Blog Appetit Does San Francisco

East Bay Options for New Year's Eve 2011-2012

2011-12-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

From Tom Walton of Fortune Public Relations:

These Berkeley and Oakland restaurants still have seats available for New Year’s Eve 2011.

Ajanta
1888 Solano Avenue, Berkeley CA 94707
510.526.4373
http://www.ajantarestaurant.com/

(Note from FJK: One of the most gourmet and tastiest Indian restaurants in the Bay area. Very much a white table cloth establishment)
Open from 5:30 to 9:30 PM. Serving the regular a la carte menu plus a $25.00 three-course “Best Of The Best At Ajanta” Chef’s Tasting Menu with a main course that includes Galina Shakooti, Lamb Rib Chops, Methi Machi and Badal Jaam. A vegetarian prix fixe option is also offered for $22.00.

Gather
2200 Oxford Street, Berkeley CA 94704
510.859.9180
http://www.gatherrestaurant.com/

Seating from 5:00 to 10:00 PM. Serving a $75.00 four-course prix fixe menu with choices, vegan and omnivore selections for each course, and wine pairing available for an additional $25.00.

Italian Colors
2220 Mountain Boulevard, Oakland (Montclair Village) CA 94611
510.482.8094
http://www.italiancolorsrestaurant.com/

(a note from FJK -- this is my neighborhood trattoria, always a good meal.)
Seating from 5:00 to 10:00 PM. Serving a special holiday a la carte menu that includes Green Scarves Lasagna with grilled vegetables, and fried sweet onions; Duck Breast seared medium rare with butternut squash ravioli, braised Swiss chard, and duck jus; Dungeness Crab Stuffed Filet Mignon with au gratin potatoes, baby vegetables, and bordelaise and béarnaise sauces; Butter Poached Lobster Risotto with chanterelle mushrooms and saffron; Sea Scallops with turnip puree, blood orange gastrique, and baby vegetables; 72 hour Braised Short Rib with mascarpone polenta, chipolin onions, roasted root vegetables, and Chianti sauce; and Salmon en Croute or fresh fish napoleon, sweet pea puree, baby vegetables.

Joshu-ya Brasserie
2441 Dwight Way, Berkeley CA 94704
510.848.5260
http://www.joshu-ya.com/

Open 10:30 AM to 10:00 PM serving their regular a la carte menus. Complimentary hot sake during dinner service.

Lake Chalet
1520 Lakeside Drive, Oakland CA 94612
510.208.5253
http://www.thelakechalet.com/

(Note from FJK: Great views of Lake Merrit. Haven't eaten there yet, but have had enjoyed my meals at its sister establishments Park and Beach Chalets in S.F.) Seating from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Regular a la carte menu served until 5:00 PM when a special holiday a la carte menu becomes available. Guests ordering three or more courses from this menu will receive a complimentary glass of sparkling wine. Holiday special entrees include Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna; Braised Beef Short Rib; Breast Of Chicken; Lamb; Black Angus New York Steak; and Scallops.

Origen
2826 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley CA 94705
510.848.9200
http://www.origenberkeley.com/

Seating from 5:30 to 11:30 PM, bar open until 1:00 AM. Regular a la carte menu plus a $65.00 five-course prix fixe menu with optional wine pairing or sparkling wine pairing available. Holiday entrée choices will include Lobster and Cheese Purses over butter stewed quince; Scallop and Avocado Ceviche with pomello, watermelon radish and housemade flat breads; and Blue Hubbard Squash Gnochi in a braised duck ragu with housemade Mascarpone. Complimentary sparkling wine toast at midnight.

Revival Bar & Restaurant
2102 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley CA 94704
510.409.6274
http://www.revivalbarandkitchen.com/

Seating from 4:00 to 11:30 PM, bar open until 1:00 AM. Holiday a la carte menu and artisanal champagne cocktails. Special menu items will include Oysters with Meyer lemon marmalade, persimmon and pomegranate salsas; housemade Brandade; local Crab Bisque; Winter Salad; housemade Porchetta; Chestnut and Chanterelle Ravioli with parsnip cream; Bouillabaisse; and goose fat fried potatoes. Live music beginning at 9:00 PM, party favors, and complimentary sparkling wine toast at midnight.

Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto
1919 Fourth Street, Berkeley CA 94710
510.845.7771
http://www.spengers.com/

(Note from FJK: Always fresh and delicious. Get the fish!) Open 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM; bar is open until midnight. Serving regular a la carte menu. Complimentary sparkling wine toast at midnight. A specialty of the house is personalized private parties.

San Franicsco - 49 Square Miles of Food

2011-09-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Check out the San Francisco Chronicle's new series on the food of San Francisco -- a tasty tour of each of the city's 49 square miles.

Here's the overview and first installment. Check back every week at http://www.sfgate.com/ for an update on another of San Francisco's culinary square miles.

What a great idea. Kudos to the Chronicle's Food and Wine staff for coming up with it!

Blog Appetit Gets Visitors

2011-08-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

My sister, brother-in-law and almost 15-year-old niece arrive today for R and R (Rushing Around and Relaxing) in the Bay area. They got pretty shook up by the East Coast quake so don't know how much they will like the rock and roll of our little quake last night and aftershocks if they continue.

