Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Souffles and for souffles only!

This posting is for souffle lovers! Listings of all restaurants (mostly in the Bay Area with a few out of area) we found that serve them:

1. Roy's
2. Pasta Pomodoro
3. Cafe Brioche
4. Cafe Jacqueline
5. Panera Breads (serves savory Souffles - Spinach & Artichoke Souffle)
6. TEN Asian Bistro (in Newport Beach, CA)
7. Shokolaat
8. Bottega Louie (Los Angeles, CA)
9. Souffle Cafe (San Francisco Chinatown)

Ubuntu Yoga Studio & Restaurant

We went to Napa last summer - did not go wine-tasting - did not drive around the scenic backyard, but, we ate tasty stuff, and ate happily.

Having read about the Chef at Ubuntu and all his tasty creations, it was going to be a no-miss for us. Plus, it's organic and the restaurant is doubled up with a yoga studio.

Ubuntu Yoga Studio & Restaurant
www.ubuntunapa.com

1140 Main St
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 251-5656

The decor inside has great ventilation. The frescos, the statues, the high-ceiling, the wooden panels, the view of the yoga studio from your seat, the natural lighting, all work together and try and give us a different restaurant experience. You can also see the Chef tasting everything that the cooks dish out.

Appetizers:

The cold soup with watermelon was out of the world! It was good to start a meal on a warm summer afternoon with a cold yummy soup. The presentation was straight off of a Bobby Flay kitchen.

The chikpea with the red burata dip was again yummo! The texture of the fritters was perfect!

Entrees:

The risotto teamed with some choicest fresh picks - local chestnuts, roasted pumpkin, blue cheese and pieces of tasty roots was again finger-licking good. The risotto itself was cooked in a fine broth and had an extremely smooth finish. It is hard to maintain equanimity in a restaurant that looks elegant and fine, when all you want to do is take the plate in your hand, smell the flavors and slurp it up!

Dessert:

For dessert, we ordered the winter citrus float that came with a tasty rhubarb and rose soda and a finger licking lemon ice cream. The citrus flavor was slightly overpowering, but the pairing with the soda was definitely an intelligent move.

Yoga:

No classes were scheduled during the time we were there. However, we carried a pamphlet with the schedules back home, and I promptly stuck it on the refrigerator door, and promptly forgot about it. We will definitely try to attend a session the next time. (Do carry your yoga mat, and pants if you plan on taking a session)

Overall:

If there's a nice reason to celebrate, and if we don't mind the drive, it will be Ubuntu!

Fresca Peruvian Restaurant / Ceviche bar

The destination for our first monthly dinner club was at Fresca on Fillmore St. in San fran.

Fresca
2114 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94115
Phone: (415) 447-2668

Tips for those who are planning to go:
- they won't seat you until majority of your party has arrived
- it's very small restaurant
- get a table near the kitchen to enjoy the chef's actions while waiting for your food
- walk across the street for gourmet italian dessert / chocolate
- nice neighborhood for shopping before / after meal
- pricy but wide selection of ceviches (my favorite!!!)

happy eating! :)

Lettus Notes

Went for dinner to Lettus last August. Anything with a middle name "Organic" attracts us. Having been to Ubuntu, Greens etc we wanted to try out yet another organic sprout.

Lettus Cafe Organic
3352 Steiner St San Francisco, CA

Our notes:

- Don't depend on just the menu card. Gaze 360 degrees, and go through their walls for 'today's special' and several other entrees and appetizers. The cards on the table don't have them all!
- They close their juice bar at 9 pm - and we were there after 9!

Appetizers:

  1. Mango and sprouts rolled in a rice crepe. Was yummy. The dipping sauce complemented the flavors in the roll. Overall it was juicy and very flavorful. The Thai salad that was served on the side was also enjoyable.
  2. Chickpeas tikki. (chickpeas is gram flour) This was a subtle take on the indian aloo tikki. Turned out to be a good choice. The chickpeas enabled the tikki to be light and crunchy. The aloo was minimal and we loved it this way.
Entree:

The tempeh and the jasmine rice that we had for entree was a disappointment - bland and was not fresh.

Drinks:

- The pinot was nothing of note! ( Sorry, didn't take detailed notes on the wine)

Others:

- Ambience was casual (nice) but very noisy(not nice)! Our guess is that with the food processors in full swing, any time before 9 would be noisier.
- Service was careless - the entrees were served along with the appetizers and went through a long wait before we got to them - the tempeh had definitely hardened and lost a lot of moisture in the meantime!

Overall, we ll definitely go back for more appetizers.

Btw, we chose to skip dessert - the dess menu didn't look appealing at all!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Monthly Dinner Club

My friends and I have started a monthly dinner club, where everyone takes turn to pick a restaurant and invite others. We have done it once in Nov to a Peruvian restaurant in SF on Fillmore street.

Anyone interested to join the dinner club? :)