San Francisco: Where in the World Wednesday!

Welcome back to Where in the World Wednesday! Last week was... well, very hectic, so I wasn't able to post. But we're back on track and this Wednesday, we are flying from beautiful Miami to one of my favorite cities, San Francisco. Our tour guide today is the wonderful LouAnn, the author of the Oyster Food and Culture blog. LouAnn provides interesting and insightful commentary about food and culture from around the world. Definitely take a stop by her blog, leave your thoughts, and enjoy chatting about food!

A little bit about LouAnn: I've lived in San Francisco for a total of 4.5 years, and am loving every minute of it. I live in a wonderfully culturally diverse part of town called the Richmond, not to be confused with Richmond, CA a city across the Bay. Previous to San Francisco, I lived all over; San Diego, Washington DC metro, Iowa, London, England. My top 5 food cities... Just 5, this is very tough: Besides, SF, Tokyo, Singapore, Milan, Dijon, and Auckland, NZ, I really have a hard time stopping at 5, and if you ask me tomorrow, the list might be different.

Thank you so much LouAnn for offering us so many fantastic San Fran foodie insights... I am personally jealous of your eating adventures around San Francisco, especially after reading through your answers below. :)

Now, for our tour around San Francisco!

(1) How would you describe food in San Francisco in 10 words or less?

Fresh, Innovative, Passionate, Diverse, Extreme, Creative, Cultural

(2) Do you find that the food in San Francisco has been greatly influenced by certain cultures/ethnicities/religions? If so, which ones?

In my neighborhood alone, there is a second Chinatown, so tons of Asian restaurants. Also the Richmond was home to a lot of Russian and Eastern European Immigrants so some really good Russian food, pastries and delis to be had. It also has one of the most innovative Moroccan restaurants, AZIZA that I've tried. Love that place. The Mission has tons of great Mexican and an increasing influx of some tasty Indian/Pakistani places. North Beach is about Italian. Japan town, well, I think thats obvious.

(3) If you were putting together a food gift basket representative of San Francisco for a friend that was visiting you from somewhere else, what would you include in it? (Feel free to include perishable items!)

Chocolate (by any one of the wonderful chocolatiers that call the Bay Area home), wine from Napa and Sonoma, charcuterie, incredible fresh produce from the Farmers Markets, baked goods from Tartine and Arizmendies, ice cream from Humphrey Slocume and Bi-Rite, cheese from the local diaries (Harley's goat cheese, Cow Girl Creamery, Point Reyes Blue) [My commentary: They actually have a Cowgirl Creamery now in DC! I have it on my list for places to try...]

(4) Is there anything about food in San Francisco that you think would surprise people that have never been there?

While it has an incredible selection some food is not as easy to find - Greek, Turkish, Persian - don't get me wrong, they do have them, but having lived in DC its just not as easy to find. I miss my Moby Dick's. [LouAnn, I love Moby Dick's... I think I must eat there at least once every two weeks!] People are passionate about food here and everyone has an opinion, so its an easy conversation starter.

(5) Do you have a favorite secret foodie spot? If yes, where is it and what do you love about it?

It would not be a secret now would it? I'd say in general, do not overlook the simple mom and pop places to hit the white table cloth restaurants, some of the best food is in the neighborhood joints. U-Lees in Russian Hill, for example, is a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant with some of the best pot-stickers around. Last time we were there, it was a bit later in the day, and the cook was at a table across the room from us dicing up the ginger and mixing the batch for dinner. They are fresh, delicious and huge! [Sounds fantastic... I'm a sucker for good pot-stickers so I'll have to try these out the next time I'm there!]

(6) Say that you’re taking me around San Francisco and I'm only there for one day. What would we have for breakfast?

Breakfast at the Cliff House - good food, but the view is killer. Its the reason to go. This place is history and the location cannot be beat. You are on a cliff with a 180 degree view of the ocean, this place is an institution and a favorite break. After breakfast a walk along the beach or Lands End.

Lunch? Ferry Building, or course, hopefully your visiting on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday when we can also sample the delights of the of the Farmer's Market and some of the killer food that's available.

