cafe lo cubano

cafe lo cubano is one of my favorite cafes in the city right now because 1) it's comfortable and there's a good amount of seating, 2) there's free wifi, and 3) it's got friendly staffers and tasty food and drinks. what more can you ask for?

my first visit to lo cubano was a drink-only affair. starving this time, i tried their havana chicken sandwich which is grilled chicken breast, plantains, and homemade cilantro aioli on cuban bread pressed in a panini grill.

the plantains were unexpected and totally made the dish, being a sweet and sticky compliment to the chicken. the cilantro wasn't overpowering and added just enough moisture to the bread. very well done and only 7.50.

i subbed a house salad for an additional 1.50 which was very fresh mixed greens, corn, goat cheese and walnuts lightly dressed. i'm not sure how this was "cuban" but it worked for me.

a tall glass of iced chai latte washed this all down as i caught up on my blogs with the free wifi. a much better way to spend the evening instead of passed out from a whirlwind weekend.

summer herb linguine with grilled garlic shrimp

sometimes, the simplest preparation yields the freshest and best tasting dish. with summer cranking up many chefs will shy away from fussy, complex dishes drowned in fancy sauces and instead take advantage of the ripe, fresh produce available this season and let those flavors shine through on their own. this method, popular in california-mediterranean cooking, highlights things like fresh herbs and lightly cooked seafood, among other things. and it's certainly easier and simpler on the home cook!

this recipe is adapted from the book easy entertaining. i pretty much follow it to the T, but added a couple other things i had lying in the fridge that needed using. what's great about this style of cooking is that you can pretty much sub anything, so long as it's fresh. so here we go.

i first prepared a pound of linguine according to package directions. i tend to like barilla because it's usually on sale and i like their packaging. haha. anyway, make sure you moderately salt the water to season the linguine properly.

while that was going i thawed and shelled about 1 pound shrimp, 31/40 count. feel free to use larger shrimp if that's what's available and is inexpensive. i then combined it with 2 cloves minced garlic, a couple dashes of red pepper flakes, 1 T olive oil, and salt and pepper.

once mixed, the shrimp went onto a hot grill pan (make sure you use non-stick) for a couple minutes per side or until golden brown. don't overcook. doing so will result in rubbery meat. this should be the finished result. perfectly cooked shrimp should have a bright, spongy-firm texture.

as that cooked, i prepped a bunch of herbs and such to be tossed in with the linguine. 1 T fresh chopped rosemary, 1/4 white onion thinly sliced (red onion would be better but i didn't have one), 2 T chopped italian parsley, 1 T minced mint, and a package of arugula hand torn.

once the pasta is cooked al dente and drained, return it to the warm pot, add 1/4 cup good extra olive oil (yes, use the expensive green-tasting stuff. it's worth it.), season with salt and pepper, then toss with all the herbs.

after the shrimp come off the grill, slice a juicy lemon into sixths and grill directly on the hot pan until browned.

plate a couple tongs of pasta with some grilled shrimp and garnish with a lemon wedge. voila!

looks light and fresh doesn't it? it's also very tasty and all the flavors complement nicely.

when cooking with just warm olive oil as the "sauce," i cannot stress how important it is to have high quality extra virgin olive oil. this stuff is not to be used as a cooking oil, but in dressings, pesto, or simply tossed with pasta. you want something with a great green aroma and taste. last year fran and ali surprised me with a huge 5 liter can of oleificio andreassi "del poggio" extra virgin olive oil.

this stuff is wow. italian import only, very high price point, and just wow. if you can get your hands on this stuff, i highly recommend.

anyway, this recipe yielded 4 more servings. guess what i'm having for lunch and dinner the next few couple of days? and i'm not complaining...

time for sharing! what's your go-to summer dish? leave a comment below...

what's up dog!?

when i'm hungry at lunch, the last thing i think about getting is a hot dog. it just doesn't sound filling nor appetizing to me. but what's up dog capitalizes on financial district salaries by serving up 3 to 6 dollar gourmet links on warm, toasted buns. with special toppings, a side, and a soda, you wind up shelling out 7 or 8 buckaroos. for hot dogs.

