Loving Every Bite of Our Park Tavern Pig-Out

"This is the best meal I've had all year," raved PH during and after our meal at Park Tavern. I have to say, the food was mighty fine. And I was pleased PH enjoyed every bite since we were celebrating her birthday. We found the spacious North Beach restaurant comfortable and inviting, seated as we were in the corner of a plush row of black leather banquettes, right off Park Tavern's massive kitchen.

Since it was her birthday, I was happy to oblige PH's choice of appetizers, which included the smoked deviled eggs capped with slabs of bacon, pickled jalapenos, chives and shallots. And who doesn't love a good deviled egg anyway? These are just about the best rendition I've had. SPQR's deviled eggs rate pretty highly, too.

We also devoured Park Tavern's crispy, airy wafers of deep-fried lemon that came with a nicely seasoned fava bean hummus, spiked with nigella seeds and nasturtium.

I couldn't get over how amazingly perfect my main was: caramelized sea scallops that were fresh and juicy with a hint of the sea. They came with a joyous medley of crispy tempura maitake mushrooms, roasted sweet peppers and thin shavings of zucchini, all tempered by an earthy porcini cream and then brought back up with the tang of a grilled spring onion vinaigrettte. 

I got to nibble on PH's grilled pork chop. Holy bonanza. Served with morcilla sausage, brussels sprouts, wilted greens, tiny new potatoes, pickled onions and a savory mustard jus, this was the ultimate in indulgence. Of the very best kind.

We were on such a roll, we even managed to fit dessert into our greedy bellies before calling it quits. Who says gluttony is a bad thing?

Bibimbap: Korean Comfort Food

There's nothing terribly remarkable about Miyabi Sushi near Fisherman's Wharf, except for this: the bibimbap with spicy pork that comes out sizzling hot, the rice all crispety crunchety, in an oven-heated stone pot.

The bibimbap comes chock full of veggies, both pickled and fresh. And with a generous dousing of kochujang, the Korean version of Sriracha, it's all about comfort and goodness.

Souffle-tastic at Cafe Jacqueline

I've lost count how many times I've had the pleasure of inhaling the perfectly pillowy and seasoned souffles that continue to parade out of the kitchen at North Beach gem Cafe Jacqueline these past 15 years and more. All I know is that the snowy-haired French whiz, Jacqueline, is still going strong. And I'm thrilled to know it.


Nearly four years later, my sister and I gave the corn, ginger, garlic and gruyere souffle another go. And it was just as rich and savory in all of its eggy glory—with the fresh flavor and crunch of corn adding lovely dimension—as we'd remembered it.


What was new for us was the blueberry souffle. I've had Cafe Jacqueline's chocolate souffle, not to mention the peach and strawberry renditions a number of times—they're all insanely good. But we wanted to try something new.


Wowza. Doused generously in the fruit's sweet juice and then topped with a bunch of the fresh tangy berries, the impossibly tall souffle comprised a dreamy combination of textures and flavors. We scraped both ramekins clean.