Dinner? It really depends on who I am with, but a lot of out of towners like the not too fancy but delicious and fun visits to North Beach for Italian, Chinatown for Chinese, or Japantown for a big bowl of noodles, and then the option to walk of dinner with a nice exploration.

Late night eats? Its the Mission, baby, grab a taco, get something from one of the food carts that have multiplied like nobody's business. The options of plentiful.

Both the Ferry Building and the Cliff House or musts.

(7) San Francisco is well-known for being a food mecca! Are there any fun food events that take place there or in the area that you've enjoyed?

The cheese school is not really an event, but if you get a chance to take a class its loads of fun. There are always wine events, chocolate events. Its wonderful, just check the calendar. In the Mission District there is an incubator for food related start ups that does some neat stuff - its not all high tech start ups around here. =)

(8) Each neighborhood in a city often has their own "food vibe" -- which is your favorite neighborhood and what food do they serve up?

Man, these questions are killing me, its so hard to pick one neighborhood as the diversity is the best thing about the place and I do not feel like I am comparing apples to apples. One of my favorite neighborhoods in North Beach, its the first neighborhood that my hubby took me to when I visited and I loved the European flare with all the Italian restaurants and coffee houses. It's great to walk around and explore and get off the beaten path and check out the coffee houses and boutiques. But in the blink of an eye you can cross the street and you are in Chinatown.

(9) If you could pick one food that is traditionally or originates from San Francisco to have with you always, what would it be?

Sourdough bread

(10) What was your last amazing meal in San Francisco and what did you have?

Every meal is amazing, seriously its darn hard to compare. I just had some Szechwan that took me back to some incredible meals in HK.

(11) Given the current economic times, where would you for a meal and a drink for $15 or less?

All the neighborhoods have some great places. I haven't mentioned the Sunset District yet, (right next to Golden Gate Park) but you can score some good food there, and they have Arizmendi's a coop bakery that has some baked goods that are meals in themselves, and their veggie pizza (they only do veggie) is some of the best I've had. Take it and make yourself at home in the park. You can also grab a burrito. In the Inner Richmond and outer Sunset, we love to grab takeout dim sum, and you can gorge yourself for under $5 and that leaves you $10 for the drink.

(12) If you had to put together your "last meal" based on San Francisco restaurant eats, what would you have?

You do not ask easy questions, do you? A good place to start would be this list, Big Eat SF - 100 Things to Try Before You Die which I am about half way through. Serious, I love COI, it's a nice upscale place and I really appreciate the creativity of the cooking. But it's so hard to go wrong here. I've had to really bump up my running mileage so I can keep my clothes size.

THANKS AGAIN LOU ANN!

A little bit of glitz - Gordon Ramsey at the London - West Hollywood

(The Artichoke Risotto)

For quite awhile, I've been intrigued by Gordon Ramsey. I'm not so much interested in his over the top, ever yelling persona featured on "Hell's Kitchen," but rather like the Gordon Ramsey that is on the BBC version of "Kitchen Nightmares." I love the type of food that he puts together on Kitchen Nightmares, encouraging more clean flavors that focus on the freshness of the ingredients.

Sooo, that's how I found myself at Gordon Ramsey at the London in West Hollywood. Alas, there are no Gordon Ramsey restaurants in DC and I'm actually rarely in New York. So when the opportunity arose to check out one of his places while in LA, I jumped on it.

I wasn't sure what to expect. Obviously it wouldn't be your typical hotel restaurant (the London is a boutique hotel in West Hollywood). All I could tell from the menu was that he mixed together some interesting ingredients, ones that I may not usually mix together myself.

We arrived to a beautifully stylish, modern hotel, decorated in some of my favorite colors (as my friends call it, "Jackie Blue," because I'm obsessed with that color). We were directed down a dimly lit hallway to the entrance of the restaurant.

