Food review: Andouille sausage eggs benedict

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Two poached eggs atop grilled andouille sausage, crawfish and jalapeno hollandaise, English muffin, side of home fries
Food rating: 9 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Wow--what can I say--yet another superb brunch dish from Maverick. Not only did it taste amazing, it was inventive and I'd say the best seafood eggs benedict I've had in San Francisco. I loved the creole flair of this dish, and the meticulously-balanced ingredients. To allow the crawfish to really shine, the chef knew exactly how much to tone down the smokiness and spiciness of the andouille and jalapeno. The creamy hollandaise and egg yolk brought out the flavor of the crawfish and tasted like fresh crab drenched in butter. Add a little kick to that plus some smoked meat, and life is good. I've been looking for a loooooong time for an eggs benedict that's worthy of a 9.0. I wouldn't change a thing about this dish aside from maybe the home fries. They were just slightly crispy and not greasy, but just a tad dry here and there. That's just filler anyway and I'm not really rating those. But as far as eggs benedict is concerned, this is the reigning champ. Anyone up for a challenge?

Food review: Duck confit hash

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Two poached eggs atop duck confit with crisp hash browns, oyster mushrooms in a mushroom cream sauce
Food rating: 9 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

How 'bout I cut to the chase and just say 'Holy crap! This dish was f*#&n incredible!' Definitely the best breakfast hash dish I've had in San Francisco. It's what happens when chefs put the same about of effort into brunch as they do for dinner. In case you didn't know, mushrooms and duck melt together like hot-butta-on-a-breakfast-toast. Something about the gameyness of the duck and the funginess of the mushrooms really work amazing together to create this deeply rich and hearty flavor without the grease of fattier meats. To make things even better, they threw in some crispy hash browns which retained their crispiness despite being drenched in mushroom sauce. This is a feat very rarely accomplished in a hash brunch dish! And mix all that together with the two poached eggs and it's simply perfection. Ok, nothing's perfect, and I'll admit that one of my eggs was slightly over-poached, but I'm a forgiving person and they can get another chance at that. There were also pieces of duck here and there a tiny bit dry, but it wasn't a big deal after the mushroom sauce kicked in. What really amazed me about this dish is that, given how heavy the ingredients were, how non-greasy the whole thing tasted. It was nice to finally eat a hash where your face and didn't end up covered in grease. Absolutely loved it, and what a 180° from the donut holes!

Food review: Maverick donut holes

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Five doughnuts dusted with cinnamon and sugar
Food rating: 5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

After just eating at Maverick for dinner, I remembered someone telling me their brunch was rumored to be great, so I made a second trip to scope it out. As I walked up, I noticed a 7x7 award for "Best Brunch" in the window, which typically is a good sign, not to mention the exiting restaurantgoers raving about how awesome it was. I perused the menu and, after resisting donuts all week after a workout marathon, I finally caved and ordered the donut holes. Now that my expectations had been all built up, I was assuming they'd be amazing, but sadly, that was not the case. I was expected an airy, light-and-fluffy donut that was delicately dusted with powered sugar. What I got was a heavy, doughy, 1/4 inch-of-granulated-sugar-coated donut hole--well actually...five of them! They were so dense that they were scalding hot in the center, so I burnt my fingers pulling it apart! Ouchie! I had to brush off a good portion of the sugar before they could be in edible form. There was also too much cinnamon for me (I'm not a huge fan). So the donuts ended up being a total upset and wasn't a very good start to brunch...

Food review: Grilled Broken Arrow Ranch antelope

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Grilled peppercorn crusted Broken Arrow Ranch antelope loin with grilled black mission figs, creamy Texas long grain wild rice with carrots and leeks
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Well...as an antelope virgin I'm not totally qualified to review this dish, but I'll definitely give it a shot. The flavor of antelope falls into a happy-medium spot somewhere between venison and steak--not too gamey and not too bland. The texture of the loin cut was excellent, tender and gristle-free, and on the lean side. It was cooked medium, which turned out juuust right, very pink and juicy but not bloody. The portion was sizable, and larger than expected, given the modest price of $28. Though the antelope was grilled, I prefer a little more char and felt that the grilled flavor was completely overtaken by the intense sweetness of the mission fig reduction. I learned to avoid overdrenching each bite with the fig sauce--it only needed a teeny smidgen and could've been toned down a lot. So you can imagine what it was like eating the figs braised in their own reduction. I had to pass on dessert after that. I actually enjoyed the rice because it was a refreshing alternative to those heavy sleep-inducing mashed potatoes typically served with steak dishes. Definitely a winner in my book.

