Alta SF: November 15, 2015

I'm saying it again, except this time: Market Street near the civic center ain't what it used to be. Twitter-ati have spawned the opening of many interesting and upscale restaurants along Market St. We dined at one such establishment: Alta. This was a unique combination of Californian, Middle-Eastern, and even Eastern-European cuisine. We started off with deviled eggs and a superior version of chicarrones (pictured below). The pumpkin perogi would have even brought tears to my babushka's eyes (though she would have tsk-tsked at its lack of authenticity...pumpkin, really?). Still, that was my favorite dish of the night. Entrees were interesting...a pork hash-y thing that I still can't describe, but was yummy. Gail had some kind of porridge that, from her reaction, even the three bears might have turned their noses from. Dessert was fun - pick your own ice cream toppings! Apple pie and toffee crisp were our selections and they were delicious. As were the super-gooey, melting on the plate chocolate chip cookies, chosen by our lovely guest for the evening, Christy Birdsong! (This was Dionne's Selection.)

It's probably our last R Club of 2015, with Stephanie about to pop out a little girl in December. And so our R Club families grows yet again! Looking forward to more adventures in 2016 with my favorite dining crew!

"Chicarrones" made of beef, and deviled eggs with cream cheese.

The LADIES.

The pork concoction with an egg and bed of greens.

Beautifully prepared trout.

Comments

Frisson

First ever meeting of the Restaurant Club! This swanky Financial District restaurant/lounge was the perfect choice to kick of our new R. Club (ultimately, Frisson to close down). After hearing Dionne state that she didn't want a drink due to a supposed hangover from the night before, the truth came out that she was preggers (with Matty). We got a free bottle of wine from Gail's friend, JP. The atmosphere was better than the food here. Just the beginning of years of fun... 5/20/05

Fiorella - Polk

Stephanie's pick... an effort to get us out into the hood we actually used to hang out in! We hadn't been to Polk Street in ages!!! So we had dinner set for the early bird special because of limited availably at this popular spot. We started with nona's meatballs, which were divine. Then we had butter beans with greens -- also, very delicious. We shared two wood-fired pizzas (pictured below, with a little extra burn) and two pastas. The pizzas were a bit oily, but the mushroom topping was delicious. The pastas were simple and creamy. Dessert was a chocolate mousse-type thing and a lemon cake. We devoured both. And sure enough, by 6:30pm, the place was packed! We kept reminiscing that this spot must have been Polkers back in the day when we went to Cruch Gym (at the Alhambra theatre), walked over for brunch in our work out clothes, then sauntered somewhere else for cocktails....and then found ourselves still in our gym clothes at 5pm partying it up. Our reminiscing...

The Rustic (Castro District) - Oct 20, 2024

October 20, 2024 -- Skip ahead a few months (busy summer!) and it's a fall Restaurant Club reuniting in the Castro at an adorable little Italian-ish restaurant called Rustic. They served up homemade pastas and pizzas. I found the food to be good, not great. Some of the flavors were off. But overall, a lovely restaurant with excellent desserts. Best of all was the company, of course, as it's been a few months! We celebrated Gail's birthday and contemplated that by our next dinner, we may have the election results (maybe!). What a nail-biter. Matt's in college, so that was a new development for Dionne!!

4 Chicks & A Restaurant

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