I try to do my restaurant reviewing in an organic way.  I mean, I experience the restaurant and food and experience as a regular customer (which I am) and don’t go in with a hyper-analytical, hair-splitting eye. I let the experience come to me. I have eaten enough good food around the world and have developed my palate enough to be able to have a good gauge of quality. I don’t have to ruin my meal by only examining the quality of every better by everyone at the table. I take the feedback that naturally arises in conversation, couple it with my opinion and if there is enough information gathered, review!

Such was the case last Thursday when I met up with my friend M & S for dinner. Whenever I get the opportunity or make the opportunity to go out to dinner, I try to go someplace I have never been. I snag a lot of items off the 7X7 list of 100 places you need to eat before you die or off our own list of places we want to go or have heard buzz about. For dinner with M&S I suggested a few spots, but could get reservations for none of them, so I suggested Anchor & Hope. Their “Angels on Horseback” were on the 7×7 list and since I haven’t eaten a lot of oysters in my life, I figured it would be a fun try!

I made the reservations more than a week in advance and so I felt I had a reasonable expectation of a decent table. Assumption wrong. We were in the worst possible location. A four top at the corner where the walkway from the front door turns to go to the restroom. The same path goes along the bar, so we had bar traffic. And the same path goes to the kitchen, to which we were the most closely seated. There was no safe seat at the table except mine which I procured only because I was the first to arrive. My seat was securely tucked back amongst the other tables. M’s seat was on the main walkway, S’s seat on the restroom side walkway. The other chair was not safe to inhabit. Both of them got bumped into numerous times. About halfway through the dinner, the hostess came and asked us if she could take the fourth chair from our table to be used elsewhere. M was not impressed by this since there were several empty tables around. Those tables would be occupied by the time we left, but initially, it seemed like an odd move. The restaurant space is beautiful, old warehouse, rustic styling.

But we didn’t come to admire architecture (and it was not that admirable anyways), we came to drink wine and eat. The wine list is very extensive and written in the smallest most painful to read type ever. I finally understood how my mom feels when she reads things. It was downright impossible. So I made M decide. He got a crisp, clean, light white. Of a variety I cannot really recall. It was good, but our waiter was never present enough to keep our glasses full. M ended up having to do the majority of the pouring. Which inherently is not bad, but it just furthered the sense of us being in the worst seat in the house. We got paid attention to like second class citizens (until the bill that is).

I insisted we get the “Angels on Horseback”, even though none of us was particularly an oyster person. When they came, none of us were impressed. I thought maybe because I can’t eat the remoulade sauce that I somehow missed an element, but M insisted the sauce added nothing, having tasted a bit with and without. The bacon was only luke warm, but crisp, and not exactly flavorful. The oysters were fine but not profound either. They were so average that it made me really skeptical about how it ended up on the 7×7 list in the first place.

M ordered the Asparagus salad which were arranged like Lincoln Logs with a Soft-Boiled Egg pearched on the top. Since I am allergic to eggs, we played a game of pick up sticks to see if I could get an asparagus out without breaking the egg. Success. It was a good asparagus. The full salad combination went over with the others and was dubbed successful.

Our main dishes were as varied as we are. M go the spice seared ahi tuna, S got the fish and chips and I got the local sole with nettle puree, parsnips and spring garlic (I think, I can’t actually remember anything but the nettle puree and sole). M said his meal was good. S liked her fish and very thick cut chips, which I tasted and agreed were quite delicious. My sole was excellent. It reminded me why I like sole so much. The nettle puree was complex, spicy, a rollercoaster of good flavor. Not nearly enough for for me though. It was a very small portion, which of course I expect at fine-dining restaurants. But usually I don’t have to go home after I eat at a restaurant and eat again. And it wasn’t even a hard training day and so my appetite was considerably light.

For dessert M&S each got a glass of wine and we tried to enjoy the evening but it just continued to feel like a place we didn’t want to linger. Our table, the ambiance, our service did not lend itself to feeling welcome or relaxed. We asked the server for the bill and M and I tried to do math to work out the bill. He put his card on the table and the server swooped in to get it, but we weren’t ready as we were still calculating how much cash I was putting down. The only time our server was attentive was with the bill. The bill was not a welcome sight either, $198 for 3 people for what we got seemed a bit steep for what we got. It definitely was not worth that price.

The food was average in general and well below average for that price point. The service was uninspired and the whole experience ended up feeling like, “why did we even bother?” I didn’t hate it, no the food was fine. But it was appallingly average.

I often consult the 7×7 100 Things you should eat before you die list for ideas of fun places, new and old, to check out in the city. I like seeing if an item is truly to die for (or die after, I guess) or if they are more of a political addition to the list. On Tuesday night, my sister and I headed out to check off another on the list and hopefully enjoy a good meal at La Mar Cebicheria. On the list were the pisco sour and the ceviche (non-specific).

