Aziza: Super Refined Moroccan Food, Still Superb

Aziza
5800 Geary Boulevard
San Francisco, CA 94121-2005
(415) 752-2222


Aziza is nothing if not distinctive. This restaurant is unlike any other ultra high end restaurant in the Bay Area, departing from the cookie-cutter Seasonal Sustainable Fusion Menus that infest the area and focusing on something different: Moroccan food, interpreted with an artist's eye. That artist is chef Mourad Lahlou, who opened Aziza roughly ten years ago and has seen its impressive rise in ensuing years: he faced off against Cat Cora on Iron Chef in 2009, and will star in a public television television show featuring Moroccan food in 2010 (Is PBS hip among the foodie cognoscenti? Is it tolerable? What's the deal here?)

The menu has undergone a lot of tweaking in the past few years, and has been simplified since my last couple of visits in 2008, which is by no means a bad thing. Menus change very often to reflect seasonal ingredients, and the kitchen works closely with local farmers and producers - one fun aspect of eating at Aziza is exposure to some fairly esoteric local produce. Yes, I had to look up "minutina." This may be related to San Francisco restaurant's minor obsession with out-locavoring the competition, but I feel a bit under-qualified to comment on that.



I love the unctuous, interesting flavor of fresh sardines, and Aziza does a really lovely job with them, serving them simply grilled on top of a fresh brioche crouton, with shaved artichoke, a delicate oyster infused sauce, and minutina greens (10.00). A gorgeous presentation as well, which I didn't exactly notice until reviewing the photos.



This is basteeya, the delicious and surprisingly hard to find Moroccan chicken and almond pie (18.00). It's an ultra rich and very unusual dish, combining meaty chicken with a slightly sweet almond filling in a flaky puff pastry crust - which is then dusted with powdered sugar. The combination of sweet and savory is really pretty superb. It is traditionally made in the homeland with pigeon. Surmising the kitchen didn't have any on hand. San Francisco eaters are probably the USA population most likely to be down with eating pigeons, come to think of it. (They love it in China).



I am what may be defined as a "scallop whore" and find myself almost unable to resist them when on the menu, especially in coastal regions that actually know something about seafood. Thus I picked out the scallops with prawns, savoy cabbage, turnips, and a passion fruit sauce (28.00). This was a delicate and very well executed dish, but I regretted ordering it: it wasn't particularly different from any other scallop dish served in the Bay Area. Big meaty dishes are where Aziza really shines and innovates, in my estimation.



My mom picked out the chicken after an enthusiastic recommendation from our server. Chicken is one of those things generally best avoided at high-end restaurants, but Aziza really redefined the whole dry chicken paradigm here. The chicken is cooked at high heat to give it a crispy, ultra rich crust, then is served with a thick pork cheek, wheat berries, carrots, and snap peas. The combination produces some sort of unholy and delightful alliance between chicken and pig, making it difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins - in a good way.



My dad chose the lamb merguez sausage with charmoulla, black garlic, and swiss chard. Merguez has an excellent spicy, dense flavor and these were some lovely specimens - the vegetables were pretty much gilding a meaty, lamb fat infused lily (25.00). (Christ, now there's a metaphor. It's early).



Desserts at Aziza (last I checked) are done by Melissa Chou, and they are pretty excellent. One of Aziza's strengths is its always innovative and unusual dessert selections - I went with the citrus option this time, featuring meyer lemon cream, a blood orange flavored meringue, some preserved kumquat, and a warm huckleberry cake (9.50). Quite nice and very refreshing, and in accordance with spring ingredients and flavors.

Another perfectly executed meal at Aziza. Still, I had a curious sensation of not being full when I left - whether this may be attributed to our ordering decisions or some sort of odd lightness about Aziza's meaty Moroccan cuisine, I can't say. There could be more substance to some of the dishes, certainly - I recall my earlier visits (back in 2008) evidenced a more robust, if less refined cooking style from chef Mourad. Figuring this out naturallly warrants a future visit, probably one where I order half the menu. Weep for me.

Dosa on Fillmore: Southern Indian Food? Yes!

Dosa on Fillmore
1700 Fillmore Street,
San Francisco
(415) 441-3672

Dosa, a trendy Southern Indian restaurant already popular in San Francisco's Mission District, recently opened a second location on Fillmore. We decided to visit the new location for lunch recently, finding ourselves struck with a sudden urge for out-of-the-ordinary Indian food in an airy and attractive setting.

