One of the best Spaghetti I've had yet. The mushrooms & squash - mmmm; and the cheese. The whole thing just goes so well together with some surprising tastes in between. Just delicious. And a haven for vegetarians. A must visit. You might not find them on any menu but watch out for the fresh juices that they have posted on an overhead TV screen at the counter of the cafe. Yummy mixes they have.
I like the mezzanine seating - good for a bay view; or just lazing in the sun on their orange almost-chaise-lounge by the window and gazing at the goings on outside. And they serve Blue Bottle! What more can one ask for.
I'm sure I'll see a lot more of this place.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Indian Recommendation Yet
There is one Indian place that managed to surprise me still - Dosa. The food is just fab. Plain flavorful cooking. And exotic desserts from the simplest of ingredients. Totally totally recommend it.
The starters - Bhel, North/South Samosa were regular. Nothing special there. The Dahi Vada - the first impression was "these need to soak more". And then the flavors kicked in. And it was tasty.
All the entrees we picked were aimed at leaving space for dessert. But it would have been a good meal if it had ended with those too. Mysore Masala Dosa; selection of 5 Uttapams & the Spinach Dosa. All good. The Sambar was yummy. And as my friend said, you can actually taste the coconut in the Coconut Chutney.
The Desserts were the deciders though. Wait for it... Awesome!
The starters - Bhel, North/South Samosa were regular. Nothing special there. The Dahi Vada - the first impression was "these need to soak more". And then the flavors kicked in. And it was tasty.
All the entrees we picked were aimed at leaving space for dessert. But it would have been a good meal if it had ended with those too. Mysore Masala Dosa; selection of 5 Uttapams & the Spinach Dosa. All good. The Sambar was yummy. And as my friend said, you can actually taste the coconut in the Coconut Chutney.
The Desserts were the deciders though. Wait for it... Awesome!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Coffee or an Ice Cream
After a long hiatus, I am back with a post. Found these two insanely busy but deservedly popular stops one opposite the other. Ciao Bella and The Blue Bottle. Every time I stop by, it is always a hard choice. Though the weather does help in making the decision sometimes. Sultry stroll along the deck with that ice-cream cone or a cozy coffee snuggled in the corner blocking the chill wind. Equally delicious. Suggest you stop by too at the Ferry Building and try one or the other. You might run into me on one of your return trips.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Cascal
This is one restaurant that doesn't have a sorry choice for vegetarian! And its not even Indian. Love the atmosphere they have set up. feels very relaxing for me at least. The service might be a bit late in starting, but its worth the wait eventually. Starting with the fresh bread and olive oil with pesto dip they serve up, it only gets better. The Sangria (I've tried the red) is good, only make sure to drink it before all that ice melts into it!
Potato Gratin! That's my fave starter these days. Potato and roated cheese. Whats not to like! And of course their goat cheese patties with the dip (onion tomato?
) is pretty good too. Oh did I already mention to leave your concern for calories at the door?
Tried vegetarian Paella, spied on neighbors lamb chops, tasted the enchiladas. They have such wholesome corn tortillas, definitely try those. All taste/look good. And there were many more options I feel a need to explore! The staff never rushes you or try to get you to leave (even though it is 11pm, well past the 9:30pm when they close at!). Love this about the place. And their chocolate souffle! Mmmmmm. Can still taste it. All in all a great experience!
Potato Gratin! That's my fave starter these days. Potato and roated cheese. Whats not to like! And of course their goat cheese patties with the dip (onion tomato?
) is pretty good too. Oh did I already mention to leave your concern for calories at the door?
Tried vegetarian Paella, spied on neighbors lamb chops, tasted the enchiladas. They have such wholesome corn tortillas, definitely try those. All taste/look good. And there were many more options I feel a need to explore! The staff never rushes you or try to get you to leave (even though it is 11pm, well past the 9:30pm when they close at!). Love this about the place. And their chocolate souffle! Mmmmmm. Can still taste it. All in all a great experience!
