discovery.

I went to Beretta. And it was good. Their cocktails were inspired and excellently blended (I had the Dolores Park Swizzle). The bruschette with cannellini beans and pancetta pepata is creamy, salty goodness. Their polenta with gorgonzola in tomato sauce is a good balance of soft and firm, salty and sweet. Their tomato sauce (on their pizza) is so sweet and fresh- hands down the best tomato sauce I've had in the last year. The margherita pizza (with burrata instead of mozzarella) was fantastic. Simple, but with high quality ingredients, cooked to perfection.

I highly recommend it!

new things.

In the spirit of the new year, I'm going to share some discoveries (new things), or things that I recently discovered I like, hence new to me.

First, the Gilmore Girls. Yes, it's a show that's over. And before it was over it was on for years. But, I only recently discovered how much I like it. Just a few episodes while catsitting and I'm hooked! I'm currently finishing season two. As an aside, it's so nice watching tv shows without the commercials. I almost never watch tv (on my actual television), and now that I can watch shows without commercials, I may never watch tv (on my actual television) again. Okay. Back to the show. I love the witty dialog, and all the cultural references. I like how they treat the relationships between people. But, of course, I have my issues with it, too. Like, how it wasn't explained why Lorelie decided not to marry Max (even though it would have been ridiculous if she had). And how she and Luke obviously like each other, and yet, are in complete denial about it. And don't get me started on Rory choosing Jess over Dean. Come on! Jess is just like Tristan-a jerk! Plus, he has no ambition, and he couldn't work hard to save his life. He's a loser. *ahem* end rant. You can see how involved I am.

Second: absinthe. I can't specifically say which brand, though. I was at the Fireside Lounge (another discovery- that place is looking good now) and since the infamous green fairy is legal now, my friend and I decided to try some! I was surprised at how much I liked it. We had the traditional way, (or so the menu said) which was very smooth. I don't like licorice that much, but the taste wasn't overpowering at all- it was complex and blended with so many other things that the licorice didn't jump out and hit you in the face like a jack-in-the-box. I definitely want to go try the St. George Spirits version, although I can't see myself buying it, at $75 a bottle. Ouch.

Third, I really should mention the Fireside. From the outside, it looks like a dive bar. Considering Alameda's bar selection, this is an easy assumption. However, inside it's clean and modern with soothing colors, nice furniture and a loft-like feel. Total surprise. I'm going to say it's the nicest bar on the West end.

Fourth: since I'm on the topic of bars, I'll go with The Hobnob. I've been there many times in the past months and I like it every time. It's friendly, hip but casual, and you can find solid food and drinks there. I've tried (and love) the truffle fries. I've also had artichokes with aioli, and some breakfast items. My memory is a little faulty with the breakfast, but I remember liking whatever my friend and I had. Oh! Also for brunch, they have make-your-own Bloody Mary's. Who doesn't like that?? Plus, that's just the cake of the place... there's frosting, too. You may ask, "what more could there be"? So, readers, I will tell you.

They have games. A bookshelf overflowing with games. Maybe it doesn't sound that interesting to everyone, but I guarantee that anyone can find a game that they enjoy. It was at this hallowed ground that my brother, sister-in-law, and I rediscovered Clue. Yes. Clue. When you were a kid, it was fun, but it's just as interesting as an adult. There's much more strategy that comes into play. And it's much faster. In any case, The Hobnob also has the (always fun) Apples to Apples, and cards, and many other games. I think it's worth checking out.

That's it, for now. Some discoveries. New things. New things for a new year. Let's hope it's a good one, without any fear. : )

Isa review.



Last night, I went to Isa with a friend for the San Pellegrino Dine Out promotion. It was my first time eating there. Some might say that I missed out on a good thing by doing the promo (which has a set menu); I say that I'm poor and that promos like this help a girl like me eat nice meals at nice restaurants. Mind you, I looked at the set menus quite a bit before I chose a restaurant. Some of the restaurants featured were phoning it in, so to speak, but I didn't feel that Isa was, and I believe I was right. Also, they feature local and sustainable products, which is always a philosophy I can get behind. : )




At first glance, or step in the door, Isa looks tiny. Teeny-tiny. Like a restaurant made out of a closet tiny. It's pretty, though- there's a spiffy bar along the right side and some swanky tables to the left. And just as you wonder where they're going to seat you, they take you to the back, to this lovely tented area with strung lights and greenery and decking. It's like traveling through a dark and damp cave and then emerging into a giant cavern with stalactites and stalagmites. It's so unexpected and very pretty. You ended up a little squished in, but that's okay. How many restaurants in San Francisco really have enough room to dine comfortably? I'm not sure if the tent rolls back to reveal the sky, but if it does, it would be lovely. I can't imagine many more wonderful places to be than that deck on a warm, sunny winter day in the city.



