Oola: 860 Folsom Street San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 995-2061

Well what can I say. I was largely disappointed with this experience.  Most aspects of this dining experience were just ok and others were just down right disappointing. We started off with the beet salad and the the beef tartar. The beet salad was made with goat cheese, walnuts and had potential had they not added watermelon which we found bizarre and uncomplimentary to the dish. The beef tartar was covered with caviar and was ok but nothing compared to last weeks Absinthe's. For our main course we ordered the ribs which is their signature dish. We admit that the meat was cooked perfectly and literally fell of the bone however the flavor just wasn't there. They are seasoned with ginger and cilantro but we could barely taste either one of these flavors. The ribs were very sweet and lacked spice which could have been given by the ginger had they made this spice more present. We also ordered the ravioli which again was ok.
 For our beverages we had two glasses of organic wine a pinot noir and a mojito. The mojito was pretty good but the wines were nothing to write about.

 We found the service to be slow and unimpressive. Also at the end of our meal they asked for ID with our credit card which we found annoying and insulting.
This meal cost over $200 and was not worth it. There are many other places we would have rather spent the money!

Absinthe

We went here on Friday night and it was FABULOUS. We did not have reservations and were pleased to only have a twenty minute wait. This place was very crowded which makes sense because both the food and drinks were delightful. As we waited at the bar we ordered a Sacred Heart which is a specialty cocktail. This was a modern elixir that harking the strange and wonderful feeling that both tequila and the "green fairy" conjure. The bartender was nice and informative and warned us of the strong licorice taste that comes with ordering such a drink but we did not shy away. We found it to be strong but surprisingly tasty and refreshing and of course STRONG. We also ordered an Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA triple, a Belgian style IPA, which was over 9% and very tasty. We had not even finished our first round of drinks when the hostess came to seat us. We were seated in the front of the restaurant near the bar and very crowded but our table was next to a window which was nice. On a side note we have eaten here before with reservations and were seated at a very intimate table in the back room also next to a window, so if crowds and noise annoy you we suggest making a reservation.



Once seated we ordered the beef tartare, french onion soup and hearts of romaine to start off with. The beef tartare come out first and was fresh and balanced. The quail egg on top complimented the flavors of the beef well. We devoured this small plate and will definately order it again. Next cam the french onion soup and hearts of romaine. The soup is absolutly wonderful. when you dig into this soup you find layer after layer of cheese and the broth is packed with flavor. We did some investigating and found out that the broth is made out of veal stock which turns what could be an ordinary soup into a luxourious one. The hearts of romaine was simple, fresh and good.



For our entrees we ordered the skirt steak and the coffee crusted duck. The coffee crusted duck was very good and flavorful and was cooked to a perfect medium rare. However, the skirt steak was one of the best dishes we have tasted in a long time. It too was cooked a perfect medium rare and was so tender you did not need a knife to cut it. The meat literally fell apart in your mouth and the flavors were incredible. The steak was paired with asparagus and mashed potatoes and the flavors mended well. We would give Absinthe a total of FIVE STARS and we will be back again!

Don Ramons Mexican

Alright everyone, we know it has been a while but we are excited to be back and look forward to continuing this blog. Now, we have eaten at Don Ramon's several times in the past couple of months and it is pretty darn good considering it is in northern California and most Mexican food is eeehh ok. Because we are from Texas we are always craving Mexican food and have tried numerous restraunts in search of real Tex Mex flavors. While we have been largely unsuccessful Don Ramon's comes the closest to feeding our cravings. Now, we have not ordered enchiladas and we probably never will because we are too scared that they will not meet up to our expectations but the flautas and fajitas are pretty good. The fajitas do not come out sizzling but they are flavorful and even come out with flour tortillas which you usually do not find here in SF. However, the best part of going to Don Ramon's is the MARGARITAS. They are fantastic and possibly better that any margarita I have had in Texas. That's right we said it the best Margaritas may in fact not be in Texas but in San Francisco! They have an extensive margarita and cocktail list but our favorite is the cucumber & jalepeno margarita. It is perfectly refreshing with just the right amount of spice. If you go here, you gotta try it. All and all we give Don Ramon's 3 stars but if we were just judging on the margaritas they would get five stars, hands down!
CHEERS,
Jackie and Rob