Chow, San Francisco

For those of you who don't know the reason I was so MIA last week, it was because I was attending an HIV Counselor Training Course in San Francisco. Not knowing the area, I was at the mercy of my training group during lunch when it came to finding a good restaurant. Fortunately, most of them knew the area pretty well and suggested that we eat at Chow.

Chow has a pretty eclectic menu that includes linguini with pesto, fennel and sausage pizza, hamburgers, salads, and ribs. My eyes, as well as three others' were immediately drawn to the daily sandwich: Crispy Soft Shell Crab. For only $9.95, I got an entire soft shell crab, battered in cornmeal, fried, and put on a buttered roll. Not exactly the healthiest lunch, but it was delicious.

The sandwich was garnished with tomato, lettuce, avocado, and lemon-herb mayo. I was given a choice of fries, salad, or soup. Supposedly the fries are amazing, but since I was at a health-related function, I optioned for a side salad.

My sandwich was very tasty, but I would probably get it without the avocado and mayo next time. The roll is heavily buttered, and in addition to the mayo, it takes too much away from the soft shell crab. However, overall it was a very tasty and affordable sandwich.

In addition to the food, the atmosphere is really laid back and the servers are friendly. If you are ever in the Castro, I'd definitely recommend this place as a fun, affordable, and good place to eat!

Chow is located at 215 Church Street at Market.

Zatar, Berkeley

Apologies, living without an income is harder than I thought--I think my mother's influence is forcing me to not eat out as much as I can afford to. Fortunately, Margaret realized last week that she owed me money, and what better way to repay me than taking me out to her favorite Mediterranean restaurant?

Zatar is a very very small family-owned restaurant in Berkeley. When I say family, I'm not kidding, someone even had their baby sitting in the kitchen while they cooked. Despite occasional crying from the back of the restaurant, it was still a very enjoyable meal.

They focus on providing fresh, authentic, organic food with sustainably raised meat and vegetables. There are rumors that all of their vegetables are grown in the family's garden ("or just a really high quality purveyor and they let the rumors run wild" --Margaret). Zatar is continually busy as they are only open Wednesday through Saturday.

Since we got there right at 5:30, there wasn't a wait, but by the time we finished our meal, there was a rather large group waiting outside. Margaret said that they only take reservations for parties of six or more, so our strategy was to just show up early. Plus we were hungry.

One nice thing about showing up early was that we were able to get one of the best tables in the entire restaurant. In the front, there are two tiny booths that only fit two people. They are well cushioned with pillows everywhere. Also, since the restaurant is family-owned and family-run, the service seemed like it could be a bit slow when it gets busy. I never saw more than two waitresses the entire night, so just for the purpose of getting good service, I'd recommend showing up as early as possible.

Every meal starts out with their signature dish, which is also called "Zatar." We were served a basket of warm whole wheat pita bread along with a plate with a pinch of herbs in the middle of it. After putting it on our table, the waitress poured olive oil over the herbs and explained that we were to use it as a dip. The pita was great, the seasoning mild but it definitely got my appetite going.

Margaret ordered a mint lemonade to start, which was absolutely delicious. As I sit here writing this, I am reminded of how much I regret not getting one. It was icy, refreshing, and not too sweet. We also split a calamari appetizer.

For the first time in a long time, we ordered calamari and it was not battered and fried! A miracle! Fresh squid was served on top of a bed of peppery arugula with huge white beans, and drizzled with a vinaigrette dressing.

Next came our entree. Originally we were drooling over all of the meat dishes and eventually decided to try everything by getting the "Kebab Feast for Two." We were served a huge dish of rice that had a slight lavender flavor to it. On top of that was an array of grilled vegetables, including cauliflower, squash, green beans, and carrots. Surrounding the rice were hunks of grilled chicken, steak, and lamb patties. There was a yogurt-dill sauce on the side for dipping.

My favorite meat was probably the lamb patties, although every single piece of meat that I ate was perfectly cut. The lamb was ground up, and then put into a patty with fennel seeds, which really enhanced the flavor. I liked that they used ground meat as well because it made the meat leaner without losing much flavor. Even the chicken, which has a tendency to dry out, was beautifully cooked and still moist.

Next was Margaret's favorite part of the meal. Unfortunately they were out of creme fraiche gelato that night, so we had to change our choices ("You're on your own for this one, I'm getting an entire dessert to myself." --Margaret).

I ended up going with a date and toasted walnut ice cream. Unfortunately, the ice cream was already really sweet, so the added sugar from the date made it overpoweringly so. Margaret fared much, much better. She had an apricot tart made from phyllo dough with mascarpone cheese on the bottom. As scared as I was to try the cheese, it was delicious.

To top things off, we had hot water infused with mint and lemon. It wasn't too sweet or overpowering, so it was a nice way to finish off our meal.

I learned a few things at Zatar: 1) Chicken breast does not always have to be dry; 2) I have the capability of liking cheese in a dessert, but no that does not mean I'm going to try cheesecake anytime soon; 3) It's a great idea to have Margaret owe you money--she pays back in the most wondrous ways.

Zatar is located on the northwest corner of University and Shattuck (1981 Shattuck). To make a reservation for a party of 6 or more, call (510) 841-1981. They also have a website: http://www.zatarrestaurant.com.

The restaurant is open for lunch from Wednesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and for dinner from Wednesday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.