Anyway, we have lots of fun things planned for their visit. I will try (I no longer promise, I'm so bad) to write up the highlights of what we do as a resource for BADSF.

We have had other visitors this summer. With one couple we did this day trip along the Pacific Coast although Bonnie Doon had changed its wine tasting location so we missed it. They have moved the wine tasting room into their new restaurant. Go to https://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/ for more information on that. The White Raven (Felton) chai was just a great as we remembered. And we saw some seals at Pigeon Point lighthouse. All in all a great day.

Dine Around Town is Back -- June 1 - 15

2011-06-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

San Francisco's greatest dining bargain -- multicourse lunch ($17.95) or dinner ($34.95) at some of San Francisco's favorite restaurants is back for its 10th anniversary. See the Dine Around site for more info on participating restaurants and availability. (Here's what I've written about the event in the past.)

Where to Eat in San Francisco's Theater District (Plus How to Score Half Price Tickets)

2011-05-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

While you are in San Francisco, take in a play. We have our own mini theater district centered around the A.C.T. Theater and the Curran with other, smaller venues near by. While you are in the area, check out one of the restaurants on this list of where to eat before the theater from MenuPages.

Also check out the half-price ticket booth run by Tix Bay Area at Union Square for discount ducats to theaters in this area as well as around the city and Bay area. The service also has a large number of shows with discount tickets you can buy on line in advance. The Tix Bay Area site also gives a good overview of what is up with the theater and performance scene in the Bay area.

Eat Like a Student and Get an "A" in Savings -- Good Cheap Eats on Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley

2011-02-12T13:24:00.000-08:00

You don’t have to be a student to enjoy the budget restaurants clustered around Telegraph Avenue near UC-Berkeley (a short bus or BART ride from San Francisco). A recent walk on the avenue found a number of interesting spots that offer value, good food, and a taste of life in Berkeley. All are open for lunch and dinner, and many of the restaurants also offer food to go.

I found Durant Square by following my nose to Steve’s Korean Barbeque with its enticing aroma of grilling marinated meats. Durant Square, is sometimes known as the “Asian Ghetto” for its collection of Chinese, Korean, and other Asian restaurants featuring large portions and low prices. For $5-$8 expect to fill up on food from any one of these establishments.

Steve’s Korean Barbeque is popular and its offerings range from $6.99 for grilled chicken to $8.49 for barbecued beef short ribs. Steve’s also cooks up vegetarian and seafood options as well as other Korean specialties. Like many of the restaurants on the square, it is open for lunch and stays open until late. (No website. 2521-F Durant Avenue. 510.848.6166)

Another restaurant in the complex, Gyspy’s Trattoria Italiana, is a mash up of old-fashioned Italian-American restaurant and budget fast food place, with slightly more ambience than many of the other places on the square. Expect to pay under $6 for most vegetarian pastas, under $7 for seafood, beef and chicken ones such as Crazy Alfredo with chicken, sausage, roasted red peppers, and red wine in Alfredo sauce tossed with fettuccine. The daily special is a plate of pasta, salad and soft drink for $8.99. The food is plentiful, hearty and filling. Gypsy’s also offers pizza, calzone, salads and sandwiches.

Another alternative for Italian food is Pasta Bene. The food here is a bit more refined as is the atmosphere. The restaurant, a relative newcomer to the avenue, features a daily happy hour, outdoor seating and a $5 pasta lunch special. A starter of fried calamari is $5.95 and an order of linguini with chicken breast, artichoke hearts and vegetables in olive oil-herb sauce is $7.95. Most pasta dishes are $7-$9 and Pasta Bene also offers stone-fired pizzas, sandwiches and salads.

A large sandwich on incredible honey wheat bread, a salad bowl that seems bottomless and a perfect place for people-watching, that’s the Café Intermezzo experience — one I’ve long enjoyed. Join the quick-moving line (usually out the door), see what others are eating and check out the wooden menu on the wall for the day’s specials before ordering. Soups and stews are also offered daily. Sandwiches and salads start at under $7 and portions are large so consider sharing. It’s a Berkeley institution that briefly changed names and owners (but not menus) last year, and is back under the original management.

Since this is Berkeley after all, every café and restaurant around campus will have vegetarian options, even the cheesesteak place, but everything at the recently opened Maoz is not only vegetarian but kosher. Maoz, part of a chain that began in Amsterdam, offers falafel, salads, and Belgian and sweet potato fries in an unlimited number of combinations that you create yourself by adding on toppings from its extensive salad bar. “Meal deals” with sandwich, fries and a beverage start at $7.15. Ala carte sandwiches start at $4.25.

Bongo Burger has been stuffing hungry students on a budget with falafel and other goodies since 1968. It has several locations around campus, with one just off Telegraph Avenue. Besides Middle Eastern specialties such as shish kabab and tabouleh, Bongo Burger specializes in juicy hamburgers. My favorite is the Persian Burger with seasoned, ground lamb at $6.50. An “All American” with a third-pound of Niman Ranch beef is $4.25.

Looking for place to eat a bit away from the Telegraph Avenue scene? Right across from campus is an elegant café that offers morning pastries, lunch, and gourmet dinners as well selling classical music cds. The Musical Offering also has special event dinners. Luncheon items include hot and cold sandwiches and salads, most under $8. Dinners start at a few dollars more but offer items such as lamb quesadillas and chicken flatbreads. Menus and specials change often.

