Category: Travel

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.

Posted on February 7, 2010

Baby Blues BBQ bills itself as a “hybrid” barbecue restaurant: they serve a Memphis-style rib alongside sauce from North Carolina. Not hailing from the south, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Tennessee and Carolina barbecue, but if it’s anything like what Baby Blues BBQ serves, I can tell you that it’s delicious.

Located right between San Francisco’s Bernal Heights and Mission districts, Baby Blues BBQ has only been around for a couple of years, having first established itself in Venice Beach before moving up north. When I visited, I had already heard rave reviews about its mac n’ cheese (or what was endearingly described as crack n’ cheese).

The wait was long when I arrived with my group; in fact, we must have waited a good half an hour before we were seated. I didn’t mind; the crowd was fun and the staff was super friendly. We enjoyed a couple of beers and perused the menu until we were seated.

I chose the Texas-style beef rib, which comes with a choice of three fixings. I went for the cornbread, collard greens and mac n’ cheese.

The ribs come covered in a dry rub, and there are spicy sauces on the tables to dress things up if you like some heat to your meat. I dug right into my Flintstones-sized rib and the tender beef practically fell off the bone, to my delight.

I was a little disappointed in the mac n’ cheese – the noodles were a bit mushy and the sauce wasn’t very flavorful. I fully admit that I am in the minority when it comes to my opinion of Baby Blues BBQ’s mac n’ cheese though. The collard greens were good but not excellent, but again, this is a matter of personal taste. I like my collard greens with a hit of vinegar; these were more spicy.

But let’s talk about the cornbread. Hands down, this was the best cornbread I’ve ever tasted. It was fluffy, moist, sweet, and just about every adjective I can think of to describe perfect cornbread. It was the stuff cornbread fantasies are made of. Seriously, I cannot overemphasize how delicious this cornbread was.

Baby Blues BBQ is a great spot for a fun, casual and heavy meal. (Did I mention the portions are huge? No? Well, they are.) If you’re looking to get your fill on southern-style barbecue, you’d be hard pressed to find a better option in the neighborhood.

Posted on February 3, 2010

I found out today that one of my favorite dim sum restaurants, Fook Yuen in Millbrae, has closed. If you know me, you know that I’m on a continuous quest to identify the Bay Area’s best dim sum offerings, so I was sad to see Fook Yuen go. But it also got me thinking about my all-time favorite dim sum establishment: Ton Kiang.

I used to live a few short blocks from Ton Kiang in San Francisco’s Richmond District, and I was a frequent visitor. I still stop by whenever I find myself in the neighborhood, and each visit has left me satisfied.

Specializing in Hakka-style cuisine, Ton Kiang offers all the dim sum classics and then some. The Hakka people originated in northern China a millennium ago, migrating all over Asia, particularly to southeastern China. Hakka cuisine heavily utilizes dried and preserved ingredients, as well as onions and lots of subtle spices.

The first dish our group tried was the shrimp and chive dumplings.

You know when glutinous dumpling wrappers become ever-so-slightly crispy yet maintain their translucency? Yeah. These dumplings pulled that off just right. The filling was good was a good balance of seafood to greens too.

Next, we tried the roast duck.

I love duck but my problem with it is how much fat clings to the meat and skin. Now I consider myself pretty adept with chopsticks, but delicately removing the fat from the skin from the meat from the bones with chopsticks is a major challenge. Almost challenging enough to not want to eat any duck. Almost.

After sampling the duck, we moved on to the chicken dumplings.

This was my least favorite of the dim sums we ate during this visit. The dumplings were plainly seasoned, the chicken was average and the wrappers were a little dry.

Next, we tried the xiaolongbao, which I’ve been wanting to taste for ages.

Xiaolongbao, or soup dumplings, are filled with brothy, steamy morsels of meat inside. The trick is to cradle your xiaolongbao carefully in a soup spoon and prick a little hole with your chopsticks before diving in, lest you make a mess. Someday, I’d like to try the original version in Shanghai.

Afterwards, we shared a plate of potstickers.

I know potstickers are run-of-the-mill, but Ton Kiang’s hold their own. Plus, doing a good job with a basic dish is often a sign of a restaurant’s quality and adeptness. The dough is thick and chewy and the insides are juicy and oniony.

Next came the plate of shrimp-wrapped scallops.

Internet, I think my eyes rolled back in unadulterated pleasure when I tried these. The shrimp-wrapped scallops have since become my favorite dim sum at Ton Kiang. Succulent, sweet, juicy, garlicy, crispy – these babies have it all. This is the stuff dim sum dreams are made of.

Despite being stuffed at this point, we trudged ahead. After all, a cart of crab noodle rolls had come by, and who can resist their siren call?

I often have shrimp or beef noodle rolls, but crab is much harder to come by. The crab had a very delicate flavor, and thankfully the sauce did not overpower the crab. Ton Kiang’s noodle rolls, as always, were thin and slightly chewy.

We ended our meal on a sweet note with a dish of fried sesame balls filled with sweet bean paste. Then we proceeded to roll ourselves out of the restaurant. It’s hard to resist saying no to the endless carts of food that are pushed around at any dim sum restaurant, but Ton Kiang makes it even harder. With a steady stream of quality dim sum, there’s a reason why they’ve consistently stayed my favorite dim sum spot for so many years.

Posted on February 2, 2010

I confess. When I finally got around to trying out Pizzeria Delfina, I almost changed my mind because of the long line. How good can this pizza be? I thought.

Really good, it turns out. Stupendous, even.

By the time I was seated at Pizzeria Delfina’s Mission location, I was practically salivating at all the menu options. I couldn’t decide what to order so my friendly and informative waiter helped me out. I’d heard rave reviews about the Napoletana, and I started with that.

Served with tomatoes, anchovies, capers, hot peppers, olives and oregano, the toppings are blanketed with a very light layer of cheese. The crust was slightly charred, paper thin and crispy.

Next, I tried the Salsiccia.

I loved this pizza, which is really a feat given that I usually don’t like bell peppers and onions on my pies. The fennel sausage added a hit of indulgent meatiness to an otherwise healthy pizza.

Pizzeria Delfina adds a raw egg to the center of its pizzas in the final stage of cooking if you request it, and that’s probably what I’ll try on my next visit. That, and their appetizers, which I’ve heard are in a league of their own.

The line at Pizzeria Delfina may be off-putting, but it’s well worth the wait. I know I’m going back for seconds.