Daily Feed - June 11-20, 2011

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	ABOUT ME: Name: Gutenberg Location: Somewhere near the Golden Gate Bridge. Occupation: BRPR (Bunrab public relations.)			the BUNRAB blog spot
				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

June 11-20, 2011

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Monday, June 20, 2011
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Boca's burgers aren't garden variety grub. These steakhouse sandwiches are smoky, beefy bar food that we greedily grazed on with a couple pints of beer.

We hit an Iceberg salad ($8.50):

... with blue cheese first. This standard steaky starter was a good rendition to head off our meal.

Grilled onions, Roma tomatoes, lettuce and all the usual suspects smothered our hamburgers ($13.50 each):

... which come with a tub of duck fries and house made pickles. The bun was tender (but not enough to become juice logged) in this good bread to bovine ratioed repast.

This worthwhile wad of muscle munchability can be also be had at Happy Hour (M-F 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.) for the minuscule monetary 'mount of $6.75

Boca Restaurant
340 Ignacio Boulevard
Novato, CA
415.883.0901

Sunday, June 19, 2011
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Vis a Vis wasn't vis-ably overburdened with guests, but we languished in liquidless limbo after we requested additional caffeine.

The waitress was friendly and explained that they had to make a new pot, she returned later and said that there was a pilot error in the making of said pot and once we were served and finished our meals she asked if we ever received our coffee and offered to get us some (which we declined since we had to hop off.)

She kindly comped our initial cups, but we wouldn't have minded some sort of hydration with the hash ($14.00):

Chunks of corned beef, carrots, celery and potatoes periferied sous vis a vided eggs. These runny yolked numbers added a saucy setting for a tidy take on this beefy breakfast.

The tuna melt ($12.50):

... was an opened faced wheaty raft populated with potatoes and tuna in a mustard dressing, blanketed with Gruyere and frilled with fried leeks served with a peppy side salad. It was fine, but the egg dish was the more interesting of the two.

Perhaps we just vis-ited during an off moment, but our under-caffeinated condition started our Sunday off slowly.

Vis a Vis
282 Bon Air Ctr
Greenbrae, CA
415.925.4370

Saturday, June 18, 2011
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We chopped up a big sheet of Mi Pueblo's chicharrones to cap avocado and preserved Meyer lemon crostini:

... followed up by terrific, tender, tongue:

... with a lick-iourious horseradish sauce that we tasted with buds.

Accompaniments of asparagus, potatoes and a cheery, cherry clafouti:

... capped off our relaxing Riesling-rounded repast.

Mi Pueblo regularly stocks beef tongue but we were surprised to find the shallots (called for in the sauce recipe) in their produce section. A couple perfectly ripe avocados made it into our basket before we bounded out of this San Rafael mercado lickity split.

-G

Friday, June 17, 2011
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We were happy to see that Chris Burgeson has been reinplated at The Plate Shop.

We were bummed when we discovered his deplature and now that he's back, his seasonal solutions are flowing again. His "apricot smash":

... with muddled pit fruit, mint, lemon, Bulleit rye and creme de violette was a rockin stone fruit fluid while his "Napa cherry bomb":

... detonated with a ginerous fruity flourish.

A kirsch and port potion:

... remained un-named, but not undrunk in this bourbon 'bibe.

We nibbled on salt cod fritters ($11.00) with peppers and aioli:

... a gulf shrimp crostini ($12.00):

... and a plate of quince pasted Manchego ($6.00):

... which was a queso in point of simple, satisfying snackage.

It was great to see Chris step back up to the plate at this Sausalito stop.

The Plate Shop
39 Caledonia St.
Sausalito, CA
415.889.9047

Thursday, June 16, 2011
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Absolut was not only launching their new limited edition, grape, dragon fruit and papaya vodka at a party this evening, they were checking out how Habitat for Humanity gets hammered (and nailed) at one of their Bay Area construction sites. They presented a distillation of dollars to this cool cause but should have kept the helmets for later SF style celebrating...

-G

Wednesday, June 15, 2011
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We sat in the sunny dining room for lunch at Locanda Positano:

... and nibbled on crostini encrusted with terrific Tuscan beans, boar ragu, salt cod and mozzarella with prosciutto:

These open faced apps were 'tizing tidbits trailed by scialateilli pasta:

These thick, chewy, house made noodles with gently cooked prawns, tomatoes and clams we righteous ropes of seafood supported 'sta.

