Jon Bonné gives a thumbs up to Biergarten (Octavia and Linden) in a mini, Bar Bites review this week. He calls their bratwurst “toothy” and adds that “if Mario Batali were German, he’d eat the chive and lardo on brown bread ($7) for breakfast.” As for the most important part, the beer, he calls the Weihenstephaner Helles lager and organic Schneider Edel-Weiss wheat beer both “perennial winners.” Note that Biergarten’s winter hours are 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.(ish), and they will be closed when it rains. [Chron]
Meanwhile, Patty U. returns to Valencia Street “pioneer” Range, and says she’s amazed still at the “seamless” and “sexy” dishes chef Phil West is still turning out. She says the dining room still feels sophisticated and “airy,” and the service remains “intelligent and gentle.” But it’s the food she’s most in love with, raving about a dish of scallops with pumpkin seeds, Asian pear, and tat-soi leaves, as well as another of “butter-tender marinated baby leeks served warm beneath a poached egg and a blanket of aged cheddar and bread crumbs.” Also she calls pastry chef Michelle Polzine one of the best in town. In conclusion, she writes, “Very quickly diners realize that Range is not just about ingredients, but texture … The food there is irresistable.” [Examiner]
