Thursday night sushi

Remember when Conrad and I used to regularly do Thursday night sushi?  Our habit hasn't been much in place lately.  Weird spring!  Ah well.  Anyway, this past Thursday, Conrad flew home from Chicago and then had to contend with World Cup traffic on the way home from LAX.  That ride took 1.75 hours.  Yikes.  A lot.  Because of that, I wanted him to have an easier evening of it (and the same for me).  We took ourselves to visit our friends at Mama M Sushi for dinner sitting outside there, watching the world go by.   And, as ever, it was good.  Agedashi tofu,

shishito peppers,

a sashimi assortment. 

Tasty!

It had been an odd week.  Van was ill most of the week, so we spent little time together.  I was at home alone more than I might usually be, eating simply, going to bed early.  Getting back to Mama M again was a nice little way to bring a short week to a close and welcome Conrad home. 

sushi night!

Another short entry in a series of short entries.  Blogging, what a life!

Anyway, Thursday night was sushi night out with Conrad. 

We actually haven't got sushi in a few weeks, so it was nice to do so, and even better to not do takeaway but go sit at the restaurant and have things come out at the right temperatures and freshly made.  We wandered over a while after I got home from work, sat outside to watch the world go by, and had a good meal at Mama M.

No shishito peppers to start with tonight.  Sitting at the restaurant meant we could have agedashi tofu fresh from the kitchen. 

Yum!  From there, we proceeded to some premium sashimi, and they delivered. 

It was especially good, which makes it seem as if there are times when it isn't, but no.  Maybe we were just in a mood and spirit to really enjoy slowly and appreciate.  Maybe the fish was better.  It was excellent, though.

And we had an avocado roll. 

It's not dessert, but the unctuous filling makes it feel that way.

A nice Thursday evening.  What a weird week - I was on campus every day this week.  Pre-pandemic, that was my life:  five days a week at work.  But nowadays?  Ah well.  Onward with the weekend!

and… we are done!

Well, mostly.  There are knickknacks to go back on book shelves, and I want to think about those more.  But we are done.  We looked at everything (or so we thought - we later discovered we had forgotten an inconsequential box, weeded out a lot, packed the rest up.  

It was after 6 when we were done.  We finally showered and headed over to Mama M f

or a thoroughly satisfying dinner there.  Tofu!  

Shishito peppers!  

Sashimi!  

It was good.

But ahhhhhhh…. I love and miss Christmas, but I am so glad to be done!

Mama M on a Friday

I know, I know.  Usually Friday is for Maestro.  But we had a gift card burning a hole in our pocket, so we decided to switch things up and go enjoy Mama M.  And not takeaway either!  We actually went over and sat outside, shared a bottle of wine, and had ourselves a lovely time of it. 

Agedashi tofu,

shishito peppers,

avocado roll,

and an amazing platter of premium sashimi. 

Jack and Joy, the owners, each came along to chat with us, which was lovely.  And then we came home where Conrad read and I did a few more last-minute Christmas things.  I ended the night by lying on the couch, falling asleep in the glow from the tree. 

some truly lovely sashimi

Conrad is home, I leave tomorrow.  So we grabbed our one night together and popped round to Mama M Sushi.  The weather was fine (in the 70s), so we sat outside and treated ourselves to a nice dinner.  Agedashi tofu.  

Shishito peppers.  

A special roll.  

And oh, a glorious serving of sashimi (plus oysters).  

We splurged on it - an overdue date night for us.  Truly worth it.  We ate at leisure, chatting with neighbours who were walking past.  It got dark, it grew cooler, and we came home, sated.  Kudos to Chef Jack for such a lovely meal.

San Francisco weekend, the dining blog entry

Many days later...

Tuesday night here, dinner done.  We got back from San Francisco eight days ago now.  EIGHT!  My, the time has gone by.  So let me talk about the dining we enjoyed there.  But let me state a few things first:

• It was easier to find good dining in San Francisco in a smaller area than Los Angeles.  Two cities of very different sizes and layouts, but I have to say, it was nice to walk to meals rather than plan for an hour to get across town.
• The seafood was fresher than what I feel we get in Los Angeles.
• The service was better than what I feel we get in Los Angeles.

All of which makes me sound like I am absolutely crapping on LA.  I've had many many good meals in LA and area, of course!  But although I love our local favourites, I am trying to recall the last meal I had out in LA where I was talking on and on afterward about how much I enjoyed it.  It's been a while.  The San Francisco weekend?  Scratched a culinary itch.

Onward... 

(And now more time has passed.  It's been a week, I tell you.  Sunday night after dinner here, and likely this won't see light of day until Monday morning.  Sigh.)

Up first:  Sorella.  Italian food.  Recognizably classic, but with things that caught my eye when I looked at the menu online.  And walkable from the hotel - uphill on the way back, mind you.  The food was great, though the lighting was low.  But such good oysters,

a delicious tuna dish,

a hearty timballo,

and Conrad enjoyed his pasta course. 

Plus:  dessert! 

I'm selling it short with such a description, sorry.  We loved the bottle of wine we shared, but most of all, we really appreciated our server, whose name I have now (sorry) forgotten.  She gave us terrific recommendations, and we enjoyed the meal so thoroughly, we asked to speak to the manager so we could tell him how very much we were enjoying it.  I would love to go back!

Saturday lunch:  606.  We had wandered aimlessly in Chinatown, intimidated by picking a place, until we did a quick search for best Chinese in SF.  That led us to this cafe, bright with sunlight.  The server made a few recommendations, and she was right about them.  Silken tofu and green beans,

a chicken dish. 

It was all tasty, and good fuel for the walking ahead!

Saturday dinner:  Sushi Sato.  First off, tasty cocktails. 

And the sushi (and other fare - there was an appetizer of eggplant in there)

was terrific, too.  The service was nice although it was clear to us that the server needed support.  He was deeply apologetic for not being attentive enough, and we assured him that we were having a nice, leisurely evening.  He deserved that grace, and he brought us a dessert on the house as thanks. 

A very kind touch, but I'd happily go back there.

Sunday brunch:  Mymy.  A crab and shrimp cakes egg Benedict. 

Satisfying!  A very cute little place with substantial breakfasts!!

Sunday dinner:  Zuni Cafe. 

YES!  I've been wanting to go there for so many years and try the famous roast chicken.  We were seated (then offered another table in a quieter spot by the windows), and our waiter let us know that the chicken would take an hour.  So we got that order in and went on with browsing the menu.  Cocktails to start,

and once I saw the loaves of bread in the kitchen (which we could see into in part), I knew we needed bread service. 

Oysters!! 

But we went light on the appetizers because we had a whole chicken coming out with bread salad (essentially dressing) and lightly wilted bitter greens. 

SO GOOD.  Worth it.  Oh, and pavlova for dessert. 

Our server was excellent once again - we delighted in his sense of humour.  Definitely a place for a return visit.

It's Tuesday night again as I finish this.  Sorry.  Lots going on.  I may be a little quiet on the blog for a bit, but if I wake up tomorrow with renewed energy, great!  In the meantime, enjoy this overdue look at some mighty fine dining in San Francisco earlier this month!