Michael Bauer's 2010 List of the 100 Best Bay Area Restaurants

The SF Chronicle's 2010 list of the Best Bay Area Restaurants was released this morning! If you are planning a trip to the Bay Area, or just looking for a great place to dine, this is an excellent resource. Currently, my only disagreement, is that Commis in Oakland was left off of the list. Commis has a Michelin Star, and the food speaks for itself. It's certainly of a higher quality than many of the places on the top 100 list. Of the others that I've tried, here are some of my personal favorites, or the ones I usually list when someone poses my favorite question, "Where should we eat?"

Cyrus in Healdsburg - The most memorable and enjoyable dinning experience I've ever had. A special occasion type place if there ever was one.

Pizzaiolo in Oakland - My favorite/go-to restaurant in the Bay Area. It beats almost every pizza place I've tried in San Francisco, including Beretta. I've never had a dish that missed here. It's just the best. The chef recently opened up Boot and Shoe Service in the Grand Lake neighborhood of Oakland. It's basically just a paired down menu of Pizzaiolo's offerings. Also great.

Adesso in Oakland - The salumi selection is mind blowing, they put out a free spread of several of their dishes twice every evening (around happy hour time, and then again late at night). The wine list is excellent and the cocktails are even better.

Bouchon in Napa - A Thomas Keller restaurant, need I say more?

Dopo in Oakland - Another Italian place in Oakland, but this happens to be the restaurant that really turned me on to Bay Area restaurants when I moved in 2004. It's a neighborhood place that's benefited from word of mouth, and yet, it still strives to be a neighborhood place. They've expanded recently, but have kept their integrity and intimate feel.

Flora in Oakland - California/New American cuisine in Downtown Oakland. This place is not to be missed. Best cocktail list I've ever seen, excellent service, great food and one of my favorite dining atmospheres.

Flour + Water in SF - Italian again. Are you sensing a pattern? I admit, I'm biased, I love my Italian places. Get here early and you'll be rewarded. One of the best meals I've had in the past few years. It's an absolute gem.

Foreign Cinema in SF - As the name implies, this place can best be described as cinematic. You'd think it was just a gimmick, but the food erases any trace of that notion. A stunningly romantic restaurant.

Nopa in SF - California/New American cuisine. If you can stand the wait and finally score a seat, you're in for a good meal. One of my San Francisco favorites. The owners are also responsible for Nopalito, just a few blocks away. Terrific Mexican food in SF.

Vik's Chaat Corner in Berkeley - A Berkeley secret that's not so secret. It's a favorite of just about everyone around here. Indian street food done right at a great price. I'd say it's the best we have to offer of ethnic cuisine around here.

Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa - My parents introduced me to this place, and I've been many times over the years. It's just such an enjoyable place to eat, especially after a hard day of wine tasting.

Rutherford Grill in Rutherford - If I don't go to Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa, it's because I'm here. Such a fun place to spend part of your day in the Napa Valley. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu, and their wine list is truly great. A wonderful place to bring friends for a more casual, outdoor meal.

So there you have it. My 2 cents.

Check out the full list of the Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area, here.

Well Hello There - Flour + Water on a Saturday Night

Saturday was a good day. A very good day. The morning found Daniel and I gallivanting across the bridge on our way to who knows where? "Where" ended up being Tiburon - quaint little town of gorgeous views and a frustrating lack of parking. We caught a movie and a glimpse of the fleet week spectaculars over the Bay. We then hopped over to the Heath Ceramics outlet in Sausalito, where I proceeded to drool over every item in the store, which at half-price and more off still managed to be devastatingly out of my price range. Oh to be a woman of wealthy means. If that ever were to be the case, I might just move in to the Heath outlet. In any case they would have have the most difficult time getting me out the door.

As luck would have it, Brian answered both my phone call and request for his presence and dinner. Flour + Water has been on our hit list for awhile now, and Saturday was the perfect evening to give it a try. The restaurant opened at 5:30, we arrived at 10 past 5 and there was already a line of at least 10. Our expectations were high, but they were more than well-met. This was one of the best meals I've had in years. The pasta was incredible, rich and perfectly cooked, each flavor stood out. The pizza was a stellar combination of crispy and chewy with black and blistered edges of crust.

Pizza Cavalo Nero - Tuscan Kale, Potato, Crescenza and Speck

It was the kind of meal you never want to end. We did our best to extend it by ordering dessert, something I hardly ever do after a large meal. I could wax poetic for days about Flour + Water, but I think the thing to do is to share Brian's photos from the meal along with the menu description. But please, I cannot be held responsible for your finding yourself trying to lick the screen, or drooling over your keyboard. Best just to go there yourself...

Pumpkin Tortelli with Sage and Toasted Hazelnut

Pappardelle with Braised Duck Leg and Porcini Mushrooms

Chicken Rotolo with Roasted Turnips, Pancetta, Mustard Greens and Walnuts

Pork Chop & Belly with Pumpkin and Vin Santo Glazed Apples
Brian says, "The "pork" came from some hybrid spotted pig/wild boar offspring from Sonoma. It's the new secret weapon against vegetarians and vegans."

