Tex-Mex, Where Art Thou?

This is the first Mexican place that I ate at while in San Francisco.  I am a born and raised Texas girl and anyone from Texas knows that Mexican food/Tex-Mex is not the same once you leave the Texas borders!  This place had a lot to live up to!!   It is called the Velvet Cantina.  It is an eccentric restaurant/bar/club located in the Mission district of San Francisco. I would describe the food as “upscale, contemporary MexiCali.”

The salsa was mediocre.  It has a fruit taste to it and I am not a fan of sweet salsas.  My boyfriend thinks it was apple and he may be right, but I am not 100% sure on what gave it that distinct taste.

The chips were homemade and served hot!

The queso was better than expected! The queso is made with various cheeses and I am fairly certain that they make it in house. Unfortunately, it does not compare to the likes of Torchys or Kerbey Lane! XD But if you find yourself craving queso in Cali, this is your place!

Menu description:

chile con queso
a creamy blend of cheddar and jack cheeses, tomato, and roasted chiles

The drink was awesome!! I had the “perfect margarita” and it was flawless! It is made with Herradura silver tequila, cointreau, and fresh citrus juices.  I love tequila and have to say that Herradura is one of the best ones out there. My parents educated me about this premium liquor!

For appetizer, I had the chicken cornbread sopes.  They were quite tasty!  Even the slaw in the middle had nice flavors to it.  I just wish that the cornbread tarts were bigger.  They were too small to be considered an appetizer.  Other than that, this appetizer had an appealing presentation and the taste was phenomenal.

Menu description:

cornbread sopes
two cornbread tarts filled with pollo asada, pepper jack cheese, refried beans, salsa, sour cream, and cilantro pesto

For the main course, I had the chicken avocado enchiladas.  Again, I was hesitant on how good it would taste.  Surprisingly, these are some of the best enchiladas that I have ever had.  My favorite enchiladas of all time being Chuy’s chicka-chicka boom-boom enchiladas.  I would most definitely order this entree again!  As stated in the appetizer description, the pickled slaw was delicious, and the same goes for the slaw on this entree.  It is a beautiful and flavorful addition to the plate.

Menu description:

chicken avocado enchiladas
shredded chicken, slices of avocado, jalapeno cream sauce, pepper jack cheese, cilantro pesto rice and beans

This restaurant definitely fulfilled my Tex-Mex cravings!  😛

Service- The service was about average.  I do not think they refilled our chip basket and it was hard to get the server’s attention (but I think that was due to the loud music/club atmosphere).

Overall: 4/5 stars

Velvet Cantina
3349 23rd St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 648-4142
http://velvetcantina.com/

 

San Francisco Persian Cuisine

I am quite new to Persian Cuisine.  The first time I tried any Persian foods was less than 2 years ago.  I will say that it is not my favorite category of food (that would be Italian or Tex-Mex) 😛 .  Nonetheless, I love try out different Persian restaurants (actually I love trying out many different foods).  The restaurant is located in the North Beach area of San Francisco.  I would say that this place is very classy! The restaurant looks snazzy on the outside and the inside is no different.  They have beautiful Persian art nicely hung on the walls and perfectly arranged place settings.

If you have ever been to a Persian restaurant or had dinner with Persians then you know that all meals begin with fresh, raw basil and onions (not pictured).

And you cannot forgot about soft, warm pita bread!! This is also an essential food in Persian cuisine.  The pita bread at this restaurant was glorious!! I do not think they make the pita bread in house, however, it sure does taste like they do!

For appetizer, we had Baba Ghanoush and Hummus.

