Piccino Cafe - Italian, San Francisco

1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco CA 94107
(415) 824-4224
Parking: street parking
Hours: Tues-Sun 11am-10pm, Closed Mondays
http://www.piccinocafe.com/

Last Visited: April 27, 2013

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$$

Lee recommended Piccino as a great place for dinner, so I went to check it out with the girls.  We wanted to try a variety of dishes, and since the pizza was highlighted by multiple people, I made sure we tried it. 

When we got to Piccino, it was just starting to fill up for dinner, and before long, the whole place had filled up.  Reservations aren't required, but if you have a larger party, there are a limited number of tables for large groups, so reserve ahead. 

The decor is rustic with wood tables and floors.  The chairs are modest and the large table in the center had a display of lemons.  The bar on the side remained busy through the evening, and the large number of windows bring in a lot of natural light. 

- Salad - Asparagus, burrata, heirloom polenta, watercress, salsa verde - I didn't know what heirloom polenta was and asked the hostess whom explained that the polenta is made in an old way and that it tasted good.  So with that recommendations, I ordered it and it was delicious.  If you like fried tofu, it's quite reminiscent of that - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  This is probably amongst the best polenta that I've had.  While the asparagus was tender, it may have been better if it was baby asparagus.  The burrata was soft and paired with the salsa verde, the flavors were quite good.  However, the watercress was a bit disappointing - these large leaves and stems were a little tough and would have been better left off the plate.  Great polenta and burrata - I would have been happy with double the amount of those items only. $13

- Potato Gnocchi - octopus, pepperoncino, marinara - The marinara was really tasty and the gnocchi was tender.  I really liked the sauce with the spiciness coming from the pepperoncino and the sweetness from the tomatoes (San Marzano probably), but the portion was minuscule.  The octopus was just okay - I wouldn't have missed it if it was gone.  $13

- Pizze Funghi - Roasted mushrooms, stracchino, shaved garlic - Mushrooms are roasted, run through a food processor, and spread over the pizza along with the cheese.  Garlic slices and parsley are sprinkled on top of the pizza.  The mushroom flavor is pretty intense and complements the cheese well.  The texture and presentations of the ground mushrooms may not be for everyone - I personally prefer to have them sliced. The pizza has a very thin crust, and overall, it's pretty good - crispy crust all the way around with little brown bubbles on the edges. $16

- Pizze Salsiccia - Housemade sausage, mozzarella, red onion - The sausage is broken into pieces and sliced red onions and parsley are sprinkled on top.  I preferred this flavor profile better, but the sausage could have been spread out more evenly across the entire pizza.  The crust on this pizza was equally thin and delicious.  Good. $15

- Zeppole - Vanilla Bean Crema, Berry Marmelatta - Five zeppole are served in a bowl with a sweet berries over a dollop of crema on the side.  The zeppole are lighter than a donut, but denser than a cream puff.  The color of the zeppole was a beautiful golden brown and each had been rolled in sugar.  I actually liked the zeppole without the crema which was nicely infused with vanilla beans, but too thick in texture - more like frosting and too viscous.  The berries are a nice balance with their sweetness and tartness.  $7

While service is good for the most part, I found that some of the servers lacked warmth and when we were deciding on a dessert, the server seemed a bit impatient.  The hostess on the other hand is very friendly and perhaps that contrast makes the other server appear even less friendly.

Other offerings for the evening included cod, lamb, and pork and beef polpette. Serving sizes are on the smaller side, so if you like to try multiple dishes, you'll definitely be able to do so, but it makes sharing a little difficult.  Ingredients are fresh, but if the watercress and asparagus had been a little younger, they could have been five star dishes.   Piccino has solid offerings overall.

Amami - Sushi/Japanese, San Bruno

1789 El Camino Real, San Bruno CA 94066
(650) 872-2218
Parking: small private parking lot, street parking, public parking lot close by
Hours: Tues-Sun 5pm to Midnight

Last Visited: August 11, 2013

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$

I first heard about Amami through Rayfil's social media post of Amami's oyster special and nigiri sushi which had an amazingly large portion of fish.  I had been asking people for sushi recommendations in the South San Francisco and San Bruno area, and this was the first time I had heard a peep out of anyone about a good place, so of course I had to check it out.