The restaurant itself carried over a similar decor as the hotel. Not rough and tumbled as some may expect from seeing Gordon Ramsey on tv, but very polished, modern, yet with a few vintage touches. I quite liked the design of the place, and it reminded me a lot of designer Kelly Wearstler's projects. The restaurant was fairly empty (although we were a bit on the earlier side), except for a table of 5 guests chatting in Portuguese (who we were seated right next to), a few tables of two (sounds of Japanese and French floated around), and then us. We were seated in one of the "booths" in the center of the restaurant -- S-shaped booths where one party would fill half of the S and then another party would fill the other half of the S at another table. I warn that the restaurant's lighting is quite dim too -- the table next to us in fact requested flashlights and magnifying glasses (that was funny).

We decided to get the full on tasting menu. Everything on it sounded amazing, and even better, the restaurant really allows you to customize your entire meal. Don't like the third course on the tasting menu? No problem! Find a dish on the a la carte menu to substitute it with. Want to try some of Ramsey's famous risotto? Of course, add it to the menu, to share, or for one. Not interested in the tasting menu? Lots of a la carte options in all different sizes for the diner to create a selection to their liking.

Our tasting menu (from my recollection with some help from the website!) (plus artichoke risotto -- we couldn't resist, and my favorite part of the meal):

• Steamed bamboo shoots and shiitake mushroom chawanmushi


• Dressed King crab, avocado and cucumber, basil puree, paddle fish caviar


• Pressed foie gras with fresh black truffle, braeburn apple, toasted biroche


• Tiger prawn ravioli, creamy fennel puree, light lobster bisque


• MAIN COURSE -- I substituted this with the pacific black cod with honshimeji mushrooms, leeks, and kalamansi lime broth (I love black cod)



• A mini dessert that came in a shot glass, that I can't recall at the moment exactly what was in it.




• Chocolate cream savarin with malted milk emusion and salted caramel ice cream

I loved the risotto (as aforementioned), the chawanmushi (kind of like a custardy consistency, below), and the chocolate savarin. The black cod was good, but lacked a bit of flavor.

Overall, I'm happy that we went for the tasting menu (a note to those who want to go there -- not everyone at the table has to order the tasting menu, once again in line with the limitless possibilities of customization). We got to taste such a variety of Ramsey's dishes in perfect tasting menu sized portions.

Would I go back here if I was in LA? Probably not. I enjoyed our meal there and am very happy that we went, but there are still so many restaurants to try, and such little time. So check one off the wish list.

Gordon Ramsey at the London - West Hollywood/1020 N. San Vicente Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069/ 310 358 7788

The ORIGINAL Bob's Big Boy

(Our trip to California continued...)

Yes, you read that right - the ORIGINAL Bob's Big Boy. You've seen it featured on the Food Network... perhaps you've been to other Bob's Big Boys (the Route 95 corridor perhaps?)... perhaps you've seen Big Boy featured in movies. While visiting Burbank, we couldn't resist a breakfast at the original Bob's Big Boy and a chance to take a photo with an over-life size Big Boy.

We came into a half-full Big Boy -- it was New Years Day so my guess is that everyone was either (a) moving very slowly from celebrating the new year or (b) traveling to Pasadena for the annual Rose Parade/Rose Bowl (which btw, we checked out the Rose Parade for ourselves later!). One step into Bob's Big Boy and it felt like we traveled back in time to the 1970s. Lots of golden colors - browns, yellows, and oranges -- the long diner bar complete with orange vinyl stools with booths lining the window walls.

We were seated in a booth and immediately dove into the menu.

After reading the short bio about this location (opened in 1949), we attempted to make our breakfast picks with our stomachs were rumbling from the time difference. Two of our party went straight for the "chicken fried steak" -- I mean, how could you go wrong? (My fork and knife ventured over to their plates...several times...throughout the meal...couldn't help it).

I am a sucker for corned beef hash (I think it is a continuing love from my childhood) so went for an egg platter with corned beef hash.

My dad, ever the one to go for sweet breakfast items, got the super strawberry waffle meal complete with a jumbo belgian waffle covered in strawberries, biscuits, and a side of sausage.

The whole feel of the restaurant reminded me of an East Coast diner... but California style. The plates were big and indulging, just the way a diner breakfast should be. The service was friendly, the coffee ever flowing, and we nearly had to roll ourselves out of Bob's. We posed with Big Boy on the way out (our bellies quite extended like his) and settled back into the car with a bit of a food coma as we journeyed to the Rose Parade.