So what's the big deal about Southern Indian food? Well, it's drastically underappreciated in the USA. I spent some time in Bangalore and other locales in Southern India, and the food in these balmy stretches of the Subcontinent is very different from the heavy, meaty dishes of the North. What most Americans consider to be "Indian" food is actually northern Indian food - this is because most Indian immigrants to the United States hail from the Punjab region of India or more Northerly climes. Southern Indian food differs from its northern counterparts in a few drastic ways. It's much more vegetarian oriented then the food of the north, and is more reliant upon fish and seafood then it is upon lamb and chicken. It is a cuisine that depends heavily on rice, coconut, and chili, lending it a flavor that is more reminescent of foods associated with Southeast Asia then with India proper. This seafood-heavy and coconut milk loving style of cooking is especially predominant in Kerala, India's lovely southernmost region.

So why is Dosa called, well, Dosa? Easy. Southern India's most popular dish is the dosa, a large rolled pancake made of rice and black lentils. One can order a dosa just about everywhere in Southern India, usually filled with a mixture of spiced potatoes and vegetables. Dosas are usually served with sambar, a broth made of tamarind and toor dal, and a variety of chutneys, usually derived from cilantro or coconut. Dosas are by far Southern India's most popular 5:00 in the morning drinking binge snack, in case you found yourself in a pinch. Dosas come in a startling array of cooking techniques, flavors, and fillings, and it's that versatility that Dosa's menu capitalizes on.



We started with the chickpea channa (garbanzo bean salad) with onions and cherry tomatoes in a spiced lemon dressing - an interesting Indian riff on a typical salad. I never encountered anything much like this in India- a country with really terrifyingly bad water doesn't tend to eat a lot of salad - but this was a refreshing and delicately crunchy dish.

We sampled the rasam or "fire broth" as well, which is simply Dosa's version of a very common Southern Indian soup of tomatoes, tamarind, and lentils. It's a nice and authentic tasting variant on a staple food in the region, and I liked it very much.



Next up were Dahi Puris ($6.00), which are a very common street snack or chaat in the district of Maharashtra. These beauties were made with puris, a kind of puffy, crispy Indian fried bread. They're then filled with tart yogurt and a couple of varieties of chutney. Dahi puri is an excellent combination of creamy, crunchy, spicy and sweet all at once in the grand tradition of Indian snacks, and it's nice to be able to get these things in a more salubrious environment then a Mumbai street-stand. Though nothing really comes close to an evening on Chowpatty Beach with the sun going down, women in saris striding down the beach, and the dulcet tones of stray dogs fighting behind you as you enjoy your afternoon snack. Good old India.



This is a "spring" masala dosa made with the standard spiced potato filling and a variety of fresh vegetables. I was disappointed to find that this was more of a burrito-type dosa and not the gigantic plate spanning beast I generally think of when I contemplate dosa - the restaurant needs to make this plain on the menu. However, the bready, gently spicy flavor of the dosa came through nicely, and the crisp vegetables provided a nice counterpoint to the usual potatoes. I was very taken with the restaurant's version of sambar. It immediately filled me with food nostalgia for the stuff I used to eat almost daily in Southern India, and I considered (and should have) ordering another bowl. It came with some nice, fresh coconut chutney and a slightly sweet and tasty tomato chutney. You can order additional chutney varieties if you're a chutney freak like yours truly, and I enjoyed the eggplant and tamarind variants very much.

Dosa usually does offer one meat-based dish a day (as well as some chicken rolled sandwiches) during lunch, and today's special was baingan bhartha, a dish made with chicken and lots of spiced eggplant, served with yellow rice. This was nicely done and reminiscent of the stuff I used to eat at Punjabi dhabas, although it could have been more spicy. I imagine the kitchen can easily up the chili quotient if you ask first. Southern Indian food isn't really known for knocking you on your ass with spices anyway. I didn't encounter much in the way of truly spicy food in India - rather heavily spiced dishes - and I suspect the macho Anglo-Indians of old began the beloved British tradition of curries so hot that they can kill at five feet. But that is theory. I also am not big on lime pickles, which are typically used to add assertive heat to curries and other things.

After a couple of nice enough passion-fruit bellinis and an Indian spiced bloody mary (not my cup of tea, but my dad liked it well enough), we paid up and were on our way, smelling vaguely of Indian spices for the rest of the day. In my book, that's a good thing. Now if only some enterprising specimen would open a mobile chaat truck or two in downtown San Francisco. Takers?

