Restaurant Review of Frascati
Frascati is a Mediterranean style bistro located in Russian Hill. The space is quaint and popular so you need to make reservations beforehand. The restaurant is bi-level with walls painted in neutral color and artwork that looks to change seasonally. We entered to a warm and friendly staff who seated us promptly. The waiter was extremely nice and brought several wine samples before we chose one. After we had found the right wine to pair with our dishes it was on to the ordering.
Starters
The Foie Gras Torchon with apple-currant compote, sauterne gastrique and toast points was an excellently composed dish with a melody of sweet and savory flavors.
The Mixed Greens with persimmons, toasted almonds, goat cheese and coriander vinaigrette was a nice refreshing addition to the meal.
The Russet Potato Gnocchi with Butternut Squash, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Melted Leeks and White Truffle Oil was absolutely fantastic. This dish had amazing texture, flavor and taste. It was practically a flawless dish packed with flavor.
Entreees
The Maple Leaf Duck Breast with Herb Spaetzle, Arugula, Hearts of Palm Salad, Scallions and Huckleberry Sauce was another winner. The succulent and juicy duck breasts were covered in a delicious sweet and tangy sauce that really heightened your senses.
Overall I was thoroughly impressed by my visit. This is a fantastic restaurant with a great waiting staff, and food that really will surprise your tastebuds. I will definitely be back in the near future to partake in a different set of dishes.
Service 4.7 bites
Ambiance: 4.2 bites
Appetizers: 4.6 bites
Entrees: 4.5 bites
Overall: 4.5 bites
1901 Hyde Street
(between Delgado Pl & Green St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 928-1406
Sunday, July 12, 2009
A little piece of Mediteranean
A restaurant with celebrity status
Burma Superstar
After months of finding the opportune time, I finally got to make my way to Burma Superstar.
Burma Superstar is a Burmese restaurant that serves dishes. Located in the inner richmond its a bit of a trek from the heart of the city. And the fact that it has received tv fame for a few of its dishes and does not allow reservations makes it an art to find the right time to get a table without waiting for hours. On a early Saturday evening after walking around in the Union Street Festival my friend and I decided to spontaneously venture out to experience this highly coveted menu.
We called in advance and got on the waiting list and arrived just in the nick of time to get ourselves a table. The wafting smell that permeated the air triggered my salivary glands and although I had eaten just an hour before my stomach was starting to feel a lot lighter.
Since there was only two of us we could not order too much. We started of with the very popular tea leaf salad, a salad prepared with imported Burmese tea leaves, tomatoes, lettuce, dried shrimp (or vegetarian), fried garlic, sesame seeds, peanuts, and split yellow peas. Initially it comes neatly compartamentalized on the plate in very artistic fashion. Then the waiter goes to town mixing everything. The final product is extraordianary. This dish is bursting with flavor and each bite has something different making this a wonderfully delectable and refreshing starter. You can find how to prepare a similar version of this dish here
The samusa soup is another highly regard dish but we decided to keep the meal light and skip it. However it is recommended if you do come here.
The Burmese Style Curry Shrimp, shrimps sitting in a Burmese specialty curry sauce was another spectacular dish. The shrimp had nicely soaked up the sauce giving each bite some nice zing.
Finally we had the spicy chicken with fresh basil, a stir fried chicken breast with lemongrass, basil, garlic and sweet peas. The chicken was good but was chopped thinner and smaller than the rest of the ingredients which threw off the composition but was still a solid dish.
After having these 3 dishes and seeing the other items on the menu, I definitely will be returning here for another visit. If you are looking for some adventurously spiced dishes from the South East this is highly recommended spot.
