Category Archives: Restaurants

Four New Lovely Lunch Options

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Enjoy a bird’s eye view of San Francisco from Medjool Restaurant’s new rooftop terrace, where you can sit back with a delicious lunch as you take in the colorful sights from high above Mission Street.

The Mediterranean restaurant, a short drive from the Holiday Inn Civic Center, just started offering a  new lunch service with the likes of  a Medjool sampler platter ($13) with hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabouli; mixed green salad with pears, toasted almonds, blue cheese and shallot vinaigrette ($9.50); Kobe beef burger ($10.50); or fish and chips with house-made tartar sauce and fries ($10.50).

Lunch on the open-air terrace is available, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Don’t forget to stop at the ATM first, though, as it’s cash only at this height.

Down on the Peninsula, Marché of Menlo Park has started serving lunch for the first time since opening nine years ago.

Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., enjoy lighter fare such as asparagus soup ($6); crab salad sandwich with avocado and aioli ($18); and duck confit salad with toasted walnuts ($15). There’s also a three-course, prix-fixe option for $30, with an additional $15 for paired wines.

In Burlingame, Medallion Steakhouse is getting in on the weekday lunch-time action, too.

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Palo Alto’s Shokolaat Shakes It Up

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After two and a half years as a small-plates restaurant, the chic Shokolaat restaurant and patisserie in downtown Palo Alto, tweaked its concept two months ago to make the switch to entree-sized main dishes instead.

Chef/Co-Proprietor Shekoh Moossavi said the change has been a hit with diners, who had wanted more substantial fare.

I was invited to dine as a guest recently to try the new menu, which features the likes of roasted quail with shallot confit risotto ($21), and Mediterranean sea bass with parsnip puree, Brussels sprouts and applewood smoked bacon $21).

As you step inside the dimly lit restaurant from the roomy outdoor seating area, the first thing you can’t help but notice is the pastry and chocolate cases, front and center. Moossavi, who has worked at Gary Danko and Acquerello, both in San Francisco, handles the savory side of the menu, while her husband, Pastry Chef Mark Ainsworth, handles the sweets.

Ainsworth, who worked at the Lodge at Pebble Beach in Carmel, creates such delights as Bailey’s Mousse Bombe  and the traditional Gateau Basque cake filled with semolina custard. Artsy chocolate bonbons run the gamut from “Don Juan” (Anejo tequila with lime juice, lime-infused sea salt and white chocolate) to “Johnny-B-Good” (Kentucky Straight Bourbon blended with milk chocolate and vanilla, then encased in dark chocolate).

Shokolaat also makes all its own bread, too, and sells loaves to take home. If you time dinner just right, too, the waitstaff will send you home with a free loaf of bread if there are still any left at the end of the night that haven’t yet sold.

We started with a velvety shrimp and crab soup ($7) that was made with an intense seafood stock with the sweet-briny taste of the sea.

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Foodie Events — From Tamales to Tom Douglas and More

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In San Francisco:

If you love tamales and can hold your tequila, head to “A Taste of Tequila and Tamales” in San Francisco on April 18.

The event, noon to 4:30 p.m. at Fort Mason Center, near the Marriott San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf, will feature a delicious assortment of those luscious  masa-wrapped specialities from Cocina Poblana, the Tamale Factory, Evelia, and others. Enjoy premium tequilas, too, from Jose Cuervo Tradicional and Tequila Don Julio.

Rancho Gordo also will be cooking up its unique heirloom beans. And Sabores del Sur will be handing out its famous alfajores cookie sandwiches.

Advance tickets are $35; tickets at the door are $40.

The event benefits the Benchmark Institute, a non-profit that teaches advocates how to use the law to help lower-income communities.

Join Seattle Chef Tom Douglas and Master Sommelier Andrea Immer as they host the “Perfect Pairing Party” at Macy’s Union Square Cellar, a short walk from the Campton Place Taj Hotel, at 6 p.m. April 7.

Immer will talk about her new stemware collection and demonstrate how to pair wines with Douglas’ dishes.

Tickets are $15 at the door. All proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels, which provides meals for homebound seniors. Reserve your spot here.

