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Koo
Category:
Japanese Restaurants
408 Irving St
San Francisco, California 94103
(415) 731-7077
I admit it - for years, I was a sushi purist. Sure, I would have spicy tuna rolls and the occasional California roll because they've become common in Japan, but when it comes to anything beyond that...
I admit it - for years, I was a sushi purist. Sure, I would have spicy tuna rolls and the occasional California roll because they've become common in Japan, but when it comes to anything beyond that (especially those with the dreaded cream cheese), I would just turn up my nose and decline.
However, based on the great reviews of Koo and the pedigree of its head chef, we decided to take the long ride on the N-line into the inner sunset and give Koo a try.
The restaurant is cosy without being cramped - and the use of dark wood and heavily saturated earth tones combined with gentle, ambient music makes the space extremely comfortable.
The food is both traditional and fusion - the nigiri and maki offered are purely traditional - and the katsuo nigiri was so good, I had to order a second order. The ika-natto maki was also a highlight of the night. However, as traditional as the nigiri and maki are, the special rolls and appetizers take their inspiration from many cultures - a tuna and salmon tartare with guacamole and shrimp chips combines Hawaiian Poke with Mexican guacamole and chips... and a Tokyo Crunch roll was topped with ground bits of tonkatsu (breaded fried pork).
Instead of creating a mish-mosh of foods, Koo has pulled off the best of both worlds. If you're in the mood for traditional sushi or Japanese inspired Fusion cuisine, make a trip to the inner sunset and give Koo a chance.
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The space that now houses Eldo's was once the Golden Gate Brewery - a decent brewpub that collapsed at the end of the dot-com bubble. Now reinvented as a tex-mex brewpub, Eldo's has supposedly been...
The space that now houses Eldo's was once the Golden Gate Brewery - a decent brewpub that collapsed at the end of the dot-com bubble. Now reinvented as a tex-mex brewpub, Eldo's has supposedly been getting a good reputation for it's beer. Let's clarify things - the only reputation it should have is for mediocrity.
It's a sad, sad day when I can recommend the corporate brewpub offerings of Gordon Biersch before I can recommend these beers. I struggled to finish a completely pedestrian porter that lacked body, taste and aroma, while my wife combatted an overly carbonated pilsner that tasted nothing like the Czech archetypes from which this style of beer comes from.
At 10:30 on a Saturday, it was dead empty. Tells you something, eh?
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It's been a half hour since the meal ended, and I can already tell that it's going to be a long night.
Let's ignore some specific things about the place - such as me asking for my gimlet with...
It's been a half hour since the meal ended, and I can already tell that it's going to be a long night.
Let's ignore some specific things about the place - such as me asking for my gimlet with only fresh lime (none of that phosphorescent bottled Rose's Lime "Juice"), which was fine, but the two ordered for my colleagues coming with that telltale green sheen of Rose's. Let's forget about them bringing our main courses while we were still eating our salads and appetizers. Let's also forget about the smudged still-damp wine glasses they brought for our overpriced bottle of white wine.
Even if you forget all of this, the food was still pretty darned bad. I mean, the pasta I had (with shrimp and ham in a cream sauce) is already starting a cramp - and I love rich foods. It's barely more edible than the Macaroni Grille. That's not an endorsement by any stretch.
Excuse me while I search the honor bar for some Alka Seltzer...
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Living in San Francisco, sometimes you take for granted the quality of lunches available at a fair price. Here, it can sometimes be a struggle to find something better than Quiznos or Subway without...
Living in San Francisco, sometimes you take for granted the quality of lunches available at a fair price. Here, it can sometimes be a struggle to find something better than Quiznos or Subway without paying an arm and a leg.
On my last trip to Omaha, I was introduced to the folks at Prestige Spirits and Catering - a small strip mall storefront that combines a spirits shop, catering operation and small restaurant.
Today, I had a very nice cajun shrimp appetizer - spicy well cooked shrimp on a slice of garlic toast. This was followed by a classic patty melt with bacon and pesto which goes down in my book as one of the top 10 burgers I've had in recent memory - well worth the $10 they charged.
If you're in Omaha, it's highly recommended.
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I'm back in Omaha for a quick business trip and was taken to Fleming's, a small steak chain on the same scale as Morton's.
Since it's a steakhouse, there is one thing to talk about: the beef -...
I'm back in Omaha for a quick business trip and was taken to Fleming's, a small steak chain on the same scale as Morton's.
Since it's a steakhouse, there is one thing to talk about: the beef - and here it was very well done. I had a 22 ounce bone-in ribeye cooked just the way I like it - on the rare side of medium rare. The perfectly prepared beef was joined by two potato sides and two vegetable sides. For the potatoes, we went with a parmesan mashed and a "Fleming's Potatoes" - an au gratin with jalapenos and cheddar. The veggies were sauteed spinach (not bad, but I have had much, much better) and some steamed mixed vegetables that looked a little limp and overcooked, so I declined to partake in them.