Ambiance: 3.5 bites
Service: 3.5 bites
Appetizers: 4.8 bites
Entrees: 4.5 bites
Overall: 4.4 bites
Burma Super Star Restaurant
309 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94118
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Green Teal Leaf Salad Recipe
After my visit to Burma Superstar I ventured out to find a recipe for the green teal leaf salad. Although its not the same its comes pretty close. The recipe is courtesy of kitchencaravan.com
- 4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage (about 2/3 head)
- 2 T unsalted roasted peanuts
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 6 medium shrimp, shell on
- 2 garlic cloves + 2 T oil for frying
- 3 T sesame oil
- 2 T green tea leaves
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 juicy lime
- 2 T cilantro, finely chopped
- ½ tomato, seeded and diced (optional)
Shell and de-vein the shrimp.
Fill a medium sized saucepan with water and bring it to a simmer. Poach the shrimp until just cooked through, which only takes a matter of minutes.
Remove them from their poaching liquid as soon as they are done cooking, cool, and refrigerate.
Clean the shrimp shells under running water. Dry them well.
Heat up the sesame oil in a small pan, and add in the shrimp shells along with the tea leaves. Let them infuse in the oil on moderate heat for 5-10 minutes, then turn off the heat and continue to let them infuse while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Slice the poached shrimps in half lengthwise.
Heat up the 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet, and fry the garlic until golden brown. Remove the garlic with a slotted spatula and set it on some paper towel to soak up some of the oil.
Combine the cabbage, peanuts, sesame seeds, shrimp, and tomato (if you are using) together in a bowl.
Drain the infusing oil of the shrimp shells and tea leaves, pressing hard on the solids, in order to extract all of the flavored oil.
Make the dressing by whisking together the infused oil, fish sauce, lime juice, some salt to taste, and the cilantro.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
Top the salad with the fried garlic.
Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 appetizer portions.
Here is the video that explains the preparation.Monday, July 06, 2009
Food fit for the Gods
Review of Kokkari Estiatorio
I had been wanting to come to this restaurant for a some time after 
going to the sister restaurant Evvia in Palo Alto.
Located in the financial district, Kokkari which is named after a small fishing village on the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea serves authentic Greek dishes. When you enter, it first seems like small confined space with only a few tables and chairs but just around the corner it opens up to a vast area with plenty of room. It makes the fact the restaurant is almost always fully booked days in advance all the more impressive.
After patiently waiting the whole day trying not to indulge in heavy meals, I had prepared myself for the feast fit for the gods. Having a 6 person party made it all the more easier to get bounty of different dishes.
The Spanakotiropita a traditional filo pies of spinach, feta, leeks & dill is a staple of greek starters and did not disappoint. A nice crisp flaky outside with a deliciously well seasoned ingredients.
A recipe for this dish can be found here
The Kolokithokeftethes a crispy zucchini cake with cucumber & mint-yogurt dressing was a big winner. The cake has perfect texture and composition that made it delightful.
The Saghanaki apan fried Kefalograviera (cheese) with lemon & oregano is another famous starter. I am usually a big fan of the dish but this one did seem to miss the mark. It was a lot tougher and drier than what I have had previously and one of the rare disappointments of the night .
The Grilled Meatballs with oregano, orange & tomato-green olive were pretty good. The meatballs could have been a bit more moist but the sauce was good.
The Psari Psito a traditional grilled whole fish with braised greens, lemon & Cretan olive oil or Plaki served with wood oven-roasted, with tomato, fennel & olives was an incredible dish that had rave reviews from our table. The fish was moist and well seasoned the only thing you had to be careful were for the stray bones.
Moussaka a traditional casserole of eggplant, lamb, potato & yogurt béchamel was a great composition of ingredients that worked right to make a rich and flavorful dish.
And no meal could be complete without the the aromatic braised lamb shank with orzo & myzithra. A tender piece of well seasoned meet that just fell off the bone with a delicate slice of your fork.
Overall this was a fantastic experience and one that will hopefully be revisited soon. The atmosphere was great and the service is on point. I would highly recommend this restaurant as must visit dining experience.
Ambiance: 4.2 bites
Service: 4.3 bites
Appetizers 4.6 bites
Entrees: 4.3 bites
Overall 4.5 bites
200 Jackson St
San Francisco, CA 94111-1806
(415) 981-0983
www.kokkari.com
