But when the food matches the beauty of the environment, then it’s pure magic in Napa Valley. You can expect such a dining [...]]]> ST. HELENA, Calif.
Anything tastes great on a beautiful day in wine country, with the sun shining brightly and providing warmth for Bay Area residents all-to-used to the San Francisco fog.

But when the food matches the beauty of the environment, then it’s pure magic in Napa Valley. You can expect such a dining experience walking into Farmstead restaurant at Long Meadow Ranch in St. Helena.

Opened three years ago, Farmstead grandly displays the shabby-chic décor of farmhouse dining, with unvarnished wood walls and furnishings, tin watering cans, and milk bottles. The spacious dining area (seats 110) is surrounded by herb gardens, a patio, and comfy outdoor bar.

Familiar Chef
The farm-to-table menu overdoses with the details of where each main ingredient is sourced from, but plays nicely to the reputation of Executive Chef Stephen Barber. He wasn’t the opening chef, but he’s no stranger to Napa Valley.

Chef Barber, who received attention in the Bay Area years ago at the former Mecca restaurant in San Francisco, came from the nearby Fish Story restaurant and previously opened a barbeque spot in Napa called BarbersQ. In fact, his penchant for barbeque is evident in the “smokers” section of the menu where he offers up dishes like St. Louis-style ribs.

The restaurant’s expeditor made sure the dishes came out like clock work.

Group Lunch
I visited Farmstead for the first time a couple of weekends ago when a group of friends wanted to drive up for the day for some Napa Valley winetasting. The menu provided a nice variety for our group’s preferences, from the heavy to the light. A starter of wild king salmon rillette ($15) was a nice beginning to our lunch, with the pinkish salmon spread topped with a white lemon verbena crème fraiche.

For my lunch, I went whole hog with the wood-grilled heritage pork chop ($26) with broccolini, jalapeno grits and apple onion jam. The thick juicy chop may have been slightly sweet from the apple onion jam, but there was no denying the perfectly cook texture of the pork, both tender and moist.

The Last Bite
The bustling space got crowded as we ate, but the servers never seemed to let that bother them. The friendly service with the airy dining room provided an enjoyable environment to chow down on some delicious food and soak up everything good the country has to offer.

Rating: 3 out of 4 camera snaps

Farmstead, 738 Main St., St. Helena, Calif. PH: 707.963.9181. Open daily at 11:30 a.m.; Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. Reservations, major credit cards accepted. Website

Wild king salmon rilette with lemon verbena crème fraiche ($15)

My friend Jason ordered a half rack of the St. Louis ribs with Point Reyes blue cheese coleslaw ($16)

Farmstead’s dining room is huge but provides the coziness you’d expect from a farmhouse

My juicy slice of wood-grilled heritage pork chop with broccolini, jalapeno grits and apple onion jam ($26)

A filling salad of arugula with strawberries, Redwood Hill goat’s milk feta, toasted almonds, and citrus vinaigrette ($11). My friend Brandon topped the salad with shredded chicken for an additional $7.

A closer view of the busy Farmstead open kitchen

Farmstead is known for its cheddar biscuit with honey butter ($6). I didn’t try it because of all the butter I know is hiding inside, but I thought it was cute how they served it in a tiny cast-iron skillet.

The expansive dining room and adjacent bar is a mixture of Rome (large urban black-and-white [...]]]> The Bay Area has its share of thin-crust artisan pizzerias, so recently opened Build Pizzeria Roma in Berkeley tries to stand out from the crowd with a gimmick that lets you create your own pie by choosing your own toppings.

The expansive dining room and adjacent bar is a mixture of Rome (large urban black-and-white photos) and California (reclaimed wood for tables and chairs), and the casual environment makes it a welcoming spot for families with young children.

How it Works
When you’re seated, you’re given a slip with your table number. Then you head to the “Building Department” where you start building your pizza that’s all made on a Roman-style pizza, or thin crust.

