DOSA

Mary:

DOSA

This was a more than pleasant experience, beginning with calling for reservations, which was done through an answering service, and done well—right through dessert and paying gladly for the mixture of cuisine and waiter and atmosphere. I felt very well taken care of.

The food was great. The first edibles on the table were papadoms, and they came just in time. We arrived hungry, and were joking about gnawing on each other’s shoulders but the thin tasty wafer bread, made from garbanzo bean flour and therefore edible by both Jesse and I, kept us from being inappropriate at the table. I ordered Paneer and Pea Dosa…toasted just right like a quesadilla so that the melted cheese and crisp dosa made a great crunchy texture as I bit into it. The taste was a thoughtful blend of flavors. The dipping sauces were good too…several different ones to choose from with differing degrees of heat. The side order of raita, besides being a good treat, helped to cool my mouth when it got heated up by the spices.

Our friend, Barbara, was with us, and she liked the taste of the lamb korma she ordered, but it proved too hot for her. So I traded one of my dosas for half of her korma, and enjoyed the high taste of blended spices (coconut, ginger, garlic and cardamom) in the traditional sauce covering well-cooked lamb cubes, (too often they are overcooked.) Excellent. And good with the raita.

I have spent time in Kovalam Beach in South India, and I am used to and enjoy their particular foods, which differ from the food I eat when I am in Bombay. I thought Dosa did an excellent job of bringing this ‘southern’ cooking to the American table.

Barbara and I were the only ones with any room when we finished our main courses, so I went off my minimal-sugar and carb diet (first time I have been tempted to do so at one of our blog dinners) and split a pot au crème with her. Good, creamy, probably should have done without it

.

The waiter was excellent and worked hard to make our meal memorable. Loved the hanging light

Taj Hotel in Bombay. I've had afternoon teas there.

shades and the way the décor was done: elegant street chic melting into the background. Nice photograph montage of the Taj hotel in Bombay on one wall. For some reason this was the easiest restaurant to hear ourselves talking at our table, even when the restaurant was full. I felt like everything possible was done to make the diners and their dinners the centerpiece; and to send them out the door feeling well taken care of. That’s how I felt when I left.

Dosa in the evening light when we left.

Shirley:

Even the water was good!

I have always had a great meal at Dosas. It is southern Indian food at it's best. Although there are the usual curry, lentils and rice found in an Indian restaurant, there are many unique and delightful additions to the menu.

Any time dinner starts with a bowl of crispy papadam, I am happy. And I was not kidding about the water - it's filtered through coconut husks and was noticeably good. I am usually just fine with tap water, kind of a "water is water" girl, and thoroughly enjoyed the drink.

I ordered the Paneer & Almond Kofta (veggie “meatballs” made of parsnip, squash, potato, mint  with a side of the recommended coconut rice. This was so good that I groaned a bit with every bite. The creamy sauce was plentiful and delicious and the balls  had a velvety, rich texture. It was all great.

My friend Barb tried the Lamb Korma (boneless, dried coconut, ginger, garlic, green cardamom) with lemon rice. The waiter was careful to ask everyone about their heat preferences and the kitchen was very careful to get it right. Still, Barb is an ex-Brit and even the mild heat was a bit too much for her. Too bad for her, really good for Mary and Me. Mary's Paneer & Peas (like an Indian quesadilla) was perfect for Barb, so we swapped some plates around and we were all very happy. And all the little dips that came along with Mary's plate were great.

So, the food was great, the water was great and that is just the beginning. I have never experienced the high level of care and knowledge that was brought to the table, not just from the waiter but from the entire staff. We had some challenges to get everyone exactly what they wanted, but everyone worked together that night to make everyone happy. In fact, they went out of their way to accommodate some tricky obstacles to a great meal.

It is a pleasant environment, the people taking care of you are considerate and smart, and the food is fantastic. Go try it and see if it isn't a great restaurant!


Jesse:

 As person with so many food allergies, I was impressed when the woman we talked to taking our reservation asked if anyone had any food allergies and asked for a list of them. Unfortunately the food allergy information did not reach my waiter so it wasn’t very useful but it turned out that the restaurant did take food allergies seriously. When I informed my waiter of my allergies, I was brought a separate menu that listed all Nut, Dairy and Gluten allergies. It looked very helpful but I found it a little overwhelming trying to order from a graph. Plus I am allergic to all those ingredients plus coconut and coconut is in all their Dosas,  Curries and  Uttapams, which comprise 85% of their menu. Coconut husk is also used to filter their water. I was told the water was delicious but their menu left little for me to eat and left me thinking maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

 It seemed from my chart/menu that only a couple of vegetable dishes were ok for me. Our waiter turned out to be fantastic and really came through. He worked with the chef who made a non-coconut curry from scratch and cooked up a Kuttanadan lobster tail, rice and the Shikampuri Kebab lamb sliders, allergen-free as well. Our waiter’s name was David and we voted him best waiter of Valencia St. He even gave us an education of Southern Indian cuisine and the items on the menu.

