Yogurtsoda

Posted on April 2, 2010

Hayes Valley is one of those San Francisco neighborhoods that I rarely venture to, and I really don’t know why. It’s a lovely neighborhood, and happens to be chock-full of restaurants. When I found out that Destino serves grilled beef hearts, it’s all I needed to hear to make the trek to this cute little restaurant on Market Street.

Destino serves Latin American tapas with an emphasis on Peruvian cuisine, all of which I’m crazy about. Service is friendly and prompt here, and our group’s dishes began rolling in only a few minutes after our order.

We started with the causa con picante de camarones.

A Peruvian potato torte topped with tiger prawns and spicy prawn reduction sauce, the torte was colder than expected but the shrimp were juicy and succulent. “Picante” might be a relative term here, though, since the shrimp weren’t very spicy.

Next came the filet de bacalao and arroz de acietunas.

The black cod was encrusted with plantains and served alongside olive rice, toasted almonds and aji amarillo salsa. The cod was incredible: subtly seasoned and cooked to perfection. The aji amarillo provided a nice kick of heat.

Our third dish was the Peruvian chicken empanada. How can you not order empanadas when you see them on them menu?

Unfortunately, we were pretty disappointed in this dish. The empanada was undercooked and the filling was pretty flavorless. Even the sauce on the side couldn’t save it.

Our next order to arrive was the one I had been most looking forward to: anticuchos de corazon.

Anticuchos de corazon, or grilled beef hearts, are one of my favorite foods and here they were served with an aji panca reduction, green garlic and Peruvian choclo. Choclo, or large Andean corn, is hard to come by and they were a good accompaniment to the hearts. The grilled hearts themselves a little overcooked and the sauce overpowered them, but the pickled onion topping was wonderful.

Our next dish was the churrasco.

The grilled sirloin was topped with a chimichurri salsa and Maldon sea salt; simple and cooked just right. This was my favorite dish of the evening, and the chimichurri provided just the right kick of spice to the beef.

But we weren’t done yet. Our sixth tapa was the chile relleno.

Stuffed with ground sirloin and cheddar cheese and topped with chipotle salsa and citrus crème fraiche, the chile relleno was smoky and hearty. Despite so many different flavors happening in one dish, it really worked.

We ended our meal on a sweet note with the banana bread pudding.

You can’t really go wrong with caramelized bananas and caramel sauce, and the pecan crunch was a nice touch too. The pudding was moist and even though I’m not a big fan of desserts, I was all over this one.

Destino’s menu can be hit or miss but the food is imaginative and the ambiance is worth the visit. Just make sure to factor in extra time to look for parking, which can be difficult to find. Which reminds me, maybe that’s why I don’t go to Hayes Valley all that often.

Posted on March 23, 2010March 26, 2010

Zaré at Fly Trap bills itself as “Mediterranean cuisine with modern Persian influences.” While that’s true, much of the menu is also a refreshing take on Iranian cuisine, light years apart from the home-cooked (but equally delicious) fare that I grew up with. Located in San Francisco’s SOMA district, the restaurant’s interior oozes a swank, warm vibe that compliments the high-end Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare.

When I visited with a group of friends, I was told we had to try the Minted Memory cocktail, composed of Bombay gin, Pim’s No. 1, lemon and minted vinegar syrup (or sekanjebin, in Persian). Deliciously not too sweet and not too sour, I made a mental note to revisit Zaré’s list of Mediterranean cocktails on my next visit.

Next came our appetizers. We started with a smoked salmon amuse-bouche, garnished with a tiny dab of crème fraiche and fresh dill.

Our next dish was the pistachio meatballs.

Served with a harissa, honey and pomegranate glaze, Iranians may recognize this as kofteh. Ordinarily I’m not a huge kofteh fan, but this was wonderful. The meatballs were hearty but moist on the inside, and the glaze was more tangy than sweet, which I prefer.

Next came our yogurt-marinated flatiron steak kabob.

This was served alongside a radish-flecked herb salad (a modern take on the Iranian sabzi that is served with most meals), mast-o khiyar (or minted yogurt and cucumbers) and lavash flatbread. Kabob is comfort food to me, so this kind of presentation was such a departure from what I typically associate it with. Not that I minded, though. The steak was tender and marinated to perfection.

I had the morel and spring pea risotto as my entree. I’m not sure if it was because I was already stuffed from incredible appetizers, but this was my least favorite dish of the meal.

I loved the morel mushrooms, but the risotto wasn’t warm enough and the consistency was thicker than what I’m used to. Still, the flavors were good.

I couldn’t really eat anymore past this point, but we ordered a plate of profiteroles for dessert.

Rich and decadent, these chocolate ice cream-filled babies are totally worth it if you can spare a little extra room in your stomach.

Zaré at Fly Trap is a refreshingly unique take on an ancient and delicious cuisine that isn’t innovated nearly often enough. The thought and heart put into these dishes is evident in the way they’re served and if you happen to see the owner and chef, Hoss Zaré, while you’re there, you’ll know what I mean. His sense of hospitality and the menu full of surprises means there is always something new to look forward to at Zaré.

Posted on March 21, 2010

It’s amazing how I managed to live in San Francisco for several years and yet never visited El Metate. Until now, that is. Tucked away on Bryant Street in the Mission, El Metate is fresh, affordable and casual. The service is super friendly, so I never mind waiting in what is often a long line to order my burrito.

Now, I’m usually a taco person, but at El Metate, it’s all about the burritos. Specifically, the chile Colorado burrito.

Stuffed with a warming red chile sauce, steak and potatoes, it’s one of my favorite burritos, hands down. Potatoes might seem out of place in a burrito, but not here. The mouthwatering spicy sauce brings everything together and for reasons that I can’t quite put my finger on, it just works. Paired with an agua fresca, it’s a deliciously satisfying meal.

El Metate’s ambiance is cheerful, with a light and airy dining area that can get pretty crowded. The crowds are worth it though; after all, this might be the only taqueria in the Mission where I’ll happily forgo my usual order of carne asada tacos for a burrito instead.