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psb
Aug 6, 2006 05:14 AM
Just had a very nice dinner at Blue Plate. Dinning in the
back garden on a warm San Francisco night ... as opposed to
a hot, stuffy, loud, interitor ... was a major plus.Quick review of current Blue Plate features:
STARTERS:
Padron Peppers with Goat Cheej: really a very nice starter
of strong flavors. The oil goes well with the very fine
Focaccia-type bread they offer.Yellowtail Crudo wi/ nectarines and fried shallots: also
quite good ... but with good yellowtail, you really dont
have to do much, do you? So eventhough this dish is really
about the ingredients, the preparation was good.Semolina crusted sweetbreads: my associate seems to always
get the sweetbreads when they are on offer. I though these
were the weakest [and most expensive] of the starters.
The YELLOW DOLL WALTERMELON was interesting.
Let somebody else get this and just try a piece.Grilled Squid: sounds common, but a quite high standard version.
Also has good "dipping potential" for the bread.
Pretty fair quantity for $8. Solid recommendation.Duck Rillette: I didnt like the duck so much, but the
toasted bread soaked in oil they were served with was
rich and excellent. My associate did like the duck, while
I thought it was a little stringy. I'm willing to say "it's
just me" on this one.BLTA salad: bacon/romaine/cherry tomato/avocado: Boy, this
is not a "oh i'll just have a salad" light item. When it showed
up, I thought the lettuce looked a little limp instad of fresh
and cruncy, but that was because the leaves were defeated by
the giant quantity of BACON GREASE ...yum! This may have
been my favorite "starter" ... I put "starter" in quotes
because this alone would have been a pretty fair lunch for $9.MAIN ITEMS:
Meatloaf wi/ mashed potatos. Sounds awfully heavy for a
early evening en plein air dining, but as observed in
other posts, the meatloaf was somewhat "light abd fluffy".
This is probably the best meatloaf I have had, but it's not
like I usually order meatloaf at places of this standard.
This was probably by favorite item. It's also half the price
[$14] as the ribeye, which I am normally quite fond of, but
didnt want to pay $28 for ... espe since ribeye is one of the
things I can cook decently.Frried Green Tomatos with grits and mushroom gravy:
This was better than anything I tried at FARMER BROWN.
Really quite good, however, I'm not sure I'd want to eat
a full plate of this ... best to let the "other guy" get
this and then offer to share.SIDES:
Chard: blah ... I suppose it's decent, but again greens are
something "even I can cook", so I didnt get that excited
over them. Probably better than the FARMER BROWN greens tho.Macaroni with spanish goat cheese: what not to like ... well
done, but who isnt going to like this rich, fatty item?DESSERT: By far the weakest course.
Some kinda of fruit pie ... eh.Pistachio-chcocolate sunday: ok it was decent, but not really
a high standard item.OVERALL: (yet another) strong endorsement for Blue Plate.
Especially notable since the $50/person category is a tough
one... cannot speak to dining inside, but back patio is a
major plus on a nice evening, esp for a couple [well spaced
tables, staff not hovering around but they come out to check
on you with good frequency etc]. Might have to go elsewhere
for dessert ... or you can have "liquid dessert".STRONGEST ENDORSEMENTS:
Romaine, peppers, foccacia-like bread, Squid, meatloaf, mac+cheej.Oh they have this sparkling Bugey wine [$32] which I like ...
some people might find it a bit wine coolerish, but again,
for a summery meal, I think it is refreshing.Anybody know where in SF/Berkeley you can buy these Bugey
items?Ok, I suppose that was not so "quick" ... but some of you
people seem to have an infinite appetite for talking about
food :-) -
