AliceC

The place reminded me of a pricier version of Tin Star. I tried some of the guacamole with chips. The chips were in thick strips which made them extra crispy, but the dip was just average in my opinion. I prefer a chunkier version.

For drinks, they offer various flavored waters (mango, hibiscus, tamarindo, prickly pear). I tried the mango which was refreshing and would hit the spot on a nice hot summer day.

Despite being told the tostata salad wasn’t the most popular salad among the two I was deciding between (other being 7 layer salad), I got it anyway thinking I would like the tropical fruit and spicy habanero dressing. I did not like it at all. The dressing wasn’t spicy, and I just felt like the salad was pretty bland despite having sufficient amount of dressing. All I could really taste was the fruit (papaya, grapefruit, and the one or two mango slivers). I did like the thin slices of heart of palm and the toasted nuts (like pine nuts, but I’m no expert) which add a nice crunch to the salad. All this sat on a mound of lettuce that was just too much. The salad also had this fried strip of tortilla that had just the right amount of salt and spice and crispness.

My friend ordered the other “popular” salad, 7 layer, and said she liked hers, so it was just a poor choice on my part. And the others orderd tacos, which in hindsight I should have gotten considering the name of the place is “urban taco.” They said they were quite tasty, but the guys felt the portion was small but that is compared to american size serving portions.

For dessert, the group ordered some chocolate covered churros with cinnamon ice cream. I am just not a big overall fan of churro, but my friends said it was more like the real thing.

You order at the counter and the people deliver the food to your table. The place is causal and perfect for a group gathering since it wasn’t too busy but maybe that was just sunday night. I’d be willing to go back and try the tacos before eliminating this place off my list.

I’ve heard amazing reviews about this place so it was top on my list of places to try. We ordered 3 things.

1) Croque monsieur. The bread had a nice crispy crust which I liked, but it had asparagus on top. I like asparagus, normally, but for some reason it had a very strong flavor and, i felt, took away from the rest of the flavor of the dish. I think I’d get it again without the asparagus next time.

2) banana cream tart. Nice flaky crust that wasn’t soggy since they lined the inside with a layer of chocolate. The banana filling was very runny and sweet but a nice balance to the whipped cream on top which wasn’t sweetened.

3) Croissant. It was huge! And it was very buttery and flaky. Excellent.

Overall, wasn’t bad, but didn’t understand all the hype of the place. But I would go back to try other things. Everyone seemed to be getting this berry bread pudding thing in a cup so I got to try that.

Korean BBQ buffet is unheard to me so it was a definite must go when my friends were here. And for the price $15.99 best bang for your buck, i thought.

So they are very particular when you arrive. If you arrive to close to the end of the buffet time they won’t serve you. So get there well ahead of closing time. We ended up having to go twice because of this.

All kinds of meat and seafood at the counter ready for you to grill at your table. Beef ribs, pork belly, squid, beef tripe. I would not get the beef tripe again. It didn’t taste all that clean to me, and I’m usually a big fan of beef tripe. Also, I would pass on the squid and just stick with the meat.

The panchan wasn’t bad according to my korean friends and they’re tough critics. I personally like the spicy pickled radishes there because they were the kind that had been pickling for a while.

The buffet line also included fruit, cold noodles, various soups, rice, and my favorite dessert after korean bbq, sweet rice soup. It is so refreshing after such a heavy meal and a definite must have.

Overall, service wasn’t bad which we had been warned it could be bad. Don’t know if that was because I had koreans at my table. I would definitely go again.

Went here for 2 things, the oysters and the cioppino. Started with 2 dozen west coast oysters since we are on the west coast. It wasn’t bad but nothing outstanding. I think I like the ones I had on Tomales Bay better, but then again someone else is shucking them for you.

We got a bowl of clam chowder which again wasn’t bad. It had lots of clam chunks which i love, but the overall flavor was pretty typically. It was more on the runny side then the thick creamy kind.

We ordered the cioppino with lots of seafood, mussels, crab, shrimp, scallops, etc in a tomato based sauce with pasta. The flavor was nice, but I sort of wished it was spicier. Then again I haven’t had other cioppinos so maybe this is how it is suppose to be.

Service was very friendly although at first the waiter seems a bit rough, but i think he was trying to be comical. Very attentive staff.

Overall, the food and service weren’t bad, but with so many other restaurants in SF i think I would rather try a new one. Maybe once I’ve had other cioppinos I can decide how this one compares.

So we were looking for a dim sum place and my friend came across this place as being top-rated dim sum in SF. It is a little hidden cause it is located inside this building, but ask around a people will direct you to the right place.

We ordered my standard stuff and overall it wasn’t anything super impressive. The chicken feet were tender and spicy, usual. Pork ribs, again, spicy and tender, pretty usual. Taro root was nicely crisped with typical pork and taro filling. Shanghai soup dumplings were so so, but it may be hard to beat cause I had them in asia recently. Peking duck had a nice crispy skin, but the portion was very small. Wonton shrimp roll was soft and not mushy. The egg tart had a nice flaky crust with just the right amount of sweetness in the soft custardy filling.

The service was really nice which is surprising to me for a dim sum place. Waiters/waitresses were very willing to help track down dishes we were looking for.

