I repeat, Sharetea is now open in the city of San Francisco on Geary Blvd/18th. Sharetea is my ultimate favorite bubble tea place, specifically because of their rock salt cream cheese with wintermelon, which I first discovered at Sharetea Boracay, Philippines! A dream come true for all ye Sharetea crazies since we don't have to head down to San Mateo for this addiction. Take note though that the American concoction of the wintermelon tea creama is not as salty nor as cheesy as the Asian version. Or better yet, why not bring your own rock salt and sprinkle a dash?
Shhhh... I'll let you in a secret. There is a new kid on the block. And no, it is not located in the Mission district, and it doesn't take months to make reservations.
Just a few months old, Verbena, the sister restaurant of the successful Gather in Berkeley, surged to the top of my favorite San Francisco restaurants. Organic, fresh ingredients abound in this California-Asian cuisine inspired restaurant. My food vocabulary increased tremendously since I learned what napitella, cardoons, spedona and benne seed are. Have you heard of any of these? I sure haven't even with my years traveling the world to eat.
I came here with NY-based food blogger, sssourabh. Because of the obvious fact that we were just not one of their regular diners with 2 DSLRs clicking away, the waitstaff asked us for our suggestions at the end of the every major part of our meal. Of course, my dining partner and I were both candid on what we liked - the sprouted seed bread for me and pea tendril cake for him- and what we didn't like- too much jus on most of the dishes, particularly on the cheesecake with strawberries or what looked like a deconstructed parfait.
I wouldn't be surprised if a Michelin star is coming very soon for this contemporary styled establishment. Evidently, SF Weekly named Verbena as the Best New Restaurant of San Francisco 2014. So head there now before making reservations becomes a nightmare.
Just a few months old, Verbena, the sister restaurant of the successful Gather in Berkeley, surged to the top of my favorite San Francisco restaurants. Organic, fresh ingredients abound in this California-Asian cuisine inspired restaurant. My food vocabulary increased tremendously since I learned what napitella, cardoons, spedona and benne seed are. Have you heard of any of these? I sure haven't even with my years traveling the world to eat.
I came here with NY-based food blogger, sssourabh. Because of the obvious fact that we were just not one of their regular diners with 2 DSLRs clicking away, the waitstaff asked us for our suggestions at the end of the every major part of our meal. Of course, my dining partner and I were both candid on what we liked - the sprouted seed bread for me and pea tendril cake for him- and what we didn't like- too much jus on most of the dishes, particularly on the cheesecake with strawberries or what looked like a deconstructed parfait.
I wouldn't be surprised if a Michelin star is coming very soon for this contemporary styled establishment. Evidently, SF Weekly named Verbena as the Best New Restaurant of San Francisco 2014. So head there now before making reservations becomes a nightmare.
Cardoons and rhubarb with caramelized honey dressing, Douglas Fir youghart and nepitella. Tangy and sweet. A unique take on not so popular vegetables. |
A better version of a library since it is filled of jars with preserved veggies. |
Sprouted seed bread - chevre and beet sauerkraut. Savory and packed with a lot of flavor even sans cheese. I would come back here just for this! |
Strawberries and spedona, black-walnut miso, fennel, sugar. Presentation at its finest. This could very well be the second most beautiful salad I've ever seen. The undisputed one in Michelin star Lasarte, Barcelona. |
Meaty charred carrots- smoked cashew, lemon verbena, perrine lemon-date molasses. Time to figure out how to charr carrots at home. |
Smoked duck wings- kumquat hot sauce, celery, benne seed. I can never make this at home. Thus, must order again at Verbena. |
Cheesecake with strawberry, pats, Douglas fir whip. Like the cheesecake in cubes but the strawberry jus overpowers this dessert. |
The very leafy Pea Tendril Cake with chamomile ice cream and rhubarb. If you are a veggie eater, this one is for you! Be ready for a major leafy dessert. |
A deconstructed chocolate custard with beet-cherry ice cream and Perrine lemon. For chocolate lovers indeed. |
Going for the gold? For those of my readers who are heading out to Brazil, check out these spots to unwind after you've had your fair share of soccer matches:
If you find yourself at a churrascaria, test your knowledge on the different cuts of meat. And please don't be ignorant of what ZeroCal is on the dining table! It is not a liquid detergent, ok.