Pisco Sour, check

Ceviche Tasting, check

We went straight for the pisco sour and ceviche tasting. I don’t think I have ever had pisco before and I had to be careful to ask for no egg white in mine since I am allergic to eggs. It was quite tasty. More subtle than tequila, but along those lines. I liked it, it didn’t like me. About 30 seconds after reaching my mouth I was covered in red splotches and my temperature had risen about 10 degrees. Either my sister and my pisco sours were made together and then the egg white foam was put on her drink not mine (thus mine still contained eggs) or I just was having a reaction to alcohol, I am not sure. I am not going to cry foul on this because there are too many factors to be sure. Thankfully I am not deathly allergic to eggs. It is also possible that the waiter missed it or didn’t understand. Needlesstosay, after one drink we switched to a pisco sombrero which was spicy and delicious and did not cause the same reaction.

The sombrero liked me as much as I liked it.

The ceviche’s however were not problematic at all. There were so many good ceviche’s to choose from that we simply couldn’t pick just one. So the Ceviche Tasting (Mixto, Chifa, Nikei and Clásico) was definitely in order. The Mixto is Mahi Mahi, calamari, octopus and habanero pepper in ají amarillo
leche de tigre with cilantro, red onion, Peruvian corn and yam and I really enjoyed the spice. Not huge on calamari and octopus texture though. The Chifa was Mahi Mahi with peanuts, scallions, ginger, pickled carrots and daikon, habanero pepper, wonton strips and cilantro in sesame leche de tigree. Since I am a big fan of peanuts and pickled items I really enjoyed this one. It had a complex flavor but wasn’t overly Thai. Clasico you just can’t go wrong with, clean flavors, beautiful fish (California Halibut and red onions in habanero pepper leche de tigre with Peruvian corn and yam). And the Nikei which was my favorite and had Ahi Tuna, red onion, Japanese cucumber, in tamarind leche de tigre with avocado.

Before the ceviches rolled out they brought us 3 types of dip and some sweet potato and plantain chips. There was a mild, medium and spicy one. Each delicious (and all vegan, I believe). They were super tasty with the chips and went well with the ceviches. There were about 4 bites per ceviche, so 8 bites per person for the whole ceviche tasting. It was a nice light, refreshing start to the meal.

Ensalada Nikei

Lomo Saltado

We followed but the ceviches with a ensalada nikei (Mixed greens with green papaya, jícama, soybeans, pickled carrots and daikon, crunchy quinoa, Peruvian purple corn and rocoto vinaigrette) to share and the lomo saltado which is a traditional Peruvian style stir-fry of sautéed beef tenderloin,
onions, tomatoes, cilantro, soy sauce, garlic with fried potatoes and rice. We made good choices that is for sure. I loved the combination of flavors and textures in the salad. It was not a sissy salad and I would have been happy having a huge bowl of the salad and nothing else. Not that the lomo saltado wasn’t good. In fact it was really good. I like the steak and fries done in a different way. It had a much much more complex flavor profile than the usual steak and fries. The portion wasn’t huge to split, especially for the money ($27). It would have been enough for one person after a similar start to the meal (ceviche and 1/2 salad). I didn’t leave hungry, but I wasn’t stuffed either. I was satisfied and everything was delicious. Delicious, yes. Standout, run back, recommend it to everyone as a must try (like I do with Little Skillet)? No. Especially for the price point ($120 before tip), it is not somewhere I am scrambling back to.

I really loved the restaurant space as well and feel it would be a good place for a nice client dinner (for an out of town business person) or something similar. I would say, it would be a fantastic place to grab a drink and appetizer and there are some other items I would be keen to try including the causas and anticuchos. 7×7 is mostly right. I don’t think it ranks as one of the top 100 things I have ever eaten, but I am glad that I did eat it. Overall 3.25 stars out of 5 with no deductions for the possible allergic reaction.

After really digging in and getting writing again on my “non-running/non-food” blog and letting my writing and personality shine through on that blog, I realize that I have continually, but slow and surely removed a lot of my voice from this blog. That is of course the last thing I want to do. Part of what makes a food blog appealing is the personality behind it. Recipes are great, but in the end, we are flooded with good recipes at every turn. And heck, what am I trying to accomplish here anyways? I want to bring you amazing recipes that are applicable to your life and health and palate. Whether you are a runner, a foodie or a health nut, I want this to be your place.

Come to my table

Over time, I would like to completely overhaul the site and turn it into something bigger and better. I love to write, I love to cook, I love to share (evidently). And so, I am going to be trying out some things. Heck it’s my blog right? As professional and streamlined as I want it to be, is that what it is really all about. Hello, I am not food and wine magazine, though I would never balk at an opportunity to be (a part of them). That said, I need to proceed ever forward into the food writing expanse? Abyss? World? and see where my voice takes me. No use in trying to be someone I am not. I think my food speaks for itself (it says, “I am good, yum, eat me”) and I should also not be afraid of doing that for myself.