      I was able to eat the Papadam. Yum. Delicious on the first bite and then a couple of seconds later comes another wave of great tastes.

My lobster, curry and rice dish was really good. Really, really good. I haven’t been able to relax around a curry for a long time and here, I am 100% sure I can eat it without problems, which meant a lot to me. The lamb sliders were two small disks of lamb and herbs that were screaming spicy hot. It came with a delicious sauce of red peppers and garlic, also very, hot. I had forgotten to ask for the spice/hot level to be adjusted. The sliders were overcooked but everything else was delicious.

We ordered a second bowl of Papadam to sop up all our leftover delightful sauces leaving nothing on our plates.

      

After dinner I made it a point to thank the chef who made sure I was able to enjoy my food without any health issues.

Well, on to my least favorite section of my review but nonetheless important to many. The bathrooms. There are two here and one has a diaper changing table. Yay! An important and helpful item. They also had kleenex dispensers which came in very handy. After eating the hot, spicy food, my sinuses were cleared out and watering. I do have to say that I was very surprised to find one bathroom dirty. The floor needed mopping and there was toilet paper strewn about. And this was at the beginning of the evening which does not bode well. They were modern, a bit boring but managed to have a bit of warmth.  I give the bathrooms a 2.5 out of 5 stars. 

   

Overall, tonight, my friends and I were excited when our food arrived and continued being excited and happy while eating. These are the best of dinners out with friends. A good restaurant with it's great food and lively, warm ambiance is like live theater, heartwarming and sensorially stimulating. Fulfilling in many ways.  

I give Dosa  4 out of 5 stars and happily recommend it.

Aslam's Rasoi

Jesse:

Tonight is the first of many Valencia St. restaurants that offer Pakastani and Indian food. Yum.

     We walk into a large main dining area with a full bar on the right. Warm colors everywhere. On the tables, walls and even the individual drop lights over each table. Straight back is a large window, which looks into a well lit kitchen. The individual drop lights give each table a lot of light without overwhelming the rest of the restaurant. The overall effect is a warm, moody, low lit atmosphere.

     We arrive at 5:30 pm and are seated by the window, looking out onto Valencia St. Nice.  There is one other table occupied in the somewhat large restaurant. Judging from all the to go bags lined up at the front counter, many people use this place for take out.

     The waiter is nice and I ask about which dishes would be ok for me with my plethora of food allergies. I always wince a little asking this question but this guy is great. He checks with the kitchen and tells me the chef would be happy to create a dish just for me called Seekh Kebob, with ground chicken and prawns for $20. I was delighted!

     The ground chicken was made into cylinders and put onto a skewer to grill with the prawns. They covered the whole dish with a medium hot, brown, curry sauce. We were all asked how spicy hot we wanted our food and it came back pretty accurate.

     My special dish was a disappointment. The brown sauce over everything didn’t make the prettiest dish I’ve seen but that was ok. What I didn’t like was that the ground chicken tasted like baloney. My friends all agreed, chicken that tastes like baloney is weird. The sauce was pretty bland too. I could taste the curry and the heat but that’s about it and I’ve had much better curry. Too bad, I was so happy they were making me a special dish I could eat. It turned out lousy and they charged me a few more dollars for it too. Rats. Really, that’s the best you can create for me?

     My baloney chicken came with white rice, which included tiny slivers of carrots. It was fine. Your basic white rice, nothing to write home about, it got the job done.

     The bathroom was ok. Clean and boring. I give the bathroom  2.5 stars.

      Aslam’s Rasoi gets 2 out of 5 stars from me. I will not return. They gave me no reason to.

Shirley:

I have worked in this neighborhood for about 15 years and am very familiar with the food choices. I have my favorites and I have my "this will work" and I have my "never again" categories. Aslam's is Indian/Pakistani food that is consistently better than okay, including the service and decor. It is not my first choice, but have no problem accompanying someone who wants to eat there. 

