So as you know, I am still getting adjusted to living in DC. One of my biggest transitions was assuring myself that the food in DC was just as good as NYC. That there were still cute non-chain restaurants to visit, serving amazing food. The Jaleos and Rasikas and Graffiatos were doing it for me, but what I needed was a legit confirmation from the outside world that DC was cool, and could compete with the New Yorks and San Franciscos out there. Enter Bon Appetit’s top ten restaurants in the country. Little Serow, based in DC, made the list.

Little Serow serves family style Thai food. Walk ins only. No phone, and they’ll text you to let you know you’re off the wait list. Only parties of four or less. There are no substitutions for food, so you have to be pretty adventurous. But from what Bon Appetit says, it is totally worth the adventure. All I was waiting for was to hear that you BYOB and that it’s cash only. (Neither is true.)

So you’d expect the restaurant to be run by a group of Thai chefs. Nope, try a Greek-American and his wife. Want to know more? Read the full article here.

Visit Little Serow at:

1511 17th Street NW
Washington DC 20036

I will see you there, in line, waiting for my text!

Enjoy!

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I had been wanting to eat at Beretta for months and tried a couple of times to make a reservation there, only to have the plans foiled somehow. And I just knew it would be impossible to get a brunch reservation for 11 people but somehow the restaurant gods smiled on me.

Beretta is known more for its pizza but since we were there for brunch I decided to get something more breakfast-y. I love/hate when an entire menu looks good and I can’t decide which delicious thing to order and that’s what happened at Beretta. I finally chose the “Budino” which is described as “parmesan and scallion bread pudding topped with fried eggs over a mixed green salad.” I was happy with my choice. The eggs were cooked over easy which I hated when I was a kid but love now (but only when there is something like bread to sop up the yolks AND when I don’t think too much about what eggs actually are). Anyhoo, it was delicious. Unfortunately, I took half of it to go and then left my container in my friend’s car so I didn’t get to enjoy my leftovers. Boo.

I so wanted to enjoy the coffee but it had a sour after-taste that I didn’t like (but I still drank several cups, despite the taste). Oh well, it was all about the food, anyway. We ordered the burrata bruschetta made with walnut bread and mushroom truffle honey which was really good (to most of us, one of my friends did not enjoy it). It went quickly.

Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals and the staff didn’t kick us out after a looong 3-hour meal which was nice (I’m sure it helped that we kept ordering more food).

One of the best surprises was discovering that Beretta conducts cocktail classes such as “The New Frontier of American Whiskey” and “Discovering Mezcal.” Fun!

Beretta

1199 valencia st
san francisco, ca 94110

p. 415 695 1199
f. 415 695 1190
info@berettasf.com

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Yes, I’m addicted to beauty products. I’ve been working in beauty since NYU, and I love it more than you could know. Actually, my husband painfully knows…And as much as I shouldn’t love a competitor’s products, I do. I love the LVMH-owned Fresh Cosmetics. I went to the Union Square Location for Fashion’s Night Out last year, where they partnered with Daily Candy for some deals and a “candy bar”. But it takes a little more than some free candy and a fashion partnership to hook me, although I admit not much more…I love the products at Fresh. They are all ingredient-centered, focusing on ingredients like sugar, umbrian clay, soy, sake and citron de vigne. The products are beautifully packaged and most importantly, work.

I love their Sugar products. This was one of the products they started the company with, and have the most amazing scent. I love sugar lip balm in Sugar Plum, which not only sounds good but smells amazing. It has a hint of color as well as ingredients to moisturize lips.

The face polish has the most amazing little sugar crystals in it, to literally polish the texture of your skin. And it has strawberries in it!!

Of course, they also have fragrances, which are all clean and bright, and match their lotion and soap lines.

And speaking of soaps, these little soaps are scented and wrapped in printed paper. They’re perfect hostess gifts (they sell soap dishes as well), and great to keep in guest bathrooms.

Fresh has locations in NYC, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Costa Mesa, Dallas and London. A select assortment is also carried in Sephora.

Enjoy!

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While looking for a spot to grab lunch one day I came across something that I couldn’t believe:

A creme brulee cart? How did I not know about this? Apparently I’ve been completely out of the loop because my co-worker heard me talking about it and said “You saw it?” I only had to think for a second about whether I would forgo a “real” lunch and have dessert instead. I had to have some creme brulee. And although I normally have a rule about eating only organic strawberries, I decided to try the strawberry and Nutella creme brulee (called “The Yes Please!”) because, well, it was made with stawberries and nutella.