1. First you choose the sauce: rosso, blanca or pesto
2. Then you choose the toppings from the array of ingredients, including smoked mozzarella, pancetta, olives, mushrooms, and more.
3. They take your pizza to the wood-fire oven and you pay at the counter. You start with the base price of $7.95 and pay per topping (from $1 to $3).
4.  When your pizza is ready (about 3 to 6 minutes), they bring it to your table.

For now, other options include salads and soft-serve ice cream for dessert, and the bar is fully stocked with beer and wine on tap as well as an impressive cocktail program designed by Scott Beattie. But an opening bar menu with additional items like aranchini or budino was scrapped and a new menu is being developed.

Large black-and-white images add to the urban vibe

The Last Bite
In my visits, I tried a pizza with a pesto base and overloaded with artichokes, bell peppers, and pancetta (bringing the total cost to about $13) and then a simpler rosso pizza with mushrooms and prosciutto (about $12 because of the prosciutto). Both times the toppings didn’t seem to meld together nicely, but the crust was always nicely charred and crispy on the edges with a chew in the center.

Build has a friendly staff, but it’s still learning how to get into a groove. For example, once I asked for a pizza with shaved fennel and the counter people didn’t know where it was, and said it would be added after the pizza was cooked but it never made it to the pizza.

I’ve found that building your own pizza can put a lot of pressure on a night out, especially when the flavors don’t seem to cook long enough to blend well. If you don’t like the pizza, it’s probably your fault because you chose the combination. (They do have a daily special with suggested toppings and some basic simple pizzas.) For now, Build is fun for small kids who are picky and adults who want an upscale but casual atmosphere for their pizzas.

Rating: 2 out of 4 camera snaps

Build Pizzeria Roma, 2286 Shattuck Ave.(at Bancroft), Berkeley. PH: 510.898.1839. Open Sun.–Thu., 11:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m.; Fri.–Sat., 11:30 a.m.–midnight (dinner from 5:30 p.m.). No reservations. Major credit cards accepted. buildpizzeria.com

The Building Department is where you tell the pizzaiolos what you want on your pizza

You choose the base sauce and the toppings and they assemble everything

While the toppings might not be melding nicely together, the crust is always tasty and perfectly cooked

I created a pesto based pizza with artichokes, red bell peppers, pancetta and smoked mozarella. I probably went a bit overboard.

The reclaimed wood creates a sleek contemporary California space

The bar opens early for happy hour, and I tried a pisco sour (with apricot liqueur) and a simple side salad.

I think keeping things simple makes the best pizzas, like this mushroom, basil, mozzarella pizza with prosciutto.

I never had to wait very long for the thin-crust pizzas to be cooked in the wood-fired oven.

So when I read about a four-course dinner featuring the artichoke as the main ingredient, I quickly signed up with the organizer, Jupiter Olympus, [...]]]> I love artichokes, especially when they’re fresh and in season. But it’s one of those delicious food that’s a pain to prepare, mostly because of all the prickly outer leaves.

So when I read about a four-course dinner featuring the artichoke as the main ingredient, I quickly signed up with the organizer, Jupiter Olympus, a cocktail partnership between noted bartenders Morgan Schick of the white-hot Trick Dog and Eric Quilty of Oakland’s popular Adesso.

The pop-up “Choke” dinner also featured Cynar liqueur, which was the night’s co-sponsor. And proceeds from the $30 admission went to Oakland’s People’s Grocery. Schick and Quilty’s Cynar-inspired cocktails were paired with dishes from chefs Chris Kronner of Kronnerburger and Kevin Cimino of St. Vincent’s Tavern.

In the dimly lit club environment of Bruno’s in the Mission, I enjoyed the light dishes that featured the artichoke, although sometimes I felt it was overshadowed by the other elements on the plate. It was my first time drinking Cynar, which is milder that absinthe but for some reason reminded me of it because of its herbal base.

Here’s a look at the four courses featured in Monday night’s Choke pop-up. Which dish would you be most interested in tasting?

