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San Francisco restaurant reviews with photos

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San Francisco Dining 2013 ~ Part Two

August 7, 2013

San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers MarketFerry Plaza Farmers MarketThe Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco is one of the highlights of our trip.  Each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday there is an overwhelming variety of  vendors offering fresh produce, cheese, smoked fish, pasta, honey, jams, bread, flowers: a dizzying array of gourmet and artisan foods and wares!

Ferry Plaza FM PicklesCheck out these fresh pickles!

BoccaloneAs you can see from their sign above right, they offer “tasty pig parts.”  Yum…

Cowgirl CreameryCowgirl Creamy has an encyclopedic selection of cheese.

Cowgirl Creamery 2

Cowgirl Creamery 3“That’s not a hunk of cheese, THIS is a hunk of cheese!” Apologies to Crocodile Dundee.

Acme Bread

Acme Bread 2There’s nothing better than fresh baked sourdough bread to go along with cheese and salty pig parts.

Wise SonsWise Sons Jewish Delicatessen sells superb sandwiches at Tuesday’s market.

Wise Sons Pastrami SandwichThe pastrami sandwich – tender, lean meat stacked high.  Good news for Wise Sons fans: they just opened another location at the Contemporary Jewish Museum which is mere steps away from our favorite hotel, the SF Marriott Marquis.

No matter what day you go, you’ll find all kinds of treats at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Saturday’s Farmers Market offers the largest selection of vendors but be prepared to fight the crowds, it’s jam packed!

Oola (Lunch)

OolaWe’ve been to Oola numerous times.  It’s usually our first meal in San Francisco after flying in from Hawaii. Oola serves dinner until 1:00 a.m. and since we don’t get to our hotel until 10:00 p.m. or later, it’s the perfect place for a late night meal.

Oola BarThis trip we decided to have lunch at Oola instead of dinner.  The service was very good, better than we experienced at dinner.  Maybe it was due to the restaurant not being as busy as it is during the evening.  In any case, our server was much more pleasant and accommodating than the servers we had at dinner.Oola WaterSimple touches such as this cool water pitcher make Oola a fun place to dine at.

Arugula Salad with Goat CheeseThe arugula salad with goat cheese was tasty and fresh though very sparse and not very exciting.  It seems they could have added some color to the dish, maybe some fresh beets would have brightened up the salad.

Oola Specials

Pasta SpecialThe Daily Special of “hand cut fettuccine with fava beans and pesto” was a beautiful and delicious dish.

Oola RibsI had to order the ribs again but this time I was disappointed.  They were overcooked and portions of the ribs were really dried out.  Such a shame!  We’re not sure if we’ll go back to Oola.  With sketchy service in the evening and inconsistent food we’ll have to think about this one.

Campanula (Dinner)

CampanulaCampanula is the sister restaurant of Frascati in Russian Hill.  As we enjoy Frascati so much, we decided to give it a try.

Fried OlivesWhat better way to start the evening than with fried olives?!

Campanula Mac & CheeseCampanula Mac & Cheese.

Artichoke SaladFresh artichoke salad.

Cheese toastBuratta on grilled bread.

Campanula PastaPasta with duck sugo (special of the evening).

RisottoBeautiful green herb risotto.

Braised Short RibsIt’s hard for me to ignore short ribs if they’re on a menu.  Campanula short ribs were fantastic!  Served with perfectly cooked vegetables, it was delicious.

The service was fine and the food was tasty and reasonably priced.  The restaurant decor was nondescript.  The table that we were seated at wasn’t the most desirable.  With a long list of favorite restaurants and so many new ones we’ve yet to try, we will probably not return to Campanula.

Sociale (Lunch)

SocialeSociale is one of our favorite restaurants, bar none. We’ve been there many times for lunch and for dinner.  It’s a very cute, quaint restaurant that offers outdoor seating when the weather is nice.

Sociale CaesarThe Caesar salad was delicious with a generous sprinkling of parmesan and the grilled bread that accompanied the salad was scrumptious.

Arugula & White Bean CrostiniThis arugula salad with white bean crostini is my favorite salad at Sociale.  The white beans are generously spread on tasty grilled sourdough bread.

BLTJohn had one of the specials of the day, a unique BLT.  The bacon was cooked perfectly and the smoky flavor of the bacon really made the sandwich stand out.

