Zenbunni
(1) 310 – 452.9605
2307 Main Street
Santa Monica, California 90405

www.zenbunni.com

Open Hours:
12:00 pm –  6:00 pm   Tuesday – Sunday

Located in Santa Monica’s Green Light District, the precious ZenBunni boutique adheres to green principles and is adorned with recycled and hand painted architectural remnants, vintage jewelry, curiosities and reclaimed objects.  The more time you allow yourself to captivated by the eclectic artistry of Zen & Bunni Nishimura, the more treasures you will find.

ZenBunni is a beautiful combination of shop and gallery created by two artists.  Collecting both their own works and creations by those they admire, a feel has been created that is unique.  Mediums that appeal to the senses are the guiding principle, with representations of Sight~ photography, painting, sculpture, Touch~ jewelry, furniture, clothing, Smell~ house blended incense from Indonesia, and Taste~ one of the best raw chocolates we have had!

Bunni is a fine art photographer shooting film and printing her own work – this physical approach is easily seen in her pieces.  The framing is a collaboration with Assemblage artist Zen and is remarkable in itself.

The chocolates followed the same pattern to the shop as the incense.  Personally used items that friends, family and customers pushed them into selling!  The raw chocolates came from their transition to raw foods and the lack of an acceptable raw chocolate.  Zen & Bunni then set out to create one for themselves with the help of a neighbor who was a raw chef.  Six months of tasting and tinkering has produced one of the tastiest (if not the best) raw chocolate bar.  Once in personal production, they were quickly in high demand and sold out!  Now taking it on as a product, they have packaged the perfectly creamy and delicious bar as a product in its own right with three flavors: Italian Almond, Black Lava Sea Salt, Rose Mint, Lavender Sea Salt, Gypsy Spice, and Haiku Coconut.  If you are into chocolate, let alone raw foods, – this is definitely for you! and you don’t need to go to Santa Monica, they will be available across  the US in the near future

On a personal note: I would like to express our deepest love for Zen & Bunni and what they have created.  We have yet to meet you in person,but already admire and adore you!

Raw

Tamal de Queso Estilo Corunda

Nopalito
(1) 415 – 437-0303
306 Broderick Street
(between Oak and Fell)
San Francisco, CA 94117

www.nopalitosf.com

Open Hours:
Daily 11:30 am – 10:00 pm

Nopalito, the smaller offshoot of Nopa, presents local and organic Mexican cuisine with authenticity.  There are plenty of vegetarian options and the meals are exquisitely tasty without being heavy and greasy.  The ultimate test is passed by the house hot sauce provided with each dish;  peppers are peeled then charred, giving a delicious and gentle smoky flavor.

The service was friendly and fairly attentive.  We loved the fact that they took our cell number so we could wander the neighborhood while we waited for our table.  This is so simple I’m amazed I come across it so rarely.  I poked my head into Nopa (about 2 blocks away) and it looked like the large upscale eatery that it is- next trip to San Francisco!

The dish that surprised us the most was the Sandia con Chile y Limón.  Which is slices of  sweet crimson watermelon, chile de arbol, chile guajillo and lime.  This is one of those combinations that I never would have thought of, but makes oh so much culinary sense.

The Tamal de Queso Estilo Corunda (Housemade masa, queso cotija, grazzini squash, poblanos, tomatoes, manzanos chiles and crema) was another soft delight.  The masa really contains a quality that speaks for dedication.

The dish that we ordered twice was the Quesadilla Azul de Hongos (Blue corn tortilla, mushrooms, corn, poblanos, jack cheese, queso fresco and salsa de molcajete).  The mushrooms were deep and flavorful – and this combined with the smoked hot sauce was stunning.

Mexican cooking is on the west coast is an entire step above that on the east.  We really enjoyed the variety and effort that was put into bringing this wonderfully diverse deliciousness to our plates.  Nopalito a true taste of contemporary culinary artistry!