We were pretty much the first to be seated again. The place is huge but we picked a spot by the window, which gave us a more intimate ambience. The menu is fairly typical northern Indian fare, plenty of choices, moderately priced and the choice of heat is always queried by the waitperson.
I ordered an appetizing gobi pakora - seasoned cauliflower dipped in chickpea batter and deep fried. Hard to go wrong with deep fried. It was good but a little bland.
My my main course was Saag Gosht - boneless lamb with creamed spinach, garlic, and ginger, with a side of rice. I love good creamed spinach, from any culture. Don't know why, it never showed up at my childhood table, so it is not a comfort food. I was first introduced at a French restaurant in New York during the Columbia riots (the university, not the country). It had been sauted with minced leeks, in a ton of butter. So good. And the Russian Renaissance Restaurant has a great version, with just a hint of nutmeg. Yum!
So, the saag is a natural choice for me, either with the fried cheese or a meat. In this case, the lamb was tender and the spinach revealed a lovely coriander undertone. I asked for the heat to be "American", or mild. I like spicy food, but I do not want it to blast out the other flavors. Because I had found Aslam to be a little under-salted and spiced, I went for less heat. 

One of my favorite dishes was the papdam that I snitched from Mary's plate. The lentil wafers were perfectly deep-fried and tasty. Could have made a meal of them, with their tamarind and yogurt dips.
The entire experience was pleasant. Would go again with a little time lapsed.

Mary:

This is the first time I’ve been here; and was surprised at the size of the place. We were early, and got a window table (always my first choice). The service was attentive, informative, and not overbearing but friendly. Also my first choice. I barely noticed the interior because the street scene was active and drew my curiosity. When I looked at the design more attentively, it seemed that they had handled “cavernous” fairly well by creating lots of seating and lighting that was low enough to dispel the enormity of the place and high enough to read the menu well.

I ordered two appetizers. Gobi pakoras (cauliflower) for $6. These were good. And Papadum for $2, which I always relish and these were up to being very appreciated. For a main dish I had rasoi’s rogan josh, a classic lamb curry with ginger, garlic, onions and saffron for $14. This was classic curry, amped up a bit from average American palate as I requested. Nice bite. But the lamb was a little overcooked.

I would give the service the highest rating, the food a medium plus. Aslam’s Rasoi is a place I would return to to try out other things on the menu. Having spent a lot of time in India, I can compare the curry to many that I had in Bombay restaurants and it comes out authentic and good.

It would be a go-to, medium range restaurant to share with friends who like spicy food.

Garcon

Jesse:

Garcon:

     Tonight I found myself with some considerable resistance to dining at a new restaurant. I found this curious as I had been enjoying the restaurants we recently discovered. But here’s the rub. I wanted to go back to the restaurants that I loved. I didn't want to take a chance on a mediocre restaurant when I knew where to get a Great meal a few blocks away.

     But now I see the excitement in my friends’ faces and know I can’t let them down.

     I also know that I have a tendency to get stuck in a very comfortable rut. Do you? If you are like me, dare yourself to be a little uncomfortable and try something new. Maybe it will work out, maybe not.  You’ll at least have a new story to tell your friends, and at most, you’ll have a new place that you love. A great meal, like a great love, is worth kissing a few frogs to find.

     Garcon wasn’t exactly a frog but it didn’t make my all time favorite list either. The food was good, very good, but not great in the way that excites a dinner party and makes it memorable.

     The interior was nice. Many large windows to enjoy the action of a Friday night on Valencia St. Tonight we were treated to a beautiful sunset with red raspberry clouds.

     Candles on the tables, lots of dark wood, tasteful lighting, it was nice, very nice but not particularly distinctive. It reminded me of a good steakhouse.

    Garcon opened at 5:30pm. We arrived early  and had the place to ourselves, yet the host asked if we had reservations, saying it was best if we did because it was a weekend night and it could get busy. They did seat us and it very slowly became full around 7:30-8:00pm. But I have seen this place not at all busy on a Friday night, which partially explains why I was resistant to trying this restaurant.

     Well, on to the food, the reason why we go to all this effort.

     Our waiter arrived, and at some point in the conversation, we told him we were very hungry, but to our dismay the bread took quite a while to arrive. Durn. I can tell you that when the bread did arrive, it was very good. Yay!

      Now for the next (and my least favorite) major test, I let the waiter know of my food allergies and would he kindly double check with the chef regarding some ingredients. He frowned at first but ended up being pleasant and thorough which is always a big relief.

     Lots of yummy dishes on the menu. I chose a molasses brined pork tenderloin with cranberry beans, Andouille sausage, mustard greens and celery root for $24. 

     Even with very few customers in the place, it took 30 minutes for our food to arrive.  Not too happy.