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: Baltimore crab fluffs

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Fried lump Maryland blue crab cakes with tartar sauce
Food rating: 6 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Being from the east coast, I'm going to be a little hard on this dish because I've had Maryland blue crabs straight out of the Chesapeake and know how good they can be. That being said, I don't feel these crab cakes represented properly, but it was a good try. On the good side, there was a lot of crab meat and hardly any fillers. On the bad side, the meat was more shredded than lumpy. I was looking forward to some big old chunks of crab and instead got more of a crab mashup. That wasn't a huge deal though, it was actually the flavor that was the dealbreaker for me. The sad thing about blue claw crabs is if the meat is more than a day old, the flavor suffers and becomes more fishy than sweet. I noticed this immediately because I am used to eating whole blue crabs caught fresh that day, compared to crabcakes which are processed. I also thought that deep-frying the crab and serving it with tartar sauce was overkill on the heaviness. Perhaps something lemony instead could work better. Maybe I'm being too critical, but this dish not live up to my expectations and I know that Maverick can do better.

Food review: Sweet corn pudding

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Sweet corn pudding with roasted red pimiento peppers over bed of baby lettuce and anchovy vinaigrette
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Corn pudding is one of those simple pleasures in life that Maverick really nailed. It's California cuisine, so the secret was in the super-sweet local corn. The corn was so good, I was immediately hooked and demanded a side of grilled corn-on-the-cob to accompany my entree. Not only was it sweet, but it was also decadently creamy. I liked that the sweetness came naturally from the corn instead of adding a ton of sugar. The chef tried to balance things out with an anchovy-dressed side salad, but I felt that it was fine by itself. I did like the addition of roasted red peppers. It helped give the dish a little character. The texture of the pudding was thick and held its shape, and neither pasty nor soggy. The corn was perfectly cooked--crisp and not chewy or mushy. As a side note, this is one of the few dishes that I refrained from adding salt to. It's a shame that I rarely see corn pudding on the menu at other restaurants.

Food review: Halibut salad crostini

Restaurant: Zuni Cafe (San Francisco)
Food description: Halibut salad crostini with niçoise olives, kumquats, crème fraîche, shallot vinaigrette, with side of lamb's lettuce salad
Food rating: 7 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

The halibut salad crostini highlights the benefits of California cuisine with its freshness and fusion of ingredients. I always like it when a chef gets creative and can combine unlikely ingredients in a complementary way--in this case--kumquats, olives, and fish. I really liked how the acidity and sweetness of the kumquats balanced the saltiness and strength of the olives. The halibut and crème fraîche mellowed everything out and the crostini supplied the necessary crunch. I'd describe the flavors as light, tangy, salty, clean, and citrusy. I also loved that there was no mayo used in this dish, but a light shallot vinaigrette instead. It was the perfect alternative to a salad and didn't weigh me down afterwards. Although there was nothing bad about this dish (aside from an oily side salad), after having the amazing burger and other dishes at Zuni, I've come to expect more from them, especially for $13 they were charging. It's a shames because I really enjoyed and appreciated the uniqueness of this dish but, for what it was, I don't think it's worth ordering again.

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: Butterscotch pudding

Restaurant: Acme Chophouse (San Francisco)
Food description: Butterscotch pudding topped with whipped cream and candied macadamia nuts, served with blonde brownies
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 2

This is the only desert I've had at Acme so far, and pretty much the only dessert I need to have. Normally when I see/hear/read anything regarding butterscotch, I avoid it like the plague, but thanks to a rec from my outstanding server Charles, I went out on a limb and went for it--been hooked ever since. The "butterscotch" part was actually more like a creamy caramel flavor similar to a crème brulée without the egg or the crunch. Though rather sweet, it was still light enough to polish off with no trouble. To help with the sweetness, it's served with two blonde brownies and some candied macadamia nuts. The nuts helped and added a little crunch, but I didn't care much for the brownies. They were a little dry, but also tasted slightly old/frozen/refrigerator funky. Whatever the case, they were easy enough to not eat. So overall, this dessert made for a great alternative to my usual dark chocolate addictions and just as satisfying. And if you're like me and put off by the though of butterscotch, don't be. I assure you it resembles nothing of those disgusting yellow-orange hard candies from your childhood.

