Kan Zaman, San Francisco

I'd been to Kan Zaman for a quick evening snack a few years back and never actually got back to it until very recently when I was hanging out with friends in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and suddenly remembered this place. Went there for dinner and the place was packed. There was some Belly Dancing going on and no one seemed to want to leave. Finally managed to get a table after aout 40 minutes but the food here is absolutely fantastic and worth the long wait. The atmosphere here is very casual, there's Middle Eastern music playing and live Belly dancing every hour or so at night. The place is also has a hookah bar and you have a variety of flavored hookahs to choose from. Can't comment on the hookahs tough as I've never smoked. I found the warm spiced wine on the menu interesting and ordered half a bottle of that. Its a warm red wine with cinnamon and cardomom flavor served with a slice of orange. The flavor was something I'd never tasted earlier and I loved it!! Their Hummus and Baba ghanoush were both amazing with the warm pita bread. For the main course we had Kibbi, Falafel, a meat pie and Shish kabab. I was thrilled with the Kibbi and the Falafels were the best I've ever had. On the whole it was a fun evening at Kan Zaman although I'd have enjoyed it better if we weren't holed up in one small cramped up corner...

Maggiano's Little Italy, San Jose

I was suggesting Maggiano's Little Italy to a colleague for a team lunch a couple of days back. The same day a friend visiting from San Diego called me up and asked to meet at Santana Row for dinner and we ended up going to Maggiano's. This is one of the few chain Italian restaurants that I really like. They have a very good collection of wines and tap beers. On my last visit I ended up having the Jumbo Crab Cake for appetizer and Lobster Ravioli. On an earlier visit, I've had their Spagetti and Meatballs and although the food here is not spectacular, its pretty good by chain restaurant standards. Their Chocolate, Pistachio and Cherry Spumoni is one of the best I've had. Its a good place to go out with a large group or for a late dinner with friends after an evening of hanging out at Santana Row...

Caffe Greco, San Francisco

The quaint little Caffe Greco on Columbus Avenue in North Beach is my favourite evening snack and hangout place in San Francisco. It has the atmosphere of a classic Italian Caffe and a very friendly staff. I love their foccacia sandwiches and hot chocolate. I'm not a coffee drinker but I'd tried their Sambuca laced Espresso once and absolutely loved it. The Cannoli and Tiramisu here are absolutely the best I've ever had. So if you're in the North Beach area with some time on your hands, it would be worth spending at Caffe Greco !!

Borobudur, San Francisco

For several years, I've passed by Borobudur on my way to Chutney or Union Square always wanting to try out the food. This eatery at the intersection of Jones and Post in the Tenderloin neighborhood looks pretty charming from the outside in contrast to its rundown surroundings and I finally made it here recently with a bunch of friends. Like all good restaurants on a Saturday, the place was packed and we had to wait for about 20 minutes to get a table for 9. I was pleasantly surprised with the classy decor considering that most of the restaurants in the Tenderloin are the no frills, hole in the wall kind of joints. Their beer and wine collection wasn't all that great, so I decided to stick to water. We ordered the Martabak Goreng, Chicken Satay, Roti Prata and Veggie sampler for appetizers. I hate Tofu and so avoided the Veggie sampler like the plague but the other 3 appetizers were fabulous, especially the Martabak. The Roti Prata was also well done and had a very flavorful and spicy sauce to go with it. For the main course, we ended up ordering the Rendang Beef, Ayam Panggang Bambu Rujak (BBQ Chicken) and Squid in spicy Indonesian sauce. I believe that the best test for a South East Asian restaurant is their Rendang curry and I have to admit the Rendang Beef here is the best Rendang curry I have eaten till date. The BBQ chicken was also a treat and I could taste a subtle flavor of coconut milk over the well balanced spices. Although I did not get to try the fried trout since it was at the other end of the table, one of my friends who's pretty picky about his food, vouches for it. The coconut flavored rice was an excellent complement to the spicy entrees. Although the dessert menu appeared quite exquisite, we did not order any dessert as we had plans to go to Ghirardelli square for ice cream. On the whole it was a wonderful experience and I would definitely visit this place again in the near future...