Suzanne and I had a evening out recently: dinner and a one-man/standup show. The show was by Mike Schmidt, who does the 40 Year Old Boy podcast. I’m not a big podcast listener, but Suzanne is and this is one that she listens to. Overall, I enjoyed the show and found it, by and large, quite funny. It’s always uplifting when you can laugh at someone who’s more fucked up than you are.

But I’m not here to talk about the show. I’m here to talk about the dinner we had.

We went to Bar Tartine, which is apparently a “go to” place in the Mission. Indeed, it has a good rating and generally good reviews on yelp.

Suzanne was quite pleased with her meal, but I left feeling that I would have been happier if we’d dined at McDonalds. I’ll get to that in a bit.

First, the service. This was mixed. One one hand, we were seated promptly and attended by our waiter fairly quickly. We were given our choice of still or sparkling water while we perused the menu. The water arrived post haste as did a basket of very nice bread. I don’t believe our water glasses every made it down to a quarter full before being topped up. On the other hand, it took me two requests to have my “cocktail” renewed (or should I say mocktail as they don’t serve liquor … I had a “New Fashioned” which was essentially an Old Fashioned (which appears prominently in the Best. Show. Ever. Mad Men) made with Vermouth rather than Bourbon, tasty but ineffective). Also, while considering dessert I asked for “coffee to start dessert with”. The pot (a mini french press) didn’t arrive until we were well into eating dessert.

One other thing I don’t really like is how they do their menu. First it’s hand written, and not always the most legible, I found. OK, maybe it gives the place a edgy touch: open to change up to the last minute and all. But please, you can do the same with a computer and printer. My other beef with the menu is that what they have online isn’t up to date with what’s on the table. I tend to base my restaurant selection on their menu, the menu they have online. Get with the times, people.

Let’s get more positive for a bit. The appetizers we selected were both very nice. Suzanne opted for the Sea Bass Tartar. It was nicely presented, and accompanied by some very fresh lettuce for shuttling the bass to your eagerly awaiting mouth.

I love fresh beans, so I chose the Blue Lake Beans. They were very lightly battered and fried, much like tempura. On the side was a nice dill augmented creme fraiche. This dish was, in my opinion, the best thing that landed on our table all evening. In hindsight, I should have gotten another order or two of the beans as my entrée. But I’ll get to that in a minute.

One of Bar Tartine’s signature dishes seems to be their roasted bone marrow, and I was a bit surprised when Suzanne didn’t order it. I’m not a fan of bone marrow, but she is. This is a specific case of me not being a fan of the whole nose-to-tail thing. Partly it’s baggage from being vegetarian for fourteen years (and vegan for most of that). Partly it’s because a lot of non-muscle meat is very rich, or at least seems very rich to me, and I have some problems with really rich food. And finally, because of my childhood years (in a backlash kind of way), I see “using the whole animal” as something you do out of desperation and poverty. I like being able to be selective about what parts of an animal I eat and throwing out the rest.

But I digress. Suzanne did order the pork jowls. She was very pleased but it was too fatty and rich or me. Suffice to say I’m glad I didn’t order it. Not that I was any happier with what I did order. But I’ll get to that in a minute. I tried a leaner bit of the jowls, and it was tasty … and very rich. It was accompanied by a roasted plum which provided a delightful tart counterpoint to the rich pork.

As I alluded to earlier, I did not enjoy my entrée. And now it’s time to get to that. I ordered the special. Prawns. I love prawns. From wee little shrimp to jumbo black tiger prawns. I love them all. This dish, however almost had me walk out without paying. I probably would have if I was by myself. Maybe the waiter didn’t provide full disclosure, or maybe I didn’t catch it. Regardless, I was not pleased. Here’s the dish.

Yes, nice big, plump gulf prawns. But unshelled and uncleaned. With maybe a quarter cup of rice in a broth that tasted like it was mostly the liquid from the pickled green tomatoes. The pickled tomatoes themselves were nice enough, however, and the high point of the dish was the strips of oven dried prosciutto (aka bacon!). There was also a scattering of sea beans in the dish. I do like sea beans.

