Green Chile Kitchen

photo - Yelp, Katie M.

Green Chile Kitchen, Western Addition, Lunch
March 29, 2016

P:
NEW MEXICAN HOMESTYLE ENCHILADA
layered corn tortillas, jack cheese, chile, crema, rice & beans

SALSAS & CHIPS

roasted tomato, tomatillo avocado, citrus habanero & pico de gallo

AGUA FRESCA, watermelon

J:

GREEN CHILE STEW

chicken, crema & blue corn tortilla

GREEN CHILE LEMONADE


Notes:

We pass by a place called Chile Pies Baking Co. on a near regular basis.  It sits where Green Chile Kitchen once did, but the Kitchen moved up the hill (on a different corner of the same block) several years ago.  They're sister restaurants, with some crossover on their menus but generally very different, Southwest flavors being the common thread.  I've been wanting to try the Chile Pies place forever; you can only drive by a big neon "PIE" sign so many times.

On this particular afternoon, we parked close to Chile Pies, checked it out first, then walked up to Green Chile Kitchen and settled on that instead - I was looking for something more substantial than baked goods.  After perusing the lengthy menu, we both opted for the New Mexican Homestyle Enchilada.  So I ordered the Green Chile Stew (gotta try MORE!).  Patrick, appealing to my snack needs, ordered some chips to share.

The chips and salsa were very tasty - the four salsas, all delicious.  I had trouble picking a favorite, but I always tend to lean green; Patrick's fave was the citrus habanero.  The portion of chips seemed paltry, if we had any criticism, but in hindsight it was appropriate given the amount of food we had coming.

Patrick's plate looked fantastic - I have a real affection for this kind of food - such beautiful colors!  A stacked chicken enchilada smothered with green sauce and ribbons of sour cream was accompanied by plump grains of Spanish-style rice, refried beans, and a little pile of shredded romaine lettuce topped with pico de gallo.  It wasn't as perfect as it looked, but it was very good.  The enchilada was flavorful, but the corn tortillas inside, oily and tough.  The rice was tasty but butter overpowered some of the flavors.  And the beans, though delicious, didn't satisfy in the same way as those probably made with way more lard - if these even used lard at all (gasp!).

Mine was a little underwhelming.  The "stew" more closely resembled a straight-up bowl of roasted green chilies, in a little broth, with a few wayward pieces of tomato and corn kernels and some chopped rotisserie chicken on top.  Pretty unexciting, but no judgment, maybe the flavor would change everything.  Nope.  It tasted just as it looked.  It was fine, but it wasn't what it should have been.  I can say that, not because I know anything about green chile stew, but because I know something about cooking, and this dish didn't have anything going on; it felt as if no effort had been made.

The beverages were great; the agua fresca wasn't too sweet and neither was the green chile lemonade, and that touch of green chile spice was oh, so nice.

I was a little bummed that I steered us away from Chile Pie Baking Co.  It's not that Green Chile Kitchen was so bad, it just wasn't that good, especially for the price.  But we want to give it another shot, and we'll eventually try Chile Pies, too.

Luna Rossa

Luna Rossa, Outer Richmond, Dinner
March 26, 2016

P:
SPINACI, spinach potato dumplings, creamy tomato sauce
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

J:
MELANZANE, grilled eggplant, house dressing
PAPPARDELLE, house made, chicken, prosciutto, mushrooms, tomato sauce


Notes:
After a full day of modern breakfasts, milk teas, and laundry, we were hungry (how?!) and decided to (finally!) try out Luna Rossa, one of the many neighborhood Italian restaurants situated within walking distance from our apartment.  We hadn't heard anything about this place, it was only ever in our minds when we'd pass by; the blacker-than-black exterior in stark contrast the once weathered peach paint of its well-loved predecessor, Mescolanza.  (More on that at the end.)

The restaurant is small and the clientele regular, or so it seemed; there was an air of familiarity between the guests and the staff.  Having not yet earned this distinction ourselves, we instead detected a scoff or two.  It didn't really matter, though, I suppose we weren't expecting much.

The bread was a nice crusty sourdough; the soft, salty butter wrapped in gold foil.  The wine, poured nearly to the rim of the glass, was decent.  The grilled eggplant looked promisingly simple: 1/4" thick slices of fresh eggplant were lightly grilled and brushed with an herb-y dressing.  Unfortunately, it was also exceedingly bitter and under-seasoned.  Not something I would order again.

