Fireside table

DOLLIE MARIE’S

1602 South El Camino Real
San Mateo, CA  94402
650-638-9238
www.dolliemaries.com

I can never get enough of that unique-to-the-US cuisine: Southern cooking. Enter Dollie Marie’s, delightful, boisterous Chef Gator’s latest, whose restaurants I’ve had the pleasure of eating at through the years (and sadly saw close), from Noe Valley’s Alcatraces to Gator’s in downtown San Mateo. When you add in white suit jackets and a whisper of fine dining elegance at reasonable prix fixe prices ($38 for three courses or $49 for four – your choice of dishes), I’m lured in.

Then there’s an amuse bouche (crawfish bisque, thank you very much!), a palate cleanser (orange mint sorbet), homemade candies, and courses cooked with love and finesse, all in a gorgeous cottage, fireside glowing, each room lined with photos of Chef Gator’s family through the generations (including his mother, the restaurant’s namesake). It’s the complete package and I’m won over.

I’m already thinking about when I can next make it to this new gem in the Bay Area dining scene, tucked away off El Camino Real in a non-descript part of San Mateo. For less than the cost of many mid-range San Francisco restaurants, it’s a Southern feast to linger over.

There’s the finest Frog Legs I’ve ever eaten, gently fried and juicy with flavorful black-eyed pea gravy and cheesy dirty rice loaded with bacon and green onion. 

Rich, luscious Alligator & Caramelized Onion Gratin is baked under a puff pastry shell with fontina cheese. There’s also classic Turtle Soup, giant and delicious Oysters pan-fried in cornmeal with a fabulous remoulade, a fine Shrimp & Grits with plump Gulf shrimp, and desserts like Gator’s Bananas Foster or a comforting Sweet Potato & Apple Cobbler with cinnamon ice cream.

A Blackened Catfish entree is quite tasty and flaky, but I never quite go for the heavy pepper inflections of this type of dish. This version is handled deftly (joyously resting on a bed of crawfish risotto), but I still could do with less pepper. Due to the lack of availability of proper rabbit when I was there, the rabbit entree wasn’t on the menu (I appreciate them holding out for a better meat) but it sounds amazing: Braised Rabbit with Jack Daniels maple syrup gravy. Next time.

The flavors of the South that I crave  are here, done with a gourmet touch and the kind of quality ingredients we’re used to in the Bay Area. I certainly love Oakland’s Pican (despite a rather sterile, corporate-looking dining room) and SF’s gorgeous, jazz haven, 1300 on Fillmore… both are pricey, Southern-influenced menus with a CA touch and I’m so glad they’re here.

Though Gator has that Cali touch as an Oakland native, his family’s Southern roots show in a more traditional but fresh menu I enjoyed the likes of in Charleston and New Orleans. This one feels like the real deal and worlds removed from the bustling spirit of Pican and 1300 on Fillmore. You get more for your money here: a delicious multi-course meal, warm and inviting, with fine dining hints.

The intimacy and quiet of the cottage is like dining in a friend’s Southern home, complete with charm and comfort. The wine list is so-so and service sweet, attentive and still working itself out. Gator is ever jovial and welcoming, and his wife, Mary Ann, makes sure you’re taken care of. All in all, I’m thrilled to see this unique addition to the Bay Area dining scene. You’re transported to the elegant South… where it feels like a special occasion, even if it’s not.

KAPPOU GOMI

5524 Geary Boulevard (between 19th & 20th Avenues)
San Francisco, CA  94121
415-221-5353

Since opening in the Spring, Kappou Gomi has become, hands down, my favorite non-sushi Japanese restaurant in SF. I included it in Top Ten New Openings of the Year (so far) in the SF Guardian’s FEAST issue last week. Note the sign in their window stating they don’t serve bento boxes or sushi… they do serve an endless array of gorgeous Japanese small plates from a menu grouped by fish, meat or veggie type. Though servers speak minimal English, I’m thus far not disappointed in any dish I’ve tried here. From a pork belly special to butter-grilled scallops, I “ooh” and “aaahhh” through the meal. And it’s a fraction of the price of deliciously expensive meals like Kaygetsu in Menlo Park…

JANNAH

1775 Fulton Street (at Masonic)
San Francisco, CA  94117
415-567-4400

Jannah is an affordable Middle Eastern restaurant, serving excitingly uncommon dishes. I credit chef Yahya Salih, who I greatly missed from YaYa days  and am delighted to see back in SF. I’ve written about Jannah since its July opening in my Bay Guardian Appetite column, and our Best of the Bay issue. Here’s a photo tribute to some of my favorite dishes, all under $11, unique, heartwarming.

