Harris': Close To Perfection

I could only describe our dining experience at Harris' as CLOSE TO PERFECTION.

Harris' has been serving steaks in San Francisco since 1984. We haven't had an enjoyable dinner such as our dinner at Harris' in a very long time.  We enjoyed the elegant venue and old-school service where patrons are catered to all throughout dinner. Harris' has mastered the art of turning simple beef into a well-crafted steak.

Harris' is like an old boys' club--handsome, dark and formal. Heavy chandeliers were hanging on the high ceiling, stained dark wood furniture and the oversized oval booths were made with real leather (and super-comfy!). The restaurant was divided into a number of dining rooms. The diners appeared to have been more of an older set (50+).

Harris' requests that patrons don a business casual attire. Almost every man that evening wore a black dinner jacket while women also dressed up for the classy venue.

Upon coming in we were given a complimentary crostini plate with butter and pungent cheese spread. Hot rolls were also generously given all throughout dinner.

EAGLE RARE MANHATTAN $13
I am not a hard liquor drinker but I am so, so, so glad that I ordered Harris' Manhattan! I think this was the most perfect drink that I have ever had. The single barrel bourbon whisky, aged 10 years and crafted exclusively for Harris' was so smooth, so balanced and so sophisticated! It was served with sweet vermouth and Peychaud's bitters.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH PEPPERS A delicious bowl of plump mussels in broth so flavorful that when the server took away our bowl, we already wiped it clean with the hot fresh rolls that a server kept on putting on our plates. Each mussel shell came with a slice of pancetta. I am not prone to superlatives but along with the Manhattan, this dish of steamed mussels at Harris' was the best I have ever had and I've had many bowls of this dish in my lifetime.

STEAKS
*Each order of aged beef came with steamed brocollini and baked potato or buttermilk mashed potatoes.

~49 NINER CUT $53 
Knowing I will never finish this, I ordered this generous cut of bone in New York so I can have leftover for lunch on Monday. The beef was very tender and flavorful w/o any dry parts. It was perfectly medium-rare. Delicious!

~BONE IN RIB EYE $49

My guy ordered this, ate and enjoyed every bite of the marbled steak. I ate the crispy fatty pieces that he left on his plate. Very delicious and also cooked medium-rare.

 

*BROCOLLINI AND MASHED POTATOESEven the veggies were crisp and very flavorful. The buttermilk mashed potatoes were so creamy and also very nice.

BAKED APPLE TART W/ ICE CREAM & COFFEE $9 We hardly had any room after my guy ate most of my mashed potatoes, his whole ribeye and I had 3/4 of my NY steak in a brown bag right next to me. We still decided that a dessert would just be an appropriate way to end this sumptous meal. The apple tart was sweet and spicy. It was not remarkable but very nice. Even the coffee was well-made and strong.

TOTAL: $185 including 1 Iced Tea

A splurgey "special occasion" dinner for us but worth every hard-earned dollar. Despite the formal atmosphere and servers dressed in traditional black and white uniform that is rarely seen these days, the service was not stuffy and the servers were friendly.

Now I am dreaming of a life of idle luxury in San Francisco doing nothing but drinking Manhattan at Harris' in a little black dress and pointy heels. Maybe when I retire in a million years..........

Lers Ros Thai (Hayes Valley)

Lers Ros Thai on Hayes is the chic  sister restaurant of the original Lers Ros on Larkin.

Lers Ros on Hayes is indeed modern and new. It has a contemporary bar  that is separated from the dining area by a frosted glass. The walls are made of cut stones with exposed pipes on the ceiling.

 

However, the venue has a very poor noise insulation. The place is very loud even with very few diners at 2 o' clock in the afternoon.  I can only imagine how loud Lers Ros can be when it is in full swing during dinner time.

I ordered the LUNCH SPECIAL which I always order at Lers Ros on Larkin.   I had the YELLOW CURRY WITH TOFU AND SAUTEED EGGPLANT W/ RICE.
 

Portions were generous but both dishes were very sweet and oily. I only finished the yellow curry and rice because the sweetness became too overwhelming for me. Even the complimentary salad with peanut sauce was sugar-sweet.

TOTAL:
Lunch Special at Lers Ros on Hayes = $9.95 vs. Lunch Special at Lers Ros on Larkin = $7.75 (I guess you pay $ for the location, decor and the ambiance.)

VERDICT:
If I want chic sugar-sweet Thai dining with classical music on the background I will go to Lers Ros Thai on Hayes. If I want close to authentic Thai food, I will go to the one on Larkin. They have the same menu but different chef interpretations. My experience at this Lers Ros Thai was not very impressive that I would continue to go to Lers Ros Thai in the Tenderloin despite its unpleasant location.

