We pretty much like cuisines of all flavors and regions (as long as there are no nuts), but sometimes French food can be hit or miss for us. Yes, there would be no fine dining or breakfast without the French and lord knows French pastry rocks our world, but French entrees don’t always hit the spot. Of course, after enjoying cassoulet in some remote-ish town in Northern-ish France a few years ago we’ve been fond of the dish and take to ordering it when we see it on a reliable menu.

A couple of weekends ago we had a little Napa holiday and even though Napa often gets a bad rap these days—overpriced, overrated, overcrowded—one of the highlights was our meal at Angèle, a romantic French restaurant that overlooks the Napa River. Everything looked good, but the cassoulet was really calling our name. “House Made Sausage, Ham Hock, Duck Confit and Cellini Beans “Paella” Chicken, Chorizo, Mussels, Clams with Saffron Rice” was hard to pass up. It was less stew-like then most cassoluet we’ve had in the States and much more bean focused, but the beans, having so clearly been soaking in a happy bath of seafood and duck confit for hours if not days, made the flavor so definite and powerful that we couldn’t stop sneaking spoonfuls of it long after we’d determined we were full. It also came to the table in it’s own Le Cruset pot, which while more for show then anything, was still endearing and we’d like to think flavor-enhancing.

If you can’t make it to Napa (or find yourself more partial to Sonoma), word has it that Jeanty at Jacks in the Financial District is the best bet for cassoulet in the City. For a more low-key option we highly recommend Mistral Rotisserie Provencale, which may sound pretentious, but the warm, accessible, cozy little space adjacent from the somewhat less cozy Slated Door is one of our favorite places to catch some heartwarming French food. Cassoulet may not be always be one the menu, but just about anything else you decide to go with—lamb stew, duck, Ratatouille—will put a smile on your face.

Angèle [Official Site]
Jeanty at Jacks [MenuPages]
Jeanty at Jacks [Official Site]
Mistral Rotisserie Provencale [Menupages]
Mistral Rotisserie Provencale [Official Site]
Slated Door [Menupages]
Slated Door [Official Site]

[Photo: Duck confit and Haricot bean cassoulet via avlxyz/flickr]

The passing of Labor Day means the end of summer, which means the arrival of fall, which in turn means ... oysters! Before we check out the best raw bars to indulge in the wonders of Ostrea conchaphila, here are some fun facts with which to impress your friends, colleagues and fellow shellfish-lovers.

• Most oysters around the Bay are Pacific oysters that were introduced from Japan.

• Oysters have gills and breathe like fish.

• The maxim that says one must only eat oysters in months that end in "R" is a myth, thanks largely to the advancement in refrigeration technology.

• Oysters have feet.

Now that you have some conversation starters, here are some suggestions for finding the freshest raw oysters in town:

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: Oysters" »

Nothing says summer quite like throwing the better part of your face into a big chunk of crisp, juicy, tasty watermelon. Along with iced tea, stone fruit and maybe basil, watermelon is the epitome of summer seasonal goodness. Of course, being in the gastronomical mecca that is the Bay Area, local restaurants--including two of the city's newest in Spruce and Bossa Nova--have no problem taking watermelon above and beyond the pedestrian by-the-slice picnic fare.

So, without any further ado, here are some places to find the best watermelon dishes in the city, from cold soups and micro-green-laden salads to frou-frou desserts and rum-laced cocktails:

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: Watermelon" »

Dually inspired by yesterday's offal post and a recent thread on Chowhound, we are turning our scanners towards the wonders of beef stomach lining: tripe. Though pork and sheep tripe are produced, beef tripe is probably the most common variety in the kitchens of San Francisco. It's usually made from three chambers of the four-chambered cow stomach and is prepared in a plethora of ways, ranging from poached sausage (Andouille) in France to stewed in Africa to fried in Mexico.

Since the Chowhound post offers up plenty of tripe options, we'll try to stay original. So, here are some (non-Incanto, non-Chinese and non-Mexican) tripe picks for the offal-craving San Franciscan:

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: Tripe" »

In case you haven't noticed, it's summer, and from our several years of Los Angeles living, we can't think of many more quintessentially summer food items than fish tacos. They're light, refreshing and cheap, yet simultaneously satiate your cravings for greasy fried food and/or Mexican food. It's almost as if fish tacos are some sort of super food.

We digress.

For some reason, first-class fish tacos (despite their southern California copiousness and their easy preparation) are oddly scarce in the Bay Area. But there are delicious--though maybe not as good as our southern neighbors--fish tacos to be found in th city. So, with the help of our handy Find-A-Food apparatus, we're going fish taco-ing, after the jump. Join us, would you?

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: Fish Tacos" »

Nothing says summer like a big greasy, cheesy, hot sandwich with grease on the side for dipping, right? Right?