301 Mission Street (at Beale)
San Francisco, CA 94199
415-543-7474
www.michaelmina.net/rn74

RN74… Michael Mina’s latest project, named after a highway running through Burgundy. Much has been said since its April 24 opening, most of it raving about the unparalleled 3000+ wine selection, heavy on the French, with treasures at every turn (and every price range). Responses to the food have been more mixed, including an early menu change that was actually a response to feedback on sizes being too small (I respect a restaurant that takes immediate action on input). I’ve also heard debate on it being “too fine dining” (those prices do add up), in “typical” Michael Mina fashion, for as casual a setting as it is, or if they should focus on small plates rather than multi-course options. Since I finished writing my review, Michael Bauer’s buzzed about three star review came out (on 6/28), giving it high marks.

Having been three times since opening week, for dinner (food priced at $9-31), lunch ($11-21) and in the bar, I’ve had a solid initial sampling, taking immediately to the industrial chic space with warm splashes of red and wine bottles highlighted on a French train station board. I find, in some ways, you can make RN74 what you want it to be, from special occasion meal to a post-work stop for bites with a glass of wine. I feel the space and service allow for all these scenarios.

The food? Well, a starter of  Smoked Sturgeon Rillettes ($9) is a pot of creamy heaven: smoky-fresh sturgeon mixed with creme fraiche, herbs, meyer lemon and toasts to spread it on. A highlight, to be sure.

Yes, I’m partial to Pork Belly, and RN74 does right by theirs, at turns decadently fatty and crispy. I had the dinner version ($19) with butter lettuce, cherries, pearl onion, black truffle cream and hazelnut vinaigrette.

Applewood-Smoked Sturgeon ($15) with fingerling potatoes (prefer the Sturgeon rillettes) and Italian Yellow Cornmeal & Mascarpone Agnolotti ($16) are both satisfying enough dishes, but what blew me away was the Foie Gras Terrine ($22). Currently, they’re serving it with Dijon mustard and grilled peach (works for me!), but when I had it, it was a divine melding of strawberry with buttery toasts, celery and poppy seed marmalade.  Sweet and silky.

A generous Organic Chicken Breast ($26) is pricey for what is certainly a less exciting meat, but trust them to elevate the bird: juicy, enlivened with fennel, apricots, brioche bread pudding, green peppercorns and watercress.

But, oh, those scallops! A supremely done scallop has to be one of the finer things and at dinner, three hefty, perfectly-cooked Maine Sea Scallops ($29) with tender Rancho Gordo beans, grilled Swiss chard, Meyer lemon were a among the best I’ve ever had. RN74’s Foie Gras and Scallops could follow me home and I would not turn them away.

Then there’s the wines… many a better expert than myself can wax eloquent about the glories residing in RN74’s extensive wine list from brilliant Sommelier and French wine expert, Rajat Parr. Some may get a rush from seeing the last remaining bottle disappear off the train station sign after they order it. I felt privileged to taste truly exceptional wines by the glass I can’t afford by the bottle (though there are many reasonably-priced bottles). Since my goal was to taste wines I may not always get to, my top picks (barring the Tissot Classique) are on the pricier end, but, once again, there’s a range on the menu:

• 2005 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet Chardonnay from Burgundy ($8.50 taste/$17 glass) – Citrus crisp with notes of rose and vanilla.
• 2006 Tissot Classique Arbois Chardonnay from Jura, France ($6 taste/$12 glass) – Reasonably priced but intriguingly complex and spicy; tops for taste vs. value… and from a woman winemaker, no less.
• 2004 Domaine Lejeune Pommard “Poutures” 1er Cru from Burgundy ($10 taste/$20 glass) – For someone who can tend to find many California Pinots, for lack of a better term, bland (I usually prefer Zins, Syrahs, Cabs), this French Pinot blew me away with subtle cherry and plum notes and an earthy mushroom complexity. Nothing like any other Pinot I’ve tasted.
• 2004 Betts & Scholl Hermitage Syrah from Rhone, France ($9.50 taste/$19 glass) – This captivating wine (92 points in Wine Spectator) has butter almond notes with a creamy finish.

Cocktails didn’t fare as well with me, though none I tried were poor by any means. All nice, they didn’t quite stack up to the ever-growing list of craft cocktails to be had in this town. At least, not yet. Ingredients are of top quality and recipes intriguing – it’s just not a cocktail destination. Especially with all the wines you must try!

