Boulevard in San Francisco. A Classic Renewed...

We hadn't been back to Boulevard, a San Francisco classic at One Market Street, in over a year. At first glance, there were some old standards on the menu. But looking further there were clearly some new additions. As a matter of fact, we found out that a few items were being debuted that very evening: lucky US! You gotta try the mozzarella with baby artichokes and TRUFFLESSSSS; delicate flavors, tasteful, delicious... Butternut squash carpaccio with tiny baby bell peppers stuffed with herbed goat cheese, a playful riff on autumn colors and flavors, followed.
Since we had decided to satisfy our hunger (and curiosity) with mostly appetizers, we went for it and ordered two more. House cured bacon embraced the most tender quail on a bed of tiny corn cakes (in the picture). At the heart of this marriage was a sliver of apple, giving us the sensation that we were eating a rich foie gras. Boulevard continues to represent innovative California-French Fusion at its best...and we love the playful twists.

Lots of good eats at Suppenkuche. In San Francisco, between Laguna and Hayes

Noise from people having a good time, beer of the best quality, and food made with passion and calories. That's what you will find any given weekend at this German eatery that has people queued up outside the door to get a table you will share with a few other people you don't know. The meats are excellent: Saturdays are Pork night. Deliciously roasted pork is served with the classic German supporting actors: sauerkraut and bread pudding dumpling, etc
The Veneson is exquisite and is also served with a red sauerkraut and a red wine sauce with a lingonberry side that is to write home about. Even the potato pancakes are delicate and tasteful. It is the kind of food that will be easy to make a mess with, but Suppenkuche avoid it by putting the 5 senses into it and a lot of good beer from the old country.

What's right about The Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley?

The Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley, right off highway 101, continues to surprise. Just when you think that you're tired of the menu, they update with new layers of flavor, resurrecting American favorites in a delightfully Californian way. Proving that restaurants cannot, and should not, rely solely on selling sustainable and local products--the food, in the end, needs to taste good too. And if you're not a meat eater, here' s a case in point: the Daily Fish Special of Halibut with Cauliflower--a very innocuous sounding dish--was delicious! The cauliflower puree made the dish feel luxurious and so sweet, the roasted bed of cauliflower reminded us of the veggie we were eating, the halibut was cooked perfectly. Add to that, the parsley/frisee salad and my mouth never tired of the dish: 4 layers of flavor...all American, very Californina and also Japanese in concept. Taste, texture, aroma...

Watch out! Turkey day approaches.

It is that month of the year. Imagination in the kitchen is replaced by the tradition and the way it's always been done. So if you don't want to lower your standards make sure you order a special Turkey, get organic veggies, make your own pies from scratch and pick great wines from Califonia, Spain, Italy or France. The rest is just the same: family, friends and luckily fun.

Delfina on California Street, San Francisco. Ingredients and taste come together right... perfect!

It was not the first time we ate at this fun and welcoming place. Every time we eat at Delfina we are most pleased with the quality of the food and the very special care to "do it right" from the young kitchen crew. Last Tuesday we had the Monterey Sardines (in the picture) with fennel and marinated with vineger, olive oil and other herbs to start. Sweet and a bit sour; this appetizer is delicious and surprisingly soothing. The freshness of the sardines and the generous sweetness of the fennel do wonders to open up your palate to the next dish. It was an anchovy pizza, with peppers and tomato sauce. Crispy and soft at the same time, hard to achieve but Delfina does. Salad and other appetizers were exquisite and well dressed to create deep and lasting flavors. The service is friendly and very efficient. They successfully combine Spanish tapa style with Italian and Californian cuisines: deliciously gourmet... and affordable too!

Stellina Osteria in Point Reyes Station, California. Great Ingredients-- forgot to flavor it?!?

About a 2-hour drive from San Francisco and one hour before you get to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, there is a place that remains just about the way it was 50 years ago... Point Reyes Station has been preserved in spite of the crowds that visit every weekend of the year. Even Prince Charles of England was here a few years ago.

Stellina Osteria uses very fresh ingredients but somewhere in the short time that it's been open, flavoring has been forgotten. Maybe it's just a matter of cooking very light, but a grass-fed- goat-shoulder-stew with polenta ought to have a lot more exciting things to say than just: "Yes, I am meat and a very good one at that!" We didn't try the specialty: pizza with local oysters. I did not have the courage... The potato fennel soup was made with the freshest organic"est" ingredients. A heavy gluten taste (cooked, maybe yesterday?) prevented us from enjoying the sweet winks that fennel can give to a potato. The soup was left practically untouched, yet nobody bothered to find out if there was bleach or a cockroach floating with the fresh basil (fresh indeed!).

A lovely dining room, but Stellina is ready for a flavor revamp. Let me know if you try the Oyster Pizza.

Best in Japantown at Bushi-Tei. Post Street in San Francisco. Nagano to USA

It has to be noted that the interior of the restaurant is designed with the wood structure of an ancient house from the Nagano area in Japan. The beams were transported carefully from there and set in the restaurant to create a feeling that harmoniously mixes the old and the modern Japan. The place claims to be French/Californian. But we decided that is more Japanese/Spanish/French/Californian.
It was great. Wonderful homemade breads: mini danish, chocolate croissant, etc. Go with the Jamón Serrano starter presented like a Maki, filled with perfectly balanced lettuce, quail egg and dressing. Kurobuta pork (Milanesa) was excellent and cooked to perfection, the chicken was unexpectedly moist with a diced veggie salad to die for.
Dessert was to write home about: sesame seed mousse with coconut cream: Yummmmyyyyyyyy!!! It was $25 per person, but it beats any brunch we've tried. Food and ambience are the result of a well thought out plan to please both the palate and the eye.

Welcome to the Great Repasts Review.

We will be going around tasting food of all knds in all the places we can get to. From California to Madrid. From London to Hawaii. from Australia to China. And we will be telling you all about it. Restaurants that are very good and restaurants that aren't. Places that are special and places that pretend to be and are not.

We also like your comments and contribution. So do not be shy and tell us about places you eat that cause an impact. either pleasant or unpleasant.

A. and JL