Montesacro Pinseria

Dinner before Roman Holiday was at Montesacro Pinseria. It's located at 510 Stevenson Street, just a block south of the theatre. I thought it was fitting to have a Roman meal before the show.

Panzanella with Farro--$13. This wasn't a classic panzanella. The bread were hard croutons. It was okay.

Porchetta alla Romana--$15. This was 4 slices of thinly sliced pork. The pork was dry and there was a bitter taste. So disappointing, especially since each slice was $3.75.

Pinseria Centocele--$21. Mozzarella, Tomato, Artichokes, Mushroom, Olives, Hard-Boiled-Egg, Prosciutto di Parma. The crust is good but the prosciutto was overpowered by the sauce.

Pinseria Maranella--$20. Mozzarella, Broccolini, Spicy Pork Sausage, Stracciatella di Burrata. This had a little more flavor although it could have used just a little salt to enhance the flavor.

 

Overall, the pinseria were good but would I go back? Probably not. There are other places that are just as good without the price tag.



2017 06 16

Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday had it's pre-Broadway premiere at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco.

The show is based on the 1953 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. The music is Cole Porter's. I didn't care for the musical and in fact dozed during the performance. Although I liked the storyline and the sets, the Cole Porter songs were not very memorable. The leads were not very strong. Georgia Engel, who played the Countess, was the only highlight of the show, although it wasn't much of an acting stretch for her. I kept thinking Georgette Baxter was in the show.



2017 06 16

Popson's

Dinner before Hamilton was a hamburger at Popson's, located at 998 Market Street, a 7-minute walk from the Orpheum.

Single Burger with onion, lettuce, pickle, special sauce--$6.45. It was a good burger but not out of this world. I wouldn't go out of my way to get it.

Naked Fries--$3.25. These were okay. I think McDonald's is better--they have a better crisp on the outside.

2017 04 21

Hamilton

Hamilton is in San Francisco. With all the hype in New York, we got season tickets to guarantee that we would be able to get seats for this production. On the first day tickets went on sale in San Francisco, there were 10s of 1000s of people waiting to get seats. Someone I know was in position in the 45,000s. Was it worth the hype? Let's just say I'm glad I didn't have to wait in a queue, nor did I pay above ticket value. It was a good production but not the best I've ever seen. I still like Les Mis better.

2017 04 21

54 Mint

Before the show, we had dinner at 54 Mint, located at 16 Mint Plaza. It's an Italian restaurant, with a 2nd location in Walnut Creek.

Alici Fritte--$13. Deep fried anchovies with caper mayonnaise. These were too greasy. 

The best fried anchovies I've ever had were in Dubrovnik, Croatia. They were amazing everywhere I had them. They were so good, with just a hint of flour coating and so juicy inside. They spoiled me for all other fried fish.

Artichoke appetizer. I was also not impressed.

Fettuccini Ai Funghi--$18. Pasta with porcini mushrooms, garlic, parsley and Pecorino Romano. This was okay. There were good pieces of porcini but the dish had too much of an oil mouth feel.

Gnocchi all'Amatriciana--$18. House-made potato gnocchi, tomato, onions, smoked pancetta, Pecorino.

Agnello alla Scottadito--$30. Grilled grass-fed "Rosen Farms" lamb chop, kale, truffle potato puree. Two small chops with 2 small kale leaves and a small mound of potatoes. The lamb was good--not great. Tender but slightly charred. This was not a good value.

Special of the night--Pasta with Bolognese. This was cooked al dente, the meat sauce was hearty and this was the best dish of the evening.

2017 03 31

Into the Woods

As part of our SHN Membership, we got tickets to "Into the Woods." It played at the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco. The production was actually quite good and I was impressed that some of the actors also served as the musical accompaniment.

What I hate about going into San Francisco to see a show is walking through all the homeless encampments on the street. It's what my sister calls the "piss & pot zone." I even saw some people actively using intravenous drugs.

2017 03 31

Stella Alpina

Before we boarded our flight to Cuba, we had dinner at Stella Alpina, located at 401 Primrose Road in Burlingame.

Truffle Gnocchi--not on the menu but you can ask for it. It's roughly $1.60 per piece of gnocchi. This was on the salty side.

Escargot--$14.

Insalata Bietole--$13. Roasted beets, arugula and Laura Chenel goat cheese with maple vinaigrette. This was very good and the dressing wasn't too sweet.

Osso Buco Di Vitello--$29. Veal shanks slowly braised and served over Mascarpone polenta. The polenta was delicious--great corn flavor. The osso buco was tender but could have been just a little more fall-off-the-bone.

Warm Chocolate Cake with Berry Coulis & Vanilla Bean Gelato--$9. 

As we were finishing our dinner, there was a blackout. We were afraid our flight would be affected but SFO didn't have any problems. We did have problems at Burlingame Airport Parking. Because of the power outage, we couldn't get inside the gate and ended up parking at the Hilton. Fortunately, the 2 properties are connected.



2017 03 04