The hummus was pleasant, although, I was not crazy about it.  It tastes like normal hummus.

menu description:

Hummus
Garbanzo, Tahini and roasted garlic

This was the first time that I have had baba ghanoush.  It has an a different, exotic flavor.  Despite that, I definitely prefer the hummus over this appetizer.  Next time I will likely opt for the Mast-o-Khiar (similar to tzatziki) over the baba ghanoush.

menu description:

Baba Ghanoush
Smoked roasted eggplant, Garlic, Tahin

For entree, I had the chicken breast kebab.  And …. IT WAS SOOO SAVORY & FLAVORFUL!! There were a lot of great flavors from the marinade and spices! I would order this dish again and again!  The rice and the vegetables were also fantastic! The veggies were grilled and in my opinion, that is the best way to cook veggies! Two thumbs up on this dish!

menu description:

Breast Kebab
Marinated boneless breast of chicken in onion, basil, lime juice, vegetables, Basmati rice

Hmm.. where to start with Persian ice cream.  I incredibly ❤ ice cream in general!  So I am glad that I have had the chance to try this fascinating ice cream type.  It tastes completely different from regular ice cream, but in a good way.  It still has that icy texture that you find yourself craving in the evenings. 😉 The Persian ice cream at this place is my favorite so far.  I had another Persian ice cream in Houston and it had a strong aftertaste which I believe is from too much saffron.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the saffron and you can taste it in the ice cream at Maykadeh, but it is less powerful.

menu description:

Bastani
Persian ice cream

Service: It was excellent!! Water and other drinks refilled right on time.  Server checked on us several times throughout the entire meal.

 

Overall: 4.5/5 stars

Maykadeh
470 Green St.
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 362-8286
http://maykadehrestaurant.com/

 

Bay Side Fine Dining

Kincaid’s is located in Burlingame, CA, which is about 30 minutes south of San Francisco.  It is super close to the SF International Airport so if you fly into SF and are looking for great food immediately, you should go to Kincaid’s!  The food category for Kincaid’s is Seafood/Steakhouse/American.  It is definitely a fancy place and what some may call fine dining.

This restaurant offers beautiful views of the San Francisco Bay! Below is a picture of my view during dinner.

For appetizer, I ordered the crab cakes. I expected more than 2-3 small crab cakes for such a high price.  But with that being said, they were still enjoyable.  The herb-tomato frisée salad, on the other hand, was unnecessary and tasteless. It did not complement the crab cakes at all.  The “salad” needed a vinaigrette dressing or to be removed completely from the plate.  I guess it was there for looks, rather than taste because the presentation is beautiful.

Menu description:
PAN SEARED CRAB CAKES
Warm herb-tomato frisée salad, scallop butter sauce

I ordered the lobster bisque soup and it was divine!! It was very rich and creamy and there was a fair amount of lobster in it.  Also, I was asked if I wanted fresh ground black pepper and I was like hell ya!! I love fresh pepper!! There was a scoop of crème fraîche in the soup, which is somewhat like sour cream but less sour.  Many chefs use it in desserts, but it can also be used in savory dishes.  The crème fraîche in this dish was too much.  The soup was already incredibly rich from the cream base. Other than that, the bisque was heavenly.

Menu description:
LOBSTER BISQUE
Butter-poached lobster, crème fraîche, fresh herbs

For the entree I had a shellfish pasta, which was equally delectable as the lobster bisque.  The sauce had nice flavors.  And since I am a huge fan of seafood, this dish was excellent for me since it came with a diverse mix.  The bread that the entree came with was terrible.  It was just a hard, crunchy piece of bread with no extra flavor or dipping sauce.  I recommend they serve this dish with garlic bread of some kind.

Menu description:
PAN SEARED SHELLFISH FETTUCCINE
Jumbo prawns, fresh mussels, clams, scallops, baby spinach, fresh tomatoes, smoked salmon cream sauce

For dessert, I had the apple cobbler.  I have to say that it was not that good.  The raisins did not complement the flavors of the apple and it was not like typical cobbler. It was topped with sweet bread-like crumbs and did not have a regular cobbler crust.

