Lesson: Never be a "girl" in a restaurant and order a salad

My philosophy in college was that salad took up important space in my stomach reserved for food that actually tasted good.  A freshman 15 later and the discovery of Farmer's markets, I began to realize that salads actually can taste awesome (well, at least my 22-ingredient ones do). 

BUT, my most recent restaurant meal has led me to revert back to my college stance.  At Dobbs Ferry Restaurant, my friend and I made the GRAND mistake of ordering salads.  They were boring and we sat at the table picking at our sad greens while salivating over everyone else's luscious pizzas and pastas.  The only thing that salvaged the meal was our fried squash and fondue appetizer, so delicious that I nearly ordered another.  Overall, the meal was not worth it and shame on me for trying to be healthy- always a bad move in a restaurant.

Fried squash and fondue dipping sauce

Large garden salad

Small beet salad

The Richmond - A trio of hotdogs!

The Richmond is a cute spot on Balboa and 7th in the Richmond District of San Francisco.  Apparently it's been open for 6 years, but only recently has climbed to the top of open table best in SF lists.  I thought I'd try it out because it's perhaps the most reasonably priced "upscale" restaurant I've come across in a while. 

I knew I had chosen well when the meal started off with 3 types of butter to top our warm, crusty baguette.  I moved onto a creamy and delicious pumpkin soup, while my friend could not resist the trio of hotdogs.  Chili dog, corn dog, and bacon-wrapped dog - come on!  I tasted the chili dog and it was awesome.  Then we ordered the salmon and bacon-wrapped steak.  We were clearly trying to balance out our bacon-guilt by ordering a few healthier options as well.  The Salmon was cooked perfectly, pink on the inside, moist, well seasoned.  The steak was decent, maybe even great for meat lovers, but I can't judge because I don't like red meat in general.  I'd probably opt for another item if I go back.

The overall meal was great, but edged on the salty side.  It's affordable and has a great wine list.  The best part is that I went two weeks ago and see that the online menu has already changed.  A sure sign of a good chef!

French bread with olive, salted, and sage butter

Pumpkin soup with roasted pepitas

Trio of hotdogs.  We went there.

Salmon over Ratatouille and tomato cream sauce

Bacon-wrapped steak with chard and potatoes