Just need a quick bite? Try Gordo’s for overstuffed San Francisco/Tex-Mex style burritos, Blondies or Fat Slice for slices of pizza, King Pin for donuts (on Durant Square), or a grilled hot dog or sausage from Top Dog.
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A version of this post first appeared on poor taste magazine.
For transit directions, go to 511.org
As long as you are in Berkeley for a nosh, you might want to check out the campus. Click here for info on the campus and free walking tours.

Oakland Taco Trucks -- A Feast in the Streets (With a Public Transit Option!)

2010-12-20T14:15:00.000-08:00

Clockwise from upper left -- El Ojo de Agua, Tacos Los Michocanos,
Tacos El Novillo and Tamales Mi Lupita

If we are talking street food, and we frequently are, and if we are talking tacos, which are also a frequent topic of conversation around here, it's very likely we are already on our way to the Fruitvale section of Oakland where licensing laws and Latino culture merge to create one of the Bay area’s best feeding grounds.

The number of the highly decorated taco trucks in the area changes, but Oakland has issued permits for 120 loncherias (catering trucks and push carts), half of which are in the Fruitvale area, one of only two neighborhoods in Oakland they are allowed. This concentration makes it easy to go from truck to truck and sample a taco with carnitas here, a tostada with cerviche there as you wend your way through the neighborhood. They are generally open from morning to well after the dinner hour, but be flexible, hours, location, and menu offerings do change. Be prepared for an adventure and bring your appetite.

My Oakland taco truck crawls have all been by car, but it could also be done by bicycle or even AC Transit. Amy Sherman, a veteran food blogger, travel writer and taco crawler has put together a tour with all stops convenient walking distance to the Fruitvale BART station. Thanks to Amy and bloggers Genie Grotto and Shelly Butcher for accompaning me on my appointed taco rounds.

To devise your own crawl, here’s a sampling of some of my favorite taco trucks plus an overview of some typical taco truck menu items. Menus are usually colorful signs mounted on the side of the truck, often in English and Spanish.

While many taco trucks offer the similar fare, the style of cooking, seasoning, regional differences and whims of the chef can make for interesting and tasty variations. These trucks specialize in tacos (usually two stacked small soft corn tortillas topped with a few tablespoons of filling with chopped onions, fresh cilantro and salsa) with a slice of lime. Squeeze the lime on top, fold the taco and eat in a few quick bites over your car hood, the taco truck’s thin ledge of a counter or perhaps a weathered picnic table and try not to drip on your clothes. The accompanying chunks of cucumber, radish or pickled carrots and jalapeno peppers help cut through the rich meat taste. Tacos generally cost $1.25-$2.

Besides the tacos, most trucks offer burritos and some also have quesadillas and tortas (sandwiches). Fillings can include carnitas (shredded, crispy pork), lengua (beef tongue, my favorite), suadero (beef rib meat), cabeza (beef head or cheeks), al pastor (roast pork), chorizo (spicy pork sausage), tripa (chitlins), birria (goat), carne asada (steak), stewed or shredded chicken and more. Trucks specializing in seafood also offer cerviche (raw, marinated fish salad) tostadas and griddled fish tacos (tacos de pescado or tacos de dorado).

Wash it all down with a refresco (soft drink). Or try an agua fresca or atole fresh fruit drink in flavors ranging for horchata (an almondy-cinnamon flavor) to jamaica (hibiscus) to pina (pineapple).

Below are just a few of my favorite Oakland taco trucks. One fan of the area’s loncherias created this Google map to help enthusiasts plan their own taco truck crawls. It includes the taco trucks listed below and many more.

Tacos El Novillo, 1001 Fruitvale Ave. (near E. 12th St.)

This truck offers tacos made with chicarrones (deep fried strips of pork skin.) The chicarrones are delicious, but I liked them better mixed with the al pastor tacos. Get one of each and make your own combination plate.

El Ojo de Agua, 3132 E. 12th Street (at Fruitvale Ave.)

The tacos are great, the tortas are excellent, but they are also known for their drinks, especially their licuados (Mexican milk shakes).

Tacos los Michocanos, 3524 International Blvd. (near 35th St.)

The difference here is the hearty and earthy style of Michoacan style cooking. My last taco there had some of the best lengua I’ve ever eaten. Plus I love the killer salsa. On weekends Los Michocanos offers a homemade tortilla option.

Tacos Sinola (two trucks), 2138 International Blvd. (at 22nd Ave.)

This is more of a two-truck “surf and turf” complex. The truck closest to International Blvd. offers an array of tasty meat-based tacos. The truck further back specializes in seafood, particularly in fish and shrimp tacos. In between are parking, covered seating and a colorful shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

One of my favorite trucks is technically not a taco truck I guess since it specializes in El Salvadorean food. But Tamales Mi Lupita offers sensational cheese and other pupusas (kind of stuffed corn tortillas) served with tangy cabbage slaw, chicken pastilles (little fried pies of deliciousness) and banana empanadas (somewhat like pieces of bananas fried fritter style), among other delights. It can be found at 34th Ave. and Foothilld Blvd, next the Pupuseria Lupita Restaurant on Foothill Blvd.