     Luckily, when my food did arrive, the pork was perfectly cooked, very tender. Lots of mustard seeds drizzled on top. I really enjoyed the combination of cranberry beans and the mustard greens. Actually, all the flavors on my plate tasted great together.

      I was really enjoying my food when I found what looked like quite a large fish bone in my greens. It was a good 3-4 inches long. I showed it to the waiter and he took it away without saying much. Later he told me it was a stem from a  thyme sprig. That’s it. No apology, no concern, no free dessert or coffee, nothing. I was not impressed by the waiter. What impressed me was the large “twig” in my food.

     On to the restroom review. It was clean enough. A bit dark and uninspired, but ok. I give it 2.5 stars.

  

     Overall, I give Garcon 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Very good food on the edge of great but not quite there.  The kitchen was sluggish and the service cool and a bit distant.

Shirley:

Garcon ( with a cedilla, of course) is an okay french bistro, with classically trained wait staff, where I have eaten before, so there were few surprises. It's a nice place, nice food, nice people and as you can tell, not all that inspiring for me. I do like their deserts, but I tend to like deserts pretty much anywhere I go. 
I think they use good ingredients, always a plus, and they favor a European/French tradition to their menu, which can go either way, sublime or static.  To sum up the overall food experience, I believe they put too much emphasis on how many flavors they can manage in one dish and not enough on each element along the way. 

I ordered duck confit, lentils du puy, grilled frisee with vermouth vinaigrette , crispy poached egg. The frisee was raw, not grilled and the vineagrette was missing, but that was a relief because there was enough going on without it. The duck was good, the lentils my favorite. I think the egg was added to make up for the tiny portion of duck, because the crispy outside matched the crispy frisee and the creamy quality of the yolk was lost on the creamy quality of the lentils.
Now, that can sound picky, but when offered a picky menu, one should pay attention, yes?
Lentils du puy happen to be my favorite lentil, and again, they were fine. Perhaps I am more used to more robust flavors, being a denizen of the mission, but everything tasted just a little bland.
But, the desert was grande; profiterolles with cinnamon gelato, dark rum crème anglaise, fleur de sel, chocolate sauce. The dark rum crème anglaise was missing, again not a loss. Do you really need rum along with all the other flavors? It just confuses eveything.
The staff were polite, informative and responsive to our requests. Pomposity was kept to a minimum. We were allowed to wait inside a few minutes before they opened. And, $40 for a main course and desert is pretty good. I recommend that you try it for yourself. I cannot give it a yeah or nay, just an okay.

Mary:

The interior of Garcon is highly polished glass and wood, well lighted, with a small but stylish bar and comfortable seating. It had a high-class cozy feel to it. We got to see all this clearly because we arrived 5 minutes early and they allowed us our request to wait inside, out of the cold, until they opened. They handled our food limitations with grace, and there were many things on their menu that I could eat. 

 I chose two dishes, the parsnip and cauliflower soup that was on their specials, and grilled octopus.

The presentation of the soup was nice. The waiter brought a soup bowl with prepared almonds mounded in the center and poured the puree around the center until the bowl was full. I was set up to like it. We were all intrigued by the combination of ingredients, so I requested spoons for everyone so they could have a taste. The reaction around the table was unanimous. We were disappointed. It was flat; difficult to taste either the parsnip or the cauliflower in it.  For the high-end cost I would expect more impeccable cooking.

The octopus was good, well grilled.

The polish of the place was deceptive. When I used the bathroom, (there were two and I used the lesser one) very plain and not so clean, I thought…It’s classy in the dining room. Needs more work in the kitchen, and  in the bathroom. I wanted to be impressed. I was set up for it with the ambiance. But I wasn’t.

GARCON
1101 Valencia Street
401-8959

     

Pop Up: Parada 22, Comida Puertorriquena

 Mary;


We've been wanting to try this Puerto Rican pop-up restaurant, which is only open on Friday and Saturday, 6 to 10 pm, at Boogaloo's site at 22nd and Valencia. We had two other people joining us this evening, Barbara, who eats like an omnivore, except that she says she's developed a sudden aversion to fish as she's hit her elder years. And Heiner, my German friend who is visiting us from Bali. He's unlimited in his appetite with the exception of an allergy to shellfish and raw fish. Poor guy can't eat sushi!

