Chez Panisse Cafe - Open Kitchen12/9/2011 Deviled Eggs with Crab Chez Panisse has been a Bay Area fixture of fine dining for 40 years. Reservations can be difficult to get and you have no choice in the set menu that changes every day offering the best of what is now the mantra, " seasonal and local". An easier alternative to get a taste of the Chez Panisse experience is the upstairs Chez Panisse Cafe. Here reservations are easier to get and you have choices from the menu. More crowded and noisy than the formal dining room downstairs, it offers the same attention to detail in the preparation of the food.
9 Comments
Apples at Attention12/6/2011 Fire Fighters on Folsom12/1/2011 Seeing a fire engine roll to a stop makes me think something not so good is happeinging. Is there a fire? Walking up to Vega Cafe on Folsom Street I saw the big red fire engine roll up in front of the cafe. No problem -- It's reasurring to know that our San Francisco's finest fire fighters appreciate a good cup of Blue Bottle coffee!
DeYoung Museum - Golden Gate Park11/3/2011 At first glance, you might think this was taken at a winery in the California wine country. The setting seems bucolic, but the photo was actually taken in the middle of San Francisco at the outdoor cafe of the DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park. The new museum design by the Swiss architectural firm of Herzog and De Meuron is a dramatic change from its previous stogy incarnation. Its dimpled copper sheathing has weathered now and the museum seems to have settled-in.
On nice days, the outdoor cafe seating is popular and the dramatic overhang frames the sky and space nicely. On rainy days you can even park in the underground garage and enter the museum directly without getting wet. If you know you're going to a Michelin rated restaurant you probably would arrive with high expectations -- fine silverware, china, exquisitely prepared food, and impeccable service. I, however, didn't know about this restaurant so it was a great surprise. Chez TJ is just off Castro, the main shopping street in downtown Mountain View in a former Victorian house.
We were welcomed to the table with a glass of champagne or prosecco. There were two menu options, a four course prix fixe menu as well as a more elaborate tasting menu. Both had optional wine pairings. The food was delicious, carefully executed showing classic french techniques and beautifully presented. The pace -- perhaps a little too leisurely. All in all a nice experience and a good option for a special event. The restaurant is not accessible and will be difficult for people who are not able to manage stairs. There is parking available nearby. Outerlands Cafe - Chemex Coffee Maker10/29/2011 Sunday Brunch at Outerlands Cafe - way out in the outer Sunset on Judah Street is a real treat. There was already a crowd of people waiting for the 10:00 AM opening. Luckily we made the first seating. Individually dripped coffee seems to be popular in all the cafes these days and at Outlands, they individually drip a pot of coffee for you using the mid-century modern classic Chemex coffee carafe.
I'm told there is a relationship between Tartine Bakery and Outerlands and it shows. Their bread is great and they also sell it by the loaf while supplies last. Macaroons10/28/2011 Alex loves macaroons and I thought of him when I bought these at Tartine Bakery. These are small ones, so I thought it was one of the better choices there.
Ferry Building Farmers Market Mosaic10/25/2011 There are lots of things to like about the renovated Ferry Building. This small decorative detail above is especially nice. Timeless in appearance, it could be a detail from Roman times. Before the San Francisco Bay Bridge was built in the 1930's, the Ferry Building at the end of Market Street was a bustling center of activity for people coming into San Francisco by ferry. After the bridge was built, the building slowly fell silent as people stopped taking Ferries. The building was converted into office spaces and there was a mezzanine built above the ground floor. The mezzanine was later removed to reveal the skylit space. The interior and surrounding area is now a Farmers Market featuring local sustainable specialty produce. Immediately embraced by local foodies, it is jammed on Saturdays when people flock there to shop. la Bicyclette - Carmel-by-the-Sea10/24/2011 la Bicyclette Dining Room la Bicyclette in Carmel is located on the corner of Dolores and 7th Street a block off the main street of Carmel. They noted for their wood ovens where they bake bread and pizza's. They also have a cool hand cranked charcuterie slicing machine that they just got from Italy. The butternut squash pizza with arugula and freshly sliced ham was terrific. In the Realm of the Senses - Bologna Cheese10/18/2011 I like cheese, but I'm not as passionate as some. Passionate cheese lovers love the smell as well as the taste of a good cheese. Nothing, however, prepared me for the onslaught of the wonderful heady aroma enveloping me when I walked into this small shop in Bologna, Italy. As I recall I was walking down via Oberdan a few blocks from the Piazza Nettuno when I saw this small shop on the corner.
AuthorCatagories
All
Archives
October 2020
Blogs I follow
|