Cafe Zitouna

Sadly, Closed 2020 

https://hoodline.com/2018/06/lower-nob-hill-s-cafe-zitouna-quietly-closes-its-doors/

After spending the afternoon on the Bay on the Chocolate and Wine Cruise, we were hungry for a meal and decided to try Cafe Zitouna on Polk Street. Tea Time has ventured up and down the Polk Gulch many times and we always find a restaurant we haven't yet ventured in to try. Cafe Zitouna is dishing up authentic Morrocan food and tempted our palates.  We decided to start with an appetizer, Tunisian Michwiya, which features tuna, onions, egg and capers.

Appetizer with a side of crusty bread. The best thing to hit the spot on a blustery day.

Angela ordered a wrap, the Merguez Shawarma with housemade lamb sausage and traditional wrap fillers of veg and onion with tahini sauce. YUM.

J.K. ordered the B'stilla, listed on the menu as The Pie From Heaven. This is a savory dish, but topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon, which makes for an interesting contrast.

(B'stilla) chicken meat, scrambled eggs in fresh herbs,
roasted almonds flavored with safran, ginger and honey
wrapped in a tissue thin warka topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon

Up Close with B'stilla

There was definitely enough for leftovers.

From their website:

Café Zitouna is the premier restaurant that combines an authentic Moroccan food with Tunisian Home made food in San Francisco Bay area.
Café Zitouna serves you like a traditional Maghreb family would at their home.

Morocco and Tunisia are the culinary star of North Africa in the Mediterranean sea, are the doorway between Europe and Africa (located very close to Spain and Italy).

The North African region called Maghreb. Much imperial and trade influence has been filtered through the area and blended into its culture. Unlike the herb-based cooking across the sea to the north, Tunisia and Moroccan cooking is characterized by rich spices. Cumin, coriander, saffron, chiles, dried ginger, cinnamon, and paprika are on the cook's shelf, and in her mortar. In one word come visit us or order online and you will be glad you did. Additionally, the menu at Cafe Zitouna is Halal Dhabiha.

The casual family atmosphere of Cafe Zitouna is a welcome break from the hustle(!) and bustle of Polk Street. It was certainly a cozy place to rest our weary feet and nosh down some delicious ethnic food after our lovely boat ride under both bridges.

UPDATE:
Unfortunately, Cafe Zitouna is no longer open. First they were closed while some work was being done on the street, then they said they were closed for Ramadan, and now they are simply gone. The space is empty.

Beth's Excellent Adventure—Part 13: Brough Castle Tea Room and Ice Cream Parlour

Heya, Adventurers!  This is J.K.’s friend Beth, reporting from England, where I had many culinary adventures and remembered to take pictures of some of them.

So my Wednesday in Cumbria was going to be a big day:  Setting foot in the actual ancestral village of Sandford, where Sandfords had been documented back to 1186 and were probably there earlier.  There’s a B&B and pub, the Sandford Arms, said to be on the spot of the long-vanished Sandford Manor.  Unfortunately, it was closed for lunch on Wednesdays, so I missed an opportunity to drink in the footsteps of my ancestors and have an ancestral village Tea Time Adventure.

The plaque I’d seen on Google maps street view that had looked like a marker for the original Manor was about local public footpaths and bike paths.  A gentleman unloading yardwork tools out of his car saw me photographing it, and struck up a conversation.  He grew up there, on his grandmother’s farm, and had never known any actual Sandfords.  (This related to a joke the cousins have passed around, regarding the “Sandford pate” on the pub’s menu, that we hoped it didn’t contain any actual Sandfords).  He did suggest that I continue walking that road over the hill and down to the River Eden.  I did, and got my glam shots of the ancestral countryside.

Meanwhile, I had gone back there, and there was no there there.  However, on a return look at the plaque (they call them “boards” in England), next to the “You are here” (you bet I was!) was a notation that said Sandford Manor.  That was just off the fork in the road, and I investigated.  There was one old barn, etc., but it didn’t look as though it could be original with an updated façade.  I took pix anyway.

Walking back toward the bus stop, I saw a suspiciously old-looking building and snapped that.  It had a typical stone garden wall, but at the corner of it was the ruin if something much, much taller.  It was “cob” (stones in a binding material), it looked ancient, and it could only have been the remnant of a Sandford Manor wall.  I’d gotten on the ground, and had actually found a little bit of there there!  This made the trip a little more than “Well, I set foot there!”  It had still been mostly an academic exercise, but our Sanford family in the States had touched the earliest known Sandford dwelling.

With no lunch (or WC stop) to be had in the village of Sandford, I walked down the road to Warcop.  There, where the local is now closed, a gentleman responded to my inquiries by inviting me in for a pit stop and then a cup of tea.  This was the delightful Joseph Richardson, wildlife photographer and campaigner to save the native red squirrel (article but not the promised photo at http://www.cwherald.com/a/archive/eden-man-provides-a-glimpse-intohidden-world-of-red-squirrel.247716.html; see http://www.wildfoxproductions.co.uk and I have to see if there's a US region version of the DVDs or hope he still has VHS tapes).