Overall, just average dim sum for me, but maybe I’m being too critical since I compare it to dim sum in asia. Then again, this is SF where supposedly the best dim sum chefs fled to after the china takeover of HK. I’m hoping SF can do better.

My friends told me this is a peruvian place that is chinese owned which piqued my interest. So I ordered this sweet purple corn juice which was surprisingly quite taste. It was refreshing, but not something I would crave. Definitely worth a try. They served the bread with this mustard like sauce which I really liked since it had a nice kick. It was different.

We ordered ceviche mixto. It had shrimp, scallops, mussels, etc and was tasty but nothing remarkable. Served on the side was carrots, corn, and potato, i think. It also had lots of red onions which i like, and it had quite a kick. I think I accidentally ate a hot pepper.

We ordered 2 dishes to share. The Arroz con Pollo had rice with cilantro and peas served with this amazing chicken. The skin was perfectly crisped! Definitely I would get it again for the chicken. The rice wasn’t bad but I’m not a pea person.

The other was the Picante de Mariscos which was this spicy seafood dish (shrimp, mussels, fish, scallops, etc) in a cream sauce with potatoes and hard boiled egg plus one scoop of steamed rice. It too was tasty, but probably would try something else next time.

It’s a ma and pa shop with excellent down-to-earth service. My friends knew the owners. Overall, I would go back.

So I really wanted to try this place since I’ve heard so many amazing things. And they just recently re-opened with new decor and new menu. Unfortunately, I was not impressed at all.

We started with 2 appetizers. The famous lobster shooters which were fried lobster dumplings in a thai like sauce. The sauce was very strong that you couldn’t really taste any lobster in the fried dumpling. The second appetizer was the kobe beef carpaccio which was very flavorful. I would go back and get this dish.

For entrees, we all ordered meat dishes which may have been the wrong choice but they seemed to have flavors that we preferred. I selected the buffalo tenderloin served with a truffle mashed potatoes. The meat quality was outstanding, but it was overly salted and I usually like my foods on the saltier side. Actually all the meat dishes were overly salted. Maybe it was a bad day. The potatoes were tasty at first…very truffle-y, but after the first several bites I was tired of it for some reason.

The dessert was a collection of various things. We went with the custard sampler which contained chocolate caramel creme brulee, coconut panna cotta granita, cheesecake, and blueberry bread pudding. They were all tasty, but nothing I would crave and go back for.

The service was nice and the waiter was helpful in narrowing down our choices. And the atmosphere was somewhat relaxing, but it is still very dallas pretentious!

Overall, for the price I don’t think I would go back but at least I can now say I’ve tried it.

I tried 2 flavors and they do have very unique flavors. I tried the mexican chocolate with salted peanuts and brown butter pecan since I am a big fan of nuts in my ice cream.

The mexican chocolate was tasty, but didn’t think I would like a whole scoop so I went with the brown butter pecan which had a very distinct brown sugary taste. My only issue was that it wasn’t all that creamy. The sugar cone was very crispy.

The other weird thing is that the single scoop is actually 2 scoops. I don’t understand why.

The service was wonderful. My friend’s ice cream fell on the floor and they were so kind to give her replacement scoops!

Overall, I would go back since they offer very unique flavors.

We looking for an Italian place on fillmore and this was the one we found that would seat us immediately. They brought out bread when we arrived and it was just the standard bread, not warm or had any special flavoring. It was served with olive oil with roasted garlic dipping sauce which was quite tasty. We finished they would have brought more out when they gave us more bread.

My friends shared a cesar salad which had croutons and a fair amount of dressing. It was pretty standard and a decent portion for 2 people.

For main dishes, I got the tortellini with peas, ham, and basil in a tomato cream sauce. The tortellini were stuffed with meat. I haven’t had too much tortellini so I’m not sure if it was suppose to be like this but I found it to be quite hard and dense. I would have preferred it to be more soft. The cream sauce had great flavor along with the ham and basil, but I personally could have done without the peas. They didn’t really add much taste to the dish for me.

My friends ordered the gnocchi with gorgonzola and basil. The gnocchi were just the right texture, soft and light. I only wished there was some meat to the dish.

Overall, it wasn’t bad but certainly didn’t impress me. Service was friendly and attentive to our table. However, with so many other restaurants in SF to try, I probably would rather try another place.

We were just walking along fillmore looking for a breakfast place and came across this place. It is a very relaxed atmosphere but the tables were a bit cramped to accommodate for the heavy traffic. You order at the counter and take a letter to your table. I had 2 items from their menu.

The first dish was a french toast which was made with a crusty bread. I really liked the crunchiness of the french toast which can be a bit on the soggy side but not this one. It was served with fresh strawberries on top and warm vanilla flavored syrup. I would definitely come back for this dish.

The second was a basic omlet. The eggs were very light and fluffy and had cheese, bacon, and veggies in the middle. The bacon was an additional charge, but i thought was necessary since I’m a meat kind of girl. Lots of bacon was present and it was the thick slice kind that was chopped up so every bite had bacon in it. The omelet was tasty, but not spectacularly impressive.

Overall, I would come back especially for the french toast.