Foreign Cinema 10 ($$$)

Foreign Cinema

Foreign Cinema is located in the heart of the Castro district of San Francisco. You would not know if from the street but this restaurant is the trendiest and ritziest restaurant in San Francisco. The restaraunt consist of four district features. In the front there is a small oyster bar that seats only about six but they will serve to any table. The main dinning hall has an open view of the kitchen, a bar in the back and a wall of high windows which look out into the covered patio. The patio tent is clean so that on a good night sitting outside you might see the stars shining. On one wall of the open courtyard the restaurant will project a old foreign film, thus the name. On this particular night we watched the Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This restaurant also houses balcony seating, is attached to a bar, club and an art gallery.

All their menus are updated and printed daily to reflect the very best of the market and what is in season. So on any given day you may have a different menu then any other day. On this occasion I had fried chicken on rice and stewed vegetables, my husband had lavender beef, and our friends each had duck in cherry port reduction. But of course we started out with oysters and a 2003 California chardonnay. We finished with Opera cake and North Beach coffee. Everything was wonderful! It was a perfect night!

My fried chicken was very good. Nearly half a bird the chicken looked really imposing on my plate and turned out to be more breast meant than I had expected. It was spiced and breaded but it didn’t feel heavy or oily to eat. It was really very good and I ended up sharing it will everyone because there was so much.

10 taste

10 service

10 atmosphere, romantic location

Price $$$$ for two people eating moderately, wine or champagne will add more to the price.

10 overall. I could eat here over and over I love Foreign Cinema

Wasabi and Ginger 8 ($$$)

May 04, 2008 after Maker Fair.

After a day at the fairgrounds I really needed some real food, something light and refreshing. Sushi!

Wasabi Ginger was not my first choice, second choice or even my third choice. But #1, 2, and 3 Zagat rated sushi restaurants are closed on Sunday. So we drove around until we found Wasabi & Ginger. This restaurant was on the smaller side despite how it looks from the inside, a little neighborhood kind of place, where many of the locals grad take out. I didn’t really have very high expectations but I was pleasantly surprised about the quality and innovation for the cut rolls we ordered. I had a Volcano Roll and a Money Train Roll. The Volcano had tuna, unagi and mango, the sweet tangy mango contrasted the more rich flavors of the unagi and tomago. I have had a few rolls that try to incorporate fruit before and many of them have failed miserably, but this one succeeded where the others failed.

Kris ordered the Fantastic Roll. It was a special that was described as having asparagus and spicy tuna in it, but when they brought it out it was nothing like the description. Kris also ordered a Nigiri of Toro. It was old, and not that fresh anymore, but it was buttery all the same.

Price wise Wasabi and Ginger would rate a $$, very reasonable for two people who ate three rolls, an order of Toro and a beer. The décor was a little lacking in style and newness but it was obviously a nice family operations. The Sushi chiefs were friendly and the service was very prompt.

Taste wise I would rate it an 8; better than expected and better than many that I have had. The Sushi Chiefs were all Japanese men who knew their fish. The rolls were not very traditionally Japanese but their California fusion was much better than many local sushi places I have eaten at here in Sacramento. I thought the chiefs were perhaps a little heavy on the sauce but it was mostly on the plate so you didn’t have to dip it if you didn’t want to.

Overall I would give Wasabi and Ginger an 8 because I liked their food, the service was prompt and I thought the chief was innovative without being intrusive with his California fusion rolls. They are available to do catering, take out and delivery.

2299 Van Ness Ave. at Vallejo
San Francisco, CA 94109
415-345-1368

www.wasabiandginger.com

Sushi Ran 9 (3x$$)

Sushi Ran

This little restaurant located in the quaint and expensive Sausalito is supposed to be the best sushi on the West Coast. I expected it be an expensive and trendy place and it was, but not necessarily upscale. Kris and I got all dressed up and I wore my birthday dress. We probably looked out of place, him in a suit and me in a cocktail dress, but it was a celebration and we didn’t let appearances stop us. Weather or not it is the best in the west, Sushi Ran is extremely popular so I recommend making a reservation no matter what time you expect dinner.

