Bushi-Tei

Sardine Salad Niçoise

Japanese-French
1638 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94115
Neighborhood: Japantown
(415) 440-4959
www.bushi-tei.com

Reviewed 11/18/2010

Winner: Most Intelligent Bathroom in San Francisco

Since I tend to eat at holes-in-the-wall, I don't know what the WCs at most higher-end places are like. But Bushi-Tei's WC has both brains and beauty, and wins in my book in SF. Some people may be freaked out, however, by the Japanese technology. (No, I did not opt for the butt-wash.)

But you're not reading this to use the bathroom there...onto the other stuff. This is a LUNCH review. (Eew! Food and bathroom in the same breath!)

Food:

Potato & leek soup - creamy, subtle and smooth: B

Potato Leek Soup

Sardine Niçoise salad - OMG FRESH sardines. Delicious. What would make it even better: touch less salt, and more interesting bread. B+

ABC sandwich: my darling, fussy companion--my mother--gave it a B+.

Service: Charming, attentive and efficient. Tall Euro dude who looks like he's from a 60s-band is mellow and sweet. He and the Japanese dude--the owner/manager?--made a great pair. The latter explained all the plates knowledgeably and with care.

We didn't have wine, but I would expect we could have gotten some good stuff there. One of the parties there had an assortment of bottles on the table along with a dump bucket.

Ambiance: Small, intimate, understated but swanky. Not too many parties there at around 1pm on a weekday, which was wonderful for us because it was quiet and we didn't have to fight for attention from the servers.

Relaxing piano jazz sounded like it could be playing live downstairs.

There was a small off-putting stain on the otherwise pristine table cloth. It was only dime-sized and looked like soy sauce or coffee that didn't wash out...but I noticed as soon as we sat down.

I could imagine the balcony being a cozy/hip place to share dinner with a date.

Date or no date, I look forward to coming back and trying fusion.

Tartine

600 Guerrero St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 487-2600
tartinebakery.com

Reviewed 8/30/09

I feel a little silly getting all giddy about Tartine after one croissant.

Rationale:

- I did want to write about the experience of coming to this famed bakery and offer some pointers for newbies.

- My pain au chocolat (croissant) was out of this world. (More on that later).

- NYT's Mark Bittman calls Tartine his favorite SF bakery. As if I needed to say more.

Next time I will:

- Come equipped with one friend but not more than that. (The place is tiny.) He/she ought to be dispatched to flag down a table as soon as one becomes available (or order for me while I do it). A two-person table became available just as I was leaving today, but I did not want to sit there since I was alone and it would have made me feel as though I was hogging two seats.

- Try the hot chocolate. I wanted to do that today--I had come expressly to try a pastry and enjoy a big bowl of hot chocolate but where the hell was I going to do that? There was simply no room. And I wasn't going to stand on the street corner and do it though that was certainly an option as are many things in my beloved San Francisco.

- Try the muesli. A dairy-queen's dream! Imagine muesli and toasted nuts and dried fruit in a soup of whole milk Strauss yogurt. HEAVEN. Not so good for the arteries but to enjoy Tartine requires you to abandon that mindset!

If I didn't care if my running suffered I would try the pancake-sized chocolate chip cookie, the lemon meringue cake (the delightful tufts of meringue on that cake remind me of a man's haircut) and bread pudding. OMG. These are just a fraction of the beautiful pieces of edible art on display as you wait in line. I don't know if it would be possible to stop at one bite of those things. Oh, and I would have a sandwich too.

I asked the guy who rang me up when Tartine is less mobbed. "It's always mobbed," he said.

Well, at least I'm coming equipped with more knowledge and a friend next time.

About my pain au chocolat--the best I've ever had. Crusty on the outside, silky soft and micro-layered on the inside, it's filled with bits of luxuriously smooth DARK chocolate. It's Valrhona, I think. The stuff is bittersweet as is meant to be. Enjoying this adult treat made me feel so...so....refined. Anyway, it's da bomb. I'm sure Tartine's other offerings are too.