What I take extreme exception to was the fact that I paid $25 for 4 unshelled, uncleaned prawns. Frankly I was disgusted. I cook shrimp/prawns a lot and routinely shell and clean them myself. I expect the fucking prep cook to do that. Not me, when I’m on a date, dressed somewhat nicely, in what has been purported to be a high end restaurant. So there I am shelling prawns that are juicy & covered in a light sauce. My fingers end up covered in sauce and stinking of shrimp shells. I made it through 2 of them before pushing back my plate in disgust. As I said, I would have walked out at that point if I’d been by myself. Suzanne felt sorry for me and helped shell the other two, the result being that her fingers stank as well. (Again, it’s not that I can’t shell shrimp, I just don’t expect to have to while dining, and certainly not when they’re covered with sauce.)

We recovered somewhat by having dessert (although I was still so distracted by the prawn fiasco that I forgot to snap a pic). We opted to share what turned out to be a very nice peach-oatmeal cobbler with buttermilk ice-cream. Another service failing here, though. We explicitly said we were sharing it, and the waiter did bring us each a spoon. However, they didn’t bring us sideplates. Ice-cream on a warm cobbler, shared by two people across the table from each other. Oh well, they have to wash the table clothes anyway.

I was pleased to see that they state clearly on the menu that they use Four Barrel coffee. What pleased me wasn’t that it was Four Barrel (I prefer Blue Bottle, or even better Philz or Barefoot for non-espresso), but rather that they thought it was worth stating what it was. As a bit of a coffee geek, I appreciate that detail. However they brewed it so weak that it didn’t particularly matter what it was.

My advice: don’t bother with Bar Tartine. Suzanne said it’s apparently one of the places to go in San Francisco. If that’s the case, I’m looking forward to getting moved to Chicago even more.

Tonight we went to El Metate for dinner. We had been thinking about eating there for a while (given that it’s close to home), and almost did once when we were on our way to the Roosevelt. After seeing mention of it on Tasting Table, or Urban Candy, or some, such we decided to make a point of going before we leave town.

The dining room is large and decently decorated. There’s a salsa bar and a selection of hot sauces. Not fancy, but servicable and the prices were decent. We picked a few classic Mexcian dishes. When they arrived at the table, we tucked in. We were both hungry and went away sated.

Suzanne decided on a shrimp taco.

I got some shrimp as well, but in quesadilla form. It was larger than I expected, and came with a generous accompaniment of sour cream, guabamole, and salsa.

Suzanne also picked a Flauta plate. When it came she commented that they were more of taquitas since they were made with corn tortillas rather than flour.

For the main event I chose chicken enchiladas.

Both plates came with black beans, rice, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and chips. Oddly, Suzanne’s dishes came with pickled vegetables. Thankfully she shared.

Cheap, tasty Mexican food. Nothing exceptional good or interesting, but nothing unpleasant either.

We recently had some folks over for dinner and Suzanne made a Thai meal. She’s been bragging about he ability to cook authentic Thai food, so this was her chance to back it up.

And back it up, she did! In style. Seven dishes and two sauces. We fed six people and had plenty of leftovers. Maybe the most amazing thing was that the entire meal required a shopping trip to a single Thai market that rang in at just under $90.

I helped out some, but not much. I did, however, make the Miang Yuan. I’ve been making them for years, and when I suggested we have them on the menu, it was suggested that if I wanted them, I could make them. Not a problem.

Here are the dishes.

Miang Yuan (Fresh Spring Rolls)

• about a pound of shrimp
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 oz rice vermicelli
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 9 tender lettuce leaves (such as Boston), cut lengthwise in half, washed, dried, wrapped, and chilled to crisp
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 18 round rice paper wrappers, each about 8 inches in dia.
• Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Clean and/or cook the shrimp as required.

Soak the rice vermicelli until soft and drain.

To assemble the rolls, set out the ingredients on a counter in the above order. Fill a bowl with hot water. Dip a wrapper in the water until it’s soft and spread it out on a flat surface. I found that using a small cutting board worked well, then you can simply slide it along the counter from ingredient to ingredient.

