The Progress - New American, San Francisco

1525 Fillmore St, San Francisco CA 94115
Parking: street parking
Hours: Sun-Thurs 5:30pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-11pm
http://theprogress-sf.com/

Last Visited: April 6, 2016

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars in the private area
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$$

While the dining experience may be significantly different in the main dining room, this review is focused on a prix fixe banquet meal that I enjoyed when we reserved the Balcony.

If you arrive early, the full bar offers options to enjoy some drinks and appetizers.
Just like in the main dining area, you are offered a few things for the table and all items are shared family style for $62 each person.  From a business plan standpoint, The Progress has done something unique in making small spaces like the Balcony (round table for up to 10 people) and Mezzanine (long table for up to 12 people) special by offering them as reservation only with a minimum headcount.  A Chinese restaurant would just use it for storage, but here, it's an exclusive spot which is perfect for larger dinner parties that want a bit of privacy.  We held a business dinner here and it enabled us to hear each other's conversation better and have our own space for the evening.

Another benefit of sitting in the balcony is that you get a birds-eye view of the kitchen and all that is happening during the plating.

A Few Things for the Table
These are super bite sized appetizers - one piece per person.

- Roasted kumquats with cardamom cream is sprinkled with black sesame, salt, and pepper.  This one came by so quickly that I completely missed the photo.

- Roasted baby carrots are served with curried yogurt and sprinkled with white sesame.  The carrots were nice and sweet.  It would be great to have more to enjoy the yogurt.

- Buttermilk biscuits with apple bourbon black butter - The buttermilk flavor could definitely be tasted in these rich little biscuits.  Large pieces of salt top the biscuits.  The apple bourbon black butter tasted like applesauce to me.  I wouldn't have minded a second helping of this.

- Lamb merguez is decorated with meyer lemon and scallion - While the lemon juice helped to brighten up these little sausage slices, the texture was too dense for me.

- Little gem hearts are served with green goddess dressing - The lettuce was really fresh, but I could have used a lot more dressing.  It was a bit dry for my taste - remember that the dressing shown in this photos is supposed to accommodate eight people. We needed more dressing on the side in a little pitcher.

Dinner

- Super Fresh Ricotta - Local citrus, hearts of palm, and rosemary almonds - The ricotta, located at the bottom of the plate, was creamy, fluffy, and needed to be scooped from the plate. The white slices shown in the photo are hearts of palm which gave a nice contrast in texture against the salad greens and creamy ricotta.  Considering the ricotta is supposed to be the star, it was strange that it was buried by all of the other items.

- Ceviche of Half Moon Bay Hirame - Avocado wedges, roasted yellow beets, and spicy serrano crema mexicana.  Mache decorates the dish and the tender leaves fit well with the fish.  If you like poke, you'll like this dish.  The fish tasted really fresh and the hint of spice from the crema was a nice addition. I also enjoyed the creaminess of the avocado.


- Grilled Spring Asparagus - Breakfast radish, smoked-cured egg and creamy pumpkin seed dressing. The egg made the asparagus taste even more meaty and I really liked this.  However, see my comment below about serving sizes.  More than one person took two pieces of asparagus, and that meant the last person served didn't get any asparagus.

- SoCal Swordfish - Pistachio 'crema' with fennel-blood orange relish and flowering kale.  This was an interesting concept with nuts being referred to as crema.  The flowering kale gave the dish a nice color and added extra flare.  The fennel relish had a good amount of salt and reminded me of olives.  I also appreciated how the swordfish was nicely done - not overcooked and still very juicy. The slices of blood orange made this dish taste more like a salad.

- BN Ranch Beef - Lightly smoked slightly smashed potatoes, anchovy butter, and seaweed salsa verde.  The meat was cooked until rare, pretty much perfect.  Mushrooms were lightly fried in a tempura batter which was a good accompaniment.

Dessert

- Rhubarb Sorbet Floating Island - elderflower gelatina, sheep's milk yogurt, bee pollen - I only tried one of the two desserts. Dessert comes out so that each person can try only one of the two options unless you share.  The rhubarb sorbet was light and this was a very refreshing dessert - not too sweet.

- Deluxe Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - chocolate ganache roasted dates, trufflebert hazelnuts, nocino.  People seemed to like each of the components - no complaints.

Service was non-intrusive, attentive, and friendly.  They changed plates, refilled water and drinks, and answered a lot of questions. There was a lot of plate changes and while we had people attending to us throughout the evening, they didn't stay the entire time, so we also felt that the area was sufficiently private.

