Thea

RESTAURANT TYPE = MEDITERRANEAN
LOCATION: Santana Row in South Bay
RATING: 4.5 stars
COST: $$$

Time to shuffle to one of my favorite places in the South Bay called Thea. Located in the upscale Santana Row, this Mediterranean hot spot is a real treat to both take in a few drinks or enjoy an elegant dinner.

The Lowdown:
Compared to Evvia, another trendy and tasty Greek restaurant in Palo Alto, Thea is less expensive for what I consider superior food and slightly better ambiance. The service is a little less attentive though.

Recommended Dishes:
First, you don't need to order bread since they give you a piping hot loaf of house bread. If you do want more bread you can order the pita bread but it really is pointless when you already are getting bread. I highly recommend the Horiatiki (Greek Salad) as it is one of the best I've had. The Kiymali Pide has a very strong lamb taste, so if that's not your style I wouldn't recommend it.

For main dishes, I highly recommend the Braised Lamb Shank, Garides, Psari Skordato (branzino), or daily fish. All are very good. For the 6-7 times I've been to Thea, I think the main dishes outshine the appetizers for the most part.

Be sure to save room for dessert! The loukamades are great - it's basically dough dropped into oil and fried like donuts. The donuts are coated in honey and a dusting of cinnamon applied on top. I used to eat these at the Greek festival every year in Portland, OR and believe me they are very good. Thea is the only restaurant I've found to serve this dessert period.

One more thing to recommend for all you non-alcoholic drink people: order the Cuban Cooler. It's apple juice, mint, lemon, and I think a touch of soda water. Very addictive and refreshing. Thea also offers an extensive wine and drink menu.

Other things to note:
- Weekends are crazybusy. Get there ahead of time as parking at Santana Row can be a zoo. Also, on busy nights Thurs-Sat, reservations are highly encouraged. Alternatively, you can always sit at the bar and order. The bar is pretty big - actually there are 2 long tables seating about 10 at each + the actual bar in the bar area.

Website:
www.thearestaurant.com

Fringale

RESTAURANT TYPE = FRENCH
LOCATION: SOMA area in SF
RATING: 5 stars (excellent)
COST: $$$ (moderate)

Hello fellow foodies!

Fringale, located in the SOMA area, is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in San Francisco. The restaurant serves excellent French food, has great friendly service, and for what you get the prices are on the less expensive side.

What I've had:

Appetizers:

• Coriander marinated salmon with warmed potatoes
• Thoughts: This is the best appetizer in my opinion and was very nice. Salmon is seared and rolled around the outside of mild white potatoes. It is accompanied by a small greens salad with a vinegarette.
• Lobster ravioli with a sauce vierge & basil
• Thoughts: This is also very good! Portion is small but the ravioli is cooked just right and the creamy sauce is not too overwhelming or salty.
• Beef carpaccio with a mustard sauce & crispy horseradish
• Thoughts: This appetizer was just ok. The presentation is nice but it is nothing out of the ordinary taste-wise.
• Sautéed prawns in pastis with sun dried tomatoes
• Thoughts: This is also a just 'okay' appetizer. Nothing spectacular but it is not bad.

Main Courses:

• Confit of duck leg with green lentils du Puy
• Thoughts: There are a lot of lentils! Unless you really like lentils you may want to steer away from this. On occasion, Fringale will have a duck breast specialty dish which is much better than this one.
• Roast rack of lamb with a persillade & potato gratin
• Thoughts: This was also very good. The lamb was cooked medium and was juicy and flavorful. I'm usually not a huge potato fan but the potato gratin was very good - not overly cheesy and slightly crispy on the outside.
• Loch Duart Scottish pan-roasted salmon with white asparagus & prawn coulis
• Thoughts: Similar to the coriander marinated salmon appetizer. They really cook salmon well at Fringale. Great dish for a lighter dinner, or if you're not that hungry. You'll definitely want to save room for dessert!

Dessert:

• Apple tart
• Thoughts: Seasonal dish - if they have it, GET IT!!! This is the best apple tart I have come across so far in the Bay Area. They bake it fresh so it is warm and flaky when you get it. The tart shell is phyllo dough and they put a dollop of vanilla gelato on top as a finishing touch. Very good apple tart ala mode.
• Pear tart
• Thoughts: This is very good as well - but somewhat sweeter than the apple tart. Also, there is a lot of cinnamon and the glaze is a bit thicker. Again, it is freshly baked right before it's brought to your table. Like the apple tart, the pear tart is a seasonal and does sell out.
• Warm chocolate Gourmand
• Thought: Similar to a chocolate lava cake - but not too sweet. I prefer dark chocolate so this is right up my alley. However, if you like milk chocolate and super sweet chocolate desserts this is not for you. Served with a scoop of vanilla gelato - cake is served warm out of the oven.
• Mme. Angèle’s Gateau Basque
• Thoughts: This is good but not my favorite. It's sort of a thicker cream on an almond crust with some fresh fruit as garnish. If you are full - definitely stick with the sorbet or apple tart.

Other notes:

• You can book a reservation either at opentable.com or by calling (415) 543-0573
• Fringale does participate in SF's annual 'Dine about town' event in February every year. You can sample a prix fix menu containing an appetizer, main course, and dessert.
• Parking is usually plentiful unless there is an SF Giants game. If there is a game, parking will be VERY difficult.

For menu details & additional information, please visit Fringale's website at:
www.fringalesf.com

Where to start?

Welcome! To get started food is one of my favorite things. This blog will document my dining experiences at restaurants around the Bay Area. First, I'll start out with a few of my fav places, but then I'll open it up to all kinds of restaurants with positive and negative reviews. Stay tuned!