bacar

Tonight was a birthday dinner for one of my tennis buddies, Dat. What better place to celebrate his birthday than to dine within the "Dine About Town" specials. This time was a restaurant located about 1.5 blocks from our SOMA tennis club hangout. The restaurant is called bacar.


The last "Dine About Town 2006" destination is at bacar

The executive chef happens to be Chinese named Arnold Eric Wong. However, the cuisine style is Californian. The interior has a very warm feeling. The most eye-catching part of the restaurant is their wall collection of fine wine.


Main Dining Room

Wine Collection Wall - 3 levels worth

Again, with the fun company of friends and the shear hunger of my being, I forgot to take photos of my appetizer, which was wok roated pei black mussels. It has a nice spicy taste taken from thai bird chili with a mixture of garlic and white wine. It was served in a big aluminum bot, thus there was an abundance of mussels.

My entree was the grilled tuna. Whenever I see red on my tuna, I start to salivate...as one of my favorite food is sushi. The tuna is nice a fresh. The vinegar and black sea salt served as the flavor for the fish. I just wish they gave us several more slices of tuna...


Mesquite Grilled Tuna

Most of the folks ordered the tuna, but there was a selected few that went for the chicken. Elmor graciously let me have a bite of his chicken. It was nice and juicy. The skin was also very tasty, which reminded me of the one at Ana Mandara.


Harissa Roasted Petit Chicken

The dessert was amazing. My choice was the caramel nut tart. The crust was a bit harder than I would like, but it was nonetheless very good.


Caramel Nut Tart with Vanilla Gelato

The birthday boy ordered the gelato with assorted cookies. We have made special arrangement with the waitress to provide something a bit special.



Housemade Gelato with Assorted Cookies - Birthday Style

Fringale

I am suppose to be on a diet...a somewhat moderate low-carb diet. Coming to Fringale did not help. The name, Fringale means "the urge to eat." The restaurant is one of the first true French bistros in San Francisco. It is located in the South of Market Area (SOMA), a block away from the tennis club I usually hang out at (SFTC). It is hard to believe that it has been opened since 1991.


Fringale Restaurant at the Heart of SOMA

The price is very reasonable...around US$18 to $25 per entree. Thus, Jenny and I opted to not choose the Dine About Town menu, and went for the regular menu.

First up...we shared two appetizers: grilled calamari and salad. The calamari is grilled with jalapeños and chorizo, so it is non-the-less spicy. Jenny and I were fighting to eat those jalapeños and peppers. It is sooooo good.


Spicy Monterey calamari “à la plancha” with jalapeños & chorizo

The salad did not disappoint either. It is a very unusual blend of bacon, poached egg and toasted levain. Yes, the poached egg was cooked just right...that oozing yoke!!!


Frisée salad with warm bacon dressing, poached egg & toasted levain

For the entree, we went for the beef and salmon combo. Again, we shared a wine. This time was a Syrah from Central Coast (Bridgeway 2003). This wine was very flowery with a sharp peppery taste...it went well with both our food.

I had to eat meat, so I went for the Black Angus rib-eye steak (cooked medium) with red wine butter. The butter is so delicious, I smuthered it all over the beef.


Black Angus rib eye steak with red wine butter & pommes frites

The salmon on the other hand, I felt, was not as fresh as I would like. It had a bit of a fishy taste to it. Jenny and I immediately compared this to that delicious salmon at Cortez. I think that salmon dish at Cortez will be my benchmark to judge other Salmon dishes elsewhere.


Loch Duart Scottish pan-roasted salmon with white asparagus & prawn coulis

In the course of the meal, I ate lots and lots of bread (recall my moderately low-carb diet?) because I was just too hungry. Thus when time came to dessert, Jenny and I shared Fringale's signature dish (as recommended by the ladies at the next table): dense almond torte with layer of custard cream. This dessert was simply a delight, as almond is one of my favorite flavor (think almond jello).



