Move Over Zagat, Here's Something Meatier.

It's restaurant reviewin' time!! Where my gastronomical gourmands at, Yo?

The Basque Cultural Center, located in beautiful South San Francisco, is like taking a trip to a cruddy high school gymnasium that also happens to serve gourmet Northern Spanish cuisine. It was in fact, so authentic, that we almost didn't dare go inside for fear of getting the bum's rush by a bunch of cranky Basque seperatists that noticed we were wearing the wrong colors or something. Chicken out at your own peril, however, as the food we eventually were seved was quite remarkable.

First came a Butternut Squash soup that was a perfect consistency and had a wonderful, saffron-y heartiness to it. Then was a servicable salad and finally, Quail stuffed with apples, cabbage and bacon. Truly delicious and served with a potato dish that may be one of the richest things I've ever eaten.

Highly recommended.

Guaymas (pronounced Guy-mahs) in Tiburon is a spectacular place to alter your perception of mexican food. Named after a fishing village on the east side of the Gulf of California, this place brings complexity to Mexican cuisine that most people are unaware it can possess.

First came the fresh and hot corn tortillas, perfectly made and served with a trio of salsas, all unique and interesting. Then came the appetizer, four pork tamales served with a crema cilantro sauce that was ridiculously good. Both of our entrees were amongst the best things I've ever tasted. The Chiles En Nogada(recipe courtesy of Simply Recipes) was staggeringly good. Imagine a Chile Relleno with a rich, creamy walnut sauce covered in pomegranite seeds. The other entree was 5 massive shrimp served on a bed of rock salt with a creamy lime/avacado dipping sauce that was also just perfect. Judging by the reviews of this place in Zagat's and at Citysearch, avoid this place if you think Taco Bell is the be-all/end-all of Mexican food. The food is much more interesting than spicy and the beans are black beans, not refried.

Combine this incredible meal with a view of San Francisco that's second to none, and I wouldn't hesitate to go to Guaymas again. And considering the quality of the food and view, the $100 tab for two really wasn't that bad comparitively.

Alright, it's back to stewed tomatoes out of a can for awhile until I can afford to act all fancy pants again next birthday/anniversary.