"Where-To-Wednesday" Adventures: July 2013

Growing up, my family and I would pack in the car and head to my grandparent’s house every Sunday for “lunch.” And by “lunch” I mean a four course dinner starting with a generous helping of pasta, ending with an overwhelming plate of chocolate desserts, as well as an array of cheese and fruit, filled with meats, potatoes and vegetables in between. We Italians do NOT mess around. Most of my friends who I invited to come along, would begin to scratch their heads when the meal began – their eyes darting around furiously, taking in the immense amount of food they were about to be presented with. “Where are the sandwiches?” they would ask. Sandwiches? Please. Do you think I would invite you over for a sandwich? Do you think my grandmother would LET me invite you over for a sandwich? No. Hell no. This woman has not been slaving all day, just to hand over a jar of mayo and a piece of bologna to you. And I think for me, that was always part of the charm, the mystic of going to my grandparents house: enjoying dishes that I couldn't spell but could recognize perfectly by smell; homemade tomato sauce fresh from the vegetables grown in the backyard; the humidity in the air emanating from huge pots of boiling water on the stove awaiting pasta noodles; homemade plum juice I termed “coffee” to sip along with the adults after dinner… Those familiarities all combined to wrap me in the comfort of what I knew to be true. There’s something special about that – something unique, that everyone carries with them. And although nothing will ever take the place of going to grandma’s house, you might – you just might – get that familiar twinge of nostalgia when you walk in the door of Heirloom Cafe. At our latest Where-To-Wednesday Adventure planned by newbie Jenny - myself, Elizabeth, Chelsea, Lindsey and Becky walked in off of a busy street and stepped back in time – where everything was simpler, classic and familiar. Cleverly coined Heirloom Café, it feels a lot like what I would imagine Mayberry to be. And with the world we know full of crazy deadlines, packed schedules, and not enough time to sit around the kitchen table together - couldn’t we all use a little Mayberry? Cue the whistling Andy…let’s do this.

Ambiance 8: While other restaurants have taken a grander approach to décor, Heirloom relies on a simpler idea: less fluff, more gathering. With minimal furnishings, the attention is drawn to where it’s meant to be – the people. The décor is more of a nod to the past with classic pieces that remind you of Grandma’s house: candle sconces adorn the walls; simple, yet elegant, lace drapery lines the windows; wild flowers light up each table; and wooden chairs with a slight discomfort keep you awake and conversing – taking the place of the verbal nag and reminding you, on your own, to “sit up straight”. (Did I just need new chairs growing up??) It’s charming, warm and quite frankly, feels like home. Well, one bed short of being at home. Let’s work on that Heirloom.

Wine 9: Let’s be honest, wine is always a good choice. But when you’re at Grandma’s house? It’s the ONLY choice and I have to say, I feel damn good about that. Crisp, clean with earthy and herbal undertones, the 2011 Sancerre ‘Croix du Roy’ was a perfect start to the night. It wasn’t long before we turned to our good friend “red”, and started in on the 2010 Malbec from Catena. Smooth with darker hints of leather, cinnamon and spice, this one lingered…as it well should. Perfect alone, it held it’s own but also surprisingly paired nicely with the food, its stronger essences of spice taking a back seat to the brighter flavors introduced in the food. Hello new friend.

Food 9: When we ate at my grandparents house, it always looked like my grandma had just won a fight with the table over how much food could be spread across it. She always won. At our latest Where-To-Wednesday, I must say, my grandmother would be proud. We ordered essentially the entire menu, sans the soup. But if soup could be split amongst 6…trust me, it would have been on that table.

- Ahi Tuna Ceviche: Fresh and zesty, the ceviche was bright with splashes of lime, savory avocado and gorgeous red tomatoes splashed across the dish. Crispy plantain chips were lined up around the ceviche and proved to be the perfect accompaniment to the dish.