The menu is simple: pork, chicken and beef prepared several different ways, and served with your choice of white or red beans, a salad and maduros, which are ripe, sweet plantains. We had a hard time choosing among a lot of great sounding possibilities. I wanted the beef with caramelized onions, but didn't want the beans or rice. So the server suggested the beef and caramelized onions in salad form. Took his suggestion, and was delighted for several reasons. First, I got avocados, which blended in wonderfully with the onion and beef flavors, but even better was the salad dressing I ordered: Cilantro and Garlic. Yum. Very garlicky taste, and moderated by some sort of creamy base. I had to ask for the recipe, which means I need to call their main restaurant. I seldom ask for recipes but I kept imagining this sauce as a spread, a dip for veggies, or by the spoonful directly applied to the mouth. Yum Yum. The main course salad was an easy-on-the-pocketbook $12.

Heiner ordered the white beans as a side, Habichuelas Blancas, $4.) in a medium sized bowl. They are cooked with green olives, potatoes, carrots, sweet peppers and pumpkin. The server suggested the Yuca al Mojo, $5, when Heiner asked for french fries. That's cassava root with onions, garlic & olive oil mojo. He had to fend off everyone wanting to taste his "fries".

Barbara wanted chicken and ordered the Pollo Encebollados: marinated boneless chicken sauteed  with those delicious caramelized onions. She ate with gusto!

We asked each other what number we would give this restaurant on the 1-10 scale. We averaged 7.5 all around. The only dings were that the beef was a little overcooked, and the waiter couldn't explain the ingredients and cooking methods of some of the main dishes. Would I eat here again. Definitely. Would make it a dinner go-to place not only for ourselves, but for our out-of-town guests too. I couldn't understand why it was only half filled by 7:30 when we left. Should have been a line out the door. Glad there wasn't.

Shirley:

Sometimes you just know by reading the menu, that it's going to be good. I have had some minor experience with Puerto Rican fare, so I kind of knew what to expect. The combination of Taino, Spanish and African flavors and cooking methods resulted in a meal that was so good, that I wanted to lick my plate.
I love the variety of "pop-up" opportunities that are becoming so popular in our city. What a wonderful way for a businesses to try out a new location, without the high risk of a complete lease. Parada 22 popped up about a year ago, utilizing the evening space that serves as Boogaloos during the day. A few flags and signs were added to the existing decor and whatever else was provided by their other Haight street site, and it was ready for business.
Because everything on the menu sounded so very good, I decided to start with the first item on the Main list and tried the Pernil Asado. A roasted pork marinated with garlic, oregano & sofrito, served with rice and beans, salad and maduros (plantains). The food was plentiful, especially the pork and priced at an easy $14.

The Pork! - fall-apart-with-a-fork-tender, but not stringy or dry, delicious complex flavors. I tried to graciously share tastes with everyone, but it was not easy to watch bits of it move in a direction other than my mouth.
Salad - Standard greens mix with a nicely balanced vinaigrette.
Yellow rice - made with broth and annatto, a simple taste that created a base for the other flavors.
Red Beans - a wonderful combination of slow cooked kidney beans and smokey ham and onions. It was served in a little bowl with some of its cooking liquid. It could have been my main course, it was that good.
Maduros - sweet plantains, twice cooked, soft and tender on the inside, just a little bit crispy on the outside. Yummy.
Flan - because Barbara was with us, we split desert. It was light and creamy, not too egg-y and not too sweet. It also disappeared very quickly. 

Definitely encourage your friends to join you for a delightful meal. There are some great little shops nearby to browse and spend money in and Valencia is just a good place to hang out with friends, new and old. I got to spend a little time with Mary's friend, Heiner, and my dear friend Barbara and the dastardly duo. After an afternoon of painting, it ended the day just right.

btw - I think Boogaloos serves the morning shift in Parada 22's location on 
                                                                   Haight.


Jesse:

 Our evening started out well with a parking place right next door to the Puerto Rican,  Parada 22. We congratulated ourselves on our parking karma and were delighted before we even got out of the car. Unfortunately, we were right in front of Laku's. Normally this would be a good thing but Mary and Shirley had hungrily hurried off to the restaraunt leaving Heiner, Barbara and I alone in front of Laku's whimsically wonderful display window. We got stuck. 

     Heiner fell in love with the little shoes and finger puppets sticking out of pockets in tiny hats for infants. In we went. As luck would have it, the owner was just opening a large bag of finger puppets, entrancing us all. We had pretty much picked out our favorites when Mary appeared to hurry us along. Didn't work. She fell in love with a bunny and had to wear it home. So, if you're hungry, be careful where you park on this part of Valencia St.

     Finally arriving at the restaurant around 6pm, I was surprised to find that we were the only customers in the place. By 7:30 there were 5 other tables filled. So no need to get here when it first opens.