Perbacco: Northern Italian Awesomeness

Perbacco
230 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-955-0663

Perbacco is a sleek and cool Italian restaurant in San Francisco's Financial District, focusing on the flavor of Italy's Piemonte and Ligurian regions, with a tinge of French and Provencal tastes. With all these diverse influences, Perbacco puts up a long and interesting menu, featuring house made salume selections, a crudo list, and a selection of interesting hand-made pastas. I always appreciate a long-ass and interesting menu, and Perbacco doesn't disappoint.



I am exceedingly fond of our West coast sardines so I couldn't resist sampling the house cured local sardines with salsa verde, celery heart, and marinated egg yolk ($7.00). These were served chilled and had a pronounced and distinctly sardine flavor: you love it or you do not, there is little in between. I found the egg yolks played nicely off the oily fish-ness of the sardines, and the salsa verde gave things a nice herbal flavor.



Next was the roasted red and gold beets with arugula, Castelmagno cheese, and white balsamic vinaigrette ($10.00). This was a simple but successful salad, melding two different varieties of meaty and slightly fruity beets with the peppery bite of arugula and the earthy flavor of a good strong cheese. I have had variants of this dish all over the place in California and this was a pretty worthy (and nicely sized) rendition - and a very attractive presentation to boot.



We flipped for the handcut tagliatelle with 5 hour pork sugo, porcini mushrooms ($16.00 entree size, $11.00 appetizer sized). Perbacco prides itself on its freshly made pasta, and this dish backs all tha talk up: the fresh and tender tagliatelle went perfectly with the rich and meaty sugo, which had a delightfully earthy flavor derived from porcini mushrooms. My mother enjoyed this so much that she had it for an appetizer and an entree, and I suppose that is a fitting testimonial.



My dad went for the Coniglio al civet with Devil's Gulch rabbit, spiced red wine sauce, otto file polenta, and crispy pancetta. This was a face-foward and distinctly wine flavored dish, and the combination of slightly gamey rabbit, powerfully flavored sauce, and crispy, porky pancetta was a successful one. I wish rabbit found its way onto more menus, Thumper-related sentiments be damned.



I selected the special Ligurian fish stew with lobster broth, mussels, fish, scallops, shrimp, and mussels. The meaty and decadent broth was spiced lightly with saffron and had a piquant flash of tomato: it reminded me rather of a highly refined cioppino. The seafood was fresh and perfectly cooked, bypassing seafood stew's common issues with overcooked and rubbery shellfish. It's a light dish, almost too elegant: I would have liked a bit more of that delicious broth.



The sleeper hit of the evening were the side of brown butter brussels sprouts with capers and parmigiano reggiano ($5.00). These charmers flavored the falling-apart tender sprouts with a powerful hit of capers, rich brown butter, and distinctly stinky parmigiano. The overall flavor was that of a decadently rich and interesting casserole, and these were pretty impossible to risk - although the actual flavor of the sprouts was a secondary player here.

For the dessert course, we tried the pistachio panna cotta ($8.00), a straight forward and satisfyingly firm pudding with a nutty, slightly perfumed pistachio flavor. This was not a fancy dish, but it was a good ending to a rich meal.



We finished with a cheese plate, picking from Perbacco's nice selection of artisan cheeses. We settled on Bianco Sotto Bosco, a cow and goat milk cheese infused with truffles, and Caprino Di Riofrano, goat's milk cheese wrapped in chestnut leaf. ($12.00 for selection of two). I am no cheese critic, but both cheeses were earthy and tasty (and it is very hard to make truffled cheese bad.)

Perbacco's dining room is very sleek and contemporary, and those expecting some sort of homey regional Italian experience will be disappointed. The place has the appearance of a restaurant tailor-made for power lunches and important networking dinners: in other words, don't come expecting a romantic environment or overwrought opera music on the sound system. The beautiful people are served by what seemed to be an engaging and well trained waitstaff: our server was friendly and knowledgeable, and our food came out with impressive speed and timing.

We will certainly return to Perbacco soon. It's excellent and interesting regional Italian dining at surprisingly regional prices - there really isn't much not to love.

Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant: Unique Beijing Style Food, Here's the Beef

Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant
3132 Vicente St
(between 42nd Ave & 43rd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 564-3481




China hosts a considerable number of Muslims, who have developed their own distinct and piquant cuisine. Centered around beef and mutton, Chinese Muslim food is richly flavored and always interesting - and a refreshing change from San Francisco's more typical Cantonese specialities. The Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant in the Sunset District fills the gap, serving up traditional Beijing Muslim treats such as beef pancakes, super spicy hot pots, and lamb kebabs, among other favorites. Prices are eminently reasonable, the menu selection is impressive, and quarters are cramped and high-volume- now that's like Beijing!



We fell in love with hot-pot during our visit to China, and we knew we had to have Old Mandarin's version. We selected a hot-pot with two sides: one mild with a subtle garlic-scallion flavor, and one hot with plenty of soy sauce, star anise, and mouth-numbing Szechwan peppers. Hot pot is served with a variety of raw ingredients to dip into the roiling broth, and we selected fresh mutton, prawns, straw mushrooms and spinach. We also tried the garlicky and sesame-infused dipping sauce, apparently composed of fermented tofu. This was just the thing for a fun lunch during a beautiful day in the city. I remain astonished that hot pot hasn't taken off in the USA. It retains fondue's social appeal but is a heck of a lot healthier then the traditional Swiss treat - and I imagine you could easily package an upscale hot pot restaurant with some sort of luxe Western China theme and make it Trendy. Something to consider.



We managed to resist the spicy lamb ribs in a clay pot (though it took some effort,) but we did sample the spicy deep fried lamb kebabs - a flavor that took me right back to Xi'an's muslim neighborhoods. We also tried the onion cake, a deep fried, greasy, and oh-so-Beijing snack. (Admittedly, how can you not enjoy fried bread?)

The Old Mandarin restaurant is almost comically tiny, and a line is pretty much guaranteed on the weekends. It's a family restaurant and it shows, but the servers retain a friendly attitude and food comes out in a fairly timely fashion. You may also be pleased to know that the kitchen is spotless: since guests have to walk right on through to get to the kitchen, it better be. (Trivia: when in China, always look for bathrooms in Muslim run establishments. They will always be the cleanest in town.)

The Old Mandarin restaurant definitely brought back a lot of memories from my visit to Xi'an and Xinjiang, both hotbeds of China's Muslim culture and cuisine, and for your personal edification, I will tell you a little about both places. (Okay, you can stop reading if you want.)

Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province and one of China's oldest cities, hosts a large Muslim population. The city's Muslim Street provides an excellent intro to these people's culture and (perhaps most importantly) their cuisine: street stands sell treats like cumin-drenched lamb kebabs, Babaocha or 8 treasure tea with dried fruits, and Yangrou Paomo, a type of mutton soup served with crumbled flat bread. Hand pulled noodles or lamian with beef soup are also a big element of both Xi'an and Beijing's Muslim cuisine - I subsisted primarily on this tasty dish when I resided in Beijing, and I was happy to see it on the menu at Old Mandarin Islamic. (I'll have to make a return visit!)

Xinjiang, China's far Northwestern province, is the homeland of the Uighurs, a Turkic people who follow Islam and are currently campaigning (with little success) for separation from China's Han majority government. Uighur food features lots of meat and lots of cumin, and it's a pretty winning combination for me - and indeed, the kebabs we had at the Old Mandarin were very similar to those that can be obtained just about everywhere within Xinjiang. Other Xinjiang favorites included sesame-crusted and delicious Nang flat bread and saffron-infused pilau, served with a distinctive local variant on honey beer. One Xinjiang delight that seems to be unknown in the USA is Dapanji or Big Plate Chicken, an intoxicating dish featuring chicken combined with potatoes, onions, garlic, green peppers, beer, and a whole lot of chili and Szechwan peppers. Generally served over lamian noodles, it's ridiculously delicious. I eagerly await the day when a Xinjiang restaurant opens near me. Hint, hint.

Pho Vung Tau: Vietnamese Food in Chinatown?!

Pho Vung Tau
708 Vallejo St
(between Emery Ln & Stockton St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 677-4171


Pho Vung Tau is one of those interloper Vietnamese restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown, sneaking in amongst the bajillion dim-sum joints and BBQ places that line Stockton Street. My friend Natasha and I decided to head for Vietnamese food though, gosh darn it, and I'm glad we did. What a nice little place! I am also partial to their tropical themed-signs and the palm-tree and grass-hut festooned wall hanging inside. What can I say, I'm a sucker for am-bience.



