Pizzeria Vecchio in Toulouse

If you happen to be in Toulouse, you could do much better, but perhaps you couldn't do much worse than Pizzeria Vecchio. I don't know, we didn't stay that long and found little of interest to bring us back. Still, let this be a mild warning that if you really like Italian food, you'd be better off anywhere in Italy rather than in a small city in France.

While we were very happy to be eating, the two items we selected were not the greatest choices. Caprese salad anyone? This was not your standard fresh mozzarella and tomato salad with olive oil and fresh basil, wish that it were. Instead Pizzeria Vecchio served mozzarella most typically seen grated over pizza, with a dried basil and olive oil dressing. Thankfully the tomatoes were ripe, so there was some flavor, but those chunks of aged cheese did not work at all to enhance this classic salad gone haywire. 

Did I mention they had mozzarella appropriate for pizza? Yes, but unfortunately no one in the kitchen saw fit to add any to the pizza. Although the crust was nice and chewy, this pizza was lacking a fitting topping. As I look at the photo, it appears one of us just chewed off the middle without bothering to cut it into slices. I'm envisioning someone's head diving toward the plate and taking a big bite, then thrashing around like a shark during an eating frenzy. The restaurant saw no need to cut the pizza and left that to the patrons, but I guarantee we did not just dig in like that, although I have no clue how it got to that point. What I do recall is that there wasn't enough tomato sauce, there were too many diced onions, barely cooked, and the anchovies with two olives just didn't make much of an impact without cheese.


22 allées jean jaures
31000 Toulouse, France
+33 5 62 73 34 73 ‎

Le Europeen

One of the best reasons to stay near Gare de Lyon is Paris is its close proximity to Le Europeen Restaurant. What a treat it was to decide on giving this late night establishment a try on our first evening in Paris, for this particular trip. They specialize in seafood and really know what they are doing. Champagne flowed freely and everyone seemed to be in a classic Parisian cafe mood, thoroughly engaged and jovial.

Since we did not want to blow our entire budget on this one meal, and since it was later than we normally eat, we ordered modestly. Instead of the amazing seafood platter we saw passing our table with great frequency, we merely ordered a dozen oysters, but they were large, plump, and filling.

The fish soup with croutons, rouille and gruyere was a true classic and very strongly infused with flavor. In all candidness I admit to preferring it to the better known Bouillabase. With all this flavor I had no need of fish bones, nor shells as proof of a grand mixture of seafood. It was delicious with strong garlic overtones.

For the very first time, I found welks on a menu and jumped at the opportunity to try them. They have to be the oddest shellfish I have ever eaten, a mollusk, with a light taste and a chewy texture. If one had to make a comparison, as we often do with new things, a welk can be described as a cross between abalone and escargot, leaning more toward the snail, since it has less flavor. It hardly mattered what it tasted like, since it was covered in aioli; a silky garlic laden concoction that I must learn to make at home. Unfortunately I will never find welks at home.

This is my last chance to look at the fish soup and reminisce. We could repeat this exact meal and be very happy with it.

http://www.brasserie-leuropeen.fr/bewax/us/home.html

21 Boulevard Diderot

75012 Paris, France

01 43 43 99 70

Open Daily 7:30am-1am

Cafe Marly

If you find yourself in Paris and suddenly are in need of something extraordinarily extravagant, go to Cafe Marly at the Louvre. It's open very late in the evening and can accommodate you with no problem. Having read about the restaurant, I was intrigued enough to want to go there, but had no idea what an expensive restaurant, according to my guidebook, would actually cost. I must preface this by saying that the dollar to euro was at an all time low exchange rate. We sat at one of the small tables outside the dining room, since we had only intended on eating dessert, something we had passed on earlier in the evening. Our view of the Pei pyramids and fountains was outstanding and I took many more photos than necessary just to make certain I had a good one. The setting was lovely and because it was early May, it was chilly outside, so being bundled up in our coats, mufflers and gloves made it a bit more romantic for me; I like cold weather, but even on a warm evening it would have been romantic.

Because the prices were so astronomical I didn't even bother ordering a drink. As it was we paid about $45 for these two desserts. The chocolate lava cake had a much more romantic description than "left uncooked in the center", so we didn't even realize it was a lava cake until my partner in crime took a fork full. All I can remember was, thinking to myself, for such an expensive piece of cake, they could at the very least put some frosting on it. He enjoyed it thoroughly. My macaroon was much more than I had expected with fresh raspberries, raspberry preserves, and whipped cream sandwiched in between 2 very large macaroons. If I could only translate the French language macaroon cookbook I purchased, I'd attempt to recreate this at home.