Zazie

French
941 Cole St
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 564-5332
zaziesf.com

Reviewed 8/30/2009

Cute little neighborhood restaurant with Édith Piaf crooning in the background. It sports a bit of a worn look.

I went on a bright and gorgeous weekday morning when simple pleasures in the city were abundant.

The food was tasty in an uncomplicated way. I had the poached egg with smoked salmon, capers and home fries. Mmm Hollandaise sauce! Mmmm home fries! There were roasted WHOLE garlic cloves mixed in with the potatoes. I was eating them like candy.

Imagine how I smelled later. Hmmmmm...

But I have had better cappuccino.

Nonetheless my server was a sweetheart and I was quite taken by how Zazie complements the residential neighborhood. Score!

Comme Ça

8479 Melrose Ave

West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 782-1104
/www.commecarestaurant.com

Reviewed 11/8/2008

SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THE NOISE LEVEL!

All under 40 years of age, with decent hearing, we were shouting "What?!!?!" and "Say that again?!!" whenever we saw each other's lips moving.

Decor: chic-cosmopolitan--(love brasseries).
Service: efficient and friendly.
Entrees: ordered pork chop, braised beef (Paleron), and New Zealand snapper. Good all round, but nothing to write home about.

Hors d'oeuvres: creamed spinach: silky and buttery. Very good.

Desserts: Lemon tart - a French version of the American version. Nothing special.

Apple tart tatin: AMAZING. Apples were warm and moist, and the soft crust was delicately coated in a thin layer of caramel. On the side was a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream nestled on crushed pistachios. Alone, this dish would have gotten top rating, easily.

Summary of review: Not extraordinary, but certainly superior than comme ci comme ça.

Pastis

9 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10014
(212) 929-4844
www.pastisny.com

Reviewed 7/27/2008
Disclaimer: I am biased towards Frenchy things.

Pastis, je t'adore.

It was a Sunday morning in July, already sweltering, when I stepped into the bistro. And I immediately fell in love.

The service was gracious and accommodating upon arrival. Though I was twenty minutes early, I was promptly seated. Chilled water and coffee arrived immediately. Even after sitting there alone for TWENTY minutes, they accommodated me with kindness when I told them that I needed another table because, unexpectedly, an additional guest--girlfriend M's brother--was arriving.

It is casual dining, but it is French, and so it is refined. The service is not only attentive, but works harmoniously--I was waited on by at least five people if you include the hostesses, and everyone was working in synch, complementing one another.

Bright with natural light, the place is inviting, and inclusive. Something about the way the tables are set up evokes the warmth of a meal in someone's dining room.

And you can show up in jeans there.

The food is awesome...well, truth be told, I haven't had anything substantial enough to critique; but, I am so taken by the place that I have near-blind confidence that everything will be good. If it's any indication, my chilled orange and carrot soup, with its slight tang, was incredibly refreshing on a hot and humid day--and my yogurt with granola and fruit was exactly that--pure and simple--with no detectable funky additives. You actually can mess up a simple dish like this by using chalky yogurt, store-brand granola, and out-of-season fruit. By the way, their coffee was perfect. Very possibly it was laced with something that made me very happy to be there. Because I was.


I went to Pastis again later that day to pick up bread for friends, and a very kind waiter, who saw the streaks of sweat staining my blouse, offered me a glass of iced water. It was a nice touch that won me over. Again.

I almost went to Pastis again the next day, alas, there are too many awesome restaurants in Manhattan, and I was running out of time. So I went to Jean Georges instead. It was also excellent (and I ate a real meal there), but beneath it all, I'm more of a Pastis kinda-girl.

Pastis is like the man I am willing to hold out for: simple yet refined, unpretentious, yet brimming with understated charm.

Anyone know any places like it in the California Bay Area, please e-mail me. I don't like long-distance relationships.