Ciao Chow

I had my doubts about the recommendations I received for this restaurant because they came from someone who ate frozen entrees every day for lunch. Due to my reservations, I missed out on a year’s worth of eating at Mochica! Lesson learned… let’s make up for lost time.

Although located South of Market, Mochica isn’t by all the trendy SOMA spots. I get the feeling that there isn’t a lof of people just popping in off the street (er, maybe homeless people), so the majority of the people who end up at Mochica are ones who have heard of the treasures found there.

It took quite a while for us to decide from their extensive menu - fortunately, the lovely waitress, Jennifer, brought us bocadillo (? not sure if I’m remembering the name correctly, but it was a snack made of fried spiced chick peas, pumpkin seeds, cilantro & queso fresco) to wet our appettite for their savory specialties. We decided to start with Tequenos, which were described on the menu as Peruvian shrimp stuffed wontons with orange soy sauce and avocado salsa - which is a good place for me to stop and say this: the menu descriptors do not do the dishes justice. Trust me, they were wonderful.

My entree was actually in the Appetizer section because I wanted a small plate for dinner - they fooled me! Camarones Carlitos ended up being an entire plateful of sauteed shrimp in a spicey sauce of garlic, tomatoes, and Peruvian brandy with garlic crostini, served on a banana leaf. I love a chef who could forsee someone wanting to sop up all that spicey goodness and provide crostini on the side to do so… although if bread wasn’t provided, I probably would have just used a spoon (not letting any of that stuff go to waste!).

Jeremy had one of the specials: Carne Rellenos which practically made him squeal with joy as it was a fried steak stuffed with bacon and chorizo. Talk about carnivore heaven - that boy was in it. The side of potatoes and sauce that garnished the plate were also muy delicioso.

Now, Jeremy doesn’t really have a sweettooth - so I’ll usually order a dessert and he’ll only have a bite or two. Having said that, when the Espuma de Maracuya (a light passion fruit foam cake with orange caramel sauce), arrived at our table… we practically fought to lick the plate (I won).

To sum up: this is a place for people who appreciate flavor. We’re going back and taking some friends there this week!

Mochica is located on Harrisson Street between 5th & 6th Streets, San Francisco

I was pleasantly surprised with this little hole-in-the-wall sushi place because they have quite an extensive menu.

Since it was lunch time, I went with one of their combination lunches - 2 items for $8. The meal ended up being of Godzilla proportions! Out of the several choices, I picked mixed tempura and spicey tuna roll. It also came with miso soup, salad, and rice. I couldn’t finish all of it even though it was very tasty, very fresh, & a great choice for a lunch. I’m sure I’ll go back soon and try one of their interesting sounding specials.

Sushi on North Beach is located on Columbus between Filbert & Greenwich.

If this is your Mama’s, then you must be a son of a… because her food sucks. This was my second try at Mama’s and I’m thoroughly disappointed. I have no idea why there is a line outside almost every morning before they open (I see the line because I work across the street). The people waiting must be tourists and the owners must pay a lot to advertise in those lame freebie tourist guides.

First experience: Breakfast to go. I orded a side of home fries, a side of sausage, and an english muffin… sounds pretty safe, right? The english muffin was either stale or just not toasted enough and dry - no butter! (not even included in the bag). The sausage was flavorless and dry (possibly cooked in the UK?). The home fries were alright, but they literally gave me half a scoop - about a third of the portion you’d get at any other breakfast place in the world. All this for $9… NINE DOLLARS!… nueve dolares!

Last experience: Lunch to go. It had been a few months and although I was hesitant to return, Napoli Market had a line and Mama’s was the next closest place I could get a BLT (I had left the office without a coat). BLTs should be a pretty safe bet as well, right? The sandwich itself tasted alright, nothing special… but they gave me the butt ends of the tomato. WTH? You’re charging $8.75 for a BLT (3 ingredients!) w/ a side salad and you’re gonna be cheap and not toss the butt ends of the tomatoes? Classy. The side salad I opted for (other choice was home fries) was a handfull of mixed greens which tasted like they were soaked in pickle juice. How did I know it was a handful? Well, they prepared my order to dine in instead of to go and I watched the cook grab the salad with one hand and put it in a to go container. I risked my life to taste 1 leaf for this review… thank you, Mr. Clean… I’ll send you my medical bill for salmonela poisoning, you cross-contaminating jerk. I should have waited for the Napoli Market BLT - much better for only $3.99.

