I will be adding Manora to my list of favorite Thai restaurants in San Francisco (Basil Thai, Grand PuBah). The menu is smaller than at other Thai places with fewer curry dishes which leads me to believe that the owners are from Northern Thailand. The sour seafood soup (tom yum) is very spicy and savoury. The green papaya salad is the the best I’ve tried in the city — it’s fresh, packed with flavor, quite complex. The seafood brochettes are delicious, as are the stir fried dishes in spicy garlic sauce. The decor is traditional Thai, with lots of orchids, bamboo, and wooden touches (unlike the modern, trendy Grand PuBah). Prices are reasonable and there is no noisy bar scene (as in Osha Thai). It’s a quite relaxed restaurant that just serves good food. Located on Folsom at 12th street, there is a lot of street parking.

Manora’s Thai Cuisine
1600 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-3723
+1 415 861-6224
www.manorathai.com

I have to highlight these three recently opened restaurants in San Francisco that serve outstanding food and have very good service:

(1) Nombe: Japanese izakaya on Mission Street at 21st which serves Japanese small plates and an dazzling array of sake. I went back last night with friends because the last time I was there, they had not yet obtained their liquor license. Well, last night, we tried several types of sake from the very dry to the sweet-sublime. As usual the service was outstanding and the food very delicious (try the brussels sprouts, calamari, ahi tuna, pickled daikon). Read my earlier review of Nombe.

http://www.mapplr.com/2009/12/16/nombe-japanese-izakaya-opens-in-mission-district-sf/

(2) Frances: I understand why the restaurant critic of the Financial Times fell head over heels in love with Frances: “Frances makes me a little crazy. I ate there for the first time just after it opened last month and booked to return straight away. After the second visit, I made an entire week’s worth of reservations, one every night, taking any available time slot.”  The reviewer recommended the gnocchi and the beef.

http://www.mapplr.com/2009/12/20/frances-luscious-mediterranean-inspired-dishes-san-francisco/

(3) Credo: my most recent find and indeed a gem in the Financial District of San Francisco, Credo serves Northern Italian cuisine in a large, beautiful airy space.

http://www.mapplr.com/2010/01/22/credo-superb-northern-italian-cuisine-comes-to-san-francisco-financial-district/

If you have favorites I have missed, please list them in the comments section below.

I was inspired to write this article by a Financial Times piece about French comfort food served in the bistros and brasseries of Paris. At present I am living in a city known for its excellent restaurants (notably those serving Asian food). But these restaurants also come and go with alarming frequency, and even if they stay around for more than two years, you cannot count on them maintaining the same high quality. What happens in San Francisco is this: a restaurant opens (like La Mar Cebicheria), serves amazingly good food for the first two months, gains a huge following, then the chef leaves and the quality of the food declines. Many of these restaurants manage to survive because they are in touristy areas. This has happened to a number of other restaurants we have come to love and regretfully have stopped going to, after dramatic changes in the menu and the quality of food and service.

In a place with a culinary tradition, restaurants are handed down from one generation to another, maintaining the same high level of quality; or where even where it’s not a family business, the new owner continues the tradition. Here in San Francisco, you can’t come back after ten years to your favorite place and expect the same quality of food and service (notable exceptions are restaurants such as Chez Panisse, but for this you pay a lot of money). Countries like Turkey, Japan, Italy and France  have a “food culture” backed by hundreds of years of tradition in cuisine. In those countries, you don’t have to spend a sum equal to your monthly paycheck to eat at a restaurant that serves a truly outstanding meal and if you come back years later, it’s still there, serving wonderful food. Case in point: on my last trip to Rome in October 2009, I went to Al Pompiere and Dal Bolognese, two restaurants I had visited in 1996. I wanted to try Al Pompiere’s fabulous bucatini alla’matriciana, which I loved on my previous visit more than ten years ago. To my surprise it was still very delicious. They had not compromised on the quality of the food. Neither was it expensive. It seems as though nothing has changed at Al Pompiere, despite a fire as few years ago that nearly destroyed. The same goes for Dal Bolognese: consistency in quality of food and service. It’s still there, serving three generations of Romans.

