Pasion

737 Irving St
San Francisco, CA 94122

Occasion:  Sunday night dinner with the Tran family after watching Captain America 07.31.11

Sangria

We went on a sunday and they had a half of deal for Sangria, so we got a pitcher.  It wasn't the best I've had, but it was pretty strong. Since I'm not an avid drinker, I'm probably not the best person to ask whether or not this is good Sangria.  My definition of good sangria is if it tastes like juice.

Ceviche Quatro

All fouor were delicious.  I love ceviche and the zesty lemon juice it is soaked in.  My favorite was the ahi tuna. I just love the flavors bouncing off of my tastebuds.

Mejillones

Steamed p.e.i. mussels, spanish chorizo, creamy tomato sofrito, grilled garlic bread.

I really enjoyed it.  The addition of chorizo added flavor to it and the creamy tomato broth went really well with the garlic bread!

Oysters on the half shell

Yummy raw oysters.  I love eating it with vinaigrette sauce.

Sweet Plantains

Delicious! I love sweet plantains and they were generous with their serving.  Nice and slightly crispy on the outside and nice and warm, soft and mushy on the inside.  I wish it came in a smaller, more snack able size.

Yucca Fries

More than enough for us.  We didn't realize that one of our entrees came with yucca fries.  I wish our waiter told us that, so that we didn't over order, which we obviously did.  Yucca fries are like potato fries but with a less starchy texture.

Pescado a lo Macho

crispy fried whole bronzino, spicy aji amarillo sauce, clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, calamari, cilantro rice.

Our second favorite dish.  The green cilantro rice was so memorable with it's chunks of seafood in it.  It was not only appealing to the eye it was good to the stomach too!  The fish meat was delicious, though we had to be careful of bones when picking out the meat.  It was such a flavorful dish!!

Vaca Encebollada

wood grilled 12oz. new york steak, caramelized onion, piquillo pepper confit, yuca fries, chimichurri, cabrales demi 

My first thought was, oh MORE YUCCA FRIES? Like I mentioned earlier, I wish the waiter had told us that we already had yucca fries in one of our entrees.  We definitely had extra yucca fries.  The meat to my surprise was absolutely tender and flavorful.  Oh and the carmelized onions definitely added a great sweetness to the meat.

 

Special of the day. Sole fish with asparagus on top of a fried polenta cake

This was definitely a favorite of the night.  The deep fried polenta cake had the perfect golden brown crispy skin with a flavorful goey polenta inside.  The fish was soft and cooked well.  It was such a fun, flavorful and colorful dish.  Tasted great and looked great.

Lomito Saltado
sautéed tenderloin steak strips, onion, cilantro, tomato, french fries, steamed rice

This is such a classic peruvian/ latin dish.  Absolutely flavorful.  The union of the onion, cilantro and tomato with the steak strips mixed with some steamed rice makes the perfect meal.  I'm usually used to having fries on the side, but with this dish, the fries are mixed in as part of the entree. 

Paella

saffron rice pimentón sofrito, mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, scallops, chicken and chorizo, green peas.

I love Paellas! It has all my favorite flavors and ingredients in it.  It was really good here! I'm sad it came last because by the time it came out, I was pretty full already.   It's like a mexican fried rice.  The flavors of the seafood itself were great, but the addition of the chorizo definitely made it better.  Though it was good, I still think Fresca's Paella's is the best I've ever had.