Indian Pizza in Bernal Heights

Pooh & Josh (two totally rad new friends) had been talking about this Indian pizza place, Zante, right next to their home since I met them. We had it delivered to their home one night and it was delicious! I used to make a variation of Indian pizza back in NYC - but this place has it down pat, I much prefer their vegetarian version. The box isn't lying - this is the best Indian Pizza (Not sure if there is much 'Indian Pizza' competition in San Fran, but whatever). I have yet to try their other foods -but if their pizza is any representation, I will need to try everything they have!

 The pizza is topped with spinach, eggplant, cauliflower, ginger, garlic, green onions and cilantro. You can taste the cumin and Indian spices on the roasted vegetables. This pizza is perfect with a beer and....they deliver! Cheers for minimal moving.

Zante Pizza
3489 Mission Street
415-821-3949

Late Night Milk & Cookies in San Francisco & NYC

 It's always a nice surprise when your out and about and you stumble upon a place serving late night milk and cookies. Let's be real - it doesn't matter how old you are, everyone gets excited over milk and cookies doesn't matter what time it is. Over at Buckshot in the inner Richmond of San Francisco on a Tuesday night with my girls and we decided it was the perfect hour for milk and cookies which were heated up on a frying pan and served with those old school mini cartons that bring back fond memories of elementary school lunches....

Mmmm....mmmmm

 On a recent trip to NYC I came across a new bakery in Hell's Kitchen with late hours called Schmackary's where I stopped for milk and cookies. While Buckshot (above) had one choice of cookie and milk (makes sense because first and foremost is a bar and game room) Schmackery's  had several unique flavors of cookies such as the 'Deep Dish Banana Peanut Butter Cookie' (below).

 or the maple bacon cookies...

 While the banana peanut butter deep dish cookie was tasty and I finished it with my milk, I prefer the simple, standard chocolate chip cookie on a frying pan from Buckshot's in San Francisco. In a silly way, it's a little like a metaphor for life. You can go all over the place and have these fancy experiences and try unique flavors of life, but at the end of it all, when you listen to your heart you really enjoy the good'ol simple stuff like the classic choc chip cookie at a bar with a carton of milk.
Cookies & Milk in San Francisco? Buckshot 3848 Geary Boulevard
New York? Schmackery's at 362 West 45th Street

Source: My Favorite Vegetarian Restaurant

I was at my friend, Nick's, house when his roommate came home with some leftovers from her new waitressing job at Source. We dove into her Grilled Moo Skewers and they were the best vegetarian mock meat skewers I've ever had! She gave me her 'studying' menu which I took home and studied until I finally made it to the restaurant. Source is a 5 min bike ride from my house, I've been three times, each time with a group ordering different items and it is by far one of my favorite restaurants in the city, if not the Bay Area. It's a vegetarian restaurant that is vegan friendly. I'm an omnivore, but I really appreciate a vegetarian restaurant that celebrates the variety and versatility of vegetables, nuts and seeds. The ambiance is peaceful, communal and comforting  and the restaurant was actually designed with the ancient principals of metaphysics and and energy in mind!  Pictured above is the 'Live Platter' which includes hemp tabouli, marinated mushrooms, their version of a green goddess salad, cesar salad, lettuce tacos and living chips. Their green goddess salad is dino kale, carrot, sesame seeds and a cashew based green goddess dressing. Simply delicious.

Below we have the 'Chili Cluck Pie' which includes house made mozzarella, plum tomato sauce, sriracha sauce, truffle oil and a balsamic glaze. Source also has a brick oven, so all the pizzas and breads have that extra perfect crust. 

Source has daily specials and last time I went they had this 'Wilted Kale Salad' which was DELICIOUS. Similar to their green goddess salad but a balsamic based dressing and topped with half an avocado. You could tell this kale had been massaged and well loved.

'Peking Quack Spring Rolls' served with plum sauce. 

'Spicy Buffalo Bytes' with slaw and vegan ranch dressing

Here we have the 'Dan Dan': mixed veggies and tofu over rice noodles, with a sweet almond, sesame, ginger soy sauce.

Another one of Source's daily specials that includes perfectly stir fried mushrooms, vegetables in a light sauce all served in a sort of baked cracker bowl with a bed of lettuce.

A Source 'Burger' made with beets, celery, carrots, lentils, mushrooms, brown rice, fresh herbs, soy protein, garlic and onion served in a pita with fries.

And now for dessert:

Living Mousse Parfait made with chocolate cashew creme, with caramel, cacao nibs and brownie bites

Live Brownie Bites covered with cacao nibs

Cookie Sandwich

SOURCE - Organic Vegan/Vegetarian International Cuisine

11 Division Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

415-864-9000

SF Restaurant Review: Osha Thai

I didn’t realize I live down the street from a Thai gem. I’ve been there twice, and tried all new dishes on each visit.  Everything I’ve tried at Osha has been delicious, flavorful, surprising, colorful presentation. Highly recommend this restaurant! Ambiance is typical nice Thai restaurant that is trying to be a sleek lounge. It felt a lot like an NYC restaurant except that the customers were wearing North Face fleeces and jeans.