Menu description:
SEASONAL FRUIT COBBLER
Assorted Chef’s flavors, served à la mode

 

Service: The service was great during the appetizer course and the meal, but once it got to dessert time, the service slowed down.  It took a while to get a dessert menu, look at the desserts, order the dessert, and then cash out.  This seems to be a problem in SF area.  Servers are attentive during meal, but then forget about the customer at the end of the meal.

Overall:  4/5 stars

Kincaid’s Restaurant: Classic American Grill
60 Bay View Place
Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 342-9844
http://www.kincaids.com/

 

CHA CHA CHA in Haight/Ashbury

This place is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  Cha Cha Cha has two locations – Mission St.(original location) & Haight St.  I visited the Haight St. location. The food genre is Caribbean/Cuban tapas-style.  If you are not familiar with tapas-style, it originates from Spain.  Tapas means appetizers/snacks.  A tapas restaurant will have only (or primarily) appetizers on the menu, which are to be shared with the whole table.  I love the tapas concept because you can try a lot of different foods!  This restaurant is located in the The Haight neighborhood of SF!

I went to this restaurant around 10pm on a Friday and it was PACKED! The wait for a table was about 1 hour, but it was completely worth it. While waiting, my boyfriend and I had a couple drinks in the bar.  While drinking, we noticed these pictures on the wall.  The first is just a car with a Cuban license plate… but the next two are a little more provocative.  Go ahead take a look at the two photos of the men below.  Hint: look at the symbol on the hat

It is Fidel Castro!  The ex-prime minister/president/dictator that is REALLY disliked by all Cubans for ruining Cuba! It is pretty interesting that they would hang his pictures in their restaurant.

Below is a picture of their house-made sangria and – it is YUMMY and strong!! I had 2 glasses of this and it was the perfect amount with dinner!

I have an addiction to maduros! If you have never tried them-go to your local Cuban restaurant and order them immediately. They are fried sweet plantains.  Plantains are a tropical banana that is better cooked than eaten raw. Normally maduros are served by themselves.  In this case, they were served with black refried beans and sour cream, which is somewhat weird.  But surprisingly, the flavors work very well together.

Below is their tapas style Jerk chicken.  Jerk chicken is a Caribbean food and this was my first time trying it.  It was very good! It had a little kick to it, but jerk chicken is supposed to be spicy!

Menu description: marinated chicken thighs baked with habanero peppers, raisins, garlic, and tomatoes served over white cilantro rice

Below is Lechon Asado, which is a staple in Cuban cuisine.  I have had it MANY times before and I could have it MANY more times! It is pork that is marinated and then slow roasted.  It was extremely flavorful and tender! The beans were pretty great too!

Menu description: roast leg of pork seasoned with adobe criollo served with rice beans and white rice

Tres Leches Cake is by far my favorite cake ever! It is a white cake drenched in milk so it is usually super moist.  The cake is popular in Central and South American and many parts of the Caribbean.  The origins of the cake are disputed.  The cake below may not look super appetizing, but I guarantee you that it was an excellent end to a perfect meal! However, there are better tres leches cakes out there!

Service:  It was neither fast nor slow. However, at the end of the meal, it took forever to get our check and cash out!

Overall:   4.5/5 stars

Cha Cha Cha
1801 Haight St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 386-7670
http://www.cha3.com/

Sunset District Asian Fusion

I love Chinese food.  I am especially a fan of places labeled  “Asian Fusion” and this is one of those.  Asian Fusion places usually offered a variety of Asian foods options.  This place – Nan King Road Bistro – has Chinese and Thai food.  Nan King Road Bistro is located in the “Sunset District” near the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA.

We ordered a bottle of wine, which was from the year 2009.  Not bad considering most bottle of wines that I buy these days are 2013/2014.  But just because a wine is older does not mean it is necessarily better.  You actually have to do some research about the year and the area in which the grapes come from.  In my case, 2009 was a great year for California grapes.  However, my taste buds did not need that research to tell that the wine was strong and delightful.