Corn Salad

(above photo © Nopalito)

Quesadilla Azul de Hongos

Sandia con Chile y Limón

Hazelnut Powder Cookies

(above photo © Nopalito)

Il Cane Rosso
(1) 415 – 391 7599
1 Ferry Building, Market Shop #41
San Francisco, California 94111

www.canerossosf.com
www.twitter.com/canerossosf

Open Hours:
8:00 am – 8:30 pm   Monday  – Saturday
10:00 am – 9:00 pm   Sunday

Headed into town with friends we were invited to join them at The Ferry Building.  As we approached, we stifled an inward groan.  From outward appearances, we were expecting another corporate infused feeding trough, where the most exotic thing to be found would be a Pizzera Uno or Boston Market- similar to South Street Seaport in NYC or Fanual Hall in Boston.

Well, we were WRONG! The Ferry Building is a magnificent piece of localvore culture, brimming with excellent shops and eatieries.  We over ate, but it was all worth it and one of the excellent excellent stops was Il Cane Rosso.

Il Cane Rosso is a casual, rotisserie and sandwich shop fronted by beautiful antipasti and headed by a rustic menu.  Kudos to Chefs Lauren Kiino and Daniel Patterson- who have created the perfect “mall” restaurant.  Quick and homey, and very reasonably priced- would all food court restaurants achieve such an admirable combination.

Funny thing – here in NYC there are hundreds of great restaurants, but none that cater to the masses (expect maybe Le Pain Quotidian chain).  This excellent eatery, Il Cane Rosso, and the  entire ferry building is a testament to the food culture that  pervades the city of San Francisco.

If I was a commuter, taking a ferry in and across the bay daily, Il Cane Rosso would be one of the places I walked by each trip to check the days menu!  Their website and twitter account also broadcast the days menu and specials.

Once again – this Ferry Building is where the city of San Francisco really catches my interest.  Perhaps it is the access to the best ingredients in the world, or the general expectations of the populace or maybe it is some excellent city planning?  This really is a foodies’ town.

Some of the dishes we experienced:

MARIQUITA FARM ROASTED PEPPER AND HARICOT VERT SALAD
These peppers really stood out; excellent smokey flavor, with sliced garlic and tomato vinaigrette

GRISTMILL POLENTA WITH PARMIGIANO AND SAGE BROWN BUTTER
This dish made us come back for seconds

ROTISSERIE HERB-RUBBED SOUL FOOD FARM CHICKEN
HERB AND GARLIC ROASTED MARIQUITA FARM POTATOES
Delicate and aromatic with excellent presentation.

MARIQUITA FARM EARLY GIRL TOMATO PANZANELLA
These were some of the best tomatoes we’ve ever had; served with cucumbers,
red onion, arugula and red wine vinaigrette to create a really really tasty salad.

WARM SOUL FOOD FARM EGG SALAD
A lovely open faced sandwich with bagna cauda butter and aged provolone

HEIRLOOM ORGANICS CARROT SOUP
Deep carrot flavor in a lighter then expected soup, served with dill goat cheese.

Pizzeria Delfina
(1) 415 – 437 6800
3611 18th Street
San Francisco, California 94110

www.pizzeriadelfina.com

Open Hours:
5:00 pm – 10:00 pm  Monday
11:30 am – 10:00 pm  Tuesday – Thursday
11:30 am – 11:00 pm  Friday
12:00 pm – 11:00 pm  Saturday
12:00 pm – 10:00 pm  Sunday

Since 2005 Craig and Anne Stoll’s neighborhood gem has been serving up their crunchy delightful pizza, along with soups, antipasti, salads and deserts.  As is the excellent trend in the Northwest, they are using local and seasonal ingredients as much as possible.  This is the type of pizza that is so good, you wind up ordering one for dessert!

We were lucky, staying with a friend and ordered a couple pies for pick-up.  I wish we had ordered more.  The star for us was the Broccoli Raab pizza featuring Star Route Farms broccoli raab, caciocavallo, mozzarella, olives and hot peppers.  On our next strip to San Francisco, we will definitely be making a more detailed visit to Pizzeria Delfina!

(above photo  Andre Karpov mural © Pizzeria Delfina)

(above photo  © Pizzeria Delfina)