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Since Baueriffic files from outside the city on this Thursday, Amanda Gold bats leadoff today. She's at the three-month-old Fillmore location of Woodhouse Fish Co., where she finds much to recommend, especially the lobster roll, "one of the best [she's] had on the West Coast." On the whole, Woodhouse's decent seafood offerings and playful vibe work quite well in its Pac Heights digs:
...servers are helpful but discreet, providing just the right amount of attention for a neighborhood spot ... the affordable menu furthers the feel of a solid weeknight meal out.The missteps are relatively minor, coming in the form of some underseasoned fried plates and a "snooze-fest" stuffed artichoke. That said, prices are very reasonable and the menu is littered with winners, from the "nice" halibut to "beautifully done" crab cakes. Final Gold star count: a respectable 2.5 stars. [Chron]
Bauer, Inc. also wields the 2.5-star stamp today down in Half Moon Bay, where he revisits Cetrella. He previously gave the place the same grade less than a year ago, but with a new chef and menu in place, Cetrella gets an update. This time around, service is better, but there are a few troubling bits (no local fish, the sense of a restaurant in transition). Still, it keeps its 2.5 stars with the following endorsement: "Cetrella continues to be the place to go near the San Mateo County coast." [Chron]
Meredith Brody chimes in on 5A5 Steak Lounge. The good news is that the pricey/trendy meat-centric concept seems to be doing very well, but in no way should it be mistaken for a steakhouse: "5A5 seemed to suit the table of boisterous aging frat boys next to us ... All 5A5's tables were full during our two-and-a-half-hour meal. But San Francisco is still missing a great steakhouse." [SFW]
Paul Reidinger goes to Flour + Water, bearing the inevitable question of whether it can compete with SF's other pizza/pasta heavyweights. The namesake combination shines incredibly in the pastas—"excellent," "brilliant," "pliant and luxurious"—and ironically, some of the best dishes are neither pizza nor pasta. But a word of advice about that renowned pizza: "I am all for blistering ... but there is a difference between blistering and charring. Blistering good, charring bad." [SFBG]
THE ELSEWHERE: The MIJ is the first newspaper to take a look at the revamped Tavern at Lark Creek, the CoCo Times dares to do Iranian and Italian food together at Oakland's I², the EBX reviews a "latter-day snack bar" in Lake Anza Beach Club, the PressDem unearths "the best Indian chef in the North Bay" at Santa Rosa's Pamposha, Beer & Nosh has a pretty photo tour of Flour + Water, Bargain Bites hits up kimchi burritos at John's in the FiDi, Bar Bites goes to the underrated Zinnia, and finally, the Sunday Chron review had a deuce for 5A5 Steak Lounge.
