After reading this review by Amy, I was inspired again to go check out Isa. I've been there 3 or 4 times before, but not for a couple of years. It was always good - in particular, I remember a potato-leek soup with sea scallops that was out of this world. From that point on, I realized the kitchen was very good at soups, and ordered whatever was on the menu each time I went. I've never been disappointed. Anyway, flash forward to 2005. I tried the spinoff L�x last year, and it was alright but not great. A week or two ago I made a trip back to Isa with my mom and Bart. It turns out the restaurant has doubled in size and completely renovated, having taken over the nail salon (I think) that used to be next to it. The place is much wider now, with a decent sized bar and a lot more tables. Isa is a small shared plates restaurant, so here come a lot of pictures...

butter lettuce salad with bartlett pears, roquefort & candied walnuts - $8.5 This simple salad was well-executed and refreshing. The sweet, ripe pears went very well with the fairly mild roquefort. A good start to the meal.

lobster broth with tiger prawns & fresh tarragon - $7

smooth corn soup with fresh herbs & roasted corn garnish - $6 The soups now come in portions for either one or two (for a couple of dollars more). We wanted to try both soups, so instead we just got one serving of each, with the lobster split into two for me and Bart. I'm glad to report the kitchen has not lost its deft touch with soup, as both of these were just fantastic. The lobster soup was smoky and flavorful, with generous servings of big, plump prawns, and delicious croutons. The corn soup was equally good with chunks of super sweet kernels and a hearty broth. Also, both were piping hot. I think I may start coming to Isa for lunch and just having some nice soup!

sauteed pea shoots with garlic - $6 The biggest misstep of the night were these pea shoots (or in Chinese, dou miao). I guess they're catering to an audience that isn't too familiar with the real thing - you get damn good pea shoots in Hong Kong. These pea shoots aren't even worth putting on the menu, if you ask me.

potato wrapped seabass with brown buter, capers, lemon & parsley - $15 Pretty good seabass. It looked dry at first, but that was probably cuz of the potato crust. The inside was juicy and tender, and the brown butter sauce was nice, though a bit too salty and intense.

seared foie gras with white peaches & a custard brioche - $16 Along with the soups, the best dish of the night. This was a very nice, smooth, rich piece of foie, and the picture doesn't show how generous the serving was. It was definitely the biggest seared foie gras I've seen in a while. The peaches were sweet, but not too sweet, and we actually ate them all. The brioche sopped up all the juices nicely.

seared duck breast with balsamic onions, potato rosti & wild huckleberry sauce - $17 A nice juicy duck breast, rosy and rare in the middle. Bart, who claims he doesn't eat duck much, liked this a lot. The potatoes were just glorified hash browns, but at least they were very good hash browns (and I love the stuff). The onions were crisp with just the slightest balsamic flavor - quite refreshing.

tortiglioni pasta with crushed black truffles, tomato, basil & parmesan reggiano - $11 Finally, a nice and simple pasta. It had plenty of truffle scent but not a ton of taste. Still, I really loved this dish - a very light tomato/basil sauce with a heavy dose of tasty parmigiano. The pasta was perfectly al dente.

passion fruit soup with mango - $6 As you can see, this chilled soup had a beautiful, bright color. It tasted intensely tropical, quite sweet and quite sour (though not too much of either). Tons of little mango chunks are hidden at the bottom. It was sort of like a really concentrated juice. Very refreshing.

semifreddo agli amaretti - $5 This serving was big! The semifreddo was like a very rich ice cream with a strong nutty flavor. I liked this a lot but we were too full to finish. I think Isa is actually even better than it was before. The crowds seem to have died down a bit - back in the day, it was tough to get a table. Now they've expanded and seem to be trying to pimp Lux pretty hard. The food at Isa is better if you ask me. Get the soup!

