The Huffington Post San Francisco asked San Francisco Food Bloggers about the Best Noodles In San Francisco? When they asked us, we had to mention Tantan-men from Halu Ramen.

Check out the Article: Food Bloggers Reveal Their Faves:

• Bangkok Pad Thai from Koh Samui and the Monkey, 415 Brannan Street at 3rd (415-369-0007 or kohsamuiandthemonkey.com)” – Broccoli and Chocolate Food Blog
• Tonkotsu broth Ramen from Santa Ramen, 1944 South El Camino Real, San Mateo, (650-344-5918)
• Blame it on the Food • Tantan-men Ramen from Ramen Halu 375 Saratoga Ave, Ste M, San Jose (408-246-3933 or ramenhalu.com) – BexBites.com
• Steaming Bowl of Pho from Turtle Tower, 631 Larkin Street at Willow (415-409-3333 or turtletowersf.com) – San Francisco Food, Tablehopper, & Grub Girl’s Food Blogs all chose this Pho.
• Big Daddy Ramen Bowl from Hapa Ramen, One Ferry Building at Embarcadero (haparamensf.com) – KelsEats

Last night we joined three other food bloggers and two PR execs from the Bay Area for a dinner at Maya in SF.   The occasion was a reveal of a new menu and decor for the eleven year old restaurant in SOMA.   The bar is known for its large array of Tequilas including blancos (aged 0-2 months), reposados (2-11 months), and anejos (aged at least 1 year).

Style: White linens surrender to … creative cocktails, zebra wood tables, tasty tacos & striped dishes. Upscale Mexican cuisine is the mainstay.

Our Favorite Picks Include:

• Their Happy Hour Deals after work!
  

• Drink: Big Nose Goes to Mexico $12! (Blanco & Repisado Tequila w/ Guava Puree, Hibiscus Salt on the rim and a Lime half floating on top w/ 151 rum in it, then they light it on fire … see our photo! *not on the happy hour menu)
• Guacamole: Chile Toreados $8.5 The house guac was good too but we liked the creative toasted Pepita (w/ pumpkin seeds on top).
• Ceviche: Mahi Mahi $12 (w/ pica de gallo, & a sweet and spicy tomato-chili broth) It had a great sweet and spicy mix with a little kick!
• Tacos: (Apps, Entree $14-16 for 4, OR Taco Tuesday Happy Hour – $2 each): Langosta Taco (Lobster, avocado, black bean puree, chile de arbol roullie, cilantro) & Rajas con Papas “Deconstructed Chili Rellenos Taco” (poblano, potato, queso fresco, salsa verde, crema fresca)
• Desserts: Empanadas de platano $7 (turnovers filled with bananas, walnuts & crema fresca/ strawberry sauce/ coconut ice cream) & Capirotada agavero (Bread Pudding) $8 (agavero tequila liqueur bread pudding/ fresh blueberry tequila sauce/ raspberry cabernet sorbet)

The warm approachable decor of the new dining space is contrasted by the hipper vibe of the bar and lounge area.  You could meet your friends for cocktails and $2 tacos at Happy Hour in the bar and then have your parents to dinner in the restaurant (or even better a company meal or event in a private room when they are footing the bill).  The restaurant was comfortable with well-spaced tables but without the zing of the lounge with bar tables and chairs (although the dining tables were beautifully made from something that looked like zebra wood).  The dining room made me think of spots you might grab dinner before a show, ballet, or opera in NYC so you could definitely have multi-generational dinner with family (maybe not young kids but parents and grandparents for sure).  We loved the large red spiral plates mixed in with the over-sized white plates too. There was a touch of fun to them in the contrasting dining room.  There are dinner specials every night but the main menu entrees and tacos were our faves (mole was very good, chili rellenos, salmon).

The Guava/Tequila “Big Nose” cocktail (note: this one is not on the $5 happy hours list) was fabulous.   For my birthday, light me up a Big Nose Cocktail and serve it to me with a Banana Empanada. Then throw me in a serenity pool somewhere on the Yucatan Pennisula!