The macaroon itself was rather brittle as you can see in this photo, but I savored each and every bite. I wondered if Marie Antoinette had ever eaten anything this rich and delicious here.

93 Rue de Rivoli

75001 Paris, France

01 49 26 06 60

El Mansour

Popular wisdom tells us "You can't go home again.", and I have discovered the truth in that with El Mansour. Just as charming as it was 20 years ago, my perception has changed and it does not seem as mysterious, exotic or entertaining as it once did for this patron. The food is still good, but my palate is more educated, my travels more broadened, and my idea of entertainment no longer satisfied by the theatrics of mint tea being poured into a glass 4 feet away, nor belly dancers gyrating several feet away, as I try to finish my meal. In truth, I never appreciated the belly dancing as much as did my dinner dates. On this occasion my dining companion was little more than annoyed, considering the show an interruption to his dinner and our conversation. In truth, we made the reservation early to avoid them altogether. Still the bastilla (bastela) is a dish everyone should get a chance to try and is worth any effort it takes to do so.
Part of the Moroccan tradition is to wash hands before the meal; a necessity since no utensils are used. El Mansour makes certain that happens by bringing hot, orange flower, scented water to your table and overseeing the operation. We started the meal with flat bread to transport eggplant and spiced carrots, along with other items from the plate to our mouths. This was a refreshing first since it is cold, and let me say here that the prices are very modest for what amounts to a four course meal. The next course is a light lentil and vegetable soup, seasoned well with spices and also served with the bread.

For me, the bastilla will forever be the star of the show at El Mansour. It's a succulent chicken pie, although I believe pigeon is more in keeping with tradition. The poultry is mixed with chopped almonds and spices, wrapped lovingly in buttered layers of phyllo dough, baked to tender, mouth watering perfection, then kissed with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar and tattooed with cinnamon. If the entire pie were the main course, I'd be eating here weekly.

One main course we ordered was the combination of chicken and lamb with vegetables on couscous. the lamb was a bit bony, maybe a shoulder cut, but nicely seasoned and falling off the bones tender.

Entree number two was the lamb with onions and olives. More savory than the chicken with honey and almonds, it too was satisfying, even though it did not come with vegetables. We could have ended our meal then and there, except for the tea that is traditional at the end of the meal.

The spearmint tea was not as cloyingly sweet as I had remembered, perhaps a ploy, since we felt it necessitated a dessert to go with it. Not such a bad idea.

We shared the fried bananas with the crisped phyllo.

http://www.elmansour.com/

3119 Clement Street (between 32nd and 33rd Avenues)

San Francisco CA

Telephone:(415) 751-2312
Dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 5:00 to 10:00 pm.

Los Jarritos

We find ourselves at this family run, authentic Mexican restaurant from time to time, usually on a Sunday at lunchtime, but should try it for dinner one of these days. Los Jarritos is casual and lively and usually filled to capacity. There are two things that make me recommend a Sunday visit; it's during the weekend when they serve goat (birra) as well as menudo, and it is also the day when I'm certain there will be a Mariachi band there in the early afternoon. The two men with guitars in the photo were followed by a four or five piece Mariachi band in full costume.

Sure, every Mexican restaurant in the state will serve tortilla chips, but these were freshly fried. Better yet, the corn tortillas are made on the premises. Tasting delightfully fresh and soft, they are also thicker than commercially made tortillas. Being able to order a nopale quesadia, Quesadia Arturo ($5.50), was a first for me. Seeing them so many times in small grocery stores in the Mission district, I've always wanted to see how they were cooked and this was my big chance. Nice, similar to a thick walled, roasted chile in texture, with a mild, slightly acidic taste. I'd order these again.

Undoubtedly, the Deanna's Enchiladas Mole is the item we order time and time again. It's so very good with chicken that it is the single handed reason for the non investigation of most other items available on the menu. For $12.95 the enchiladas come with both rice and refried beans for a complete meal. We've tried the chicken mole, but nothing beats the combination of mole sauce and corn tortillas. If they put just that on the menu, we'd be likely to order it.

Birra is something that is very common in many countries, yet seldom seen here, so the opportunity to eat it seldom escapes me. It is not as gamy as most people suspect, less so than some lamb, but it is stronger than pork or beef; all the better as far as I'm concerned. Texturally, goat reminds me of a chuck roast, it's stringy, but tender all the same.