Went for a nice lunch stop at Zuni Cafe with my dad. Zuni's become a somewhat regular stop for me again. We sat in the very corner of the restaurant, just to the left of the front entrance. It's usually pretty easy to walk in and get a table (for 2, at least) in that spot. Every time I go to Zuni I am amazed by the beautiful natural light that just fills up the whole restaurant. I think that Zuni is one of the few places out there in which a digital camera simply refuses to use flash - it's like being outside!

house-made bresaola with spicy carrot-radish salad - $12 This was an excellent opener. I assume they were using the same bresaola that Sam had a couple of weeks earlier, and it looks like they listened to her comments - our bresaola was sliced perfectly and tasted great. Perhaps even better was the carrot-radish salad on the side, which had a wonderful dressing. It was just a simple vinaigrette with some kind of chili or pepper oil mixed in, but boy was it delicious. Neither of us are big carrot fans (although I love radishes - my dad doesn't like those either), but we devoured this salad. There was also a strange root vegetable mixed in there with the carrots and radishes - it was like a cross between the two. I thought at first that they were French radishes from the shape, but they were actually orange inside - red-skinned carrots! It's like the carrots and the radishes had babies. Very intriguing. I'd never seen it before; anyone know what they were? Unfortunately, you can't see them too well in my photo. Look for the long cut pieces of carrot in the back, and you might be able to see the red skin.

shoestring potatoes - $6 The shoestrings were as good as ever - light, crisp, and tasty. We asked for some aioli to dip it in and they happily obliged, bringing a great tangy mayo. I think this plate of fries can handle a very large number of people. We tried hard but just couldn't clean it off...

house-ground hamburger on grilled rosemary focaccia with garden lettuces, aioli and Zuni pickles + gruy�re- $12 My dad went with the burger, which he claims he enjoys as a counterpoint to the massive Mo's burger every once in a while. And although I still prefer Mo's overall, a bite of this was a nice reminder that Zuni puts out a pretty damn good burger too. I'll admit it's been a while since I've given the Zuni burger a chance...

rigatoni pasta with red-wine duck sauce - $13 I went with the pasta that day - Zuni usually does a pretty good job with them. It was pretty good - the sauce was hearty but still very light, and the myriad of ingredients provided much flavor. It was a great main dish for lunch. Zuni continues to hold its own as one of the best lunches around. Simple, great food and a relaxing atmosphere ensure that I'll keep going back.

Sorry about the slowdown lately - things are afoot at Arthur Hungry HQ. I'm just about done with my SF stuff and I'll be getting to Boston soon. Here is dinner at Lime. Now let me say a few things... First, I picked this place after browsing OpenTable for a little bit. Restauranteurs out there, getting on OpenTable will bring customers like me - it's not unusual for me to have no idea where I want to go, and just pop it open and pick a place that looks interesting. I encourage you all to use it. Second, Lime's website is great - pictures, info, menus, prices. This sounds obvious, but that was another big factor that convinced me to go. I also remembered my dad mentioning it at some point (though I didn't remember details) so it stuck out a bit in my mind. Now, upon arrival, I was almost shocked at how hip/chic the scene was. The decor is tough to describe - they advertise it as "1960s-era modernist," and from my computer at home this sounded pretty cool. It is indeed very cool, and quite over the top. Sadly, I was there with Keith and my mom to have dinner. It turns out Lime wasn't the greatest choice in terms of its scene; it's much better suited for grabbing some drinks and eating a bit with some friends. Parking was hell too. So with that caveat in mind, here's the food.

deviled eggs, "like mom made" (i don't think my mom has ever made deviled eggs)- $5

zucchini frites, crispy buttermilk batter, basil aioli - $6

roasted yukon gold potatoes, spicy smoked paprika aioli - $5 The menu is categorized by price ($5-$10, in $1 increments). The deviled eggs were quite good, but I admit it's been years since I've had another deviled egg so I don't know how this compares to the ones "mom" makes/made. The zucchini frites were alright, but just a touch greasy. After eating them for a while, the batter started to dominate a bit. The roasted potatoes were the best of the lot I think, with the skins ever so slightly crisp. The aioli was addictive.

