Yelp

hmmmm...i have finally arrived to the motherland.

the border boys at sfo call me the mermaid since i was born at sea...and i do love my seafood.

no reservations and we snatched a corner table for two on a thursday night.  it was meant to be.

the service was top notch but one stood out. hats off to our server, ezra.  i could listen to that man talk wine pairings through the night.
so sexy to a foodie like me.  

hands down the best kumamotos i have ever tasted.  
the apple, lemon, and wasabi were a superb combination of flavors and acidity.

i opted for the seared foie gras special instead of the regular poached option.  it was cooked perfectly and the reisling pairing was crisp and balanced the rich flavor.

for entrees:

the walu was fantastic.  the foie gras sauce begged for a red wine pairing.  again, a wonderful suggestion from ezra.
the butter poached maine lobster was made even more succulent with the truffle flavor.  

a glass of pinot noir in my hand and i was in heaven.

the desserts were beautiful in the presentation, color, textures, and a touch whimsical.
the caramel mousse bar and the valrhona cube were both very good but the passion fruit glace was outstanding.  crisp in the acidity but light.
a perfect ending for all the rich food.

sure, i could critique the interior design, floral pieces, etc.  but the 5 stars were for service and seafood...and this mermaid was happy as a clam.

Darin I. introduced me to this little slice of nihonshoku tengoku about a month back, and subsequent trips have not dulled the shine off this gem of a restaurant.

A block or two up are a number of small galleries to sate your eyeballs, but make no mistake, the art scene starts here at 430 Geary. The Obesity Industrial Nausea Complex (OINC!) stops dead in its tracks the moment it runs into the artful, epicurical gorgeousness that emanates from within Katana-ya. Jack in the Box, followed by Pizza by the Slice, then Quiznos, then BAM! The "Sword Shop" of SF Ramen houses makes its stand and the blandness is no more.

Their menu has been revamped and the prices on some things, most noticeably their ramen, has gone up in some cases a full dollar, but it's still some of the best noodle-slurping goodness that can be had in SF for under $10.

The times I've been here I've primarily had the "regular" ramen (shoyu base) and some sort of appetizer. The soft-shell crab I ordered had just the right texture: crispy and light.  I hate it when restaurants, especially poor Japanese eats, over-fry their tempura or soft-shell crab, leaving everything a soggy, oily mess. Katana-ya was right on the money. The ramen was soft,  chewy and *plentiful* to boot. The broth a soup-slurper's wet dream. I was a very happy gaijin.

The atmosphere is always lively and the music they play at times is fantastic. I geeked-out uber hard when the iPod they had plugged in started playing some old-school (circa '99) Sugar Soul, Dragon Ash, and Ketsumeishi--- All standards of Japan's delicious "mixture" musical genre. I've heard rumors that they even have Tha Blue Herb, Sapporo's finest and the flag-bearers for the Japanese Hip Hop movement, on shuffle as well. That would be the clincher for me and so I will reserve the final star until I hear this for myself.

When you walk into district, you will be impressed immediately.  The horseshoe shape of the bar and surrounding lounge makes it a great place to people watch and mingle.  At 7pm, there was a good crowd but it wasn't overly packed.  A sophisticated yet casual atmosphere makes district one of my favorite happy hour spots.

I was a little late but when I finally arrived, my friend was doing just fine as she was being entertained by the bartender and owner. Mind you, she would do just fine anywhere she went (intelligent & gorgeous), but these guys were such great conversationalists that they made us feel both comfortable and well taken care of.  I'd copyright the phrase, "the pussification of America" but sadly I didn't come up with that one.  

The fondue was being served just as I was handed my district martini (soju, muddled cucumber, sugar) - perfect timing, Janney!  Thanks!
This little martini was both potent & tasty.

Good fondue is hard to come so I rarely order it, but district's fondue changed my perspective.  It was simple with bread and apple slices to dip into a flavorful medley of cheeses.  

From there, the buzz and girl talk took over as we savored our Bellini cocktails.  Half-way through the cocktails, the owner insisted we try the bread pudding.  Dessert and cocktails don't usually mix well, but when he poured us the Ambres, a muscat that we were promised would pair perfectly, I was sold.  And at first bite, I was addicted.

