Tasty Tapas at Lalola

Cousin MC2 told me her foodie friend said Lalola was the bomb, so of course we had to go see if that was so.

Three glasses (each) of happy hour white sangria and about a dozen (shared) Spanish small plates later, we heartily agreed. Some of our faves: the ham and cheese croquetas and the sardines (we ordered seconds of both); the pork and brie sando; the grilled pulpo on a stick; and the hot-out-of-the-oven chocolate croissant bread pudding.


Yummy octo-lolly


Uber-garlicky, pickled sardines


The only thing we didn't love: the vanilla clientele, but the spicy, zesty tapas more than made up for it.

Ubuntu, Take Two

It's a good thing Ubuntu is in downtown Napa rather than San Francisco—otherwise, I'd be making a beeline to this incredible vegetarian (and vegan) eatery all too often, thus doing damage not only to the waistline but also to my wallet. That's not to say the prices are prohibitively expensive. In fact, the 7 of us paid between $60-70 a head and we took a ton of food home with us. Parties of 6 or more get served up family-style: in other words, larger portions of the chef's choosing. Definitely the way to go.

Here then are some of the amazingly rich goodies (you really don't miss the meat. seriously!) that came our way on my second visit to Ubuntu (Zulu for "practice humanity towards others") last Sunday afternoon:


Chunky chickpea fries with herbs sitting on a zesty romesco sauce; castelvetrano olives marinated in a brightly flavored carrot top pesto; and marcona almonds coated in sea salt and a fragrant lavender sugar.


Heirloom tomatoes with basil leaves, crisp fennel crackers, zig zags of concentrated balsamic, the most amazing raw-milk burrata and a heavenly drizzle of fresh corn emulsion.


A massive bowl of the creamiest grits, topped with smoked and maple-glazed trumpet mushroom slivers (that masqueraded as bacon bits), purslane, soft egg yolks, and shavings of parmesan.

Perfectly formed gnochetti in a black truffle fonduta and mushroom jus. So rich and sinful this was.

Cheesecake in a jar with the sweetest berries and the most perfect graham cracker crumble.

Yay! Pie!

That's how Chris of Alameda Pie (formerly the Pie Truck) signs off all of his blog posts and emails, and I gotta agree.

And thanks to Urban Daddy's heads up (yo, SS, you rock), we found out about Chris's Friday lunch deliveries and got ours this past week to include 6 peppery chicken pot pies and a scrumptiddliumptious apple pie for dessert.


This is no sissy crust—you had to put your back into cutting through the buttery dough.

So far, Alameda Pie's got chicken and veggie curry as the 2 savory options in the line-up. We're hoping Chris rotates in a few more kinds so we can keep on having pie Fridays now and again.

Yay! Pie!

Out the Door for All Occasions

I'll go to Out the Door for any occasion, so when PH suggested it for her birthday dinner, I readily agreed. The dozen-plus different items I've had on the menu in the two to three dozen visits I've made to this super-stylish eatery (in a mall, no less!) have all been amazingly good—fresh and full of flavor. The following is no exception:


Crispety-crunchety sweet yam fritters with tiny bay scallops and honkin' gulf shrimp accompanied by a lovely sweet soy and chile marinade.

A Taste of Summer at Harvest Moon Cafe

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I think I'll let these lovelies tell the story of our really fine meal celebrating PH's birthday this weekend sitting in the picturesque backyard patio at Harvest Moon Cafe.

Up top: a tangy salad of marinated beets, summer squash and herbs with chunks of fresh cod, walnuts and a dollop of garlicky aioli.

Just below it: a pile of heartbreakingly sweet local heirloom tomatoes with house-made mozzarella, green beans, a generous drizzle of pesto and balsamic.


Grilled sardines sitting atop more locally grown tomatoes, a spread of creamy avocadoes on bruschetta with slivers of radish providing a refreshing bite and crunch to the dish.


My dish: oh-so-tender lamb loin and lamb chops sitting in a slurp-worthy jus, accompanied by a really nice, buttery pilaf cut with bitter greens, more pesto and the acid of sweet cherry tomatoes.

PH's entree: a heavenly summer squash and tomato lasagne ... she loved every bite.

And SS's dish: the ahi tuna steak plunked on a bed of savory veg and potatoes. An ideal pick for the hot, summery day, which we'd spent poolside at Sonoma Mission Inn.

Breaking Bread at Flour and Water

Outer Mission newcomer Flour + Water had been getting a lot of attention—good and bad—since its opening, so I thought it high time to go check it out myself with a few friends in tow.

Here's how it went down:


Flour + Water's wood-fired, thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizza with creamy cow's milk cheese, lemon slices and arugula was nicely blistered and chewy. We liked the peppery crunch of the greens against the citrusy tang and creamy lusciousness of the cheese. But it's not the best pizza in town—that honor still goes to Pizzetta 211.


The pork n' peaches resting on canellini beans and bitter greens was met with much approval 'round the dinner table. The tender meat, its jus and all of its sides were chock full of flavor and cooked just right.


