Food review: Mussels poulette

Restaurant: Plouf (San Francisco)
Food description: Steamed Prince Edward Island mussels in a shallot, bacon, and white wine cream sauce
Food rating: 6 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Plouf is one of the better joints on Belden Lane because they know how to do one thing well: mussels. Plouf's mussels come straight from Prince Edward Island, which are cultured (farmed) rather than wild. Because they never touch the ocean bottom, the mussels end up sweeter, more tender, plumper, and sand-free. Yum! So now that you've got the low-down on P.E.I., let's get into the sauce. Since Plouf serves mussels galore, you can choose from a selection of seven sauces, from traditional to mariniere, to even gratinee. I wanted to try something different and chose the "poulette" sauce, which I unfortunately would not choose again. The mild flavor of the mussels was no match for the heavy smokiness of the bacon and the intense sweetness of the shallots. Not to mention the heaviness of the cream. I prefer a sauce that's much more subtle because I actually wanted to taste the mussels, ya know? That's not to say the sauce wouldn't be great on a pasta or something else, just not with this dish. It was a shame too, since the portions were very generous and the sauce just got too sickening for me to finish it. So there you have it: great mussels + not-so-great sauce = a 6.0. Better luck next time!

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: Chicken caesar salad

Restaurant: Mixt Greens (San Francisco)
Food description: Romaine hearts with treviso, anchovies, shaved parmesan, meyer lemon, garlic croutons, ceasar dressing, topped with grilled chicken
Food rating: 6 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Raise your hand if you've ever overdosed on garlic! Me, me, me! On this salad, if you haven't guessed by now! I can't think of any reason why anyone would want to ever consume this much garlic--my god, did they think I was a vampire or something? I pity those who had to sit in meetings with me after I ate this salad. I would not order it again on this fact alone; however, Mixt Green's other salads got some serious potential. Plus, aside from the garlic factor, mostly everything else was great. The lettuce was fresh and crisp, the parmesan was deliciously sharp and plentiful, and the grilled chicken was juicy and well-marinated. One thing about the toppings though, I've got this pet peeve about doing extra work before I can eat stuff, which I bitched about before, remember? Try cutting up slabs of chicken and anchovies that are sitting on top of a bowl of lettuce without demolishing everything. For this reason, I prefer the toppings to be cut up beforehand for my eating pleasure. But enough on that. From the very first bite, I noticed the garlic immediately, but it was very tasty and I was very hungry, so I just shrugged and thought "I can handle this." Well I sure enjoyed it while it lasted, but man, that stuff came back to haunt me for the rest of the entire day. The dressing was mostly the culprit, but the addition of garlic croutons didn't help the situation. I'd say one or the other would have been sufficient, definitely not both. Like I said before though, based on how good the salad was (all garlic aside), I'm psyched about trying some of their other stuff--maybe a little ahi tuna action or how about the filet mignon cheese steak, yeah? Uh huh.

Food review: Turkey avocado sandwich

Restaurant: Boudin Bakery Cafe (Market St., San Francisco)
Food description: Turkey and avocado sandwich on a croissant with havarti cheese, lettuce, and tomato
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 10+

Yep, another f#&*in sandwich, but this time a worthy one. It may not look like much, but it's simplicity at its best. Combine the freshest ingredients with an unbelievably buttery croissant, and you've got yourself a sandwich that will make you a repeat customer. Screw the sourdough, I'm all about the croissant, and I'm not the only one. You know this when you see everyone else around you eating the same thing. The turkey is fresh sliced turkey, not the super-cured stuff you find at the supermarket. Because of this it tends to need a little extra salt to bring out its flavor. The havarti cheese works great with the turkey. It's mild, salty, and creamy. The tomatoes are ripe and fresh, and this visit they were particularly impressive. I yanked one out of my sandwich just to eat it by itself, recalling the many unripe "winter" tomatoes I'd been subjected to in recent sandwiches. The lettuce was fresh and tasted like, well, lettuce. Like the tomato, the avocado was perfectly ripe and deliciously creamy. It makes all the ingredients so slippery, they all end up on my lap--but no worries, it's worth the dry cleaning. I can't actually say how this sandwich stacks up to the others on the menu, because I haven't been unhappy enough to seek out anything else. Maybe someday, just for experiment's sake...

Food review: Clam chowder

Restaurant: Boudin Bakery Cafe (Market St., San Francisco)
Food description: Soup made with clams, potatoes, and celery in a creamy broth served in a fresh sourdough bread bowl
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 10+

All I have to say is I'm lactose intolerant and I'll still eat this soup any day. I've had many imitation clam chowders and this is the real deal. I know it's made fresh because one time the potatoes were still a bit raw, so I know it wasn't sitting in a hot tub evaporating for days. Though I'd normally complain about raw potato, it really didn't bother me because the soup is so good, plus it was only once out of many, many times. The broth is the right consistency--it's thicker than milk, but thinner than yogurt. It has just the right saltiness for me (I love salt), and I've never heard anyone say it was too salty. The clams aren't too overcooked and chewy, but could use some improvement in the size department. There's also definitely not enough soup, especially for the giant bread bowl they serve it in. I have to order a side salad or something else or I'll starve before dinner. I know I've complained about the portions in other reviews, but heed my warning! I seriously only weigh about 100lbs (give or take), so if it's not enough food for me, it won't be enough for most people.