Category Archives: Restaurant

RN 74 SF, Chef Adam Sobel, San Francisco, CA

People often ask how do I get the passion with food and wine, beside my parents, this chef was my inspiration, the newest chef/partner of RN74 Adam Sobel (from Bradley Ogden, Guy Savoy, Rick Moonen Las Vegas, Charlie Trotter Chicago, then Bourbon Steakhouse in DC).

Finally chef Adam Sobel is here back to the Bay Area where he first started over a decade ago. Chef Sobel is so talented and cooks with a passion, precision and creativity like no other chefs of his age that I know. He is also the winner of GRAND COCHON 2013 in Aspen Food & Wine Classic – he’s now the KING OF PORC.

rn74_foiegrasThanks to the recent law changed in California, we once again get to enjoy Foie Gras. Chef Sodel’s latest dish, Foie Gras Torchon with toasted brioche, garniture de saison, with Perigord black truffles topping; It’s so decadent, so worth it, oh Foie Gras how I missed you so.

Taking its name from the highway, Route Nationale 74, which runs directly through the Burgundy region of France, RN74 is a wine-centric French inspired restaurant. They have the best Burgundy and Champagne list in San Francisco. RN74’s menus are clearly inspired by the wine program; built on a foundation of regional French cuisine, yet market driven with refined, modern American influences. Executive Chef Adam Sobel, recently crowned “King of Porc” at Grand Cochon 555, brings an exciting flair and strong identity to the kitchen of RN74.

RN74 San Francisco
301 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Tel: 415.543.7474

Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30am-2pm
Wine Bar: Mon-Fri 11:30-close // Sat-Sun 5pm-close
Dinner: Sun-Thu 5:30pm-10pm // Fri-Sat 5:30pm-10:30pm
RN74 Twitter // Facebook
Chef Adam Sobel Twitter

by Manda Bear – TwitterInstagram

Alexander’s Steakhouse SF, Chef Marc Zimmerman, San Francisco, CA

The best steakhouse in the Bay Area, the Japanese Wagyu meat selection here is unbelievable. They have an amazing wine list, an exquisite cocktails list, and always impeccable service here. Chef Marc Zimmerman, a CIA graduate, staging in a few of the most respected restaurants in New York City – Craft, Le Bernardin, and Café Gray. Later he worked at Lutece, in the Venetian, Nobu Matsuhisa and Takashi Yagihashi. He became part of the opening team for Guy Savoy, also Las Vegas. Then he’s now the executive chef at Alexander’s Steakhouse in San Francisco for the last few years.

alexanderssteakhouse_uni_shortribThe dish that I always get when I’m here is the ‘Braised oxtail marrow toasted brioche, 1000 island, and uni topping it off’, if this mouthwatering dish doesn’t get you fall in love at the first bite, I don’t know what does!

Located in the SOMA district of the city near AT&T Park, Alexander’s Steakhouse is a welcome addition to the city dining scene offering a fine dining interpretation of the classic American steakhouse with hints of Japanese influence throughout the menu. Featuring a variety of classic cuts such as Porterhouse, T-bone and New York, they specialize in Certified Angus Beef grain-fed from the Mid-West.

They also highlight dry-aged steaks and offer the finest and most luxurious products available including a tasting menu by chef Marc Zimmerman and an award winning wine list designed by Sommelier, Johnny Slamon.

ALEXANDER’S STEAKHOUSE SAN FRANCISCO
448 Brannan Street,
San Francisco, CA 94107

Opening Hours:
Monday ~ Thursday: 5:30pm to 9:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 5:30pm to 10:00pm
Sunday 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Alexander’s Steakhouse: Twitter // Facebook
Chef Marc Zimmerman Twitter

by Manda Bear – TwitterInstagram

Hakkasan Restaurant, Chef Ho Chee Boon, San Francisco, CA

Hakkasan is beautifully designed, gorgeous spaces, some private dining room for events. This happening Cantonese restaurant offers extensive wine and cocktail list. Hakkasan offers lunch and dinner menu. They are both equally impressive. For lunch, if you think of Dim Sum in China Town, think again. Hakkasan is not your typical Cantonese cuisine restaurant, to say the least. Chef Ho Chee Boon is Hakkasan’s International Executive Chef responsible for new openings and menu development around the world, with a particular focus on creating new dishes for specific locations using the finest local ingredients.