TOP 100 BAY AREA RESTAURANTS: http://www.sfgate.com/fo…
Mr. Bauer added Lers Ros Thai on Hayes to his 2012 Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants. Although I only had one meal at Lers Ros on Hayes, I do not agree with Mr. Bauer. I am not inclined to go back again to try the other dishes.
 

Troya (Fillmore)

DATE NIGHT: August 17, 2012 @ 5 PM

Troya on Fillmore is the sister of the original Troya on Clement Street. Troya Fillmore took over the previous Citizen Cake  but did a good job of transforming it into a space that is classy, bright and airy.  The decor consists of red brick walls,  exposed pipes on high ceiling and naked bulbs for lighting. The understated decor was minimal but elegant.

At 5PM on a Saturday, the place was empty but as we were leaving at past 6 PM, the place started to get packed.

LENTIL SOUP WITH LEMON AND OLIVE OIL $6
One look a the menu and I knew this was what I wanted. Sure enough, it managed to fight my tastebuds numbed by the nasty cold  and I was able to taste the lovely spices. It was smooth, so flavorful and so comforting!

FLAT BREAD
I even tried to eat my soup with the complimentary herb flat bread. These flat breads were thin, crispy and I managed to taste the dill.  I ate just one since it was not worth wasting my carbs on something I could not fully taste but these delicious flatbread were much appreciated.

BOREK $7
 I got these as my main meal thinking it was one big piece of savory pie.  They turned out to be 3 little itty bitty phyllo dough pies stuffed with spinach, currants and pie nuts. They were good! I could have easily eaten a dozen of these little ones!

FETA CHEESE "CIGARS" W/ HONEY AND PISTACHIO $7
Aside from the soup, this turned out to be the dish that I enjoyed the most.  Enrique commented "eggrolls!" when they were placed at our table. Wrapped in phyllo dough and deep-fried, they did resemble eggrolls but what you will get in each cigar is  hot gooey melting cheese that you will dip in honey and ground nuts before taking a blte. Delicious savory sweet small dish!

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS WITH MINT & YOGURT $7
I honestly thought it was just okay. They even tasted bitter to me  but it was not fair to judge this given I could barely taste or smell anything because of my cold.

EGGPLANT AND BEEF MOUSSAKA $16
A huge plate of traditional eggplant casserole with bechamel sauce. I had a little bite from Enrique's plate and it tasted good. He liked it as well but he complained that it was mostly eggplant and the ground beef was pretty skimpy.

TOTAL: $53 with 2  sodas and before tip

Troya in Fillmore is a  pleasant bright and spacious place to share Mediterranean tapas with your friends and loved ones.   Definitely order a bunch of little plates to have a full appreciation of Troya's cuisine.  I would not mind going back someday when my senses are all fully working to really enjoy the food next time. Troya is a also great as a pre-Sundance Kabuki movie dinner where we headed after our meal to see "Borne Legacy."

Taqueria Vallarta (Mission)

LUNCH DATE: 4th of July 2012 @ 11:30 AM

You only have $1.75 in your pocket?

Taqueria Vallarta's TACO BAR will feed you for mere change. And you don't need to wait for Happy Hour.

On  July 4th, Enrique and I decided to drive to the Mission for a spontaneous Mexican food adventure. We did not even have a particular place in mind. It was Divine Intervention in the form of an empty parking spot across the street from Taqueria Vallarta that decided our lunch destination that day.

Taqueria Vallarta is colorful and full of murals of cultural Mexico and San Francisco. Eating at this taqueria was a feast not only for the palate but for the eyes as well. It was well-patronized by Latin families drinking traditional Mexican sodas in bottles.

The TACO BAR will greet you as soon as you enter TV. It can be more appropriately described as a TACO KIOSK manned by Taco Dude.  You tell him what you want and he will make the taco for you. In less than 5 minutes you can be holding a taco loaded with meat which you can garnish according to your heart's desire.

1. Choose your meat: Tripita or tripe, Carnitas,  Lengua or tongue,  Beef neck, etc.
2. Garnish it with:  Red or green salsa,  onions, cilantro, radish, lemon
3. Proceed to the counter to pay or if you want to order other dishes aside from tacos.

The best part -- each taco only costs $1.75!!!!

Tripita Taco

Enrique and I went a tad crazy once again. We kept on adding to our orders. He started off with CHILE RELLENO then before paying added an order of MENUDO.



Chile Relleno

I ordered POZOLE.