     The menu looked really good though and we excitedly made our choices. The waiter was very friendly about food allergies and thanked me several times for writing them down for him. I felt I was off to a good start. I felt even better when he told me that only a couple of dishes were off limits for me. Woohoo.

     I ordered the Biftec Encebollado for $14.50, a marinated sirloin steak sauteed with carmalized onions and served with rice, beans, a small salad and maduros. It reminded me of my favorite dish at Mom's Cooking. Mom's Cooking is sadly no longer in business, but was a wonderful bar and restaurant on Geneva, with great food. It was like eating at your Mexican grandmother's table. But I digress.

     The food came quickly and we dove in. Shirley ordered the best dish on the table. Pernil Asado, wonderfully rich, flavorful, tender pork. Even Barbara's chicken, the Pollo Encebollado,  was very tasty and for me, at the moment, I have to say I'm burnt out on chicken. Way too much chicken at home lately, but this, this I would happily eat. 

     I can't say the same for my dish. The beef was tough and not very flavorful. The onions were yummy but that was about the only thing going for the beef. The salad dressing was very good, the maduros were sweetly delicious and the rice and beans were excellent. They had been cooked with ham and could easily have made a satisfying dinner by themselves. 

     I think the waiter was not very thorough when he recommended dishes that would be OK for me to eat. There was a little something in one of the dishes, I ended up with a headache. Luckily not too bad. I should have asked more detailed questions. What was in the marinade? What were the maduros fried in? I have been spoiled lately by extremely knowledgable wait staff. 

     The bathrooms are tiny, decorated by very colorful black, white, red and yellow tile that give it a happy feeling. I've seen cleaner and I've seen a lot worse.

     I give Parada 22 an overall 3 out of 5 stars. Just don't order the beef and you'll be very happy.

POP-UP PARADA 22
3296 22nd Street, (corner of Valencia)
824-4085
(Friday & Saturday evenings only)

Home site:
1805 Haight Street
750-llll

Beretta

Shirley:

I believe, in this case, that the word "serendipity" is not trite or overused or pretentious. Beretta was such a great experience, gastronomically and environmentally, that I would sing its praises if I could carry a tune. There were four of us eating that night, we ordered a lot of dishes, tasted a bit of everything on the table and moaned with delight over every mouthful.
Visually, someone paid attention. A great black bird over the front door, the iron gates on 23rd that delineate the outdoor eating space, molded ceilings, all were touches of good design and pleasing ambiance. Our seating filled our request for least noisy table, the waiter was pleasant but not pandering, and the delivery of plates (family style) efficient.
The menu was not extensive, but well planned. There was something for everyone and once food started coming, forks were flashing across the table, to taste really well made dishes.

 
I ordered the brussels sprouts with capers and sage, and a pear, gorgonzola and rosemary pizza. So gooood! I would have been a happy camper with that alone, but I also had bites of lasagna, lamb chops, meatballs. Even a simple arugula salad made my taste buds happy. And because we were with Barbara and she cannot pass up the dessert menu, we ended the meal with the lemon sorbet and a really nice cup of coffee. Not only was every item tasty and well executed, they all married well.
Would I go back? Would I recommend it to a friend? You bet. In fact, my daughter, informed me that, as good as their food is, they are best known for their excellent cocktails. Although I rarely drink, there may be a mojito in my near future.
On my absurd scale of Bleck-Ick-K-Yum-OMG, I definitely give it a OMG and hope to come up with a better rating system in the future.

Mary:

  I ate one of the best restaurant meals I’ve ever had here the other night. Everything tasted so quietly wonderful: probably the best blend of flavors and knowledge of the palate that I’ve experienced. Hats off to the chef who knows how to balance ingredients and spices. The meal produced delighted exclamations and then silence while we dug into the remarkable dishes. 

Originally we passed up Beretta for two reasons. We thought it would be too expensive and it was Italian food so I thought, carbs, carbs, carbs. What can I eat? Turns out there were plenty of choices.  

Meatballs in spicy tomato sause. (Bolognese) $8.

Brussels sprouts with capers & sage. $7.

Arugula & fennel salad with shaved parmesan. $7.

The pizzas were off limits for me, although I had a bite of Shirley’s sublime bosc pear, walnut, gorgonzola and rosemary pizza and wished I could eat more. Same for the lasagne.

Our total bill, including tip, was $130. That covered four people, three eating off the Antipasti menu and one off the Mains, a glass of good Merlot, two desserts and a cup of coffee. So much for our concern about expense.

