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Do you need to answer back? You can send me comments if you want to. If I want to, I'll post 'em in this very blog. -Gutenberg |
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July 24-31, 2008
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Thursday, July 31, 2008 permalink
My desire for burger satisfaction was as unbaffled as the cacophony-inducing walls at Serpentine. The Pavolovian decibels weren't peaking as high as they were last week , so we were able to pick up the meaty signal of the Cheeseburger ($13.00): ... made from Prather beef cooked to the requested level of pink noise. Layers of Gruyere, arugula, heirloom tomato and pickled onions EQ'ed by an Acme bun mixed together for a high fidelity sound byte. I was amped about the fries which had starchy bellies with crisp shells. We had this burger in the past and it will continue to reverberate on our rotation. Serpentine
From today's Bunrab email, Mike writes about our outdoor eats: Gutenberg, For the price that is some excellent looking chow at Primo Patio Café. I know you French Laundry types are a bit devil may care with the dollar, but next time I am on Townsend Street I plan to be looking for the homemade fishsticks. Mike
You bring up a hot issue about the patio price point now that food costs are on the rise. Us Bunrabs don't have the wherewithal to go to the laundry once a week, so it's important to vary our dining ducat denominations with humble hutches from time to time.
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008 permalink
The heat drove us outside for lunch at Primo Patio Café. The last time we were here, they had a big sign announcing the end of the spinach contamination scare, there was no sign about the tomato red herring, but there was red fish available to snack on while we waited for our entrees. I took a snap of their "snaps" ($8.00): ... which are free form fish sticks made from red snapper. Their signature dish is jerk chicken ($8.25): ... which was marinated and grilled to a moist tenderness. Black beans, spiced rice and broccoli competed this filling Caribbean influenced plate. It may not be a place to make a special trip to, but it's good to have an outdoor lunch venue for cheap and cheerful chow.
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Tuesday, July 29, 2008 permalink
Those little heirloom tomato plants that we picked up from the annual Master Gardener sale are now filling our bellies with vine ripened fruit. Even though we were bummed that they sold out of varieties that we wanted (at opening time there were aggressive shoppers put the "deadly" in nightshade) our disappointment blossomed into delight via BLTs, Capreses and off the vine snacking. The master gardeners mated us with toms that were appropriate for our microclimate and went all Little Shop of Horrors on us in a crazy growth spurt. We will definitely return next April armed with a purchasing strategy before the opening bell. UCCE Marin Master Gardeners' Organic Heriloom and Hybrid Tomato Market
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Monday, July 28, 2008 permalink
Our friend K sent us a dispatch during a meal break in El Salvador. This place looks like it has both pros and cons. Mr. Con and his con-kids did the fishing and Mrs. Con whipped up K's lunch less than an hour after it was plucked from the water. We really need to tag along on a future trip. Comedor Mama Con
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Sunday, July 27, 2008 permalink
We split their version of a Margherita called "A Love Supreme" ($11.00): ... which was cooked to a California blonde. Their three-cheese blend melted over tomato sauce with basil leaves heat sealed into the lactose lava. Although good, our personal taste runs towards the blistered rather than blonde and the organic flour dough fell between thin crackery and chewy, but didn't fully commit to either side (but to be fair, they don't have the benefit of a wood burning oven to subject their discs to an inferno.) They serve individual sized pizzas for lunch on Wednesday thru Friday and are planning to add salads to the 6 vegetarian pizza menu. We found their pies to be on the large size for one, and the small size for two. We liked the herb-bordered patio seating: ... where you can enjoy a beer or glass of wine at this non-chain 'za hut. This friendly two man operation: ... was working hard to keep up with their orders and there was a long lag time even though the place wasn't full, but I'm betting they will address this as they get their footing in this newly opened, counter service, eatery. It's a neighborhood small business with a green 'tude that will pick up business as they pick up their pace.