For more on taco trucks in Oakland and elsewhere in the Bay area, check out the California Taco Truck blog or the Chowhound forum discussions on the topic.
Note: A version of this post first appeared on the Poor Taste SF website. Have a taco truck favorite not listed? Leave a comment and let me know. I'll try to check it out and include in a future taco truck roundup.

Some East Bay New Year's Options

2010-12-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

From Tom Walton, my one of my favorite local restaurant promoters, restaurants in the East Bay with available New Year's seating, including one with vegan options.

New Year's Eve
Gather / 510.859.9180

2200 Oxford Street, Berkeley
Open 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM for lunch, 5:00M to 10:00 PM for dinner. For dinner serving only a $65.00 four-course prix fixe menu with entrée choices of Blue Hokito Squash “Steaks” with Sangiovese braised pardiña lentils and sunchoke bay leaf salsa; Braised Beef Cheeks with Yellowfin potatoes, celery root, Savoy cabbage, horseradish and crème fraiche; or Whole Roasted Local Fish with winter citrus, fennel and fresh pressed olive oil. Vegan options will be available.

Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto / Berkeley
1919 Fourth Street
510.845.7771
Open 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; bar is open until midnight. In addition to their regular a la carte menu, Spenger’s will be serving special holiday a la carte entrees including fresh local crab and prime rib. With every dessert ordered, the restaurant will offer a complimentary glass of sparkling wine or sparkling cider. A specialty of the house is personalized private parties.

Zut! on Fourth / 510.644.0444
1820 Fourth Street, Berkeley
Open for two seatings, the first from 6:30 to 7:30 PM and the second from 9:30 to 10:30 PM. Serving only a four-course (plus an amuse bouche and a glass of Moscato d'Asti) prix fixe menu with entrée choices of filet mignon, shellfish risotto, or vegetarian ravioli. Early seating priced at $70.00, the late $90.00, plus $30.00 additional for paired wines by the glass. Mal Sharpe's Big Money in Jazz Band will play during the second seating with live music TBA during the first seating. Complimentary midnight toast and dancing.

New Year’s Day 2011 dining out options

Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto
See Above
Open 11:30 AM - 10:00 PM. Regular a la carte menu plus a la carte holiday specials including fresh local crab and prime rib.

SFChefs 2010

2010-07-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

If you are going to be in the Bay area from August 9-15, I encourage you to check out the SFChefs 2010 event -- lots of food celebrities, lots of food and lots of spirit (including the alcoholic kind) centered around Union Square in San Francisco. There will be workshops and discussions, demonstrations, classes, tasting opportunities and more.

Proceeds from the event will support the Golden Gate Restaurant Association Scholarship Foundation. The foundation grants financial scholarships to students from the Bay Area entering culinary and hospitality programs.

Here's a schedule for all the events. Spaces are limited. To buy tickets in advance, click here. Prices start at $20 to attend a panel discussion. To volunteer for the event, go here.

SF Best Bets for June 2010 from Budget Travel

2010-06-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

Going to be in the San Francisco Bay area this month --- check out the top five "deals."
Click to the Budget Travel post for more info.

One of their picks is free and available anytime, not just in June -- downtown's "Tenderloin National Forest."

So You Walked Across the Bridge, Now What?

2010-04-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks again to Budget Travel -- here's a list of things to do once you cross the Golden Gate Bridge by car, bike or foot.

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About the photo: Sunset at the Golden Gate Bridge looking toward Marin County.

San Francisco Top 100 Restaurants

2010-04-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to the Bay Area's Top 100 restaurants, prepared annually by the San Francisco Chronicle.

I've eaten (over the years, not necessarily recently at 16 of them. Only 84 left to go.

Urbanstomach Does the Eating So You Don't Have To (But You'll Want To)

2010-04-06T22:55:00.001-07:00

A relatively new (to me at least) food blog covers the true San Francisco treats -- its humble (and some not so humble) eateries, street carts and more.

Check out Urbanstomach. It will leave you hungry for more.

Five SF Guided Walking Tours

2010-03-15T09:16:00.001-07:00

Click here for info on five walking tours of San Francisco from Budget Travel -- explore the city's architecture, Latino murals, Chinatown's alleyways and the mythic Barbary Coast. Those tours have a fee associated with them. Budget Travel also recommends a free guided tour of San Francisco's famed "painted ladies" (colorful Victorian buildings). Check out sfcityguides.org for 50 free walking-tours.

SF Essential Restaurants

2009-10-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Click here to see one blogger's list of the 38 "essential" restaurants in San Francisco, complete with Google map. Lots of deserving old favorites, a smattering of newcomers that have proven their worth and a few neighborhood hangouts worthy of inclusion.

Check them out.

Foodie Resources in SF -- Eat, Drink and Shop Like the Food Bloggers Do

2009-09-25T13:32:00.001-07:00

Check out this comprehensive post from BlogHer for where to shop for foodie resoures.
Or this one on where to drink in SF.
Here's one with eating recommendations.
The above are from Genie of the Inadvertant Gardener

Here's some BlogHer recommendations from Heather from where to eat in the city that knows how (to eat at least).

Heidi of 101 Cookbooks
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/san-francisco-favorites-recipe.html

More later. including a clean up of this very messy post

Eat Real Festival

2009-08-27T09:31:00.001-07:00

Live in the Bay area or visiting this weekend -- plan to stop by Oakland's Jack London Square (get there by bus, BART or ferry) for the Eat Real Festival. Sample the best of street food, local farmers and even tour the new Blue Bottle coffee roasting plant. More information here.