Don’t get me wrong, I love throwing down for a good meal. But the crap at Mama’s is not worth what they’re charging at all. Besides, the counter girl has attitude and, after watching the cooks, they don’t seem to be the brightest bulbs.

Mama’s On Washington Square is located across from Washington Square, on the corner of Stockton and Filbert - avoid it like the plague.

Stylish restaurant or trendy lounge? What about both? Frisson participated in this year’s Dine About Town which was the perfect opp for us to try a place I’ve been meaning to go to for a while.

We were quite a bit early for our reservation, so we were going to relax in the softly lit lounge, have a drink, and listen to the great trip hop that seemed to be mixed by a live DJ. But the staff was really accommodating, sat us immediately, and even brought complimentary champagne while we perused the sample menu… so we were off to a great start!

First off, we had the “mixed field greens with toasted almonds and truffle basalmic vinaigrette” (for me) and “fennel and parsnip soup with candied quince chutney and oxtail ravioli” (Jeremy). The salad was better than it sounds and although I didn’t try the soup, Jeremy raved about it.

For our main course, I had the “miso glazed atlantic halibut with beech mushrooms, celery root puree, napa cabbage, shiro dashi and daikon sprouts” and Jeremy had the “cocoa dusted duck confit ‘cassoulet’ with roasted sweet potatoes, heirloom carrots, green garlic, toasted almonds, and pomegranite glaze”. The glaze on my fish had an odd flavor that (later on) reminded me of store bought onion soup mix… I can’t really describe it, but it wasn’t like any miso glaze I’ve had before and the beech mushrooms were a bit too “earthy” tasting to for my palatte. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good - but I guess it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I think the “Lavender and Honey Lemonade” threw my taste buds off - I should have had another drink (they made great martinis). Jeremy tasted my entree and thought it was great. He also really enjoyed his duck… savoring the hell out of each bite.

Both of us had the “chocolate roulade, vanilla ice cream, thyme-blueberry sauce” for dessert… we joked that it looked like a big Ho-Ho, but it was light and delicioso.

I rated this restaurant as great because of the overall package. The ambiance, attention to detail, creativity, and attitude made me want to go back and try some of the other great sounding items on their main menu. Plus, it would be a great place to chill and have a drink - so bonus points.

Frisson is located at 244 Jackson Street (between Battery & Front), San Francisco

***Note: even if you don’t have to tinkle, you have to check out their beautiful bathroom, no, “water lounge” downstairs. There are several unisex stalls surrounding a long, cleverly designed trough with multiple faucets. Beautiful glass tiles cover the walls in brown and red to match the rest of the restaurant.

This is the Indian restaurant that we frequent the most. The food has always been very good, so good that we’ve been willing to try new things and we’ve enjoyed it all. A friend of ours has said this is his favorite restaurant.

I recommend trying their chicken tikka masala as it comes on a sizzling platter and is incredibly flavorful. Their saag paneer and aloo gobi are also dishes we often order. They also offer a nice variety of naan.

The restaurant is decorated tastefully and they’re set up to host parties with a dance floor, party lights, and speaker system. They also have a corner table that is enclosed and decorated as if you’re dining in a Indian palace… could be very romantic

The host is funny and jokes around a lot, but the entire staff is friendly. They will welcome you and feed you like very few can.

Dinner is better than their lunch buffet. If you want Indian for lunch, I’d go to Vik’s Chaat Corner for a quickie. But if you’d like a nice, sit down dinner - try Sahib.

They are on San Pablo Ave @ Barrett, in Richmond, CA.

We were quite impressed with this little place. It looks like just a jazz club from the outside, but they have an interesting menu with tasty dishes.

With a group of 8, we were able to order a variety from the menu. Mostly everyone was happy with what they ordered. I had the Mafe over rice, which I specially ordered “spicey”, and it was very good. One of the girls ordered Yassa over rice and although she enjoyed the sauce, she thought it would have been better over pasta (which is an option). Others ordered the Poulet Savannah and enjoyed it. The chicken wing appetizer with plantains was just alright. The side salad “Salade Verte” was plain, but the vinaigrette was nice.

This place, although a restaurant, didn’t really seem prepared to serve dinner. The chefs must have been a bit disorganized as they brought out our appetizers, salads, and dinner items all at the same time. So, our table was overflowing with dishes. Then we had to ask for silverware, which ended up being a hassle and all of this was communicated by shouting over the music to the waitress. I believe all of this is our mistake. We should have went earlier, enjoyed dinner first, then stay to listen to the live music.

