Kat's 9 Lives

Saturday was a day of catching up. One of our friends was down from SF so Burumun and I decided to hang out. I invited PK to come along to join in the fun and to hang out afterwards as well. Our first stop of the day was at Spoon House. At first we planned to go elsewhere but I suddenly remembered how much Burumun raved about this place. Why not try it out while I'm in the area. =9 The parking is in the back so if you past it like I did, just make a U-turn and park behind.
Ironically, I'm the only one who hasn't been here out of everyone in the group. The outside might look a bit run down but the inside is a cute cafe/diner style. Apparently they are known for their French Bread. PK doesn't remember much of this place except for the yummy bread. Needless to say we went through our basket fast and asked for more. They sell the bread for $3.00 per loaf. It's much better if you just eat it there for FREE!!! lol The bread is light and fluffy with a crispy and flaky outer crust. It's the way Japanese people make French Bread. ^_- I made sure to have some left for the bottom of the bowl to soak up the sauce.
For my dish I debated on what to try. At first I wanted to get the Barca D'Oro but Burumun was getting it so I decided to try the Garlic Beef with Italian Sauce and sneak a bite of her's instead. O=9 I am actually really glad I chose this dish because it was on the safe side. The sauce was stronger and more flavorful with all the chopped garlic. MmMmmm Good. Some of the meat was a bit overcooked but some were just the right chewy texture. Overall I enjoyed my pasta the most. It's simple but a good price. The noodles were nice and firm but I wished there was more sauce. At the end there was enough to soak up with the bread. ^_-
PK wanted to try the Japanese-Style Cod Roe, Squid, Sea Urchin, and Seaweed. We were going to share the pastas as well. I took one bite of the pasta and I was like umm... yah... push the plate to the side! lol PK being as sweet as always, offered to switch back but I said it's okay if we don't. She took a few more bites and switched back, which was very nice of her. I was okay with not eating anymore because I had my fill of carbs. The carnivore inside of me wanted meat! lol This pasta was very very light in flavor and a bit too fishy for my taste. I know it's a seafood pasta but it had that awkward seafood taste. You couldn't really taste the sea urchin in the sauce at all. Luckily we were going to eat live sea urchin later ^_-. *stay tuned*
Burumun had the Barac D'Oro, which was Seafood with Italian Sauce. Inside there was Squid, Shrimp, Clam, and maybe some Octopus. Her pasta looked much better than mine because it was saucy and full of content, but I tried a bite... and I like mine better in flavor. ^_^ The sauce wasn't as rich or flavorful as the one I had. Although looking back on the photo, it looks really tempting. Still, I prefer the garlicky sauce on top of the beef on my pasta.
Our friend ordered the Spoon House Napolitano with Tomato Sauce and "Wiener". The pasta looked hearty and full of ingredients. He said it was good. All in all it was a nice fun meal with friends. The food was not bad for the price, but I wouldn't drive out especially for this. I am glad I got to try it and have some fun with friends. You can make a lot of this at home and you can always buy bread somewhere to accompany your meal. Although if you really love the bread there and want to buy some, why not just eat there and have your fill as you are enjoying your pasta. ^_-

Spoon House
1601 W Redondo Beach Blvd
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 538-0376

Not surprising but here I am again. This is the first time I have come here for lunch. I definitely like the prices better at lunch and it seems to be the same size as dinner. They don't have as many choices for lunch, but I found a new dish to try. MBA wanted to go to Nordstrom and I didn't feel like going to the mall on Saturday since it's SO crowded. Good thing I didn't because I ended up meeting Tiramisu later that day and took her to the mall! ^_^ So thank goodness I didn't have to go twice! At first it didn't even seem like Sabatino's was open for lunch and I never saw a real server. A guy from the kitchen came out and serviced, he was friendly but they probably needed a little bit more people to help out.
Today they surprised us with a new bread and we were starving so we gobbled it down in a flash. It was buttered with garlic and toasted to give that crisp texture. We debated on which bread we like better... dinner or lunch? We both agreed that dinner was slightly better. Then I wondered if they got rid of the other bread???? I was able to get that answer on Monday night, which I will post later. ^_-
MBA got her signature dish of Rigatoni with Sausage and Peppers in a Creamy Tomato Sauce. Just the way she likes it! ^_^ Of course she had to dip the yummy bread in her pasta sauce. As for me, I decided to try their Chicken Penne Gorgonzola. It's chicken breast & broccoli tossed with garlic, white wine, & Gorgonzola cream sauce and served with penne pasta. MBA tried my pasta and she really liked it. I asked for a minimal amount of broccoli and it was tasty. If I get this next time, I will ask for extra sauce because I like a thicker coat on my pasta. With penne it's harder to retain the flavor of the sauce. Still, it's a good new find.
This was the first time that I saw that they offered paninis so of course I had to give it a try. I ordered the Chicken Panini Sabatino. It's chicken breast, roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato, avocado, caramelized onion, Mozzarella cheese, & house spread on sourdough. On paper everything sounded really good, but it fell short in real life. The sandwich was a little dry for my taste and it needed more avocado to smooth out the texture. I still think Nordstrom Cafe has better paninis. Stick with the pastas or the pizzas instead!