The hands-down winner of the night was the home-made papardelle with oxtail, braised until it had fallen off the bone and cooked to succulent perfection—a great pairing with the wide ribbons of al dente pasta.

Anchor & Hope's Happy Hour (and a half)

When the cheap eats crew called a meeting at the brand new happy hour (and a half) at Anchor & Hope to take advantage of the dollar oyster special, I gotta admit I was a little scurred. What if they were serving big, stinkin' shellfish like the Malpeques? Blech. Definitely not my cup o' tea.

But as luck would have it, Anchor & Hope was offering up oysters from Hood Canal, WA—smaller, milder and really creamy. They slid down our throats with the utmost ease. Mmmmm.

Super Sandos at The Sentinel

I've never really cared for (ho-hum) sandwiches—not when I was a kid and certainly not now. However, I'll make an exception now and again, and order up a sando for lunch if it's made of extra tasty ingredients couched between slices of super fresh bread.

I'd been hearing about The Sentinel's flavorful offerings, created by Dennis Leary of Canteen fame. So, one fine SF day, I met PS in the fast-growing queue outside the takeaway lunch spot to see if the reality matched the buzz.


Washed down with The Sentinel's watermelon-ade, the wonderfully moist pork loin with frisee, apricot, muenster cheese and mustard spread was a treat.


The hot corned beef with cabbage, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing was divine. I'll certainly make the 20-minute hump from work to The Sentinel just so I can have this fine sando again.

Sorabol's Spicy Hangover Cure

Don Julio gave me one devil of a headache from the July 4th festivities at C&K's lovely Diamondhead home, and only one thing would cure it, I was sure: spicy Korean food. And lots of it.

So, off we went to Sorabol on Keeaumoku for the spicy, sizzling grilled pork; boiling and red-chili hot sundubu jjigae, haemul pajon (OK, pajon's not spicy but man, was this scallion-seafood pancake so good), plus an assortment of spicy panchan like ggakdugi (cubes of daikon bathed in chili pepper), kimchi and more.

We did a fine job of eating almost everything in sight. Damn if Korean food in Hawaii isn't really, really good.

As for the hangover? Done for. Done in. Dead ... to ... me ...

Ichiriki Japanese Nabe

Under "IV. Shabu Shabu" of his list of Hawaii Restaurants, foodhound and long-time island dweller CH wrote: "Ichiriki Nabe Restaurant [is] OUTSTANDING. Our new favorite restaurant. If you like shabu shabu, you will love this. A hot pot restaurant, and the bowls are split so you can each have your own type of nabe."

Naturally, since we both like our shabu shabu, my sister and I had to go. And when it came time to order, we called CH to help us navigate Ichiriki's hefty (and ever-so-slightly overwhelming) menu.


CH advised us to go for the nabe vs. the shabu shabu (which in the case of Ichiriki refers to a broth vs water base) for added flavor, and to start with the basics this first go 'round, saving the kimchi and other fancier versions (king crab for one) the next time I came to town.

So we settled on the Ichiriki original and Shio Chanpon nabe with a side of thinly sliced prime beef. Out came the broth, and then a large assortment of veg and protein from chicken and beef filling, tofu, slivers of pork, salmon, shrimp, scallop and sausage to bok choy, chinese cabbage, glass noodles, enoki mushrooms and spring onions.


With the broth bubbling away, we started dropping in first the veg and then the heartier proteins, saving the seafood for last. We ate as we went ... finishing off with a helping of udon and ramen noodles, which we dropped in the remaining broth for a few minutes and promptly pulled out for our final push.

Ugh. We ate too much. But we couldn't help ourselves. The shio broth—made of chicken and pork—was irresistible as were all of the fresh ingredients bobbing around in there. A really good meal and a great rec from our dear friend, CH.

COCO500's Wicked Fried Green Beans

Loretta Keller knows that, come hell or high water, her green beans have got to stay on the menu. They were on when the resto was formerly known as Bizou and made it through the transition to COCO500 several years ago. Deep-fried in a light batter, the pile o' beans come out super crisp and piping hot with an ever-changing dip that's typically mayo-based but sometimes made of chickpea or mustard.

With summer in full swing, zucchini blossoms are in season, so we were lucky enough to get a version of COCO500's flatbread incorporating these fragrant flowers, seasoned with truffle oil and parmesan. Ever so light and delicate, it—along with the green beans and a little vino of course—made for a great ending to the day.

Weird Fish Is Green

AF and I went to Weird Fish for her birthday dinner, and had a pretty good meal. Neither of us were feeling adventurous enough to try the "suspicious fish dish," which leaves it up to the chef to deliver you the fish of the day with 2 accompanying sides, no questions asked. So, AF went for the dijon-almond encrusted rainbow trout with mashed yams and sauteed spinach while I decided on the shrimp taco with rice and beans. Of the two, the trout was the standout dish, while mine was just fine.


What I really like about Weird Fish is that it's a green business. According to its website, the resto serves locally grown vegetables and prepares fish that's primarily farmed and sustainable. "Thank you for supporting us," it says. "Together we can make a difference."

And how.