Overall, I thought the food was flavorful, well-seasoned, and fun, but the limited number of bites per dish (one bite for the appetizers and two bites for things like the asparagus) made it difficult to try everything.  Not everyone knew how much they could take, and as a result, those whom were near the end of the lazy susan line up didn't always get to try everything.  Since some of our dining companions didn't like fish, there was a sufficient amount of meat, but otherwise, this was something I wish they would change just by communicating a little more.  If the intention is that there is a limit to what you can have, the server could be a better guide by just mentioning that there is one bite per person (more obvious for the appetizers) or two asparagus per person (completely not obvious).

The Progress was given one Michelin star in 2016 and the chefs won the James Beard Award in 2015. With those kind of credits, you can expect to continue to see delicious combinations here with lots of fresh ingredients.  I would definitely recommend booking the Balcony for groups.   

Salt & Straw - Ice Cream, Portland OR

838 NW 23rd Ave (Alphabet District), Portland OR 97210
(971) 271-8168
http://saltandstraw.com
Hours: Daily 10a to 11p

Last Visited: October 13, 2016

Food: 5 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service; 5 stars
Price: $ to $$


If you like the wine tasting experience and you love ice cream, this combines the best of both worlds.  When Lucy heard I was heading to Portland, she said I had to stop here, and I'm so glad I listened.

It's awesome how Salt & Straw takes the time to let you sample different flavors.  Since it was October, they had a special menu of limited edition Halloween flavors like Dracula's Blood Pudding and Essence of Ghost.  The best part is how they take the time to tell you the story behind the flavor - like how the essence of ghost is intended to taste like you had eaten a ghost.   November offers limited edition Thanksgiving flavors that remind you of a Thanksgiving meal.

I went with the classics this time.

- Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper - While BiRite in San Francisco is well known for its balsamic strawberry, they have nothing on Salt & Straw.  The strawberry is super flavorful and has jammy streaks running through the creamy ice cream, and you also detect the hint of spice from the black pepper and the depth of the balsamic vinegar.  It's a delicious combination which greatly exceeds what BiRite is offering.

- Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache - Another great choice for your palate to delight upon as you experience have opposing flavors - the sweet crunchy almond brittle with the salt from the ganache. Rich and creamy.

Pricing:
Single $3.95, Double $5.95, Kids $2.95, Split Scoop +0.50, Tasting Flight $9

I loved both of the ice cream flavors I selected, and on this rainy night, the place was quite empty.  The servers took their time and they were super friendly - whether it was offering another tasting or an indecisive customer wanting to change their minds - they were extremely patient and kept their smiles. I heartily recommend trying Salt & Straw in the Alphabet District!  Don't miss it.

Lemat - Ethiopian, Berkeley

3212 Adeline St, Berkeley CA 94703
(510) 430-2717
Parking: street parking
Hours: Daily Noon to 10pm
https://www.lemateats.com/

Last Visited: October 8, 2016

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

I remember my first Ethiopian dining experience from many years ago - it was in Berkeley at the Blue Nile.  In talking with the owner of Lemat, Gezu, he has informed me that Blue Nile was not so authentic - the injera bread (the bread that you see lining the plate in the photo below) at Blue Nile was made of a different kind of flour which results in a different texture than what is authentic.  Since then, I've enjoyed several Ethiopian and Eritrean dining experiences.

Full disclosure - since I know the owner and he was there to greet me, I may have had a different experience than other patrons, but it's fun to get an inside scoop from someone about what is truly authentic and what his favorite dishes are.

Enter Lemat and hear from Gezu and his wife about how this is as close to Ethiopian dining as it gets - the furniture and decor is similar to what you would find if you were dining in Ethiopia.  This renovated former tae kwan do studio has lots of wood and ceiling decorations.  Upon entering, the aroma may not be familiar, but you'll find that Lemat offers coffee roasting in house and the person roasting the beans will bring them around the space so that the scent permeates the air.  Don't worry though, it's not overpowering, but it's noticeably present. Honey wine and roasted coffee are specialties of the house. The restaurant is not just about food, but Gezu speaks with delight about how this is a venture to share the culture of Ethiopia.

There are two types of seats available in addition to the bar space.  Regular chairs and tables as well as tables and chairs as shown in the photo here are available to offer a more authentic experience. Utensils are not on the table, but are available upon request.

For me, dining at Lemat was a leisurely experience, so I would suggest budgeting more time for eating with your hands (especially if this is new to you) and for dining in general.