First course: Shaved artichoke salad with raw peas, greens and pickled carrots and onions. Paired with a Cynar cocktail of fennel juice, champagne vinegar, and sparkling wine

Second course: Hot and cold soup where the hot soup was an artichoke brodo (which was like a consomme) and the cold was the Cynar cocktail of Fino sherry, Vin d’Orange, black pepper and sage

Third course: Lamb served four ways with a fried artichoke ball (it was like a falafel).

The lamb course was paired with a Cynar beer cocktail of Flor de Cana 7-year rum, cherry, lemon, and IPA

Fourth course: artichoke and pistachio bread with dates, black cardamon and creme fraiche. Paired with a Cynar tea with creme de violette and artichoke tisane.

Eric Quilty of Adesso manned the bar at Bruno’s to create Cynar-inspired cocktails

An apertif made with Cynar, an Italian artichoke liqueur that’s bitter

Event organizer Morgan Schick serves up the soup course

The Choke dinner took place at the special event space, formerly known as Bruno’s in San Francisco’s Mission District.

At the new Tribune Tavern, there are no cranky news men and, really, there’s no newspaper. But the spirit of an old time watering hole [...]]]> A newspaper watering hole from days gone by was typically a spot around the corner of a newspaper where rough-around-the-edges men would drink and smoke, blowing off steam after deadline.

At the new Tribune Tavern, there are no cranky news men and, really, there’s no newspaper. But the spirit of an old time watering hole lives, especially in the busy front bar.

Tribune Tavern is in the historic Oakland Tribune building in downtown. The newspaper still exists, but it moved from the historic spot years ago and now has smaller offices in the Uptown area. But the Tribune building, and its iconic clock tower, is symbolic of the city’s spirit. So I was excited to see this new restaurant breathe new life into the area.

Bustling Bar
Opened for about a month, the bar is already attracting a large after-work happy hour crowd. When I went to meet my friends Sandy of Foodhoe’s Foraging and Christina of East Bay Dish for our dinner reservations, I got there early and tried to get a drink at the bar.

Man About Town ($10) made with Buffalo Trace bourbon, Carpano antica, and Gran Classico

The strong drink program by beverage director Paul Christensen and bar manager Alfie Turnshek-Goins features cocktails that play on the old-time hard-drinking days such as Front Page and Man About Town. During happy hour, a selected list of drinks are offered up for $5, and I tried the “Fruit Loops,” a refreshing drink made of Reyka vodka and lemongrass phosphate. (For some reason, though, I thought a drink named Fruit Loops would have more color, but it was still refreshing.)

When we were seated at our table, we ended up still near the bar (despite making reservations). So Christina also gave some specialty drinks a try, including the Vic’s Fix (a play on Trader Vic’s Mai Tai, $9) and her favorite Front Page ($10) made with Wild Turkey 81 Rye, crème de cacao, Elisir MP Roux liquor and amontillado sherry.

The Menu
The food, however, seemed to pale in comparison to the drink program. The menu include spreads and small plates, which seem to have the most interesting items. And then a “bigger” plate section.

The potted rabbit ($8) is a rich and great start to dinner, and the kale salad with roasted cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, pickled onions and clothbound cheddar ($10) is a huge salad with a delightfully light vinaigrette that allowed the kale to shine.

Potted rabbit ($8), one of the items on the spread section

But my main meal of the Tavern burger ($14) didn’t hit the spot. Despite being cooked medium rare like requested, it seemed more rare than medium so it didn’t seem to have reached the point of heat to create that great juicy burger. Plus, the bun and sides seemed pretty regular.

Christina and Sandy went the decadent route with the “guilty fries” ($15), which is exactly like what it sounds – a large plate of French fries covered with beer and cheddar fondue and pulled pork. It’s like an Oakland version of the Canadian poutine.