Salmon spring rolls – a piece of cooked salmon, avocado, special Thai sauce all wrapped up in rice papers and fried. Served over a bed of greens with a spicy Thai sauce. Yes please!

Angel chicken wings – second runner up to Pok Pok in Portland

 

Green Papaya Salad – for those of you who love Thai or Vietnamese food. The Green Papaya Salad is how you tell the good restaurants from the amateurs. It’s like bread at the start of an Italian meal. If stale bread is brought to the table with a cut of butter instead of olive oil – your meal probably will not be all that great. If you really want to test a Thai restaurant order the Green Papaya Salad. It should be crisp, tangy, a little bit spicy, have nice pieces of peanuts, fresh shrimp. It should be perfect – Osha scores 10/10:

 

Pumpkin curry-  Osha Thai is known for this dish. Chunks of pumpkin in a  slightly tangy, pumpkin coconut broth. Choose your protein. Enjoy!

I forget what this is....but she sure does look purrrrtttyyy!

Pad sewhu with chicken and asparagus. This is comfort food. Cold day, hang over, this is what I crave.

Enjoy it all with a green tea mojito :)

Osha Thai

http://www.oshathai.com/

Multiple Locations Throughout the City

Keokuk Sandwich at Ray's in Petaluma + Top 5 Sandwiches

I sometimes forget how much I love sandwiches until I try a really excellent sandwich. I recently tried the Keokuk Sandwich from the laid back, locals-only, Ray's Deli in Petaluma. Although it was my first time there, it felt like I'd been there many times before. It's a family run join that is a combination deli and tavern that livens up the sleepy town. Known for their sandwiches and sodas in mason jars, this place has a real feel-good vibe. A plate of freshly baked cookies sat on the counter, which we had before lunch :)

The Keokuk sandwich is truly DELICIOUS! It is turkey, bacon, roasted red pepper, provolone, pepperjack cheese, sundried tomato, pepperocinnis, fresh basil, cayenne pesto mayo and spinach served on a house baked Ray's roll. I actually regretted not taking my friend's advice, which was to buy two Keokuk's, how could I think one would be enough?!

Top Sandwiches in My Life:

1) Manganaro Special from Manganaro's Grosseria in NYC
2) The Cuban from Kuba Kuba, Richmond, VA
3) Keokuk Sandwich from Ray's Deli in Petaluma
4) Lobster Roll from Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay
5) Turkey + everything on sourdough with a bag of popcorn from Scotty's Market in Terra Linda

Ray's Deli

900 Western Ave, Petaluma

707-762-9492

http://rays-deli.com/

Restraurant Review: Fish.

Fish is hands down one of my top 5 Bay Area restaurants. A hidden hot spot at the end of a Sausalito harbor, the Fish Restaurant brings sustainable seafood to the masses all while supporting local fishermen, serving the best fish and chips west of the Mississippi, jamming to live music and... because we are in California, Fish makes some of the best guacamole and homemade chips I've had. After placing your order at the counter, you can join other excited eaters at communal wooden tables and benches perched on a large, outdoor porch with a constant sea breeze. The real attraction though isn't the peaceful view of sail boats, it's the freshest local fish made into unique daily specials. It's the large servings, fresh greens, chunky guacamole, the Winter Ceviche and the classic Po'Boy sandwich on San Francisco sourdough. It's the Tiburon Blonde served in a mason jar accompanying perfectly seasoned garlic bread. Expect a line of hungry people in windbreakers and hats:

Root beer float anyone? This is how it's done:

No trip to Fish is complete without ordering the chips and guacamole appetizer, which complements everything on the menu. Try saving this for the rest of your meal (they bring the dishes as they are ready) but a piece of fried fish tastes like heaven with some guac:

Feeling chilly? Warm up with a nice bowl of their minestrone (the e is silent BTW!) soup served with long shavings of Parmesan:

Below is The Crab Roll: a West Coast rendition of an East Coast favorite. Sweet Dungeness crab served on a toasted Torpedo roll with organic butter and chives and a heaping mound of shoestring fries and a pickle slice:

Below is Fish's fresh Alaskan Halibut fried fish, battered served with wedge potato chips and homemade tartar sauce. A jar of Anchor Stream beer, shining in the background like a sexy drummer to a rock band.

Next is Fish's Saigon salmon sandwich - grilled and marinated wild salmon served with a blend of fresh carrot, jalapeno, cilantro and a house made Vietnamese scallion ginger sauce all served on a toasted Acme torpedo roll. YUM.

A view of the outside porch:

Go for the food, stay for the friendly locals, laid back atmosphere and gorgeous sunsets.