We recalled some of the history of this building as we ate. It had been Artemis Café, the Last Supper Club, among other eateries. Which one was it when the fire engine lost control and plunged through the front window (fortunately not injuring anyone.)? There was a toy fire engine on a shelf behind the bar for the duration of that establishment. Then there was a turnover of cafes that didn’t last. Beretta’s has been here for 5 or 6 years and short of some cataclysm it will be here for many years to come on the basis of it’s service and great food (and great drinks—though for us that was just heresay. But not hard to believe.)

Our table was in the back and to the side, so we had a little shelter from the noise. The high, metal ceilings and abundance of hard surfaces amplify the bustling sounds. We could talk to each other by raising our voices. So my only criticism is that Beretta is not the place to come to converse casually with friends. It is the place to come to enjoy skillfully prepared and sumptuous food. They are always busy, weekday evenings as well as weekends. Come early to get a table without a wait. They open at 5:30 and we had a choice of several seating options when we arrived at 6 on a Friday night. After that, enjoy the waiting benches outside, and the always-interesting people watching on Valencia Street.

 JESSE:

 My first impression of this place is wow it's 6pm, they've only been open thirty minutes and it's really crowded already. That's hopefully a good sign.

     The interior colors are dark and smoky. Four huge chandeliers light the main dining area. Long naked light bulbs suspended above the bar along the left of the dining area provide a nice sparkle against the dark interior. I like the overall effect. 

     It's mostly a young, good looking crowd but I do see a smattering of older people here and there. The energy nearest the bar seems to indicate, for some, the possibility of romance later tonight.

     The noise level is pretty high so we ask for a quiet table. I don't think there is a quiet table here but we did get one out of the way and could hear each other if we spoke loudly.

     The menu looks great. In fact it took us awhile to figure out what to order because everything looked so tempting. I was apprehensive at first because the menu was such a wheat/gluten festival but upon closer inspection there were several items I could eat.

     Our waiter was great. I showed him my list of food allergies, he unflinchingly answered my questions regarding dishes and we quickly decided upon my order.

     From the antipasti menu I ordered the lamb chops with arugala and organic yogurt, at $15. The yogurt comes on the side so it's perfect. Mary loved the yogurt by the way. I also ordered the brussels sprouts with capers and sage, $7. They made it without the butter for me and it was still delicious.

     As the food came out of the kitchen we grew more excited with exclamations of "Oh my God, taste this sauce!" "Wait until you try the brussels sprouts" Tasting the pizza, my friend's expression turns to anguished pleasure. 

     They even had a dessert I could eat! Woohoo! That's rare. A Myers lemon sorbet for $7. It was sublime. Very delicate flavors of lemon, mint and ginger. An almost buttery texture. I forced myself to slow down and savor each bite. The best sorbet I've ever tasted. 

     I can't remember a time when we were all that excited and happy about our dinner. This place was a real treat. I've already recommended it to my family. I give Beretta 4.5  stars  

     Finding food this good, being that excited by a meal, makes writing this blog meaningful. I hope you too will enjoy food this well crafted.  Bon Appetite.

     Ooops, I almost forgot about the restroom review. I'm not surprised though, it's a forgettable bathroom. Very boring but clean. I give this boring bathroom, three stars.

Beretta

				Beretta Beretta serves inventive cocktails, thin crust pizzas, and contemporary Italian comfort food in the mission district.
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Baretta

1199 Valencia Street

695-1199

WeBe Sushi Reviews

Shirley:

Well, it took a while, but tonight we ended up at WeBeSushi. Beretta was not yet open and El Valenciano has changed to a bar/nightclub venue. I've eaten at this WeBe many times and although it may not be the best or most exotic Japanese fare, it would make Ray Crock proud. The food is good, the service efficient and the visual miscellany on the walls amusing and intriguing.

I ordered the "Early Bird Special" for the first time. It includes soup, a choice of spinach or seaweed salad, a bowl of rice and 5 Nigiri of choice. I ordered three different varieties, doubling up on a couple of them. It was all just as I expected, with the exception of the salad. I was served spinach instead of seaweed, but because I knew it would be fine, I did not ask for a correction.

My impressions:
.Miso soup - good with some bokchoy added for the phyto-nutrient fans
.Spinach salad - barely wilted greens with a nicely balanced dressing
.Bowl of rice - superfluous but non-offensive
.California roll - default is real crab, always a plus
.Spicy tuna - makes me happy every time
.Hamachi - buttery and fresh
.Pickled ginger - always good. The stuff can sometimes taste soapy to me, but never at WeBe
.Water - pleasant taste of lemon
.Squid on the wall - a whimsical representation carved into wood

The place is small, or for a more poetic description; intimate. The entire operation is geared toward a good, solid, uncomplicated, uneventful dining experience. I am San-Francisco-Sushi jaded and consider WeBeSushi to be a regular "go to" eatery; convenient, consistent and casual.