- Fava Beans: I’ll admit, I tried to poo-poo this dish from the get-go. Fava beans? What a waste of space on this precious table. Please. Let’s make room for the real deal here. But alas, I lost the fight. And I must say, good thing I did because this dish was delicious. It should definitely be renamed so as to not be dismissed in the future – perhaps “Facking amazing fava beans? Try me now?” Just saying. It’s all in the marketing, people. It held a great combination of flavors and textures – the fava (read: boring) beans were dressed up with bright bursts of flavor from the feta, the hearty crunch of walnuts, the light and bright aromatic fennel and the peppery arugula. Read: delicious!

- Burrata: I have never met a burrata I didn’t like, and here, was no exception. Much more colorful than your typical burrata, this buttery burrata was served on a crostini but topped with beautiful red and yellow baby marinated beets, pickled shallots and spicy pepper cress.

- Bacon and Onion Tart: A flaky, buttery pastry crust was filled with ooey gooey cheese, carmelized onions and rich, juicy bacon pieces. A savory filling within the light crust was a perfect match. A must have!

- Sugar Snap Peas: Topped with mint, the sugar snap peas were fresh and crisp, with hints of ginger and garlic giving it savory undertones to top it off. Good but nothing groundbreaking here. This dish would actually be a nice transition from the smaller appetizer plates to the larger entrée dishes.

- Roasted Artichokes: Smoky roasted artichokes are mixed in with hearty vallarta beans, savory cheese, with a thick romesco sauce on the side, offering a rich nutty yet sweet flavor to add to the dish.

- Asparagus: This was a spicy and sweet mixture of perfection! Topped with a spicy salsa, the asparagus also held deep notes of sweetness with hints of brown sugar and cinnamon mixed in. Delicious and unique!

- Gnocchi: Soft potato-filled gnocchi was paired deliciously with rich crimini mushrooms, spicy cuts of fennel sausage, crisp English peas with creamy parmesan melted atop. Delicious, savory – yum!

- Twelve Cheese Risotto: Thank God, because eleven cheeses would just not do here. The risotto is beyond creamy thanks to the generous additions of rich cheese, topped with earthy porcini mushrooms and crisp asparagus. Quite frankly, the dish just makes you want to sit back in your chair, close your eyes and smile as you savor every little bite. Phenomenal – absolutely amazing. If you’re sharing…I suggest eating fast to get your fair share. You will not want to miss out on this.

- Roasted Salmon: Fresh and delicious, the salmon even looks gorgeous as it’s served up – exuberating a bright pink color, with green pea tendrils dancing atop alongside thinly sliced meyer lemon. It’s cooked to perfection with a slight crisp to each bite and even a hint of sweet nutmeg to add depth to the flavor.

- Hoffman Chicken: I’m just going to call this “the Hoff” moving forward, because like Mr. David, this also needs its own nickname. And for the record, it didn’t have to take a cheesy role on Baywatch to get it. Zing! This is basically everything you love about Thanksgiving, in a dish. The best of the best flavors you can imagine are all rolled into the combination of flavors found here. A generous serving of chicken, each bite envelopes salty and savory, as the crispy, buttery skin melts in your mouth. Served with herbed bread pudding pieces mixed in a sea of sliced carrots, celery and onions with a buttery base of parmesan consommé. Wow. I suggest celebrating Thanksgiving as often as possible here. Now, in true Thanksgiving style….someone crack open the booze.

- Duck Breast Salad: A beautiful colorful presentation of thinly sliced carrots and spring mix, sprinkled with chopped pecans and savory duck breast. I didn’t particularly like the combination of flavors in this dish – when I eat duck, I want to savor it rather than have it masked by crisp lettuce. Pesky vegetables always getting in the way….

Dessert:

- Strawberry Shortcake: Sweet strawberries and rich cream were sandwiched between sweet, crumbly shortcake bread. A light, delicate dessert that was perfect to our hefty meal.

- Fresh baked oatmeal, walnut and chocolate chip cookie: I love when you get everything you love all rolled into one little package. This little cookie is like Christmas: a warm yummy cookie with crunchy walnuts, sweet chocolate chips and oatmeal. Although…I will say it could stand to be a little bigger. Okay, a lot bigger. As in – I wish I got more than a crumb.

