranteed you 2 cruffins.   Fishing Zebra Man being the generous and gracious friend that he is, gave me his sticker.  He is crazy for the California croissant and could care less about cruffins anymore.

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SPQR

SPQR

1911 Fillmore St

San Francisco, CA 94115

Yelp

After 9 years of bustling urban living, Triple F is finally leaving the city of San Francisco for a cushier life in the 'burbs.  I felt I should squeeze in one last visit before I lose my free city housing for good.  Well, that and I wanted to spend some quality time with my Triple F, Running Man, and the Twin Tornadoes.  My stomach may be bottomless, but my heart continues to beat warm for the ones I love.  Interestingly the ones I love either have a bedtime of 8pm or more important people to hang out with, so it was just Triple F and me for SPQR.  Triple F has always spoken very highly of this place so I was excited to finally get to try it.

Summer Squash cooked and raw, calabrian chili, radish, 'nduja, ricotta salata

The pairing of cooked and raw squash piqued my interest, but unfortunately the raw version paled in comparison to the cooked counterpart.  I didn't think they went well together.  The pickled radishes added some brightness while the 'nduja sausage balls definitely brought the heat.  The ricotta salata tied all the components together.

Chicken Liver Mousse strawberry marmellata, balsamic gelatina

Smooth, livery, savory.  The strawberry marmellata was a unique pairing.  I've seen other fruits, typically stone fruits or figs, paired with pates and mousses.  The strawberry aroma was a bit more sweet and dessert forward than what I was used to.  All in all, still a tasty dish since I love liver mousse.

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NOPA

Reservations are hard to come by at many of the hot & happening SF eateries.  The Pouter and I really wanted to eat at the ever popular Statebird Provisions, but couldn't get a reservation and planned to try for walk in.  After much discussion with previous diners, we decided that would be a poor decision, and went plan B, which was a fairly late 945pm? reservation at NOPA.  Don't get me wrong, NOPA is another bumpin' joint with excellent reviews, so we were still quite happy.

Amuse Bouche
A really simple slightly pickled/salted cucumber.  They kind of look like lime wedges and definitely had some lime flavor.

Piggy Platter headcheese, crispy trotter, country paté

I rarely meet a charcuterie platter I don't like, but aside from the crispy trotter which was like a meat tater tot, everything else was meh.  In fact, the headcheese had a terrible formaldehyde smell/taste to it.  It was soooo unappetizing.  The Pouter didn't agree with me, but I felt it wasn't even subtle.  It was like here are some pig parts that taste like cadavers.  Gross.

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San Tung

People RAVE about San Tung.  "Best wings ever!" "Crack wings" "Hour long wait for the best meal of my life" blah blah blah.  You know this is just a set up for disappointment right?  I've had some mighty tasty wings in my life, Crisp in Chicago and Pok Pok in Portland.  The latter, being my favorite of the two places.  But Running Man and Triple F looooove San Tung and they are some heavy hitting foodies.  They catered the Twin Tornadoes one year birthday party with food from San Tung.  So the wings weren't piping fresh when I tried them, but I believe the flavor was still there and I was unimpressed.  Korean Chinese food is usually a cuisine I have difficulty appreciating.  It comes off as bad Chinese food, almost Americanized in its overly saccharine sweetness.  I'm sure its not meant to come off this way, I'm just not accustomed to its taste.

Dry Black Bean Sauce Noodles

This is actually one of the few dishes at Korean Chinese restaurants that I really like...when its done well.  Here it was just ok.  You'd imagine that a sauce so black and thick would be loaded with flavor, buuuut its really not, at least not this one.  The noodles could have been chewier, more al dente.  I really like the version at Dragon in LA.

Dry Sauteed String Beans

The beans were not good that night.  Save for that, it would have been your standard fare.