Not Camera Shy

2009-04-02T16:48:00.001-07:00

Budget Travel photographer David Fenton posts his 20 favorite snapshots of San Francisco along with commentary here.

Have You Heard the One about the Ox in the Dim Sum Shop?

2009-01-28T10:26:00.000-08:00

Looking for the best dim sum tidbits in the San Francisco Bay area?

SF Chronicle comes to the resuce with a Lunar New Year themed round up of local dim sum ("little bites of heaven") restaurants in the region.

Here's the link.

Includes rules for proper chopstick (or is it chopstix) use and photos of some of the different kinds of dim sum available in local joints.

Have a happy lunar new year.

Catch a Ride on the Culture Bus

2009-01-20T21:25:00.000-08:00

File this under I had no idea and now it's (almost gone)

San Francisco has a special bus line -- the 74x that connects downtown and Golden Gate Park cultural attractions and museums.

The bus is being cut back from every 20 minutes to once an hour.

Check 511 for info and routing or read the San Francisco Chronicle story here. Check out the sfculture bus site or call 311 (as on your phone) within San Francisco for info.

This is huge news, it can take lots of transfers to get between these sites and lots of time. Plus you avoid parking and traffic jams. The bright yellow buses do cost $7 (good all day), but that's lots less than a cab and by showing your ticket at the DeYoung Museum or the Academy of Sciences you do receive discounts. If you have a SF Muni passport (which you really should if you are visiting -- it will save you a fortune on cable car rides), the culture bus is just $3.

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About the image -- from www.sfculturebus.org

UPDATE 8/09 -- The culture bus could be a gonner due to budget cuts. Check 511.0rg for info before planning on using it.
UPDATE: 9/9 -- the bus is gone. Sigh. A victim of budget cuts.

Only in the Bay Area? Sundays at the Thai Temple

2009-01-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

There is a remarkable experience available every Sunday in a residential neighborhood in Berkeley where the local Thai temple serves an amazing brunch. Members of the congregation cook and serve and people throughout the bay come for the steam table Thai food, the colors, sights and smells of alfresco dining, perhaps a peek at Buddha and the temple, and a feeling of connection with each other and with a country half a world away.

I first went to the Wat Mongkolratanaram temple brunch a few years ago, had a wonderful time and took some nice photos and filed it under "I need to blog about this," but got busy with other things and kinda forgot about it.

Now the Sunday morning tradition is endangered since it seems that the temple's residential neighbors are a little tired of some 1,352 visitors for brunch every Sunday and the temple's operating permit from the city only allowed three such brunches a year. The temple has filed to revamp its permit and has tried to ameliorate some of its neighbors' concerns as to parking, hours, trash, etc., so I hope some compromise can be reached at the February 12 Berkeley Zoning Adjustment Board Meeting since not only is the brunch a remarkable event to participate in, it raises a lot of money for the temple and its cultural center.

When I went, the food was good, not great. There were vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. I remember the mango sticky rice dessert with a lot of fondness. We had waited for a nice day, since all seating is outside. We went into the temple and enjoyed talking to the monk who was there from Thailand.

The site I found for the temple was all in Thai.
Info on the Thai cultural center (in English)
Save the Thai Temple has updates on the permit and links to the planning board and other sites.
This article in Harboiled, the UC Berkeley Asian American news magazine, has a lot of background
There is a Facebook page dedicated to saving the Sunday brunch and helping the Thai temple.
For more info on the food and the brunch experience, check out the temple's Yelp listing here. There are something like 271 reviews of the experience listed.

Note: Brunch hours are now 10 to 1. The temple is located at 1911 Russell St., Berkeley, CA 94703. Phone is (510) 849-3419

While I cook Thai food quite often (and eat it out even more often), I really haven't blogged much about it. You can read some of my Thai curry recipes here and here. But do what I do when I am looking for a Thai recipe, check out Chez Pim's Thai recipe category.
If you need to use public transit to go the the temple, check out 511.org to route yourself there and back.

Update: As of 4/1/09 - the temple has won prelim. approval. Brunches -- and the legal process -- continue

Some East Bay Restaurants for You to Try

2009-01-02T01:34:00.000-08:00

Looking for some place to eat in the Oakland - Berkeley area?
I just posted a write up of my experiences at Flora, Herbivore, Vik's Chaat House and Lalimes over at Blog Appetit.

You can read all about it here.

Dine Around Town is Back and Some SF Foodie Goodies

2008-12-30T15:16:00.000-08:00

Get ready for two weeks of gourmet lunches and dinners from January 15-31. A three-course lunch is just $21.95 and a dinner is just $34.95.

For all the details and more information, click here. There are oodles of restaurants to pick from, including Absinthe, which I write about here.

The Dine Around Town site is part of Taste SF, sponsored by the vistor's bureau. Check out the other features of the Only in San Francisco Taste SF website including chef profiles, info on farmers' markets and Foodie 411 , a blog all about the SF restaurant scene.

Are You a Local?

2008-12-19T08:31:00.000-08:00

It pays to be a Bay area resident.
Show proof of a local zip code and recieve a discount or freebie from a number of San Frnacisco merchants and restaurants throughout the month of December.

