Cross another one off the list of restaurants I need to try before my bun exits her oven. Corey and I recently joined our friends Sharon and Will for a meal at Farina, which focuses on Northern Italian cuisine. I’ve always wanted to try Farina, and was even more intrigued when my friend Francesca – a proud Italian – told me it’s the only place she’ll go for pasta in San Francisco. Everything is made in house, and many ingredients are imported from Italy for a truly authentic experience.

The above photo highlights one of Farina’s most famous dishes: Mandilli di seta al pesto, hand made handkerchief pasta with Genovese basil pesto. This was my first experience with handkerchief pasta, which is exactly as it sounds – long, thin, fabric-like sheets that drape across the plate. It was tender and delicious, a perfect vehicle for Farina’s famous pesto. They only use pine nuts imported from Italy, and the silky texture is unlike any other pesto I’ve tried. It was as if the pine nuts completely disintegrated into the olive oil.

Knowing that this dainty dish would satisfy my tastebuds but leave my stomach yearning for more, Corey and I shared an appetizer – Prosciutto di San Daniele, burrata e focaccina, San Daniele prosciutto served with burrata cheese over lightly fried focaccina.

What is better than a plate of slightly sweet, slighty crispy focaccia? A plate of slightly sweet, slightly crispy focaccia covered with thinly sliced prosciutto and creamy, salty burrata cheese. If you’ve never tried burrata, it can only be described as the most delicate and flavorful mozzarella you will ever taste. It’s usually served cold, but has a slightly gooey consistency reminiscent of melty cheese.

While I overwhelmingly preferred my pasta to Corey’s, I have to give his dish an honorable mention for a) the inclusion of truffles, and b) the intriguing sauce Farina described as a white bolognese.This incorporated several meats into a light, broth-like sauce that was deliciously different from traditional tomato-based bolognese.The gnocchi-like pasta was fairly substantial to stand up to the rich sauce.

I can see why Francesca considers Farina the best Italian restaurant in San Francisco. The food is indeed special, and I’d imagine it’s pretty authentic given the handmade pasta and extensive use of fine Italian ingredients. But if you plan to dine there, let me prepare you for a bit of sticker shock. The food is quite expensive, even for SF. While the quality somewhat justifies the cost, I don’t see myself going back any time soon. It was fun while it lasted, Farina!

But these are cookies with more cookies inside. Mind boggling, I know. A local bakery has these fabulous Cookies & Cream cookies, which are basically a buttery, chocolate chip-esque dough with crushed Oreos added instead of the chips. At first, I thought they sounded kind of weird…and then I tasted one. Genius. Pure genius. The crushed cookies add just a bit of texture and a sweet flavor that’s a nice change of pace from traditional chocolate chip.

I didn’t have a recipe to work from, so I decided to wing it and see what happened. I used this dough as the base (because really, it’s the best cookie dough ever) and added 1 cup of crushed mini Oreos in lieu of chocolate chips. To yield one cup, I crushed roughly 4 ounces of cookies. I chose the mini ones because they were on sale, but I next time around, I might use full-size Oreos (15 of them? 20?) and increase the amount to 1 1/2 cups, crushed. These were good – and many people told me they thought the sweetness level was just right – but I’d like a little more Oreo flavor in the next batch. I crumbled mine to a fairly fine consistency, but you could also leave some large chunks in the batter to mimic the texture of chocolate chips.

Some people fry their Oreos…I bake mine into bigger and badder cookies. It’s just how I roll.

Yesterday I mentioned on Facebook and Twitter that I was fortunate enough to talk to Tyler Florence, celebrity chef and Bay Area heartthrob, at his new restaurant, Wayfare Tavern. Apparently I’m known to exaggerate because a few people (ahem, MOM) were surprised to learn that yes, that actually happened! T Flo (as I prefer to call him) is clearly drawn to me, as this was not the first time we locked eyes and exchanged words. I happened to be in the right place (his restaurant) at the right time (as he was trying to make his way to a table of more important people) and he was kind enough to stop and say hello to my friend and me. Of course, I was too flustered and overwhelmed by his boyish charm to do anything productive (i.e. TAKE A PHOTO FOR MY FOOD BLOG), but I managed to commend him on his tavern’s creative and delicious menu, which includes an excellent mix of upscale pub fare and Southern classics. After replying that you can take the boy out of the South, but not the South out of the boy, the South Carolina native asked for my hand in marriage thanked us for coming and went on his merry way.