In any event, the French dip is a favorite of many diners everywhere, but even though its origins are Californian, a good rendition can be hard to find. As a Chowhound points out, the seemingly simple sandwich is "too often ruined by fatty meat, thick cut meat, bad roll or bland Au Jus."

The archetypal French dip consists of paper-thin slices of freshly-roasted beef, a hot and crusty French roll (though we prefer baguettes), and the ever-important au jus, fresh meat drippings from the pan. Cheese is optional, seeing as how it may start to resemble a cheesesteak before long.

So where to get the finest French dip in the City? Keep dipping with us, post-jump.

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: French Dip" »

Sometimes, you have cravings. We know this. Hence: Scanning the Menu, a new feature where the MenuPages Blog (and our trusty Find-A-Food search) will do all the leg work for you. Every week or so, we'll highlight a particular crave-worthy dish and illuminate restaurants around the city where you can indulge in it. Suggestions always welcome. This week: black and white cookies.

"The thing about eating the Black and White cookie, Elaine, is you want to get some black and some white in each bite. Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate And yet somehow racial harmony eludes us. If people would only look to the cookie all our problems would be solved." --Seinfeld

As you are probably unaware, today just happens to be Loving Day. Just forty years ago today, the Supreme Court decision in the Loving v. Virginia case made interracial relationships legal. Putting aside the sheer ridiculousness that interracial relationships could possibly be illegal a mere four decades ago, nothing says civil utopia quite like a black and white cookie.

Unfortunately, the East Coast dessert deities are a bit hard to find here in San Francisco, which means that plenty of folks have never tasted the moist, cake-like pastry and the perfect marriage of rich chocolate and slightly-citrusy vanilla that coat it. But have no fear, there are places around the Bay to find adequate versions of the Manhattan classic. Check them out, post-jump.

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: Black And White Cookies" »

Here in San Francisco, we've only got a handful of proper Cuban restaurants, but recently, some-non Cuban restaurants have put the cuisine's finest sandwich on their menus. Some picks after the jump ... and as always, suggestions are welcome.

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: Cuban Sandwiches" »

Due to their easy cultivation and nutty-buttery taste, fava beans have been a longtime staple across the world, but they are just starting to make culinary waves across these United States of America. So, with the help of our handy web tools, let's dedicate this week's Scanning The Menu to fava beans.

Oh, and insert requisite Hannibal Lecter joke here.

After the jump, some places to indulge in the wonder that is the fava bean.

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: Fava Beans" »

A month ago, we celebrated the commencement of National Grilled Cheese Month. Today, we ring in National Hamburger Month.

1.) Who says Americans don't value their health?

2.) Who comes up with these national months?

Anyway, here are our picks for burger destinations around our fair city. Enjoy.

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: Burgers" »

The origin of cioppino is the subject of some debate. A San Francisco legend states that the fish stew resulted from newly-arrived Italian fishermen at the Wharf. Supposedly, boisterous cooks at seaside eateries consistently asked the local salts to "chip in!" and toss random seafood into the big pot of bubbling mixture of fresh tomatoes and red wine.

On the other hand, Wikipedia says that ciuppin is the colloquial term for a Ligurian fish stew. With the proliferation of northern Italian immigrants in early San Francisco, we think it's possible that the true origin of cioppino could be an amalgamation of the two stories.

With the help of our little Find-A-Food buddy, we scan the menus for cioppino, post-jump.

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: Cioppino" »

April is National Grilled Cheese Month. And National Frog Month. Maybe we'll tackle frogs next week, but with the entire food media business hopping on the grilled cheese riff--from New York City to "Canada"--we figured we'd scan our precious San Francisco menus for the best in melted dairy products.

• 'wichcraft: Tom Colicchio's New York chain's only (first?) West Coast location opened in the Westfield San Francisco Centre to mixed reviews last fall. Since then, San Franciscans seemed to have embraced the New York prices. The fancy take-out place offers three varieties of gourmet grilled cheese: fontina with black trumpet mushrooms and white truffle fondue on pullman white bread ($9), gruyere with caramelized onions on rye ($5.50) and cheddar with smoked ham, pear and mustard on cranberry pecan bread ($6). The truffle oil makes the fontina rich and unique but the gruyere version gives you more bang for your buck.

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: Grilled Cheese" »

Passover's right around the corner. If you haven't been invited to a seder yet, the next best option is to seek out some delicious brisket on your own. Unfortunately, as you probably know, this isn't New York. Hell, this isn't even Los Angeles. Suffice to say, San Francisco's brisket options are few and far between. But have no fear; using our spaceage MenuPages technology, we've uncovered some brisket options guaranteed to be so delicious that you will forget all about the subsequent loss of your reproductive cells.

After the jump, brisket from the East Coast and the Far East.

Continue reading "Scanning The Menu: Brisket" »