Spice Dish

Irish Fix For What Ails Ya

Last Sunday was cold and grey. A few friends of mine were in town for Outside Lands and were a little worse for wear. I dragged them out to the boonies of SF (hey the don't call it Outside Lands for nothing!) to grab a much needed 'next morning' breakfast. We stepped into the Copper Kettle "bakery" and were greeted by a sympathetic waitress with a full on brogue who brought us water and coffee before I think we could even mumble an order. I had the "mini-Irish" a scaled down version of a gut busting Irish breakfast of beans, sausage, tomato, fried egg, toast, bacon and I'm sure a few other things. The out of towners loved the fact that they could order huevos rancheros and breakfast burritos full of Irish bacon. D.E.M. ordered herself a corned beef sandwich... which honestly... was the best I've ever eaten. Ever. Big thick slices of homemade corned beef that had been tossed on the grill like bacon.... this wasn't just the hangover talking. This was brilliant.

That's a mini!!

Fortified by our Irish provisions we stepped back out in to the fog, dropped the guests off at the park for another day full of San Francisco style fun and headed back to bed to sleep of the food 'lude.

This place is out of the way, way out of the way, but it honestly is Irish (with an SF twist) and worth a trek. Especially on a foggy, cold San Francisco weekend.

Enjoy!

The Copper Kettle
2240 Taraval Street

Most Memorable Moments

I'm back from my whirlwind trip and thought I'd share a few of my most memorable food moments with you all:

Hummingbird Bakery on Portobello Road. Delicious cupcakes. Delicious.

Napoleon's Dining Room. Man he knew how to eat.

And then there's these. Most 'memorable' because I can still taste them. Unfortunately.

There's a million more memories. Wine cheaper than water? Vive la France! Korean BBQ in late night London? Love it. Salted caramel yogurt in Paris? A revelation.

Thanks Europe (well except for that exchange rate thing...)

EB

Contigo!

Contigo oh how I love you. How can one not love a gorgeous little space filled with adorable Spanish servers who claim that the pork belly bocadillos changed their lives? How could a person resist sitting on a warm patio surrounded by a fresh herb garden while eating some of the most amazing flavor combinations in the city. And really…. is there a single individual that can resist fingerling potato chips? I didn’t think so.

 

My dining cohort Bibi and I were a little unsure what to expect. We had both heard great things about Contigo and judging by the line out the door at 5:30 on a Wednesday... so had many others. We were a little overwhelmed by the menu. We wanted one of everything, so we relied on our server for our selections, including wine, and each was exactly what we were looking for. It turned out to be one of the most casual, completely fulfilling, and utterly joyous eating experiences I've had in a long time. 

If you haven't been... simply.... go. 

Contigo |1320 Castro St.| 415.285.0250

Enjoy!

EB

Time At The Counter

It was a grey morning today. My hair was dripping wet from my morning swim and the cold wind was chilling my brain to the bone. My optometrist appointment was 30 minutes off and I needed a warm cup of coffee and some comfort food. West Portal is what I call an 'old lady' neighborhood. There is a plethora of hair boutiques, doctor's offices, fruit stands, two drugstores a movie theater, Old Krakow restaurant and not much else. Except... Manor Coffee Shop. To say that this place is a throwback would not do it justice. This is a true coffee counter diner without the irony. There's a few Marilyn posters up for that 50's diner look, but they don't mean anything by them. Doris Day and Dean Martin are on the jukebox, not to be cute, but because that's the clientele's tunes. This is not a kitschy, novelty food, joint. The patty melts are greasy, the eggs are runny, the waffles have burnt edges and the bacon is perfect. There is nothing better.

I saddled up on a red bar stool and was given hot diner coffee, a glass of water and a hearty "good morning" by the uniformed waitress.  I ordered a #2 (yes by the number), read the paper, eavesdropped a bit and waited for my perfectly crispy hashbrowns.

Sated by my breakfast and warmed by a few cups of promptly refilled coffee, I paid in cash (no cards of course since their register is from 1940), bundled up and headed back out into the modern world.

Manor Coffee Shop
321 W Portal Ave # A
San Francisco, CA 94127

Enjoy!
EB

Glad to be Home

Ok so I don't want to offend anybody but I really have a love-hate relationship with Los Angeles. On the pro side? The Getty, the weather, the ocean, the farmers market and Bennett's. I mean it's hard not to love the old-school market full of people who are happy to be surrounded by food goodness.

Unfortunately there are many more reasons why LA and I just don't get along. The traffic, the fact that I'm a San Franciscan (it's a rivalry thing), the soul sucking nature of the 'city', and well...

I rest my case.

Sorry LA... I'm just really glad to be home.

EB

But is it Better Than Fly Fishing?

Photo by Staccato Rubato

Do you know Bix? That little joint in the back alley? The one with live jazz spilling out the doors? No? I suggest you find it…. but quick.

I don’t have any photos to share with you because, it was ‘date night’ and well, that’s just rude. I don’t know that photos could do our meal justice anyways. Let’s just say that there was pate on toast points with fruit compote, truffled mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto, “firecracker” shrimp, and Ahi tartar on crostini followed by butternut squash soup with truffle oil and lobster, plus the oysters. And these were the starters. Seriously.