Sushi Ran has an interesting custom of over pouring their sake to over-flow the sake glass until it runs down the sides into a bamboo cup. I really don’t think this is a traditional custom, but rather something that sushi ran started so that their customers feel like they are getting their moneys worth. In either case the taste of the sake from the bamboo cup is supposed to contaminate clean taste of the sake. It is much better to drink sake from a ceramic or glass container.

The Toro was spectacular and best I have ever tasted. Sushi Ran flies fish in daily from Japan; this makes the biggest difference when eating sashimi. On this occasion Kris and I shared an order of Toto, a platter of nigiri and vegetable tempura. My only complaint would be how much wasabi was used. The sushi was often way too hot for Kris and I and we had to keep asking for water. After dinner we had banana foster for dessert. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have a green tea ice cream but the foster was really pretty good. And I don’t usually like bananas.

The service was nothing to get excited about. I needed to ask for service on a couple of occasions and the woman got our order wrong once and then billed us incorrectly later but it figure it was really busy and perhaps she was new or something.

For Price Sushi Ran rates $$$$$$$ for two people who share an appetizer, order toro, share a 7 piece nigiri platter and drink a glass of sake. It is expensive, the toro was worth it though.

I would give the quality of their fish a 10 out of 10. The fish was fresh, caught healthy, and the best cut. The wasabi though strong was authentic, and mixed correctly to have that really clean burn and flowery after taste. The sake was smooth, I just cant remember what it was.

The atmosphere was trendy, and popular but local feeling. I got the impression that most people eating there eat there on a relatively regular basis. Due to the crowd though, it would not be a very intimate kind of restaurant and so not good for a first date. You have to yell a lot to be heard in Sushi Ran.

Michael Mina 4 (5x$$$$$)

Michael Mina is a well liked and celebrated chief from the San Francisco. He has opened a number of restaurants in Las Vegas and has published a series of cook books introducing gourmet cooking into the average American home. I however fine his food average.

His restaurant gives the appearance of gourmet food in both atmosphere and price. His menu is sent in two different categories the tasting menu: consisting for five courses, with only one choice with wine parings for $154. Or the three course menu, in which you can choose between seasonal trios or classic single dishes. On this occasion I chose two classical dishes and one themed trio dish.

• Black mussel soufflé, with chardonnay and saffron sauce.

• Lobster pot pie with Brandied lobster and seasonal vegetables in cream sauce

• Squash trio, pumpkin pie, butternut squash cake with parmesan ice-cream and kabocha squash crepe.

The black mussel soufflé was excellent, but it was also ordinary and tasted just like the mussel and clam stuffing that my family makes for thanksgiving. It was very light, but rich in taste, the sauce needed to be poured rather generously to compensate for the dryness of the soufflé but over all it was a good dish. The diced pieces of mussel were a nice detail.

The lobster presentation of the lobster pot pie is excellent. I have never been so initially impressed by the presentation. However my opinion of the dish quickly plummeted when I took my fist bite. The pot pie is brought out in a large copper pot. The pastry crust is golden and flaky and you can smell the warm butter in the air. Your waiter will cut the top of the pie off and assemble the copped lobster on top of the pastry over which he pours the sauce and the seasonal garden vegetables. I actually found the vegetables to be better than the lobster in this case. The lobster was definitely frozen when it was flown from Maine. and was then over cooked giving it a very tough rubber texture. I was actually un able to eat more than a single claw it so disgusted me.

The dessert course, consisting of the squash trio was ordinary and plain. I thought the pumpkin pie tasted like pumpkin pie, but cake was very average and the crepe was like baby food inside a sweet cracker. I actually liked the crepe the best, despite its pureed texture.

For Price I give this restaurant a 5x$$$$$
It was really far to overpriced for the quality of the meal.

