Food review: Creekstone Farm short ribs

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Braised Creekstone Farm beef short ribs with homemade tater tots, Vedure Farm cherokee tomato slices, watercress, and braising reduction
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Short ribs always hit the spot on those brisk nights when you're in the mood for some comfort food. Such was the case at Maverick, with their California-cuisine-meets-Southwest rendition of this dish. The dish was hearty and heavy but I thoroughly enjoyed everything in all it's fatty glory. The the short ribs had a little crispiness to the edges but juicy and tender inside, giving it a unique but nice texture contrary to what I was expecting. The flavor was basically what you'd expect from short ribs: savory, salty, and buttery goodness. Though fatty, it was definitely not overly greasy. The braising reduction was thin but potent and added that necessary gravy requirement. I was excited about the homegrown tater tots, which were crispy and tasty, but came out a little on the greasy side. I get what the chef was trying to do with the tomatoes but I didn't think it really needed them. I guess it was necessary to appease the veggie complainers. Overall, the dish was simple but very well done and worthy of a second go.

Food review: Zuni burger

Restaurant: Zuni Cafe (San Francisco)
Food description: Mesquite-grilled house-ground chuck burger on rosemary foccacia with gruyère, garden lettuce, red onion, aioli, and Zuni pickles
Food rating: 9.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Ok, so I'll get right to the point on this one: As of right now, this is the best (insert expletive here) burger I've eaten in San Francisco. Period! I've never had a burger so juicy, flavorful, and of this quality until now. I have since become obsessed with finding out the secret to these burgers and learned that Judy Rogers (the chef and owner) grinds the chuck in-house after marinating it with salt for 24 hours and voilà! The perfect burger. Sounds easy enough, so I intend on getting my hands on a meat grinder and testing it out myself.

So anyway, let me attempt to describe why this burger was so good. #1: The texture. This was by far the juiciest burger I've ever had, and when I say juicy I'm not talking about greasy. Huge difference there. The meat wasn't overground, resulting in a delicately constructed patty that was tender and easy to chew. I was worried about the foccacia not being able to support the weight of the burger, but it held strong and was a welcome variation on the traditional burger bun. #2: The flavor. It was deep and smoky with a touch of char, amazingly fresh, and didn't leave the palate greasy at all. Made from pure chuck, the flavor was greatly improved, and free of any sketchy bits of cartilage or other questionable beef parts typically found in ground beef patties. I'm not an Atkins fanatic, so when I say the burger patty was tasty enough to eat by itself, I mean it! No need for any cheese or onion or bread messing up this masterpiece! In all seriousness though, this burger is truly amazing and no matter what you put on it, it'll still be great. I've heard people complain that the burger was too rare, and my response to that would be: think of this burger as you would a steak. It's not your average bacteria-ridden ground beef, but premium house-ground chuck with very little processing, so you can afford to eat it a little rarer (the chefs know best). So sorry, if you're waiting for me to say something negative about this burger, you won't find it here!

Food review: Filet mignon beef carpaccio

Restaurant: Plouf (San Francisco)
Food description: Thin slices of rare filet mignon with black truffle vinaigrette, topped with baby arugula, shaved parmesan, and fried shallots
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Since Plouf's claim to fame is their mussels, I was skeptical about whether their other menu items would deliver. Luckily the beef carpaccio turned out to be a wise choice and had me longing for more. Texture-wise, it's tough to go wrong with filet mignon, as it barely required any chewing at all. It sorta just fell apart on its own as I barely nudged it with my fork. To help bring out the flavor of a typically flavor-lacking cut, a small stockpile of parmesan and fried shallots were there for the rescue. In my book, you can never have enough cheese, so the puny shavings of parmesan left something to be desired. The shallots, on the other hand, though small, were quite potent--not a biting potent--more like a mellow concentrated flavor. They also provided the "crunch" factor, which wouldn't have been as satisfying without it. The arugula was nutty as usual, but was slightly on its way out and didn't quite work together for me. It worked as a little side salad I guess. I love how the carpaccio wasn't drowning in olive oil, it was tastefully drizzled on top. One downside is that the beef was cut so razor thin that it didn't end up being very much food in the end, and certainly didn't last very long! But I guess that's a good thing, given the enormous pot of mussels that followed!