Since Joseph had some shopping to do in nearby Brough, he dropped me off at my destination there, after we exchanged contact info so we can be pen pals.  I am truly my grandfather’s daughter; Samuel Elliott Sanford traveled the world and made friends wherever he went.  I presume he had the same good taste in new friends.

At my final destination for the day, I had my Tea Time Adventure:  a burger made from local beef, the beef shorthorn (as opposed to the dairy shorthorn).  It was, as happened in the afternoons, clouded up, so I ate this and the green salad (with grapes!) inside amidst the livestock and ranch gear posters.  However, I could have eaten at the picnic tables outside the Brough Castle Farm Ice Cream Parlour & Tearoom.  Forget the stereotypes of Wimpy burgers you may have of England; this was another that had a dense texture and a full, beefy flavour.

And they promise their sundaes can make you more likely to get pregnant, if you're aiming at that.

As for the backdrop:  Whereas Brougham Castle, with only two more letters, is pronounced “Broom,” Brough Castle is pronounced “Bruff.”  Go figure.  It’s another Vieuxpont/Clifford castle restored by Lady Ann Clifford that fell into ruin anyway.  That may sound blasé but it’s not; I will be “digesting” my exposure to this big batch o’ family history in the Border Country for some time to come.

And remembering the burgers already digested.

Beth's Excellent Adventure—Part 2: Coach and Horses, Melton

Heya, Adventurers! This is J.K.’s friend Beth, reporting from England, where I had many culinary adventures and remembered to take pictures of some of them.

I have cousins in Colchester, Gary and Jen and daughter Emma. Emma has actually worked in the States and is a baseball fan, disappointed she didn’t get to go to a Giants game when she was on the West Coast. I made a standing promise to take her to one.

Gary and Jen have a friend, Pauline, who’s a docent at Sutton Hoo, a 6th century Saxon burial site north in Suffolk. The lady of the manor, who was something of a spiritualist, had a vision of a warrior standing on one of the many mounds on her property. She hired an archaeologist, Basil Brown, to do a dig.  He was good, but he didn’t have the degrees or affiliations to get treated with importance locally. When he went down to the pub after a day’s work, people would tease him by asking, “So what did you find today, Basil?” And one evening he answered by pulling out a big, beautiful gold belt buckle with really fine inlay work. No more teasing, even if he did have to put up with an important archaeologist who went to The Right Schools becoming the public figurehead.

They’ve now found three of these ship burials, with someone important being buried in each ship, laid out in the cabin with treasures. Those Saxons were trading with Byzantium, so there’s been some fabulous jewelry.

Between a site tour and Pauline’s special museum tour, we went out for lunch at the Coach and Horses pub in Melton, outside nearby Woodbridge (where Gary and Jen first met).  Pauline and I each had a smoked fish platter (trout, mackerel and salmon) that came with a dessert, a lemon posset with almond biscotti.  Salmon and mackerel and trout, oh my!  I went for a local brew, an Adnam summer bitters.  Yum.

 

Beth's Excellent Adventure—Part 1: Fish and Chips Outside the Tower of London

Heya, Adventurers!  This is J.K.’s friend Beth, reporting from England, where I had many culinary adventures and remembered to take pictures of some of them.

On my second day in London, I finally got to meet my adopted cousin Henry. Forget those Dos Equis commercials, Dr. Henry Ayshford Sanford is the most interesting man in the world, a brilliant polymath with a degree from Cambridge and a great uncle who was a fabulous art deco artist.  We’d been corresponding for years about Sanford family history and genealogy research. When the tale of the scrape (DNA evidence) proved we weren’t his Sanfords, he was quite disappointed. We told him not to go anywhere, because we thought he was incredibly cool and intended to adopt him.

We met at the Tower of London, outside the White Tower (William the Conqueror’s original building). England is, understandably, making a huge deal about the centennial of the Great War, and we encountered a living history sketch. An officer was recruiting stockbrokers for a new regiment, on the “pals” theory that men from the same class and profession would bond quickly as comrades in arms. He and his sergeant (a dead ringer for Rowan Atkinson in the Great War season of Blackadder) were doing their God and Country thing when they were interrupted by Sylvia Pankhurst, the suffragist.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Henry. “This is the 10th Fuisiliers. That’s my old regiment. They may recognize me and try to pull me into this.”

So, together we toured the White Tower, now an armour museum. He wanted to take me through the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula (in Chains), but it was closed for refurbishment. Many who roam the Bloody Tower with their heads tucked underneath their arms are buried there, and there’s a lovely modern memorial to them outside.

After chatting on a bench, Henry bid me cheerio until the next day, when he was giving Cousin Gary and me lunch. I spent the rest of the day at the Tower, which is quite fun.

Around closing time, I exited (or, in British fashion, should I say way outed?) and looked for something to eat. I saw people with fish and chips, and up the rise outside the Tower entrance I saw a small chippy tucked under a carpark promising fish and chips for £5 if you showed them your Tower ticket. I did, then tucked in, slanting my chair at the picnic table to have the backdrop above. As you can see, when they serve you fish in England, they don’t mess around.