but i must admit, what's up dogs are pretty damn good. and filling. last friday, i met up jared, my roommate, at the location on howard and and beale, for a chicken linguica sausage topped with mustard, mayo, onions and sauerkraut.

onion rings and a lipton iced tea rounded off the meal under a hot sf sun.

ah yes. stuffed to the brim on a hot dog. who knew? thank gawd i had a few blocks to walk the dog off.

quickly daly city

sometimes, when i've been eating healthy, i get cravings for bad food. sometimes, i just want fried chicken.

so last week, i indulged. popcorn fried chicken and a pudding milk tea from quickly, an asian tea house serving popular boba milk teas and snack foods.



my partner in fried food crime, ellington, opted for fried calamari and almond milk tea.

fried chicken craving cured.

just for you cafe

good, inexpensive, homely brunch places are hard to come by. brunch seems to be a hot trend these days and you find more and more nice restaurants developing brunch menus for the weekend. the problem i find is these restaurants end up charging ridiculous amounts of money for brunch items. eggs benedict for 12 dollars?? i could make that for 3. send me your money.

but, brunch is popular and i do enjoy being able to eat a hearty breakfast-ish meal on my schedule of a 11am wake up call. my current favorite brunch place is mabel's just for you cafe, a very small, kinda dingy joint located in the quiet, developing neighborhood called the dog patch. the wait can be lengthy, up to 20-3o min at peak time, and don't expect much elbow space when you do sit. but you're here for the hearty, homey food and friendly service.

and the beignets! omg. after picking up my college friend, jenny, from the beacon, we sat down to a hot plate of beignets, freshly-fried square donuts dusted with powdered sugar and posessing notes of rum in the dough. a pool of rich syrup rounds it out. 3 for 4 dollars. worth every penny. do not leave here without eating beignets. order it as soon as you sit down.

jenny ordered the vegetarian fritatta, a slow-cooked open-faced omelette with various vegetables and cheese. house potatoes and biscuits were on the side

i had my usual, greg's scramble with chorizo, grits and cornbread. the scramble consists of 3 perfectly scrambled eggs, spinach, onions, and parmesean cheese, with your choice of meat. so good. the grits i get mainly because i never see grits on the menu elsewhere. and it feels healthier than a spoonful of roasted potatoes. the cornbread, i never finish. just way too big. but great with butter. about 8 buckaroos.

the service is quick and friendly, total neighborhood feel. to me it's distinctly san franciscan. you'd think with all the business they get from all over the city they'd consider expanding or rennovating to be like those other brunch joints. but just for you cafe's charm is exactly that old, friendly neighbor that will lend you a cup of sugar if you asked nicely. i don't want it to change, ever.

mcdonald's

big mac combo. yes. yum.

i don't eat it often. but oh how good it tastes when i do.

genki ramen

what do you think of when you hear the word ramen? my idea of ramen is a small plastic package of dried, squiggly instant noodles with a small foil envelope of spice and msg. appetizing, eh?

it wasn't until i vacationed in the land of the rising sun 10 years ago that i encountered what ramen can be: steaming hot, soulful goodness. my friend and i entered a tent coming off the side of a van parked on the street at 2am, one of several such ramen street tents that litter tokyo avenues late nite catering to intoxicated kareoke bar revelers. the broth is rich and intense, the noodles slightly chewy, the toppings simple and perfect. and let me not forget, cheap!

since then i have really struggled to find a similar experience in the states. there were a couple of ramen houses in west la's sawtelle corridor, a small neighborhood of authentic japanese restaurants and shops, that were good. another place in the south bay, torrance i believe, was the reputed ramen leader of la. but nothin really compares to authentic street food.

over the years i laid to rest this vain search, never really craving ramen anymore. i still don't. but a hollow stomach will do wonders for a discerning appetite and so my friend cameron and i stumbled into a new japanese restaurant cutely called genki (happy) ramen on geary st at 4th in the richmond.