When I was up in SF, a back post, Ms. Lin took me to A16 on a Monday night. They have Monday Meatball Madness where the chef experiments with fresh ingredients to create different meatballs. We had reservations and I showed up first while Ms. Lin was paying the meter. The hostess wasn't very friendly and wouldn't seat me until Ms. Lin showed up. Keep in mind we arrived as soon as they opened, which meant barely anybody was there. The interior was very clean with a modern vibe and mahogany color. If you sit at the counter you can see them prepare the food and serve you. They have very interesting long paintings of women relaxing on the walls.
We decided to order the Appetizer Meatballs. They were Prosciutto, Bay Leaf, Mozzarella, and Pork then covered in Marinara Sauce. It was tasty, but not the unique experimental meatball I was expecting. Nonetheless it was flavorful and I would definitely come back again on a Monday to try their meatballs. Almost everybody who came that night was "older" and they all ordered the meatball entrée, which has 5 meatballs instead of 3.
They brought bread to the table that were probably from the Acme Bread Co. and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It's good to save some bread to dip in the meatball sauce. Ms. Lin ordered a Taurasi to drink and I ordered the Moscato Giallo.
We ordered a Salumi/Cold Cut Sampler. It's not on their menu, but as we talked with our server she said that she could put a plate together. The 4 on the plate are La Quercia Berkshire Prosciutto, Bresaola (house-cured), Pork Liver Terrina (house-cured), and Ciccioli (house-cured). It was actually a very generous plate, of course we didn't know the price as well since it was not on the menu. I think it was worth it for the amount you get and for the fact you get to sample everything. The prosciutto was wonderful with a citrus twist. They gave an enormous amount of pork terrina and it was quite tasty with a delicate texture. It was almost too much terrina. I would definitely recommend trying the cold cuts if you like them. ^_^
Ms. Lin wanted to try one of their pastas and she chose the Cavatelli with Mussels, Cannellini Beans, Tomato, Garlic, and Basil. The dish was quite small in portion because we got the half order, but we were getting full since we ordered a lot. To show how small it is and cute, I did an extreme close up of the teensy weensy mussels atop the Cavatelli. We really loved the pasta, it was chewy and had the perfect texture. The flavor was subtle but delicious on the pasta. It reminded me of a nice cassoulet. Of course Ms. Lin had to eat all the beans since I detest them, but overall this dish was surprisingly good. I'd definitely get this again, in fact I am pondering on getting again when I go back to SF!
I wanted a dish with meat so I chose for the main course to be a Mixed Roast of Watson Farms Lamb with Radishes, Fennel, and Herbs. This came with a choice of side dish and I chose the Roasted Potatoes with Salsa Verde and Lemon. There were 3 types of lamb on the dish. A sausage, roast loin, and one rack. They were cooked nicely and lightly flavored. I don't know if they were worth the price you pay, but nonetheless good. The side dish had a strong flavor. It reminded me of the Mojito fries at Asia de Cuba. At first it tasted good, but then it became too much. I'd recommend either the meatballs or the pasta instead of this.
To finish off the night, we decided to order a dessert. We got the Chocolate Budino Tart with Sea Salt and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. All the desserts had a unique twist to it, so I wanted to see how it would turn out. I have never had EV olive oil on my dessert. It actually tasted pretty good, except WAY too much salt. BLECH! Everything else worked fine on the plate, but too much salt killed it for me. I liked the crust on the bottom.
All in all the food was pretty good, except a few tid bits. Still it was an overall tasty meal. The only thing I have to complain about was the service! I thought our server was a little haughty and impatient, then she got a little bit better at the end. The hostess was rude then followed by the server's bad attitude. We agreed that the only reason we left a nice tip was because of the busboys there who were very nice and attentive. It would be wrong to punish them for the server's horrible attitude. Be sure to check out this place when you are up in SF. I will probably come back when I visit SF again. ^_^

