Darla's is a traditional American eatery in the Inner Sunset that offers burgers - 'possibly one of the best in SF' - sandwiches, salads, soups, and breakfast items like omelettes, pancakes and breakfast burritos served all day. For dinner, they have comforting plates of prime rib, pork chops, chicken fried steak and fish and chips which all come with salad, fresh vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes and are priced between $10 and $16. They make homemade milkshakes and rootbeer floats, too.
Every Tuesday past 5:00 p.m., Darla's serves up to two kids under the age of 12 free off the kids' menu with the purchase of an adult entree. If your child brings in a colored picture from their web site, he or she gets a free kids' meal any day of the week with the purchase of one adult entree. Youngsters can enjoy classic kiddie fare such as corn dogs with french fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, and mini burgers. They can have milk, apple juice or lemonade to wash it all down.
There's a patio in the back which is nice when it's good weather. And, how about that little signature chocolate chip brownie that comes with your bill? How cute.
For more info: Darla's, open 7 days a week. 822 Irving Street at 9th Avenue. 415.753.3275.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Foreign Cinema: A year-round favorite in the Mission
For years, my husband and I have loved the unique Cal-Med style food, professional service and "industrial chic" environs at Foreign Cinema. We've enjoyed romantic champagne brunches - they carry one of my favorite bubbles, Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé - many a dinner with friends, and a few family meals with the kids. After 10 years in business, this place still impresses.
It was around 1:00 p.m. when we arrived last weekend and both the dining room and courtyard were packed. Good thing we had reservations. The hostess, coffee server and waiter were all friendly and performed their jobs seamlessly. The food was great, as always. I like that they change their menu everyday, it keeps each visit interesting and fun. Our three-year-old daughter seemed to enjoy our brunch as much as we did. And, she had a good time drawing with crayons on the white butcher paper they conscientiously placed over our white tablecloth.
During the day, the patio is a bright, cheery space and after sunset, a flicker and glow emanate from nightly films they project onto the brick wall. The dining room has a warm yet urban feel and casual elegance that makes dining here feel like a treat. Whether you sit inside or out, it is a hip place to hang out and break bread with friends any time.
This Mission District destination is also a cool setting for private parties. There are several options, including a spacious art gallery adjacent to the patio, a mezzanine and a small Director’s Table. Lazlo bar located in front of the restaurant is also available for buyouts. My friends and I have often boogied to the grooves of the DJ and enjoyed late night drinks there.
Here is the line up of food we ordered:
Baked eggs in chicken hash ($15) - Oooh, my kind of dish! Two eggs sat atop chicken hash, kale, tomatoes, onions, and chickpeas in a spicy red sauce. I loved all the ingredients and especially liked that it packed some heat. The grilled papad, or thin Indian flatbread, was nice although a hunk of French bread would have soaked up that sauce better.
Madras curry roast chicken ($16) - Another delightfully spicy dish. There was a perfectly roasted half chicken with crispy skin and juicy, tender meat. It was accompanied by basmati rice with golden raisins, red onion raita and broccoli rabe. Mmmmmmm.
Fruit "pop tarts" ($6.75) - There was a choice of apple and strawberry that day and we opted for apple. It looked kind of like a pop tart dusted with confectioner's sugar but tasted much better. Unlike the sickeningly sweet kiddie version, this was like a warm apple turnover.
Kids' portion of French toast with a side of slow-cooked brown sugar smoked bacon - Our daughter had two pieces of baguette French toast with maple syrup and an order of delectable, chewy, slightly sweet bacon. Mommy had no self control and ate half of the bacon, oops! The kids' menu ($10) consists of a three course meal starting with fresh fruit and ending with two scoops of homemade ice cream with whipped cream. Besides French toast, entree choices included scrambled eggs and a grilled cheese sandwich.
I also give them thumbs up for serving delicious decaf coffee from Caffé Roma in North Beach.
Foreign Cinema is always worth the trip to the Mission District.
For more info: Foreign Cinema. 2534 Mission Street, between 21st and 22nd Streets. 415.648.7600.