Food review: Porterhouse steak

Restaurant: Acme Chophouse (San Francisco)
Food description: 22oz grass-fed porterhouse steak (medium rare)
Food rating: 9 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

This steak has magical properties, and eating it will instantly teleport you into one of those rare moments of dining bliss, foodie heaven if you will. There are few places with steak of this caliber, so enjoy it while it lasts. The flavor was inexplicably amazing. Since the steak was grass-fed instead of grain-finished, it was much leaner, accentuating the actual flavor of the meat over the flavor of fat. The only thing you tasted was the fabulously rich flavor of the seared oak-smoked steak. No greasy aftertaste lingering around like in the rib eye. Though I ordered it medium-rare, the grass-fed steaks tend to be served on the rare side since they get tougher faster. Based on looks alone, I expected it to be fleshy and chewy, but I took a bite and the texture was beyond tender. I consider this being cooked to perfection, still juicy but not bloody at all. It was simply remarkable how flavorful, tender, and juicy the steak was without tasting the slightest bit greasy or heavy. There were a couple of pieces of gristle that I had to cut around toward the top of the T-bone, but I'd say that's pretty standard given the cut. Other than that, the porterhouse was pretty much flawless. It's a well-spent $52, though dangerously habit-forming. I'm dying to see if the 40 day dry-aged rib eye can top this masterpiece.

Food review: Ribeye steak

Restaurant: Acme Chophouse (San Francisco)
Food description: 22oz grain-finished bone-in rib eye steak (medium rare)
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 2

The ribeye is the only grain-finished steak on the menu at Acme (aside from specials), so I thought I'd compare it tete-a-tete against one of their esteemed grass-fed steaks: the porterhouse. The verdict? Let's just say the rib eye was quite good, but was no match for the porterhouse. Sure, certain aspects are a matter of personal preference--some people prefer the fattiness of the rib eye--but in terms of texture and flavor, the porterhouse was far superior. If you're big on rib eye though, you won't be disappointed with Acme's. All of their steaks are grilled in an oak-burning oven, the key to their characteristic deep smoky flavor. The rib eye itself was as juicy as it was greasy, due to the extra marbling from the grain-finishing. That makes the rib eye the heaviest richest steak they offer. If you're in the mood for something leaner and lighter-tasting, then grass-fed is the way to go. Though the flavor of the rib eye was delicious, I was less impressed with the texture, and found it to be slightly on the tough side. The outer lip was tender and just fine, but the inside required a bit more chewing effort. The porterhouse was much more tender. I'm itching to try their special 40 day dry-aged rib eye and see how it stacks up (but someone else nabbed the last one from my clutches). So until then, it's the porterhouse all the way.

Food review: Steak tartare

Restaurant: Acme Chophouse (San Francisco)
Food description: Grass-fed steak served raw with red onions, capers, and dijon mustard, topped with a quail egg yolk
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 2

If you're a hardcore steak enthusiast, then there's nothing purer than some good steak in the raw. Acme is known for having excellent quality steaks, and the steak used in this tartare was no exception. The texture of the finely chopped steak was reminiscent of tuna tartare, and exceptionally smooth and tender. The actual flavor of the steak was somewhat masked by a gratuitous proportion of dijon mustard and red onion. A repeat visit confirmed this, though slightly less intense the second time around. Given the quality of the meat, I really wish I could've tasted the flavor even more. I've got Japanese taste buds, so the strength of the capers, onions, and dijon mustard together is very intense, so less is definitely more (unless you're someone who drowns their sushi in wasabi). The quail yolk definitely helped mellow everything out nicely, but not quite enough. One nice aspect of the dijon and capers was that it complemented the leanness of the grass-fed steak, leaving your palate clean as a whistle after each bite. This transformed an otherwise heavy dish into something surprisingly light-tasting. I also really appreciated the sizable portion although there weren't enough toast points to finish the tartare. They're a must-have because they provide the crispiness that completes the dish. So despite some of the overpowering qualities of this dish, it's a great quality steak tartare, and very reasonably priced at just $11. It's the perfect teaser to your 22oz steak.