- Kitfo  - This dish was recommended by Gezu as one of his favorites.  My interpretation is that this is the Ethiopian version of steak tartare.  Known as an authentic tribal dish, the finely chopped beef is mixed with seasonings, purified butter, and cottage cheese.  The spice seems to get spicier with each bite if you don't move to another part of the entree.  It's shown on the top of the photo here and presented by turning over a bowl full of the kitfo.   The cheese gives it a richness that is notable with each bite. $15.95

- Lemat Meat Combo - This is a great way to try multiple dishes on one plate.  Five items are available with this combo - two vegetarian dishes and three meat dishes. The house salad is fresh and the vinegar in it cleanses the palate. On the left is doro wot, chicken stew (a chicken drumstick in this case), with a marinated egg.  Cooked low and slow, this stew tasted of sweet onions along with some chili spices.  It was a good way to offset the heat from the kitfo.  To the right of the chicken stew is tibs.  Lamb is sauteed with onion and other spices.  Gomen be'siga, collard greens, are seasoned with onion, garlic, and cardamom.  It reminded me of the greens you normally get at southern restaurants.  Lastly, the ye'siga wot, beef stew, completes this combination platter.  The beef is chopped and a bit hot and spicy.  Each of these items have a distinctly different flavor and it's a good way to try different items to know what you might order next time.  I liked the chicken best out of the three. $17.95

As Lemat is still very new, there are a few opportunities that I saw.  I would love to learn more about what is involved in an Ethiopian coffee ceremony - this could be made available through the menu and the website.  Also, to guide the dining experience, spending more time informing the regular patron about how dishes will be served or how to eat it would help those unfamiliar with Ethiopian food - perhaps this and more cultural info could be included in the menu just for fun.

Lemat offers an authentic and flavorful experience.  Discounts for Genentech employees and UC Berkeley students are available.

Happy Myanmar Cafe - Burmese, Daly City

2025 Gellert Blvd #200-201, Daly City CA 94015
(650) 449-1378
Parking: strip mall parking lot
Hours: Tues-Thurs Lunch 11am-2:30pm, Dinner 5pm-9pm, Fri Lunch 11am-2:30pm, Dinner 5pm-9:30pm, Saturday 11am-9:30pm, Sunday 11am-9pm, Closed Mondays
https://www.facebook.com/happymyanmarcafe

Last Visited: September 2, 2016

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Helen told me about Happy Myanmar Cafe which opened a couple of months ago.  Although she warned me that the moh-hingar (catfish soup noodles) wasn't very good, she still felt it was worth trying and recommended trying some of the other dishes.  Located on the side of the shopping center, it's not visible from the street, but go into the driveway and it will be the first visible restaurant.  The decor is clean and modern and ordering is done through their handheld system.

We arrived a bit before 6pm on a Friday and the place was very busy with only one main server.  It took longer than usual for someone to come out and seat us (everyone was in the kitchen) and it took longer than usual for our order to be taken.  The server was too busy running around bringing water to various tables and addressing the take-out orders. A little after 6pm, the second server arrived and service got slightly better, but you could see that they were a bit inefficient - walking around multiple times to bring the same table water (more cups for different people) and walking past empty used plates multiple times before picking them up.

The kitchen makes up for the slow turnaround of service as each dish comes fairly quickly.  While we were on our first serving of salad, the other dishes came out quickly.  If you were to treat the salad like an appetizer, the timing was rushed, but if you expect it to come out like other Asian restaurants where the order and speed don't make sense, you'll be fine.

- Ginger Salad - Although I usually order a tea leaf salad, people seemed to be very happy with the ginger salad here, so I opted for this instead.  The mix of shredded pickled ginger, lettuce, tomato, fried yellow beans, sunflower seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, dried shrimp, and bean powder which the menu says is served with one slice of lime came pre-mixed without any lime (it was already squeezed in it).  If you're looking for a place to explain all of the ingredients to you and mix the salad in front of you, you'll be sorely disappointed.  However, you'll enjoy the refreshing bright taste of the ginger and the crunch from the other ingredients.  Of the three dishes I ordered, this was the best one and I would highly recommend it.  With all of the nuts, it's also very filling.  Excellent. The only suggestion would be to serve it like you would a tea leaf salad with the ingredients separated and mixed tableside.  $8

- Ohn-noh Kaut Swe -  This is one of the dishes I always order when trying a Burmese restaurant.  Like other classics, it seems that every restaurant has a slightly different take on the broth/soup even though the ingredients are the same.  Flour noodles are served in a creamy coconut soup,  with dark meat chicken, three slices of hard-boiled egg, thinly sliced red onion, fried wonton, and according to the menu, one slice of lime.  Once again, there was no sign of lime anywhere and it was sorely missed.  I like how the lime typically balances the heaviness of the coconut soup, but none was found.  The fried wonton was no longer crispy and the broth/soup texture was not to my liking.  I usually like the soup to be more creamy and thick or more broth-like.  There also isn't enough red onion to make the flavor stand out.  Fair. $8

- Chicken Biryani - The menu describes this as biryani rice with house special chicken.  The long grain rice is pan fried with fried shallots and raisins, and the house special chicken is curry chicken made with large chunks of dark meat. Cashew halves and whole pieces are sprinkled on top of the rice.  When the sauce from the chicken is on the rice, it's a good combination and I liked the flavor of the chicken. I thought the rice on its own was a bit dry and the shallots were soggy.  I wouldn't order this again - it would be better just to get the chicken and steamed rice.  I took this home as leftovers and added water as I fried up the rice; it was a lot better as the rice plumped up a bit.  Good flavor, but fair overall.  $12

When it came time for the check, I waited a while, and though we asked for a box to take home leftovers, the check didn't come until we asked for it.  I later learned from the owner that he has trained his staff to not bring a check until it's requested.  While I understand this philosophy, it's good to educate your customers and let them know that they can ask for it when needed or to bring the check and let people know to take their time. Without this guidepost, I just felt like I was waiting forever.  Based on this experience, I would order the ginger salad for takeout and leave the rest.