Place a few shrimp in the middle of the wrapper, slightly on your side. 3 if they’re medium or more if they’re small. Place Cilantro on the shrimp, arranging it pretty if you care to. Add some noodles and carrot. Cover with a piece of lettuce and top with sprouts and mint.

Fold the edge of the wrapper nearest you over the filling. Tuck each side over the ends of the filling, and continue rolling to make a roll.

Pile them up, keeping them from touching too much. I put a piece of plastic wrap between each layer. Cover to keep from drying if you’re not serving them immediately.

Look Chin Gai (Chicken Balls)

• 1 pound boned, skinned chicken
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 2 quarts water

Grind all ingredients except the 2 quarts of water (duh) until a smooth puree is formed.

Bring the 2 quarts to a boil. Form 1-1.5 tbsp balls out of the chicken stuff. Drop them into the boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface and are firm. Remove and drain thoroughly on a rack.

Brush the balls with oil and grill or broil until browned. Put them on skewers if you like.

Serve the above dishes with one or both of the following sauces.

Nam Jim Gratiem (Garlic Sauce)

Makes 3/4 cup

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground chili paste
• 2 tsp (about 4 cloves) finely chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a stainless-steel or enamel saucepan and bowl slowly until the mixture is reduced buy about a half. Ideally you want it to have a consistency slightly thinner than heavy cream.

Can be stored for up to two months in a closed jar in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Nuoc Cham (Chili Dipping Sauce, Vietnamese style)

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

• 2 tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh red cili
• 1/2 cup fish sauce
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp finely chopped, unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp finely shredded or grated carrot

In a food processor or bender combine the garlic, chili, fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, lime juice and water. Blend well.

Can be stored for up to two months in a closed jar in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature, adding the peanut and carrot just before.

Yum Wun Sen (Transparent Noodle Salad)

Serves 4-6.

• 1/4 bean thread noodles
• warm water
• 2 cups of napa cabbage (once shredded)
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 green onions (white and green parts)
• 2 serrano chilis or 1 tsp ground, roasted chili paste)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp (2 cloves) finely chopped garlic
• 1/4 lb ground pork or ground chicken
• 1/4 lb peeled, deveined raw shrimp
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• Green lettuce leaves
• 12 cup coriander sprigs

Soak the noodles for twenty minutes in warm water to cover. Drain well, cut into two-inch lengths and set them aside in a colander to continue draining.

Slice the cabbage into paper thin shreds. Finely shred the carrot. Thinly slice the celery and green onions diagonally. If using the serrano chilies, slice them into thin, lengthwise strips. Set the vegetables aside in one bowl, and mix in the chilies.

Heat a wok, add oil, and coat the pan. Add garlic and stir-fry until lightly golden. Add pork or chicken and stir-fry until the pink color has completely disappeared. Add shrimp. Add the noodles and toss gently until mixed.

Put the meat/noodle mixture into a mixing bowl and add the raw vegetables, fish sauce, and lime juice. Mix thoroughly and allow to cool to room temperature.

Put a single layer of lettuce leaves on a serving platter and arrange the salad over them. Garnish with coriander sprigs.

Kwaytiow Paht (Stir Fried Rice Noodles)

Serves 4-6.

• 1 large package of fresh, wide rice noodles (or the corresponding amount of dry rice noodles)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups sliced shallots
• 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh red or green hot chilies
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• fresh thai basil and/or mint to garnish

Prepare noodles as directed. Drain and set aside.

Heat a wok, add oil and swirl. When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add shallots and stir-fry for a minute. Add garlic and chili and fry for another 30 seconds.Stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and pepper to taste. Stir until the mixture thickens, about five minutes.

Add the drained noodles and gently stir-fry until tender yet still firm to the bite, about a minute, adding a little more oil if the noodles stick. Add basil and mint and gently toss until the leaves wilt.. Remove from heat.

Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the herb leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Gai Pad nam Prig Pao (Chicken in Roasted Curry Sauce)

Serves 4-6.

• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup roasted red curry (see below)
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 6 green onions, white part only
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp (2 cloves) finely chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup whole, unsalted, roasted peanuts

Mix fish sauce, sugar, water, and roasted red curry in a small bowl and set aside. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and set aside. Slice the green onions diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces.

