Cape Town is grey and chilly today, in the kind of way that makes you happy to cocoon. It also reminds me of San Francisco and an excellent way to spend a cosy evening when the fog makes it difficult to see much of anything - at the Stinking Rose in North Beach. Take a stroll there one evening - there's plenty of good shopping in nearby Chinatown (where I found my own waving cat) and you'll appreciate having worked up an appetite when you see the menu.
"We season our garlic with food," they advertise. Start with "garlic in a hot tub" (whole garlic roasted in olive oil) and then choose from a range of italian-inspired (and seriously garlicky) shellfish, steaks, pizzas and more. The food is flavourful and hearty (always tempting to over-order here). I have not yet reached the dessert menu, but for the brave, garlic ice cream is on offer. It does not fall into the trap of so many themed resto's which place image above flavour. The look is over-the-top italian trattoria - with warm red walls, carafes dangling from the ceiling, corks and plenty of garlic. But it doesn't need the decor and quirky menu notes to keep customers coming back. You can buy a tongue-in-cheek souvenir to remind you of your evening or pick up a postcard advertising sister restaurant The Crab House on the SF waterfront (home of the famous Dungeness Killer Crabs - and definitely a second culinary highlight of San Francisco). But more on that another day.
The Stinking Rose is at 325 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, Telephone 415 7817673.
"We season our garlic with food," they advertise. Start with "garlic in a hot tub" (whole garlic roasted in olive oil) and then choose from a range of italian-inspired (and seriously garlicky) shellfish, steaks, pizzas and more. The food is flavourful and hearty (always tempting to over-order here). I have not yet reached the dessert menu, but for the brave, garlic ice cream is on offer. It does not fall into the trap of so many themed resto's which place image above flavour. The look is over-the-top italian trattoria - with warm red walls, carafes dangling from the ceiling, corks and plenty of garlic. But it doesn't need the decor and quirky menu notes to keep customers coming back. You can buy a tongue-in-cheek souvenir to remind you of your evening or pick up a postcard advertising sister restaurant The Crab House on the SF waterfront (home of the famous Dungeness Killer Crabs - and definitely a second culinary highlight of San Francisco). But more on that another day.
The Stinking Rose is at 325 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, Telephone 415 7817673.
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