Beside the Dim Sum dishes, you must try the ‘Maine Loster Soup hakkasan_lobster_soupwith enoki mushroom and whiskey’ here, presented beautifully in a baby blue ceramic bowl, the soup is rich in flavor, a little thicker, creamier, and just lingering in your mouth, The lobster is generous and the perfectly cook. This lobster soup is my go to on a cold evening in the city. It’s 1 of the best lobster soups I’ve ever tried.

Don’t forget to say hello to the General Manager Charles Chen,  he’s 1 of the many reasons why this Hakkasan San Fancisco has become such a hot spot in town.

Hakkasan San Francisco overlooks the bustling Market and Geary Streets, and benefits from natural light during the day and softly-lit hand-blown glass pendants at night, with an impressive bronze V-shaped bar as the restaurant’s centre piece.

Featuring two private dining rooms, the menu includes Hakkasan  signature dishes as well as an extensive  tea menu and innovative cocktails made with hand-pressed juices.

Hakkasan San Francisco is open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner, with extended brunch hours on Saturdays.

HAKKASAN
1 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone: (415) 829-8148
11:30 am – 2:30 pm, 5:30 – 11:00 pm
Lunch: Tuesday – Sunday 11:30am – 2:30pm
Bar5: Monday – Saturday 2:30pm – 5:00pm
Dinner: Monday – Wednesday 5:00pm – 10:00pm //
Thursday – Saturday 5:00pm – 11:00pm

Twitter // Facebook

by Manda Bear – TwitterInstagram

Coqueta Restaurant, chef Michael Chiarello, San Francisco, CA

Home of the hottest tapas spot by the water Coqueta of Napa Valley celeb chef Michael Chiarello. On a beautiful afternoon, you can sit at the bar and get this waterfront view, watch the bartender makes awesome cocktails and sampling on the delicious menu of tapas and pintxos, bite-size skewers $2.50 each, a must try, perfect as a quick bite or just to catch up with your friends over happy hour.

House cured boquerones, white anchovies, olives, pearl onions, and coquetta_pintxoguidilla peppers was my favorite. Chorizo, roasted artichokes, and piquillo peppers, was equally impressive. Serrano, house cured, Mancheco, and apricot-sherry conserva was also very good. And the Quail egg “Diablo”, pickled mustard seed, Jamon Serrano; you must order it, who doesn’t love quail egg and Jamon Serrano?

Coqueta means “flirt” or “infatuation” in Spanish, and represents Michael Chiarello and his team’s exploration and interpretation of Spanish Cuisine, wine and inspired cocktails, while highlighting the bounty of Northern California.

COQUETA
Pier 5, The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94111

Phone: 415.704.8866

Lunch: Tuesday – Sunday 11:30am – 3:00pm
Bar5: Monday – Sunday 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Dinner: Sunday – Wednesday 5:00pm – 10:00pm //
Thursday – Saturday 5:00pm – 11:00pm
Twitter // Facebook 

by Manda Bear – TwitterInstagram

Mourad, Chef Lahlou Mourad, San Francisco, CA

Mourad opens recently in the Fidi, it’s 1 of the hottest restaurant and bar in town. Chef Lahlou, is the owner of the 1 Michelin-starred Aziza in the Richmond, started with this new concept, Moroccan and Californian style, led by chef de cuisine Chris Kajioka (Aziza, Per Se and Hawaii’s Vintage Cave, where he was nominated for James Beard Award Rising Star in Hawaii).

I got to try a few dishes and this ‘Duck Liver with Pistachio, Cocoa, mouradsf_duck_liverTurnip and Satsuma’ was the most memorable dish of all. The dish presented beautifully with edible flowers, colorful, and elegant. On the very first bite, it was smooth, velvety in your mouth, full of flavor and simply amazing.

Mourad takes the culinary resources of the Bay Area and views them through a Moroccan lens. Influenced by traditional ingredients and flavors yet presented with modern technique, a new cuisine has been born which is simultaneously classic and contemporary.