While waiting for our food, I could not resist the call of the Taco Bar, got up and got me a TRIPITA TACO. Chips and salsa were provided for us while waiting. Sinful and a quick snack. The meat was flavorful although slightly dry.

~ POZOLE : Last time I had menudo was probably about 5 years ago. I love offal, pig's feet, snout, you name it. Eventhough my doctor pronounced me as being in excellent health,  my  determination to live a healthy, low-blood pressure and cholesterol-free life sometimes turns me into an irrational health nut.
Sadly all I could do was stare at the gelatinous pig's feet in front of me. I was salivating but I ate the broth which was very flavorful and finished the pozole. I tried a little bit of the meat but I left most of it untouched. All dishes came with about 5 piping hot corn tortillas each. It was a nice try, though, but I just really cannot ingest fat because of this paranoia that it might just attach itself to my heart.

~ MENUDO and CHILE RELLENO: Enrique who is a 3rd generation Latino finished and enjoyed his order. He complained that his menudo did not have a lot of meat but came mostly with fat. He also pointed out that my pozole should have been lighter in color and flavor than the menudo. I do not know any better. It just tasted good to me.

~ TACO: I loved and enjoyed my tripe taco. It was packed with meat which was tender and nicely seasoned. Next time I will order me a 12 tacos at Taqueria Vallarta. LOL!

Service was very slow if ordering other dishes. One person cooking and one woman handling the cash register, delivering food and answering phones. Order some tacos as appetizers if waiting for other food. The place got packed at around noon.

We had a very enjoyable spontaneous Mexican food adventure in the Mish. The Taco Bar at Taqueria Vallarta  was fun and one of the best deals in town.  Taqueria Vallarta is a great place to grab authentic Mexican food in the Mission.

TOTAL: ~ $32 including water and soda before tip (the dishes were about $8.75 each)

Christopher Elbow Artisinal Chocolates (Hayes Valley)

I am in trouble once again. I found another addiction. This time it is an obsession with HOT CHOCOLATES. My supplier? He goes by the name Christopher Elbow.

Christopher Elbow is a chocolate boutique. Instead of pretty clothes or shoes, you will find pretty chocolates: milk or dark, truffles or bars, nuts, fruits, edible (candies) or drinkable (hot chocolate)...

At Christopher Elbow, life turns into a box of chocolates for an hour or so.

And like the chocolates it sells, Christopher Elbow's venue is fabulous, sleek and contemporary. You will drink and eat your chocolate in a classy venue with dark wood seats and lighted tables. If you are lucky, you might be the only person at CE and you can sip your hot chocolate in bliss.

CE's is becoming my rendezvouz with my sanity. A place away from work. A place before calling it a day and hitting that commute.


HOT CHOCOLATES
The attraction for me really was the lure of hot cup of exotic flavored chocolates. These two are my faves so far:

*COCONUT CURRY HOT CHOCOLATE
I saw the server open a whole can of Chaokoh Coconut Milk and do her magic. What I got was a deliciously hot cup of spiced coconut chocolate. The curry was mild and complimented the bittersweet-sweet cocoa. It was topped with 2 squares of marshmallows that slowly melted as I sipped my hot chocolate.

 *5 SPICE HOT CHOCOLATE
No, it does not taste like Chinese food. This Asian-inspired hot cocoa has a deep sophisticated taste for mature audiences. I do not think kids would love this but I do!

CHOCOLATES:
The chocolates are equally awesome. If they promise you the taste of sweet unicorn breath, you will get it. Their flavors are subtle yet distinct and balanced:

I put together a care package for a friend who needs cheering up. I picked up a box of 4 chocolates for her. I chose them because they were colorful and pretty--with the hopes that they will bring a smile to her face.

-Balsamic Strawberry
-Citrus Tea
-Hazelnut Praline
-Spiced Mango

Of course, I had to grab some for myself:

Spiced Mango, Venezuelan Spice Turtle, Balsamic Strawberry

*The BALSAMIC STRAWBERRY was exquisite while the SPICED MANGO tasted like freshly harvested tropical mangoes and sunshine. 

VENEZUELAN SPICE TURTLE $3
Wowza! Sweet, spicy and salty. Powdered outside then a gooey deliciousness inside. ! I am glad that they are selling this for $3 a pop because otherwise, I will make a meal out of these!

PEANUT BUTTER PATTIES $3
Sadly, I would rather eat Reese's PB cups instead which are my all time faves.

PRICES:

-CHOCOLATES: $2 each ($1+ more if boxed.) They will break the bank if you make a meal out of them. As treats, I think it's a fair value for artisinal high-end chocolates.