Desserts picked up the creativity, like the chocolate pot de crème with caramel corn ($7) and the very mint-flavored ice cream sandwich ($6). But I really feel the cocktails is the lead story at Tribune Tavern, which has definitely brought a fresh look to a historic site.

Rating: 2.5 out of 4 camera snaps

Tribune Tavern, 401 13th St. (at Franklin), Oakland. PH: 510.452.TRIB. Open for dinner Mon.-–Sat., weekday happy hour, and weekday lunch. Reservations, major credit cards accepted. tribunetavern.com.

Tribune Tavern captures that old-time newspaper water hole in the front bar

Grilled asparagus with green garlic and pancetta dressing and chopped eggs ($11)

Tavern burger ($14) is decent but nothing special

The dining room of the Tribune Tavern that I didn’t get to dine in because I was relegated to a table at the bar

The Front Page ($11) is a drink made with Wild Turkey

Delicious kale salad ($10) with Brussels sprouts, pickled onions and cheddar cheese

The drinks made our eating adventures more enjoyable

Guilty Fries ($15) is a twist on poutine with beer and cheddar fondue and pulled pork smothering the French fries.

Chocolate pot de creme with dulce de leche toasted meringue and caramel corn ($7)

Ice cream sandwich ($6) with mint chocolate chip ice cream

I love this shot of Christina’s drink all empty but the large ice cube still in large form

The new Tribune Tavern anchors the historic Oakland Tribune building

Blais of Atlanta (and rumored soon-to-be Bay Area) is known for his molecular gastronomy on the Bravo TV series, but his cookbook is really more about home [...]]]> Got a few new cookbooks recently, and one of them is the impressive cookbook from Top Chef All-Star winner Richard Blais, entitled “Try This at Home.”

Blais of Atlanta (and rumored soon-to-be Bay Area) is known for his molecular gastronomy on the Bravo TV series, but his cookbook is really more about home comfort cooking with a few twists. He almost includes a few recipes with liquid nitrogen just to meet fan expectations. I liked Blais’ quirky insecure cheffy personality, but when I saw him in person for a book signing awhile back, I totally fell in love with his natural charm and confidence.

Richard Blais promoting his cookbook at San Francisco’s Book Passage

I decided to try his squid “liguine” with shrimp recipe from the cookbook. It’s what he calls one of his “impasta” dishes because pasta is often replaced with something else, in this case long thinly sliced squid. A simple dish, the finished results did look like a pasta dish but eating it was really more like just eating a squid and shrimp entree. I also think my squid I got from my local market was too short, so I couldn’t get those nice long strips to impersonate linguine (the squid actually curled up into rings).

Still, it was a light and easy dish to make. Great when you’re on a no-carb diet. I reprinted the recipe from the cookbook below so you can give it a try yourself. Enjoy!

The finished dish. Does the squid look kind of like Japanese udon?

Squid “Linguine” with Shrimp Recipe

Excerpted from “Try This at Home” Cookbook (Clarkson Potter Publishing, 2013)

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
8 large squid (about 1 lb.)
8 oz. shrimp (any size) peeled and deveined
1/4 cup Sicilian or other extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 t chopped fresh rosemary
grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
kosher salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 T unsalted butter
1 T chile oil
Maldon or gray sea salt for garnish

Cut the squid bodies open down one side, rinse them, pat them dry, and lay them flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes, or until very firm.

With a sharp knife, cut the squid lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Set aside.

Put the shrimp in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until rippling. Add the garlic and stir for 10 seconds, then immediately add the ground shrimp, red pepper flakes, rosemary, lemon zest and juice, a pinch of salt, and the black pepper. Stir vigorously to break up the shrimp, then toss the mixture until the shrimp is just cooked, about 2 minutes.

Add the white wine and stir until it has nearly evaporated. Add the butter and toss well until melted and combined. Remove from the heat, stir in the squid strips and let stand for 2 minutes, or until the squid is just cooked. Stir in the chile oil, then taste and add more salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the mixture among four heated shallow pasta bowls, and garnish each one with rosemary, black pepper, a drizzle of chile oil, and a sprinkling of Maldon salt. Serve immediately.