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Atelier Crenn

It seems like with every visit to SF, I go big and then I go home.  I know some heavy hitting foodies in SF, so eating well is always a big part of my visits.  The Pouter is always my go to girl for any of the big meals in SF.  We were inspired to hit up Atelier Crenn after seeing Chef Crenn on Top Chef.  She seemed so hip, so cool, so SF!  SF has quite the fine dining food scene going on.  The restaurants can range from traditional institutions like Gary Denko, to more modern and contemporary places pushing the boundaries of food and science.  Atelier Crenn definitely falls into the latter category.  The ambience was clean, minimalist, modern.  On the weekend, you can only do the tasting menu.  So I was shocked to see a couple there with their 7-8ish year old daughter!  I really wonder what she was eating.  Did she partake in the fancy ass tasting menu?  Did they make a special menu with molecular gastronomy chicken nuggets??  I'm sort of on the fence about bringing children to such fancy places like this.  I guess I'll leave it at that.  On to the food!

Kir Breton coco butter, cassis liquor, apple cider

I love these little liquer amuse bouches.  They usually have some interesting texture and then burst in your mouth.  The spheres were delicately thin but with some crunch and sweetness.  Then the apple cider provided some tang and refreshment.  Such a fun way to start.

Uni custard caviar, smoked potato gel, licorice

Uni seems to be making a splash on every menu these days.  It was an oceanic delight tempered by a smooth creaminess.

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B Patisserie

Though I have yet to try the wondrous deliciousness of the famed Cronut, I would argue that B Patisserie's Kouign-Amann (pronounced queen ahman) has to be some stiff West Coast competition.  I don't know why I had never heard of this Kouign-Amann before.  It is ridiculously amazing.  Like any good bakery, B Patisserie serves an assortment of sinfully sweet and rich pastries.

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Range

I'm really beginning to appreciate the food scene in San Francisco more and more these days.  It's definitely a much more refined food scene than LA.  The restaurants seem more ingredient driven and  have that "farm-to-table" thing going on.  It's also a nice change of pace to come to San Francisco and let another foodie take the reigns.  It's refreshing to be able to put your brain on hold and just show up somewhere someone tells you and have complete faith that the place is gonna be tasty.  This is how I feel when I dine with The Pouter.

Mendocino Sea Urchin chilled soba noodles, seaweed, ginger, sesame seeds
Our romantic date started off with some appetizers.  I LOVE uni but somehow I've never been impressed with any preparation of uni save for nigiri.  I suppose the problem is that when uni is served in some other way besides nigiri, there's never enough of it and I always feel disatisfied.  Here it looks like there's a lot of uni, but it's more like there's not a lot of the other stuff.  It was a cool refreshing starter with light Japanese flavors.

Chicken Liver Mousse frisee salad

I love most forms of meat in paste form.  This was no exception.  I didn't like the super crispy crouton pieces though, really hurt my teeth and abraded the roof of my mouth.

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Quince

My summer of fancy schmancy eating didn't end with Grace.  Oh no, no, it just started there and continued with my visit to Quince with The Pouter.  It felt like a hot date.  We both got all dolled up, she picked me up,  we had wine, great conversation, and then the date took a turn towards doomsville.  The check came and we went dutch!  Well not every date that starts well, ends well =P.  Anyways, the place is pretty elegant, and would be a great place to celebrate a special occasion.  The Pouter and I were celebrating, um...life, love, and food?  Heck, we don't really need an occasion to blow some cash on any ole weekday.  I guess I was visiting SF, so that was occasion enough!

Green Garlic Parmesan Chips
They had the texture of shrimp chips with a very subtle cheesy taste.  A bit on the greasy side but its just so easy to eat anything in chip form.

Pickled Green Tomato Tartlet squash chips
These were some of the best bites of the night.  This one tasted like a fresh tomato pie.

Arugula Financier seville orange purée
Wow, this was soo good!  Like a sweet yet savory vegetable pound cake.  I wanted a whole loaf.

Russet Potato Skin guanciale marmalade
Yum!  A singular bite that encompassed all the flavors of an awesome baked potato.