Sushi Hon - Japanese, San Francisco

2598 Harrison St, San Francisco CA 93123
(415) 525-4527
Parking: street parking
Hours: Daily 5pm-11pm
http://www.sushihonsf.com/

Last Visited: July 29, 2016

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

I learned about Sushi Hon through an Eater SF article last week.  The article touted a premium omakase menu with 11 courses for only $65 which included nigiri made with fish that was line caught and flown in from the the Tsukiji Market in Japan.  How could I resist?  The article warned that Sushi Hon is going through a soft opening and won't officially be open yet for another couple of weeks, so with one week into the soft opening, and another week to go, I thought it would be a good time to visit.

Bottom line:  Based on the article, I thought I was getting more nigiri than what was offered, but it's clear from the menu that nigiri is just part of the omakase.  If you're a purist, go elsewhere.  If you want to have a dining experience with hot and cold dishes, this is a nice offering.  Overall, it's a modern take on Japanese food, and for the nigiri, the wasabi was a bit heavy handed.  My dining companion experienced the same, but for fewer pieces.  You'll find that the hot dishes will meet expectations for fusion between Japanese and California cuisine and be beautifully presented.  Since they're going through a soft opening, the long wait is forgivable, but the is staff friendly and the chef, Zhe Song, is very detail oriented.

Reservations can be made online through their website and over the phone.  I recommend the latter as you'll get a faster response if you call during business hours.  For now, my online request was met with a response to call anyway.

The space is modern with a regular bar; open kitchen/sushi bar; and long, wood, rectangular tables for communal style dining.  The decor contains a lot of wood, bamboo, metal, and gray.  The television was on behind the bar.  The sushi bar doesn't have the typical refrigerator that you find in traditional Japanese restaurants.  Instead, you'll be able to see the cutting boards and plates.

We arrived a little before 5:30pm this evening and they were still doing a lot of preparation.  We were able to watch several fish being filleted by the expert hands of the chef.  My understanding is that this work would normally be done before opening, but they were a little behind - if you don't like watching a stake go through the head of a fish, you might want to go a little later.  We were promptly given a drink menu with many options of sake and other typical items.

Two prix fixe options were available - the omakase for $65 (not 11 courses, but 7 courses - the chef says they never had 11 courses, so the article was wrong) - even if you count every piece of nigiri as a course, it still doesn't add to 11. Perhaps there were complimentary items during the writer's visit.   The other option is 12 pieces of chef's choice nigiri for $48.  All other items are offered a la carte as an add on.  Over the course of the evening, we were given three menus - each with a little more information - first the prix fixe, second the nigiri and prix fixe, and finally a full menu with all a la carte options like butter poached fish.  Clearly, another reason for a soft opening.  They do ask whether or not you have any allergies and can accommodate for that as needed.

- Hot tea -  What was strange was that the cups were American style.  Everything else was Asian, but these white cups without saucers didn't seem to fit the decor.  At least the tea was good though.  $3

- Ume Salted Edamame - Warm edamame is seasoned with ume salt (slightly sour  as it comes from a plum and slightly spicy).  I liked this twist on the cold edamame that you find elsewhere.  The warm temperature was nice, but for those whom are very sensitive to any kind of spice, you may want to ask for it on the side.

- Katsuo Tataki - Katsuo is also known as skipjack tuna.  The tuna is seared and cut into two pieces.  It was served with a puree of cucumber with a little bit of ginger for a refreshing taste.

- Hamachi Namazuke - Three pieces of yellowtail are lightly breaded and fried.  Thinly sliced marinated red onion, green onion, ginger, and I think bonito flakes (not completely positive on the last item) top the fish.  All of that is placed on top of a light tempura sauce.  I liked this dish, but would have preferred the sauce on the bottom to be served separately as the fish's breading had already soaked it in and the bottom piece was no longer crunchy.  The topping is refreshing and adds a nice balance to the fried fish.

While we were waiting for our nigiri, two complimentary dishes came - one was the geso karage (fried squid) which came with an aioli and the other was a mix of green beans and asparagus tossed in sesame paste.  Both were done very nicely.  As you can see from the photos, presentation is nicely done with little edible flowers on top of the katsuo and the green beans.

