Mehfil, the little Indian Restaurant located on 2nd and Folsom in the SOMA district in San Francisco is one of our favorite restaurants in the city. We eat here almost once a week! The food is always so so so fresh, the service is always prompt, and the food is truly authentic (or at least I am assuming it is from the number of Indians I always see dining at Mehfil!)I'm warning you though, if you eat here you will leave absolutely stuffed!
The other day we came here with our friends, Miranda (the blond), Veronica (the dark haired one), and Bryan (not shown because the picture I took of him turned out horrible!).
They have a great attention to detail at Mehfil, only serving the best. Even the plates are beautiful!
Eddie and I have our staples that we always get here. One of them is Chicken Tikki Masala. If you have never tried this dish it is a must have at least once in your life. Try dipping some naan in the sauce....YUM!
This is a recent discover for us, Chicken Khorma. The chicken is so moist and delicious and the sauce is so creamy and yummy. Also absolutely delicious with naan!
This is one of my favorites, another version of Tikki Masala, but this one is with salmon. The salmon in this dish is tandoori baked and so is very moist and flaky.
And of Course we have to have some veggies! This is Benga Bharta, creamed eggplant with peas. I absolutely love the texture of this dish, it's smooth with a little crunch from the peas. The amazing thing is that I absolutely hate peas but I love them in this dish.
I usually also get another vegetable dish called Punjabi Channa Panneer, a chickepea dish with spices and cheese cubes. It's really yummy and also has a really nice texture. I often just get this dish when it's just me eating and I don't feel like stuffing myself because it's healthy and really yummy by itself without rice or naan. And very filling!
And what is Indian food without rice? They make their rice here with safron, it's so light and fluffy and absolutely delicious when mixed with Tiki Masala or Chicken Khorma.
This is a new dish we tried this time, it's a rice dish with chicken and spices....It was really yummy!
And of course what is Indian food without Naan? Naan comes in all kinds of flavors, garlic, cheese, potato, etc. But my absolute favorite is just plain butter naan. The naan at Mehfil always comes fresh, hot, fluffy, and so yummy!
And if you don't feel like using your naan to dip in your tikki masala or other Indian dishes, you can get some mango chutney to eat your naan with...
Or cucumber Yogurt sauce.
So much food! So little room in my tummy!
Yet somehow I manage to eat it all.
And so does everyone else!
P.S. if you live in the city near the SOMA district, they also deliver!
It was an unusually warm and pleasant evening in San Francisco. Earlier in the day I mentioned to Eddie that we should spend some time outside. We should take the dog on an extended walk, or walk down to our old apartment complex and say hi to some friends, or walk to Taylor's Automatic Refresher and get some milkshakes... why did I mention that last one? I knew that would be what Eddie would want to do. Secretly, that is what I really wanted to do as well, but I didn't want to let myself. Milkshakes are bad for you I keep telling myself. Milkshakes make you fat! But I couldn't change my mind now, I couldn't back down...and deep down inside I didn't really want to.
When the evening finally came around, I made sure not to stuff myself too much with dinner....just in case we did decide to get milkshakes later. I kept thinking maybe Eddie would forget, but I couldn't get it out of my mind. What if Eddie did forget? Then I wouldn't get my milkshake! But that's a good thing, right? Then why am I so afraid of it? I keep trying to convince myself that I really don't want the milkshake, that it will make me fat, it will make me feel bad. But the more I think about it, the more I want it. I casually mention to Eddie that I want to be outside...it is too nice to be stuck inside. "Okay," he casually says, "let's go get milkshakes."
During the walk there I try not to think about it. We make small talk, we talk about my blog and how I am going to make money off of it...someday. :) How we want to have a family someday and I want to be able to devote my time to my family and not have to split time with my family and a full time job. It works, I don't think about that milkshake until we get to Taylor's. I find a booth outside and wait with the dog while Eddie orders us each a shake.
This is when I get antsy....where is he? Why is he taking so long? Does it really take this long to make a milkshake? Then I start planning out exactly how I am going to drink/eat it. I'm going to use a spoon and take little spoonfuls at a time. No, I'm going to use a straw. I'm going to only eat half. No, I'm going to eat the whole thing. No, I'm just going to see how I feel. This is usually what happens when I'm eating something "bad" or "fattening" or whatever you want to call it.
