Dinner @ Michael Mina

[ February 12, 2012 ] One of the first fancy dinners I ever went to in San Francisco was at Michael Mina, back when it was located at the Westin. They have since moved and re-conceptualized a little, and I've been wanting to get back to check it out for ages. When I saw a seasonal, local crab dish on the menu for February only, I knew it was time to finally go. The restaurant itself is beautiful. Open, airy, elegant yet not stuffy decor, gorgeous custom designed...

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Cocktails, Foie Gras, and Dessert @ Prospect

Somehow, after oysters at Waterbar this evening, we wound up at the bar at Prospect to continue Happy Hour.  I'm not really sure how this happened, as I was on my way home to go to the gym, have a light dinner, and a quiet evening at home.  And then foie gras happened.  I guess this is what happens when I'm deprived of foie gras for two whole days? :) Anyway.  I'm very familiar with Prospect, having dined many times in the restaurant and at the...

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Oysters & Happy Hour @ Waterbar

Waterbar is located directly across the street from my office.  They are known for their $1 happy hour oysters.  Yet somehow, I've never crossed the street to get them.  Until today ... The place is open, bright, and hopping.  The bar is gorgeous, semi-circular, with all of the oyster offerings chilling on ice.  They select one variety of oyster as the daily special, $1 before 6pm, $2 after, and have a huge selection of other oysters...

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Dinner @ Kiss Seafood

[ Originally posted February 16, 2012 ] Tonight we went to Kiss Seafood, in Japantown. The place is adorable. 3 tables, 5 seats at sushi counter. The entire staff is a husband and wife: she is the waitress, he is the chef. You need reservations, and you need to make them at least two weeks in advance, even for mid-week. They do two seatings: 6-6:30 and 8-8:30. The meal takes about 2 hours. I liked sitting at the sushi counter and watching the chef, it was pretty...

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Dinner @ Chotto

[ Originally posted January 12, 2012 ] Japanese Izakaya in the Marina. Overall: nothing was bad, but nothing was really good either. Food menu is extensive, spanning raw items, grilled items, fried items, desserts. We tried some of it all. Drink menu had lots of interesting cocktails, sakes, shochu. Pricing: Not bad, but we had a 30% off Blackboard Eats coupon. Without it, I probably would have been grumpy at cost/tastyness tradeoff. Service: Had an 8pm reservation,...

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Sushi @ Koo

[ Originally posted January 22, 2012 ] Checking out another sushi place on my giant list.  They have an extensive menu, spanning hot and cold appetizers, grilled items, lots of crazy rolls, and some standard nigiri. Since it was our first time there, we decided to try a variety: the appetizer everyone on Yelp raves about, a grilled item, a roll, and all of the nigiri the sushi chef recommended (and the extras the other sushi chef threw in). Overall, it was...

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