On a scale of Bleck-Ick-K-Yum-OMG, I would give it a Yum.

Mary:

WeBe is already our go-to neighborhood sushi restaurant. It is cozy and quaint and the food is good. We by-passed Baretta’s to get here because it was too expensive for our wallets that night and not yet open. We were too hungry to wait. We agreed to shuffle the linear order of the restaurants we visit if dollars or time they open are factors; but we’ll return so we get to all of them. (Not the new ones that open in our wake, though.)

One of the things I’ve always loved about WeBe is the décor. Its very green walls are loaded up with Japanese wood block prints, carved wooden sea creatures and memorabilia, old photographs and printed fabric and lanterns. When the conversation lulls, I find myself scanning the walls and occasionally noting a new addition to the prints. Tonight it is a framed triptych of geishas.

WeBe has a casual neighborhood feeling--wooden tables and chairs seating maybe 25 at most. The diners are dressed as if they were out in the neighborhood and made a stop here during shopping or after errands. They’re playing 60’s music tonight, the Platters. I like that in a sushi joint. The wait staff is generally efficient, although tonight our waitress consistently places the orders in front of the wrong person.

I order a spinach salad for $3.75 and two orders of sashimi: one Maguro for $7 and one Tako for $6. The octopus is new to me. I like the texture, but the taste is a bit bland. The tuna is wonderful, buttery, soft and tasty. The spinach salad doesn’t disappoint. I know this restaurant well enough to make my way around their menu safely and that’s a plus.

I find it a bit difficult to review WeBe. Assessing it takes me out of the casual expected enjoyment of a favorite habitat to somewhere else that distances me a bit from the homey nostalgic ambiance that I enjoy so much here. But WeBe does well in the assessment process. We’ll definitely be back again as we have many times before.

As we walk out the door I notice a the new sign on the window. Gives you a taste of the casual, homeyness of the place. 

                             

     

JESSE:  Tonight we ended up at We Be Sushi. Which is one of my all time favorites on Valencia St.  When they first appeared, I quickly became a fan. Then, they even delivered !

     Tonight we had to skip a few restaurants on our list just because we arrived too early. Most places open at 5:30pm and we arrived at 5pm. Being very hungry we were delighted that We Be Sushi was open.

     We Be Sushi is a tiny, narrow place with maybe 16 tables. In my 25 years of eating here, it's a good idea to get there when they open if you can, because it fills up quickly and there can be a wait. It's a popular place. They don't have really fancy, creative rolls but are more known for their consistently fresh, and inexpensive sushi. A friend of mine described them as excellent working woman's sushi and I agree. 

     They also have  great  decor. I never tire of exploring their walls, which are jam packed with Japanese artwork of many different styles. It creates a rich, vibrant, and very colorful environment. I love it.

     I decided to try something different tonight and ordered the Three's Crowd Roll for $11.50. It includes maguro, hamachi and sake. Translation is tuna, yellowtail and smoked salmon.  Loving all three, I was really looking forward to it. I also ordered a Hamachi Maki for $4.50,  which includes hamachi and green onion. 

     The waitstaff is usually consistently attentive but for some reason tonight they were a bit off. There were a couple of errors in our orders and I had to repeatedly ask for more ginger. Tonight allergies were not an issue. I am fine with raw fish, rice and wasabi. I just stay away from the soy sauce and the delicious miso soup they always serve to begin the meal. 

     I reluctantly have to say that the Three's Crowd Roll was bland. It desperately needed something to give it even a wee bit of punch. It filled you up but left the palate wanting more. The Hamachi Maki on the other hand, was delicious, as always. 

     I love We Be Sushi's bathroom. It's a slight adventure to get to. You go to the rear of the restaurant, through their tiny, fascinating kitchen, down a small step arriving at a toilet with an odd sign above it. We debated whether the sign meant no dribbling on the toilet, no dribbling on the floor or no peeing while standing. 

     Anyway, their bathroom is fine. Clean and with other amusing artwork on the walls.

     Bathroom rating is 3.5 stars out of a possible 5.

     Restaurant rating is also a 3.5 stars.

t-shirt is from the 80s

We Be Sushi

538 Valencia Street
565-0749