The atmosphere receives only a 6 in my opinion. Michael resides in the St. Francis hotel in down town and while surrounded by the best of the city it is unable to break away from the city noise and disturbance.

For taste I give Michael Mina 6 out of 10. I was severely disappointed and I often felt that I could produce better given the resources that this restaurant subscribes. The more exotic ingredients in a dish were often masked by contrasting flavors. There was no balance or flavor story, and the taste was often just homely in all ways.

The service: I prefer to pay for very good food and do without service all together. In Michael Mina’s case, the service did not make up for any dysfunction in the kitchen.

Over all I give Michael Mina a 4, a rating even lower than I would ascribe to another restaurant of the same quality. In this case, I feel that the anticipation and prejudice conceived by Michael’s name is unwarranted. I was so disappointed by the work done in his name; I felt it should only result in a hefty point deduction.

I would not recommend Michael Mina to anyone. Nor will I have very high expectations for his other restaurants when I visit them in the future. Everyone deserves a second chance, I hope he will surprise me in the future.

Suzu Noodle House 9 ($)

The best ramen. This little restaurant is very small. It accommodates only six tables inside and another two tables outside in the hall. But because it is so good there is always a wait. This little family operation makes home make noodles, fresh ingredients and traditional fish cakes and tofus.

I have only had better in Hong Kong.

My ramen bowl here was fat rice noodles, sea weed, fishcake, tofu, green onion, carrots, cabbage, tempura shrimp and a hard boiled egg.

I give Suzu a 9 for taste only because I have had better in Asia.

Suzu receives a 9 for atmosphere because they really need to expand to include a few more tables.

the price for any meal for two is $.

Isobune, San Francisco (5)$$

Isobune claimes to be the “original” sushi boat restaurant and was the first to use the floating boats to deliver sushi in the United States. Located in the San Francisco Japan center, Isobune boasts a unique atmosphere to stop and rest from a day of shopping and sight seeing.

Today when I went I was unlucky enough to become hungry during the peak lunch hour. If possible avoid arriving before 2:00 on a weekend or you will have to wait a long time to be seated like I did. There is good news, even if you have to wait to be seated, once you find that special spot at the counter, instant gratification! All you have to do is reach out and pick a good looking boat. Don’t worry if you miss on the first try it will come around again.

For fun and atmosphere Isobune receives a 7, (10 being the highest).

Isobune is not really a cheap restaurant but you can get out of there very reasonably if you eat light, so I give it $$.
The price of the dish is distinguished by the color, (blue costs about $2.50 and gold costs about $5.25) just stack them up to the side and your waitress will total them up at the end.

For quality and taste I have to rate Isobune at a 4 on this occasion. I was not impressed with the selection of sushi it mostly being uni, salmon and mackerel. The fish was relatively fresh and the eel was warm from the kitchens but my baby octopus was old and tough tasting. I believe those little red cephalopods are pickled somewhere over seas and then imported. Though you can’t argue with how easy it is to rip open a plastic bag and serve cold, I did not enjoy the experience.

I can say that the avocado used in all the hand rolls was very fresh and of a much better quality then what many sushi restaurants use. Their produce supplier definitely deserves kudos.

The toro leaves a lot to be expected but two pieces are served on a gold dish, so they are at least a very good “deal”.

Over all I give it a 5, a fun place to grab a bite to eat. Sushi lovers (eel, salmon, tuna lovers) can go crazy on their favorite rolls and compile a mountain of dishes before breaking the bank and if you go, do not miss their frozen peach sorbet served inside a actual frozen peach.

1737 Post Street, Japan Center, San Francisco (415)563-1030

1451 Burlingame Ave. Burlingame, CA 94010 (650)344-8433

Other attraction of the Kintetsu Restaurant Mall of include:

The Kinokuniya book store,
The KSG Kinokuniya stationary and gift store,
The four Asakichi stores: incense, iron works, kimono and art stores
Not to mention numerous novelty figurine stores.