|
|
| TOQUE
OF SAN FRANCISCO |
By
Carol and Joe Davis - Dining Detectives |
|
| 
|
|
San Francisco Fancy Food Show and
San Francisco Dining
|
|
Click
on Images for Captions |
Fancy
Food Show
We once again attended San Francisco's Annual
Fancy Food Show www.specialtyfood.com
at the Moscone Convention Center where thousands of exhibitors
and attendees shared their love for specialty foods and beverages.
Each year exhibitors hope that their products will get the needed
exposure and make it in the very competitive fancy food business.
We always look for the tastiest and newest products that appeal
to us and that truly stand out .This year we found some excellent
new items and some old favorites. We had a chance to speak with
a famous San Francisco chocolatier Joseph Schmidt. He was very
humble but we know that his chocolates are the best. In fact
his chocolates are so fabulous that every holiday we continue
to send and give them as gifts. www.jsc.com
. Another over the top tasty treat was the Yam Good Sweet Potato
Pie which was just scrumptious and not too sweet www.yamgoodpie.com.
Linda's Gourmet Latkas lived up to Linda Hausberg's slogan that
her Latkas are "As good as Bubbie used to make" www.lindasgourmetlatkes.com
. We also loved Larry Jackson's Biscotti di Suzy. www.crunchyfoods.com.
It was as crunchy as advertised.
|
|
Pres
a Vi - Global Cuisine & Wine Bar
Pres a Vi in the Presidio is
a welcome new addition to the San Francisco dining scene. We
were very impressed with both the great view which looks out
on the Palace of Fine Arts and the sophisticated and stylish
interior décor. Pres a Vi means "captivated by wine"
in Spanish Catalan and we found that their Wine Flights are
very popular and a great way to try a group of similar wines.
We had the Sauvignon Blanc Wine Flight which was aptly
described as crisp, clean and wild and we particularly enjoyed
the crisp and fruity flavors of the 2005 Star Lane from
Santa Ynez Valley. We started our dining experience with
Soup Shots which is a novel way to taste the soups
without getting too filled up. We enjoyed the Butternut
Squash Bisque with spiced pumpkin seeds and the Lobster
Bisque with cream and brandy. Our next course was the delicious
Roasted Beet Salad which consisted of red and yellow
beets with baby arugula, sweet onion ring with a sherry vinaigrette.
You must have the Oyster Spooners which were shucked
Kumomoto oysters, finished with honey vinegar mignonette, horseradish
cream and chili water gel. Another worthy small plate was the
Monterey Bay Calamari. This was quickly sautéed
with white wine, garlic, oven roasted tomato and capers and
was just magnificent. We also loved the Seared Dayboat Scallops
which were sautéed and finished with lemon oil. The deserts
are fun, fancy and flavorful. We loved the Coconut Tapioca
Brulee with roasted pineapples, passionfruit sorbet.
Executive Chef Kelly Degala creates some excellent
dishes. Pres a Vi has a lot going for it with the great view,
sophisticated decor, Wine flights and generous tasty small plates
and is a worthy dining destination.
Pres
a Vi
One Letterman Drive
Building D Suite 150 @ the Presidio
San Francisco, Ca. 94129
(415) 409-3000
www.presavi.com
|
|
Espetus
- Churrascaria
Authentic Brazilian Steakhouse
We had a great dinner at Espetus
on upper Market Street in San Francisco. They just recently
renovated and expanded to accommodate twice as many diners as
previously. This authentic Brazilian Steakhouse is a really
fun concept in dining. There is no menu, you can eat as much
as you like and you pay a set price for lunch or dinner. We
started out with Brazilian cheese bread and fried bananas delivered
to our table, our drink order was taken and we then went to
the Salad Bar to make our own salad. At the salad bar we created
a lovely plate of salads all consisting of the freshest ingredients.
Our favorites were Couscous, Hearts of Palm, Mango Salad,
Brazilian Potato Salad, Tropical Fruit Salad, Guacamole, Grilled
Eggplant, Cole Slaw, Asparagus, Tomatoes and Green
Salad.
The
fun part begins when the Rodizio service starts. This
is where the main courses are cut and served at your table.
All the meat is served spiced and cooked on skewers over an
open fire and immediately brought tableside and carved directly
onto diner's plates by the well-trained carvers who were festively
attired in authentic Gaucho outfits. You have a tabletop indicator
which alerts the Carvers who continue to visit every table if
you want more or not. The Green Indicator (Sim Por Favor) means
Yes Please and the Red Indicator (Nao Obrigado) means No Thanx.
We enjoyed the Filet Mignon which was rare, thin cut
and delicious, Rare roast beef, Top Sirloin, Tri Tip, Pork
Loin, Lamb, Chicken wrapped in bacon, fabulous Garlicky
Prawns , the most tender Beef ribs that are spicy slow
cooked for 8 hours and are fall off the bone tender and roasted
pineapple. All the meats were very lean and had a lovely roasted
flavor. The Wine list features wines from around the world and
our choice Catena Malbec 2004 from Argentina paired perfectly
with our dinner.
We
did happily save room for dessert and chose Pudin a Homemade
Brazilian Flan. We met Grill Master/ Owner Paulo Klein,
who is a native of Novo Humburgo in Brazil. He told us that
Espetus means skewer and that he was pleased
with their recent remodel and expansion giving the interior
a very stylish look with three distinct dining rooms reflecting
the style of the Pampas in Brazil. Future plans include opening
another Churrascaria later this year in San Mateo. Espetus
was an impressive and healthy dining experience where you can
eat all you like but still control your portions. We'll be back!
Espetus
- Churrascaria
1686 Market Street
San Francisco, Ca 94102
(415) 552-8792
www.espetus.com
|
|
E
& O Trading Co
We always enjoy dining at E & O Trading
Co in Larkspur Landing. It has a very pleasing décor
with its Tropical atmosphere, open kitchen and stylish Teak
tables. The new Executive Chef Edwin Cabrillo- Torres
has created some new menu items and put his stamp on the regular
dishes for The Year of the Pig (4705). We started our leisurely
dining experience with a glass of wine, McMurray Ranch Pinot
Gris, Russian River 2005. We
loved the Panir Cheese Naan which is an Indian Style
Flat Bread topped with tomato sambal and mango chutney. Next
we had the Hot and Sour Soup with tiger shrimp, pineapple
and bamboo. There was a sweetness that made the soup different
and delicious. We always enjoy the Mandalay Spare Ribs
which are rubbed with brown sugar and mango mustard glaze. It
was a very hearty portion which was fall off the bone tender
yet not too rich. The Sea Scallop Potstickers with
lemon "xo" sauce were ultra-light and delicious. The
Long Life Noodles are made from yam noodles and were stir
fried with lucky greens, garlic, crispy pork and toasted sesame.
We loved the Firecracker Chicken which is a house signature
dish made with long beans, cashews, chilies and oyster mushrooms.
We also enjoyed our decadent dessert, which was the Warm
Banana Spring Rolls with heath bar crunch Gelato, macadamia
nuts and rum caramel sauce.
We
enjoyed meeting the Executive Chef Edwin Cabrillo- Torres's
who told us that his cooking philosophy is Salt, Pepper and
a lot of Love! Our meal was fabulous and we felt that the food
was lighter, more fine tuned, and healthier than on previous
visits. We can't wait to go back! luscious.
E
& O Trading Co
2231 Larkspur Landing Circle
Larkspur, Ca 94939
(415) 925-0303
www.eotrading.com
|
|
|