Bob's Big Boy

4211 Riverside Drive

Burbank, CA 91505

(818) 843-9334

Pizza Pizza LA Mario Batali Style - Pizzeria Mozza

To end 2008, we decided to go to Mario Batali's Pizzeria Mozza -- located at the edge of a residential neighborhood at Melrose and Highland, the brightly painted Pizzeria Mozza stands out (note Pizzeria Mozza's sister restaurant Osteria Mozza is right next door). In contrast, the inside of the restaurant itself is dimly lit (mood lighting?) and quite cozy. You would never know that a celebrity chef owned this casual eatery except for the fact that it was absolutely packed. (The seats are tightly packed, but we didn't feel overcrowded.)

We came to Pizzeria Mozza on New Years Eve -- we spent the day flying across the country, so we thought it would be a fun, delicious, yet relaxing way to end the year. Unfortunately, we were greeted by a few unfriendly and cranky hosts and a wait to be seated despite reservations. Note that if you are going to head over to Pizzeria Mozza - reservations are a must (the phone lines open at 10 am PST each morning and reservations fill up a month in advance, so call exactly a month ahead of time!) - also, whatever you do, don't show up early - other than the bar area (which seemed to always be packed), there is almost nowhere to wait for your table, except for the crawl space next to the private wine room (beware of the swinging door through which waiters coming in and out of the room). We huddled in the small "waiting" area, jumping every now and then to avoid the waiters, and trying to avoid being hit by the front door.

Our experience improved exponentially once we were seated. Although we had one rude waitress who kept trying to have us purchase the most expensive bottle of champagne, our actual waitress was charming, informative, and a breath of fresh air from other staff.

Then, we began to feast our eyes on the menu. The menu is packed with delicious sounding options with many types of antipasti, insalate, carni, bruschette, panini, plates of the day, and of course, pizza. We decided to sample several of the antipasti and two pizzas to experience a wide array of the dishes. The antipasti we ordered: mussels al forno with Calabrian sauce (tasty, but nothing to write home about), arrancine alla bolognese (essentially, small risotto balls, one of my faves), fried squash blossoms with ricotta (left; yum), and a board of proscuitto di parma.

Then the PIZZA. I mean, this is what you come to Pizzeria Mozza for right? The pizzas are large enough to be shared (2 pizzas plus our antipasti plus dessert satisfied our table of 4) and were cooked up just the way I like them -- thin crust, crispy, and flavorful. Our selections: (1) long cooked broccoli, caciocavallo & chiles (right) and (2) tomato, mozzarella, sausage, salami, bacon & guanciale.

With some stomach space to spare, we decided to just go the whole way and get dessert. We each got different dishes -- I had the butterscotch budino, essentially a butterscotch pudding, that I craved for days afterwards (this is truly for butterscotch fans!). The other desserts at our table -- "hot chocolate" (like a mix between thick hot chocolate syrup and a chocolate mousse) with toasted marshmallow and spiced ginger pigs (cookies!), gelati (pistachio, vanilla, and mint chip), and a banana gelato pie.

The restaurant was clearly meant to be fun. I admit that I loved all the little details that were incorporated into the menu, the placemats, and so forth. Interesting facts about pizza (favorite world toppings? Costa Rica loves coconut! Brazil - green peas, and Russia - red herring!), Italian comic strips, tidbits about the restaurant. From the conversation-starting placemats to the bundles of red balloons everywhere to the easily shared dishes, it is a place meant for celebrations.

I enjoyed Pizzeria Mozza for the most part -- I was sad that the staff's attitudes had to dampen an otherwise delicious meal. If I lived in LA, I would certainly come back if for no other reason than to try more of the food. But living across the country, I'm not sure if Pizzeria Mozza would be at the top of my list of re-visits.

Los Angeles Eats, Here I Come!!!

Heading to LA tonight to enjoy some fun in the sun and some delicious eats... will try to post while I'm there, but surely, lots of food thoughts when I come back. Going to explore some of the celeb chefs restaurants along with some more casual options.

Happy New Year!