- Nigiri (Chef's choice - 6 pieces) - Today's fish included Akami (bluefin tuna), Isaki (grunt), Aji (horse mackerel), Washi (sardine), Muki Hotate (Japanese shucked scallop), and Anago (sea eel). As we were sitting at the bar and had waited for a long time, the chef gave us a bonus nigiri of flounder fin muscle which you see in the middle of the photo.  This piece is rare in the sense that there's very little of it - essentially only a couple of pieces per fish, so it's not listed on the menu.  Four of my six pieces of nigiri had a bit too much wasabi, and though the fish was certainly fresh and had good flavor, my pieces were quickly overpowered by the wasabi.  My dining companion only had two pieces with too much wasabi, and had a much more pleasant experience.  Depending on the fish, it was garnished with lemon juice, ginger, or just simply brushed with soy sauce.  I enjoyed the fish, but found the sardine flavor to be very strong and the sea eel to be not as tender as I would have liked.  The scallop was very good and for all pieces, the portion of rice to fish was just right.   Some of the rice was a bit too loose and did not hold up fully.  Each piece is presented on a leaf that is placed on the bar.  While this presentation is beautiful to start and makes for great photos, by the end of the course, the leaf has started to curl and looks less appetizing.  It might be better for the leaf to be placed on top of a plate to prevent it from drying out so quickly.

- Shiro Miso with Japanese Mushrooms - The soup was listed last on the menu, but came out before the maki.  It was the right temperature, but you can see it was served with a spoon (not traditional) in a rather wide mouthed bowl.  The mushrooms were good.


- Hoso Maki (Chef's choice - 6 pieces) - Other tables were given tekka maki, but ours was ume cucumber maki.  This was a nice palate cleanser and unique with the ume plum having a strong salty/sour flavor.

- Soft Shell Crab  - The soft shell crab is lightly battered, deep fried, and served with fresh cherry tomatoes over a blended tomato cucumber and basil gazpacho.  The crab was very plump and juicy - nicely done.  I liked the fresh tomatoes and while the combination of flavors were fresh, but I would have it would have been nice to have a spoon to enjoy the gazpacho.  It didn't feel like I had the right tools.

If you order the dishes a la carte, you would find that the total adds up to about $85 or thereabouts.  A la carte nigiri is sold per piece at a minimum price of $5 each or more.   Other dishes vary in price up to $18 for the butter poached fish.

I thought it was a good dining experience, although the total time was quite long for this visit - I was there for two and a half hours.  While the staff is friendly, since we were the only ones there for the first half an hour, and the staff was checking on everything, they're a little too attentive.  I was feeling chatty this evening, but I had a ton of interaction with the staff - had it not been a soft opening, I would say it was too much.  The chef was very generous in offering a few complimentary dishes to offset the wait and he was very welcoming which made it a great visit - I felt like we had our own personal chef since we had him to ourselves at the sushi bar for more than an hour. The omakase would have been better if there was something sweet at the end - even if it's just something little.  I wouldn't have minded paying another few dollars to end on a sweet note or to at least have a dessert menu to choose from.

For those whom are picky about this, the staff is not Japanese.  The chef has experience from Gintei in San Bruno, and the other sushi chef also has experience working at a Japanese restaurant, but you could see that the remainder of the staff is still learning about the fish, albeit learning quickly.

Hopefully they work out all of the kinks soon, but I would recommend Sushi Hon to those whom want to try modern dishes, good sushi, and friendly service.  Grand opening is next week.

Fantasy Restaurant - Chinese HK Style BBQ, Petaluma

1520 East Washington St, Petaluma CA 94954
(707) 658-1866
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: July 30, 2016

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

A few friends and family members had told us about how good the roast pork at Fantasy is with its crispy skin, and considering that there really aren't any Hong Kong style bbq places in the North Bay with the exception of a couple of markets carrying Chinese roasted products (like G&G Market), we definitely wanted to check it out.

Fantasy has been open for about three months.  When you walk in, you'll see the steam table containing a variety of cooked dishes and the roasted duck and roasted pork hanging behind the glass.  It's a common sight in the Chinese areas of San Francisco, but not so common here in wine country. Above the steam table are the television displays showing the self serve meal combo menu (you pick the size and fill a box from the steam table items) and the roast item menu showing prices for products sold by the pound.  The dining area is very clean with new tables and chairs and silk flowers and signs with the table number on each table.  You can tell that it's Chinese owned as every table number starts with an eight.  There is also a large screen television playing infomercials.  During this lunch visit, it was an informercial for hair products.

When we arrived, we were the only customers and it was a bit confusing whether there was a sit down option, but we soon learned that you can either choose from the combos or sit down and select from their regular made to order menu.  We opted to try a selection from both.  After we were seated,  we were promptly brought water, but noticed that others were given a choice of tea or water.