Enter the restaurant and the waiting area takes up about a quarter of the room.  Behind the sushi bar and above the hostess stand are large televisions playing everything from Food Network programs to America's Got Talent (at least that was what was on during this evening). Pop music plays on the sound system.  The sushi bar serves mostly parties of 3 or less and the tables seem to be reserved for parties of four or more.  I arrived about 5:45pm on a Sunday night and put my name on the waiting list for two.  We were quoted over an hour wait, and that was pretty accurate - the place had just filled up and there were about four parties of two before ours.  While I tried to circumvent the wait by trying to order take-out, I was quoted an hour wait for that too.  A tip for you if you decide to go - make reservations.  Even if you make a reservation, there is still a wait time of about 20 minutes. 

- Oyster Special - 2 servings come with each order.  A soup spoon holds a small oyster, salmon roe, tobiko, uni, quail egg, and green onion.  Enjoy it all in one bite and you'll get the flavors of the sea - the fresh oyster, the saltiness from the roe, and the silkiness of the uni.  The quail egg is creamy and smooth and the green onion gives it just a little crunch and kick.  This is definitely worth trying.  If the presentation had been a little neater and had the two servings looked more alike, it would have gotten a solid four stars.  $8

- Sushi Regular - 7 pieces of sushi are served with a California Roll and miso soup.  The miso soup is on the sweeter side than what I usually get at other sushi places and it contained sliced mushrooms, green onions, tofu, and seaweed.  The sushi included hamaichi, salmon, two types of tuna, and mackerel.  All the fish was very fresh and the portions were quite large, but the fish tended to be quite wet - the excess moisture seemed to make the flavor of the fish slightly less intense and sweet - almost diluted.  It's still good, but if you're accustomed to dry pieces or slightly denser texture, then you may find this isn't quite as authentic.

- Sushi Deluxe - 9 pieces of sushi are served with a rock n' roll and miso soup.  The same varieties of fish that are in the Sushi Regular are included here also.  The additional sushi was scallop and shrimp.  We also received one bonus piece of fish as well.

While a ten piece omakase is available, by the time we were seated, they had run out.  Other offerings include udon noodles, tonkatsu,ramen, teriyaki and many rolls.  Based upon the way the miso soup was served with additional ingredients (many Chinese people often comment on how miso soup doesn't have anything in it), and the way that they serve their dishes (larger portions versus high end presentation), it feels like Amami is catering to the Chinese audience.

Chef owner Alan is friendly and works quickly preparing nigiri and sashimi behind the sushi bar.    Formerly with Sushi Raw in San Francisco, you can see how he has taken some of his roots with him in terms of how he generously serves fish portions.  His younger brother makes most of the rolls.  We noticed that Chef Alan frequently gives away extras - extra piece of fish here and there, especially as things run out - for example, there was no more ocean trout available for the party of three whom ordered it, so he asked them if they wanted to order something else and gave them a complimentary third piece of nigiri when they made their second choice.  Uni also ran out this evening, and it was barely 8pm. 

A few things would make this restaurant even better.  While it's high on value, Amami needs to work on cleanliness.  I feel comfortable about the fish preparation because you just can't serve bad fish and manage to survive without any bashing.  However, after waiting an hour in their waiting area and seeing the wrappers and toothpicks on the floor less than an hour into service, I can see that there is room for improvement.  It was pretty apparent that the toothpicks had spilled some time ago as you could see some peeking out from under the host stand.  When  I was at the bar,  I also noticed some chopstick wrappers that had been stuck between the refrigerator and edge of the bar.  Last, but certainly not least are the curtains covering the kitchen opening - they're desperately in need of being washed.  Just cleaning up these few items would really help people feel more comfortable with the cleanliness of the entire operations. 

Overall, Amami offers a good variety of dishes, large portions for a reasonable price, and the quality is ok.  However, if you're a traditional sushi enthusiast, it may not meet your standards.  