It was around 1:00 p.m. when we arrived last weekend and both the dining room and courtyard were packed. Good thing we had reservations. The hostess, coffee server and waiter were all friendly and performed their jobs seamlessly. The food was great, as always. I like that they change their menu everyday, it keeps each visit interesting and fun. Our three-year-old daughter seemed to enjoy our brunch as much as we did. And, she had a good time drawing with crayons on the white butcher paper they conscientiously placed over our white tablecloth.
During the day, the patio is a bright, cheery space and after sunset, a flicker and glow emanate from nightly films they project onto the brick wall. The dining room has a warm yet urban feel and casual elegance that makes dining here feel like a treat. Whether you sit inside or out, it is a hip place to hang out and break bread with friends any time.
This Mission District destination is also a cool setting for private parties. There are several options, including a spacious art gallery adjacent to the patio, a mezzanine and a small Director’s Table. Lazlo bar located in front of the restaurant is also available for buyouts. My friends and I have often boogied to the grooves of the DJ and enjoyed late night drinks there.
Here is the line up of food we ordered:
Baked eggs in chicken hash ($15) - Oooh, my kind of dish! Two eggs sat atop chicken hash, kale, tomatoes, onions, and chickpeas in a spicy red sauce. I loved all the ingredients and especially liked that it packed some heat. The grilled papad, or thin Indian flatbread, was nice although a hunk of French bread would have soaked up that sauce better.
Madras curry roast chicken ($16) - Another delightfully spicy dish. There was a perfectly roasted half chicken with crispy skin and juicy, tender meat. It was accompanied by basmati rice with golden raisins, red onion raita and broccoli rabe. Mmmmmmm.
Fruit "pop tarts" ($6.75) - There was a choice of apple and strawberry that day and we opted for apple. It looked kind of like a pop tart dusted with confectioner's sugar but tasted much better. Unlike the sickeningly sweet kiddie version, this was like a warm apple turnover.
Kids' portion of French toast with a side of slow-cooked brown sugar smoked bacon - Our daughter had two pieces of baguette French toast with maple syrup and an order of delectable, chewy, slightly sweet bacon. Mommy had no self control and ate half of the bacon, oops! The kids' menu ($10) consists of a three course meal starting with fresh fruit and ending with two scoops of homemade ice cream with whipped cream. Besides French toast, entree choices included scrambled eggs and a grilled cheese sandwich.
I also give them thumbs up for serving delicious decaf coffee from Caffé Roma in North Beach.
Foreign Cinema is always worth the trip to the Mission District.
For more info: Foreign Cinema. 2534 Mission Street, between 21st and 22nd Streets. 415.648.7600.
Crazy for Koo
No doubt about it, Koo excels at serving wonderfully fresh sushi and sashimi. Chef/owner Kiyoshi Hayakawa (Sushi Ran, Ace Wasabi’s, Tokyo GoGo) turns out impressive quality fish with daily specials from his simple, clean Irving Street sushi bar and restaurant. There are also fusion dishes like shrimp and scallop dumplings with a drizzle of chili oil and mango puree, grilled artichokes, and duck breast salad with a mustard-ginger-pineapple sauce. The latter is our favorite, but overall, the sushi bar items are really their forte. Servers are always courteous and efficient. Koo has a nice selection of sake and my husband likes the fact that they serve Asahi Black which he can't find at many restaurants in town.
One unique and fun dish to eat is appropriately named A Spoonful of Happiness. You actually receive two delicious spoonfuls: one with uni (sea urchin), quail egg, tobiko and ponzu sauce; the other with ankimo (monkfish liver) wrapped with whitefish, ponzu and truffle oil. A shot of dry sake accompanies them. The first bite is smooth and creamy and the second bursts with flavor. Wow, my tastebuds do cartwheels.
A few of our favorite types of sushi here are the wild aji (mackerel) garnished with green onions, the otoro or indulgently fatty blue fin tuna, wild King salmon, and nasu or Japanese eggplant. Rather than rattle off a long list, let's just say that my husband and I haven't met a fish here that we didn't like.
We recently discovered that they don’t like to do substitutions which created a minor hiccup when we took our kids there for dinner last week. My son wanted to have white rice instead of mashed potatoes (they call it potato salad) with his chicken teriyaki, but they said they couldn’t do a swap. So, we ordered a bowl of rice on the side. And, their chicken comes with a sweet chutney rather than classic teriyaki sauce which my son wasn't too keen about. He and my daughter were both happier with the tempura.