genki ramen's use of dark woods and a grid ceiling gives it a modern vibe. flat screen tv's line the bare walls like live picture frames, showcasing gleaming j-pop music videos.

the tablesetting was decidedly minimalistic but high style. the big menu sported fantastic, almost artsy, pictures of each dish. and everything was spelled properly!!

we started with an order of cha-shu, thinly sliced pork tenderloin that has been soy-marinated and perfectly roasted. at 6 salami-thin medallions for 5 dollars, it wasn't cheap. but the pork was very, very tasty, had a thin swirl of juicy fat, and was excellent for perking up the tastbuds. it'd get lost in a sea of ramen broth though.

we also shared a small order of agedashi tofu. the batter was a lightly fried, thin coating and the tofu was nicely firm. the broth was carefully seasoned, not too briny, not too sweet. the whole thing was topped off with bonito flakes, shavings of dried fish fillet. another 5 bucks or so. very well executed.

cameron ordered shrimp tempura ramen, which you see below. i would've included a picture of my dish, ramen with chicken karage (fried chicken), but my camera phone doesn't take low light pictures very well and my dish came out blurry. anyway, the pork broth was rich, well-seasoned, and not too fatty. noodles were a little overcooked, but the addition of corn, thinly sliced scallions and bean sprouts to the broth were great textural points. the fried, dark meat chicken was crunchy and pleasantly salty. at under $8-9 a bowl, this was rather good.

what's interesting is the head-to-toe stainless steel kitchen residing behind a glass wall, allowing you to see the ramen chef in action. it's definitely worth a check, because you'll find equipment that only a ramen house would have. it's also kinda fun and voyeristic. this picture almost reminds me of tokyo ramen tents.

all in all, i really liked genki ramen. everything was well executed and flavors seem carefully developed, auspicious signs of a successful start. but only time will tell. as competition heats up (there's a lot of choices on geary at very competitive prices) and as the restaurant gets comfortable and possibly complacent, it may deterioate into one of the many other deadbeat ethnic restaurants littering the richmond district. but for the moment, it seems quite genki to me.

tartine bakery

i've heard a lot about tartine bakery. everyone in sf who knows of it seemingly has nothing but raves for it. i've wanted to try it for some time now, but never could "stumble" across it. little did i know it sits quite close to dolores park, a park i frequent enough to regret not having come across tartine earlier.

it occupies the corner store at guerrero and 18th in the busy, parking-gods-hate-you mission district. it's pretty non-descript and i never realized it was the famous bakery, instead mistaking it for a laundrymat whilst whizzing by looking for a damn parking spot.

this past sunday danna and i headed to tartine after a relaxing afternoon of sun and red balloons in the park for a little snack. we both had a savory gougere filled with gruyere cheese and fresh herbs and shared a delicate lemon cream tart.

a gougere is basically a cream puff. this version happened to have cheese and herbs baked into it. it was pretty good. light and fluffy all around.

but where tartine shined for me was in the lemon cream tart. the lemon cream was perfectly light in consistency and very lemony without being overly tart. the crust was also perfectly baked, no undercooked spots and a buttery flavor. the unsweetened whipped cream cut the sweet and tartness perfectly too. ok fine, it was perfect. mmm...

now i understand why there's consistently a line out the door for this place. although they could vastly improve their processes to serve people faster. there's a total hold up at the register. oh well.

what do you think of tartine? and what should i try next time i head in there?

pre-dinner munchies

there's little better than a slice of sopressata and a wedge of parmesean on a torn piece of warm french bread fresh from the bakery oven.

oh. and a couple of garlic stuffed olives.

what's your favorite pre-dinner snack?

fog city diner and que syrah

do you have a friend that you dine with whom you always end up spending a fortune on one evening's meal? that person for me is danna.

we always seem to end up with a bill of $80 - 100. now i'm not complaining. danna is great company and we both now how to appreciate good food. but damn, girl! my wallet is thinning at the temples. (she remarked the same to me.)

