In advance of Halloween, though I would pass along a tasty and fun recipe for pumpkin pancakes. Hope you enjoy.2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup melted butter
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg yolks and butter in another bowl. Using a hand-held electric mixer or a wooden spoon, beat the mixture until well-blended. Add the milk-pumpkin mixture to the flour-sugar mixture and, using a wooden spoon, mix just enough to moisten all ingredients. (Overmixing at this point will create pancakes with a rubbery texture.) Using clean beaters and bowl, beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry, then fold them into the batter. Spoon the batter onto a buttered or oiled hot griddle. Fry the pancakes until the tops look dry and small bubbles appear on the surface. Turn the pancakes and fry until second side is golden-brown. Serve with hot maple syrup. Yields approx. 30 four-inch pancakes.
I had dinner at Bocadillos earlier this year and really enjoyed it, so on one of the gorgeous sunny days last week I popped by during the afternoon just for a snack and a glass of wine. The menu is naturally a bit more limited than at dinner and I was slightly disappointed their amazing $2 deviled eggs with shrimp were not on the menu, but nonetheless had a couple of other nice bites. You can choose any two bocadillos for $9 which is a nice deal. Options include Serrano ham with tomato rub, fried chicken with spicy cole slaw, a hot ahi tuna melt, a lam burger, BBQ pulled pork and a BLT with Eden Farms bacon. I wasn't super hungry so opted for a really tasty salad with charred corn, jicama, piquillos and fried poblanos. The combination works really well together and was accented by a light ranch-like dressing which was really tasty. There are also daily tapas and soup specials as well as vegetable sides and cheese and cold cuts on the menu. It's a really cute place to pop into and the charming ambiance and friendly service add to the experience. Enjoy.
It's hard to realize that Ti Couz has been in business for 15 years already. The consistency of the quality of fare is quite good, and the charming ambiance of the venue only adds to the experience. Ti Couz has satisfied many a palette for those 15 years with unfaltering flavor and textures and a menu I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't find something to enjoy from. Menu options include various salads, including a Veggie Salad of broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, tomato slices and corn on a bed of Spinach and four kinds of lettuce, all lightly blanched so the freshness comes to the surface where it's lightly tossed in their excellent house Vinaigrette dressing. There are also a couple of seafood dishes, including an excellent shrimp cocktail and raw oysters with mignonette, as well as french onion soup and a soup of the day. The main attraction though is the crepes, and they offer both savory and sweet varieties and you can order one of the specials or assemble your own from a nice list of ingredients. Favorites of mine include the Champignon, or a mushroom crepe with a gorgeous and rich mushroom sauce, the Saumon Fume, or salmon crepe with finely-sliced scallions and creme fraiche, or as a make your own a crepe with ham, eggs and cheese which is especially tasty for brunch. On the sweet side, who can resist a crepe with banana and Nutella - delicious! There is a well-appointed and affordable wine list, and on warm days and evenings there are several tables outside. Hope you stop in sometime soon for a relaxing and tasty meal. Enjoy.
Puerto Alegre in the Mission has a fun and casual vibe with bright colors and always a good crowd. The margaritas are great but make sure you just order regular margaritas - the only choices listed on the menu are the much more expensive, top-shelf varieties. I can't taste the difference anyhow. The chips and thick and super crunchy, and I really enjoy the red salsa with big chunks of tomato and a good amount of cilantro. The tostada salad is fairly large and comes with tons of shredded chicken. The soft chicken taco with grilled or shredded chicken and side salad makes a gorgeous lighter meal. Lots of tasty fried items too of course. Perfect for brunch too with a nice egg menu as an addition, and also great for groups. Enjoy.
Maverick, self-described as an American Eatery and Bar, is a charming, neighborhoody spot in the Mission which has various regular events, including Junk Food and Wine Pairings, as well as Cheap Wine Nights on Mondays. The already reasonable wine list is offered at a 40 percent discount, making some of the selections downright cheap. The space is small but simple, elegant and comfortable. The brick walls and clean lines work well with the muted colors of the tables and chairs and lend a somewhat airy vibe but still one that you want to be in. The food menu is fairly limited but certainly covers all of the bases. There are around 8 each of appetizers and entrees and a few desserts on offer. We dined last night on gorgeous mussels cooked in a white wine sauce with tasty and rich pancetta and served with several creamy dollops of a smoky aioli which was gorgeous with the luscious bivalves. We also shared a side of asparagus which was well-seasoned and served with a nice amount of butter but not too much. The stalks were delightfully crisp and were of a green color that you can only get with very fresh product. We also had the Southern Fried Chicken which is rich, crispy and utterly decadent. It's buttermilk-soaked Mary’s free range chicken served with bacony collard greens, Nora Mill “Georgia Ice Cream” grits, and brown chicken gravy which was obviously started from the luscious chicken drippings. We shared two bottles of white wine, a Grüner Veltliner Der Pallerhof Österreich from Austria followed by a Pinot Gris Claudia Springs from Anderson Valley. At $34 and $30 pre-discount they were both certainly a deal. The Gruner was nice and refreshing but a bit floral for our taste. We thoroughly enjoyed the Pinot. The staff is knowledgeable and courteous and definitely can enhance your dining experience in a positive way. All in all a great way to start off the week, and one that hopefully fits in with the budget as well. Enjoy.
North Beach is most certainly a great neighborhood for a host of reasons, including the large number of fun and interesting venues to spend time in and explore. So, it's not uncommon to find yourself in the neighborhood at a later hour and not having eaten dinner yet. There are numerous options as far as late-night dining goes, and a tasty one, if you don't mind sometimes large crowds and loud music in the background, is Mojito Cafe. The venue is located in the heart of North Beach on Grant Avenue. It's a fairly small space with a long bar and a space for music and dancing. The ambiance is definitely that of a bar versus a restaurant, and the wall behind the bar features some funky and certainly different art and other items to capture attention in case your eyes wander a bit. The menu is just what it should be - a nice range of types of items, all of which are satisfying and fairly easy to eat - and it's served nightly until 1 a.m. Options include a Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, a selection of Sliders, a hearty plate of Nachos, and Chicken Two Ways. Everything is made to order so you can customize as best suits. The Chicken Two Ways features tender and moist chunks of dark-meat chicken, three large and nicely spiced chicken legs and celery sticks all served with a rick, creamy ranch dip. It's a nice burst of protein for sure. The nachos come with the usual fixings and feature large and quite crisp tortilla chips which add the perfect textural contrast to the various dips and toppings. In particular, the guacamole that is included is seasoned well and thick and creamy. You can dine at the bar or at one of the few small tables that adorn the borders of the restaurant.
