Going down to New Orleans, got my dance card all filled out. Dinners at Herbsaint and August, and with luck and lots of elbow grease, we’ll get Miss Willie Mae Seaton back in her house/restaurant by Thanksgiving.
Here’s your chance to fill in as weekend reviewer… Let’s hear it, critique your last meal out.
Southern Exposure
Responses to “Hitting the road”
November 17th, 2006 at 10:20 am
My last meal out was a company salad with pulled pork from Jim & Nick’s BBQ drive-thru. I was very impressed with the quality of the romaine lettuce dusted with finely grated parmesan cheese, grape tomatoes, seeded cucumber half moon slices, what appeared to be house made croutons, & garlicky ranch dressing. The pulled pork was packaged separately in an 8 oz. plastic icontainer so that it could be mixed into the greens at home. Two excellent sweet corn muffins accompanied the salad, which was plentiful in both size & eye appeal. The employees are both drive-thru windows (pay at one, pick up at the other) were friendly & pleasant. The parking lot was full toward the late side for lunch, so it appears that Jim & Nick’s has caught on. My cleaning lady reported having a sampler platter from there, & her only complaint was that the ribs were on the dry side. She & her husband enjoyed the rest of their meal. I knew from previous experience about the sides & desserts, as they were served at the BBQ documentary event at Brooks Museum. Now I want to go back & try the sampler platter on my next visit.
November 17th, 2006 at 10:24 pm
Costco has butternut squash in a bag cleaned, peeled, and cubed. What a civilized idea. Tonight we had porkchops with butternut squash and haricot vert AND homemade cranberry horseradish sauce. But enough about me.
Last night we had catfish at Olive Branch Catfish Co. Good as always. Get something other than potatoes. The fries are frozen and the baked are always hot but starting to coagulate. Guess you need to go around five for a fresh one.
Tuesday night we ate at Saigon Le. Love the soups this time of year. Nothings changed with regards to service but the soup was perfect and we had a beef dish that was yummy as well.
November 20th, 2006 at 8:40 am
we had lunch at Bosco’s on Friday. It was good as always….service was too. They are always consistent with both.
I had a catfish poboy (friday lunch special for &6) & the missus had a ceasar salad with cream of mushroom soup. The poboy rocked & the fish on it was topnotch, much better than Soulfish’s fish.
We escaped with only spending $23 (+tip) & we had beer & wine.
November 20th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
Saturday, I received a call from my friends Don and Pam who had come down to San Francisco from Sacramento for a crafts fair. Since they are not familiar with the area, they asked me and my husband if we could come have dinner with them and recommend a nice place.
Since dungeness crab season just started here, I figured what better way for us to kick it off than consume massive quantities of some of the best San Francisco has to offer. So, I called and made us reservations at the Crab House on Pier 39. Sure, there are some other great seafood places, but parking at Pier 39 is easy.
Unlike many of the restaurants on Pier 39 - a tourist trap unlike any other in our fair city - the Crab House is tucked away off the main drag. It’s a bit of a haven for locals who just want a good meal without dealing with the throngs at the the chain restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe or Bubba Gump Shrimp Company or even the local and beloved Pier Market.
The Crab House has a definite nautical theme without being decorated in that disgustingly faked style that plagues many restaurants on the waterfront. While they display painted crab shells - for example, the Rasta Crab, decorated with dreadlocks - they are tastefully left as a border around the ceiling. The walls are dark wood paneled and the fixtures brass, giving the place a warmth that works well for the type of food they serve.
But, all that aside, the crab is the important part, right?
Crab House doesn’t disappoint here, either. They offer up a variety of crab dishes ranging from crab cakes to a crab angel hair lasagna. What they are known for - and rightfully so - is their Dungeness Killer Crab.
My husband and I ordered our usual: a bowl of their incredible crab chowder - which is always rich and creamy and full of crisp corn and celery as well as sweet crab meat - and a whole crab. Don ordered a caesar salad made with whole uncut baby romaine and his wife Pam, who does not care for seafood, even found something for herself and chose a chicken and pasta dish with roasted tomato and basil - which she said was very good.
The crab was amazing as always, roasted in their garlic sauce. The meat was sweet and flavorful, and fresh sourdough is the best vehicle for sopping up the extra sauce.
Overall, the Crab House at Pier 39 is one of my favorite spots for fresh dungeness - in season and out-of-season alike. If you’re ever in San Francisco, treat yourself to our tasty signature seafood in a warm, inviting setting overlooking the water.
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