(Recommended) Places To Eat List

Damn I am sorry I missed it!

 

i heard from a little birdie that there might be an ad hoc chicken shack!

 

What? Surely you jest...

 

Yup, took my 3 year old and he loved it. He almost ate the whole dish of collard greens on his own. The cheddar biscuits smothered in gravy was delicious. And of course the chicken lived up to expectations. The berry cobbler at the end was so damn good.


So if they do the chicken shack, is the burger joint dead?

 

i thought the TK burger joint idea was dead a while back.
i would LOVE to see that happen. but it's been a long while since it was first rumored.

 

I think the burger place was suppose to be where Ad Hoc is now. Ad Hoc was suppose to be temporary. But I thought they said they would find another place.

Keller will be here in LA at Bouchon for an event. He'll be giving tours of the kitchen as well. Sounds like fun.

 

yea, ad hoc did so well, they kept it going.

 

got to visit SF for the first time a few months back. Rained all week so all there was to do was eat.

Had the best lunch of the trip at Tony's Pizza in North Beach. heavy red wine, tasty meatball starters..
when the dude next to me saw me struggling with the amount of pizza choices he chimed in with, 'just get the Margherita .'

Now, to me, a Margherita is like the salad of the pizza world, but i was so taken aback by this guy making such a blatantly poor suggestion that I rolled with it.

man oh man, pizza has never been the same.

i come from a food city, but SF blew me away with the food culture. No matter if i was in a small, empty Mexican restaurant in the middle of nowhere, in a dim sum joint down some unremarkable alley or in a manic food court, there was always some amazing thing to enjoy.

y'all are lucky to live in such a food loving city. your bus tours are another f#ing story though.

 

Looks like I took a facebook break on the wrong week
I'll have to go find the photos.

 

Pigged out today. Even crossed the bridge into Berkeley.

First stop, 900 Grayson in Berkeley.
http://www.900grayson.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/900-grayson-berkeley-2

We got there shortly before 1, the place was packed.
Not only with people eating, but people waiting. Always a good sign.
Was told 30 minutes, but it was actually half that.



We came here for one thing, chicken and waffles.
With a name like Demon Lover, it already kicked ass before eating any.
Some of the other stuff on the menu looks pretty good too.
Would give some of them a try next time.



The Demon Lover comes two ways (or three), gravy or maple syrup (or both).
I opted for the maple syrup as I like my chicken and waffles w/ a bit of sweetness.
Hard to tell from the picture but it's two pieces of chicken, no bones.
Seems like they butterflied a piece of breast, breaded it, seasoned it and fried it.
Seasoning was good, had a little bit of a kick.
Chicken wasn't overdone, nice and tender. The waffle was also pretty damn good.



Here's the gravy option. It was smothered on top.
If you're going for this, I'd ask them to see if they can put the gravy on the side.
That way it doesn't soggy up the whole thing before you're done eating.
I tried some of the gravy, not bad, but I'd say it overpowers the deliciousness of the chicken.



We also got a side of their Carolina Cheese Grits.
It was nice and thick and cheesy. Like a Mac & Cheese but grits.
They also have a homemade hot sauce that they bring out.
I didn't try any but friends said it was good.

Bottom line, I'd totally recommend this place.
Food was great, service was also superb. Always a plus.

 

For dinner we decided to check out Una Pizza Napoletana in SOMA.
http://www.unapizza.com/sf/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/una-pizza-napol ... -francisco



So this place moved from NY to SF I think last year?
It's literally one dude making pizza in a custom built brick oven.
Hard to see in the picture but it has pretty neat tile work covering the outside.
We got there a little after they opened and all the tables were already filled.
There was also quite a line waiting to be seated.
You basically line up in front of where the chef makes the pizzas.



If you check out their menu, they only have five different pizzas.
And they're all just variations of each other.
As you can see here, that's all the ingredients the chef works with.
Meat lovers, this place isn't for you. There is no meat pizzas at all.
He cooks up three pizzas at a time as that's all that fits in the oven.