My friend Vera eats Indian food often, and she’s a big fan (like many others) of Vik’s Chaat and Market in Berkeley. The longtime [...]]]> I’m not big on Indian food (I just feel it’s mostly curries and dried-out tandoori), but I’m always open to try it occasionally to see if someone can change my mind.

My friend Vera eats Indian food often, and she’s a big fan (like many others) of Vik’s Chaat and Market in Berkeley. The longtime Indian fast-casual restaurant moved to its current larger location a few years ago, and consistently packs it in as people try its chaat, which is road side snacks back in India.

Market + Chaat House
The restaurant, which is more like a fast-casual cafe, is behind a small Indian grocery store. If you feel inspired to make Indian food at home, you can always drop by the market on your way out and pick up needed ingredients.

I couldn’t really wrap my head around the organization of the chaat house, while Vera, a regular, thought the layout was ingenious. You order your food at the checkout, but you don’t get a number. Instead, you wait till they call your name. The problem (at least to me) is that the food doesn’t come out all at once. It comes out when it’s ready, and you go up to a particular line depending on what kind of dish you ordered.

Cholle bhature is like a big puffer fish. This airy bread starts to deflate at the table and you rip it apart and dip it in a sauce

But when they call your name, you really don’t know which dish you ordered is the one that’s ready. So you have to always ask the person behind the microphone what exactly you’re picking up. Since we ordered a few dishes, I was up and down at our table several times. It’s a real workout.

Street Snacks
We tried a few traditional Indian street snacks, including Vera’s favorite – the dahi batata puri ($4.50). these shell-like pastries are filled with yogurt and mint and generously drizzled with more yogurt and tamarind chutney. How this can be eaten in the streets of India, I don’t understand. They just look like a mess, but I agree that this is the most unusual and tasty Indian street bite.

We also tried a big puffy air ball known as the cholle bhature ($6), which is like a big UFO slowly deflating, and regional favorite dosas (we had the masala dosas filled with potatoes, $6.50). At their core, these are basically a starch that’s served with dipping sauce. Again, not the most easy street food (apparently in India these are served on leaves that serves as the plate).

The Last Bite
The food definitely had fresh flavors, and were all hot since they were coming straight from the kitchen. We also ordered the special lamb dinner ($8.50), which had these incredibly tender lamb chunks in a curry sauce. I can see why these affordable dishes are popular in Berkeley, especially with the college crowd, but it didn’t make me a lover of Indian food. I appreciated some of the comfort foods like the potato dosa, but I don’t know if you get much diversity in the meal despite the extensive menu.

Rating: 2.5 out of 4 camera snaps

Vik’s Chaat & Market, 2390 4th St., Berkeley, Calif. PH: 510.644.4432. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (till 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday). No reservations, major credit cards accepted. www.vikschaatcorner.com

Dahi batata puri is a pastry shell filled with yogurt and mint. It’s refreshing for the heat of India

Masala dosa with dipping sauce. The potato filling is comforting.

Lamb dinner special is satisfying as a complete meal

A cook making fresh street food at Vik’s

Our party included Sandy of Foodhoe’s Foraging and her hubby, Mr. K., and Edda of A Housewife’s Tale who guided [...]]]> SAN MATEO, Calif.
After a night of eating Japanese food, my recent impromptu food crawl of San Mateo landed our group at the Hong Kong-style dessert cafe known as Dessert Republic.

Our party included Sandy of Foodhoe’s Foraging and her hubby, Mr. K., and Edda of A Housewife’s Tale who guided us through our gastronomical discovery of Peninsula eats on a recent Saturday night. Our last stop at Dessert Republic was a sweet discovery of this unique cafe with a wide selection of traditional Hong Kong desserts.