When I went to toss my container in the dustbin, a lady offered me a seat, thinking I was bringing over my meal. I explained that I was done, and disposed of the container with my best Ringo line, “I like to keep Britain tidy.” They were finishing up, too. One of the daughters had just spent a day as a volunteer placing ceramic red poppies in the dry Tower moat. It’s an art installation, aiming at placing 888,245, one for each British or Commonwealth war casualty. A worthy endeavour, and a striking piece of art: you see a lot of poppies, turn a corner and see more, turn another corner and see even more. They flow down from a wall of the Tower as though in a waterfall.  Makes you stop and think.

Gingerbread Tea at the Fairmont Hotel

Holiday Greetings! Tea Time is ready to put a few more Afternoon Tea notches in our belt. We gave the SF Fairmont Hotel a ring, left a message and they called us back to let us know we were on the waitlist. Yes, waitlist. The Gingerbread Tea at the Fairmont is a popular holiday destination with limited availability in December (also limited seatings 1:30-3:30). The Laurel Court Restaurant Bar (remodeled in 2011) is where we took tea. The Fairmont has been serving variations of Afternoon Tea since they opened in 1907, so they've got the tradition, ceremony and style to back up their Gingerbread Tea Service. There was also a lot of entertainment for the little ones here, including a Snow Fairy, Balloon Elf plus a giant Gingerbread House. Needless to say the Fairmont called us back and our reservation time was set.

When we arrived at the appointed day and time, we were greeted by holiday decorations and a lovely table setting. This included a honey pot containing honey harvested from the Bees that live on the Fairmont roof. How awesome is that? You'll also notice our Champagne glasses. This service (which is pricey, but worth it for a special occasion) includes a glass of Sparkling wine or Sparkling Cider. The Fairmont offers a set menu and a prix fixe so if you have dietary restrictions let the kitchen know ahead of time! (Tea Time alert: the gratuity is added onto the check for you prior to it being brought for you to sign.)

This afternoon tea event is the bees knees.

Our waiter took our tea order after letting us peruse the menu for a minute. Angela chose the Kyoto Cherry Rose, a fragrant green tea with a hint of sweet cherry and morning rose. The first pour was delightfully light and the second pot was perfect with some Fairmont honey. J.K. went caffeine free with the Willow Stream Spa Blend. It's a unique tea grown on an estate in Zimbabwe called Clearwater. This tea is decaffinated at the estate while in its green leaf stage which was something new to both of us; who knew that was possible?

Bubbles or sparkling cider-your choice

Kyoto Cherry Rose

William Stream Spa Blend

Our waiter arrived with a lovely tiered tea tray featuring everything that makes Tea Time crave Afternoon Tea. There were doubles of everything so no need to share (except the macaroons). For the tea sandwiches they served us: Deviled Egg Salad on white bread, House smoked Salmon pinwheels with pumpernickel, Curried Chicken Salad on Sourdough, Crab/Mango Salad on SF Sourdough plus Cucumber and Goat Cheese on Rye. Tea Time picks the crab/mango as their favorite.

Afternoon Tea by the Fairmont Hotel

The tea sandwiches featured a wide variety of toppings and breads.

Tea Time loves a good scone! The scones here were a bonus, since there were three flavors. There was a cheddar savory scone (a hit for both of us) and two sweet scones including the traditional Fairmont scone and their seasonal fruit (cranberry) scone. There were plenty of spreads and toppings to go around as well. Including the raspberry jam, marmalade and strawberry jam already on the table in their individual sealed pots, our scones arrived with Devonshire cream, whipped lemon curd (which made it more like a light mousse), and a cinnamon apple compote. We mixed and matched tastes to scones piling them high with extra flavor.

Scones and toppings

Dessert time! Featuring a lot of chocolate treats. Plus mini-madelines. It's like they knew we were coming!! We didn't get a list of all these delectable treats, but Tea Time was wishing for more mini-madelines, the chocolate mousse dessert in the center of the plate and the dark chocolate guy on the left with the crunchy balls on top.

Delightful desserts!

We sat and savored our meal, getting a top off of hot water for our teapots and spied, um, spent some time people watching. After we paid the bill it was time to check out the GIANT Gingerbread house. So if you're in a festive mood get ready to splurge and relax over afternoon tea at the Fairmont. Call to make your reservation and Happy Holidays. (reminder: this is a seasonal tea and if you don't live in SF, check out the Fairmont Hotel nearest you...the Fairmont San Jose also serves a Seasonal Holiday Tea.)

Afternoon Tea for the whole family.

The Snow Fairy ready to entertain.

Edible when baked, but stale now?

The Fairmont main tree in the front Lobby.

Icicle lights are the perfect "icing"

Everyone loves to pose in front of the house, so be patient and get a great shot for the Holiday Card!

Tea Time suggestion: Go to see the GB house early in the season.

You want to make sure to see it all in one piece.

Naughty!