- Sweet Rhubarb Tart: And that is…100% accurate. Very sweet and although “tart” is a noun in the description, it’s also an adjective here. It’s very, very sweet and extremely tarty, so brace your lips for a pucker sans the kiss. Also…you best love you some rhubarb because this is essentially one big piece of rhubarb. So, count your fruit intake for the day complete.

Service 8: To be read to the sound of the State Farm commercial: “Like a good waitress, Diane* was there…” Kind of. Well she was. And then she wasn’t. But mostly she was. But only when we needed her. So Diane, I think you most definitely have a career in the insurance business if this waitress thing doesn’t work out. I truly only remember her being there exactly when we needed her. Like a little waitress genie. But she didn’t bring money like those lucky people in the State Farm commercial do. Just food. Which I guess was fitting. But money..well, money is just plain nice. Next time, Diane. *Side note: I’m not sure if her name was Diane but, well, it just felt fitting. You know, like Jack and Diane. I think she was a waitress in the song…maybe…I might be thinking of Journey’s song now…. Truthfully, I’m not even sure what her name was. I know, I need to take better notes. What the heck am I doing over here anyways? Eating. That’s right. The food that Diane brought. Or whoever she is. And, we’ve come full circle.

Price 7: I’m not even going to lead up to this with some big “now don’t forget the rhubarb was hand picked and organic!”* reasoning. It was bloody expensive: $98.31 each. And hell yes I’m going to include the change, because you need to know the truth. YOU CAN HANDLE THE TRUTH. I know, basically, I’m much cooler than Jack Nicholson. I can’t sugar coat how expensive this is, so…frankly, I won’t. It’s expensive so if you’re coming here, just deal with it. Or maybe go to Flour + Water FIRST for the real sticker shock, and then come here and it’ll be a piece of a cake. Oh that’s right, I did. So, yeah, nevermind – it’s not that bad. It’s not lost on me, however, how many new pairs of sunglasses I would have right now if I didn’t eat out. But damnit, I’d sure be hungry. *Okay so maybe it’s not organic. Come to think, it’s probably not. But really, what do I know about the rhubarb? If you have any more questions, please, direct them to Diane. And also, find out her real name.

Noise Level 7: Picture this. You’re at your house in your dining room, and fifty people come on in, sit down, and all start talking. (Ignore the fact that fifty people just walked into your house. Don’t worry, its fine. These imaginary people are all very nice.) So – what would you notice? It’s loud. Yes. Now imagine that same dining room but someone is cooking in it too. I know, I know. Why is someone COOKING in my dining room?? Where did they come from? They better not get anything on that white carpet… I know and don’t worry, they won’t. But anyhow, you’ve got all this going on in one area and…it’s going to get loud. But, not all is lost. If you’re at one of the communal tables, it could get loud with all the conversations happening next to each other. But, the good news is that there are several smaller tables where you can immerse yourselves in your own conversation. But still eavesdrop to take away some good nuggets of convo. And I mean, isn’t that what a good party is all about?

All About The Area:

At first, the song sounds true. “Over the river and through the woods,” indeed. Who knew Grandmother’s would take so long to get to? Well…I guess the person who wrote the song so…forget that. But yes, it’s a hike and at first glance it seems the only other thing to do around there is watch your laundry go for a spin across the street. Bor-ing. Or play at the playground across the street. Which…with a glass of wine could actually be pretty fun. Oh who am I kidding. There is NOTHING there. Or so it seems. The brilliance of Heirloom is that it is tucked into a quiet little neighborhood filled with houses and parks, far from the humdrum (YES…I DID just use that word) of the typical loud and restless Mission life. So quaint and quiet, in fact, that you would hardly realize that you are just a block or two away from the likes of Limon, Flour + Water and Foreign Cinema to name a few. If we’ve learned nothing else from our W2W adventures in the different areas of San Francisco, is that this little 7x7 city holds many pockets. You can expect the unexpected and relish in the surprises you find along the way. So the next time you set off to do your laundry…keep you eyes open. You might just find your new favorite place.

Overall Grade: 8