fish tacos - cornmeal dusted halibut, avocado & sour cream, tomato salsa - $8

tuna poke - diced ahi tuna, cucumber, avocado, soy vinaigrette, won ton chips - $9

ricotta gnocchi, with a sautee of shiitake mushrooms, sweet white corn & herbs - $8 These plates were a little bit worse. The fish tacos were good, but a bit heavy on the guacomole. The fish was light and would have stood well on its own. A good dish, but obviously nothing for a good tacqueria to worry about. The tuna poke was bland, bland, bland. Something was off with the ratio of vinaigrette, and to make things worse, there was too much cucumber. The won ton chips were way too thick, and had a weak, stale crunch to them. My mom can make a better tuna tartare (so can Michael Mina), and this poke just couldn't compete. The ricotta gnocchi would have been much better if they'd put a bit less parmesan on top. I liked the gnocchi themselves as well as the corn, but the parmesan just overpowered everything else. I think Lime is actually a really great place - the food isn't excellent, but it would serve very well as an accompaniment to some drinks with friends. The drink menu looked very interesting, and I certainly see myself coming back for a good time. It just isn't the best choice for a serious meal. So, my diligent online research didn't do too well this time around, but don't get me wrong - OpenTable plus good websites still equals customers! I just happened to pick Lime for the wrong occasion.

Keith had an itch to go to Zuni Cafe while he was in town. I'd been as recently as this past summer, but I was happy to oblige on the condition that he'd split the roasted chicken with me - a dish that I hadn't had in a long time because I can't order it with my mom. Zuni Cafe is an SF establishment... it has its lovers and its haters, but I'm a firm supporter of the place. Judy Rodgers (of Chez Panisse lineage) consistently puts out simple, reliable food using great ingredients. The space is casual and booming with natural light. I'm not a big fan of their famous burger (it's on the fancy side for me), but I think their chicken is easily one of the best chicken preparations in the city.

Red Kuri squash soup with garlic, cumin and cr�me fra�che - $7.5

roasted chicken for two with warm Tuscan-style bread salad - $38 The soup was just the right thickness and had a clean, mellow flavor. It was a perfect starter for the crisp, sunny day. I do think I let the waiter crack a touch too much pepper on it, though - I wish I said stop a second earlier. The chicken was just as good as in the past: moist, tender, juicy, flavorful... the bread salad, which doesn't get as much pub, is really a key element of the dish. The big chunks of bread soaked with vinaigrette were just stellar. The portion was enormous - a third person could easily have joined in and ate until he/she were full. Despite Zuni's many critics, I maintain that it's as solid a place as any to enjoy a nice simple lunch that exemplifies California cuisine. Fresh ingredients, simple preparations, lots of sunlight and a casual atmosphere equal one enjoyable SF afternoon.

Now this post is gonna be a real treat. I was lucky enough to go to the acclaimed Michael Mina with my dad and Geoff. Michael Mina has a very strong pedigree, with a history that includes Aqua and Charles Nob Hill (but also the ill-fated Redwood Park). The Aqua empire has spread quite significantly, with major projects going on at the Bellagio and MGM Grand in Las Vegas as well. Michael Mina is Mina's new flagship, right at the heart of Union Square in the St. Francis Hotel, and is probably the hottest restaurant opening of 2004. Geoff was a bit excited for this meal because he apparently saw a Food Network special back home about the construction of this place. The restaurant is in the hotel lobby, up some stairs in a massive, open-air space. The decor is clean and simple, with huge columns rising up to the ceiling. The result is a dining room that is at once professional (even formal) but at the same time comforting and relaxed. Simply put - the place looks great. The place has a few options for ordering. You can get a $78 three-course meal, which is deceiving because each course takes an ingredient and serves it in a multitude of different ways (as many as six!). There are also two $120 seven-course tasting menu options - one is a seasonal tasting menu, while the other is Michael's classic menu, which includes many of the dishes that made Mina famous. I chose the classic menu.

osetra caviar, creme fraiche, smoked salmon, egg, fried potato cake This was the freebie opener. My dad and Geoff, who both got the seasonal tasting, got a slightly different caviar based dish. This thing was delicious. I've never particularly loved caviar, but in this dish it was perfect, a great combination with the salmon and the potato cake. I thought it was a little funny to combine caviar with something as simple as a hash brown, but I love hash browns, and it turns out they're a perfect starch to soak up the saltiness of the caviar and the salmon. It was also pretty decently sized - perhaps too big to be considered an amuse bouche!