They torch the sugar while you wait which surprised me for some reason. And it was so yummy! I mentioned before that I am a slow eater and The Yes Please! was so decadent and delicious that it took me the rest of the afternoon to finish it. Last week I tried the Vanilla Bean flavor and that was also really good. Mmmmm…

If you’re looking for The Creme Brulee Cart (or the truck) you can find out where it will be by visiting the web site:  http://thecremebruleecart.com/ and you can also follow the creme brulee man on twitter: https://twitter.com/cremebruleecart

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A friend and I recently checked out Maven in San Francisco. I had been wanting to see this place for a while and was really excited to find out if the experience would match my expectations. First of all, it’s a nice space. It’s low-lit with high ceilings and plenty of cozy seating. The main floor has large tables for groups or even strangers to sit next to each other. Upstairs there is a fireplace, a few sofas and a long table that is great for looking over the main floor and out to the street traffic. Since Maven is located on Haight among a bunch of bars and other restaurants, there are a lot of people milling around outside and Maven’s ceiling-high windows allow you to see it all.

Source: California Home Design

Source: California Home Design

Now to the food (and drinks!). The concept is small plates paired with cocktails, beer and wine. Maven’s tagline is: “Cocktails. Delicious Food. Flawless Harmony.” The menu is laid out in rows with the cocktail listed first, then the small plate followed by a wine or beer. The idea is that you can choose a cocktail you really want and there is small plate that perfectly complements that cocktail. Or you might really want to try one of the small plates and there’s a wine or beer that will perfectly complement the flavor profile of that dish.

I decided to try the “Widow’s Kiss” which is calvados, yellow chartreuse, benedictine and bitters with the Point Reyes blue cheese and honey. Great combination – it was so delicious. I’m the type of person who really likes to savor my food so the strong flavors were perfect for eating slowly.

I really enjoyed Maven. It’s fun to look over the menu and pick out a drink-food combination to try. I only wish I had more time to have a second pairing (next time!).

Maven

(415) 829 7982
598 Haight St.
Lower Haight @ Steiner St.
San Francisco, CA 94117

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San Francisco’s Dine About Town happened a few weeks ago so my friends and I took advantage of the opportunity to try out a restaurant we’ve never been to before. After reviewing the menus of all the participating restaurants and coordinating multiple schedules, we decided on Hyde Street Bistro for dinner on a Friday night. I was driving into San Francisco from Sacramento and it took me close to three hours to drive to Nob Hill and then it took me another 15 minutes to find a parking space. Hyde Street Bistro’s web site states that there is parking in a paint store lot down the street but when I got there all the spots were taken and there was no one monitoring it. So beware if you’re going to drive and give yourself extra time to find parking.

I finally found a spot about 6 blocks away and high-tailed it to the restaurant (luckily we were having a very mild winter night). My first impression of the restaurant from the outside was “it’s cute,” my second impression after walking in was “whoa, this place is packed.” The space is small and every inch is utilized. At one point we had to step outside and wait on the sidewalk because no more than three people can comfortably stand by the door. Oh well, it wasn’t cold outside.

All of the Dine About Town restaurants offered a prix fixe menu for $34.95. Hyde Street Bistro offered an appetizer, entree and dessert. I can’t remember what I had as my appetizer but it was delicious. Part of it was a type of souflee with a delicious baked goat cheese on the side. I chose steak frites as my entree and the banana creme brulee for dessert. Both were really good. I usually like my meat cooked well but with such a thin cut I had to go medium-well. I didn’t eat the really pink parts but the parts I did eat were perfect and even the fries were delicious. The creme brulee had just a little more sugar topping that I would have liked. It was a bit too sweet for me. But it was good – I should’ve just chosen a different dessert.

Even though the place is small, it is cute and cozy. It would make a great date spot and I’m sure it’s a favorite among the locals. I would probably go back on a date but probably not with a group.

San Francisco’s next Dine About Town is June 1-15 and menus will be posted in May.

1521 Hyde St

(at Jackson St)

San Francisco, CA 94109

www.hydestreetbistrosf.com/

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