Category Archives: Restaurants

Speedy, Simple Sides Part II: The Green Beans

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A perky, fast holiday salad.

Creamy, cheesy green bean casserole is the stuff of comfort and tradition.

But for a lighter, contemporary California take, try this crisp, tangy “Green Bean Salad with Pickled Shallots.”

It’s from “Heart of the Artichoke” (Artisan), the newest cookbook by David Tanis, long-time chef at Berkeley’s landmark Chez Panisse.

I dunno about you, but at holiday tables so laden with a multitude of rich, buttery dishes, I always welcome having something bright, fresh and assertively zingy as a contrast.

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Speedy, Simple Sides Part I: The Mushrooms

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Spectacular shiitakes that take practically no time to cook.

At this time of year especially, we can’t ever have enough recipes for side dishes that are versatile, effortless and crowd-pleasers.

“Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms with Sage” fits that bill perfectly.

It takes barely 10 minutes to make and goes well alongside everything from poultry to pork to beef.

And it’s from suave Chef Eric Ripert of New York’s renowned Le Bernardin. It’s from his new cookbook, “Avec Eric” (Wiley), a companion to his similarly named, intelligent PBS cooking show.

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Fabulous Frances

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Decadent chicken liver mousse at Frances restaurant.

It may be only a year old, but Frances restaurant in San Francisco, has garnered just about every accolade around, including being a finalist for “Best New Restaurant” in the nation by the James Beard Foundation.

It’s easy to see why.

Chef Melissa Perello’s compact restaurant on the edge of the Castro district, a short drive from the Holiday Inn Civic Center San Francisco, is like your favorite pair of jeans.

When you step into it, you feel comfortable and relaxed immediately. You want to return to it often because it’s reliable and just fits so well.

The snug, 45-seat restaurant is named for Perello’s beloved grandma. Perello’s mom sewed the pillows with the big buttons that grace the long, wood banquette that her father helped build.

My husband and I finally made it in for dinner one recent Saturday night. Although we paid for our dinner, Perello sent out a lot of extra complimentary dishes, too, that she wanted us to try.

A great way to start the evening is with one of the restaurant’s ever-changing “market shots” ($3 each). Fresh fruit from the farmers market is combined with wine for a unique little cocktail. On the night we were there, the shot was roasted Bartlett pears muddled with vermouth. It was like a spiced pear cobbler in liquid form.

Frances also has one of the most fun house-wine programs. Choose red or white and a carafe will be set down at your table. Etched on the glass are lines measuring every 2 ounces. You pour as much as you want and at the end of the night, your wine tab is tabulated, based on how much you’ve drunk. The price is $1 per ounce, which is pretty hard to beat for wine at a restaurant at this level.

A tangle of smoky, tender calamari.

Grilled calamari with preserved lemon and Sicilian olives ($6.50) was tender, smoky and imbued with bright Mediterranean flavors.

The chicken liver mousse ($10) was as rich and smooth as whipped cream. A Sierra Beauty apple compote alongside provided a sweet, fruity contrast.

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Decadent Bourbon Steak

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Medai snapper (foreground) and Tasmanian sea trout (background) cooked to perfection at Bourbon Steak.

Dining at a Michael Mina restaurant is always an exercise in excess.

In the best of ways, of course.

After all, this is the chef who popularized the idea of trios, where it’s not simply enough to present just one rendition of a dish, but three different ones simultaneously on one plate.

It takes skill, timing and sophistication to do that well.

And that’s just what’s on display at Mina’s new Bourbon Steak in the Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square. Bourbon Steak takes the place of the former Michael Mina flagship restaurant there, which has moved to the old Aqua restaurant space on California Street.

The once chic white and eggshell blue 102-seat dining room has been transformed with a more masculine atmosphere with dark charcoal floor-to-ceiling columns and hues of deep cognac and sand. The logo of a steer can be found subtly echoed on the Mondrian-like window treatments and water is brought to the tables in whimsical glass milk bottles.

This marks Mina’s fifth Bourbon Steak nationwide. And he has the formula down pat.

Executive Chef Omri Aflalo, who did an externship with Mina while at the Culinary Institute of America, is at the helm of the San Francisco locale.

The broad menu includes some of Mina’s greatest hits, including his addicting lobster corn dogs ($16), black truffle popcorn ($15), and lobster pot pie (market price). Since it is a steak house, you’ll also find the likes of a 28-ounce Porterhouse for $68, an 18-ounce bone-in rib-eye for $42, and a 6-ounce Australian Wagyu strip (market price).

Recently, I was invited to dine as a guest of the restaurant to enjoy a special tasting menu.

Duck fat fries with three dipping sauces.

You know you’re in for something when the first thing that arrives at the table is a trio of duck-fat fries with a sour cherry ketchup, a smoked onion aioli that tasted almost of bacon, and a zingy yuzu sauce. You tell yourself you’re going to eat just a couple, but then you finish every one. Every restaurant should take a lesson in fries from Mina, as these are as perfect as they come.

A tiny and rich bite of foie gras.

The decadence continued with a small rectangle of foie gras terrine with huckleberry glaze that just melted on the tongue.

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Fleming’s Breaks the Mold

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Shrimp cocktail reinvented at Fleming's.

I admit to some skepticism when it comes to big-chain steakhouses. So many of them seem to just phone it in when it comes to the food.

That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I tried Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar for the first time.

Fleming’s has more than 50 locations nationwide. Recently, I was invited to dine as a guest at the Palo Alto restaurant in Stanford Shopping Center.

Even on a Tuesday night, the restaurant was packed, with patrons vying for seats at both the bar and the dimly lit dining room with its deep red leather booths that overlook a bustling kitchen line.

As with most steakhouses, the prices here are not necessarily cheap. But the quality of the cooking and the generous portion sizes make you feel that you’ve gotten your money’s worth.

It’s also a good place to go if not everyone in your party is a steak fanatic, as there are plenty of seafood choices, as well as a double-thick pork rib chop with apple cider and Creole mustard glaze, and a double breast of chicken baked in a white wine-mushroom-shallot sauce.

I also like how Fleming’s takes the effort to put a modern spin on steakhouse classics.

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