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Incanto

It's been a while since I've dined with Weeners.  The last time was when she still lived in LA and that seems like ages ago.  Now, she is proud to call herself a San Franciscan and has really adapted to the hippy dippy lifestyle of those folks up there and she loves it.  SF is too cold and gloomy if you ask me, but on those rare occasions when the sun is shining, I will admit the city has its charm.  I love visiting, since the food is so derricious, and since I have yet another friend who has relocated up there, Craire (formerly known as CMac Attack).  All of us met up at the Italian restaurant of Top Chef Master, Chris Cosentino, winner of season 4.  To my shock, he was actually IN the kitchen cooking when I arrived, but moved to expediting by the time we were seated.  Expectations were certainly high for me knowing this.

Foccacia Bread olive tapenade
Pretty tasty, even more so because we were pretty hungry by this point.

Handkerchief Pasta rustic pork ragu, sizzled duck egg
A really solid, hearty meat pasta dish.  No complaints here.

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Roku

Triple F and Running Man really love this place. Apparently the guy who opened up Roku actually had a food truck serving Japanese curry and was successful enough to open up a brick and mortar joint serving a larger selection of food, izakaya style. The menu is surprisingly extensive here so I was a bit wary of the quality. I mean the place serves pretty specialized Japanese dishes like takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and ramen so it could easily do it all wrong. Fortunately, it does it all right!

Mentai Bowl crab meat, spicy cod roe paste, rice

I'm not sure why Triple F loves mentaiko so much. It's quite fishy funky and Triple F is not usually one for unusual foods. Anyways, this was ok but I'm not a fan of mentaiko I guess.

Mochi Bacon

Running Man loooved this, which again was not my thing. The bacon wasn't crispy enough and it wasn't enough meat to balance out a big hunk of starch.  

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Smitten

My ice cream journey continues with a more interesting way to make ice cream using liquid nitrogen.  Smitten is a cool little shop in a cool neighborhood of SF, Hayes Valley.   I'll let the pictures do the talking.

They use only fresh, all natural ingredients.


Making ice cream this way apparently results in a creamier, smoother ice cream because they are able to minimize the all time evil enemy of ice cream, ice crystals.  Trust me, I know this formidable foe well as I have not been able to defeat him during my own ice cream making endeavours.

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Brenda's French Soul Food

I like brunch, but I don't love it.  As a result, I am never too keen on waiting the 1-2 hours that some really popular brunch places command on the weekends, the only time most people, including myself, can enjoy brunch.  Fortunately, if I go in with the right mindset and pre-eat, waiting isn't such a fatal experience.  So lucky for Weeners, I waited a whole 45 minutes by myself at one of San Francisco's most popular brunch spots.  By it's name, I was expecting a restaurant without a lot of "character" if ya know what I mean, but I was pleasantly surprised by the very well lit, spacious, and new looking joint.

There is a large chalk board taking up a large portion of the wall.  Notice the FIFTEEN names ahead of mine.  Surprisingly it moved pretty fast and we got seated in about 45 minutes to an hour.

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Humphry Slocombe

The ice cream binge continues in San Francisco.  While everyone goes gaga for Bi-Rite, I was sort of underwhelmed.  There's still one other ice creamy heavy hitter in the area, Humphry Slocombe.  Random-ass name huh?  But it sure does stick in your mind.

Secret Breakfast (left), Butterbeer (right)
The Pouter got her favorite, Secret Breakfast, which is bourbon ice cream with cornflakes. I got the butterbeer.  Neither ice creams were too sweet which I certainly appreciated, but the texture fell short of my favorite ice cream place here in Portland, Salt and Straw.  It wasn't heavy or creamy enough.

It's so hard to describe my particular preference in ice cream texture, but Humprhy Slocombe just didn't do it for me.  In addition, I was a little put off by the ghettoness of the ice cream shop.  I think I expect clean, cute, nostalgic, inspired.  Humphry Slocombe looks like a whitewash walled extra large closet.