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: "Eggs in a Tasty Nest"

Restaurant: Pork Store Cafe (Valencia St, San Francisco)
Food description: Two fried eggs (over-medium) over a bed of hash browns, bacon, green bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and cheddar cheese, with an English muffin
Food rating: 6.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 3

Tasty Nest, gotta love the name first off. I mean, come on, don't you always picture your breakfast eggs in the bird's nest? It's oh so appetizing! I guess it's not that surprising, given that the place itself is named Pork Store Cafe. But beyond the whole "nest" concept, the "tasty" part is pretty accurate. You gotta love grease though, and chances are you won't be hungry til dinner. Bacon, eggs, cheese, hash browns, mmmm... So if you can handle all that grease you'll be good to go, because the ingredients all blend together into this hearty, meaty, cheesy goodness (needless to say, great for hangovers). The onions were caramelized nicely and worked with the bacon to supply most of the flavor. The hashed browns alone are normally crispy, but under the "nest", turned out a little mushier than I prefer. Their hash browns, though perfectly crispy on both sides, are very oily, so that's where this dish gets all its grease from. They went a bit overboard on the green peppers, plus they were a little too crunchy and could have been cooked more. The tomatoes were slightly overcooked and were turning into mush. And the eggs--well--let's just say I ordered them over-medium and they came out over-easy and I had to send them back. This is a common inconsistency at the Pork Store, where I never know if today I'll be sending my eggs back or not. It can get a little frustrating, and that's why I don't come here as much as I used to. But when I do, I like to get down with the Tasty Nest or the french toast.

"Piggy Special" (french toast, sausage, and eggs)

Restaurant: Pork Store Cafe (Valencia St, San Francisco)
Food description: Two fried eggs (over-medium) with french toast and chicken apple sausage links
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 4

Theres a reason I keep coming back to Pork Store Cafe. Cuz the food is damn good! For a kick ass American home cookin no-nonsense breakfast (or, if you are like me and can't get out of bed - brunch), I really have trouble eating at other places, because they always seem to come up a bit short. The chicken apple links still taste like links, not the froo-froo chicken apple stuff you might get somewhere else (good, but not breakfast!), and the french toast is like Mom made. Honestly, its not on some weird bread trying to be something that it's not, it's got just the right egginess to have given it that light and fluffy texture you crave in french toast. Top it with some maple syrup and you're off. Please realize that I'm not comparing this breakfast to some gourmet, can't pronounce the crap on the menu place, I'm comparing it to other good eggs, sausage, french toast, bacon, pancake type joints, like Kate's for instance, or maybe Top's. Actually, that gives me a good idea. I will go and get the exact same thing (or as close as I can get) at Kate's and Top's and I'll throw Home in the mix and I will repost each review with links to the others so we can have a little competitive side-by-side analysis. Let's see who will win the b-fast challenge? To be continued....

Food review: Fish and chips

Restaurant: Tied House (Mountain View)
Food description: Seasonal white fish, dipped in Amber beer batter served with malt vinegar and tartar sauce, side of french fries
Food rating: 4.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

After all these salads and sushi lately, I was feeling the need for sumthin greasy! Next time I might be a little more careful for what I wish for though, because grease was just about the only thing I got with these fish and chips. I think the surgeon general should institute grease bomb warnings on menus for dishes like this so I can at least prepare myself next time. Ok, so you get my point that they were too greasy. Next on the list was that they were soggy. Most breading can withstand a quick squeeze of lemon without disintegrating when you pick it up. Unfortunately, this fish was so watery it must've been previously frozen, rendering the breading into a soggy mush and leaving behind a nice little puddle in its wake. The whole essence of fish and chips lies within it's crispy-crunchy-flaky factor, not in its greasy-soggy-watery lameness. I was willing to forgive all of these aspects if they could just get the fish right, but again, no such luck. The fish was not cod, which would've been fine if it actually had some taste, but it was completely flavorless (not surprising given it was frozen). I had to add a serious triple dose of salt to try to squeeze any semblance of flavor out of it. I actually enjoyed the french fries better than the fish. So after my meal of grease and salt, I felt a little gypped, because I thought the whole point of eating fried food is because it's guaranteed to taste good!

