IfBrillhasayen for
authenticethnic
food
,
hegoes to
Thai House
Express
: “Ispenta
year inThailandand love
Thai food.ThaiHouse
Express isnotglamorous,
but it is trulyauthentic
andnotdummieddown. I
go for thebraisedpork leg,
which is incredibly tender
andspicy.And Ialways
get theyumpladook foo,
which isaspicysaladwith
friedcatfish. In termsof
wine, I tend tobringmy
own,usuallyariesling.”
901LarkinSt., (415)441-
2248, thaiexpresssf.com
MichaelBrill bankson
RN74
’s
greatwinepairings
: “The food is
straightforwardFrench, not supercomplicated, andverywine friendly.RajatParroversees
thewineprogram, andhe’soneof the topsommeliers in thestate.What I really like, though,
is that the restauranthasoneof thoseoldschedulesigns fromaEuropean trainstation.
Theyuse it toshowwines thataredown to the lastbottleandspeciallypriced. Soyoucan
pay$40 foraCaliforniapinot thatnormallygoes for$80.As faras the foodgoes,mypersonal
favorites include thecoqauvinandduckbreastwith foiegras.Entreesareunder$30and
youcan’tgowrongwith thewine.”301MissionSt., (415) 543-7474,michaelmina.net/rn74
Considered the
birthplaceof
America’s obses-
sionwith food,
SanFrancisco is
aperfect city in
which to taste
the latest, great-
est, and fresh-
est.Michael Brill
(CEOofCrush-
pad,where
oenophiles can
make their own
wine) andAnnie
Somerville
(executivechef
of thevegetarian
GreensRestau-
rant) tell us
where togo.
San
Francisco
RESTAURANTS
Top Taste Tour
FALL 2011
celebratedliving.com
76
WhenAnnieSomerville
eats vegetarian
,
sheoftenmakesabeeline for
Cotogna
: “I look for
restaurants that I admire, and I orderselectively from the
menu.AtCotogna—whichservesmeatdishes—every-
thing isextremely fresh. Last time Iwent there, Ihadan
asparagusandspring-onionpizza, ravioliwithcheese
andpeas, anda frittomisto thatwas like fried tempura
batterwith favabeansand littlecarrots inside. It’sa
simple, low-keyspace, overseenbyachef,MikeTusk,
who recentlywonaJamesBeardaward.”490Pacific
Ave., (415) 775-8508, cotognasf.com
FARRIGHT:
©GETTY IMAGES