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Saturday, July 26, 2008 permalink
We knew that Saturday lunch was probably not a shift that chef Scott Howard would cover, but we wanted to see if his influence has improved a gauche cash depository in Larkspur. Due to the heat, we sat out on the patio for a couple of salads. A generous portion of sautéed, Laughing Bird Caribbean white shrimp ($11.50): ... topped a vinaigrette dressed arugula salad with slivers of fennel and a shower of capers. This salad was okay, but the flavors didn't wed into an interesting combo which was taken further away from the culinary alter by a heavy caper component. We preferred their Salade Nicoise ($13.75): ... which had seared slices of ahi, perfectly cooked haricots verts, and an egg cooked with a respect for the yolk: The fingerling potatoes were undercooked, the nicoise olives were the pre-pitted variety and the radishes that were listed on the menu did not make it to the table, but even so, this avocado, tomato, roasted peppers, capers, tapenade and anchovy adorned salad was something I would order again (with the hope that the spuds enjoyed al fresco would be less al dente.) We were happy to see that there are signs of good chow and we will have to a-rive again to see for shore.
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Friday, July 25, 2008 permalink
The Cobb Salad ($9.95): ... at Just for You Café subs out turkey for chicken and gets Ranch dressing (which I herded to the side) instead of its traditional vinaigrette. Crispy bacon blue cheese and chopped tomatoes were dragged down by an overboiled egg. The small plate paired with a meal-sized salad demanded a surgical precision in fork maneuvering. Although I am adept at the game of Operation, I found that negotiating this salad structure was as tricky as removing the writer's cramp pencil from Cavity Sam's wrist. Okay, now I am violating one of their tenets – no whining. I think I'll stick to the breakfast portion of the menu next visit. What keeps us coming back is the casual neighborhood vibe and all day breakfast option.
-G
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Thursday, July 24, 2008 permalink
A friend told us that a recent visit to Serpentine was so loud that they couldn't bear to stay for dinner (since neither is fluent in sign language.) We wondered if the noise level issue was the result of an alcohol fueled, blowing off of steam after work crowd, but lunch wasn't exactly a zen mediation convention. We took a tacit turn while we filled our chat chutes with a chicken sandwich ($9.50). Poultry pieces perched on a roll with Swiss cheese , green onions, roasted mushrooms, wholegrain mustard and aioli. The fowl was chopped up for easy portioning/sandwich edge distribution in this sourdough chick-mitt. Perfectly good, but not a reorder. The steak sandwich ($10.50) was a torpedo roll armed with slices of Prather beef and detonated with Cheddar, sautéed peppers and onions. I wondered how it was that the burger was more expensive, but both sandwiches were not filled to cater to a New York deli sensibility. They were small, simple and not nap inducing. We chose salads instead of fries, but upon reflection, it would have been a good move to get one with fries instead since they make a fine bunch of spud sticks. Serpentine is a great place to take poor conversationalists, the hearing impaired, or those who would like to experience this impairment, but to be fair, if you are sitting side by side at the bar, or have good selective listening skills, it has a lively vibe with good chow. Serpentine
Slow Food Nation has their big San Francisco event next month. There are a lot of small gatherings that are bound to fill up quickly so it's worth getting your tickets now to avoid disappointment.
10:00 - 11:00 am 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm 2:00 - 3:00 pm 2:00 - 3:00 pm 4:00 - 5:00 pm 4:00 - 5:00 pm 6:00 - 7:00 pm 6:00 - 7:00 pm 8:00 - 9:00 pm 8:00 - 9:00 pm Sunday, August 31, 2008 10:00 - 11:00 am 10:00 - 11:00 am 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm 12:00 noon - 1:00 pm 2:00 - 3:00 pm 2:00 - 3:00 pm 4:00 - 5:00 pm 4:00 - 5:00 pm 6:00 - 7:00 pm 6:00 - 7:00 pm 8:00 - 9:00 pm
From today's Bunrab email, Cindy writes about yesterday's expense inflation/food deflation blog: Gutenberg, Regarding smaller portions - I just noticed at Safeway yesterday that their store yogurt (my kids like it) is the same price, but smaller sized containers. Instead of 8 oz., now it's 6 oz. Yo-flation! Cindy
With all these cost issues I can't say that I am surprised that one of the first places that was scaled back was kid's exposure to culture. -G
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