Our entrées, lobster spaghetti in a lobster cream sauce and an Angus steak with cippolini onions, fries and chive butter was just well…. it was death by richness. In the very best way. We drank our way through a few French 75’s and a nice albarino. We wanted the Bananas Foster but just could not eat another bite. Even Sorbet was out of the question.

The service was fantastic and the atmosphere (as always) was upscale but fun, and sneaky in that speakeasy kind of way – although how many speakeasys had valet?

It is a white linen place, but it’s not stuffy at all. I even managed to make friends with the older gentleman sitting next to me who declared that the bone marrow he was devouring “sure beat fly fishing!” Hey everyone has their own scale right?

If you want to throw on that little black dress and impress with a hidden gem Bix can be found at:

56 Gold St. * San Francisco * 415 433 6300

Happy Fly Fishing!

EB

Rubberized Awesomeness

Why oh why do I love Ichiban Kan? Is it because you can get handmade ramen noodles at Sapporo-Ya down the street? Maybe... but really.... it's these:

These are erasers people. Erasers! To a dorky-ass teacher like me.... nirvana.

Enjoy!

Erin

Party In Paso!

SO why a photo roundup on a Monday? Cuz it's my birthday and I can do what I want! Also, this last weekend I headed down south for wine tasting in Paso Robles with a crew of San Franciscans and a few southern Cali folks who were forced to evacuate their homes. Might as well drink wine while waiting to see if your house is still standing no?

I will spare you the drunken mini-golf photos... but Paso Robles definitely has charm and made for a great weekend.

Don't ask...

Horrible place to spend a weekend eh?

Newlyweds.

Just a little Syrah...

Really... not a crappy weekend.

EB

Meat, Cheese, Wine, Smile

Craving some Fatted Calf mortadella? House cured olives? Stinky, creamy Taleggio? A wine list meant for tasting? Do yourself a huge favor and head over to Uva Enoteca in the Lower Haight.

This smallish space is incredibly inviting, the service is stellar and the small plate choices meant for sharing is a bright spot in the slightly dingy Lower Haight (not that I have anything against a shot of whiskey and some Clash at Molotov's!)

www.uvaenoteca.com

The UVA menu is limited... in the very best way. It highlights local artisan meats and cheeses as well as some tasty imported options (the Speck from Trieste is amazing). The cheese is presented with three condiments, a nice surprise, and the crudos like the tuna crudo with vanilla salt offer other happy surprises. The crunchy, tasty pizzes and deep, rich desserts don't make this a difficult dining experience either. As we munched on these tidbits, we drank our way through only a fraction of the  extensive wine list. The wines are offered in 2 oz or 8 oz pours which are served to you in a small carafe so that you can pour, sip and share at your own pace.

We had a quick chat with the GM/Wine 'Guy' Boris (formerly of EOS) and he couldn't be nicer, more charming or more pleased that patrons are loving his cozy little spot. If you haven't stumbled on this jewel already, I highly recommend you check it out. You will hard pressed to find yourself disappointed.

Uva Enoteca
568 Haight Street
San Francisco, California
415.829.2024

Enjoy!

Erin

A Good Day

What do good friends do instead of letting you wallow in pink-slip induced self pity? They take you on an ‘adventure’ and remind you that while you may be unemployed… you live in one of the best cities on earth. 

My good friend Christopher picked me up with no particular plan in mind. The new Aquarium? Maybe. Dumplings in the Richmond? Possible. Go to the beach? Why not?

 

We found ourselves heading out towards Golden Gate park. It turned out to be a little too busy for our liking though. The new aquarium has just reopened and there was a swarm of families. The city was also sponsoring Family Field Trip Day at the Botanical Gardens. The beach sounded good too… but nope. Nike was sponsoring a marathon. Undaunted, we parked anyway and decided to sit out back in the sunshine and have a few nibbles at Park Chalet. The sun was amazing, dogs and kids ran amok, and I was treated to one of the best burgers I’ve eaten in a looong time (moist grilled beef, caramelized onions, and a rustic bun). From there we decided to trudge up to the Cliff House, but we made it only as far as the windmills before the fog rolled in.

Back to the car and off, aimlessly again. We realized that we were heading through the Clement corridor and we decided to shop. This part of the Richmond neighborhood is an amazing amalgam of almost every Asian culture. The food possibilities are mind boggling. We popped into Kamei Restaurant Supply first though. I LOVE this store. 

I’ve mentioned it before here. This time around I picked up cheese cloth, a small mandolin, plastic covers, a ceramic mug, bamboo sticks and a few other goodies for under 20$. Seriously.

From there we scooted into one of about 50 dim sum shops and ordered up two extra-huge baked pork buns and we each got a sweet treat. I got an eggy, angel-food like cake and he got a sweet cake stuffed with coconut. Needless to say… we ate the cakes first. After a stop for Vietnamese coffee, because we were shivering now, we headed over the hill and back to my neighborhood where not only was it 75* and sunny, but Red Bull was throwing drunks down a hill in soap box racers.

How could a day like that not cheer you up? Not possible.

Thanks Chris.

Erin