Humphry Slocombe
2790 Harrison Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

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Commonwealth

Ok, moving on to some SF eatings.  I met up with some good friends to get my SF grubbin' on, now that Triple F and Running Man are out of the eating game with twins girls.  The Pouter was kind enough to make reservations and pick me up for our dinner at Commonwealth.  Now, I did not know this, but living in the Bay Area, is not the same as living in SF.  Non-SFer's hate to come into the city.  It's a hassle, you have to pay tolls to cross the bridge, parking is difficult, road conditions suck, etc etc.  So by the time we got to dinner, The Pouter was in quite the mood.  She has some MASSIVE road rage, so I'll be sure not to make her come into the city again!

Housemade Potato Chips dusted with seaweed
I was so hungry that I really gobbled these up.  They weren't particularly special, but tasted like really good kettle chips but oilier. I can't say I tasted much seaweed.

Malt Vinegar Foam
Dipping the chips in this gave the instant flavor of salt and vinegar chips.  It was clever and tasty.

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Sushirrito

I love that people are constantly trying to innovate in the food world. People coming up with new twists on old ideas.  People mashing up cuisines from different parts of the world.  It's fun to discover all these new things.  I wouldn't exactly say these innovators are always so successful.  Sushirrito seems like it would be one of the more creative and delicious ideas.  Imagine giant sushi rolls as big as burritos, and you have Sushirrito.

It's caters to the lunch crowd being located in the financial district of SF.  It's more of an eat and go or take and go place.  There are no places to sit and eat and only a small area to stand and eat.  It kind of works like chipotle where you order you food and you watch them make it on a line.

The fish looked decently fresh.

As did the veggies.

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PPQ Dungeness Island

I apologize for my long break from the blogger world.  The holidays left me with little time to blog.  I was flying back and forth from Portland to LA during my time off, and when I get to LA all I do is eat and hang out without much time for blogging.  Plus, a lot of my free time has been spent trying to plan The Big Day.  Although it's quite a ways away, I like to peruse the internet seeing all the wonderful possibilities.  It's amazing to think what life would be like without the internet.

I still have to finish up blogging about my SF trip so many moons ago.  After Bottega and Gary Denko, were done with the White Man's food, and really need to color things up a shade of yellow.  Dim sum at Hong Kong Lounge really hit the spot and we wanted to keep the momentum going.  Weeners recommended PPQ which turned out to be disappointingly mediocre so I'm going to have to reconsider her recommendations from here on out.   PPQ is really know for their crab and garlic noodles.  I'm not sure if the restaurant is Vietnamese or Chinese since the food is sorta Chinese, but there is Vietnamese on the menu.  We decided to go off the set menu stuff and order a la carte.  Maybe thats where we went wrong because none of the things were ordered were very good.

Papaya Salad with Shrimp
I love papaya salad, but I didn't like this.  It was just sorta bland.  It lacked an adequate amount of acid or even salt. It was just a sweet bland taste.  The shrimp were flavorless.  The papaya had a good crunch I suppose, but the flavoring left much to be desired.

Fish Mau and Crabmeat Soup
Nothing spectacular going on here.  Not large pieces of anything that I could identify as being seafood.

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Hong Kong Lounge

So after many wonderful meals in San Francisco (Gary Denko, Ferry Building, Bottega), the H.o.P. was honestly itching for something else.  The H.o.P always gravitates back to our one true love, the complex multi faceted cuisine of Asia.  What better way to satisfy that craving than with some good ole dim sum.  Hands down, Seafood Harbour in Rosemead has got to be THE best dim sum this side of the Pacific.  I haven't had dim sum in Hong Kong, but the rest of the H.o.P. can confirm this.  So far, my experience with dim sum in the Bay Area has been just ok.  Better than anything in Orange County, but nothing that knocks your socks off.  A true dim sum experience cannot be complete without some rude, pushy, and loud Cantos.  You know what I'm talking about.  They smell like mothballs and old closets, they squawk and squabble like wild chickens, and shoving and cutting you off comes as second nature to them.  Haha, I joke, right?  These are the people of Dumpling Man.  He says my people live 10 people to 1 room and are ghetto beyond all ghetto.  Ah, to each his own...

Xiao Long Bao
Tasty and pretty juicy.

Har Gow
Pretty large pieces of shrimp.

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