I tried the Satay Seafood Soup. It tasted like an Indonesian riff on your usual Vietnamese rice noodle soup and was really very tasty indeed, with a nice spicy hit of coconut milk and (what seemed) like a little bit of peanut. Seafood was plentiful, if a little heavy on the fish cakes. As it happens, I love me some fish cakes, so this was by no means a bad thing.



We shared the Shrimp Salad, a pretty classic Vietnamese salad composed of cabbage, pickled carrot and radish, fried shallot, and peanut, as well as mint and cilantro. This came with a nice light fish sauce dressing and was a good cool counterpoint to the soups.

Natasha had the Vermicelli Bowl With Beef. This was one of the most humongo vermicelli bowls I've ever encountered, and she said the beef was tender and delicious.

Pho Vung Tau is a nice option for Vietnamese food in the depths of Chinatown. Good food, good prices, and a clean open kitchen: what's not to like?

Dosa: Southern Indian Deliciousness

Dosa
995 Valencia (@ 21st Street)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 642 3672

Dosa is a sophisticated Southern Indian restuarant in an unlikely location: the Mission, usually known more for tacos and copious numbers of weird people then dosas and chutney. But here we are.

Southern Indian food is a little different from the rich Mughali specialities most Americans associate with Indian food. Don't expect tikka masala, naan, and tandoori - Southern Indian food revolves primarily around vegetables, chutneys, and breads, most notably the large crepe-like dosa (hence the name.) Furthemore, Dosa's weekend brunches offer chaat, essentially the Indian word for crunchy little fried snackies. Obviously I was tempted.



After a brief wait, we were seated at a tiny but sunny table near the door. Delicious fresh papadum's appeared immediately, still slick with grease from the frier. These were salty and addictive - if only they sold them at gas stations. (It will come.)



I had to try a chaat dish, so I sprung for the bhel puri, composed of puffed rice, diced green mango, potato, tomato, onion and coriander, accompanied by chutneys ($7.00.) This was a crispy and technicolor delight, served in a small casserole - almost like a savory and super flavorful version of one's morning Rice Krispies. The lurid green cilantro chutney was crack-like, as was the tangy tamarind variant. (I kept em' throughout the meal to dribble on pretty much everything. And wanted more.)



I love fruit and I especially love fruit when combined with spices, so the Fiery Fruit salad with lemon juice, cayenne pepper, mint, ginger and god knows what else ($9) was a must-order. This was a wonderful idea and absolutely delicious, a fresh and warming counterpoint to all the crispy starchy fried things that comprised the rest of the meal. I'm tempted to try to figure out how to make this at home.



Of course, we had to order a dosa, and since my mother is a potato fiend, we went with the classic Masala Dosa, filled with creamy spiced potatoes, onions, and cashew nuts ($10.) The dosa was huge and papery thin and considerably larger then the plate, and the creamy soft filling was scrumptious, an advanced Indian take on mashed potatoes. Served with lentil dipping soup and a tangy and creamy coconut chutney, it was great fun to rip apart and dip into whatever looked most appetizing.



We also tried the South Indian Moons, a chef's sampler of five different uttapams (a kind of flat dosa), served with lentil curry and sambar. I couldn't tell you what was exactly in these savory little suckers, but they were definitely awesome versions of the savory pancake - moist, rich, and filled with flavorful bits of onion and mint and spices. They're made for dipping just like the dosa, and that's exactly what we did. (Though I could have gone for a little more spice on the lentils.)



Dosa does serve one selected meat dish every day, and on our visit, it was chicken saag ($14.00) Dedicated carnivores that we are, we ordered it and didn't regret it - the chicken was tender and falling apart underneath a cover of creamy saag, studded with chunks of paneer cheese. Again, I could have stood for it to be a little spicier, but that's a minor complaint.



Dessert? Dosa offers a few interesting Indian specialties, but I went for the mango kulfi, a kind of hard Indian ice cream served in chunks and garnished with saffron. It was hard as a rock when it appeared at the table, and I had a few unpleasant moments staring and willing it to melt, but the flavor was delicious: creamy and intense, offset nicely by the pungent little threads of saffron.

Dosa is a small restaurant and it was packed full when we arrived for Saturday brunch - although our 10 minute wait was by no means painful. (Just don't expect lots of room to stretch out in.) It's a bright, clean, and sunny space, and the bar is a nice place to linger and sip hot chai tea or one of their interesting cocktails.