The live music was excellent. We really enjoyed their renditions of classic jazz. You can tell the owners really love what they’re doing, it’s a nice feeling when it shows. By the time we left, the place was full and everyone was enjoying themselves.

Mission @ 25th. in San Francisco, CA.

If you didn’t know where to look, you might just drive past this little run down looking building on the corner of 4th & Gilman. It’s looking better these days, though… with a new sign & they’re fixing up the outside a bit.

Once inside, just seat yourself and either the nice but ditzy punk waitress or the tired & slightly crabby older waitress will help you.

The menu has a great selection for brunch - most served with Acme toast. Pretty much everthing I’ve had there has been pretty good… except the last time we went I tried the “Bentoville” which is their version of biscuits & gravy. I think it was one of the worst things I’ve ever ordered in a restaurant - ever. Biscuits were stale hockey pucks, lumpy white gravy with no flavor, very little sausage and big chunks of onion. It was really bad.

I would recommend their Gilman Potatoes… it’s a plate of home fries with veggies (zucchini, onions, peppers, mushrooms) mixed in, covered with cheese. Jeremy likes their eggs benedict. They have several benedict type breakfasts with hollandaise sauce.

Overall, this isn’t one of my favorite breakfast places - even though we seem to end up there often. My inlaws enjoyed it so much that they asked to go back during their next visit. I prefer Jimmy Bean’s which is two blocks up at the corner of Gilman and 6th Street. They’re a little more expensive, and you have to fight for a table, but it’s worth it.

On Gilman & 4th. St., in Berkeley, CA.

If you love Indian food, you’ll love Vik’s. The food is amazing. Everything I’ve had there has been superb… from the dosas to the samosa to the interesting sweets, everything has been delicious. I think it’s the best indian food in the bay area.

Unfortunately, we don’t get to go very often. They keep short hours, from 11am to 6pm and during those few hours, it’s packed with those who know good indian food.

The atmosphere isn’t really for the faint of heart. Although they recently remodeled and it’s much nicer than it was a year ago, it’s still pretty bare bones. The restaurant is pretty much a converted warehouse. You walk in, place your order at the counter and wait for them to call your name over the really bad PA system. You’ll be served on paper plates and eat with sporks. If you’re just in for a quick bite, you can stand at a counter to eat or if you’re quick, you can find a table to sit. But don’t mind any of this! The patrons are always friendly enough to share their table with you and the food is well worth it!!!

Vik’s is on Allston @ 4th St., in Berkeley, CA.

Some friends of ours took us to this little restaurant a while back and we loved it. So, last week while in the area, we stopped by for brunch.

I remembered from our previous visit that they had this wonderful jalapeno corn bread they served at every table and I wasn’t disappointed. It was warm, spicey, and yummy. They also have a great spicey mango chutney on the table, which I ended up pouring all over my dish.

I ordered the Spicey Seafood Jambalaya. It wasn’t very spicey (to me), but it was very flavorful. Jeremy ordered the Bisteak breakfast, served with black beans, eggs, and plantains… but they actually gave him home fried potatoes instead of plantains, for some reason, which was disappointing to him, but I thought they were the best home fries I’ve ever had… so it was OK.

You can’t see the dining area from the street. The restaurant is set up kind of funny, the kitchen is in the front and you walk past it to get to the host and dining area. It’s a really cheery place, full of tropical art and color splashed all over the walls. When it’s nice out you can sit in their patio outside.

I plan to go back, but not for brunch…. we enjoyed the dinner more.

Tropix is located on Piedmont @ Rio Vista Ave, in Oakland, CA.

Not knowing University Avenue restaurants that well, we just picked one… and it was a winner!

Although modest looking on the outside, we received a hearty greeting by the host as we walked in to this very cool restaurant. It was the middle of the day, but there was a definate club feel with Italian trip hop playing, modern decor, and a full bar almost as big as the dining area. I’m sure it’s packed on weekends and evenings.

The food was excellent. I had the Penne Norcina, with crumbled sausage & peas in a yummy cream sauce. Jeremy had the Cheese Ravioli in a d’lish cream sauce. We enjoyed both.

I’d like to go back one night when the place is hopping to have a drink, a long dinner, and try one of their desserts.

You can find Pasta? on University Ave @ Bryant St in Palo Alto, CA.