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it was good. here's where we ate:

state bird provisions
yank sing
copra
del popolo
city view
606

dinner at copra was outstanding. perhaps the best indian meal i've ever had in the u.s and up there with the best in london. and we preferred city view's dim sum (and experience) to yank sing.

more detailed reviews of all the meals will start showing up on the blog next week.

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  • 1 month later...

My wife had a business trip to San Francisco recently; I decided to tag along,  and we went a couple of days prior, which gave us nearly a full week.  First couple of days AirBnB'ed in the Castro, then moved over to a hotel just off the Embarcadero.  Had a couple of old-fashioned breakfasts those first couple of mornings...

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Orphan Andy's, followed by the following morning at The Cove.  Both fine for breakfast.

Took a drive out to Tomales Bay for lunch with a friend. 

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Northern Cal's best. Tomales Bays and Humboldt Bays, at Hog Island.

First two dinners: one at Delfina, the night was arrived, was okay. And easy. Then State Bird, which is really good. Met a friend there, and cranked up the bill. Some nice wines, some excellent food, and the sweetest service west of the Mississippi; I love that staff.

Our final in the Castro,  a nice find, recommended here or by previous hosts, was this place on Castro St.

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No res - we waited about an hour after writing our name on the white board - and they close early (like 8?). It's just the kind of food I want to eat when local...

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Crab. Just...crab.

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A really excellent wild shrimp dish. Which may have been a special, or based on the entree?

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A piece of local rockfish of some sort, mash, butter, lemon. Kind of a perfect meal for me, with sweet service, easily drinkable wines, and 2 blocks from our AirBnb. The Castro could turn into my favorite neighborhood in San Francisco.

Moved to the hotel - view from our barely openable window on the 8th floor:

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When Significant Eater started dealing with work,  I was able to go off on some adventures.  I climbed the fucking Filbert Steps. I'm old. I hadn't climbed the Filbert Steps in a decade (or maybe more). It was warm, because the most beautiful time of year, at least in the Bay Area, tends to be the beginning of football season and for the next month or two. 

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Above - iykyk.

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Climbing to get here...

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Fog cooperated:

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In every which way.

Hotel was around the corner; I'd reserved the bar area at Boulevard, where the menu is a la carte, and the food is good.

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Especially the California Abalone Roll:

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 Met a friend at Angler...

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More to come.

Edited by MitchW
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The abrupt ending of the post above? I forgot something was on the stove, almost boiling over.

Re: Angler - that whole bird, which basically comes as you see it, was one of the tastiest birds I've had in a while. Cooking with wood helps, the brine was just right, and they use a good quality bird. Along with Parker House rolls and a side salad, it makes for a nice dinner.

 As a solo diner, I hit Yank Sing one day for lunch and had a nice assortment of dim sum. The caveat at Yank Sing?  Don't order everything from the first cart that comes your way...they're pushy!

My other solo lunch was at old favorite, after wandering North Beach a bit (and popping into City Lights)...

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And having an old-school espresso at Cafe Grecco, wasn't here...

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But here...

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(Y'all thought Sam Wo, huh?). No, Brandy's, along with Henry's Hunan, was where my first exposure to Hunanese food in the US took place.  Both restaurants were around 35-40 years ago, and visited extensively. On this gorgeous SF day, I had the lunch special...

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Which included the starters above. Hot and spicy soup, cold noodle and cucumber salad, and a fried big dumpling...followed by a spicy stir-fry. All in around $20.

After lunch, I walked to San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art (reciprocal entry with Whitney Membership!).  They have a nice Warhol collection, including this Dolly:

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A Brancusi...

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Quite a few Calders:

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And a Robert Arneson, a local Bay-area artist, and a leader of the Funk Art movement.

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That one is called Smorgi-Bob, The Cook. And I thought it apropos.

Our final dinner - thanks to @voyager above, was at her recommended place in Dogpatch - Piccino. Dogpatch might be a little out of the way if you're staying out in the Richmond or Sunset or Noe Valley, but it's practically a hop skip and jump from where we were on the Embarcadero. 

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A nice California melon salad, with obligatory flowers.

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House-made pasta with sausage and greens was good (I might've cut back on the bread crumbs), and should've been shared.

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Oat and berry crumble desert topped it off just right. Lovely meal, another place with lovely service as well.

Early flight the following morning...

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Edited by MitchW
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  • 7 months later...
Posted (edited)

we saw an (overly) long play at the american conservatory theater, but this was brunch beforehand 

omelette with black beans and crema; thai chicken salad; coffee and chai latte at cafe la tazita (470 post (mason)) 

pretty good for $69 (with 20% tip). hubby says the beans were cooked exceptionally well.

edit: there was a bowl of tomato-basil soup as well.

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Edited by Diancecht
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  • 2 weeks later...

hubhy and i celebrated our 12th anniversary last night at 7 adams. it’s a michelin one star located on sutter street near japantown.

2024 thread on reddit

sf chronicle review

the infatuation review from june 2024

all told, it came out to $550 for two people with a 20% tip included. as for the food, we sat at the chef’s counter and there were some excellent bites and a few things that didn’t work. this is probably the first time i have had a buffalo chicken wing at a michelin starred establishment. hubby wants to return and experience their regular tables, but i need convincing. as you’ll see, many of the courses featured multiple components, but could have used some editing.

i’ll post the images first, then will add some captions in.

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almond financier; steamed egg with caviar, mascarpone, espelette pepper.

we loved this amuse-bouche. was probably the best offering from last night.

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chlorophyll tart, cured anchovy, cauliflower mousse

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oysters, caviar, white asparagus, hazelnut 

this was just “fine”, and had a touch too much salinity from the caviar. it needed some contrast.

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sashimi, puffed amaranth, avocado, green almonds, cherries 

nothing to write home about 

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japanese milk bread, butter

this kind of made up for the preceding course 

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homemade gemelli with sea urchin “carbonara”, calabrian chili

this was just ok. i would have preferred regular carbonara though.

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trout, corn, creamed millet, shiitake xo sauce

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boneless buffalo wing, because one of the chefs is from that part of the country. 🤔

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duck, koji syrup, morels, nettle tempura 

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sauternes

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mulberries, buttermilk, chamomile, herbs

as a palate cleanser, you could have removed two components and it would have worked better.

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red tea ice cream, almond toffee shortbread, nutmeg cake donut

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mignardises

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Edited by Diancecht
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