Finally, after what seems like a century...Eddie comes outside with our shakes. I got mint chip. Eddie had this shake last time and it looked so yummy. The best part was after you drank all the shake your left with a pile of yummy chocolate chips that just melt in your mouth. I was so looking forward to that part. The only problem was... that meant I would have to drink the entire shake. Just drink it slow...see how you feel.
Mmmmm.....minty, cold, smooth, creamy milkshake. It was so thick, and so so so good. I slowly sipped it and thoroughly enjoyed each mouthful. At the halfway point I stopped. I don't need anymore. I'm getting a bit full. I don't even really want any more. But those chocolate chips! Oh I want those chocolate chips. Maybe I'll save the rest. yes, that is what I will do. I will save the rest. I will put it in the freezer and keep it for tomorrow. But I don't want to eat this again. I don't want to see it again. Out of sight, out of mind. But I can't throw it away. And waste those yummy chocolate chips? No no no. But what shall I do? This is a real dilemma.
This is about when I stopped myself, took a deep breath and told myself to shut up because I was being ridiculous. I decided to let myself drink it all. Acknowledge that the healthy thing to do would be to save the other half for another day then give myself a break! I don't have to be healthy 100% of the time. I don't eat milkshakes every day! I eat healthy 90% of the time. It's ok to indulge once in awhile!
So that is what I did. I drank the whole thing. Every last sip until all that was left was a pile of yummy smooth little chocolate square. I used a spoon to eat those. I let each mouthful slowly melt in my mouth. It was heaven.
When I was done I felt full. I felt bloated, and a little bit guilty... okay A LOT guilty. But it was worth it, I think. I got to spend some time in the beautiful weather outdoors with my husband and my dog. I let myself eat something that I normally don't and I decided instead of beating myself up about it I would enjoy it and release all the guilt onto my blog. So here I am saying goodbye, because I know that in the morning I will feel normal again and all remnants of that shake, the "fat" feeling, the bloating, the fullness, will be all gone.
Pazzia.....mmmm.....my favorite Italian restaurant in San Francisco! it is this little hole in the wall place tucked away in the SOMA district on the 3rd St. between Harrison and Folsom. We came here with our Australian friends, Tam, Cam, and Tam's "mum" who is here for Tam because she is about to have a baby!
Of course we had to get wine. This is a Toscana...I am all about Toscana's right now. They are yummy!
Here is Tam and Cam....the proud parents to be!
I started with a salad, this is a pear and arugula salad with blue cheese, walnuts, and a balsamic dressing.
Eddie had a classic Italian caprese salad that he said was amazing!
For an entree, Eddie and I shared a mozzarella and spicy sausage pizza. Yes I know there is a piece already taken. I got really into the conversation and forgot to take pictures!
Mum got the lamb...which she is obviously enjoying. It looks yummy! She said is was "beautiful."
Tam devoured her lasagna...I barely got a picture. But she's pregnant...so she has an excuse!
Cam got the spinach spaghetti with salmon and pancetta. I had this last time. It's amazing. All the pasta is homemade. This is an excellent very authentic Italian restaurant, even the servers are Italian. It has gotten so popular they are expanding and taking over the space next door!
Here is tam and her big belly. Isn't she cute!!!
And then dessert....of course we had to have dessert! We aren't big fans of Italian desserts so we decided to go over to Tam and Cam's house and bake brownies and make brownie sundaes. They were soooo good! Although sooo bad for you. I'm not even going to tell you how many calories. (yes I know how many calories....I know....it's pathetic....I can't help it!) It was worth it though! YUM!
Wow! What a crazy night Eddie and I had on Friday! We decided to splurge and go out to dinner. We decided to go to Houston's. I know what you are thinking...Houston's is a chain not a San Francisco Restaurant! I know! But it's so good! And swanky! And there is no corkage fee so we can get blitzed and not go broke!!! Now, before I go on I have to warn you that these pictures are not my best! I have not figured out how to use my camera at night or in dark restaurants!