The pasta and gnocchi turned out better than expected.  Patrick's spinach gnocchi were damn good, arguably not perfect for reasons I can't pinpoint, but not too far from it.  The creamy tomato sauce was just that, deliciously uncomplicated and not at all heavy.  It was an outstanding dish (the server did tell us "best in the city," but don't they all say that?).  The pappardelle (3/4" wide noodles of fresh pasta), was extraordinary.  The pasta itself had unbeatable flavor with a tender bite (a touch beyond al dente if I had to find any fault), each ribbon well coated by the rich tomato sauce.

Patrick wanted dessert, I wanted a bite.  He chose the chocolate mousse; we ordered a cappuccino (him) and an espresso (me).  The coffees were on the too-bitter side, Patrick's much more so than mine (curiously - the addition of milk should have tempered that bitterness).  The chocolate mousse turned out to be more of a chocolate mousse pie, as it had a crust and some ridiculous garnish characteristic of the pre-made pies and cakes some restaurants rely upon.  We were brought a complimentary glass of mediocre dessert wine after all was said and done.  We tried to wipe everything post-pasta from our memory.

If we return, and we probably will, we won't be messing around - we'll come here for the pasta (and gnocchi).

Just for fun:
I found this interesting tidbit on a local blog:

Mescolanza recently closed which saddened some fans, but a new, nearly identical concept called Luna Rossa opened in its place. It’s no accident – the owners of Luna Rossa were the original owners of Mescolanza back in the day and sold the lease, and the restaurant’s name, to an employee. But now they’re back, and after displacing their tenant, Mescolanza, have opened Luna Rossa.

"Displacing their tenant" sounds like a dick move, as it's called, but it also sounds like I've got HAY-mazing pasta dishes only blocks away from where I sleep.  Hmmm...perhaps a little pasta-off is in order with a future visit to Mescolanza in its new location?!  Yessss...

Sharetea

photo - Yelp, Hina M.

Sharetea, Inner Richmond, Snack
March 26, 2016

P:
Peach Green Milk Tea with Pearls

J:
Classic Green Milk Tea with Pearls


Notes:
I have a somewhat troubled history with bubble tea.  Bubble tea, aka boba tea, is a drink that originated in Taiwan and consists of tea and/or some other flavoring (from fruit juice to taro root to caramel, and more), often mixed with milk powder and sweetener and served over ice with large sweet black tapioca pearls and a fat straw.

The first time I heard of such a thing, I was so repulsed, I refused to even try it.  "Who wants to chew their beverage?  Disgusting," I thought.  The second time I was confronted with the drink, almost a decade later, the boss had a craving and there were enough of my colleagues on board with the idea that I'd be crazy not to try it (I work with people who know food).  Try it I did, and it was delicious.  Ice cold, sweet and milky with a strong green tea flavor and pleasantly chewy little balls of tapioca - how could I have ever thought so poorly of this concoction?

The third time, a few years later (obviously, I wasn't that in love with the drink), Patrick and I tried a place in our neighborhood.  It was awful.  The bubbles (tapioca) were hot, which melted the ice and watered down the drink, not to mention the mushy texture of the pearls, which I don't remember as pearls at all but instead little cubes of jelly.  Hot, mushy bits in my lukewarm milky tea drink?  Yuck.  P-tooey.  (Clearly, this continues to conjure a visceral reaction.)  So, needless to say, I never again got excited about bubble tea.  Patrick would suggest it from time to time, and I would simply change the subject, doing my best to avoid it altogether.

But on this beautiful Saturday afternoon, after a lovely breakfast, I had some laundry to do.  And not far from the laundromat, there is a bubble tea place that I've only ever seen packed with people since it opened about 2 years ago.  And earlier that day, Patrick had once again suggested bubble tea, heretofore unaware of my distaste for it.  And since he was tagging along while I did laundry (yeah, he's awesome), I decided it was time to stop the madness and just give it another try, already.

So try it, I did.  And it was delicious.  Ice cold, milky sweet with a strong tea flavor and slightly sweet, chewy tapioca pearls.  Patrick's was similar, but peach flavored.  YUM!

We're hooked and we want to try all the things (the "tea drink" world goes far beyond what I've described here).  This should make doing laundry much easier.