UPDATE: In 2010 Los Jarritos became 

San Jalisco

901 S Van Ness Avenue(between 20th St & 21st St)

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 648-8383

Dosa

My first foray into Dosa was with a group of friends for a girls night out at their Valencia Street address. We ordered some of the specials including an item or two from the street food menu that they offer occasionally. Since I needed to see what a dosa actually was, I ordered one and was hooked on this Southern Indian cuisine, very different than what I had become accustomed to in Indian restaurants prior to that time. Until this revelation it was more usual to find food in the Madras, Vindaloo or Korma cooking styles.

A mango salad and samosas started the meal and everyone seemed pleased with their selections. I personally have yet to try these menu items, but they look appetizing.

Even now I am unable to find this soup or this tomato and tapioca pearl salad on the menu. They may only be offered seasonally or could it be that the menu had changed? It pleases me to think about seasonal elements to the food prepared at Dosa; always a good sign and seldom disappointing.
The standout item that was ordered had to be this bowl of fried rice noodles mixed with vegetables and heaven knows what else. It was on the street food menu and was very flavorful and quite a bargain for less than $9, as I recall.

The second location for Dosa on Filmore Street and Post is a much more generous space and more sophisticated in decor. Also dimly lit, it reeks atmosphere and lively spice fragrances. The space is split level with dining on the left and mezzanine, with a lively bar scene on the right as you walk in.

The menu at the Filmore Street address includes a cocktail list with some very interesting ingredient combinations. The one in the photo was made with coconut milk and had Bollywood in its name, but this does not match the description on the menu, so once again I suspect that the menu changes from time to time. Another mystery soup that does not fit a menu description, but it was good and again it had a coconut milk base. You can't go wrong with that.

This luscious menu item is the Prawn Chile Fry. Besides being quite beautiful, the spicy execution of the prawns is mouthwatering and we order them frequently for the eye appeal as well as the taste. They perk up the palate and ready it for the more creamy options on the menu. A micro greens salad is a nice addition to the plate, not only for color contrast, but for the contrast in temperature and texture.

The spiced lamb chop in lentil sauce was a very satisfying main course being served with a potato and cauliflower side as well as the lemon rice. The rices at Dosa are so good you need to try them all. The fish curry and lemon rice enhance one another in such a splendid way and one could eat the coconut rice with anything on the menu, or all by itself. Someone has put much thought into the Dosa menus and we, the dining public, reap the benefits. This is a menu worth working your way through instead of ordering the same thing every visit.

Now for the restaurant's namesake, the dosa. A simple but very large rice and lentil wrap, paper thin, that in the photo above has encompassed the Masala Dosa, filled modestly with potatoes, onions and cashews. I have yet to see a dosa that actually fits the plate. They may need to start rating these by how many inches the dosa overhangs the serving plate, not that size matters.

Each dosa, no matter which kind is served with several flavor enhancers. All unique and very different in taste from one another. The largest bowl is filled with Sambar, a lentil sauce which can sub as a soup course. Another bowl is filled with a coconut based chutney. The last is a spicy tomato chutney. Folded into a triangular shape is the Masala Chutney Dosa, that has the addition of a thin layer of an eggplant based chutney. Honestly, I could not tell the difference, as both the Masala and Masala Chutney dosas have been delicious adventures.

http://www.dosasf.com/

Dosa on Valencia

995 Valencia (near 21 St)

415 642 3672

Dosa on Fillmore

1700 Fillmore (at Post)

415 441 3672

Thanh Long

Truly a serene and inviting space, Thanh Long was not the restaurant I had hoped it would be. We didn't order the roasted crab, the dish they are known for, but this should have been more than a "one trick pony" of a dining experience. When the restaurant is owned by the same people that excelled in seafood at Crustacean and marketed their proprietary Asian sauces in stores throughout the country, one might expect to hold them to a higher standard than this. The menu has some very interesting things on offer, so I may need to go back and give it another try. In all fairness, one meal is not the best way to judge a restaurant.

Origami folded won tons made for an artful starter, but they were lackluster in flavor. Certainly we started with more than are seen in this photo.

The soft shelled crab made another nice starter and at $11.95, it was a reasonable price to pay for this crunchy yet tender and juicy delicacy. It also worked well with the tamarind chile sauce.

Here's where my opinion of Thanh Long took a nose dive. My partner in crime ordered the Colossal Royal Tiger Prawns and at market price they amounted to a cost of $34.50, exactly $25 more than the garlic noodles they were nestled on. that kind of math angers me as a consumer, especially when the prawns were by no means colossal. Not being very hungry, I just ordered the noodles and found them buttery, maybe too much so, and good tasting, although exceedingly too rich and salty for such a large portion.

http://www.anfamily.com/Restaurants/thanhlong_restaurant/displaypages/menuitems.html

4101 Judah StreetSan Francisco

CA 94122-1124

(415) 665-1146