Again, if you focus on goodies from the sushi bar, you are bound to go home happy. This is a nice place to go with a group of friends for dinner. Just note that parking can be difficult in the neighborhood, especially on weekend nights, and it can be tough to get a table if you don’t plan ahead. Be sure to make reservations and give yourself extra time to park.
Koo. 408 Irving Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), San Francisco, CA 94122. 451.731.7077. Closed Mondays.
One unique and fun dish to eat is appropriately named A Spoonful of Happiness. You actually receive two delicious spoonfuls: one with uni (sea urchin), quail egg, tobiko and ponzu sauce; the other with ankimo (monkfish liver) wrapped with whitefish, ponzu and truffle oil. A shot of dry sake accompanies them. The first bite is smooth and creamy and the second bursts with flavor. Wow, my tastebuds do cartwheels.
A few of our favorite types of sushi here are the wild aji (mackerel) garnished with green onions, the otoro or indulgently fatty blue fin tuna, wild King salmon, and nasu or Japanese eggplant. Rather than rattle off a long list, let's just say that my husband and I haven't met a fish here that we didn't like.
We recently discovered that they don’t like to do substitutions which created a minor hiccup when we took our kids there for dinner last week. My son wanted to have white rice instead of mashed potatoes (they call it potato salad) with his chicken teriyaki, but they said they couldn’t do a swap. So, we ordered a bowl of rice on the side. And, their chicken comes with a sweet chutney rather than classic teriyaki sauce which my son wasn't too keen about. He and my daughter were both happier with the tempura.
Again, if you focus on goodies from the sushi bar, you are bound to go home happy. This is a nice place to go with a group of friends for dinner. Just note that parking can be difficult in the neighborhood, especially on weekend nights, and it can be tough to get a table if you don’t plan ahead. Be sure to make reservations and give yourself extra time to park.
Koo. 408 Irving Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), San Francisco, CA 94122. 451.731.7077. Closed Mondays.
Social networking sites => burgeoning street food phenomenon
Thanks largely to Web 2.0 technology, street food is the hot new trend here. Savvy entrepreneurs are taking advantage of the benefits of pavement fare over the traditional restaurant model, including ever-important factors such as lower overhead and labor costs. They are stocking carts, trucks and even bicycles and creating buzz for free by using tools like Twitter and Facebook. And, these social networking sites enable mobile businesses to instantly shed light on their whereabouts for their loyal following everyday. What's so exciting about this breed of purveyors is that they are not just serving tacos - and don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with tacos - but unique and diverse food can be found, from frog legs and artisan salumi to pho and curry. Here are some street beat eats you can follow on Twitter around the Bay Area.
Amuse Bouche SF - muffins and chai tea
Bike Basket Pies - mini rustic pies
Boccalone Salumi Cycle - panini sandwiches filled with artisan salumi
Cookie Wag SF - homemade cookies and ice cream sandwiches
Creme Brulee Cart - various flavors of creme brûlée
Gobba Gobba Hey - various flavors of round cakes with cream filling
Left Coast Smoke - BBQ
Magic Curry Cart - chicken and tofu curries
Mobile Pho Truck - Vietnamese noodle soup
Roli Roti - rotisserie meats
Sexy Soup Cart - organic soups
SF Moo Moo Cakes - organic ice cream sandwiches, popsicles, ice cream
Spencer on the Go - upscale French (Chez Spencer)
Thai Shaved Ice - shaved ice
Urban Nectar - juices
Amuse Bouche SF - muffins and chai tea
Bike Basket Pies - mini rustic pies
Boccalone Salumi Cycle - panini sandwiches filled with artisan salumi
Cookie Wag SF - homemade cookies and ice cream sandwiches
Creme Brulee Cart - various flavors of creme brûlée
Gobba Gobba Hey - various flavors of round cakes with cream filling
Left Coast Smoke - BBQ
Magic Curry Cart - chicken and tofu curries
Mobile Pho Truck - Vietnamese noodle soup
Roli Roti - rotisserie meats
Sexy Soup Cart - organic soups
SF Moo Moo Cakes - organic ice cream sandwiches, popsicles, ice cream
Spencer on the Go - upscale French (Chez Spencer)
Thai Shaved Ice - shaved ice
Urban Nectar - juices
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