Little Star is a small gourmet-pizza chain with three outlets in San Francisco. We chose it for an early dinner on a Saturday afternoon because it had the best ratings for open eateries in that neck of the Mission at that time, aside from the also-appealing arepas spot across the street. At 3 pm, the
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I didn’t know that Q Restaurant would be closing when I planned Mac & Cheese Night #2. It proved fortuitous that I chose it as my next stop on the list as their macaroni and cheese will soon be no more, along with the rest of their jazzed-up comfort food menu. If you want to
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Curry Up Now! pulled us in for dinner with their lively logo, colorful chalkboard menu, and energetic vibe coming from their patrons. It’s a counter restaurant serving Indian-Mexican fusion, and if you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you know I love experimentation. They play with the primary breads of both cultures, resulting
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A few months ago, I came across 7×7’s list of the best macaroni and cheeses in the Bay Area. I’d been looking for a good excuse to try a new restaurant each month with friends, and what better excuse is there than sampling mac & cheese? I dare you to come up with one…and if
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This rapidly expanding Bay Area chain of sandwich shops got its start in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, and its devoted following has multiplied phenomenally in the seven years of its existence, enough to  support 13 stores in all. I was glad to bypass the legendary lines at the original location and accepted a
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So I have a problem. And that problem is my high expectations for the finer dining in my beloved college town of Santa Cruz. As mentioned in my review of Star Bene, there are places in Santa Cruz that I only dreamt of on my student budget back at the turn of the millennium. Places
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Sidebar is an upscale, Nouveau American joint along the Grand Avenue side of Lake Merritt. Its website boasts Mediterranean, seasonal, local, and comfort foods among its qualifications, so think dressed up French fries, with smoked paprika in Sidebar’s case, and quality meats served with fresh pickled veggies and relishes. I went at lunch. The menu
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The husband and I ended up at Afghan Village after a quick Yelp search from the freeway when our hunger post-wine-tasting had reached critical levels. So that hunger may have influenced my opinion of the establishment, but honestly, I think Afghan Village just plain has amazing food despite mixed Yelp reviews. It’s located in a
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When I went to school in Santa Cruz, Star Bene was one of the fancier restaurants I heard about but never had the chance to go to because (a) it was outside the range of my college student budget and (b) none of my dates chose it for dinner. Thus, it remained an out-of-reach of
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Being a relatively young foodie, my taste buds have grown up on Farm to Fork/Farm to Table/Nouveau American/New Californian/Californian or just plain upscale cuisine that uses products from local vendors and a blend of different styles that highlight the ingredients’ natural flavors. As expected, the Bay Area is swimming in options for that particular brand
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