I'll be back every chance I get for some more of that bread puddin'!

My sister-in-law and brother just had a baby a few weeks ago. Being the "rockin' aunt" that I am, I decided that I didn't want to be boring and buy stuff off their registry at Target or Babies 'R Us. I wanted to buy them a tough black onesie with "Crawl the Line" on it a la Johnny Cash, or a bright red baby tee adorned with a sparkly guitar.

They have super baby soft organic cotton baby clothes and their toddler raincoats by the front door are to die for. There are a lot of little cute touches in this store, so keep your eyes peeled.

You pay for the quality, but isn't your baby worth it?

Do, do you have some fresh-sliced meat handy?
Do, do you know how much i like provolone cheese?

Are-are-are you patient for the mustard, hold the mayonnaise
Cause I might need some time to fill the hole in my stomach and I

I've tried every sub deli
Nothing seems to work for me

Baby, your special subs are driving me crazy
And I really wanna not be so lazy
But Molinari's makes me want their

sandwich
their sandwich

And I thought I'd yelp to let you know

My heart for a sandwich, a sandwich
And they can make it wonderful.

So ... how you gonna fix it, fix it, fix it?

:)

Hey, I think the food here is really good!  

Mom hit 82 this week, almost as old as the restaurant, and we took her here for lunch. My Lady has been eating here for her entire life, and everyone was happy with this excursion.  Naturally, My Lady grabbed a booth, and we ate in private, like conspiratorial bankers determining the fate of politicians.  

The food leans heavily towards Cantonese, and they prominently display a seafood menu.  For the cuisine, it's quite flavorful and filling.  Since we were a party of 3, we did not see the banquet scene, which is where most of the complaints in the other reviews originate.  My Lady points out that banquets are very difficult to handle, in any case.  

The food:  
Westlake beef soup:  My Lady swears by this stuff.  The waiter laughed when I called it Daly City soup.  
Rolling lettuce minced seafood:  Think of it as a Chinese protein wrap.  I quickly learned to go easy on the sauce, as the seafood had a delicate flavor.  
Black mushrooms and baby bok choy:  My Lady and Mom relished the mushrooms.  When Mom declared she didn't like bok choy, I went ahead and ate all of them.  I love bok choy!  
General Chou's chicken:  Yay!  Deep fried chicken strips in orange sauce!  The deep fry batter tastes a lot like fortune cookies.  
Steamed rice:  Well, of course.  How else can you finish off all the sauces pooling on your plate?  
Black tea:  The world-famous sauce solvent.  All you can drink.  
Tsing Tao beer, actually brewed in Tsing Tao, according to the label.
Fortune cookies:  Mine said, "Seek out the significance of your problem at this time.  Try to understand."  My big problem here is trying to understand what the heck it's talking about.  I'm going to play the lotto numbers on the back, though.  

All this food stuffed the 3 of us for $64.  That's a better deal than we've seen on Clement Street lately.  The waiters were very pleased that I knew how to say "Thank you" in Cantonese, and kept repeating "Thank you" and "You're welcome" throughout the meal.  That was more appreciation than I got for the effort back in Silicon Valley.

if you are drinking at a bar and having such a good time that you actually forget to pick someone up FOR THEIR OWN BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION at the powell BART station it's a good sign that 1. the bar is awesome and that 2. you might need to go on the wagon BETTY FORD.  all i can say is that one of the bartenders had put tanya tucker's "blood red and goin' down"  on the jukebox for me and we were already a few pints of blue moon in, so that meant the birthday girl had to take a sad, lonely cab ride from BART to the hotel utah.  when she arrived she actually caught me mid chair dance...  all was forgiven after she sucked down a few pints herself and soaked up the lovely atmosphere.  

kevin and crew are great, friendly and efficient for sure.  the hotel utah is turning 100 on thursday!  go celebrate and eat some mac and cheese for me!

*we were running very late for our 6:00p.m. old lady reservation at yabbies  (obviously due to drunky mc drunkerson) and one of the bartenders (very nice, not creepy at all) saw us desperately trying to hail a cab and actually gave us a free chauffeured ride to russian hill!  now that's some 5 star service!

SU-SHE  TYE-MMMM!!!