The highlight of the meal: the steak, hands down. The big miss: the "cappuccino" which was a barely passable cafe au lait (though I was warned that there were some problems with the cappuccino maker after receiving the coffee).
It's a good steak - one of the better ribeye steaks that I've had in a long, long while.
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Having lived in Munich for two years, there's something comforting about Bavarian cuisine. When it's done exceptionally well, it's a play of tender roasted meats, rich sauces and handmade dumplings...
Having lived in Munich for two years, there's something comforting about Bavarian cuisine. When it's done exceptionally well, it's a play of tender roasted meats, rich sauces and handmade dumplings that can't be beat. When it's done any less than perfect, it's a heavy, gloppy mess that sits like a bowling ball in your gut for the better part of the week.
There lies the dichotomy of Suppenkueche - over the past 13 years, I've had amazing Bavarian dinners there that could stand up to Munich's best, and I've had meals that left me searching the medicine cabinet for an Alka Seltzer.
The good news is that yesterday's meal was back on the good side - Jaegerschnitzel, a pounded pork cutlet pan fried with a mushroom sauce, with spaetzle that were light, fluffy and perfectly buttery. I accompanied this with a selection of beer ranging from a northern Koenig Pils to a Muenchner Maibock from Hofbraeuhaus.
Can I give the restaurant four stars? I'd love to as the menu is traditional, and every German I bring in agrees that it smells like home. However, high prices for beer and inconsistency in the food quality keeps me from giving that elusive fourth star.
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I'm a steak fan... and you would think that in a city where beef has been so important to its development, every steak you find in the city would be exceptional, but this small local chain just...
I'm a steak fan... and you would think that in a city where beef has been so important to its development, every steak you find in the city would be exceptional, but this small local chain just served up OK beef... nothing that I couldn't find in any major city.
The caesar salad was fair, and the anchovies that I requested were pretty grim... leathery and without any anchovy flavor. The steak was a perfect medium rare, but wasn't nearly as good as steaks had in Chicago or Boston.
It's ok - not worth the price or worth returning to in my book.
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I wonder if the largest Irish exports are just Irish bars, or at least the pseudo-memorabilia that seems to line the walls of every Irish bar. I say pseudo-memorabilia in this case because O'Dowd's...
I wonder if the largest Irish exports are just Irish bars, or at least the pseudo-memorabilia that seems to line the walls of every Irish bar. I say pseudo-memorabilia in this case because O'Dowd's is owned by a bar/restaurant chain and is probably less than 20 years old - and the historical relics laid out everywhere were purchased from a wholesaler, not from the owner's travels through the emerald isles.
With that said, the Murphy's was good, but served incorrectly in a British pint glass, not an Irish stout glass - and the Jameson's, well, it was Jameson's.
I could see myself sitting in the corner of this bar, drinking whisky and stout while listening to the seisun (this time a bodhran player and a guitarist) play old Irish songs. It's nothing special, but sometimes that's what makes places like this so inviting.
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You know you're heading into a great barbecue joint when the owner's "office" is the formica table in the corner - stacked with paperwork, half finished bottles of soda and coffee and maybe a...
You know you're heading into a great barbecue joint when the owner's "office" is the formica table in the corner - stacked with paperwork, half finished bottles of soda and coffee and maybe a baseball cap or two. You don't come here for the decor or the widescreen television playing CNN in the corner. You come here for the 'cue.
Unlike the fru-fru 'cue shops in cities like San Francisco and New York, this joint puts the meat dead center... as in right behind the cash register - and when the smoke pit's black iron doors open up when one of the chefs puts in or pulls out some sort of succulent meat, all you can smell is sweet smoky goodness.
The ribs look amazing, but the combo sandwich - half sliced brisket and half pulled pork with a side of fries is how I roll. The fries? Fantastic. The pulled pork? The best I have ever had, hands down. The brisket? Honestly, I've had better - not that it was bad - but compared to the pulled pork, it just wasn't spectacular. Next time, I'll try the burnt ends - they looked amazing.
If you have a craving for the Q, the whole Q and nothing but the Q - jump in the car and head on over. You won't regret it.
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Edo Salon
Category:
Beauty Salons
601 Haight St
San Francisco, California 94117
(415) 861-0131
I've been using Bumble and Bumble hair products since moving back to the states, and Edo has been my source for shampoo since then, even though I was going to another salon until...
I've been using Bumble and Bumble hair products since moving back to the states, and Edo has been my source for shampoo since then, even though I was going to another salon until recently.
However, when my regular stylist couldn't see me for four weeks because of a limited schedule, I decided it was time to change and gave Edo a call. Because of my extremely chaotic wavy hair, finding someone who can do a decent job is a challenge. Not only did the staff take time on the phone to find the right stylist, but I'm happy to say that they chose the right person for the job. She took her time to analyze my hair, find an appropriate cut and leave me with a fantastic style.
Because my stylist has limited hours, I'm not listing her name here - but if you've got challenging wavy or curly hair, drop me a line and I'll pass her name along.
The salon is bright and clean, and if you're a fan of Bumble and Bumble products, I highly recommend making an appointment.
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