Thursday, January 19, 2012

Roostertail






location: 1963 sutter (between fillmore and webster), fillmore
time of day: weekday night
i ate: chicken & bacon sandwich ($10.75), brussel sprouts ($5.50), mac n cheese ($5.50), smashed potatoes ($5.50)

roostertail is a fairly new restaurant that specializes in all things chicken. you can get it by the quarter, half or whole. by the wing, in a sandwich or in a salad. the chicken is cooked on a rotisserie that is front and center behind the counter and comes from mary's chickens. the menu also includes a few other meats as well as several sides and desserts. the menu hangs on a wall and you order at the counter.
the restaurant serves beer and wine only. they have a few on draft but otherwise your beer is coming from a can. you can sit at the counter and watch your food prepped or sit in a window seat or larger back table. no reservations taken.

my favorite thing was the brussel sprout side, they were shaved and cooked in bacon.

food vs. price: yay!
tastiness: yay!
service: okay!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Coco500






location: 500 brannan (at 4th street), SOMA
time of day: friday night dinner
i ate: batter fried green beans ($7), cocomole taco ($6), truffled mushroom flatbread ($12), harvest pizza ($16), grilled hanger steak ($15)

i have always heard pretty mixed reviews of coco500 so i was very excited to be treated to a meal there by my friend d. we must have been in early on a friday night (7pm res) because it was pretty empty until about 30 minutes before we finished, when the entire place filled to capacity and people were starting to put there name in to wait for a table.
we had a wonderful mix of veggies, breads, and meats in various forms and everything was fantastic. i absolutely loved the mini tacos which came on a tortilla chip, the perfect two bite treat. the pizza had wonderful flavors of grape, bacon, rosemary and fontina cheese, one of the best pizzas i've had at a non-pizzeria and our steak was grilled to perfection. there is a really great bar as well.
the service was fantastic. our table had a handwritten reserved sign with d's last name and the hostess promptly offered to hang our coats at our arrival.
whenever i have a great experience at a place like this i really wonder what the expectations were of those who claim to have subpar experiences. i loved coco500.

food vs. price: yay!
tastiness: yay!
service: yay!

Cotogna









location: 490 pacific (at montgomery), fidi/north beach
time of day: weeknight dinner
i ate: warm ricotta & musroom on crostini ($12), tagliolini w/ crab & meyer lemon ($16), roasted pork loin ($27), roasted potatoe & fontina gratin ($7), bread pudding ($8)

i shared this whole meal at cotogna with a friend so while it seems like a lot, it ended up being the perfect portion of food. this is by far one of the best meals i've had in san francisco (not surprising considering the chef won the 2011 james beard award for best chef in the pacific region). reservations are pretty much necessary at this point, we made ours a full month in advance, but the wait was well worth it. great service, warm atmosphere, and delicious food. the hallways are lined with wooden logs because a lot of the food is prepared in a wooden oven.

food vs. price: yay!
tastiness: yay!
service: yay!