Sociale Duck PappardelleThe duck ragu pappardelle is a staple on their lunch and dinner menu and it certainly deserves the attention.  Fresh pasta and silky mushrooms with tender duck ragu, not too rich but totally satisfying.

Sociale is a lovely restaurant with exceptional service and food.  Open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday and dinner Monday through Saturday, go ahead and book a table. You won’t regret it.

Umami (Dinner)

UmamiThis was our second visit to Umami and once again the food was terrific, however the noise in the restaurant is truly unbearable.  This time we were seated upstairs next to a table of 6 people.  They were so loud that we asked our server to move us to another table across the room.  I can’t blame the people entirely,  the restaurant’s acoustics are inadequate, to say the least!

GyozaThe gyoza were very tasty and perfectly pan-fried; uniquely served with homemade kimchi as well the usual dipping sauce.

Veggie TempuraVegetable tempura was OK.   The batter was a bit on the thick side.

Ahi TacosAhi tacos were a hit! Double order next visit!

SushiAssorted, beautiful sushi.

sushi test

More sushi!

Sushi 3And even more sushi!!

Umami is a fun place to go to with a small group of friends.  The extensive menu has so many choices that everyone will be happy!

Alexander’s Steak House (Dinner)

Alexander's Steak HouseWe read about Alexander’s Steak House over the years and even walked by it once during our travels about town. This trip, John suggested we try it and wow!  We were blown away on how good it turned out to be.

Alexander's KitchenThey have a nice open kitchen which turned out to be very entertaining.  In a moment, you’ll see what I mean.

Hamchi ShootersThe hamachi shots were fantastic!

ScallopsDayboat scallop appetizer, perfectly seared!

PeppersHere’s a beautiful appetizer of fried peppers.

Garden SaladGarden salad.

Tomahawk Steak 2This is what I mean about the kitchen being entertaining.  We spotted these tomahawk steaks waiting to be served.  We have never seen anything like this before.  Steak lovers paradise!  Tomahawk chop for two is a 15 ounce dry aged rib eye steak.

NY SteakNew York Steak

CarrotsThis colorful carrot side dish was wonderful.

Baked PotatoOh my!  A baked potato “non plus ultra.”

FriesFrites were crispy and perfectly salted.

Alexander's FiletAlexander’s filet was the best we ever had.  Perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection.

Cotton Candy

Alexander’s ends the evening by bringing each table a big fluffy ball of cotton candy!

We had a great time at Alexander’s Steak House.  The food, service and ambiance was spot on and we can’t wait to return.

Cafe Bunn Mi (Lunch)

Cafe Bunn MiLocated on Clement Street Cafe Bunn Mi is a tiny restaurant that serves tasty banh mi sandwiches.  A few tables inside with counter seating at the window and a few tables outside makes this a great place for a quick meal.

LemonadeHomemade lemonade.

Tofu Banh MiTofu banh mi

Pork Banh MiPork banh mi

I love banh mi.  The fresh French rolls stuffed with do chua pickles and lots of cilantro and a savory filling such as tofu or pork makes a wonderful and satisfying lunch.  I hear there are many places to find good banh mi in San Francisco so we will seek them out on our next visit however if we are in the area of Cafe Bunn Mi we will certainly stop by for one of their fantastic sandwiches.

Tartine Bakery (Lunch)

Tartine LineWaiting in line at Tartine Bakery (the world’s greatest bakery?  Yup!). We had to make the trek to Tartine because John is an artisan bread aficionado.  He makes his own and once he got a hold of Chad Robertson’s Tartine Bread book he was sold on the Tartine method.  Even though it’s off the beaten path, and you have to stand in a long line, we had to try it.

Tartine BakeryBakery sights while waiting in line.

Tartine Bakery 2The innards of Tartine Bakery from the outside window.Tartine PastryWe finally got in and caught a glimpse of the pastry display case.Tartine Pastry 2

Tartine Pastry 3

Tartine SandwichAfter some time in line we were finally able to order our panini and score one of the few small tables. This is the spicy turkey panini with broccoli rabe pesto.Tartine JambonJambon Royale. Royale indeed!Tartine Sandwich 2The pickled carrot was divine.  We asked if we could buy some but were told it was only available as a garnish in the bakery.

We waited in line for some time and struggled to find seating, it was raining so the meager outside seating was not available.  These are the best panini we have ever had because they are made with the world’s best bread and  finest fresh ingredients.  Despite the inconveniences it was worth it!

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