Réveille Coffee Co.

photo - www.reveillecoffee.com

Réveille Coffee Co., Mission Bay, Brunch

March 26, 2016

P:

Homestyle Breaky, 2 Cage Free Eggs Scrambled, Fingerling Potato, Bacon, Toast with Housemade Jam

Latte

Fizzy Izzy cocktail

J:

Potato Pancake, Sunny Up Egg, Bacon Jam, Applesauce, Creme Fraiche

Kenya pour over, black

Mimosa

Notes:

One beautiful Saturday, we found ourselves at this uber modern space after a quick visit to a restaurant supply store close by.  It occupies a sizable corner among a sea of "luxury" condos on the bay side of the city; adorable pink and gold tables lead the way into the otherwise nondescript storefront.

There was not a line of any sort when we walked in, and confusion took over.  The sleek interior does not allow for "Order Here"-type direction, and if the place was too cool for signs, maybe it was too cool for us.  I became panicked and annoyed all at once.  Thankfully, we were quietly directed into single file once several other similarly confused groups filled the open space around the counter.  (Funny, how we need lines.  Talk amongst yourselves.)

We ordered.  Coffee drinks you pickup at the counter; food is brought to you at the table.  Patrick's latte was ready long before my pour over; he collected it and scored us place to sit.  I found him at the bar on the other side of the cafe, where mimosas and pink sparkly drinks were being made.  At that moment, I wished we had ordered one - they looked fun and refreshing.  Several minutes later, the bartender set both a mimosa and a pink sparkly drink down in front of us, and smiled.  Patrick reads minds, you should know.

After a few sips of our cocktails, the food arrived.  Patrick's Breaky* was a full plate of goodness.  Tender scrambled eggs were piled high next to a heap of fingerling potatoes, sliced into flat ovals and fried - a new take on home fries - with a thick slice of toasted pain de mie and two little ramekins of what looked like softened butter and fruit compote.  Patrick likened the potatoes to chips, and I got the sense that he didn't love them as a breakfast potato; I thought they were delicious, but frankly it's hard to screw up a potato as far as I'm concerned.  The butter turned out not to be butter, but more of a (honey?) sweetened overly-whipped cream.  It was very good, but maybe more appropriate for a croissant on its own, rather than with toast and eggs.  But let's not pretend he didn't finish it off.

My dish: a pancake of thinly shredded potato topped with two picture-perfect sunny side up eggs and dollops of applesauce and creme fraiche on the side; a really nice breakfast.  Sweet and savory bacon jam hid beneath the runny eggs, and the accompaniments were just right.  Except for the unnecessary microgreen garnish, which served only to plant sticky yolk on my face with every bite.  Or maybe I just don't know how to eat.

The coffee was tasty, though not hot (for either of us).  I'm no aficionado, so I don't know if that's in service to the coffee itself, or simply not correct.  That didn't stop Patrick from considering a second latte, though.

We're pretty much never in this neighborhood, but if we were, we'd come back.  There are two other locations, also not convenient to us, so there's that.


*If you've never heard/seen "breaky" before, it is said thusly: /brˈākē/, as in, "wakey, wakey, eggs and breaky."  Except, it's actually "wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey", which I would guess is a reference to eggs and bacon, but I have no idea.  My culinary school roommate said this to me on so many occasions, and either she said it wrong every time, "breaky", or I'm just remembering it that way.  AND, full disclosure, I have NO idea if the person who used "breaky" on this menu truly wants it pronounced that way, but if s/he wants it pronounced differently, s/he is also mistaken.

Academy Bar & Kitchen

photo - Facebook, Academy Bar & Kitchen

Academy Bar & Kitchen, Fillmore, Dinner
March 25, 2016

P&J:
BEET SALAD, roasted beets, candied walnuts, organic mix greens, goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette

MARGHERITA D.O.P pizza, San Marzano tomato sauce, Fior Di Latte (fresh mozzarella), basil, EVOO

Notes:
This space was once occupied by Pizza Inferno, a decent beer bar with decent pizza.  Now it's occupied by Academy, a decent beer bar with decent pizza.  Maybe I'm not being fair.  Maybe it was better than that.