Happy Hour Specials @ Maya (Everyday, $2 tacos, $5 drinks, $3 beers)

Nice Dinner Special: $18 soup or salad/ 1/2 entree or tacos/ sorbet  +$5 margarita/ mojito/ house wine

303 2nd st. between harrison & folsom, san francisco ca 94107
415.543.2928 ~ fax 415.543.6679

- Read here for a fellow food blogger’s review of Maya from the same dinner!

Michelle, a SF foodie friend, and I were talking about this and decided that the first food maker that we can remember who mixed spices and various combinations of flavors was Vosges Haut Chocolat.   Vosges does make ice cream as well with their creative concoctions.  We are now lucky enough to live in the Bay Area where folks are constantly coming up with creative food combinations.  Michelle said she could remember lobster ice cream and corn on the cob ice cream from summers spent on the east coast.  My favorite ice cream has always been Graeters, a Cincinnati, OH original.  But now there are creative ice cream shops in every major city such as Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream (Chocolate w/ Cornflakes, Queen City Cayenne, Thai Chili) in Columbus, OH and Humphry Slocombe in SF.

Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream is sold at their shop and at a gourmet food market in SF by the scoop ($2.50 a scoop) or pint ($8).

Humphry Slocombe Creative Flavors

I tried the Morning Secret that consists of Jim Beam, flour, corn flakes, vanilla, and butter.  Boy was it buttery and the Beam was subtle!  It actually reminded me of a fancier version of a superman ice cream!  Michelle tried the Pepper-Mint Chip that was a combination of fresh chopped mint with Cubeb Pepper, and Valhrona Chocolate Chips.  She said that the Pepper-Mint Chip was surprisingly a great combination that she expected to fail, but it just didn’t!

Shop:
2790 Harrison St
San Francisco, CA 94110

The Ramp Restaurant was a typical Sunday family occasion for friends of ours who lived for many years in Portrero Hill in SF. So one weekend they took us to the Ramp to reminisce for an afternoon brunch.

The Ramp’s location makes it a great casual spot with a smaller number of tables inside but many tables outside right on the waterfront. It was overcast the day we dined at the Ramp but I can see how a sunny afternoon could offer up a perfect excuse to have beers and apps with friends. Inside there was a table of older guys playing cards or some kind of game in the corner and a handful of folks having a beer at the bar. Overall it had a nice neighborhood feeling but I can see how nice days would fill up the waterfront.

The food servings were large and fresh with SF prices to match. The best food was the fish and calamari fritto with chips because of the delicious dill dipping tartar-like sauce. The prices ranged from $12 for a cheeseburger and fries to $13 for fish and chips. A friend had the Taco Salad and it was huge and looked very good. I had the omelet but wished I had gone for the fish and chips.  It’s not bad, check it out if you are in the area!

http://www.ramprestaurant.com/

Oranges and tangerines are symbols for plentiful happiness. Tangerines with leaves intact assure that one’s relationship with the other remains secure. The Chinese New Year Flower Market in SF will be selling supplies for the new year starting next Sat. Feb. 6th.

This is a beautiful orange that a friend from Singapore gave me.  I wrote her and thanked her for the beautiful, good luck orange.  She said we were so Chinese!

The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade & Festivities begin next weekend in Chinatown, Feb. 6th- Feb.27th.

Toronado, like the Oldsmobile it’s named after, sports a Unitized Power Package.  As GM used the UPP to fit both a transmission and engine into a conventional engine bay, Toronado fits an outstanding draught beer selection into the same space where a normal bar would serve at most five draughts.  Let me tell you that this is not a selection of Budweiser, Miller, and Coors products.  Toronado offers some of the finest brews from all over the world.  On our most recent visit we enjoyed some Belgians (Duvel Green, Affligem Trippel), and a Californian (Russian River, Pliny the Elder).  An excellent feature of Toronado is the ability (at slow times) to order a sausage from Rosamunde Sausage Grill next door.  Once you’ve ordered, you can go grab a beer and wait for the signature wall-pound that signals the readiness of your food.  We’ll be sure to get a proper post about Rosamunde the next time we’re in the Lower Haight, but it was too busy at Toronado to sit and eat.  Next time delicious sausage, next time.

www.Toronado.com

Lesley: Go to Toronado for the BEER!  I love Belgian Style Ales and they seem to have them all.  You can get a sausage and pickle from next door and bring it over to drink with this unbelievable selection of brews.