Fish Restaurant
http://www.331fish.com/
350 Harbor Drive
Sausalito, California
415-331-FISH

Restaurant Review: Plant - Best Veggie Burger Ever

 One recent sunny Saturday I met my Aunt Sue at the healthy, organic and inviting restaurant/cafe, Plant, on the Embarcadero. This place is most well known for its fresh fruit and vegetable juices however the array of filling feel-good happy foods on its menu should not be overlooked. We started with a delicious salad (pictured above) made with wile arugula, grapefruit wedges, avocado, shaved fennel and a creamy black pepper - m macadamia nut dressing. It had the richness of cheese, but it was completely vegan. The ingredients were crisp and fresh tasting. As a main course I had the superb, and trademarked (I'm not kidding), PLANT BURGER:

It's a house-made veggie burger made from lentils, mushrooms, beets, cashews and bulgar wheat. The Plant Burger is served with roasted onion, lettuce, tomato relish, aioli and a generous side of mixed greens. Unlike most veggie burgers, it was not dense and dry but rather moist and textured like a real beef burger. Served on whole grain bread, this is truly a happy and healthy lunch. In addition to the salad and burger above we shared the salad pictured below with roasted red beets, toasted walnuts, goat cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette. 

I highly recommend a lunch at this restaurant. You can sit along the water and have lovely teas and juices as you wait for a thoughtfully prepared and delivered meal with local ingredients. Reservations are recommended. 

The Plant Cafe & Restaurant

Pier 3, The Embarcadero

San Francisco, California

415 984 1973

Not Your Mama's PB&J

The other day at work my co-worker ordered this work-of-art from Specialty's Cafe & Bakery. The sandwich is called the "Peanut Butter & Stuff" and it is $4.99. It is peanut butter and whole cranberry sauce with fresh bananas and granny smith apples on whole wheat. Ever since she ordered this from the cafe - I've been recreating my own version at home. This is truly a special combination.

Specialty's Cafe & Bakery

List of store locations

Sam's Chowder House: Raising the Bar on the Lobster Roll

On a mild weekend, my mom came to visit me in Los Altos. I decided to plan a fun day trip to Half Moon Bay for us to both explore something new. We had such a great time that I've been wanting to return to Half Moon Bay ever since! The coast line is gorgeous! And there is a lovely small town hippy vibe in the down town area. People are friendly, laugh easily and there is a strong (but welcoming) locals community. Our day started with a stop at San Gregorio General Store. This place is wonderful and I highly recommend it! It's a commitment as it will take at least an hour to get there (unless you live at Half Moon Bay) - but right when we stepped in, I felt like I was transported to a 1980's small town music venue in Hawaii. The general store is a combo locally-made shop / bar and concessions / library / and music venue! Everyone there knew each other except for my mom and I, there was a band playing funky tunes, and everyone had a beer in hand - even though it was 10:30 AM on a Saturday. The books ranged from Native American folklore to Vegetarian cooking. We snuggled up to the old fashioned wood stove with a hot chocolate and listened to the band make jokes and occasionally play a folk song.

Next stop was the coast. The coast is so gorgeous it makes anyone look like a professional photographer!

And here is a pic of my mom and I:

After we were sufficiently cold we decided to go walk around downtown Half Moon Bay. It is a lovely street sprinkled with cutesy themed stores, gourmet cooking shops, wine and cheese shops, bakeries, art galleries, and up-scale dining. There is also an old school jail house that has been converted into a museum and some awesome surf-centric street art:

Finally, we arrived just in time for sunset to Sam's Chowder House.

We had a quiet window seat and they immediately brought over a basket of freshly baked soft sourdough bread. I firmly believe you can tell a lot about a restaurant by the quality of bread they serve you gratis before a meal. You can tell even more about a restaurant by the olive oil they bring you to accompany the bread. To start we ordered a baby spinach salad and hot Blue Crab cakes served with fresh bell pepper, cucumber and fennel with rémoulade sauce.

The crab cakes were a more fried than I like - although they were still tasty. I think they would have been better lightly pan-fried so as not to take away from the taste of the delicious Blue Crab.

Next we ordered the Bluenose Sea Bass served with Roasted root vegetables, parsnip, celery root and yams with baby spinach and salsa verde. While it was tasty, the presentation was nice, this particular entree was nothing to write home about - however I did wholly appreciate the use of seasonal vegetables and the spinach and salsa verde topping.

While up until now, my reviews for Sam's Chowder House have been mediocre - the lobster roll made up for any lacking. The lobster roll was superb! Their lobster roll has been voted by NBC's The Today Show as one of "America's Top 5 Sandwiches." The Maine Lobster Roll is delicious Maine lobster lightly tossed with butter on a toasted specialty bun with chips and coleslaw.

The lobster roll was phenomenal! I only wish that Sam's Chowder House would raise the slaw and the chips to the standard set by the sandwich. The chips are your standard cheap Lay's and the slaw is way to creamy with a mayonnaise base. I left a note for the manager recommending they upgrade to thick salt and vinegar potato chips and swap the mayonnaise base slaw for a crisp lemon and vinegar cabbage slaw. Despite these adjustments the lobster roll is worth it! For dessert - have some of their house made frozen yogurt chocolate vanilla swirl.

Sam's Chowder House
4210 N Cabrillo Hwy

Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
650 712-0245