So back to my list of Paris bistros and brasseries, which includes those mentioned by the Financial Times. Some of these places have been around for a long time, serving good basic French fare, the kind of winter comfort food that sticks to your ribs and raises your cholesterol level. You’ll need to run from Paris to Chartres to work off the calories. Many French people get tired of it after a while and yearn for exotic dishes from Asia (which one can find in Paris) which are much lighter and healthier, but if they want classic French home-cooking, they can always go back to their favorite bistro or brasserie, and enjoy a good meal at a reasonable price (and prices of wine are much lower than in the US).

Most people go to the bistro or brasserie in their neighborhood, so here’s a list of Left and Right Bank favorites:

LEFT BANK

One of my favorites on the Left Bank is Allard. This is not the time to worry about cholesterol and calories. Indulge in duck with olives and baba au rhum.

Allard
41 rue St André des Arts
75006 Paris
France
+33 1 43 26 48 23
Métro: Odéon

Another favorite is Comptoir du Relais. Yves Camdeborde (formerly La Regalade, which I visited many years ago) now runs this wonderful bistro, conveniently located at the Carrefour de l’Odeon.

Comptoir du Relais
9, Carrefour de l’Odéon
75006 Paris
France
+33 1 44 27 07 97
Metro: Odeon

If you are looking for a brasserie near the Eiffel Tower and the Musee du Quai Branly (recommended museum), and want reasonably priced (main course 15 EUR), outstanding French food, go to Cafe Constant (run by Christian Constant).

Café Constant
139, rue Saint-Dominique
75007 Paris
France
+33 1 47 53 73 34
Metro: Ecole Militaire
www.cafeconstant.com

RIGHT BANK

In the 3rd arrondissment you’ll find the L’Ambassade d’Auvergne, which features regional cuisine from, what else, the Auvergne. You’ll find hearty peasant fare such as terrine of wild boar, cassolette de boudin noir (blood sausage), and blanquette de veau (veal stew).

L’Ambassade d’Auvergne
22, rue du Grenier Saint-Lazare
75003 Paris
+33 1 42 72 31 22
Metro: Rambuteau
www.ambassade-auvergne.com

If you are looking for a brasserie in the Marais (4th arrondissement), try Bofinger, which serves Alsatian food and other French classics. If you have never had choucroute (warning: lots of sauerkraut, sausages, and other cuts of pork), try it at least once. It’s very heavy, but very Alsatian, enough for two persons. If you’re not into giant portions of meat, try the oysters. They have a large variety of oysters at reasonable prices. Bofinger is a “scene” – a large, packed dining room with tall mirrors, a domed stained glass ceiling, wooden balustrades, and waiters in bow ties whizzing back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room.

Brasserie Bofinger
3, Rue Bastille
75004 Paris
France
+33 1 42 72 87 82
Metro: Bastille
www.bofingerparis.com

Looking for something smaller, more intimate and less touristy than Bofinger? I like Bistrot Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement, next to the Galerie Vivienne, an atmospheric, historic gallery with fashion boutiques and cafes. It’s a favorite among people who live and work near the Bourse.

Bistrot Vivienne
4, rue des Petits Champs
75002 Paris
France
+33 1 49 27 00 50
Metro: Bourse

If you prefer bistros and brasseries run by famous chefs, try Aux Lyonnais and Benoit. They belong to the Alain Ducasse empire. This is where you suspend your New Year’s health resolutions for at least a couple of hours. Recently spotted on the Benoit menu: civet de sanglier aux chataignes, le filet saute au lard paysan (boar stew with chestnuts, sauteed with bacon).

Aux Lyonnais
32, rue Saint-Marc
75002 Paris
France
+33 1 42 96 65 04
Metro: Richelieu-Drouot
www.auxlyonnais.com

Benoit
20, rue Saint Martin
75004 Paris
France
+33 1 42 72 25 76‎
Metro: Hotel de Ville or Chatelet
www.benoit-paris.com

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Check out all of our Paris favorites (hotels, restaurants and cafes). Here is a Google map of our favorite Paris hotels, restaurants and cafes.