- 2 item BBQ Combo Plate - You have a choice of 2 BBQ items, rice or noodles, and a side of vegetables.  We selected the roast pork, roast duck, and noodles.  The chef came out and chopped the roasted items immediately after we had ordered it.  First, the portion is pretty good sized.  One person eating it should feel quite full.  The roast pork was evenly cut and nicely presented, but the skin was not very crispy.  It was crispy on the initial bite, but was chewy at the end, whereas really good roast pork has completely crispy skin that allows you to bite all the way through the skin.  Unfortunately, this didn't meet my expectations.  The roast pork was on the fatty side, and though it's the perfect cut for making Chinese tamales which tastes even better when there is a good quantity of fat, this was too much for just eating plain.   The roast duck had good flavor, not too strong, but it was a bit on the fatty side also. I thought the duck was better than the pork.   The noodles were from the steam table and had been cooked with onions and carrots, but they lacked flavor.  The side of vegetables contained celery, carrots, zucchini and broccoli and were very fresh tasting.  The people complaining about the portion need to remember that there isn't HK BBQ competition up here.  $11.99

- Salt and Pepper Pork Chop - This item was ordered from their menu.  While we expected it to be lightly battered as most Cantonese style versions of this dish would be and cooked with jalapeno peppers and bell peppers, it came out with a lot more batter than we expected and was stir fried with green onions and chili peppers.  It still tasted good, and fortunately had not been over-battered. This made to order item had good flavor and came out very hot. Good.  $8.95

Service is friendly, but still has room for opportunity.  The waitress was sharp in giving us plates since we were sharing our dishes, but she didn't come by during the middle of the meal to check on how things were going.  We also needed two boxes for leftovers, but were only given one (it was too small to hold everything) and had to ask for a second.

Fantasy certainly is better than having no HK BBQ, but the serving of roast pork I had didn't live up to the hype.  If I were to try it again, I would probably try more made to order items from the menu.

Cotogna - Italian, San Francisco

490 Pacific Ave, San Francisco CA 94133
(415) 775-8508
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30a-10:30p, Fri-Sat 11:30a-11p, Sun 5p-9:30p; Bar open throughout the day
http://cotognasf.com/

Last Visited: July 5, 2016

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

Chef Todd recommended Cotogna for housemade pasta.  Since I was in the neighborhood for a workshop, I decided to stop by for a super early dinner/snack.  It was barely 5pm when I arrived so they were just about to change to their dinner menu, which apparently is like the day menu, but with a few different drink options.

Cotogna is Quince's casual restaurant.  The decor has a lot of wood and the place feels cozy.

Menu items include a variety of pasta, several pizzas (you can see the oven depending on where you sit), hearty meat entrees, and local produce.  

- Tagliatelle al Ragout Modenese  - This pasta had a lot of depth of flavor.  Speck, oxtail, pork and two other kinds of meat - the sauce was rich and coated the pasta.  The sauce would be great over any carb - potatoes, rice, or something else.  The portion is pretty small - it's definitely a first course.  Don't let this dish get cool because then it might feel greasy. $23

- Strichetti con Pesto Genova - Bowtie pasta is coated in pesto and a lot of parmesan.  Green beans and purple potatoes are also mixed in with this toothsome pasta.  If you don't like your pasta al dente, you will probably want to skip this one, but it's great for vegetarians.  I really enjoyed the pesto. $20

Overall, the pasta was delicious. Prices are on the high side for the quantity.  The photos are pretty close up so you don't get a full sense of scale, but they're small.

Generally speaking, service could use some improvement.  Since we were there pretty early and not quite ready for a full meal, perhaps the staff thought we were ordering too little, but there is a hint of the staff being stuck up.  I didn't detect this at all from the hostess, but between our three servers (they seem to share all of the tables), I felt that at least two of them were disappointed that we weren't ordering more.  What they do well is that they check on you as dishes come out and give you plates for sharing the pasta, but there is just this hint of arrogance that I didn't enjoy.  Expect to spend a lot more if you are hungry or going for more than a snack.  For a snack, it's the right quantity, but expensive.

Starbread Bakery - Filipino, South San Francisco

2211 Gellert Blvd, South San Francisco, CA 94015

(650) 878-9524

Parking: street parking

Food: 0 stars
Atmosphere: N/A
Service: 0 stars
Price: $ 

I'll just summarize this review - don't eat here.  Plastic is not what you want in your bread.