So apparently studying Russian has fostered in me a love of transliteration and spelling things out phoentically in all upper-case letters.  Why?  I couldn't tell ya - thats just how it is.

Oh, and before I forget, I should mention that Sushi Time is magnificant (afterall this is supposed to be a review for the place).  This weekend some friends and I were seeking a sushi restaurant to meet at.  Ideally, one conveniently located nearby public transportation from the Inner Sunset and a short drive from the Mission.  Yelp led us to Sushi Time.  Again, Yelp was right (god damn Yelp - always being right...).  

Sushi time is hidden away underground with a sign that is difficult (if not impossible) to spot from the street.  Instead, watch for the address, enter the little cave-like entrance way nearby - and follow a flight of stairs down to the entrance to this street-car sized sushi haven.

My entire party agreed that the Barbie Roll, G.I. Joe Roll, and the sardines were fantastic.  Good vibe, comfortable atmosphere, and great food at extremely reasonable prices.

Hey!  Hey guys!  *waves frantically* Check it out.  I've been popping in here from time to time to pick up some groceries - as I mentioned before, it's really the only produce place in the lower Nob Hill area.  You need to shop here instead of Whole Foods - not necessarily all of the time, but if you are like me and pick up a few grocery items every afternoon with that night's dinner in mind, come here instead.  You'll save money and time and be a lot less stressed out when you emerge.

Side note - If you are reading Tim F's review I should warn you I think he has another place in mind - they definitely don't have a sandwich bar, they have no meat items as far as I can tell, and they aren't in Russian Hill.  Sorry Tim.

This is obviously a mom & pop type place, and today the cashier/owner and I chatted a little as he rang me up.  He showed so much enthusiasm over the products he carries, and obviously has made a point to only carry items that he really enjoys.  I appreciate his discerning eye in purchasing, as they have great stuff, all high quality and either organic or damn near.  I was happy to find Soy Vey and English cucumbers and avocados and organic tofu, and had I not been carrying a large potted plant I would have bought more stuff than I could fit in my cupboards.

Support your local businesses, guys.  Reading back over my review I'm being a little authoritarian, but Polk Street really needs this.

SERIOUSLY AMAZING. unlike any other facial treatment i've ever had, completely focused on results, & i couldn't be happier. she has something really special going on here.

after gently removing my makeup, the treatment started out w/dermaplaning, where alisha removed the dead skin (& unflattering facial fuzz) w/a scalpel. i have scars, so i love knowing the dead layers r coming off. it doesn't hurt, it's just a scraping sensation. i was visibly amazed @ the dead brown skin that she showed me she removed. feels so good to get it off my face so the fresh skin underneath can shine. it removed as much yucky stuff as when i get microdermabrasion. she shaped my brows (included with every treatment!) & even tweezed stray nose hairs! thanks! then came extractions, & she was so thorough (even getting a blackhead out of my ear) that i felt really well taken care of. then came enzymes & an eye serum compress, a medical grade lactic acid peel (which in itself is a great value & u know medical grade peels produce marvelous benefits for anyone, whether it's scarring, wrinkles, or simply dullness), & the lovely finale came when she did a professional makeup application on me! & this was all included in the treatment! i couldn't believe what a complete & thorough job she did, paying attention to every detail, even tucking me into the blankets more when she detected a chill.

unlike other aestheticians, she didn't use steam, she has a completely unique process unlike any i've ever seen. & her methods get RESULTS. my skin looks completely fresh like a baby's today, & i'm glowing, which i usually don't b/c of the dullness of my acne scars. i'm simply thrilled, & i feel like it's such a great value b/c so many facials are simply feel-good & not truly beneficial in the long run for ur skin. u must try her.

i left feeling like every aspect of me was taken care of. my skin is fresh & smooth, my brows look great & arched, no nose hairs sticking out, & her natural looking makeup application was so enhancing that it inspired me to wear less makeup! i always feel weird walking out of skin appointments w/o any makeup on, & it was so thoughtful & comprehensive of her to provide that as part of the treatment, the perfect finishing touch.

to top it off, she gave me some great holistic advice for living well, long-term skin care, & preventive care that i'll take w/me long after the appointment. i feel smarter & better prepared to take care of my skin, which is so important, & i can't thank her enuf.

tell her i sent u! ;)