Asian desserts, however, are not necessarily the most beautiful. From what I remember growing up in Hawaii with a mom who came from Hong Kong, our desserts were often made of things like grass jelly or soy beans. In the United States, we’ve been exposed to the tapioca pearl drinks from Hong Kong, but Dessert Republic will bring your education of Asian desserts to another level.

Dessert Republic has an amazing call system at the table so you can ring the servers to give your order, ask for water, or get your bill. Genius!

After reviewing the extensive menu, I stuck with the traditional sweet soups added to silken tofu. (See, told you Hong Kong desserts never sound like desserts.) This is soft tofu in the center of a bowl filled with black sesame soup (made from grounded black sesame seeds) ($5.29). The sesame flavor needed more strength, but I did enjoy the tofu center.

Sandy and Edda got a red bean soup version of the same tofu dessert, and also tried fried sesame balls filled with black sesame paste called “Stars of Milky Way” ($6.25). The sesame balls came with chocolate drizzles. We also tried some drinks, with Edda actually getting a grass jelly ice drink ($3.25) and me sticking with my favorite Hong Kong milk tea (hot tea with sweetened condensed milk)($2), which was a great version offered up at Dessert Republic.

Beyond the sweets, I found the space delightful with its murals trying to creating a Hong Kong alley feel, which is funny considering that you find Dessert Republic in a small alley next to a parking structure in downtown San Mateo. Even though I didn’t fall in the love with the desserts, it’s a fun space to hangout with friends after a night of dining out.

Dessert Republic, 128 Main St., San Mateo, Calif. PH: 650.401.3570. Open Tuesday through Saturday (late). www.dessertrepublic.com

An employee works the “egg puff” station. This is like a bubbly waffle.

My dessert of black sesame paste and sweet tofu ($5.29), which is really just a sweet soup.

HK milk tea (left), which was nicely mixed with rich body, and a grass jelly ice (right).

Dessert of fried sesame balls filled with black sesame paste called “Star of the Milky Way.”

Dessert Republic is found in an alley in downtown San Mateo along with a few other new restaurants spicing up the dining scene.

Edda of A Housewive’s Tale blog [...]]]> SAN MATEO, Calif.
Since I don’t own a car, I basically focus my eating adventures around San Francisco and the East Bay. But recently I caught a ride with my friend Sandy of Foodhoe’s Foraging as we met up with another foodie friend Edda in San Mateo.

Edda of A Housewive’s Tale blog always meets us in San Francisco for our dining adventures, so we thought it was only fair that we met her halfway (she lives in San Jose) for at least one dining adventure. Sandy’s husband, Mr. K, also joined us for dinner on a Saturday as we told Edda we wanted to try some of San Mateo’s best Japanese food.

She put together an impromptu foodcrawl for us, as we ate at both Ramen Parlor and Izakaya Mai, some of Edda’s favorite restaurants in the area.

Ramen Parlor
I’ve always found the best ramen on the Peninsula and in San Jose, and on many occasions I’ve eaten at places from the same owners. The people behind the popular Santa Ramen know their stuff because I’m often satisfied by their bowls of noodles in rich broth, first at the original namesake and then Dojo Ramen.

Crab Spicy Miso Ramen is a rich red hued broth with crab meat, deep fried soft shell crab, roasted pork, green chives, shungiku, and bean sprouts

The latest noodle heaven is Ramen Parlor, which specializes in seafood-focused ramen dishes. Its menu actually offers a lot more than ramen, such as small plates and even donburi, or rice bowls. But we stuck with the ramen, with me trying the Crab Spicy Miso Ramen ($9.95).

My ramen had an amazing red hue and was topped with shredded crab meat (adding to the red color) and a deep-fried piece of soft shell crab. The spice level was just right for me, and I especially liked the green chives – an unusually wide and flat version. The rest of the gang shared a couple of bowls of ramen (lobster pork flavor and miso flavor with corn).

While the broths were supposed to have a seafood infusion such as lobster or crab, I didn’t really get that strong seafood essence. Still, the noodles and rich broth made every slurp enjoyable.