Nice Segue
Forever, Sunday evenings have been the most uninviting times. Whats to look forward to in the end of a weekend or the beginning of a long week ahead?
But then these last couple of weeks, we have accidentally created this routine of hanging out with friends over dinner on Sunday evenings. And turns out, these are some of hte best of times!
Long lazy dinners, nice conversation. Contended desserts and low music. Have been some of the longest dinners I've ever had. And drives the thoughts of the Monday to come out of your head! Now Sunday evenings are a nice ending to a good weekend. You know how they say the impressions you are left with at the end of something defines how you look at the event as a whole? This is the best way to have great weeks me thinks. Atleast for memories!
And this leads to the latest review I have - Cascal. Only this time its for dinner not brunch. Sundays have a lot going for them these days :)
But then these last couple of weeks, we have accidentally created this routine of hanging out with friends over dinner on Sunday evenings. And turns out, these are some of hte best of times!
Long lazy dinners, nice conversation. Contended desserts and low music. Have been some of the longest dinners I've ever had. And drives the thoughts of the Monday to come out of your head! Now Sunday evenings are a nice ending to a good weekend. You know how they say the impressions you are left with at the end of something defines how you look at the event as a whole? This is the best way to have great weeks me thinks. Atleast for memories!
And this leads to the latest review I have - Cascal. Only this time its for dinner not brunch. Sundays have a lot going for them these days :)
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Summer Day in Winter
Had beautiful weather this weekend. So much so, felt like we are into summer already. Hope the sunny weather is here to stay. Went to Murphy's Law Pub for brunch and chatted with a good friend. Conversations of "the talk" with parents; college pranks; odd locations for Beer breweries; figuring out what AVBC stands for... Haven't laughed as much as I did today in age. At one point I was slamming on the table with my palm and clutching my stomach to alleviate the pain from laughing. :)
Nice atmosphere the place has. The food is good too; so are the coffee and OJ. Only word of caution - avoid the bread! Hard as rock, testing the new filling in my teeth to the core :P
Ideal for a brunch close to home on a lovely Sunday afternoon.
Nice atmosphere the place has. The food is good too; so are the coffee and OJ. Only word of caution - avoid the bread! Hard as rock, testing the new filling in my teeth to the core :P
Ideal for a brunch close to home on a lovely Sunday afternoon.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Resto
NYC being so famous for its food stops I was pretty excited to try out some of the restaurants on my last trip there. As it happens, I return happier for being in the Bay Area. It might just have been one off bad experiences, but hey, if it makes me happier where I am, I don't want to see that side :)
So Resto. Seeing how the reviews were raving about it, and how busy it tends to be, for the first time, I'd actually made a reservation about a week in advance! They had a fixed Sunday Supper for the day we visited - and I was pretty excited to try it. But when we end up at the place that didn't seem the case - it was just order from the menu (could we have ended up at the wrong location? they did have two..). The "Dutch Baby" looked like a nice start. When it was served to us though it wasn't impressive. More like a pancake than a souffle like it was supposed to be. Didn't taste too bad though. And then the rest was regular - very unremarkable.
Another thing I noticed about NY brunches - they do not have fresh juices. Coming from California with our farms so close by and sunny weather mostly, I never realized what a privilege that is.
So Resto. Seeing how the reviews were raving about it, and how busy it tends to be, for the first time, I'd actually made a reservation about a week in advance! They had a fixed Sunday Supper for the day we visited - and I was pretty excited to try it. But when we end up at the place that didn't seem the case - it was just order from the menu (could we have ended up at the wrong location? they did have two..). The "Dutch Baby" looked like a nice start. When it was served to us though it wasn't impressive. More like a pancake than a souffle like it was supposed to be. Didn't taste too bad though. And then the rest was regular - very unremarkable.
Another thing I noticed about NY brunches - they do not have fresh juices. Coming from California with our farms so close by and sunny weather mostly, I never realized what a privilege that is.
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