Yes. It happened. And it was awesome. My friend Francesca kept me calm during and after the exchange, and thanked me for not making a scene.

Even if T Flo hadn’t stopped by our table, I still would have enjoyed every aspect of my meal at Wayfare Tavern. The food is creative but comfortable, and the scene is a shadowy tavern with a plenty of downtown class.

Heading into the meal, I knew I had to order dessert. I was torn between banana pudding (because, come on, how many restaurants in SF even offer this delectable treat?) and pineapple upside down cake, which was served with salted caramel ice cream and macadamia nut brittle. Judging by the photo at the top of this post, you can see which choice won. It was so perfectly buttery, so wonderfully sugary, that I have to mention it as the highlight of my meal.

Before I attacked this cake, I did have a proper meal. My only complaint about Wayfare Tavern is that they only offer an “all day menu” – all meals (and prices) are the same for lunch or dinner. Much as I wanted to drop $25 on a giant pork chop or platter of fried chicken, my stomach and wallet couldn’t justify the expense or the calories when I wanted to save room for dessert. I decided to save those luscious options for a future evening meal and ordered the chef salad.

Of course, this was no ordinary chef salad. In place of the usual chicken, it came with a generous portion of Maine lobster:

And instead of the typical restaurant bread, it was served with a warm popover. Oh, Tyler. You really do know the way to my heart.

Francesca’s meal was equally divine – the house burger served on homemade brioche and topped with bacon and Mt. Tam cheese, plus some unpictured fries that were dusted with a nice coating of fresh herbs.

I have to say, this was the best Tuesday I’ve had in a while! If you live in the Bay Area, give Wayfare Tavern a try. So many celebrity chefs slap their name on a restaurant and have little to do with the actual food and day-to-day operations. This place really represents the image Tyler Florence seems to project on Food Network, and the food is totally legit.

Last summer, Corey and I took a dream vacation to Kauai. I’d always wanted to visit Hawaii, and after we moved to California I swore we’d make it happen. Kauai, in a word, is paradise.

Hawaiian cuisine didn’t knock my socks off. I expected an abundance of fresh, tropical vegetables and fruits, but soon learned that island-grown produce is limited. (One server even told us that most of Kauai’s pineapple is imported from Tahiti instead of other Hawaiian islands.) As a result, most of what we ate was fresh fish served with a starchy side. My sadness about the missing veggies quickly disappeared when I tasted the fish – especially ono, a meaty white fish that was unbelievably delicious.

I won’t be returning to Hawaii anytime soon (unless my husband plans to surprise me for Mother’s Day 2011…how about it, honey?!), but I was ecstatic to see ono at a local fish market. It was wild caught and just as firm and buttery as I remembered it to be.The fishmonger suggested I sear it for a minute on both sides, then transfer it to a hot oven for an additional 4 – 5 minutes. With a bit of butter and a squeeze of lemon, it was total perfection.

And on the side: an abundance of summer produce, which I strongly prefer over taro or white rice.

This trinity comes together in one of my all-time favorite summer side dishes. Simply chop red onion and zucchini and saute in a bit of oil and butter until soft and beginning to brown. Cut the corn off the cob and add it to the pan along with any of the milky juice that comes from the cob. Stir it all together for a few minutes more, and add salt and pepper to taste. There’s really nothing better for a summer meal.