You must hate me now. I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself!

Gorgeous photos courtesy of Brian Scipione, take a look at his flickr photos here!

McMission

It started with a rented taco truck, now it's one of the most coveted Thursday night dinning tickets. Last week I had the pleasure of attending Mission Street Food at Lung Shan Restaurant in San Francisco for the first time. Mission Street Food is the brainchild of husband and wife team, Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowitz. Held in a rented Chinese Restaurant, it becomes a sort-of "hipster dinner party" for Mission locals. The line is long, but they're happy to take your name and send you down the street for drinks while you wait.

Local chefs are invited to come up with their own menu. They cover the cost of the ingredients and that's it. The rest is up to them, and you (as the oh-so-adventurous diner) get to reap the benefits of their creations. Proceeds from each dinner go to benefit a different cause; past recipients have included Meals on Wheels, 826 Valencia and Oakland Food Connection. The Campaign for Better Nutrition benefited the Thursday I attended.

The theme was "McMission," a re-imagined menu of McDonald's standards, presented by California Academy of Science's Moss Room Chefs, Ben Koe, Blake Kutner and Angela Gong. The menu was as follows:

• Fresh Corn Nuts - with fried cilantro, adobo and lime
• McShaker Salad - with sunflower seeds, watermelon and jicama
• Smoked Tofu McNuggets - with ancho-barbecue sauce and tequila and agave mustard
• Cactus Fries - with habenero-lime ketchup
• Filet of Bacalao Fish - with coriander cayenne slaw
• McRib Sandwich - pork belly and smoky St. Louis rib roulade, cipollinis and ancho cress
• Mac Grande - shredded short rib and chuck patty with "government cheese" and spicy zucchini relish
• Dulce De Leche Sundae - with hot Mexican fudge and chile cocoa pepitas
• Granny Smith Apple Pie - a la mode with malted vanilla
• Bing Cherry Pie - a la mode with malted vanilla
• Mission Cookie Box

Assorted beverages: Lillet Blanc, Tecate and Newcastle (to name a few.)

All I have to say is, McDonald's never tasted so good. We weren't able to try it all, but the favorites among our group were the McRib, the Mac Grande and the Tofu McNuggets. I only wish my camera would have cooperated in the dark light of the re-imagined Lung Shan.

Just another thing to add to my "things I love about the Bay Area" list. It's growing all the time.

There are no reservations, show up early on Thursdays for first come first serve and put your name on the host's list. Bring a party of 3-4, and enjoy! Visit their website here.

Mission Street Food
@ Lung Shan Restaurant
2234 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA.

Saturday in Pictures

Leap!

This weekend brought a embarrassment of Bay Area riches. We ate our way through this county and several neighboring ones with oysters, wine and champagne, dinner at Pizzaiolo, Cowgirl Creamery cheese and homemade pickles, Pork Belly, dumplings and cocktails at Heaven's Dog, Zeitgeist burgers and beer, tamales from The Tamale Lady, eggs and toast at Rick and Ann's, Cole Coffee and of course, the best part, the guest of honor, Beth. Safely arrived from D.C. and, as of now, back in Oregon to prepare for her wedding on Sunday!

I picked her up from the airport where she was waiting, wedding dress in tow. With the dress safely secured in my apartment, we were off! Starting with cocktails at Pizzaiolo and sitting down to a dinner of grilled squid, fried fava beans and squash blossoms stuffed with fresh ricotta, lemon and basil, rigatoni with pork ragu and a pizza of nettles and Pecorino fresh out of the oven, blackened and blistered crust...oh so good! From there it was on to The Avenue for a few nostalgic games of Ms. Pacman, and I am happy to say, my skills at that game still reign supreme. I beat both Beth and a fellow bar patron who wanted in on the action. I am accepting all challenges, if you dare!

The next morning we headed up to Napa, stopping first at Mumm's to walk through the photography gallery there and have a flight of celebratory champagne. It was cold and cloudy in Berkeley, but the sun broke gloriously through the clouds in Napa. The vineyards were bright green and the yellow mustard was blooming everywhere. After Mumm's we went to one of my favorite's, Vincent Arroyo for Petite Sirah, barrel tastings of port and futures and a picture with Vince, the winemaker, who was graciously handling a tasting for customers himself. If you haven't tried their wine or been up there, it's truly one of the best wine tasting experiences I've ever had.

Our final stop was Frog's Leap. We did a tasting and a self-guided tour. Most of the pictures below are from that stop. This is one of the most beautiful wineries I have ever seen. Someday I'd like to do the guided tour, but we were happy to have a flight and then walk the organic garden's, exploring the beautiful grounds and gorgeous buildings.

