Day 203: Thank Goodness for the Walk Home

We live in an an awesome neighborhood with lots and lots of phenomenal restaurants.  The problem is, we rarely leave the neighborhood due to the lack of taxis in this city and our mutual refusal to act as a designated driver.  So, once in a while I start to get tired of the same old same old, no matter how delicious it is.  Such was the case tonight.  Fortunately, I remembered a neighborhood joint that we hadn't visited in 157 days (a side benefit of keeping this blog is the ability to easily recall such details!).

The Baker Street Bistro has very good food, but what I like best is the atmosphere.  Step into this restaurant and you will feel as though you've been instantly transported to France.  Who doesn't need a little mini-vacation on a Friday night?

My husband and I shared a green salad and the cheese plate to start.  The highlight for me was the disc of walnut crusted goat cheese, followed by deliciously sharp cheddar.  A big wedge of blue cheese offered the pleasant surprise of not being TOO bluey for me (I'm a bit of a blue cheese wimp).  The Emmentaler was the one we both liked least, but to fair, that mild cheese had a lot to compete against compared to the other stronger flavored wedges on the plate.

We also shared our entrees.  I opted for the lamb stew, which was just so appealing after a long, rainy SF day.  It was okay, but lacked the elusive "something".  I probably wouldn't order it again.

My husband chose something from the specials list:  quail stuffed with mushrooms (pictured).  It sat atop a bed of mushrooms, spinach, and diced potatoes - all blessed with super garlicky flavor.  The technique used to prepare the quail was really interesting.  All of the meat had been removed from the quail, minced and seasoned, and returned.  So, the quail looked whole until we cut into it.  Unfortunately, the result was kind of dry, but once it was mixed with the veggies, it was really good.

Of course, as you can imagine, I was totally stuffed after this meal.  Fortunately for us, Baker Street Bistro is a longer walk than most of our usual dinner places.  That walk was much  needed tonight!!

Day 156: Not Baaaaaad

The chill is on here in San Francisco.  I know those of you on the East Coast have zero sympathy, but as my husband says all the time - I've gone soft.  When the mercury dips below 60 degrees, I am COLD!!

I decided to make some stew tonight and found a yummy sounding recipe on Epicurious.com.  Generally, I prefer lamb to beef in stew and this one, with chickpeas and spinach sounded like a winner.

I had nearly all of the ingredients called for - just needed the lamb shoulder, so I visited my neighborhood meat market.  What I wasn't prepared for was for him to be out of stew-able lamb.  What to do?  After talking with the butcher, I was somehow convinced to buy goat instead!!  A friend of mine has talked up goat many time before and without a clear back-up plan in mind, I just went for it.  And it was good!

Overall, I'd give the stew a "fair" rating, but that didn't have anything to do with the meat.  The dish had decent flavor, but because it didn't call for any spices, it was a bit one dimensional.  I added a couple of drops of my beloved Sriracha to the broth, mixed it up, and that really helped.

I think there are lots of tastier stew recipes out there and so I don't foresee making this one again anytime soon.  The goat?  THAT I may need to try again.  Any recipes or ideas?