Located at 140 New Montgomery, in the newly renovated PacBell Building, Mourad graciously features authentic Moroccan design in modern interpretation, being in perfect harmony with the cuisine.

Mourad
140 New Montgomery Street, Suite 1
San Francisco, CA 94105
Tel: 1-415-660-2500

Operation Hours
Monday to Sunday 5:30–10pm
Twitter // Facebook 

by Manda Bear – TwitterInstagram

VEGAS UNCORK’D BY BON APPÉTIT, APRIL 23-26, LAS VEGAS, NV

VEGAS UNCORK’D BY BON APPÉTIT PRESENTS NINTH ANNUAL CULINARY FESTIVAL WITH STAR-STUDDED CHEF LINE-UP, APRIL 23-26

logoWHAT: Taking place earlier than ever before, the ninth annual Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit returns to Las Vegas April 23-26, serving up exciting culinary events at ARIA, Bellagio, Caesars Palace and MGM Grand. This year’s extravaganza features intimate dinners and interactive experiences hosted by acclaimed chefs, sommeliers and mixologists such as first-time participant Emeril Lagasse, along with talents like Gordon Ramsay, Michael Mina, Guy Savoy, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Julian Serrano, Shawn McClain and Ho Chee Boon.

vegasuncorkNew and notable additions to the festival include Emeril’s New Orleans Seafood Extravaganza, Premier Pairings with KRUG Champagne & Guy Savoy, Farm to Table Fête with Flowers Winery at Sage, California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir: A Tasting of Balance and a partnership between Bon Appétit and Bravo Media to put the winner of the network’s newest TV show, Best New Restaurant, in the spotlight at the Grand Tasting at Caesars Palace.

WHEN:                 April 23 – 26, 2015

WHERE:                ARIA, Bellagio, Caesars Palace and MGM Grand                                              Las Vegas, NV

DETAILS:              Visit VegasUncorked.com for a complete schedule of events and to purchase tickets. To book Vegas Uncork’d air packages and hotels, visit LasVegas.com.

See chefs line up here: Chefs personalities

About Bon Appétit

Bon Appétit is where food and culture meet. The award-winning No. 1 food lifestyle brand covers food through the lens of fashion, travel, technology, design, and home. Under editor in chief Adam Rapoport, the brand has been nominated for 17 National Magazine Awards, including wins in 2014 for General Excellence and Photography; 10 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards; and more than 50 Society of Publication Designers (SPD) nominations for design and photography, including Magazine of the Year. Under vice president and publisher Pamela Drucker Mann, the magazine was named ‘One to Watch’ by Advertising Age in 2014 and Adweek’s Food Magazine of the Year in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

 

Cadence Restaurant, Chef Joey Elenterio, San Francisco, California

    Jay Bordeleau, proprietor of Lower Haight cocktail bar and chef_joey_elenterio2restaurant Maven, has announced plans for his next endeavor: Cadence, a 90-seat restaurant and bar located in the rapidly developing mid-Market neighborhood, slated to open this summer at 1446 Market Street (at Polk).

To help realize his vision of Cadence, Bordeleau successfully recruited some heavyweight talent as his business partners in food and beverage, including highly accomplished chef Joey Elenterio, who most recently served as executive chef of Tyler Florence’s Wayfare Tavern.  Named a San Francisco Chronicle Rising Star in 2012, Elenterio also served as executive chef of Chez TJ, where he earned a Michelin star; he can lay chef_joey_elenterio3claim to the title of youngest American Michelin star chef in 2011/2012.

We got to try chef Joey Elenterio food many times since his day at Chez TJ, then Wayfare Tavern just last year. We love what this young chef is having in store for us with his talented skills in the kitchen. This over 6 ft tall, handsome, and humble chef surely will make Cadence a restaurant to watch in this Summer 2015.

chef_joey_elenterio4    On the cocktail front, Maven bar director/partner Kate Bolton will lead beverage operations and deliver a compelling lineup of culinary-driven craft cocktails, with an emphasis on market-driven libations that utilize fresh ingredients from Cadence’s kitchen.