This weekend we went to the Haight in SF specifically in search of fancy cocktails and duck hearts from The Alembic.  We heard about Alembic from GQ magazine of all places.  I must say I was impressed and have grown to love unique bars that serve creative, hand-mixed cocktails and small plates.  Here, they have custom cocktails from the classics, with a twist, to house specialties you can’t find anywhere else.  Alembic also serves food such as pickled quail eggs and jerk spiced duck heart with pickled pineapple and thyme salt “nibbles,” as well as other “local-love” small plates.  Between seven of us, including our out of town friends, we tried five different cocktails: the popular Sazerac (rye whiskey, bitters, absinthe…), Vieux Carre (whiskey, cognac, vermouth…), Southern Exposure (gin, celery juice, mint, lime), Strawberry Alarm Clock (vermouth, strawberries, Tabasco, parsley, peppermint oil), and the Clover Club (raspberries, gin, lemon juice, egg whites…).  The four girls decided that they liked the Clover Club cocktail the best with its frothy goodness and tart kick.  The Strawberry Alarm Clock was indeed different with a sweet and bitter or fruity and savory pepper taste.

The jerk spiced duck hearts with pickled pineapple and thyme salt were pretty amazing.  The tastes complimented each other and each heart was a small bite size piece of meat.  It was the perfect season to try the Heirloom Tomatoes with burrata, Serrano ham, arugula, and Cabernet vinaigrette.  It was absolutely delicious and a good size portion.

We sat at the bar and as the bartender made the drinks in front of us, constantly pouring, shaking, and mixing, she would fill us in on what she was concocting.  She was great and down to earth but with an SF edge.  She even makes a “Take your Chances” mystery cocktail for the adventurous types, but only ask for one or two per sitting to avoid annoying her.  The atmosphere was good, with light from a skylight and music loud enough to enjoy, but soft enough to have a conversation with a group.  We found seats right away at 3-4pm but at night I am sure it gets packed!  There are only five to seven little tables to sit down and eat with about twelve or so stools at the bar.

http://www.alembicbar.com

Lesley: I loved this place and would take friends and family here for sure.  My drink, the Southern Exposure, had many diverse flavors popping out.  It was grapefruit-y in a way.  My favorite drink was the Clover Club.  The food all looks amazing and the two things I tried were scrumptious.  I would go back in a heartbeat, especially if someone else were paying for the $10 cocktails!

Zach: The lovely bartender recommended the Vieux Carre and I never turn down a recommendation.  As it so happened, it was perfect for my taste.  All of the bitter elements worked perfectly with the whiskey.  If you like bitters it is a must try.  The appetizer menu was full of delicious things but we had to give the jerk duck hearts a try.  The jerk spice was right on and it was actually really tasty.  I’ve never eaten heart before but these didn’t have any organ meat taste, which was fine with me.  I certainly wasn’t begging for more organ meat taste.  The drinks were $10 which is about standard city price, but to enjoy a couple great cocktails at the beginning of a night while you can still appreciate it is well worth the price.

John: My new standard for a craft cocktail bar is the Sazerac.  I have yet to perfect my home recipe for this drink, because when it is made right, there is an amazing transformation of flavors that occurs with each sip.  There should be a hit of rye, followed by bitters, then a hint of sugar, ending with the anise of the absinthe.  The Alembic passed with flying colors.  Since the Sazerac passed, I forced everyone in the group to give me a taste of their drinks.  My new goal, after perfecting my own Sazerac, is to recreate the taste of the Vieux Carre.  Until that time, and most likely after, I will continue to frequent The Alembic.