Speaking of Meals on Wheels, you absolutely won’t want to miss its 23rd annual mega gala on May 16 at Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion, near the Fairmont Heritage Place.

The annual “Star Chefs & Vintners Gala” fund-raiser is the largest fund-raiser for the San Francisco organization. Last year’s event raised $1.1 million to provide meals to seniors.

Chef Nancy Oakes of Boulevard restaurant in San Francisco returns to oversee the extraordinary culinary event that features more than 70 chefs from Northern California’s top restaurants. Among this year’s participating chefs are: Mouhrad Lahlou of Aziza in San Francisco, Chris Cosentino of Incanto in San Francisco, Richard Reddington of Redd in Yountville, and Mark Sullivan of Spruce in San Francisco.

More than 75 vintners will be pouring, including Frog’s Leap Winery, Pride Mountain Vineyards, and Duckhorn Wine Company. If that weren’t enough, look for master mixologists to whip up exotic cocktails.

The evening begins with an extensive array of hors d’oeuvres created at chef stations. That’s followed by a three-course, sit-down dinner, with each course prepared by one of 27 chefs. The evening ends with a lavish dessert buffet.

Silent and live auction prizes include a party at a luxury Sun Valley, Idaho penthouse with food prepared by Oakes.

Tickets are $400. For more information, call (415) 343-1280.

In Pebble Beach and Monterey:

Celebrated chefs, Suzanne Goin of Lucques in Los Angeles, and Rick Bayless of Topolobampo and Frontera Grill, both in Chicago, will be the top honorees at this year’s “Cooking for Solutions” event, May 21-22, at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

The annual event is all about spreading the gospel of sustainable seafood. The May 21 gala will feature gourmet eats from 75 restaurants and wines from more than 60 vintners. May 22, chefs will lead culinary outings and host cooking demonstrations.

Participating chefs include Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery + Cafe in Boston, Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill in Atlanta and “Top Chef” fame, and Sam Choy of Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch & Crab in Honolulu.

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Tofu Turnaround

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Let’s face it, not many of us are that tickled by tofu.

But Oakland’s new organic tofu producer, Hodo Soy Beanery, might just make you bonkers for bean curd.

That’s because Hodo’s products are made by hand, using much thicker soy milk to create its products. The results are tofu products with a very rich, creamy and fresh “beany” taste.

The factory was started by former financial consultant, Minh Tsai, who grew frustrated that he couldn’t find tofu as fresh and flavorful as he grew up eating in Vietnam.

Now, Tsai sells a variety of tofu and prepared tofu salads at Bay Area farmers markets and select gourmet grocers.

Besides prepared tofu salads, Hodo also produces what is thought to be the only fresh, organic yuba (tofu skin) manufactured in this country. Trays of soy milk are steamed until the proteins rise to the surface and form a skin. Then, each individual skin is lifted from each tray by hand and hung to dry, before being folded up into bags to be sold.

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“Toast of the Town” VIP Tickets Giveaway

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How would you like to taste 500 premium wines and spirits, and nosh on gourmet creations from more than 30 top Bay Area restaurants — all in one spot?

And uh-hem, how’d you like to do all that for FREE?

Two lucky folks can.

Food Gal is thrilled to be giving away one pair of VIP tickets to “Toast of the Town,” a wine and food extravaganza at the stunning War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, a short hop from the Phoenix Hotel-Civic Center.

The April 22 event, presented by Wine Enthusiast magazine and the Wall Street Journal, benefits the San Francisco Food Bank.

Participating restaurants include Farallon Restaurant in San Francisco, Le Mar Cebicheria Peruana in San Francisco, and Mustards Grill in Napa. Participating wineries include Archery Summit, Champagne Louis Roederer, Rubicon Estate and Domain Drouhin.

Tickets are $89 (or $79 if purchased by April 1).  VIP tickets are $169 (or $149 if purchased by April 1).

With the VIP tickets, you get in at 5 p.m. — two hours earlier than regular ticket holders — to beat the crowds to all that tasty food and wine.

So how do you score the free pair of VIP tickets?

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