Sure, we grossly over-ordered, but I don't regret it - we did manage to polish everything off. Dosa is a step above the usual hole in the wall Indian place, and prices reflect it - but the originality and interest of the menu justify paying a little extra. It's definitely worth a visit next time you're in the city and craving a different take on Indian food (and incredible amounts of delicious carbohydrates.)

Aziza: Hip Moroccan, Lamb Shank Big As Yo' Head

Aziza
5800 Geary Boulevard
(between 22nd Ave & 23rd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 752-2222



I've been hearing about Aziza through the grapevine for a long time. The testimonials were impressive: best Moroccan food in the city, imaginative and bold flavors, hip and understated setting - a nice hand with lamb. I had to try it, and I jumped at the chance to reserve a table the next time I found myself in San Francisco with my family. I wanted lamb. Big, Neanderthal chunks of lamb, preferably swimming in its own juices.

Aziza is located quite a ways out on Geary, although it's a nice straightforward cab ride. (It is also located conveniently across from Ton Kiang, which is riding high on my must-try list.) We arrived right on time and were quickly shown to our table, ushered through Aziza's warren of darkly lit rooms, painted in dark midnight blue and jewel tones. The tables sat next to a big row of plush couches covered in pillows, which I immediately sank down into. (The little boy across from us constructed a fort which he lurked in for the bulk of the meal; he had the right idea.) It's a hip but not pretentious space with a wonderful atmosphere: warm, welcoming, slightly mysterious.

Menus are printed on bare-bones strips of grey paper, and we immediately set to deliberating about what we wanted - hell everything looked delicious.



I have had a life-long love affair with little greasy fish, so I decided on the anchovies with preserved lemon, celery, olio nuevo, and marash pepper ($9.) The presentation was beautiful and minimalist, tiny little fillets laid out on a white plate and drizzled with olive oil. They were scrumptious, with a delicate oily flavor, offset by the pop of the tiny accompanying olives and tangy celery and lemon chunks.



The meatballs, presented on skewers with grapes ($9) , were tender, delicate, and minty, with a subtle and perfumed flavor, offset by the sweetness of the fruit. I also loved the fresh and crunchy jicama salad that accompanied, dressed with yogurt, herbs, and a squirt of lemon.



Finally, we tried the squid with cured black olive and herb jam ($9), presented in an attractive little tan casserole. The squid was cooked just right and had a slightly sweet, tomato and cinnamon infused flavor, offset by the briny olives. (I do wish there was more description of what exactly was in the sauce on the menu rather then leaving it to pleasant mystery.) The crostini with herb jam on them were a bit too crunchy (a minor complaint, I know, I know.)

Our server whisked the plates away, and our entrees came out with impressive promptness - no waiting about, stomach grumbling here.



My lamb shank with barley and spiced prunes ($22) was divine - no other words for it. This is Aziza's trademark dish, and for very, very good reason. The picture is fuzzy, and I apologize, but that is because my hungry eyes turned into giant saucers when the plate was placed in front of me, and so the photo is hasty and poor. I skeletonized it, I will admit. The meat was falling off the bone in fatty little shards, accompanied by a sweet and vinegary sauce infused with the essence of lamb, soaked up by a earthy side of barley. I even savored the juicy and aromatic prunes that came with it - a perfect accompaniment to that tender, tender meat. I may be inexperienced in the ways of sheep, but this was the best lamb I've ever had. I ate it all and wanted more, and it was definitely as big as my head, or at least equidistant.



My mom chose the couscous with chicken, prawn, lamb, and harissa ($20), which came out on a big plate, lumped with golden couscous (specially made by the restaurant) and lots of delicious meats and vegetables. My mother adores carbohydrates (quite a feat for a size 2, really) and thus she loved this dish - the combination of savory spiced meats (lamb sausage, mm) and golden semolina couscous was really quite divine. The harissa, a North African spice paste composed primarily of paprika and cayenne had a delicious slow burn, and I stole most of it when she wasn't looking. Sorry, Mom, sorry.



My dad went with the squab with hon shimeji mushroom and thyme-ras el hanout ($25), a big plate full of meaty and perfectly cooked squab, accompanied by gamy wild mushrooms. The meat was delicious and full flavored, and tasted as rich as any duck - impressive indeed. Combined with the mushrooms and the accompanying greens, it was a great (and surprisingly rich) combination.