The concept is progressive American, with a tightly focused menu that reflects Elenterio’s relentless commitment to using the very best ingredients and working with purveyors of the highest integrity.

chef_joey_elenterio    Cadence will be adjacent to Bordeleau’s forthcoming live jazz fueled, spirit-forward cocktail bar Mr. Tipple’s Recording Studio, which will be located at 39 Fell Street and 1446 Market.

Cadence Restaurant
1446 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
www.cadencesf.com Twitter @CadenceSF
Executive Chef Joey Elenterio – Twitter @JElenterio  
Bar director/partner Kate Bolton

by Manda Bear @1MandaBear

El Dorado Kitchen at El Dorado Hotel, Sonoma, CA

After a long day wine tasting in Sonoma County, we were eldorado1starving and ready to eat  our heart out. El Dorado Kitchen comes to our rescue. Knowing chef Armando Navarro from REDD in Napa, and I was excited to see what he was about to serve us.

El Dorado Kitchen is located in the El Dorado Hotel, it’s such a cute place, open kitchen, a 21-foot-long table fashioned from a single wood plank reclaimed from a Vermont bridge, lots of eldorado3windows for sun light, white trim, fresh flowers, something about this place is so romantic to me. Well, I was in the company of 2 other hot foodies/good friends 🙂

El Dorado Kitchen serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. We were here for a dinner feast, and I wasn’t kidding.eldorado4

– Kusshi, South Puget Sound, Baywater Sweet oysters – a dozen of freshness!

– Ahi Tuna Tartare – Soy vinaigrette, wonton chips, asian pear, avocado, wasabi tobiko, micro cilantro – tasty, generous portion.

– Roasted Young Beets – Goat cheese mousse, orange, watercress, pistachio meringue – perfect for a warm summer night in Sonoma.
eldorado6
– Steamed Mussels – Chorizo, chickpeas, garlic, white wine broth, country croutons – the mussels weren’t plumed, but the broth was perfect for crouton dipping. It soaked up the broth and it was so good!

– The Truffles fries – oh goodness, gracious, this order is BIGGER than my head! However, it was perfect for dipping to the mussels broth!

– Chilled Corn Soup – Corn & shrimp salsa, chili oil, brioche crouton – it was nice and smooth, love.eldorado5

– Pork Belly – cherry tomato, pickled ramps, jalapeño vinaigrette – this was a SPECIAL order, since I’m allergic to watermelon, chef changed up the recipe. I love pork belly and this is why I work out regularly, so I can indulge this kind of goodness!

– Dungeness Crab Cake – Heirloom tomato gazpacho, avocado, sweet 100 tomatoes, pea shoots – fresh and sweet, beautiful plating.

– Housemade Ricotta & Lemon Ravioli – Roasted artichokes, asparagus, rutabaga, parmesan, guazzetto – delicious.

– Pork and ahi tuna tacos, special order from chef Armando Navarro – thank you for this – they offer on the bar menu.

eldoado5DESSERTS:

– Vanilla Tapioca – Peach, rhubarb gel, brioche, raspberry sorbet

– Baked Chocolate Mousse – Chocolate shortbread crumble, crème fraîche froth, mint chocolate chip ice cream

– Cherry Crisp – Lemon curd, streusel, cream cheese sorbet

For the wine list, El Dorado Kitchen carries almost 170 wines by the bottles and 30 by the glasses, majority Sonoma County, Napa, and decent choices of French wines, I’m impressed. I love that how all the local wines are small mark up, that was exactly what we did, ordered Sonoma wines.

Service was good, the food was so reasonably price point, GENEROUS PORTIONS, so we obviously over ordered ourselves. Thank you chef Armando for the extra love and changed the recipe because I was allergic to the watermelon.

eldorado2           During our dinner, there was a black out in Sonoma Square, the restaurant kept calm, and continue to serve us in extra candle lights, just about 5 minutes later, the light was back on, and everything was as smooth as nothing had happened.

My 2 girlfriends and I couldn’t even move by the time we finished the dinner. We are full, satisfied, and happy. I love it here and I can’t wait to bring more friends and family back here soon.

Follow chef on IG: http://instagram.com/chef_g_navarro

El Dorado Kitchen
www.EldoradoSonoma.com
405 1st St W,
Sonoma, CA 95476
(707) 996-3030

by Manda Bear – @1MandaBear