ahi tuna tartare, scotch bonnet peppers, sesame oil Tuna tartare seems pretty much ubiquitous nowadays, but I think Mina deserves credit for popularizing the dish at Aqua - it's still the restaurant's specialty. Michael Mina's tuna tartare is mixed at the table as it should be, and as delicious as I remember it at Aqua. I think the thing that really makes this tartare is the use of scotch bonnet (aka habanero), which gives the tuna a legitimate kick that is not found in any other version I've tried.

lobster pot pie, brandied lobster cream, seasonal vegetables I wish I could have gotten a picture of this as it was being served. It came out still in the pot, with the pie pastry still covering it. The waiter served it by peeling the pie (almost like a puff pastry) off, putting it on the plate, then carefully placing the ingredients and pouring the sauce over it all. As a result the pie part is kind of buried, but believe me it's there, under the lobster. And boy was it delicious - tender lobster, flaky pie, and a mouthwatering sauce. It was almost like an extremely rich lobster bisque. As you have probably guessed, I soaked up every last drop with my bread.

miso glazed sea bass in consomme, shiitake, bok choy, scallop dumpling I'm often a bit weary about these Asian-style Western dishes, but this one was excellent. The fish was cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth. Neither the soy nor the miso were overpowering. The scallop dumpling was creative and delicious, though I admit the skin was not as good as a great Chinese dumpling's can be.

roasted foie gras, maui gold pineapple, young ginger The menu listed just the roasted foie gras, but there was also a torchon which you can see at the back. Both were good, but I preferred the hot one. It had a nice subtle glaze, and didn't have the big chunks of overly sweet candied fruit that foie gras always seems to come with. The brioche was nice as well.

pan fried poussin, truffled macaroni and cheese By far, the lowlight of the meal. My dad, also underwhelmed by his poultry course, played devil's advocate and argued that poultry is often the hardest course to make "special" so to speak. My poussin was just okay, but I remember a few bites of it being a little dry. The macaroni and cheese had too much cheese and sauce going on to really get a good taste of truffle. The only disappointing dish of the night. The side of veggies (I think that's broccolini!) was crisp and delicious.

steak rossini, seared foie gras, pinot noir sauce The steak course almost made me order the seasonal tasting - their version had some kind of Kobe rib roast that sounded great. But I was reassured by the presence of the seared foie gras and soldiered on. This dish, though not quite as good as the Kobe version across the table, was still wonderful. The sauce was a great complement, perhaps even more so to the foie gras than to the steak. The side was a sort of potato au gratin, and very yummy.

banana tarte tatin, caramel sauce, cinnamon ice cream Whatever points the classic menu lost to the seasonal one on the steak course, they were made up with dessert. This banana tarte tatin really hit on all cylinders. The tarte was smooth, rich, and not too sweet. The intense banana flavor matched with the subtle cinnamon ice cream was a perfect combination. In other words, I really, really liked this dessert.

milk chocolate bon bons with espresso ice cream, dark chocolate bon bons with raspberry sorbet From what I understand, every meal at Michael Mina ends with the presentation of these bon bons in 2 flavors. They were both delicious and refreshing... I just wish I had a box of them in my freezer. The presentation was delightful. Overall, our meal at Michael Mina was fabulous, even despite high expectations going in. Only the poussin wasn't extremely good (that doesn't mean it was bad - just decent), and I'll let them slide on 1 out of 9 items. The service was impeccably professional, and not the least bit pretentious or snotty, especially given that Geoff and I were proabbly by far the two youngest people in the whole restaurant. Also note that my shoddy photography does not do justice to the presentation of the dishes - everything looked as beautiful as it tasted. Some of the dishes from the regular 3 course tasting that we saw floating around the room looked even more impressive. Mina apparently spent a significant amount of time designing china and plates and whatnot, and you can tell some of them are custom-made specifically for certain things on the menu. My dad thinks Michael Mina is now the place to be in SF proper for high-end fancy dining, and from what I've tried I think I can agree.