I had a chance to go to the newly opened Credo in San Francisco’s Financial District last night. Although the restaurant has been open for only a week, it is already very busy. When you enter the restaurant the first thing you notice is how light and airy it is. High ceilings, white walls with graphic art,  and an open kitchen keep things in balance. Credo means “I believe” in Italian and indeed, on the walls are quotes that contain the phrase “I believe” from personalities as diverse as Howard Stern, Robert Kennedy, Bob Dylan, Stephen Colbert and more.

Another remarkable feature are the tables by Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek, which are hand-made using recycled scrap wood and add warmth to the space. Best of all, because the tables are large and not positioned too closely together, you have a lot of privacy. Service is very good: attentive but not intrusive.

Chef Marco Maggi is from Tuscany so the food reflects his northern Italian heritage. It is a large menu with antipasti, pizza, pasta, meat and fish courses, contorni (side dishes) and desserts.

We started with a very delicious octopus carpaccio with hearts of palm. Then, I had house-made fettucine alla bolognese, while my dining companion decided to go for one of the meaty main courses, the grilled beef steak sliced and served with Tuscan style roasted potatoes and garlic spinach. The fettucine was perfect and the sauce, which does not have a lot of tomatoes and is drier than what most people know as “bolognese”, is exactly the way bolognese is served in northern Italy. My dining companion’s steak was succulent, and the sides of garlic spinach and potatoes were the perfect accompaniments. For dessert we decided upon the tiramisu, which was light and not too sweet (unlike the tiramisus I have encountered in too many restaurants here that cater to people who like their desserts sticky-sweet).

The wine list is small and does not have (yet) my favorite Italian reds (the Barbera d’Alba). Credo is still experimenting with the appropriate mix. They do have grappa but they are pricey. The espresso is excellent, made the Italian way, with just the right flavor and very thin layer of foam on top (it is not sludgy or too bitter).

In all, Credo is a terrific addition to the restaurant scene in San Francisco and since it’s in the Financial District, close to where I live, I will definitely be coming back.

Credo
360 Pine Street (Pine & Montgomery)
San Francisco, CA 94104
+1 415 693 0360
www.credosf.com

*Credo is open for lunch and dinner Mon-Fri, dinner on Saturday. It is closed on Sunday.

Reserve now via OPEN TABLE

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Check out our favorite San Francisco restaurants (also on a Google map).

While other luxury hotel chains go for the Big Bang Glitzy look, which tends to attract an equally  gaudy clientele to match, the Swire Hotels has decided to go in the opposite direction with Upper House, its latest hotel in Hong Kong. Elegant and understated, the hotel will be appreciated by travelers who are a bit tired of the coldly efficient business hotels that dot the city. There are three types of rooms: studios, upper suites and penthouses. Rates at Upper House start at HK$2888 (US$370; €260) for the studios.

Upper House
Pacific Place
88 Queensway
Hong Kong
+852 2918 1838
www.upperhouse.com

See a complete list of our favorite hotels and restaurants in Hongkong. Click here for the Google Map of Hongkong favorites.

The Buenos Aires boutique hotel scene has been red hot in the last few years, but nothing compares to the atmospheric, luxurious Algodon Mansion in the elegant Recoleta neighborhood of the city. It is owned by the Algodon Wine Estates and Champions Club, which is one of Argentina’s premier Malbec wine producers.

Housed in a 1912 mansion, each of the ten suites is furnished with design furniture from B&B Italian and Capelinni, and of course, modern amenities like Wi-Fi. The Algodon Royal Suite even has a baby grand piano! Other amenities include 24-hour butlers, a restaurant called Chez Nos serving French cuisine in an intimate setting, a rooftop swimming pool, a spa and a cognac bar. You can also rent the entire mansion for private parties or if you want absolute privacy. Rates start at $484.

Algodon Mansion
Montevideo 1647
Buenos Aires
Tel: 011 54 11 3530 7777
www.algodonmansion.com

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Check out our favorite hotels in Buenos Aires.