Heat a wok, add the oil, and swirl. Add garlic and stir-fry until light golden. Add chicken and str-fry until the pink color is completely gone. Add the liquid from the first step and stir until it boils.

Add peanuts and green onions, stirring until the onions are crisp-tender and the peanuts are heated through.

Serve warm, with rice.

Nam Prig Pao (Roasted Red Curry)

Use hotter chilies if you want a spicier curry.

Makes 3 cups.

• 3 oz wet tamarind (or 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp tamarind concentrate + 1/4 cup warm water)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 lb dried New Mexico or California chilies
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped garlic
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 1/4 cups dried shrimp
• 1/4 cup shrimp paste

Skip this step if you’re using tamarind concentrate. Soak the wet tamarind in 3/4 cup warm water for 15 minutes or until it is soft. Press it through a sieve, making sure to press through all the pulp you can. Scrape the outside of the sieve carefully to get all the pulp, and discard the residue inside the sieve.

Place the tamarind and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Remove the stems and seeds from the chilies, and tear into pieces once inch square or smaller. Heat a wok, add 1/2 cup of oil, and swirl. Stir-fry the chilies over moderate heat until they are a deep red and lightly fragrant, being careful not to let them burn. Remove the chilies, but not the oil. Set them aside in a bowl.

Add two tbsp more oil to the wok and stir-fry the garlic until it is lightly golden. Remove the garlic, but not the oil, and add it to the chilies.

Add two tbsp more oil to the wok and stir-fry the onion until it is light golden. Remove the onion, but not the oil, and add it to the garlic and chilies.

Add 1/4 cup more oil to the wok. Add the dried shrimp and cook for about a minute. Add the shrimp paste and stir-fry until the color has become uniform and the strong oder has subsided. Remove the mixture, including the oil and add it to the previously fried ingredients. Allow them to cool to room temperature.

Place the fried mixture and the oil in a food processor or blender and grind it to a smooth paste. If it seems dry or crumbly, add more oil to form a smooth, thick paste.

Add the cooked tamarind mixture to the ground chili mixture and stir to combine well.

Store the curry in a closed jar in the refrigerator for up to six months.

Mussaman Nue (Beef Mussman)

Serves 8-10.

• 2 oz wet tamarind or 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 lb flank steak
• 1 cup whole roasted unsalted peanuts
• 3 cups thin coconut milk
• 1 large potato
• 2 cups thick coconut milk
• 1 recipe of Musman Curry (see below)
• 12 cardamon seeds
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp sugar

Skip this step if you’re using tamarind concentrate. Soak the wet tamarind in 3/4 cup warm water for 15 minutes or until it is soft. Press it through a sieve, making sure to press through all the pulp you can. Scrape the outside of the sieve carefully to get all the pulp, and discard the residue inside the sieve.

Cut the beef into 1/3-inch cubes. Place beef, peanuts, and thin coconut milk in a large covered saucepan and boil gently over medium heat for 30 minutes.

Peel the potato and cut it into 1/3-inch cubes. Add it to the saucepan, stir, and cook the mixture, covered, for 15 minutes more. Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside.

Bring the thick coconut milk to a boil in a saucepan and remove it from the heat.

Heat a wok and add 1/4 cup of the thick coconut milk and the Musman Curry. Stir the mixture over moderate heat until it is thick and pale tan. Add the cardamom seeds. Add the rest of the thick coconut milk, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring it over high heat until the sauce becomes slightly thick after each addition.

Add the mixture from the above step to the beef mixture, and bring it to a boil. Add the fish sauce, sugar, and tamarind solution/concentrate. (If you used concentrate, add 1/2 cup warm water and stir to mix well).

Serve with rice.

Nam Prig Gang Mussaman (Musman Curry)

Makes 1/2 cup.

• 7 small dried red chilies
• 2 pieces kah
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin or fennel seeds
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• 1 stalk lemon grass, bottom 6 inches only
• 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

Remove the stems and seeds from the chilies. Soak the chilies and kah in the warm water for 20 minutes. After soaking, drain and discard the soaking water.