i like fog city diner. it's got that classy, old school feel. everytime i'm in there i feel i should be hanging my bowler hat and cane umbrella on the brass hook before sliding into the tight, dark wood booths. service is always friendly and attentive. food is tasty and well done.

i've been to fog city diner 3 times now. i will say this last time, while good, was a bit overloaded on the salt factor. everything was a bit too salty. but we still had a grand time.

whole clam and roasted sweet corn chowder. lightly creamy, good clam flavor, lots of fresh roasted corn sliced off the cob. 9.95

oysters "jackpot" baked with dungeness crab, pancetta and cheddar. smallish, but good. i rarely eat baked oysters, preferring raw, but this was a tasty combo. the mixed greens bed was oversalted though. 12.95

veal parmagiana with angel hair pasta and wild mushroom sauce. veal wasn't as tender as it should've been and the sauce was overly salty. disappointing. it could've been amazing. 19.95

marinated hanger steak with wild mushrooms and sweet corn ragout. we subbed the "amazing" truffle fries with asiago for the mashed potatoes. o. m. g. we made the waitress take the plate of leftover fries away at the end. we couldn't stop eating them. 19.95

we made room, nay, forced room, for dessert. apple crumble with vanilla bean ice cream. great together, although the apples were a little tart by themselves. it wasn't as tender as it should've been either. 8.00

we headed to a wine bar in west portal afterwards called que syrah. cute little place, dark and somewhat cozy, but they could improve the environment a little more. it felt a little unfinished and imparted a more homey vs sophisticated feel. not many wines by the glass. more geared towards bottle selection.

i did a flight of pinot noirs. 16. i liked the 2nd glass the best, a 2005 russian river valley. the others were too thin or too big.

i'd go again but there are other wine bars with more bang for the "experience."

thanks danna for a fun friday nite!

samovar tea lounge

andre, a collegue i worked with earlier this year, invited me out for lunch today and suggested the samovar tea lounge in the yerba buena gardens downtown.

as luck would have it, it was a gorgeous day. after 2 weeks of horrible, misting fog in the city and daly city, the weather today was like manna from heaven. the view from our patio table today...

definitely gotta soak it up while you can.

samovar specializes in freshly brewed teas from around the world and offers food pairings with some of them. this was new to me. i typically don't associate tea with "pairing." my mind thinks more of dim sum and how ridiculous it was to me when my aunt would ask for a cup of hot tea on a 100*+ day in LA.

but i have had good tea before and can taste the difference. samovar's menu is fantastic. it's like reading a wine list with descriptors for each blend. i took andre's advice and went for the moorish tasting at $17. he went for the american at $14.

the tea arrives first. mine is a moorish mint tea, piping hot, with a small vessel of dark simple syrup on a small tray. andre's is an herbal iced tea accompanied by some rustic looking trail mix.

the mint tea is well brewed, not bitter, and pleasantly minty and complex. the addition of the syrup makes it very refreshing, even on a hot day. go figure, aunty.

the food arrives next. my rustic tin tray holds grilled halloumi kebabs and mint salad, dolmas and olives, and medjool dates stuffed with goat cheese and a candied walnut.

halloumi is a crumbly cheese from Cyprus, a cross of feta flavor and mozzarella texture, and takes well to grilling. it was great with the cippolini onions and the minty salad. the dolmas were good too. but wow, those goat cheese dates were amazing. i will have to remember that for my next hors d'ouevres party! and all 3 paired perfectly with the moorish mint tea.

andre's tofu burger had a house-made patty that looked complex in ingredients and soft-textured vs the typical hard, grainy veggieburger patty i'm used to seeing. andre said samovar's version is a favorite.

he also had a delicious looking chocolate cupcake alongside.

service is fine and polite. portions, while on the smaller side, are adequately satisfying. presentation is exquisite and feels upper-crust. great place to sit back, relax, and sip on fine teas in the gorgeous and rare city sun. i highly recommend. thanks andre!