Desserts ($9 each) are a happy finish, though not as striking as starters and entrees: I like tart Kumquat Confiture with coriander sponge cake, yogurt and white verjus sorbet, or rich Chocolate Delice with roasted banana and brown butter cashew ice cream.

Though costly, a meal at hip-but-low-key RN74 is cheaper than Michael Mina’s flagship and namesake fine dining destination (which remains a special occasion favorite for me).  If money is no object, there are dozens of revelatory taste discoveries here. For the rest of us, it’s a place to escape into vino bliss (from Mr. Parr to the waitstaff, trust them with informed wine recommendations), whether treated as a wine bar with fine food accompaniments or a fine restaurant with a stellar wine list.

Contigo

1320 Castro Street (at 24th)
San Francisco, CA  94114
415-285-0250
www.contigosf.com
www.inpraiseofsardines.com

My cozy ‘hood of Noe Valley hasn’t had a truly noteworthy restaurant opening in some time. Though we have one-of-a-kind places like Incanto and Firefly, we lack in top-notch ethnic food (which makes me sad) or a slew of above-average options the amount of which some ‘hoods have. But merely one block from my apartment is a new place worth trekking across town for. Brett Emerson’s Contigo is here. His passion for Spanish food, perfected in many travels to Spain and education from their local chefs (not to mention his Chez Panisse background), shows in each touch, from organic, humane food sources, to a back patio garden, to restored woods in a sleek, inviting dining room. This opening has been a long time coming, as chronicled in Brett’s delightful blog, but, the wait? Oh, so worth it.

A wood-fired oven glows as you approach the front door, and unless you arrive early, be ready for a wait as they do not take reservations except for six or more. Though only open since March 3rd, multiple visits show few early kinks to work out. Service is welcoming and food comes out in steady flow. With a thoughtful drink list of Spanish-predominant wines and sherries (white sherry is an ideal aperitif), beers from Spain and the US, and crispy Spanish Cavas (champagne/sparkling wine), some of my favorites have been from the Portuguese wines. They’ll give a taste or two if you’re not sure what to choose.

The menu is reasonably priced with three Pica Pica (small plates, some quite small) for $21, or $8 each, top quality Jamon (hams) for $9 each (three for $24), and large plates ranging from $12-19. The long list of highlights is, true to Spain, heavy on the salty, with lots of anchovies (Anchoas del Cantabrico is four perfect filets drizzled in olive oil), sardines sourced from Spain (Brett has clearly learned the art of preparing anchovies and sardines), salted cod, squid. But there’s plenty to contrast with the salty. I rave about the balance found in the Sardinas en Escabeche, a silvery gray sardine filet punctuated with blood oranges, beet relish and chickpea puree. It covers multiple taste sensations – probably my favorite Pica Pica thus far. Oxtail Croquetas are already a hit here and rightly so – fragrantly warm with oxtail meat (on an alternate night, it was the secondary but still great Croquetas de Bacalao, or salt cod fritters). 18 and 36-month aged jamons from Spain make an appearance, as does superb Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Ham from Tennessee (a big hit at SF’s Slow Food Nation event last year).

Judiones a la Segoviana ($16) is a generous serving of juicy butter beans with silky pork belly, pig ears and feet… yep, it’s fun food, y’all. Coques ($12-14) are wood-oven crisped, paper-thin Catalan flatbreads covered with pleasing options like jamon, manchego cheese, artichokes, Basque sausage. I love the Coca del Mercat with Rapini (aka Broccoli Rabe) and Carmelized Onions, although the Coca Amb Beco is smoky rich with Benton’s bacon.

Buzzing from the glow of conversation over a long meal with friends, take one final journey through the dessert menu with Blue Bottle Coffee (served in a French press). A Blood Orange Lemon Tart finishes with a fresh punch, while Churros with chocolate seem to be an early crowd favorite (I wanted my churros a little warmer and crispier, but I did down that chocolate!) For a non-cake lover like myself, the “Pastel Vasco” Almond Cake was a pleasant surprise: fluffy, creamy, not dry, with a thin layer of ollalieberry preserves at the bottom. Olive Oil ice cream is an ideal finish to a tour ’round seductive Spain.

Many are already comparing Contigo to hotspot SPQR. Though similar in small plates structure and no reservation policy, they’re pretty different. I personally prefer Contigo to SPQR, which I enjoy but find somewhat overhyped and heavy on the fried (SPQR’s fried brussel sprouts are worth all hype, however). Contigo is certainly a much needed new dining destination in Noe, but more so, it’s one of those rare places that transports you to a pace of life as it should be, where attention is paid to detail and a warm welcome awaits.