A16
2355 Chestnut St
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 771-2216

It was MBA's B-day on May 28th. We had a delay celebration by going to a restaurant of her choice. She chose Tutto Fresco in RSM. MBA has loved this place ever since I first took her there a few years ago. It's tucked away in the back between Trader Joe's and Target. I usually try to come here on Friday or Saturday because I love their chicken tortilla soup! Even though the soup has beans, I still love the soup and eat everything in it. They are usually pretty busy on the weekends and it's definitely a favorite of locals. The interior has a rustic decor. It's not quite as corny as the Venice paintings in every possible Italian restaurant, but the walls are still the same color. =P
They always bring you fresh moist bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The bread here is usually pretty flavorful and tasty. The texture reminds me of a mix between corn meal with flour. It's still soft with a bit of a gratier texture. My meal came with a soup and since it was Thursday I couldn't choose chicken tortilla soup. =*( I chose to try their Meatball Soup recommended by our server. I'm glad I listened to her because it was extremely flavorful and filled with substance. The meatballs were good and the fresh stewed vegetables were just right. To finish the soup off, I dipped the bread in to add more texture. Now I might come back on Thursdays so I can get this soup again. I am so torn now!
MBA always gets the same dish because it's her favorite. She ordered the Tagliatelle alla Norcina. It's flat ribbon pasta with sautéed red roasted peppers and Italian sausage in a tomato cream sauce. The sausage tastes very similar to the meatballs and they were good. She loves to dip her bread into the sauce as she eats. The portions are always very generous and definitely enough for a next day's meal.
I keep ordering different dishes when I go there because I haven't found anything that is amazing to me like the Tagliatelle is to MBA. After many hits and misses, I think I have finally found something that I would get again for sure. I ordered the Carre di Agnello this time. It's New Zealand spring rack of lamb with a mustard garlic sauce. At first when I read mustard, I was grossed out but since it said garlic and I wanted lamb then why not try it. I am so glad that I did because the portion was tremendous. They actually gave a huge rack of lamb! It might not be of the best quality but I am all or the portion-size! ^_- yum yum! The sauce was surprisingly tasty! There wasn't a strong mustard flavor, it was more of a creamy taste. I gave MBA a taste and she loved it. The pasta was only decent, I think I will go back to the Rosemary potatoes instead. If you love lamb then you should definitely try this out.
To finish off the night, MBA ordered the Spumoni. It's your typical Italian ice cream of chocolate, cherry bits, and pistachio layers. The portion was very generous for the price. MBA always gets the ice cream here.
All in all this place is solid. I haven't always gotten things I liked, but I keep coming back because I was sold on the soup and bread. This time I finally hit gold and found a dish that I really liked. The food here is pretty consistent and the prices are very reasonable. I always say yes to this place when MBA has a craving. =)

Who can resist the bread here at Sabatino ^_^ I keep coming back with my beloved coupons! To clear things up a little bit, MBA is the nickname Tofu gave to my best friend A. We went for an early dinner after 27 dresses a few weeks ago. This was the first time that we were there with the sun still out so I took more pics of the decor in natural sunlight. As usual the owner was there. They're usually pretty nice.
The first batch of bread was a little bit drier than what we normally get, but still good. I like their bread. It's even better with cheese stuffed in it! The marinara was what sealed the deal, since their tomato sauce was very flavorful.
MBA got the Rigatoni with Sausage & Peppers again but this time she remember to ask for the creamy tomato sauce. I always say the fattier the food is the more tasty it is! ^_^ Low and behold she liked the creamier dish better. MBA was in seventh heaven! As well as leftovers with yummy bread for the next day.
Every time I go I try to order something different so I can put new pictures up and review their entrées. This time I decided to try something new since I have had their pesto and their tomato sauce. A good safe choice would be Chicken Marsala, Marsala wine sauce with angel hair pasta. I was really surprised at how it came out. It was a mixture of the tomato sauce with Marsala wine, not what I had expected. Normally it's always a dark brown sauce. To be honest, the dish took some time for me to warm up to. I couldn't decide if I liked it or hated it, but the more I ate the better it got.

All in all the food was good and service was not bad. I still am not sure if I liked my chicken dish. I don't think I would recommend this to anyone if you expect the normal Marsala sauce you get at most Italian restaurants. Keep an eye out for their coupon and try them out. If you try any dishes that I haven't had yet, please recommend by leaving a comment! I will keep going back for the bread and finding the perfect entrée! So far the spicy eggplant and chicken dish is the best. I will keep you posted!