To start off, you can build your own burger for $7.75. Charbroiled meat of your choice served with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle, and a side of fries or side salad. For $0.75-$1.75, add cheese, sauteed mushrooms, fried egg, or select some premium toppings including Applewood smoked bacon, avocado, or beer battered onion rings. They even let you pick your bun – classic, 9-grain, or Texas toast.

I think trying out one of their specialty Urban burgers is where all the action is at. From the Urban Classic, Urban Bleu Classic, Macho Nacho, or Big Kahuna, there is certainly a burger for all tastebuds. We ended up trying out the Urban Cowboy with Applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, beer battered onion rings and BBQ sauce ($10.50) and the Mission Heat with sauteed green chilies and grilled onions, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and chipotle may ($9.50). I was really diggin' my Urban Cowboy. It reminded me of fond memories of eating the Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carls Jr. as a kid, just kicked up a few notches! The meat quality was awesome, juicy and medium rare and something that most people forget to grade is the distribution of toppings. I'm happy to report that Urban Burger paid special attention to the small details and each bite had even taste of all the fixings! My friend thought the Mission Heat burger was good and interesting but said he'd opt for a more basic burger next time. The green chilies were an interesting topping but it ended up being very wet and messy. And eating a burger with a knife and fork just seems wrong!

For those that want something a little healthier and have been dragged by their co-workers out for lunch, they do offer a few salads or a bunless version of their urban burger. They also have a BLTA ($7.75), grilled cheese ($5.95) or grilled deluxe with grilled ham, cheddar and swiss cheese and tomato ($7.75). Definitely get the fries!

With a casual atmosphere, friendly staff, and high quality burgers why wouldn't you want to go to Urban Burger?!

Neighborhood: Mission
581 Valencia St
(between 16th St & 17th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 551-2483
www.urbanburgersf.com

LOMBARDI SPORTS
1600 Jackson Street (at Polk Street)
San Francisco, CA 94109

Ok, so back to this amazing spaghetti which on the menu they list as spaghettini al sugo calabrese which is a braised beef and pork rib sugo with tomatoes, herbs, pecorino romano ($19). When the heaping bowl of spaghetti arrived, I knew it was sure to be a winner as the sauce was glued to every strand of pasta. With one bite, I knew I was in heaven. This sauce must have taken hours to make. The meat flavor, consistency, and seasonings all done to perfection. I couldn't stop raving about the spaghetti to the waitress, Dee. She probably thought I'd never eaten pasta before. We still had a grilled hangar steak on its way but as long as there was pasta in the bowl, I kept twirling my fork. I was so full after the pasta, I considered just canceling the steak but we got it anyways. I only had 2 bites of it and it was really good but all I kept thinking about was this spaghetti…  The steak was perfectly prepared with diagonal sections laid over roasted asparagus, Yukon gold potatoes, pickled wild ramps and drizzled with salsa verde ($29.75)

I suppose I should at least talk about some of the other items on the menu (even though the spaghetti is worth the 2 hour drive from SF!). We also had the Pancetta Arrosto con Farro, slow roasted Berkshire pork belly with farro, radishes, and watercress ($11.75). I also heard the grilled young fava beans ($10.75) and sausage are one of the best. They also offer a house-made tagliolini with pork ragu ($19) and Santi's braised beef tripe ($12/$16). How often do you see tripe on a menu? For mains, Rocky Jr chicken ($25.75) and Steelhead salmon ($27.95) were prepared.

By the time we left Santi, our bellies were full and we had smiles on our faces. Despite the long drive home, it was all well worth visiting this hidden gem in Geyserville. Rumor has it they are locating to Santa Rosa where they will hopefully get more traffic. My hope is that Santi will remain authentic Italian fare where food, wine and service are top notch. Go to Santi, if only for the spaghetti. And don't forget to bring me back some! I can't wait for another excuse to return to Santi and know the spaghetti will forever be in my dreams…

21047 Geyserville Avenue
Geyserville, California 95441
(707) 857-1790
www.tavernasanti.com

LOMBARDI SPORTS has been family owned and operated since they began selling biking, skiing and camping equipment in 1948. By cramming over 50,000 square feet full of the best equipment, apparel and expertise on Earth, they've become the area's premiere athletic retailer (and I prefer it to Sports Basement).

Saturday 10-6pm
Sunday 11-6pm

Lombardi Sports
1600 Jackson @ Polk
San Francisco, CA
888-456-6223
*Free parking in the garage on Polk with validation

The menu is very straightforward with cold appetizers, dumpling, dim sum, noodle soups, and stir fried noodles and fried rice. We started off with the Five Spice Marinated Beef ($5.95). This is a cold and thinly sliced beef dish that my mum used to make. It was always served as a pre-dinner snack but I remember it fondly. Kingdom of Dumpling didn't disappoint. Unfortunately, I never learned how to make it but I think the meat is stewed in a pressure cooker with several Asian spices, chilled and then sliced. The meat was very flavorful and was the perfect starter before our dumplings arrived. The soup dumplings came shortly after ($4.95). I can usually spot immediately the quality and "level" of soup. These looked decent but certainly not impressive to forego a free ticket to NYC! I carefully lifted a dumpling with my chopstick being careful not to break the delicate skin. I poked a small hole through the skin and anxiously waited to see how much broth would ooze out. A little bit came out that I slurped up and then I bit into the dumpling. Clearly a disappointment against Joe's but still the best I've had in SF.

