Rich Table, Wonder of Wonders

Rich Table is my new favorite restaurant. Thank you, SS for suggesting we hit the bar, reserved for walk-ins, at this most delightful eatery celebrating California's bounty. And thank god for catching a break when we snagged 2 seats within 10 minutes of our arrival—the place was packed to the rafters with ravenous diners, most with reservations made weeks in advance. The place has been getting a great deal of attention, all good. Needless to say, my expectations for Rich Table were high as we took our spots at the end of the bar, right next to the postage stamp-sized kitchen.

Wow. We set off on the right foot when Rich Table's server slid the bowl of blistered padron peppers and popped corn towards us. And those hefty slices of wild fennel levain bread with honkin' nob of butter.

Things continued to improve as we helped ourselves to the oh-so-fresh slivers of cured hamachi.

We also savored every bite of the juicy, sweet peach salad, which screamed of the last days of summer.

What a perfect dish this was: the trout in a green tomato broth with thin sheets of nori, corn, fig slices and a smattering of toasted almond.

I loved how the lightly dressed, citrusy shrimp and pea garganelli gave a good little kick with its pickled serrano peppers.

And more summer goodness in the form of a springy, blue corn cake with honey roasted plums and a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

Happy happy. Good times. Rinse. Repeat.

Straw Does Grits Right

When AB suggested we meet at new-kid-on-the-Hayes-Valley-block Straw, I was more than happy to oblige. At the very least, the carnival-themed eatery would surely provide us with a modicum of amusement and hopefully some tasty bites as well.

Having scored what we thought was the best seat in the house—the metal canopy in the corner (a 2-seater salvaged from some amusement park from god know's where), we scanned Straw's brunch menu dotted with dishes adorned with festive names such as the Hanky Panky (Belgian waffle with fried egg, hickory smoked bacon and cheddar potato croquettes) and Wilber's Revival (pork hash with sauteed onion and sweet potato, a fried egg, grits, fried onions and bechamel).

Though the Hanky Panky was nice—the highlight being the molten, oozing cheddar potato croquettes lightly breaded in panko, it was Wilber's Revival that knocked our socks off. We loved the uber creamy consistency of the buttery grits (I'd just had a disappointingly leaden and lumpy version at The Corner Store—OK, the flavor was good, but the texture was all wrong). We also loved the generous mountain of well-seasoned pork and the crispety-crunchety fried onion strings. My only tiny criticism: The egg was medium-hard ... I was hoping to have all that sunshiney goodness spill out when I cut into it.

Oh well, I'll still go back ... and next time, I'll try the cheesy grits with linguisa and prawns in Cajun butter sauce on Straw's dinner menu.

P.S. We were wrong about the metal canopy 2-seater. It has the most incredible reverb—so much so that at times I could hear the 2 boisterous bros sitting 20 feet away better than I could AB who was sitting right beside me.

Snackalicious at Two Sisters Bar and Books

Thanks to AB for introducing me to relative newcomer Two Sisters Bar and Books, a cozy little wine bar with ever so tasty snacks that's taken over the old Frjtz location in Hayes Valley.

According to the website, "Two Sisters Bar and Books was born on a train, as my sister and I traveled between Krakow and Warsaw. It was inspired by: an English language bookstore in Krakow; a quintessential coffeehouse in Vienna; a neighborhood bar in Paris; the young, urban, restaurant scene in Brooklyn; and our Northern California roots."

I like it. A lot.

The luscious deviled eggs had a nice pop with its accompaniment of lemon zest, cream, fried capers and black truffle. We liked them so much, we ordered another round.

 

I was also super happy with the“bar” mac n’ cheese which came bathed in an uber creamy and zesty mustard/ale/cheddar sauce and then topped with a whole lot of crispy salty pretzel bits. A definite go-to for when I'm hanging out or browsing the shops in my fave SF neighborhood.

Brews and Brats at the Biergarten

This is a winning combination if there ever was one:

Really good beer (one hefeweizen, another pils in 1 liter steins)
+
2 juicy bratwursts, 1 uber fresh, doughy pretzel, a heaping mound of sauerkraut, plus plenty of horseradish and mustard


Oh, and prime seating at one of the many picnic tables dotting the Biergarten because CD and I had queued up just 7 minutes after the doors opened—or gates as it were. Winter hours are from 2 to 8 pm on the weekends. We hung out in the Biergarten til well past 5, the weather was so lovely—downright summery in fact.


The only tiny criticism: the sauerkraut could've done with a bit more pop by way of a good dousing of vinegar. Otherwise, what a fab way to wile away a weekend afternoon, catching up with a good friend and enjoying the ebb and flow of the happy folks surrounding us.