Food review: Vacherin

Restaurant: Coco500 (San Francisco)
Food description: Coffee gelato with swiss meringue, candied almonds, and chocolate sauce atop a crisp wafer
Food rating: 6 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

It's funny because this dish was the opposite of all the other dishes in terms of portion size. It was gigantic, even though desserts are supposed to be small. Coco500 has their portions all backwards and upside down. Needless to say, I had to split this with a friend, which is always great because if you don't like it, you just eat slower than the other person until they've unconsciously eaten most of it. Such was the case with the sickenly-sweet vacherin. The culprit was the massive pool of chocolate sauce drowning the gelato. There was so much of it and given how sweet it was, less would've more in this case. I'm just not a person who derives pleasure from being all jacked up on sugar and caffeine, so I prefer quality over quantity when it comes to desserts. Speaking of quality, the coffee gelato wasn't really that great compared to other gelato I've had. The coffee flavor wasn't pronounced enough and the texture was solid-as-a-rock, where I prefer gelato that's much softer and easier to eat. The swiss meringue got completely lost and wasn't really necessary. The candied almonds were delicious as long as they weren't drenched in too much chocolate sauce, and worked well with the coffee flavor. The gelato was on top of a little white wafer, which I didn't like the texture of at all. I guess it was meant to mimic a wafer cone, but It was too crumby, almost dusty, plus the almonds contributed enough texture to eliminate the need for this element. After eating about 1/4 of this dessert, it was really only a matter of time before it started to make me sick of it. The part that I did eat was good, you've just gotta be careful or you'll overdose on sugar.

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: Seared tombo tuna salad ("the catch")

Restaurant: Coco500 (San Francisco)
Food description: Seared Pacific tombo (albacore) tuna atop salad of organic baby spinach, sauteed mushrooms and butternut squash, ginger, and sesame seeds
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Of all the things I tried on the lunch menu, this salad was the absolute best by far. The other dishes were overpriced and just so-so, but this dish made Coco500 worth my while. My biggest complaint is that they're ridiculously stingy on the portions, especially given their prices. This particular salad would work fine maybe as a lunch appetizer, but not a main course (unless you order the vacherin for dessert). Regardless, this salad was the best I've had in a while and I highly recommend it, despite the minute portions. Since it was the catch of the day, I'm not even sure when they'll have it again--it should really be a regular menu item. Anyway, the tuna itself was extremely fresh, ultra tender, and seared perfectly, leaving it warm on the outside and cool on the inside. It really was at its peak freshness and was a great cut with a mild lean flavor. The spinach and tuna were dressed in a light marinade of sesame, ginger, and garlic, and worked well with the mushrooms and butternut squash. All the ingredients combined together in harmony without anything standing out more or less than another. The resulting flavor was buttery, mild, nutty, and meaty. The spinach was just barely sauteed so that when you chewed it, its texture would blend with the other ingredients, rather than being all raw and crunchy. I thought this was a rather nice detail because it's annoying when you're chewing something that's all smooth except for that one ingredient that takes longer to chew than everything else. It was the cherry on top of an already great salad, and made a joke out of the last seared tuna salad I'd had. Nicely done!

Food review: Tiger prawn salad

Restaurant: Coco500 (San Francisco)
Food description: Butter leaf salad with tiger prawns, jicama, kumquats, avocado, pickled jalapeno pepper, and citrus vinaigrette
Food rating: 5.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

To make a long story short, I could make this salad at home for 5 bucks. I accidentally ordered this salad because the menu description sucked. It read "prawns, butter leaf, jicama, kumquats, avocado, pickled jalapenos" and when I asked the waiter how the prawns were prepared, he said "sauteed". So I was assuming I'd be getting a hot sauteed prawn dish, not a salad. @#$&!!! If you still don't believe me that the descriptions stunk, there's another highly descriptive dish on the menu called "soup, " no description, just "soup, $6" (gotta love it). Anyway, I made the best out it (translation: I picked out all the prawns and avocado and left the rest) but then remembered how much it cost ($14!!) and went into sticker shock. Honestly people, there was nothing that stood out about this salad whatsoever. The prawns were cooked correctly and were tender and tasted fresh, not frozen. Other than that, they were basically no different than every other shrimp I've had. They weren't marinated aside from a little salt, and they seemed more steamed than sauteed. The salad would've been a million times better if the prawns were sauteed to a golden brown in some butter. The vinaigrette was boring and did nothing for the salad and the butter leaf was fresh, but were entire leaves that had to be cut up. I really dislike salads that force me to do extra work before I can eat it. That's what the chef is for. The avocados were ripe but didn't have much flavor, and I'm not sure if they really expected me to eat that giant jalapeno pepper or what. I don't like kumquats because they're usually too sour, as were these, but I liked the citrus that it brought to the table. I'd describe the overall flavor as light, fresh, citrus-y, and bland. It's something I'd be happy eating if I made it myself at home, but would never pay $14 for. At least throw in some scallops or lobster for god sakes! Unless you like mediocre food and blowing away money, do yourself a favor and don't order this salad. Do order the tombo tuna salad instead.