Next we had the pork and shrimp wonton soup with wide rice noodles ($5.95) and the beef chowfun ($6.95). Both were very, very good and quality Chinese food. I've been craving chowfun and would definitely consider getting takeout or trekking back. They also offer all the wontons and dumplings frozen to go. This totally beats the store bought ones from the Chinese market!

Neighborhood: Parkside
1713 Taraval St
(between 27th Ave & 28th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 566-6143

We started off with the steamed pork and dumplings with chili sesame soy balsamic vinaigrette ($8) and a beet salad ($7). They dumplings were decent sized with a lot of good flavor. I definitely wanted to try the noodle soups so went with the slow roasted niman ranch pork belly in savory pork miso broth ($15). The portion size was really big and came with a lot of pork belly. The broth was rich in miso flavor. The ramen noodles were slightly overcooked but the dish overall was really good. We also tried the niman ranch beef udon in coconut lime curry broth ($14) and grilled cod over garlic noodles ($18). I didn't taste the broth on the udon but my friend said it was really good but would have ordered it with ramen noodles instead of udon. I did try the fish and garlic noodles and they were both very good although the fish did contain a lot of small bones. For dessert, we had the donut holes with custard. This seemed like a really odd dessert for them to offer but nonetheless, they were soft and airy.

Noodle Theory offered a variety of dumplings, noodle soups, and entrees with stir fried noodles. I would go back if in the Marina but would forego the steep prices and head to Japantown for a more authentic experience. And probably not for much longer, it is still BYOB until they get their liquor license.

Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
3242 Scott Street
(at Lombard St)

San Francisco, CA 94123

Ingredients
    * 2 pounds beef shoulder
    * Kosher salt
    * Freshly ground black pepper
    * Extra-virgin olive oil
    * 2 cloves garlic, smashed
    * 1 large onion, sliced
    * 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
    * 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
    * 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
    * 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    * 3 bay leaves
    * Kosher salt

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, or other heavy pot that has a tight cover, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and the beef to the pot, browning the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Add the onion and allow to lightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, plus 1 tomato can of water, spices, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer with a lid for 3 hours until the meat is fork tender. Let meat cool in the liquid. Shred meat and set aside.

Chicken
Recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman

Ingredients
    * 2 pounds chicken thighs (about 5 thighs)
    * Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    * 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for cast iron skillet
    * 1 medium onion, chopped
    * 5 or 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
    * 2 teaspoons dried oregano
    * 2 teaspoons dried cumin
    * 1 (26-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
    * 2 limes, juiced
    * 1 tablespoon sugar
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
 
Directions
Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Brown the chicken well on both sides. Remove chicken and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and saute onion, garlic, oregano and cumin for a few minutes. Stir in tomatoes, lime juice, sugar and salt. Add chicken back to the sauce bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes.

Remove chicken from cooking liquid and let rest until cool enough to handle. Pull the meat from the bone and toss with the cooking liquid. Discard the bones and skin.

Simple Salsa:

    * 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, reserving the juice (recommended: San Marzano)
    * 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
    * 1 Serrano chile
    * 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
    * 2 limes, juiced
    * 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
    * Kosher salt
    * Freshly cracked black pepper
    * Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

To make salsa, pulse all the ingredients, except the tomato juice, in a food processor. Add the reserved tomato juice if the salsa is too thick. Drizzle salsa with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and set aside, allowing the flavors to marry.

Starters: Olives
Schramsberg Sparkling Rose

1st Course: Tuna Tartare
2005 Chateau de Rochemorin Blanc

2nd Course: Arugula Salad with Prosciutto, Fresh Mozzarella & Apples

3rd Course: Strozzapretti with Ragu alla Napoletena
2005 Mirante Pinot Noir

4th Course: Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom Wine Sauce & Herbed Potato Gratin with Roasted Garlic and
Manchego Cheese
1998 Halo Cabernet Sauvignon

5th Course: Tangerine Sorbet with Mango, Blackberries, and Raspberries

Here's the recipe for the beef. It is an elegant and easy dinner you can impress your guests with.

Ingredients:
1T butter, divided
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 lb fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed (you can use dried and reconstitute in hot water for 20 minutes)
1 1/2 cup cabernet sauvignon or dry red wine, divided
1 10.5oz can beef broth, divided
Salt & pepper
4 filet mignon steaks (about 1 inch thick)
1T low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp dried thyme
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Directions:
Melt 1 1/2 tsp butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and mushrooms, saute for 4 min. Add 1 cup wine and 3/4 cup broth, cook for 5 min, stirring frequently. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl. Increase heat to high, cook wine mixture until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 min). Add to mushrooms in bowl, set aside. Wipe with a paper towel.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over steaks. Melt 1 1/2 tsp butter in pan over medium heat. Add steaks, cook 3 on each side. Reduce heat to medium low, cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Alternatively, if you want to use a whole beef tenderloin, sear on all sides to form a crust and cook in 400 degree oven until center reaches 120 degrees. Place beef on platter, cover with foil.

Combine soy sauce and cornstarch. Add 1/2 cup wine and remaining beef broth to skillet, scrape skillet to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil, cook 1 minute. Add mushroom mixture, cornstarch mixture and dried thyme, bring to a boil and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve sauce with steaks. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.