-HOT CHOCOLATES: $4.50 each which are cheaper than Ghirardelli's but CE's hot cocoas are a lot yummier.

**************************
CHOCOLATES MENU: http://www.elbowchocolat

Mochica: Peruvian Fusion

DATE NIGHT: 07.21.2012 @ 6 PM

FRIED CHICKPEAS @ PIQUEO'S: # 82 on SFs 7x7  Big Eats 2010: 100 Things to Try Before You Die

 Mochica and Piqueo are sister restaurants.

Since I do not foresee going to Piqueo's anytime soon, this will do for now.

Mochica's FRIED CHICKPEAS, if they were as good as Piqueo's, deserve the special mention in the much-followed "7x7 SF Big Eat." 

These complimentary  fried chickpeas were crunchy and tasty. The crunchy peanut like texture is contrasted by tomatoes and red onions. 

Armed with an expired Groupon, Enrique and I made it to Mochica for our date night.
Mochica is a tiny restaurant located at South of Market. Just like SoMa's signature loft-style architecture, Mochica has high ceiling and exposed beams. A big chalkboard  on the wall is functional as a menu display and piece of art.

 Bottles of wine on the walls were also used as art pieces. The place was cramped and loud.

I had the CHICHAMOSA $8 which is a combination champagne and chicha morada (Peruvian non-alcoholic sweet drink made from purple corn). I have not had this before but I found it very nice and very refreshing!

Enrique and I shared BEEF HEART (Anticuchose de Corazon) $12 as our appetizer It was served with potatoes and huacatay sauce

Avocado Stuffed with Chicken Salad and Beef Heart with Huacatay Sauce

Since heart is a muscular organ, I was expecting tough meat. Our beef heart tapa was actually pretty tender. However, the sauce that came with it was just one dimensional in flavor and quite salty.

We also also shared an AVOCADO STUFFED WITH CHICKEN $9 which is another appetizer. It was served with a very fresh avocado with simple chicken salad.  Lovely and great as a palate cleanser.

Enrique had the BRAISED LAMD (Seco de Cordero) $21 as his main entree. Leg of lamb slowly braised in cilantro-peruvian dark beer sauce with white beans.

I had a taste and this dish was very flavorful and the meat was very tender. The beans were also nicely seasoned.

I had the BRAISED HALIBUT AND SEAFOOD STEW (Pescado a lo Macho) $22

This bowl of seafood reminded me cioppino but in lighter tomato-based sauce.

Our check was came up to $81 including tip before Groupon.

Mochica serves tasty Peruvian-Fusion dishes.  We liked everything we had. Every single dish was delicious.  Despite the middle of the road, friendly service, our dinner at Mochica was satisfying.

Bluestem Brasserie

Dinner Date: July 14, 2012

Because of its proximity to hotels, Bluestem Brasserie caters to a certain type of clientele -- it is  frequented by conference attendees and tourists in "I Love SF" sweatshirts.

Despite our experience with one particular group of loud and obnoxious conference attendees, we had an enjoyable dinner at Bluestem Brasserie prior to seeing Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter at the Century Theatre. Bluestem is a great pre-movie dinner venue being just a five minute walk to the Century Theatre at Bloomingdale's.

Bluestem is sleek and contemporary with floor to ceiling glass walls, wood and dark leather.

For my drink I had the BLUEBERRY GIMLET ($10).   A little too tangy for me. I was not so happy with my drink but I never send my drink back. The prize of the blueberry  soaking in blueberry syrup in the bottom of the cocktail glass gave me the sweetness that I was craving for in my drinks.

We had LAMB SAUSAGE WITH YOGURT-MINT AND ROASTED EGGPLANT ($11.50) for our appetizer. It was a simple appetizer but the lamb sausage was surprisingly mellow yet flavorful. The freshness was very apparent which was not surprising because the sausage was made in house. The mint-yogurt and eggplant were equally tasty.

As my main meal, I ordered the DUCK CONFIT SALAD WITH POACHED DUCK EGG ($23). Not only this salad delicious, it was also very filling.  This salad was loaded with tender duck meat with perfectly poached duck egg on top that ran and mixed in with the greens and duck. The richness of this meal really satisfied me!

Enrique had the 12 OZ RIBEYE  $35 WITH BOURBON ESPRESSO SAUCE $3.75. Enrique reported that this was a disappointing steak. The steak was full of veins which made it chewy.

Our check was $104 with Iced Tea and tip

A delightful meal pre-movie date night dinner.  Service started out slow but turned out to be efficient. Our servers were friendly.  If given the chance I want that duck confit salad for lunch again one of these days.