Although the senorita bread tastes pretty good, it's not right to find something in it. The way they handle foreign objects found in the food is very disturbing.  I found a piece of broken plastic (about the diameter of a dime) in my senorita bread and called Starbread to tell them about it.  The woman who answered the phone told me to bring in the plastic before her shift ended and I did.  However, when I arrived, she told me she couldn't do anything about it since the boss wasn't there.  This doesn't make sense.  Why would you require that I come at a certain time if you don't have decision making power?  There was no apology on the phone nor in person. At first, she seemed to indicate that it might have come from something in their kitchen, but no sooner did she say that before she changed her mind.  She had me leave my name and number and the foreign object with her, but here we are more than 48 hours later, and nobody has called me back.  The lack of customer service is horrible and more disturbing is that they wouldn't even say sorry.  Completely disappointing!

Old Port Lobster Shack 2016 review - Seafood, Redwood City

20 Woodside Plaza, Redwood City CA 94061
(650) 366-2400
Parking: shopping center parking lot
Hours: 11am-9pm
http://oplobster.com/ (Note that the address is still listed as Veterans Blvd)

Last Visited: May 9, 2016

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $$$

I used to love Old Port Lobster Shack.  You can see the awesome review I gave them back in 2010.   I had been coming here for a number of years at their Veterans Boulevard location and would drive over an hour just to visit.

Sadly, this new location (opened just before Mother's Day this year) left me so disappointed and I don't know if things will ever get better.  Although it seems to be a bit more spacious, now that Old Port has merged with Rack & Roll BBQ, the quality has taken a major hit.  I arrived just after they opened and was surprised to see none of the regular staff members from the Veterans location.  There were two picnic tables full of open barbecue sauce bottles being refilled which seemed very unprofessional - most people do this in the rear of the restaurant if they do it during open hours.

I got my usual - two lobster rolls and two cups of chowder which set me back almost $45 for lunch.  However, the lady behind the register wasn't nearly as friendly as the one that worked at the Veterans location.

- The New England chowder still had the same great flavor as before, but that's probably the only thing that was the same.

- The dressed lobster rolls had the same flavor as before, but the bread wasn't toasted well enough and they had dents in them from too much handling which made the presentation less appetizing.  Far worse was the coleslaw - each bite was grainy as the sugar had not been thoroughly mixed into the dressing.

I had hoped that they were just going through a transition, but reading the reviews on the web, it doesn't seem to be getting better.  I overheard the Rack & Roll management talking about how she better change the music since Russell was about to come in and he wouldn't like the music that was playing.  This leads me to believe that this new partnership isn't going to allow for the consistency that I have come to expect.  This used to be my favorite place.  Sadly, I need to find another.

Cafe Orchid - Chinese/Hong Kong Style, Millbrae

98 El Camino Real, Millbrae CA 94030
(650) 697-3988
Parking: small rear parking lot
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am - 10pm, Sat-Sun 8am-10pm

Last Visited: June 19, 2016

Food: 2 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $ to $$

After driving by Cafe Orchid many times, I finally stopped in for lunch last week.  I entered through the El Camino side (there is another entrance from the rear lot) and was promptly seated.  That was pretty much the end of the promptness.  From there, it took about five minutes before I could get someone's attention to get a menu.  It took at least another five minutes after closing the menus to get someone to take our order, and after that, another ten minutes before we were brought our hot tea - this was after we were asked yet again if we had ordered tea by the very person who took our order (face palm).

The poor service wasn't isolated to us though - every table had to wait for at least one thing - whether it be the second entree that they ordered, for the check, or something else.  One table finished an entire entree and waited another 20 minutes before their second entree came.

It's painted purple inside and signs with the menu specials are located on a large sign written in both English and Chinese.  The menu selection includes afternoon snack specials, entrees with drinks (coffee or tea, such as milk tea or lemon tea, served hot or cold), weekend breakfast items, and some seasonal specials like Portuguese chicken over rice.  For those unfamiliar with it, Hong Kong style Chinese is often comprised of spaghetti or rice with an American style dish that has been adjusted - examples include a baked pork chop or chicken in a mushroom cream sauce.  There are also more classic Chinese dishes offered.  I opted to try one of each - both dishes were just under $10.


- Beef Chow Fun (Wet style) - Of the two dishes I tried, this one could have been given a 3 star rating - it was hot in temperature, the flavors were typical, the Chinese greens were fresh ingredients, and served in a wok.  I liked how the texture of the meat was good and the sauce wasn't too heavy on the corn starch. If I were to go back, I would get this again.  It's what you would expect when ordering this dish.

- Oxtail Stew over Rice - Four pieces of oxtail of varying sizes are cooked with celery, carrots, and hot dogs (!) in a ketchup based sauce and served with your choice of spaghetti or rice.  The rice was just slightly undercooked which was disappointing as a starting point.  The oxtail was barely warm all the way through and the texture therefore wasn't as tender as when it is hot.  I was surprised to see slices of hot dogs in the dish - it's not typical to have them in this dish (or really any Chinese dish unless it says it's a hot dog), but we noticed hot dogs in a lot of our neighboring tables' dishes too.  I was really disappointed by this dish due to the temperature issues and the presence of hot dogs.