Click here for more information.

Today -- Help the Hungry by Getting a Bite to Eat

2008-12-18T07:59:00.001-08:00

From The SF Food Bank:

DINE OUT AGAINST HUNGER DECEMBER 18
13 Top Restaurants Will Donate a Portion of Proceeds to the San Francisco Food Bank

Restaurants have seen a real slump in business lately, but the folks at Maverick realized some people are facing worse circumstances – the 150,000 San Franciscans at risk of going hungry this holiday season. So Scott Youkilis and Michael Pierce created Dine Out Against Hunger, and organized some of the city’s top venues to donate up to 10% of today’s [December 18th] dinner sales to the San Francisco Food Bank, which supplies over 600 food programs throughout the city.

Participating Dine Out Against Hunger restaurants are: Maverick, Slow Club, Serpentine, Foreign Cinema, Magnolia, Sociale, Slanted Door, Kuleto's, Delfina, Americano, A16, Incanto and SPQR. Maverick will also take 10% off the tab for any customers making an additional donation to the Food Bank.

The focus is on raising cash, because for every $1 donated, the Food Bank can distribute $9 worth of food into the community – thanks to its relationships with retailers, growers and distributors. San Francisco Food Bank’s goal is to distribute 66,000 holiday meals this season.

For reservations, contact the individual restaurants; for more information, visit http://www.sffoodbank.org/.

A guide to the Ferry Plaza Market

2008-06-20T11:37:00.001-07:00

The blog Bunrab is actually several blogs in one, a true destination site on the internet.
It's guide to the Ferry Plaza complex and its wealth of good eats is amazing.
You can find it here.

Consider this what Wikipedia calls a "stub. " I'll fill it out later with lots of links and some pix of the Ferry Plaza and its farmer's market.

Meanwhile, enjoy this taste courtesy Yummy Chow of Bunrab.

A Restaurant Resource

2008-06-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

I was playing Blog-Go-Round tonight (where I go from food blog to food blog by trying links to unfamiliar sites or ones I haven't visited in a while) and found Confessions of a Restaurant Whore, which focuses on reviewing, quite tartly, candidly and humorously, the local San Francisco restaurant scene. She even has a directory of restaurants I thought you might find helpful.

Japantown

2008-02-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

This will be a post about Japantown. I've still working on it. If you have any links or info you'd like to contribute, please leave a comment below and I'll make sure you input is included.

Thanks.

Watch this space.

FJK

4/26/10- Obviously, I still haven't done this --- but here's a link that has some of the more "untraditional" highlights of the neighborhood.

Day Trip -- Down the Pacific Coast to Santa Cruz

2008-01-25T23:40:00.000-08:00

Friends of ours from the Midwest were visiting and Gary and I took them sightseeing for the day. These friends know the San Francisco area well and have already seen many of the traditional sights and sites, so Gary decided a road trip down the coast in search of sea otters, seals and sea lions was in order.

As we headed from downtown to the Great Highway, our first detour was to view the tasteful renovation of the Cliff House overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Seal Rock. There were no seals there, however. We gave our friends a history lesson about the long-gone Sutro Baths and Playland, instead. It was a good thing the bar wasn’t open yet, or I think Catherine and I would have voted to stay and try out the cocktail menu and drink in the view.

We didn’t get far. Just down the Great Highway is the Beach Chalet with its magnificent WPA murals. We chose to ignore the brew pub that now occupies the top floor of the building and concentrate on art, culture and history.

Our odyssey continued as we loaded back up in Gary’s van and wended our way down the spectacular Northern California coast line, stopping at a few of the rugged beaches to admire the pounding surf, wind blown trees and craggy coastline and looking in vain for our marine mammal friends.

Just above Half Moon Bay we stopped at the harbor at Princeton by the Sea. The majority of boats here are working fishing vessels of one sort or another and there are several fish related businesses on the pier. We poked around a bit and decided that since we didn’t have a cooler buying raw fish was not a souvenir we should consider when I declared I was hungry and I wanted fish. Now. We tried a colorful café overlooking the harbor. Barbara’s Fish Trap had fresh fish from rockfish (which Ferrol craved) to calamari. Preparations were simple, portions were huge. The four of us gorged ourselves on broiled fish with coleslaw, fish and chips (the fried fish was perfect, the chips less so), fried calamari rings (incredibly tender and moist with just the right crisp from the fryer) and the largest shrimp and crab louie that I have ever encountered. (The copious amounts of seafood were fresh and steamed until cooked through and not a second more, with a clean taste and a good texture, but I am sorry to say the sauce was a glop of sweet thousand island dressing and the lettuce was rough chunks of iceberg. I ate every bite, however.)

Satiated for now, we shoved off, continuing to explore the twists and turns of Highway One, past fields of Brussels sprouts growing on their stalks, looking like they would be harvested just in time for the nation’s Thanksgiving feasts. We stopped at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse and from the wind-whipped deck at land’s end we finally saw our marine friends frolicking in the waves – a sea otter and a harbor seal.