Anyway, We decided to take advantage of the no corkage fee rule an brought our own wine. We brought a 2005 Stags' Leap Winery Nine Points Cabernet Sauvignon. Now I am definitely no wine expert. I can tell cheap bad wine from decent wine, but that is about as far as my wine tasting expertise goes. Eddie and I decided on this wine because it was on sale from $35 to $19.99. And it was pretty good! It was very smooth for a cab, not to acidic. I really liked it!
For an appetizer we got cheese toast (Eddie LOVES cheese!) It was pretty good, very mild. But we were starving so it hit the spot.
As an entree I got the crab cakes, which came with a mustard sauce, cole slaw, and potato fries. It was very good!
Eddie got the 14oz. ribeye steak with garlic mashed potatoes. Although Houston's is usually very good, Eddie was quite disappointed with this meal. He asked for it medium and it came very very rare. Houston's is very efficient, they got our food to us very fast it was fresh. I think it's because there is usually a long wait and the more people they can cram in each night the more money they make. But I was starving so I'm really glad they got the food out fast!
We usually get dessert at Houston's. They have AMAZING desserts. But walking to Houston's we walked the Fog City Diner. And people were drinking milkshakes that looked so good. Since we had never been there before, we thought we would check it out. We go the turtle sundae. Doesn't it look good!
Here let me give you a closer picture. Yum! Although it was very good. This dessert has nothing on Houston's desserts.
We were having a good night and we didn't want it to end. So we decided to have another drink. Eddie ordered us shots of patron. I do not take shots. I have never been able too.
But I did this night! And this is actually my second shot! I forgot to take a picture of the first one. By this time we were feeling pretty good! And the restaurant was pretty cleared out, so we made friends with the bartender.
Who made us more drinks.
This is his signature drink. He calls it "The Mexican Passion" It has fresh lime, Chambord, pineapple juice, and Herraduras Tequila. It was pretty good. His motto is "After three, that's when you feel the passion!" It was so funny! He was awesome. Anyway, this is my last picture, although the night went on for some time longer. More drinks at Fog City Diner. We eventually got kicked out cause we shut the place down. Then our friend came over and we kept drinking at home. It was a fun night.....but not a very fun next morning :)
Delancey Street Restaurant. If you have never heard of it it is one of the best secrets we have found in the city. Every chance we get we try to take everyone we know here. Delancey Street Restaurant was opened by the Delancey Street Foundation, the country's largest self help residential organization for people who have hit rock bottom to completely rebuild their lives. The Delancey Street Foundation provides a home and all services to the residents at no cost to the residents or tax payers. They earn all of their money through this restaurant and other enterprises they have started. All of these enterprises are run by the residents being cared for by the Delancey Street Foundation. The Delancey Street Restaurant is a training facility to teach these residents working skills that they can use to get jobs and get back on their feet. Now do you see why I love this restaurant? But it gets better! Because these residents are trying to rebuild their lives and reputations the service is so friendly and nice. Surprisingly, the food is really really good. And the best part is that it's super cheap! Good, cheap food! Something that is hard to come by in San Francisco!
Last Sunday, my mom was in the city seeing a show, so she stopped by to see me and she brought some friends.
This is Phyllis, she is my grandmother's best friend, they've known each other since high school! Isn't that amazing!
The woman on the right is Phyllis's daughter, Terry. On the left is Terry's daughter Kara. Three generations of women! I was so excited and thought, "what a perfect opportunity to go to Delancey Street for a yummy dinner!"
The food is awesome, it's American cuisine with southern and Asian accents. They offer awesome BBQ items and even a health conscious low cal menu. The only thing I will say is that they do not put salt on any of their food so it can be bland sometimes.
Phyllis got the crab cakes, an item on their low fat menu.
Kara got the pasta primavera with homemade tomato sauce and fresh basil.
My mom, the pickiest of us all got the pesto and smoked chicken pizzette.
Look! Even she was happy!
And I got the Mediterranean chicken and olives with Israeli couscous.
It was very Yummy!
And what is dinner without dessert? Since we are all women and need to maintain our girlish figures we decided to split two desserts between the five of us.
Creme Brulee...
and tiramisu. After dinner we were all stuffed and oh so happy. And the best part of it was that all of this food came out to $66!!!!
Anyone want to come visit me in San Francisco? I'll take you to a great fancy meal!
To find out more about the Delancey Street Foundation and their restaurant, click here.
