CONFESSIONS OF A                                                                  
     
RESTAURANT WHORE
A San Francisco Girl's Down and Dirty Adventures in the Culinary Playground

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Life Really Sucks Sometimes

Bar Crudo,

We're all thinking of you.

xoxo
Joy

"To eat is a necessity. To eat intelligently is an art."
-- La Rochefoucauld

Monday, November 20, 2006

Parker Posey and a Free Dinner!

This was my exclamation as we left dinner last night.

After a thoroughly exhausting week of performing, Jon and I decided to go "home" for dinner. "It's our anniversary today -- 8 years!," we were told as we entered the restaurant. How perfect.

In honor of the event, we ordered ribollita, the first thing we ever tasted at Delfina (yep, you guessed it) eight years ago.

Craig and Annie were there dining with their most perfect child, Lucy (I've thought about stealing her, but then I wouldn't get to eat there anymore).

They gave free glasses of prosecco to everyone who came in. Hooray! We ate and ate and ate some more (soup, salad, a pasta, an entree and two desserts on top of the ribollita to be exact) and drank some, too.

When Annie left, she thanked *us* for being such loyal customers and for "helping to keep them in business." Um, Annie, hon, we hate to tell you but even without us you guys would still be beating people away with a stick. Still, it reminds just why we gravitate there whenever an important moment occurs in our lives. I love them so fucking much. As I told Annie, we will be there as long as they are.

Top that off with Parker Fucking Posey sitting in the corner. Parker Posey!!! There are few actors I love more than that bitch.

The cherry? Dinner was free. As in no cost. As in why-didn't-I-order-more-wine? Why, you ask? Because we've been loyal for eight years. I, mean, for fuck's sake -- can you believe that generosity???

They better be careful over there or I just might move in.

xoxo
Joy

"To eat is a necessity. To eat intelligently is an art."
-- La Rochefoucauld

P.S. Northside San Francisco's November issue named me one of the 10 best food and wine blogs. Hooray!

Friday, November 17, 2006

Some Thoughts

I've been busy. Still, that's no excuse. Here are a few restaurant thoughts from this week I thought I'd share with you:

  • Why, dear Christ, WHY is 'wichcraft STILL not up to speed yet? Where are the chips? Where is the s'morewich? And why the fuck do you keep running out of shit? Have you not figured out the ordering situation in the six fucking weeks you've been open? I keep going, though, because man do those sandwiches rock my boat.
  • There is no better snack than the shoestrings at Zuni. None. And because my show is only two blocks away, I have eaten my weight in them in the past two weeks.
  • Delfina has white truffles now. Sometimes. I have been known to have Jon order me a bowl while I hop in a cab post-show so I can get some before the kitchen closes.
  • Speaking of white truffles, we did a bad, bad thing last weekend and bought one.
  • Clay over at Coco, is my personal hero. He lets me order food just before the kitchen closes on show nights so I can actually eat. Of course, the kitchen is eligible for deity status since they're the ones who put up with that shit.
  • I would like to hold the world record for the person who is able to consume the most fleur de sel caramels in one sitting. I am well on my way.
  • One of these days I will post about El Bulli. It will be when you least expect it. I'm trying to see just how much loathing I can inspire (seriously, though, I'm sorry).
And for fuck's sake, come see my show.

xoxo
Joy

"To eat is a necessity. To eat intelligently is an art."
-- La Rochefoucauld

Monday, November 06, 2006

Raising the Bar (Bar Crudo -- San Francisco, CA)

I am a sorry, sorry excuse for a human being. After enjoying Bar Crudo's delicacies for close to a year now, I am FINALLY writing about it. This has to do with nothing but laziness and busy-ness on my part as BC's vittles rock the house.

Bar Crudo is teeny. Two counters (one of which faces their Lilliputian kitchen) and a handful of tables upstairs. Still, I've never had to wait, even walking in. This could be because I eat at weird times, or it could be because the throngs of people in Union Square have no idea that this gem is just under their noses. I'm not complaining.

I heart this place so much because they know what they are good at and they stick to it. Prime example: they don't make dessert and don't employ a pastry chef so they simply offer some xox truffles at the end of the meal if you need a bit of sweetness. Now I love dessert, but I'd rather have no dessert at all if my only other option is shitty dessert. Kudos to the Crudos for recognizing that shit and not frontin'.

The stuff they ARE good at? Well, they are just slap your ass GREAT at it. In fact, on a recent visit with some sexy bitches that I know, I took one look at the menu and said, "yes." As in,"yes, I will eat everything here if you'll let me."

In addition to a beautiful variety of oysters and chilled seafood, BC provides several crudo preparations that are not only innovative, but also incredibly tasty and fresher than yo' mama. Plus, you can order a crudo platter that includes 4 of the 6 crudo offerings for the night. I almost always order the platter and then order the two that aren't included. Like I said, I just can't make choices when I'm hitting up the BC.

The Artic Char with horseradish, tobiko and dill is shockingly fresh, and the heat of the horseradish cuts the somewhat oily fish nicely. I'm also particularly partial to the Ono when they have it. Paired with chilies, yuzu and enoki mushrooms, this dish knows how to party like a rockstar. The raw scallops are so good that I bet I could even get my gastro-germaphobe mother-in-law to eat them.

Bar Crudo also has what Jon refers to as the "Joy salad." This is because it has two of my most favorite things in the world in it: Burrata and lobster. I know, right? They toss some cress on top and usually add one other thing (in the summer it was heirloom tomatoes, right now it is the sweetest beets you ever did eat). On my most recent visit sans Jon, I really had to control myself so I wouldn't scarf the whole thing down without sharing with my girlies.

There are also hot items such as a stunning seafood chowder and a New Orleans inspired fried oyster dish I tried recently. I like my oysters raw for the most part, but I could have eaten a hundred of those fried suckers.

I have not eaten a bad item at BC ever. I wasn't crazy about the Kampachi with figs and marscapone, but that's because the texture of figs makes me want to peel my skin off. Besides that, I have been enamored with every dish I've come into contact with at BC. But then, that's no surprise. We all know that I like it raw.

xoxo
Joy

"To eat is a necessity. To eat intelligently is an art."
-- La Rochefoucauld

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Search Term of the Day

Apparently one of the search terms that will lead you to my site is "tarts and sticky vaginas." Nice.

xoxo
Joy

"To eat is a necessity. To eat intelligently is an art."
-- La Rochefoucauld