Mission accomplished, the decision was made to turn inland and head back via a faster (and straighter) highway. We had barely turned onto Pine Flat Road when Catherine, Ferrol (a big wine enthusiast) and I all yelled at Gary to stop. We had spotted the Bonnie Doon Vineyard Tasting Room. Luckily, Gary decided to be our designated driver, so we could imbibe to our hearts’ content. I’ll post more about our wine tasting experience in the future, but let’s just say after a full flight of wines that included a raspberry desert wine in a dark Belgian chocolate cup, I was ready for a nap or a mug of something caffeinated.

Now our route took us through the redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains and when we popped out we were in the little town of Felton, which reminded me very much of a rustic Berkeley. We stopped at the White Raven Café, where they take their chai seriously. Their chai deserves a post of its own and will get one soon.

Then, somehow to our surprise, we were back on a major highway and on our way back to San Francisco. We’ve promised to visit them in Minnesota. They have a friend who keeps them supplied with fresh white fish and a friend who owns a Vietnamese restaurant. Sounds like it will be a great trip!
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Resources:
Barbara's Fish Trap, 650. 728.7049, no web or email, 281 Capistrano Rd., Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Beach Chalet – http://www.beachchalet.com/
Bonnie Doon Vineyard Tasting Room: http://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/tasting/bonnydoon
Cliff House -- http://www.cliffhouse.com/

Pigeon Point Lighthouse – http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=533

White Raven -- http://www.awhiteraven.com/

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Note: This originally appeared in Blog Appetit in November 2005

Monkeys from Musee Mecanique

2008-01-19T12:18:00.001-08:00

More on Musee Mecanique from BADSF at http://blogappetitdoessanfrancisco.blogspot.com/2008/01/only-in-sf-musee-mecanique.html

Only in SF -- Musee Mecanique

2008-01-19T10:45:00.000-08:00

The Musee Mecanique is like no other museum. It is full of working (cost you a nickel each) old arcade, midway and other coin-operated wonders. The collection, loving assembled by a father and maintained by the son, showcases fortune telling dolls (like in the movie "Big"), mechanical horse races, orchestras, Old Western towns, farms and more. Chuck a nickel or two in the nickelodeons and see what informed or scandalized folks back in 1900.

The musee is literally right behind Fisherman's Wharf. There is no entry fee. There are wonderful photos and other displays of the bygone Playland by the Sea amusement park and a small gift shop. And a coin machine for change, of course, in case.

It is a great place to bring kids and teens, but I always enjoy going, too, and it always surprises and delights visitors of all ages.

Here's a link to an SF Chronicle story about the place with photos and a sound clip with comments from owner Daniel Zelinsky and the cackle of "Laughing Sal" and some of the music of the machines playing in the background. To get there, click here, then select archives and then look for the "penny for his thoughts" feature. There is no direct link to photographer Mike Kepka's wonderful short interviews and photos of the city. While you are on the site, check out some of his other photo and sound vignettes of the city.

Here's a youtube clip of laughing sal. While she is probably the musee's most famous machine, she's not my favorite. I like the older action games and more musical pieces better. I like this one of one of the mechanical orchestra. You can't see much of the action, but I love how it sounds. Here's the index at youtube for the Musee Mecanique, but don't check out too many of the videos, you'll lose that element of surprise and awe when you finally do get to go there yourself!

(Next time I'm at the musee, I'll snap a few photos of my own and update this post. In the meantime, here's a youtube video I downloaded on the monkey band.)

Dine Around Program Offers Discount Meals

2008-01-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

Check out Blog Appetit (the parent blog if you will) for info on San Francisco's discount Dine Around program for 2008. From January 15-31 selected restaurants will be featuring specially priced lunches and dinners. Check it out!

SF in Your Ear -- Touring San Francisco with Your iPod

2008-01-08T23:11:00.000-08:00

If seeing is believing, what is listening?

I thought it would be interesting to search out aural resources. Here’s some downloads for your iPods, MP3 players or just your computer to help you enjoy your trip to San Francisco.

This link is for Metroblogging San Francisco and has a good list of resources on how to “San Francisco-ize” your iPod, including tours, maps and music.

Another site with a good list of resources is the San Francisco Convention Center. It lists members' iPod and MP3 resources, many of them free. Among the offerings, free podcasts from Geogad for tours of several of the city’s attractions, including Fisherman’s Wharf, the Ferry Building and Union Square.

Sparkletack has an interesting list of podcasts, history or travel related. The S.F. history site also has its own quirky set of podcasts.

Pod City Guides are free (although you must register) and seem to be like a guide book in your ear. The guides are meant to function as a “travel book” with information on events, restaurants, hotels, sites and shopping.

AIA San Francisco has a series of what it calls ARCHCASTS highlighting significant San Francisco buildings. The free service has podcasts on the Federal Building, the JP Morgan Chase building as well as a tour of San Francisco’s common spaces and more.

Stroll San Francisco will give you a taste of its 33 walking tours for free. You can download one to sample, but the rest will cost you (but not all that much.) Chose from the 1906 earthquake, Carol Doda and San Francisco’s topless past, Chinatown, the Haight Ashbury, the cable cars or the Wells Fargo Museum.

City Story Walks offers a San Francisco “overview” for $9.99 and a comprehensive walking tour for ($19.99, or buy both for $24.99). You can check out a list of the 14 sites and check out a sample on the website. Also on the site is a sample of the overview with links to some of what City Story Walks considers insider information on where to shop, what to do with kids and more.

The San Francisco Chronicle invites users to “get behind the headlines” with its free podcasts and tours of the 1906 earthquake, North Beach and more.