Zucchini is another one of those foods that I didn’t really love pre-pregnancy (I’d actually make this dish with red bell peppers instead), but now I can’t get enough of it. It’s a wonderful complement to the corn, and perfectly ripe at this time of year. Something else that’s ripening with each passing day? My belly. Check out the difference between 16 weeks and 26 weeks, which I hit yesterday:

Most baby books illustrate weekly growth by comparing the baby’s size to various food items. At 16 weeks, she was the size of an avocado; this week, she’s the size of an eggplant. That sounds big in and of itself, but in the coming weeks, I’ll be expanding to accommodate something the size of a watermelon. How’s THAT for a reality check?

Before we moved to San Francisco, Corey asked a grad school friend who used to live here if he could compile a list of good SF restaurants. He replied that when he moved here and asked someone the same question, he was told, “Every restaurant in San Francisco is good. If they weren’t, no one would eat there and they would close.” True enough. There are certainly some bombs in our fair city, but for the most part, there are so many great places to eat it feels impossible to squeeze them all in. I’ve definitely hit several SF hot spots, but there are many more I’d like to try before Baby T. makes her arrival. (Rest assured, I’ll still go to restaurants after she’s here, but I have a feeling we might be limited in her first few months…)

Anyway, I’ve started a mental list of places to visit between now and October, and I was happy to hit two of those establishments in the past week. First up was Range, a Michelin-rated restaurant in the Mission District. The menu is small, but thoughtfully crafted, with an emphasis on seasonal flavors and ingredients. We started our meal with a surprising appetizer (pictured above) – seared scallops with crispy onions, braised greens and a fabulous broth that was buttery and rich. I neglected to write down exactly what it was, but the broth made the dish. (I say this appetizer was surprising because I normally hate scallops and their weird, gelatinous texture, but pregnancy has made me crave them like a mad woman!)

Entrees were equally delicious. For me: pan roasted bavette steak with squash blossoms, basil, wheat berries and parmesan jus. Again, the sauce (oh excuse me – the jus) made the dish a winner. It was a perfect complement to the beef.

For Corey: oven roasted chicken with a trumpet mushroom, erbette chard and fromage blanc bread salad. My entree was really good, but Corey’s was AMAZING. The chicken was perfectly roasted and the creamy fromage blanc took the bread salad over the edge of deliciousness.

I was so busy enjoying the food and the company of our dining companions (Erin and Adam – they’re also expecting their first baby, in August!) that I neglected to photograph the restaurant’s interior, but I have to say it was a welcoming and classy environment. The two pregnant ladies left feeling satisfied, which undoubtedly made our husbands equally content

After coming down from my Range high, I headed to another SF hot spot: Nopa. My friend Maria tagged along, and while I enjoyed her company and conversation as much as Adam and Erin’s, I took a moment to photograph the beautiful interior. Nopa is an open space with tons of natural light, and because we sat on the upper level, we had a great view of the main dining room, bar and kitchen.

Like Range, Nopa emphasizes local, seasonal and organic ingredients. We had a lovely amuse bouche of yellow romano beans drizzled with lemon olive oil and sea salt…

…and a heavenly appetizer of warm goat cheese with cherries, plums, frisee and crostini. Salty, sweet, crunchy and creamy, all in one perfect bite.

I couldn’t decide on an entree. Everything sounded delicious, but nothing jumped out as something I had to order. Remembering how good Corey’s roast chicken had tasted, I went with Nopa’s rotisserie herbed chicken with potatoes, mushrooms and dandelion greens. It was good, but not quite as good as what I tried at Range.

My mild disappointment was short lived, because dessert was the best part of the meal. Dark chocolate and cherry semifreddo with cocoa nib creme anglaise. It’s like ice cream cake. It’s like heaven.

With that, I’m well on my way to tackling my list of must-try restaurants. If you live in the Bay Area, feel free to suggest your favorites – if I haven’t yet been there, I’ll add them to my list!

*****

Random side note: I often blog and do other computer-related tasks in the morning while I drink my coffee and listen to bad morning news shows. I do a lot of this work on the couch with my laptop…apparently my other laptop has a problem with this.

This is Buddy’s morning ritual: force his way onto a tiny corner of the couch, nudge the laptop, and stare at me until I move it and make room for him. I guess I can’t blame him – he was here first!