Food review: Grilled flank steak

Restaurant: Coco500 (San Francisco)
Food description: Grilled marinated flank steak with fingerling potatoes and salsa verde
Food rating: 7 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Again with the small portions, sheesh! All their lunch entrees are tapas-sized, perfect for maybe a dieter, but surely not me. I'm a stickler for portion-size, particularly when it's leaning on the pricey side ($14). Less is not more, dammit, can any of you minimalist chefs hear me (echo...echo...)? Ok, I'm over myself, so let's discuss the steak. For flank steak, it was shockingly tender and gristle-free, so it was definitely primo-quality. And, though it was cooked much more than the medium rare I prefer for flank steak, it was still tender, but ended up a little dry around the edges. I'm a steak purist, so I like my steak a little marinated and slapped on the grill for that nice charbroiled flavor, no steak sauce, horseradish, no nuttin. This steak however, came topped with "salsa verde," as they called it--which was basically chimichurri sauce. I don't mind a little of this, but since it tended to be overly heavy on the garlic, it was a good call to serve it mostly on the side. Other than that, the actual flavor of the steak was great, a little leaner and less grilled than I prefer, but delicious overall. The fingerling potatoes were pretty boring and could've used some grilled onions or something to bring them to life, but they served their purpose as filler. If they cooked the steak correctly and put a little more effort into the sauce and potatoes, I'd have rated this dish much higher. And I'm sure I don't have to remind anyone about the portions!

Food review: Beef short ribs and oxtail adobo

Restaurant: Firefly (San Francisco)
Food description: Slow braised beef short ribs and oxtail adobo with jasmine rice, sauteed long beans, quail egg, and spicy banana condiment
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

This dish was pure deee-li-cious-ness! It's one of those dishes that you savor each bite v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y to the point that you're still eating it when it's cold, which is basically torture since you really just prefer to inhale it. It'd be totally worthy of a higher score if the short ribs weren't tragically overcooked. I really think that overcooking stuff is a big no-no for a restaurant of this caliber, but luckily, everything else about the dish was a big yes-yes. So now that I've gotten the ugly part out of the way, let's talk about the luscious sauce. The meat was braised in a wonderful adobo sauce, which was really my favorite aspect of the dish. It was just the right consistency, not runny, nor thick, and wow--what amazing flavor! It was as if you cooked 10 steaks and reduced the drippings down into a concentrated beef gravy and then stewed it with the meat for several hours. After combining the sauce with the fattiness of the meat, you've got yourself some impressive flavor. As for the meat, the oxtail was so tender it just fell apart with one touch. It was flavorful and fatty, but the fat was marbled so it just dissolved without needing to be trimmed. The short ribs were less fatty and didn't have as much flavor as the oxtail, so regardless of the fact that they were overcooked, I would've preferred another oxtail instead of the short ribs.

Given the heartiness of all that red meat, you'd think it'd be heavy, but it wasn't, especially with the side of plain jasmine rice. I was literally eating it well after it had gotten cold. As far as the other sides are concerned, I barely paid much attention to them. The quail egg was interesting, but it didn't seem to fit, and the beans were pretty tasty and cooked to a nice al dente. The banana "condiment" was oniony, and I'm assuming was to cut the saltiness and fattiness of the meat, but it just wasn't for me. Given how tasty the meat was, I didn't really need much else to be happy--except of course that they overcooked the short ribs! Fantastic otherwise.

Food review: Thai House beef

Restaurant: Thai House Express (Larkin St., San Francisco)
Food description: Grilled beef with sweet dipping sauce and white rice
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

This is a popular dish at Thai House Express, and for good reason. The beef in this dish is of a better quality than you'll find at most Thai restaurants. It's lightly marinated then grilled until almost blackened and served in slices. Slicing the beef too soon will release the juices and become dry, which unfortunately happened with this dish. It was still perfectly tender and quite tasty, just a bit too dry. The sauce was lacking though, and for a dish as plain as this, the sauce needed to come through. It was sweet but too bland, and didn't complement the meat at all. Something with a little more kick would've been better. Overall, a pretty good choice at Thai House Express.