These puppies below are like HEAVEN in your mouth.  I am a sucker for wontons.  They are my go-to appetizer at Chinese restaurants, but the problem is finding delicious melt-in-your-mouth wontons.  Out of all the crab-cheese wontons that I have had, these are tied for first.  The other place in which you can find amazing wontons is at 888 Pan Asian Restaurant in Austin, Texas.

On to the main course: The Sesame Chicken. As the menu states, this is made with caramelized soy.  You can definitely tell that something is caramelized in this dish once you attempt to grab a piece with your fork.  There is a thick, sticky syrup allover and underneath that fried chicken.  This syrup-like sauce is not flavorless by any means!! It is actually quite delicious!  My one critique is that it is sooooo soooo sweet!  It is nearly a dessert!! It needs more savory-ness added to the dish.  The best part of this dish is the crunchiness.  It is much more crunchy than your normal sesame chicken, which I loved!

Service: I had no issues with service.  Very prompt.

Overall rating:   3.5/5 stars

Nan King Road Bistro
1360 9th Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 753-2900
http://nankingroadbistro.net/

 

i love pizza.

So one of the first restaurants that I visited in SF was Tony’s Pizza Napoletana.  This place is in “Little Italy” which is in the North Beach area of SF.  This area has tons of Italian restaurants, many of which are owned by Italian families.  This is a very popular restaurant.  I had to wait at little over an hour to eat here. It is a cozy restaurant (much like all restaurants in downtown SF).  I was able to sit outside so I wasn’t cramped. However, the table that I sat at was slightly uneven so if you weren’t careful, your glass could slide off the table! lol.

Anyways, on to the important part … THE FOOD 😛

The bread was a bit too hard, but still tasty.  I like soft, easy-to-pull-apart-bread and this wasn’t it, but the sauces made up for it.  They gave us this cute little ramekin of 3 different dipping sauces.  From left to right in the picture, there is a sweet garlic sauce, olive oil, and a tomato base sauce.  Obviously olive oil is pretty basic, but the other two sauces were incredible!! I am a dip connoisseur and this definitely impressed me! All Italian restaurants should have a version of these sauces! One suggestion for the restaurant is that they give a bigger portion of the dipping sauce.  The amount in the picture is what my boyfriend and I were given when we sat down.

This pizza below is a bit from the norm of regular pizzas, but hey when are you at a restaurant that has won at the World Pizza Cup in Naples, Italy, you have to trust that all the pizzas are going to be delicious!  This pizza was the:

EDDIE MUENSTER

fried kale, smoked bacon, calabrese peppers,

muenster cheese, honey, lemon

It was super tasty!! I’ve never had fried kale before but it is amazing.  It adds the perfect crunch to the pizza!  And how can you go wrong with muenster cheese and bacon!?!? Yea.. you pretty much can’t. 😉  The pizza was a great combination of sweet and savory! The downside was that it was a little burnt on some parts. Despite being somewhat burnt, it was hard to notice because of all the great flavors from the cheese and toppings.

I also tried the pasta below.  It was the:

PASTA GENOVESE

linguini, pesto cream, goat cheese,

sun-dried tomatoes,

artichoke hearts

I was not too impressed with this dish.  I haven’t tried too many pesto dishes so maybe I am just not a fan of pesto.  It was very bland to me.  Not much flavor going on.  If I got a dollop of goat cheese with my bite, it was much better. But the cheese melted quickly and after that, the taste of the cheese was unrecognizable.  I would not order this again.  Moral of the story:  Don’t order pasta at a a World Famous Pizza Place! Go for the pizza !

 

 

Service:  The service could definitely be better.  I ran out of water and it took a while for it to be filled.  Also, the server went MIA near the end of the meal when we were ready for our check.

Overall rating:  3/5 stars

If you want to check out more about this restaurant, here are the details:
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana
1570 Stockton St,
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 835-9888
http://www.tonyspizzanapoletana.com/