With three of us, we went w/ three pizzas.
First up was the Margherita (San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, sea salt and tomato sauce).
It was good. I liked the buffalo mozzarella, a little different than normal fresh mozzarella.
The fresh basil was indeed fresh as it added a nice flavor to the pizza.
Their tomato sauce wasn't too sweet or too sour, everything balanced very well.

As much as ingredients are important on a pizza, bottom line it's all about the crust.
I'm a fan of thin crust, hater of deep dish.
The crust here is pretty thin, but not thin crust style where it's crunchy.
The edges where it rises is nice and soft and chewy.
But towards the center it's super thin and a bit soggy.
It's a nice tasting crust, displaying the ingredients well.



Next up we got the Filetti (fresh cherry tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, fresh garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, sea salt and no sauce).
Difference this time around: no sauce, different tomatoes and add garlic.
Just that totally changed the whole taste of the pizza.
The cherry tomatoes were nice and sweet, maybe a little too sweet for me.
It overpowered everything else as I felt you couldn't taste the other ingredients as much.
The addition of the garlic was pretty good though.
And no sauce meant not a soggy crust in the middle.



Last pizza we tried was the Ilaria (smoked mozzarella, fresh cherry tomatoes, arugula, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and no sauce).
The smoked mozzarella was much different w/ a earthy nutty flavor.
That played well with the arugula. But to me, arugula overpowers everything.
It was a good idea to switch up the cheese as it complimented quite well.
But honestly, by this time I was pretty damn full.



Other things to note: We didn't realize it until we were in front of the line, but it had been an hour.
I guess time goes by quickly as you're watching the chef work.
It was definitely interesting to see that the first time. Might be different next.
The host does come down the line asking if you'd like anything to drink first.
Service was great, the staff's all pretty nice.
The chef's wife also works there. She's the pregnant one.
Oh yea, if you do go, you might recognize the chef from somewhere. House.
And you might also notice the waiters bringing out a tiny shot of something on a plate w/ something wrapped in foil.
It's their Neapolitan Coffee. The foil wrapped is chocolate.
The coffee is literally a strong shot of espresso w/ a bit of sugar.
The chocolate is pretty good. I'd describe it as an inside-out Ferrero Rocher.
Hazelnut flavored, chocolate on the outside, crunchy on the inside.

Verdict? Worth a try. Like I already said, if you want meat on your pizza. None here.
Other stuff to consider. The wait and also the price.
Each pizza is $20. Definitely not cheap at all considering the simple ingredients.
Pizzeria Delfina is still number one for me.

 

went to 900 grayson for the burger... pretty darn good.

is una pizza napoletana across the street from slim's?
i think i remember seeing a long line in front of a pizza place one day i drove by.

 

I'm curious to try the other fairs at 900 Grayson.
And yes, I believe UPN is around that area.

 

oh yeah.. i've heard of this place. must try it some time.. i love me a good Margherita pizza

 

Simple does mean cheap and Una Pizza Napoletana goes for the high quality ingredients. The price reflects that.

 

Love that UPN t-shirt. Does it come in black?

 

I know this should be in the LA forum but this seems to be where all the foodies congregate. If you're a Thomas Keller fan....

http://spotlight.opentable.com/coupon/583

 

Yahoo just posted a list of Bay Area ice creameries. There might be a few missing but at least there's a list.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_local...best-ice-cream-in-the-bay-area?bouchon=807,ca

 

they're missing humphrey slocombe!

 

http://sf.eater.com/archives/2011/06/22 ... ellers.php

Addendum, Thomas Keller's forthcoming to-go operation at Ad Hoc, will kick off on June 30th. It'll offer T-Kell's beloved fried chicken or BBQ options on Thursday through Saturday during the lunch hour. This is probably about as casual as Keller's going to get.


We're very proud of our newest addition to the Culinary Garden in Yountville, our very own brood of chicks with their own coop.

 

anyone want to hit up the opening?

 

I can go Friday.

 

hm. might get an ear full if i go both days... let me know though!

 

can i tag along?

 

Of course!