Izakaya Mai
After our ramen, we battled the Saturday night traffic in downtown San Mateo (this is definitely a hot spot on the Peninsula on the weekends) and headed to our second stop at the popular Izakaya Mai.

This tiny spot (it’s so popular the owners are expanding to a space next door) has an intimate and authentic Japanese feel when you enter, and the menu is crazy extensive with a variety of small plates, from sushi to sashimi to donburi and fried goods.

Izakaya Mai has an authentic Japanese pub vibe, with a twist of a toy train circling the room

We ordered a variety of dishes, and our favorites tended to be the simple raw fish dishes such as the hamachi sashimi and special uni (sea urchin). Of course, Sandy ordered a deep-fried dish, which was the fried squid, which I felt were tasty but slightly greasy in that deep-fried way.

Sandy had a craving for natto, the pungent Japanese sticky bean dish, but we talked her out of it. So instead she ordered the shaved mountain yam with maguro. And while I love maguro, I couldn’t get passed the whipped texture of the mountain yam that’s typically served with a raw quail egg.

But there were a lot more for us to eat beyond the mountain yam, including a large plate of beef tongue (a bit chewy and crunchy from the grill), simply blistered shishito peppers, and grilled mackeral (saba shio).

I enjoyed the whole experience of Izakaya Mai, from the friendly service to the assortment of dishes to choose from to the casual, family atmosphere. With Ramen Parlor and Izakaya Mai, Edda definitely showed us some great Japanese food on the Peninsula.

Check back Wednesday when I spotlight how we ended our impromptu dish crawl in San Mateo.

Ramen Parlor, 901 S. B St., San Mateo, Calif. PH: 650.344.9728. Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday. No reservations. Major credit cards accepted.

Izakaya Mai, 212 22nd Ave., San Mateo, Calif. PH: 650.347.2511. Open weekday lunch, and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations, major credit cards accepted. www.izakayamai.com

Ramen Parlor is from the same people behind Santa Ramen and Dojo Ramen, all in San Mateo

Bowls of ramen, including lobster pork flavor ramen and miso ramen with corn

My finished bowl of ramen at Ramen Parlor

Fresh hamachi sashimi was one of the more popular dishes at Izakaya Mai

Ankimo or monk fish liver

Sea urchin, or uni, served on ice in a cocktail glass

Enjoying the dishes at Izakaya Mai, including mountain yam shavings with maguro

Adding lemon to the grilled mackeral (or saba shio)

Izakaya Mai in San Mateo is expanding next door to accommodate its fans

But it’s more than the beauty of the roasted chicken that came to our table at the San Francisco institution Zuni Cafe. Yes, the seasonal greens gave [...]]]> It’s like an artist took a brush dipped in amber and carefully – ever so carefully – painted a chicken to make it glow like a warm sunset.

But it’s more than the beauty of the roasted chicken that came to our table at the San Francisco institution Zuni Cafe. Yes, the seasonal greens gave the plate that rustic drama, and the Tuscan bread salad unearthed from the bountiful whole chicken added pop. But as we bit into the tender chicken pieces, some still dripping with moist chicken juice, it was then that we understood true beauty.

Zuni Cafe’s Judy Rodgers has elevated the simple roasted chicken to an art form, first with the well-known technique of salting a whole chicken at least 24 hours in advance, and then roasting at high heat in the restaurant’s brick oven.

The recipe for this famous chicken is in Rodgers’ award-winning The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, but if you want to try it done right, you have to order it at the restaurant on Market Street just south of Hayes Valley. Made for two ($48), the dish takes at least an hour, so prepare yourself for a leisurely lunch as I did when I went recently with my friend Maureen.

We took the time to catch up, munching on fresh oysters and house-cured anchovies.  And when the chicken finally arrived, it was the star of the table as other diners turned to watch the waiter place it on our table, many whispering to each other, “oooh, that’s the roast chicken.”