If you plan on traveling with your cell phone instead of your iPod, this company offers downloadable walking tours for your mobile.

I guess I’ll make this Part One, still to come, more on food, art, culture, and well, just more.

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About the photo illustration (my first): It uses two free images from MS Clip Art.

SF Photos Worth Clicking About

2008-01-04T18:59:00.000-08:00

Above is a photo I took just after midnight of fireworks exploding above San Francisco on January 1st.

I know that I like to "preview" a city before I travel to it and thought it might be helpful to feature photo sites that feature some "only in San Francisco" shots on Blog Appetit Does San Francisco.

Here's a few I found that I thought were worthwhile. I'll add to this list as I come across more.
If you know of a site with great Bay area photos, please leave a comment below to share it.

Flicker -- SF group

A different photo for every day

SF Axis has lots of photos as well as a lot of other information for tourists and locals. (See my post on SF web basics for more info.)

SF Photorama has wonderful photos. It sometimes takes a bit to load (at least on my computer with my dsl) but is well worth the wait. (Be sure to scroll down, the pix tend to be toward the bottom of the page.)

Some Basics for Those Who Want to Be in the Know -- Part 1 -- Including The Best Places to See Sunsets and How to Pay Less for a Cable Car Ride

2007-12-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

This is a first in what will be a series of posts on websites to help you plan a San Francisco Bay area adventure.

San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau has a great site that puts a lot of emphasis not just on Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge and other well known attractions but the charms of the city’s many neighborhoods. (After you pick out a San Francisco neighborhood to explore, take a look at SF City Guides to see if there is a free walking tour.)

The convention bureau site offers hotel, flight, car and dining reservations. It has an events calendar so you can enjoy the city’s cultural and social life and it has info on accessibility and other special needs. It includes a mapping function to help plan your explorations.

If you are staying in the city itself, a car is really not necessary. Learn how to get from point A to B using mass transit including cable cars, street cars, subways, buses and ferries at 511.org.

Did you know you can get from SFO airport to downtown by Bay Area Rapid Transit train right from the international terminal? Or from Oakland airport by AirBart (bus and train)? 511 has the info on that.

Planning on riding a cable car half way to the stars? Be prepared to pay for the experience. It’s $5 each way (with no transfers). It’s a fun ride and worth it, but buy a SF Muni pass and save. The one-day passport which is good for unlimited trips on Muni buses, subways and street cars as well as the cable cars is $11. A three-day passport is $18 and a seven day passport is $24. The passports also offer discounts on various attractions. They are a good deal, but are only available at the Visitor Center at 900 Market Street (down the stairs or escalators) near the cable car turnaround at Powell and Market.

The visitor center is a wonderful resource packed full of free maps and brochures and knowledgeable multi-lingual advisers. The odd layout on a lower level plaza seems to sometimes attract street people, but it is safe and secure and worth a stop for info even if you don’t plan on buying a Muni passport.

Click here for center hours and other info.

Some other sites to help you plan a trip or discover more about the city include:

Where Magazine
SF Gate Visitor Guide --This contains information from the area’s largest daily newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle. The Chronicle also offers wonderful food and dining info and recommendations. The paper’s Sunday Datebook (known locally as the pink section since it is printed on pink paper) and Thursday’s 96 Hours weekend guide cover the upcoming art, theater, music and other and events in the city and surrounding area. You can check out those listings and articles here.
About.Com is a good place to research a trip or locale. Here's the link to SF info.
SF Bay Axis is an interesting site with lots of photos and alternatives for off-the-beaten track Bay Area experiences, including this list for the best places to view SF sunrises and sunsets (not including the deck at my house).
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About the photo: souvenirs at Fisherman's Wharf

Introducing Blog Appetit Does San Francisco ... and the Bay Area

2007-12-28T15:09:00.000-08:00

I’ve wanted to do more “San Francisco Bay Area specific” posts for awhile, but they did not really seem to fit in well with the generalist approach I take to Blog Appetit, so I’ve decided to create a new blog.

Blog Appetit Does San Francisco will be mostly original features about enjoying the Bay area aimed at visitors and locals alike. Some food-related posts will have also run on Blog Appetit. The new blog will however not be all encompassing because hey it’s my blog and I don’t even run ads on the thing so I get to write about people, places, foods, ideas and rants I am interested in. But in the wonderful world of the web, there are lots of resources that should cover anything you’d like to know about just about visiting or enjoying the Bay area. I plan on many of those as links and/or in my posts as resources.

Because of my interests as a wanna-be food writer, there is the potential for BADSF* to have more of a food focus, but I also am a history buff and like off-beat museums and other sites as well as a big fan of neighborhood exploration. So its potential scope is much larger than a food and/or restaurant resource guide. When I get a clearer vision, I’ll be sure to share it.

If you have anything you’d like to share, especially any Bay area tips or links you think should be included, you can email me through my profile or leave a comment on a post.

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*Yes I realize BADSF reads Bad SF, but I am choosing to ignore it right now!

More on SF and Area on Blog Appetit

2007-12-28T14:48:00.000-08:00

Want to see what I have eaten or experienced around the San Francisco Bay area?
Click here to see my SF Bay Area posts on Blog Appetit.

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2007-12-21T18:24:00.000-08:00

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