Chow--San Francisco (healthy, high-quality, affordable comfort food)

Chow has been on my list of places to try for a long time now, and I finally got the chance. With four locations, I ended up in San Francisco at their 215 Church Street location. It was a small space that was bustling with chatter on a Saturday night. But after walking through the heavy curtains from the front door, I felt I had walked through the wardrobe into just the place I wanted to be. Even though it was busy, we were seated in about five minutes. The waitstaff was cordial and efficient and the food was more than I could have hoped for.

Their web site: http://www.chowfoodbar.com/church_menu.html

I started out with their Baked Goat Cheese with Walnut Toasts. This came out in a little ramekin of oozy goodness, topped with fresh, ripe cherry tomatoes and olive oil with a side of olives. The walnut toasts were perfectly crunchy, nutty and warm and did an excellent job of holding up to huge dollops of the goat cheese.

My friend's entree was the Lamb Burger. This came with a thick portion of their yogurt sauce with cucumber and mint and was served on a toasty bun and a fresh green salad. Very tasty.

My entree, however, was the highlight of my entire night. It was their Wood-Oven Fall Lasagna with squash and mushrooms. This came out looking a bit thrown together, but this was probably the best lasagna I've ever tasted. The pasta was al dente, the squash (butternut, I believe) and the mushrooms were fresh. But the sauce it came with was the most delicious sauce I would never imagine to be put on a lasagna. It was a very soupy and lightly creamy sauce that had some really savory aspects and also some buttery-ness and had a hint of brown sugar. I was trying my best to soak every piece of bread I could find into that sauce. Well done, Chow. Well done.

After licking my lasagna plate clean, I was too full for dessert. All of Chow's desserts are made from scratch in their Danville location, so I believe another visit is in my future.