There was so much more to the weekend, the oysters at Hog Island in the San Francisco Ferry Building being a true highlight, but I can't possibly recount it all. Suffice it to say, it was truly a perfect weekend. I love having visitors in the Bay Area, it helps me to explore and share everything I love about this little corner of the world. Every time I do, I fall more in love with this part of California. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate Beth's last "single days".

I dropped her at the airport this morning, and tomorrow I'll fly up to Portland as well to begin the wedding festivities. I can't wait! Congratulations, Beth and Daniel, I love you both!

Beth at Mumm's

Final note, posting will be a bit sparse this week, as I'll be visiting with family and friends in Oregon. Hopefully I'll come back next week with tons of new recipes!

A Pig Named "Dinner"

One of the best things about living in the Bay Area is the inescapable fact that wherever you go, whomever you're with, you can't throw a rock in this crazy, beautiful town without hitting 10 foodies. I am definitely in the right place.

This past Sunday brought food nerd opportunity aplenty with "Pig Out" at Coffee Bar in San Francisco. Pig Out was a butchery demo and subsequent roasting of a 6 month old "Red Wattle Heritage Pig" from Lazy S Farm in Glasco, Kansas. Heritage referring to family lines of farm animals that have never been genetically modified. The pigs are raised free range and are also free of hormones and and stimulants. Our pig was about 6 months old, and said to weigh 150lbs, and no, I didn't catch his name.

Actually, his name was "Dinner."


Me, Dinner, and Chef Ryan Farr

The event was put on by 4505 Meats and featured Chef Ryan Farr, and let me tell you, this man knew his stuff. Those were some serious knife skills. After his impressive demonstration of how exactly to dismantle a whole pig, we then ate the poor thing (and oh my, was it good). It was served grilled and roasted, with a charred carrot, potato salad with cabbage flowers and spring vegetables, giant bowls of Chicarrones for snacking, cheeses, fresh honeycomb and plenty of wine and beer to go around.

I'm a big believer in knowing where your food comes from and how exactly it is prepared. The process of farm to plate isn't one that we all often have access to, and it was a privilege to be able to witness that. It makes you appreciate your food all the more. Especially if you're going to eat meat. Being aware of how the animal you eat is raised; whether or not it's with or without hormones and growth stimulants, what its quality of life is like, these things all end up effecting our own health. How often do we consider all of those factors when picking up a saran-wrapped steak on Styrofoam at Safeway? It's widely known that food free of hormones and pesticides are better for you and also better for the environment. It may be more expensive, but it makes a difference in so many ways. It's why I try and do most of my shopping at the farmer's market. I highly recommend Michael Pollan's books for more on the subject, The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food in particular. Pollan is the foremost authority on the matter, and his books are riveting.

And the final product? What can I say? The pictures speak for themselves. It was not only delicious, it was also a fascinating experience. One I would highly recommend to anyone else who happens to eat meat.

The humble corndog

The end results-so tasty

Contigo, or, Kitchen & Cava

Last night in an attempt to boost my somewhat dampened spirits, Kenneth took me to a new restaurant in Noe Valley, Contigo. Contigo, which means "with you" in Spanish, offers a strictly Spanish wine list, and an array of Spanish style small plates, flatbreads and entrees.

Noe Valley is fast becoming one of my favorite neighborhoods in SF for hidden, locals-only flavor dinning, and Contigo is a welcome departure from the norm of "throw one stone hit 10 California-French fusion type places in the city."

We started with two different Cava's, my favorite was the rose, the Mont Marcal Reserva Brut Rosado 2005. It was tart with a slightly bitter undertone which reminded me a bit of Campari. I'm always a sucker for the pink fizzy drinks, let's be honest. The Sanstrave "e", Gran Reserva was also sampled. Not pink, but a bit less dry than the first. Both unique and refreshing.

Onto the small plates. Starting with the Esparragos-Asparagus with Jamon chips, green garlic and sieved egg, the Octopus, and the potatoes with chorizo and onion. We also ordered a flatbread with asparagus, crispy bacon and a farm egg on top for good measure. The flatbread was the highlight of the meal for me. They have a large wood-fired oven in the front of the restaurant, and the flatbread and egg on top were cooked to perfection. The asparagus was still brightly verdant and the bacon was delightfully salty and crisp. Though I must warn you, once you've had an egg cooked in a wood-fire you're ruined for life. The subtle smokey undertones are what's been missing from eggs all these years!

The octopus was good, though could have used a bit more acid (that seems to be my normal complaint) some sort of citrus or vinaigrette to compliment the flavors. We ended with the sheep's milk cheese which was extraordinarily soft, stinky and went very well with the hazelnuts it was served with.

All in all this is a fun place with the friendliest service I've encountered in San Francisco. Kenneth and I remarked to each of the staff members we came in contact with that they were all a pleasure and made us feel very welcome. I'd be more than happy to come back for a glass of wine at the bar or to split small plates and flatbread with a few friends. And my spirits have grown considerably, especially after a pink and bubbly glass of rose!