Although the prices are considered very reasonable, I was disappointed with how inefficient the staff was and with my food.  The staff would clean a table and walk back and forth in order to bring menus to new diners, bring drinks, etc.  Most waitresses can multitask and make each trip more efficient than this.  It took too long for food prepared to this quality.  If you're going to try it, I would suggest sticking to more traditional Chinese food and milk tea/lemon tea type of drinks - these seemed to be popular with the other patrons.

Amoura - Mediterranean, South San Francisco

713 Linden Ave, South San Francisco CA 94080
(650) 754-6891
Parking: parking lot
http://www.amourasf.com/
Hours: Lunch opens at 11:30am, Dinner opens at 5:30pm, Closed Sundays

Last Visited: May 27, 2016

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

Amos, my Mediterranean food expert friend, first told me about Amoura back when they opened about a year ago and in August 2015, we visited and created our own tasting menu for lunch.

After this initial visit, I soon returned for dinner and recently went back for lunch.  I've also had the food for takeout a number of times, but aside from the salad, it's never as good as immediately from their kitchen.

Located in a brick building, you wouldn't expect Amoura to look like much on the inside, but the decor is bright and classic, great for small or large parties.  They also have a bar, but I have yet to see someone sit at it.

I've tried a few things on the menu which changes minimally throughout the seasons.

- Fried chickpeas - During our 2015 visits, both for lunch and dinner, we were given fried seasoned chickpeas as an appetizer.  These were nicely flavored and the frying lightened the texture of the chickpea.  However, gone is this complimentary perk though in 2016.  You can order spiced nuts for $4 though.

- Falafel and Tahini Sauce (6) - Amos told me it's good when there is a lot of green in them.  These were light and had a lot of green.  Based on his expert assessment they're good.  The outside is golden brown and crunchy and you can see the abundance of sesame.  I thought the sauce was just okay though. $6

- Avocado and Roasted Carrots Salad - This is probably my most favorite thing from this restaurant.  With just a touch of black and white sesame, creamy avocado is paired with roasted carrots and persian cucumbers.  The light touch of dill, feta, and olive oil round out this simple salad that tastes oh so good.  Must try. $8

- Smoked Black Cod Flatbread - charred green onion, creme fraiche, dill - The flatbreads are sizable and good for sharing.  While there are several flatbread choices, this is one of their most popular and unique ones.  Depending on the season, you may see sturgeon with the same ingredients in place of cod.  The smoke flavor is pretty strong, but not overwhelming.  All of the flavors pair well together, even if the charred green onion may sometimes be a little too charred, but never inedible.  You do need to enjoy dill though - there is lots of it.  I've tried this one multiple times now. $13

- Grilled Lamb Kebabs - summer squash, cucumber, bulgur, green chutney - The lamb is juicy and did not have a gamey flavor.  There is a lot of squash and bulgur, almost too much compared to the quantity of meat.  $15

- Chickpea Stew - Swiss chard, spiced yogurt - I was hoping the stew would come out piping hot, but according to Amos, it's not unusual for it to be served just slightly above room temperature. The texture of the stew was nice and it was just above room temperature.  The photo shown here is for a half portion (which they kindly split for us when we told them we were going to share all of our dishes).  $16

- Braised Lamb Shank - beluga lentils, chicories, tumeric - The two rib lamb shank is tender and well seasoned, but ever so slightly gamey. The lentils were a little too hard for my tastes, and although I brought most of this home as leftovers, I still didn't enjoy the lentils the next day.  $23

- Special Pizza - Prosciutto, arugula, and egg - This was just okay. The flatbread had the right texture, and the egg, which must have been cooked separately, was cooked fine, but the prosciutto and arugula were put on the flatbread a little too early and had started to dry out a little (you can see how shriveled up the arugula is), so I didn't enjoy the toppings as much. Price unknown.

- Mango Vanilla Mojito (non-alcoholic) - mango, citrus, mint, and seltzer - Refreshing $6

The good: the food is tasty, there is parking adjacent to the restaurant, and the setting is pretty nice for South San Francisco.  Dinner service is a lot more attentive since it's not nearly as busy as during lunch.

The bad: if you're coming here for lunch, it's not one of those places you can go to quickly and be out in an hour.  For our party of four, we were there for over an hour and noticed that a nearby party more than twice our size took even longer to receive food even though they ordered at the same time we did.  We were nearly halfway through our meal before they were served.  This is the largest area of opportunity for them.  Also, it takes a really long time to have them give you a check, even after you ask for it.  They were apologetic during my most recent visit about taking a long time (more than 15 minutes) to bring the check, but it's still rough to wait so long during a weekday lunch.

I recommend trying Amoura, but just give yourself extra time for dining, especially during lunch.