On to the food. My friend started with a sea bass crudo with mango, cilantro and chili. It was delicious. The sea bass was tender and flavorful and paired wonderfully with the sweet, smooth mango and the kick of chili. It was a perfect dish for a warm summer night. I, on the other hand, started with baked goat cheese with basil, pine nuts and a tomato concasse. It was warm (obviously), creamy and crunchy, with a hint of bite from the tomatoes. I could eat it every day for the rest of my life.


For the second dish, my friend chose the halibut a la plancha with artichokes, capers and olives. The halibut was very moist and tender and we lapped up the sauce with bread. Again, a nice light fish dish for a warm summer night. I, however, chose the risotto with assorted mushrooms and parmesan for my second course. Nice and heavy. Let me just say here that I love mushrooms. Real love. True blue, like Madonna. You would think I would love this dish because of that, but the mushroom flavor wasn't prevalent. It was cooked well, though- creamy and smooth with a nice texture.




Last, but not least, we had a vanilla creme brulee and flourless chocolate cake for dessert. The cake had a hint of orange and seemed so light and fluffy that it seemed like flour was involved. However, as you can see from the Adventures in Baking series, I am no baker. The vanilla ice cream accompaniment was quite tasty, too, but there were some chocolate bits under the ice cream that had frozen to the plate and were extremely difficult to remove for that bit of crunch the dish needed. As for the creme brulee, the sugar crust was a little thick, but it had an interesting floral-vanilla flavor to it that I enjoyed.



So that's Isa. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars or hearts or horsehoes or something. I would love to try more of the menu and can't wait to go back again!



p.s.- we washed down the dinner with a bottle of 2004(?) Faiveley White Burgundy. It was good. It had some oak, but mostly it was bright fruit and minerals. It was an excellent counterpoint and accompaniment to our dishes.

a quick recap.







I went to Cambria a few weeks ago. It's near Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo- some prime wine territory. As the picture shows, the California coast is beautiful. It can be so worth driving down the coast instead of the interior roads. Of course, it was beautiful; but, I also tasted some good wine. There wasn't enough time for as much tasting as I'd like, but I did get to taste a great Chardonnay from Four Vines. There was a light hint of butter and oak, but those flavors were very well balanced with fruit and acid. I highly recommend it.



This past weekend I went to LA. LA is always a good time since I have good friends and family in the area. There was good food and ice cream. There was some beach time to cure my summertime blues. There was a cat. It all adds up to a pretty good weekend for me. The good food belonged to Mexico City, a decent Mexican restaurant in the Silverlake area. It's a very hipster scene. I had a good chicken mole and a good margarita.



The ice cream was from Scoops. Better than decent. Fantastic, actually. Some very original flavors: bacon caramel, olive oil olive, brown bread, Guinness tiramisu. They also have a good selection of vegan ice cream. I have had bacon ice cream and olive oil ice cream in the past, and those two trumped these. However, the bacon and olive oil ice creams were from restaurants at the top of their game in the Bay Area. That's tough to beat. In any case, the other ice creams were fantastic. My personal choice was the Guinness tiramisu, and vanilla nutmeg almond. It was creamy, and well-flavored, and definitely a good bang for the buck.



Then, there was more food from Square One. This is a small establishment in Hollywood, with a philosophy of using the freshest local ingredients, which is a philosophy I can support. The bacon in my club sandwich was amazing, and on the whole the sandwich was very tasty. I enjoyed the thyme and roasted garlic potatoes, but they didn't have much flavor of thyme or roasted garlic, in my opinion. It's a casual place, and the service was casual, as well, but it was a good meal, nonetheless.



Last, but not least, let's show the cat that I now adore. How could you not??