I do not generally like desserts. I have little sweet tooth: give me meat and salt and bony little things, finish me off with a bit of fruit or a tiny chunk of dark chocolate, I generally ask for no more (and want no more.) But the desserts here intrigued me, featuring different combinations of ingredients and flavors far beyond the usual Chocolate Decadent Explosion Orgasm Cake most restaurants shove at you. We all ordered dessert. We did not regret it.



I love pears and I love huckleberries, so the pear tart with huckleberry, frangipane, and bitter almond ice cream ($9.50) was a natural choice. Served warm and elegantly appointed with dripping, luscious ice cream over the top, it was tangy and excellent, sort of like an Oriental interpretation of the American apple pie n' ice cream. I loved the delicate crack of the sugared top of the pastry, a creme brulee without the cream. The portion size was spot-on too: quite small, perfect for a respite after a big rich dinner, but not so small that you feel you are being fed doll food. Perfect.



My mom, feeling stuffed like a tick, went for the light option: an orange blossom honey mousse with citrus & mint and prosecco-chili gelée ($8.00.) It was definitely the most high concept dessert on offer with lots of interesting components, but it worked - the whisper-light mousse combined with the crunchy caramelized sugar wafer and the fresh citrus chunks it sat upon. An interesting addition were the tiny gelatin cubes you can see resting in the spoon in the photo above: like an intensely flavored lemony jello. Interesting, but not so interesting that it fills you with a sense of vague confusion.



Finally, my dad selected the cinnamon ice cream with cookie - definitely the simplest dessert we sampled but still tasty, with a nice aromatic flavor and a tasty crunch from the accompanying buckwheat cookie. Aziza obviously has a talented hand with ice cream. Don't miss it.

One final note: our server was a true professional - friendly, extremely knowledgeable about the menu, and prompt. His menu and wine recommendations were spot on, and he certainly helped make our meal flow in the way it should.

Aziza is a superb restaurant. It's a pleasure to find a restaurant offering both a top-tier dining experience and interesting flavors, worlds away from the same 30-bucks-a-plate Asian Tuscan French fusion fluff that most "fancy" San Francisco restaurants peddle. It's hip but not pretentious, and I think that applies to the food - muscular and flavorful Real Food with high quality ingredients and a seasoned hand in the kitchen. It's a must-try if you're looking for something different (and high end) in San Francisco. (I will dream of harissa. And lamb shanks that are larger then my head.)

Osha Thai Noodle Cafe: Salty Crabs!

Osha Thai Noodle Cafe
696 Geary Street
(between Jones St & Leavenworth St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 673-2368




Osha Thai Noodle Cafe is a pretty good place for a snappy Thai lunch, although the state of the dining room doesn't betray its good reputation. Apparently the hip and trendy people of the area are rather sweet on it, according to the magical oracle that is Yelp.com. I thought it looked like your standard decrepit Asian joint that somehow manages to turn out awesome food. Could we both be right?!?

Prices are quite low, and I was happy to see a papaya salad with salty crab on the menu for 6.95, which is one of my favorite foods in the whole entire universe. The food came out extremely quickly, and I was suprised to find that when they said the papaya salad was spicy, they actually meant it - most places kinda nod and roll their eyes and bring out the mild dish anyway. This, on the other hand, had my eyes running with tears of painful joy, which sort of sucked since I'd only ordered water to curb that sweet sweet pain. The crab portion seemed to be an entire small crab (these suckers aren't big) and I had a fun interactive moment sucking, biting, and ripping out every single part of seafood flavored protein from its tiny body. I apologize to everyone else in the dining room. My only complaint: the portion size was pretty small, though I suspect this was meant to be an appetizer instead of a main dish.

The day I went there, the place contained an alternating crowd of Thai diners and vaguely out of place cops, all ordering noodles, mowing through them at disarming rates, and talking loudly. The wall are mirrored, which is somewhat awkward for me - how repulsive is it to watch yourself feed like some sort of giant carnivore anyway? The place is decently designed but it seems like little care is being taken to maintaining it. I was really suprised to find on Yelp that Osha has some sort of "hip" reputation, because that sure as hell wasn't my first reaction. I thought, "Oh, look, a cheap dive with dodgy hygiene!" (My standards for ambience are very low.)

Oh, and do visit the bathroom here: it's dirty and under-maintained but has a truly exciting degree of graffiti. I was under the impression I had mistakenly stepped into the cement bathroom of a squatters warehouse and spent more time then I really needed to reading the walls. People looked at me funny when I finally stepped out. Well, eh, reading material is what it is.