One of the things I am going to start doing is doing a weekly wrap up of all the fun things that crossed my plate that don’t fit anywhere else. Sometimes I make a fantastic something or other that doesn’t quite warrant free standing post, or I complete another of the 7X7 100 things to eat before you die in San Francisco (and want to comment!)- I am 15 in and they have for the most part been phenomenal.

So without further adieu….

This week on my plate and in my belly

Over the last weekend, I headed up to Ashland for Lithia Loop Marathon, the Trail Marathon National Championship. I think the trip was 1/2 going for the race and 1/2 going for the food at Morning Glory Restaurant. Both the Baker (crew extraordinaire for the weekend) and I had had numerous people recommend it to us and so it was my incentive for running the race as fast as possible and making it to the restaurant for breakfast. It was worth it, the food was great. There was housemade marionberry syrup, gingerbread waffles and a tandoori tofu scramble involved. And it was good.

I was back from Ashland by Saturday night and dinner was cobbled together out of the pantry (soup) and a stray sweet potato and onion, quick roasted. It was simple belly satisfying goodness. Sunday was a leisurely day for the most part. I hung out at my house until my sister was ready to run in the early afternoon and then we headed out to run my favorite loop in the North Bay on the Mt. Tam watershed. Yes, 15 miles the day after a marathon. We ran with joy and exuberance. It felt really good and made us super hungry. I hadn’t eaten lunch so by the time we got done, I was ready for my main motivation for that loop: going to Woodland Market in Ross for a “Devon Special” which is a Green Goddess sandwich but done on a spinach tortilla instead, replacing the cream cheese with hummus and occasionally (like Sunday) adding Turkey. It was good. My sister and I sat outside and shivered while downing our wraps and triple fisting beverages. It was late afternoon, so neither of us really were keen for another meal. Instead we decided to tuck into some treats and a trashy romantic comedy. There was wine and popcorn, followed by dessert (ha!) of one of my most clever discoveries/ combination to date: Maranatha Dark Chocolate Peanut Spread and Coconut Bliss Vanilla Island Ice Cream. And a persimmon on the side.

I really like Coconut Bliss’s Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream, but it is a bit sweet for me and I prefer chocolate as a small taste instead of the base. That is the genius of this combination. I love vanilla ice cream and I want the dark chocolate peanut in their too.

Monday found me quite the excitable girl. I had been keen to make a fun buckwheat soba noodle dish on Sunday, but as I mentioned my day unfolded in a way that left little time for cooking. But Monday I was determined!

My sister and I headed into the city for a full day of painful apartment hunting, stopping off for lunch at Blue Barn for our favorite personalized salads. It was delicious and a nice counter point to the previous evening decadence. Next door to Blue Barn is Miette. Miette’s ginger snaps are #49 on the 100 Things to Eat and Drink in SF before you Die, so I figured, well, we are hear, might as well check one off the list. I went in, grabbed a $7.00 container of cookies and we dug in. Yummmmm. Crisp and gingery.

The cookies went splendid with our coffee. They were the type of good that satisfied each of us with just one slim cookie each. I still open the package repeatedly just to smell them. The fragrance reminds me of a fall day and provokes thoughts of Christmas time, snuggling by the fire of my childhood home.

By the time we were done, we were both famished and so we returned to the house where I began whipping up some Otsu with sweet potato and spinach (both were my addition to this great recipe from 101 Cookbooks). I used 100% Buckwheat noodles which sucked. They ended up clumping together in one sloppy ball. So much for presentation.

I also made Beef Short Ribs from Sage of the Coast in LA. It was a very satisfying meal indeed as my post-marathon appetite was truly rearing its ugly head. I felt like I was going to gnaw my arm off for most of the day.

After discussing possible dessert ideas for Thanksgiving on Wednesday, I decided to go home and test kitchen some of the Babycakes Ginger Snaps to see if I could make an “acceptable”, ok down right tasty treats for T-Day.

The Babycakes version is not only gluten free, vegan, etc etc etc it is actually pretty healthy. It has coconut oil in it which is delicious and a “good fat” and adds some kick arse flavor too. These cookies turned out super flavorful, but I definitely need to make them smaller so that they can crisp up more. They needed more snap.

I am excited to hand them over for review to the critics and see what tweeks I need to make. But for now, I think the fact that I ate 5 after my bibimbap dinner (sans rice), shows that they were not in fact bad in any way. That or I was just really hungry. Probably both.

The rest of the week, well, it should be fun! I am trying two new restaurants today and tomorrow, then cooking on Saturday, so I really can’t complain. I will try and keep my camera close and my food even closer.