We had just watched a not-so-good, not-so-bad movie (it depends on who you ask) at a nearby theater, where, aside from the cost of the movie, $24 were spent on two sodas, a sad bag of popcorn, and some cookies (don't judge - there were 4 of us).  Maybe nothing could have turned things around for me at that point - I already felt jilted.

The place was nearly empty at 10 pm on a Friday night; not a good sign, in my book.  The lone server was terribly friendly, the menu carefully considered, and the list of draft beers impressive.  But everything seemed expensive, or more accurately, more expensive than it should have been.  I think of this as the "neighborhood surcharge", where mostly you're just helping to pay rent (an unfortunate effect a place like San Francisco has on many restaurants).  This opinion was only reinforced by having received what felt like the smallest $12 glass of wine ever served in the history of all mankind.

The salad was well made but petite and not particularly imaginative.  Dressed spring mix laid over a beet puree with two slices of Laura Chenel (probably) goat cheese and a few wedges of roasted beets; candied walnuts added a nice crunch.  The Margherita was acceptable although slightly undercooked.  The tomato sauce was excellent, but the application heavy-handed, so the pizza was a little on the wet side.  It was tasty, but I've had better (for less dough - hell yes, pun intended).


Patrick was not as critical of this place, and maybe liked it much more than I did.  Come to think of it - that's how the movie turned out for us, too.  And seeing as how we frequent that nearby theater, there are lots of other restaurants in the area I'd like to try before coming back to this one.

Volcano Curry

photo - Yelp, Chena N.

Volcano Curry of Japan, Inner Richmond, Dinner
March 20, 2016

P:
Chicken Katsu Curry, Medium Spicy

J:
Chicken Katsu Curry, Medium Spicy
+ Zucchini and Fukujinzuke Pickles


Notes:

This place is a favorite of ours, and we've been here a number of times.  We both knew of it before we knew each other, and happily we continue to love it, together.  And, bonus: it's a short walk from our apartment.

We each tend to order the same thing - Chicken Katsu Curry, medium spicy, occasionally changing up the additions.  I sometimes add jalapeno or eggplant, Patrick sometimes adds a potato croquette or boiled egg.

The dish itself is chicken thigh, pounded thin, breaded with panko (Japanese bread crumbs, which have a very particular, super-crunchy texture) and deep fried, served over steamed white rice and Japanese curry sauce with boiled potato and carrot.  Veggie add-ons (e.g. zucchini, eggplant, etc.) are also thrown in the deep fryer until tender; a bit heavy, but still delicious, so no complaints.  The katsu is always perfectly crispy, the curry sauce is always flavorful, and the boiled potatoes and carrots always tender.  What's special about this is it's a consistently dependable, comforting meal.  If that's what we're in the mood for, it never fails to hit the spot.

I should mention that another favorite thing of mine here is the Spam katsu mini-sandwich.  I didn't have Spam for the first time until, I dunno, about 8 years ago, in the form of Spam musubi (which I highly recommend everyone try, at least once - it's amazingly good), and have since expanded my Spam vocabulary by only a few more preparations, this being one of them.  A 1/4" thick slab of Spam is breaded in panko, fried until crispy and served on a sweet, squishy, King's Hawaiian Roll with a touch (or more, wink wink) of katsu sauce.  It's one of the most perfect snacks, ever.  Feel free to disagree (ahem, Patrick), but you'd be wrong (ahem, Patrick).

Side note: I love katsu sauce, and I realized today that the reason I love katsu sauce is it's essentially Japanese A-1, and I LOVE A-1 Steak Sauce.  I spent the majority of my childhood looking for things to douse in A-1; that sweet-tangy flavor goes with everything (except for maybe a really good steak).

ilana Coffee

photo - Yelp, Nick A.

ilana Coffee, Outer Richmond, Breakfast

March 20, 2016

P:

Egg, Cheese & Ham Croissant Sandwich
Double Latte

J:
Double Latte


Notes:

This is through and through a neighborhood joint.  Nearly every seat, inside and out, seemed to be occupied by a regular on that drizzly Sunday morning.

I wasn't in the mood for anything, so I sat with my coffee, which was perfectly fine, while Patrick enjoyed his sandwich with the promise he'd share a little.  It was good breakfast sandwich, maybe better than I expected.

It's just a few blocks away, so we'll be back.  Next time, I'll try one of their Vietnamese Sandwiches.  I've read good things.