The house made sausage:

... was grilled and frilled with broccoli rabe and nicely fried potatoes.

Pastiera Napoletana ($7.00):

... was a wondrous wedge of orange-scented ricotta cheesecake with vanilla gelato to roll up our meal.

We plan to return to sample some of their Neopolitan pizza. The impressive oven:

... and traditional flair will get us back soon.

Locanda Positano
617 Laurel Street
San Carlos, CA
650.591.5700

Tuesday, June 14, 2011
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Garbanzo bruschetta ($4.95):

... with burrata was a creamy crostini to kick off lunch at Zero Zero. This bean-eficent bite with crunchy toasts backboarding chickpeas and cheese segued into a Caesar ($9.95) with all the proper parts. This hearty heap romaines a fave with 'chovies, crunchy croutons and a shower of Parm.

We went with today's pizza special ($15):

... which got its booya from nduja. Spiced, spreadable salumi 'centuated caramelized onions, padron peppers, mozzarella and provolone. This blistery beauty was a cheesey wheel of piefection.

I do naught naught recommend Zero Zero for its digitally enhanced (00) dough as well as their other noshable numbers.

Zero Zero Restaurant
826 Folsom
San Francisco, CA
415.348.8800

Monday, June 13, 2011
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Sushi Ran now serves their full menu in their bar area (across the walkway from the restaurant).

We took advantage of this all access addition by beginning with a bowl of dumplings ($11.00):

These delicate scallop and chive cushions rested on a bed of spinach in a soy and vinegar bath with tender pasta perfecting their periphery.

They price their nigiri per piece (not by paired portions) but we ended up ordering duos of each anyway.

Amaebi, uni, scallop and katsuo (around $4.75 per piece) were all sparkling specimens of seafood:

They remove the side armor from the shrimp heads:

... before they hit the fryer. These crani-yums trail the tender tails with crunchy bits of cabesa.

We asked if the 49er aka salmon citrus roll ($15.00):

... was a no go and the waitress said that they still made them (even though they no longer list them on the menu). Slivers of lime topped this salmon, avocado and cuke encumbrance in this mothballed maki.

A soft shell crawfish roll ($13.50):

... with daikon, asparagus, gobo and masago roed up with a palate pinching tang. This baton of rouge was a plucky portion of crawdad.

Crisp salmon skin sloughed into a roll ($9.50):

... of dermatastiness. This gobo, oshinko and green onion maki fleshed our our sushi selection.

A Lincoln log tower of tempura ($17.00):

... was constructed of shrimp, beans, carrots and squash blossoms resting on a rack to hold the fried finery above the shoyu dipping sauce. We washed it all down with Orion Japanese beer:

... before reflecting on Sushi Ran's consistently craveable creations and poorly positioned (outside) powder rooms.

Sushi Ran
107 Caledonia St.
Sausalito, CA
415.332.3620

Sunday, June 12, 2011
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A top notch Vieux Carre:

... at Southern Pacific Smokehouse was engineered with a fine balance of bitters coupled with a caboost of rye as we whet our whistles before the smokehouse combo ($26.00):

Baby back ribs, pulled pork and delectable dark meat chicken pulled up with sides of asparagus and mac and cheese. This protein powered platter came with a vinegary bbq sauce to propel this fine fowl and porcine portion from the station.

We dug into a hot chocolate brownie:

... rolled out with a scoop of pecan ice cream (which melded into this iron clad dessert) but we put on the brakes before our belts busted.

The cocktail program alone will keep us pulling over for more chugs with these choos.

Southern Pacific Smokehouse
224 Vintage Way
Novato, CA
415.899.9600

Mark your Calendar

Make like a quickfire contestant and book up one of the last tables for Traci Des Jardins' Top Chef Masters menu Monday, June 13th.

Chef Des Jardins' colombier and prosciutto carpaccio, seabass with asparagus and brown butter balsamic vinaigrette and maple and chocolate brownie are all recipes that she created during the televised competition. This menu will be served with wine pairings for one night only.

Traci Des Jardins
Top Chef Masters menu
Monday, June 13
3 courses with wine pairings for $45

Jardiniere Restaurant
300 Grove St.
San Francisco
415.861.5555