San Francisco & Napa Valley Dining 2013 ~ Part One

A two week vacation in San Francisco filled with multiple meals of delightful food can easily result in a few unwanted pounds.  But there’s hope.  San Francisco is a walker’s city.  Whether it’s to your favorite restaurant or shop, up a steep San Francisco hill, walking definitely helps to alleviate that problem. It’s as if the city were designed for gourmands!

So begins our first week of dining out in San Francisco and Napa Valley.

Sanraku – Metreon & Sutter Street (Lunch)

Sanraku has two locations in downtown San Francisco, one at the newly renovated Metreon and the other on Sutter Street.  We’ve dined here many times, mostly at the Metreon location because it is located right across the street from our hotel.  Sanraku offers many selections, the prices are fair and the service is prompt.

The sushi is fresh and tasty.  This California roll was part of a combination lunch.  All main course lunches include miso soup, rice and a salad.

Sanraku SaladMaguro Sashimi

Sesame Chicken at Sanraku Sutter Street

Sesame Chicken at Metreon Location

I always order the sesame chicken plate but I have to say it wasn’t very good this past visit at the Metreon location.  The sauce tasted burnt and that ruined the dish.

I’m not sure if I will go back to Sanraku because there are so many other restaurants to try out.  And if I do go back, I will walk the longer distance to their Sutter street location where the food seems better prepared.

Seven Hills (Dinner)

Seven Hills is located in the Russian Hill neighborhood and is a charming restaurant with warm service. We waited 15 minutes for our table (with a reservation) and Alex who works the front of the house was extremely accommodating in getting our table ready as quickly as possible.

The restaurant was dark so my photos are not the best, but hopefully they portray the delicious food we were served that evening such as the turkey meatballs and grilled bread appetizer above.

Bean and arugula salad with fried parmesan.This Raviolo Uovo is described on their menu as: Full Belly Farm egg yolk, house made ricotta cheese, spinach, brown butter and white truffle oil.  It was a rich and delicious appetizer.

Tortelli with  Euvitis Wild Mushrooms – Brown butter, thyme and grated Pecorino cheese.

We enjoyed our dinner at Seven Hills.  The food was very good with reasonable prices and the service was excellent.  Reservations are highly recommended as seating is extremely limited and the bar only seats about 4 people.

Cotogna – Jackson Square (Lunch)

Cotogna serves rustic Italian cuisine and is the sister restaurant to Michael Tusk’s Quince restaurant located next door.  It’s extremely popular and advance reservations are required if you want a table, otherwise they offer bar and a communal table seating for walk ins.

Zuckerman’s Farm fresh asparagus salad with walnuts and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Asparagus salad with sunflower seeds and aioli.

Halibut with Meyer lemon and pistachios.

Green pea ravioli.

Sausage, Ramps and Pecorino pizza.

Lunch at Cotogna was superb.  Everything we ordered was prepared perfectly.  It’s a bit of a splurge for lunch but we felt it was worth it and would definitely go back.

A few days at the Napa Valley Marriott was just what we needed.  Relaxing by the pool then taking a leisurely drive to St. Helena and stopping in at Dean & DeLuca and the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone made for a perfect afternoon.

Dean & DeLuca, St. Helena

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

Redd Wood – Yountville (Lunch)

We had lunch at Redd Wood in the summer of 2012 and we were hooked.  Richard Reddington also owns Redd Restaurant in Yountville.  Redd Wood is more casual and offers fantastic pizzas, salads, pasta and terrific daily specials.  So we returned this May for two more really fine meals.

Redd Wood has a snazzy bar!

Marinated Warm OlivesThis simple chopped salad was very satisfying with its tangy dressing and al dente ceci beans.  Only after I had finished it did I realize the olives mentioned in the description were no where to be found.

I asked about their tasty pizza sauce and was told by the chef that they use San Marzano tomatoes, process them in a food mill and reduce the sauce and season it with just salt and pepper.  Once I returned home I followed their directions and now I’m sold on this simple and fresh tasting sauce.

