beef cheeks

I can't explain why I thought the cheek of beef would be the consistence of liver but that is truly what I thought. So when I ordered the beef cheek cassolette at Chou Chou tonight I was surprised to get meat that looked like any other cut of beef.

I have to admit that I didn't think twice about ordering it. From the minute that I saw it on the menu I knew I would be ordering it. When it arrived and I had my first bite it all made sense. After the first bite I knew why people have raved about it. I knew why it was considered an amazing piece of meat by people in the know. It is tender, flavorful and unexpectantingly amazing. After trying beef tongue a week ago I knew I had to try it. It looks just like a piece of meat that you would find in any stew but without the chewy factor. It was braised so it had admittedly been cooking for a while which always helps make meat more tender. It had a very gamey kind of taste that I love and made the sauce of the cassolette that much more flavorful.

The entire meal was amazing and if you haven't heard of or been to Chou Chou I highly recommend it. It is in the west portal neighborhood at 400 Dewey Blvd at the intersection of Laguna Honda. The have amazing cassolette. I had the rabbit version a few weeks ago and tried a friends lamb version that night as well. Nothing that I have eaten there has disappointed. I also can't say enough about the service and attention that we received from the front of the house staff and the chef. The chef brought us complimentary glasses of champagne at the end of our meal. It was a great experience and I can't wait to go back for another meal.

La Cumbre

It isn't a short walk from
to

but if you do it after a show and a "little" drunk it will seem like you can got there pretty quickly. You can even stop and get one last beer at safeway to finish your walk of properly.

When you get there at close to 2am don't let the line discourage you it moves quickly. Be sure to order a Lengua taco. Yes it is beef tongue but what better time to try something than when your inhibitions are slightly lower? It was delicious and I would go back and order it again. If you can't make it close to 2am it is worth stopping by any time of the day for some excellent taqueria food. It is my go to taqueria in the mission.

Time to start eating again

I have a long list of restaurants that I want to eat at and it is time to start crossing some of them off the list. I am going to tackle the list of restaurants below with gusto. Some of them I will end up eating at alone, some I will hopefully have at least one person to enjoy the meal with. Regardless, these are coming off the list so I can add more. Send any suggestions about what should go on the list my way.

1. Boulevard - first on the list only because I know it will be one of the first off when my mom and I go there next weekend.

2. A16 - between what I have heard people say about it, the cookbook and watching Appleman cook on Iron Chef this one is high on the list.

3. Old Krakow - I have heard about this from friends that have lived in Poland and friends that like food and I need to eat here. Any entree suggestions are greatly appreciated.

4. The House - Many people have recommended this one.

5. Moss Room - It is so close and the space sounds amazing.

6. Ame - The combination of cooking here has me intrigued

7. Zuni Cafe - Really this one is just a classic

8. Slanted Door - I love Vietnamese food and would like to try it on a higher end.

9. Bar Tartine - Another classic

10. Hard Knox Cafe - Soul food gets me every time

11. 1300 on Fillmore - Jazz, french, soul food. Yum.

12. The Front Porch - Soul food and dominoes every weekday, I don't know why I am waiting.

13. Bakesale Betty - It sounds exactly like a place I would like to own

14. The Alembic Bar - okay more of a bar but the bar menus look tasty and any bourbon list that long has to be worth a trip.

15. The Blue Plate - They serve what is rumored to be a great meatloaf but after looking at the menu I want to try everything.

16. Citizen Cake - I have always been fascinated by Elizabeth Falkner's pastry work

17. One Market - Walked by this so many times and the fish on the menu sounds amazing.

18. Lark Creek Inn - I used to drive by this place when I lived in Marin and it looks inviting.

19. El Tonayense Taco Truck - Yes a taco truck. It is supposedly out of this world Mexican street food.

20. Burma Superstar - Too many people have recommended this for me not to be intrigued.

21. The French Laundry - I don't really need to explain this do I.