Mme. Angèle’s Gateau Basque
Dense almond torte filled with a layer of custard cream

Ana Mandara

Ana Mandara's Exquisite Table Setting

Who would ever think a Vietnamese restaurant can be so good (as good as the other notable Slanted Door). Ana Mandara has an atmosphere that is much more Asian than Slanted Door. Its interior is filled with large paintings, calligraphy, lamps, and magnifcent arches. This restaurant is located right at the street level of Ghirardelli Square. There are no windows in the restaurants, so one does not get to see the Bay View.


It is like being in a little village by itself...

First up...Crispy Lobster Ravioli. I was so hungry...by the time I realized that I needed to take a picture, I have already finished 80% of it. I am a big fan of Mango...and the orange sauce on the plate is that of Mango Sauce. YUM!!


Crispy Lobster Ravioli with Spicy Mango Sauce

I got the fish, Mekong Basa this time. Basa is kind of like sole, although without being overly oily. It was okay...not great, but it was indeed fresh. Jenny was the clear winner, she got this magnificent five-spiced chicken. I kept telling her that she needed to cut fatty food, so she should just offer me the chicken skin. Jenny smartly declined. :-(


Seared Mekong Basa

Crispy Skin Five-Spiced Poussin

For the above dishes, Jenny and I shared a French Pinot Noir (2003 Bourgogne Rouge, Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France). It goes well with either dish, although we had different taste experiences due to our food. Very complex taste with a nice peppery finish that lingers quite long.

I am a big lemon fan. Without second thought, I picked Lemon Mousse. Mmmmm....so tangy good...without being too tangy. Jenny had the Coconut Rum Cake. That dessert was okay....it did not ring a bell for me. However, Jenny mentioned that she is allergic to rum...and if there is too much rum, she might throw up. I kindly asked if I needed to ask for a barf bag, just in case she decided to do a protein spill in my car.


Meyer Lemon Mousse

Flourless Coconut Rum Cake

Cortez

Cortez is a Mediterranean restaurant. The star chefs here are Quinn and Karen Hartfield from North Carolina. The food here are prepared in tapas (small dish) fashion. Jenny and I came here before attending the super-incredibly-horrible musical, Lestat. Jenny and I both agreed that though the musical experience was horrific, at least the dinner was good.


Cortez Neon Lights in Downtown SF

Cortez's atmosphere has a 70's feel to it. I could not provide any image, since the place was so dark. However, it is definitely definitely a great date place.

I don't particularly remember what I had for appetizer, but the dish that really jumped out at me was my salmon dish. It has got to be the most delicious salmon dish I have ever tasted. The top layer of the salmon is crunchy mustard crust with just the right amount of salty flavor that doees not overwhelm the salmon.


Mustard Crusted Wild Salmon with Sunchoke Puree

Jenny had the Steak...she just felt she needed some hefty meat. I am not a fan of onions, but I sure wanted those onion rings. She let me have a little taste of the meat...it was very tender and juicey.


Pan Roasted Meyer Hanger Steak w/ Spice Dusted Crispy Onions

When I came to dessert, I have to say I was the clear winner choosing the chocolate peanut butter truffle cake. If you look at the ochre-colored middle...that is melted peanut butter!!! The banana ice cream was also very smooth. As for Jenny's Apple Tart... I could care less!!


Warm Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Cake with Roasted Banana Ice Cream

Warm Apple Tart Tatin with Rosemary Scented Butterscotch Ice Cream

Dine About Town 2006 in San Francisco

This is one of my favorite months in San Francisco. In the month of January, many notable restaurants in San Francisco participates in what they call "Dine About Town." Diners can get a set 3-course lunch and/or dinner at a remarkable reduced price (this is not absolute for some restaurants, because their regular price is actually about the same). This is the chance to go eat at places that are usually out-of-reach financially for casual dining experience.

Intro to My Gluttonous Sin

I love food. Me and my dinner buddy, Jenny, sets out for adventurous dining experience throughout San Francisco...one of the best places to eat in USA due to its melting pot of cultural diversity. I am no food critic and I am no expert. I just tell it as it is....to some of you, my description might be incredibly shallow. But hey, I am the one who actually ate the food, YOU ARE JUST SITTING IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER READING!!! Furthermore, from now on, I will incorporate the food portion of my travel blog (schuworld) here....so you will also get to see what I eat during my out-of-town experience.

Ittataki-masu!!!