Zuni Cafe’s roasted chicken is still on every food lover’s list of must-eat food. I am so glad to say that I have tasted it, and happily checked it off my list.

Zuni Cafe, 1658 Market St., San Francisco. PH: 415.552.2522. Open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner (closed Monday). Reservations and major credit cards accepted. www.zunicafe.com

Everyone knows The French Laundry in Napa Valley, which is why it’s still one of the hardest [...]]]> ST. HELENA, Calif.
I’ve never dined at a three Michelin-star restaurant, which is the highest honor bestowed by the annual Michelin Guide to dining from France. So I figured there’s no better time than now.

Everyone knows The French Laundry in Napa Valley, which is why it’s still one of the hardest reservations to come by. But luckily, there’s another 3-star restaurant, also in Napa Valley, at The Restaurant by Meadowood.

The restaurant is part of the Meadowood resort nestled up a forest-like hill, away from the vineyards in the valley. Approaching it at night is like approaching a fairytale lodge.

A refined and luxurious setting, the service is professional albeit sometimes too rehearsed (everyone seems to have a speech ready when it’s their turn). The kitchen is headed by the talented Chef Christopher Kostow, who serves up a 9- to 10-course tasting menu for $225 or an expanded chef’s counter menu for $500 where you actually sit inside the kitchen in a little high table and bar stools.

Tasting Menu
I opted for the regular tasting menu and enjoyed a serene evening of beautiful plates from Chef Kostow, with many of the dishes featuring greens from the restaurant’s own garden. Some of the early bites and plates were the most creative to me, starting with a tiny pillow bite of a biscuit filled with crème fraiche, brought to the table on an actual pillow.

Chef Christopher Kostow, right, working in the kitchen.

The evening featured some offal, such as the grilled duck heart (not pictured), which tastes like how it sounds – small tiny hearts that were barely cooked. But it reminded me too much that I was chewing on heart.

Chef Kostow comes out at one point (he came and sauced the abalone dish) to interact with guests, and you see him again later when you go for a quick tour of the kitchen after dinner.

The Last Bite
The dishes were all beautiful to photograph, but some of the flavors may have leaned on the salty side. With influences of France, Japan, and California, the plates work hard to be perfect. And while there were times when they did come close to that, I felt some needed a bit more innovation in flavor.

Rating: 3.5 out of 4 camera snaps

The Restaurant at Meadowood, 900 Meadowood Lane, St. Helena, Calif. PH: 707.967.1205. Open Monday to Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. Reservations, major credit cards accepted. Website

One of the amuse bouche was this traditional Korean cracker with konbu served on a log

One of the most creative presentations was these small starters of carrot cake and savory kale chip brought to the table on a book that featured photos from the garden

Whipped yogurt with black sesame, pickled plum and shiso looked like a zen garden. The black sesame candy bits added sweetness to the yogurt, but I couldn’t detect the subtle shiso scent

Lettuce with asparagus, clams, and caviar was a perfect spring dish

A lovely potato dish cooked in bees wax with assorted sorrels. I felt the dish was slightly salty despite potatoes generally being bland

Salt baked rutabaga almost looked like a slice of cantaloupe when it came out. Served with goat milk and maple.

The dining room is tastefully decorated, adding to the resort environment

Abalone with liver, succulents, and chicken bonito stock. This was one of my favorite dishes. The abalone from Monterey was perfectly cooked, tender yet firm.

Perfectly cooked sturgeon with fermented onion fat

A breather comes with this soothing bowl of bouillon

Cote de boeuf with morels in kasu cress and dried oyster

Sophisticated cheese course of brillat and apple, wild pecan, truffle

Sorbet of verjus gjetost and celery

Main dessert course was this pea white chocolate “salad”

Final presentation was a creative “candy dish” of edible paper and such. While it was fun, not every piece was fun to eat.

Guests are given the opportunity to stroll through the kitchen after the meal.

The recently expanded Restaurant at Meadowood has a fairytale setting in the forest-like hills of St. Helena