Alana's Cafe - Breakfast/Brunch, Burlingame

1408 Burlingame Ave, Burlingame CA 94010
(650) 348-0417
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am - 3pm, Sat 8am-3pm, Sun 8am-2pm; Dinner Tues-Fri 5pm start
http://www.alanascafe.com/

Last Visited: July 28, 2013

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

During a walk through downtown Burlingame just after a Sunday lunch, I noticed a long line spilling out of a place with lots of energy - that was the first time I came across Alana's Cafe.  So when a buddy said she wanted brunch, this seemed like a great spot to check out.

Alana's serves breakfast and lunch all day.  Choices include Swedish pancakes, french toast, scrambles, quiche, and more.  You'll also see a lingonberries on the menu (I thought that was only available at Ikea...). Enter the place and you'll see counter seating and tables with lots of hustle and bustle by the folks working in the open kitchen area behind the counter.

- Company's Coming - Sauteed homefries, tomatoes, scallions, mushroom, Italian sausage, cheddar, provolone cheese, and two poached eggs served with fruit and choice of scone, coffee cake, or toast.  Today's scone choice was kiwi or hibiscus and the fruit was a slice of watermelon and slice of pineapple.  The mix of flavors from the sweetness of the tomatoes and the spiciness of the sausage really add to the crisp homefries.  I loved how the poached eggs were placed on top of the potatoes so that you could break them and let the yolks ooze over the mix of veggies and sausage.  The fruit was fresh and while the hibiscus scone was hard, it had good flavor.  I took most of the scone home since I was pretty stuffed and toasting it made the texture so much softer - I preferred it more when warmed.  Portions in general are hearty.  $11.75

The service was friendly.  Note that you won't be able to be seated until your entire party is present, and if you're looking for a bargain, you can check in on yelp for 10% off .  I did notice that the folks at the counter next to us put in their order at the same time, but didn't get food until much later - when it arrived, it didn't look like anything that wasn't already being made, so it seems that the kitchen's timing with orders could be improved slightly.  Overall, it's a solid brunch place with a lot of charm. 

Pizzeria Delfina - San Francisco

2406 California St, San Francisco CA 94115
(415) 440-1189
Parking: street parking
http://pizzeriadelfina.com
Hours: Mon, Wed-Thu, Sun 11:30am-10pm; Tues 5pm-10pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-11pm

Last Visited: July 13, 2013

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

After hearing about Pizzeria Delfina for years, I was excited to get a chance to try their delicious thin crust pizza and see if it lived up to they hype - it was great!  We arrived for an early dinner and didn't find a line.  A blackboard lists all of the regular pizzas and menu items available along with specials for pizza and antipasti - today's specials included pig ear in lime chili oil and for pizza, there was lamb sausage pizza.  In the back of the restaurant, there is another menu board with desserts listed. 

Breadsticks are served at each table along with a plate with little mounds of cheese, oregano, and chili peppers.  It took a little while for the server to come back with our water, but she was pleasant.

- Napoletana Pizza + Cheese - The Napoletana comes with tomatoes, anchovies, capers, hot peppers, olives, oregano.  Based upon the server's suggestions to add cheese, I went ahead and added mozzarella. I really enjoyed this pizza - the sauce tastes super fresh and the cheese balances the salty toppings which added a lot of flavor.  Despite the moisture from the sauce, the super thin crust remains crisp even to the last piece of pizza.  Note that you really do need to like salt or you may find this pizza a bit too salty and although minimal, you are also likely to see some burnt crust. $11.75 + $1.50 cheese

- Neapolitan Meatballs in Sugo - Three large meatballs are served with toasted bread in a little iron pan.  The meatballs are tender and topped with lots of fresh tomato sauce and sprinkled with cheese.  Just out of the kitchen, these are perfect and the bread soaks up the sauce nicely.  Very enjoyable. $13.75

I really liked the freshness of the tomato sauces and the well-balanced flavors.  The pizza is hearty, yet delicate and the thin crust really holds up.  Service seems like it could be improved though - after we were done eating, nobody came by for at least ten minutes to see if we wanted dessert or to remove the final plates from our table.  I had to flag someone down for the check - considering that the restaurant wasn't quite full yet, this was a little disappointing.  You should also know that they charge $1.50 per person for the San Francisco employer mandate (aka health care coverage for employees).  Overall, great pizza and well-developed flavors.  If you can save room, note that they make their own gelato too.