John can’t pass up a burger, which was one of the specials of the day.  Just looking at that brioche bun reminds me of how delicious it was.  The meat was seasoned and cooked to perfection.  The frites were equally as good.

Redd Wood – Yountville (Dinner)

Lunch was so good we returned to Redd Wood for dinner on the same weekend.  A few appetizers, pizzas and the best roasted chicken I have ever had, confirmed our judgement that Redd Wood is one of the top restaurants in  Napa Valley.

Fritto Misto was a good way to start the evening.  In addition to calamari, there was zucchini, artichoke and spiced ceci beans served with homemade aioli.

 A particularly delicious appetizer was meatballs and grilled bread.

This sausage and mushroom pizza with peppers and fried egg was memorable.

Another tasty pizza with potatoes and smoked bacon.

I love roasted chicken and if I see it on a menu I am always tempted to order it.  I’ve had outstanding roasted chicken and some forgettable roasted chicken.  Redd Wood’s roasted chicken was the best I ever had, bar none.  The crispy, well seasoned skin was hard to pass up and the meat on both the breast and thigh were so moist and flavorful. Served with farro and vegetables and a poached egg (!) it was a meal I shall never forget.

Redd Wood is one of our favorite restaurants.  Whether you are there for lunch or dinner (they also serve breakfast) you will be very happy indeed.

Redd ~ Yountville (Lunch)

Redd is Richard Reddington’s original Yountville restaurant serving lunch, dinner and Sunday Brunch. Four of us decided to try lunch on this visit to Napa Valley.

A beautiful salad of spinach and endive with crispy and colorful beet chips served with a smoked trout crostini.

Yellow fin tuna and hamachi tartare with avocado and “fried rice.”  One word describes this appetizer “divine!”Hamachi sashimi with edamame with a refreshing lime ginger sauce.

Pan seared scallops served with cauliflower puree. Magnificent!

Prime New York steak sandwich.

It’s not often that you’ll find duck confit on a menu.  And when you do find it, what a treat it is.  Redd’s duck confit with lentils and poached egg was the highlight of my entire trip.

These pork buns were unbelievably delicious.  Note to self: double order next visit.

We all raved about our meal at Redd.  The restaurant was immaculate as was the service, and the food was out of this world.

Gott’s Roadside ~ Napa (Lunch)

We were in the mood for a casual, order at the counter meal and what fit the bill better than a hamburger and fries?

My burger with pickles, tomato and “secret” sauce.

The fries were hot, crispy and salty.

We were the beneficiaries of an order taker mistake and received sweet potato fries in addition to the regular fries we ordered. They were tasty but we preferred the regular fries.

Cheese burger.

We were satisfied with our quick, unfussy lunch at Gott’s.  Looking forward to another visit for a juicy, grilled burger with all the right accompaniments.

Botega ~ Yountville (Dinner)

Michael Chiarello’s Bottega is very popular, reservations are a must. We dined here twice before on other visits and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner so we returned again this summer.

Reception and bar at Bottega.

The restaurant is fairly large with seating at the bar, outside on the patio and inside where there are two separate dining rooms.  We were seated at a cozy table in the dining room that is surrounded by glass windows.

Green eggs and ham!  This appetizer is a unique, beautiful combination.  A soft boiled egg, deep fried with a crispy coating served with pancetta wrapped asparagus.

Shaved Brussels sprout salad with sieved egg and marcona almonds.  Who knew Brussels sprouts could be so delectable.

Iberian pork with roasted potatoes.  Our server told us this pork was similar to beef and so it was. Unfortunately it came to our table luke warm if that.  Maybe it was due to the pork being sliced in advance and it didn’t make it to our table quick enough.  In any case, we sent it back and they returned promptly with a new order at the correct temperature and it was a real treat!

Braised and smoked short rib.  You can always find this popular dish on their menu.

Delfina Potaotes. Yum!!  Overall, the food is excellent at Bottega. We enjoyed three dinners there over the last couple of years and we would not hesitate to return (especially if the smoked and braised short rib remains on the menu!).