Bauer Give Mourad Three Stars, Feels the Heat at Hawker Far

Patricia Chang

Mourad 

Plus: Dosa is still pretty good, and Elmira 

Rosticceria has rustic charm.

For his Sunday review, Michael Bauer thinks 

Mourad is the bee's knees, though not yet fully 

realized: "Many diners will feel that the food is 

fantastic — and on several levels it is — but 

it’s only scratching the surface of what I 

know is in Lahlou’s soul...It feels as if the 

intent is still a little fuzzy." Additionally, he 

found that "Mourad is an ambitious project 

with equally ambitious aspirations, and seems 

destined to have national impact. But whereas 

Aziza is more modest in its ambition, it feels 

complete. Mourad is a beautiful house, but 

not quite yet a home." Three stars. [Chron]

In honor of its 10th anniversary, Michael Bauer 

updates his opinion of Dosa's Valencia Street 

location: "The food under new chef Dinesh 

Kumar is good, but I wished for a little more 

finesse. For example, the seasonal vegetable 

uttapam ($13.50), which resembles a thin 

pancake, was so doughy that the batter actually 

stuck to my teeth." Some dishes, like the lamb 

korma were winners, but must of the menu "

was hit and miss." Ultimately, Bauer concluded 

that "while it’s still a popular stop, it seems as if 

the kitchen and some of the staff at Dosa is on 

autopilot. Yet with all the components and 

complexity that goes into preparing Indian food, 

it’s hard to be truly disappointed." 

Two stars. [Chron]

For his Thursday Update, Michael Bauer 

experiences the culinary equivalent of "Fifty 

Shades of Grey" at Hawker Fare: Chef-owner 

James Syhabout's recent leap across the bay 

elicited a visit from Bauer to Hawker Fare's new 

Mission location. "At the San Francisco branch, 

he’s created a similar, but expanded, menu. 

Often with an expansion, the soul is lost, but 

Syhabout has maintained the food’s vibrant 

nature." Things got real when Bauer had a 

taste of Syhabout's authentic and liberal use of 

spice: "By the end of one of my three visits, it 

felt as if flames had scorched my tongue, a sort 

of culinary equivalent of Fifty Shades of Grey." 

Even the dishes that aren’t as spicy have an 

assertive earthiness, such as vegetables stewed 

with knobs of pork rib ($13), Thai eggplant and 

still-crunchy long beans." Three stars. [Chron]

Luke Tsai time-travels to 1982, finds vegan 

sandwiches galore at Analog: The tiny, new bar 

from owners Arianna Alcala and Sean Asmar 

(proprietor of Bender's Bar and Grillin San 

Francisco) is a cozy place where carnivores and 

vegans can enjoy sandwiches side-by-side, 

along with a selection of craft beers and a 

healthy dose of vinyl-fueled nostalgia. "You 

don't have to be vegan to bow down to the 

glory of a sandwich Asmar has dubbed 'The 

Young and the Breastless,' probably the finest 

vegan sandwich I've eaten in recent memory."

 [EBX]

Wendy Hector loves Italy, and Elmira 

Rosticceria:  "At first glance it might look like a

 café, but the food coming out of Elmira’s 

kitchen is anything but pedestrian coffee shop 

fare." In fact, "It’s obvious from every bite of 

food that an immense amount of love has been 

put into each dish, and while they might not all 

be flawless, they all exhibit thoughtfulness and 

honest, rustic charm. Fresh, flavorful ingredients 

prepared with care — sometimes that’s all it takes 

to make the day better." [SF Examiner]