Place the coriander seeds, cumin (or fennel) seeds, and the coves in a dry skillet and roast them over moderate heat until the cumin seeds have darkened, the cloves have turned a green-grey color, and the mixture is very fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Chop the chilies, kah, and lemon grass finely. Combine with the remaining ingredients and pound or grind to a smooth paste with a mortar or blender. (If you’re using a blender you may need to add water to aid in grinding.)

Can be stored in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Taco Saku (Coconut Rice Pudding)

Makes 16 pieces.

• 1/2 cup long-grain rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup small tapioca pearls
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 cups thick coconut milk

Soak the rice in the 2 cups water overnight

Bring 1 1/2 water to a boil. Put the tapioca pearls in a sieve and rinse them quickly under running water. Add them to the boiling water and stir until they become translucent. Add the 1/4 cup+ sugar and stir until it dissolves.

Remove the mixture from the heat and pour it into small custard cups or an 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan.

Wash the soaked rice in 2 or 3 changes of water until the water runs clear, and drain it well. Grind the uncooked rice with the salt, sugar, and 1 cup of the coconut milk until it is pureed.

Put the ground rice mixture into a pan with the remaining coconut milk. Cook over medium heat until it thickens slightly. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, until it is very thick but still pourable. If the mixture begins to dry out or gets too thick to pour, add more coconut milk as needed.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture evenly over the layer of tapioca pudding.

Serve at room temperature.

Coco Pazzo Cafe was recommended to me. It was perfect. And across the street from my hotel. Bonus! I love Italian food, especially Tuscan, and Coco Pazzo Cafe was done up in a traditional rustic Tuscan motif. The effect was very homey. From their site: “Coco Pazzo Restaurants are Chicago’s authority on Tuscan inspired Italian dining.” I believe them.

I started with a glass of wine at the bar while I waited for a table. The wait was just long enough for me to order a glass and have a sip. Once I was at a table, a basket of sliced baguette and foccacia arrived to entertain me as I perused the menu and listened to the specials, which sounded too good to ignore.

For an appetizer I decided on bruschetta: Tomato & Basil and Mushroom & Arugala. The bread was sliced thin and grilled to the perfect crispness. The tomatoes were sweet and the basil vibrantly fresh. The mushrooms were nicely sautéed and earthy, topped with a thin slice of cheese and some loose arugala.

The bruschetta arrived so quickly, that the party at the table next to me asked if I were a known restaurant critic and was being pampered. Not yet anyway. Aside: they had been waiting since before I arrived, but they were a party of eight so you expect it to take longer to have everything ready to go together. They later said that they were unanimously impressed with their food.

Next up was the pasta course. I opted for risotto. I love risotto. A lot. Really. I love eating it, and I love making it. The risotto is a daily thing here, and today’s was wild mushroom. The flavor was great, the texture not quite so great. Personally, I think I make a better risotto … but only slightly. I have two complaints: 1) it could have been cooked slightly longer to make the rice a bit more tender, and 2) it needed more parmesan. The flavor was, as I said, great. Earthy mushroom and rich butter. It’s just that it could have been a bit better. That said, I’d try it again.

I chose the special entrée of the day: Roasted Sea Bass. This was roasted, skin on, to a beautiful brown. The flesh tender and moist … perfectly done. This was served on a bed of white beans with sautéed spinach and cherry tomatoes. Everything was just fabulous. The textures and flavors were bang-on.

Now, what Italian meal is complete without some dessert? I am an unabashed Tiramisu slut. It was on the menu, as well as Panna Cotta. Both were compelling, and I found myself wishing for a dinner companion so that we could get both and share. I asked whether the desserts were made from scratch in house and was assured that they were. Ok, Tiramisu it was, than. Very nicely done, rich with perfect texture. A scatter of fresh blueberries and a large, sweet strawberry completed the presentation.

I was impressed. So much that I’ve recommended it to Chad, my foodie friend. So much that I hammered out this post as soon as I got back to my hotel room. So much that it will be a go to place for Italian food once we get moved here. You should give it a try if you like rustic Italian food. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.