Scowl, Nu?

Surprisingly Good Chinese in the Mission

Review of: Yum Yum House

By: Janet Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

I didn’t expect anything special when I walked into Yum Yum House, but they really surprised me. I had some really good hot and sour soup, good pot stickers, and some AMAZING Szechuan Stringbeans. The stringbeans at most other Chinese restaurants usually arrive limp, mushy and swimming in the requisite one-sauce-fits-all “brown sauce”. Yum Yum’s stringbeans (and accompanying slivers of red pepper) were crisp and fresh tasting, with no gloppy brown sauce in sight. Service was attentive and very friendly; they even agreed to make a dish for us that wasn’t on the menu.

Little detail-y thing: I also loved how each table had a different type of teapot – it gave the place a little bit of a cool funky-mismatched style!

Tea-licious

Review of: Modern Tea

By: Janet Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

So you find yourself in Hayes Valley on a Sunday afternoon, and it’s raining (again), and you just want to find a place to sit down and hang out for a while – but not a bar, because you’ve been overindulging a bit too much lately, and not a restaurant, because it’s too early for dinner – and suddenly in a perfect stroke of luck you notice that Modern Tea is finally open, so you run across the street to check it out.

It’s a cute place with kind of a light, airy feel: big windows, lots of blonde wood tables, light green colored walls. Upon sitting down, we were brought a carafe of water, a little plate of 3 petits fours (that tasted like gourmet fig newtons!), and a menu listing 16 different types of hot tea. Oh, and a dessert menu as well. The tea was great, served in tiny teapots that allow you to steep each cup individually. The menu also lists a description of each tea and how much caffeine is in each one.

The atmosphere was relaxing, and the service really friendly: even though they closed at 6 PM, they didn’t rush us at all when 6:00 rolled around, and even welcomed us to stay until we were done. We didn’t get to try any of their food, but I’m betting this would be a great place for brunch. The big windows look like they open up all the way for an open-air feel, which will be nice in warm weather.

Afternoon Tea in Hayes Valley

Review of: Modern Tea

By: Janet Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

So you find yourself in Hayes Valley on a Sunday afternoon, and it’s raining (again), and you just want to find a place to sit down and hang out for a while – but not a bar, because you’ve been overindulging a bit too much lately, and not a restaurant, because it’s too early for dinner – and suddenly in a perfect stroke of luck you notice that Modern Tea is finally open, so you run across the street to check it out.

It’s a cute place with kind of a light, airy feel: big windows, lots of blonde wood tables, light green colored walls. Upon sitting down, we were brought a carafe of water, a little plate of 3 petits fours (that tasted like gourmet fig newtons!), and a menu listing 16 different types of hot tea. Oh, and a dessert menu as well. The tea was great, served in tiny teapots that allow you to steep each cup individually. The menu also lists a description of each tea and how much caffeine is in each one.

The atmosphere was relaxing, and the service really friendly: even though they closed at 6 PM, they didn’t rush us at all when 6:00 rolled around, and even welcomed us to stay until we were done. We didn’t get to try any of their food, but I’m betting this would be a great place for brunch. The big windows look like they open up all the way for an open-air feel, which will be nice in warm weather.

Great Hidden Gem

Review of: Zoya

By: Janet Glasser

Rating: 5

Read review on Judy’s Book.

This place is so cute! The space is really cozy, with low lighting, and the service is beyond friendly – you kind of feel like you’re over at someone’s house for dinner. A cheerful husband and wife team run Zoya, and they definitely always make you feel welcome. The menu is chock full of excellent, well-prepared dishes at reasonable prices. I had the butternut squash soup on my first visit – perfect on a rainy evening – and the pork chop, which was just plain yummy. And of course, we had to try the Bananas Foster for dessert (so rich!) Everything was delicious – up to and including the coffee. We had the same great experience on our second visit: perfectly cooked steak, delicious asparagus appetizer, excellent wine.

I love finding these little hidden gems…the only thing that made me sad was the fact that there were only two other couples in the whole restaurant on a Friday night. Don’t be deterred by the fact that it’s connected to a Day’s Inn – this place is definitely worth a try!

(And as an aside, as a stickler for clean bathrooms, I only wish that my bathroom was as clean as theirs!)”

Small Plates…Very Small Plates (But Tasty!)

Review of: Cortez

By: Janet Glasser

Rating: 3

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Cortez is very plush and cozy, like an expensive cashmere sweater. The cream colored/dark wood decor coupled with low lighting gives the whole place an upscale feel.

The cocktails are pretty darned good – the Cucumber Gimlet in particular – and the presentation and quality of the food is excellent, but big eaters be warned – when they say “small plates” they really mean SMALL. Take the duck breast, for example: this small plate contained four so-tiny-you-don’t-even-have-to-slice-them pieces for $15. Since there were four of us, that meant one tiny piece for each person, which we finished in 30 seconds. Next!

All of the dishes tasted great (and the two types of bread were really good, too), but not only were they small, they were expensive, and the high prices were what deterred us from ordering more. The server had suggested 8 to 10 small plates for a party of four, but all of us still felt a little hungry after finishing dinner (thank god for the bread!) – and a lot poorer – 8 or so plates plus 4 desserts and a few cocktails brought the bill to around $250 before tip). It may be a better place to go as a party of two, as there would be a bigger portion for each diner per dish. I’ll definitely keep Cortez in mind as a place to go when someone else is treating!”

A Place to Visit Again and Again

Review of: Range

By: Janet Glasser

Rating: 5

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Pretty much everything about Range pleases me: the cool design of the place, the candles everywhere, the hooks in the hallway and at the bar where you can hang your coat and bag, the bar, the cocktails, and especially the food. I’ve been here twice now and every dish I’ve tasted has been really creative, and expertly prepared (and fresh – where do they get lettuce that tastes that good this time of year?) We recently got seats at the bar early on a Thursday evening — between the friendly bartenders (who really know their stuff when it comes to cocktails), the food, and the conversation, we ended up staying much longer than we planned. The portions are just the right size in my opinion – large enough to enjoy, but not so big that you’re too stuffed for dessert (and the desserts are fabulous!)