Tip: While you're thinking about what to bring back home as gifts, the grocery is the best place to get Brazilian chocolate bonbons, such as the box from Seranata de Amor by Garoto, and a few pairs of comfortable Ipanema or Haviana flipflops.
Academia de Cachaca: translates to the academy of Cachaca, one of Brazil's famous liquor
Juice Co.: specializes in different juices and offers delightful lunch meals. This is where I found the most delicious tuna burger with foie gras and cassava chips.
Zuka: one of the best restaurants in Rio
Seafood risotto at Zuka |
Tip: While you're thinking about what to bring back home as gifts, the grocery is the best place to get Brazilian chocolate bonbons, such as the box from Seranata de Amor by Garoto, and a few pairs of comfortable Ipanema or Haviana flipflops.
Whether you are a real coffee snob or a fake one (trust me, I know some), there is no doubt that the rise of artisanal coffee is giving Starbucks et al. a run for their money. Blue Bottle Coffee just hit a home run with venture capital funding, which is a rarity in the coffee industry, while a crop of coffee roasteries are expanding their clout by supplying other shops, such as Ritual at Saint Frank and Four Barrel (where I got my barrista training) at DeLise. Sightglass, co-funded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, is even a sight for sore eyes because of all the gleaming Mac laptops inside the high-ceiling warehouse space. I even learned about a new brewing machine called Blossom when I visited Contraband last year.
Starbucks started off by promoting the experience of coffee drinking, now we have similar neighborhood coffee shops quickly popping up in the San Francisco vicinity offering an ambient place to chill. It is even becoming an IT thing to do around the city, especially for out-of-town foodies and food sherpas (i.e. food tour guides), to stop by the likes of Sightglass just to check out their coffee.
(L) Saint Frank; (R) Sightglass |
The must eat mushroom mousse on top right. The surprisingly soupy egg curry on bottom. |
Nice touch with the monkey on the side. |
I wasn't too impressed with the Khao Mun Gai or chicken fat rice, which was a similar take to Hainanese chicken. |
Big fan of this black bean dessert with three different sauces. Yum! |
I've heard about this "secret" place a.k.a. the cafeteria inside Muir Woods National Park where they serve grilled cheese that has been featured on the Food Network's the "Best Thing I Ever Ate". Halfway through a hike on the Dipsea Trail is exactly that secret place no-more. I urged (ok, I squealed) my co-hikers to get the grilled cheese with me.
This is not an ordinary grilled cheese though since it is made with Bay Area based Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam cheese and Point Reyes Farmstead Creamery Toma cheese. The bread is also obviously not your ordinary grocery bought bread since I did notice pumpkin (?) seeds on it.
So is it the best grilled cheese? Hmmm... Hard to say when I chowed it down after hiking for three hours. The quality of the cheese and bread is definitely good. For sure, it is the best thing you can eat in the middle of the woods.
When I was a kid, I loved the cartoon character Strawberry Shortcake. I still do. That's the reason why I like ordering anything that comes close to a strawberry shortcake dessert. I fell in love (again) with the newest ice cream flavor, Strawberries N Cream, at DeLise just in time for strawberry season. Creamy, fruity and oh so refreshing.
DeLise will once again participate on the annual Taste of Tel-hi, a fundraiser benefiting the Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center, offering assorted mini macarons, cookies and cakes. Come join Chefs Eloise Lim of DeLise, Matthew Dolan of 25 Lusk, Brandon Peacock of Venticello Ristorante and many others next Saturday, May 10th, from 6-9 pm at the Joe DiMaggio Playground under an elegant white tent (651 Lombard Street).
Feast on a seated, 3-course dinner with wine pairings and partake on live, silent auctions. For tickets visit events.org/tasteoftelhi or call 415-421-6443 x30.
See you there!