Betelnut

2030 Union Street

Tel: 415.929.8855

After a hard afternoon of hitting the shops on Union Street, the ladies-who-lunch wannabes and I cruised into Betelnut for a late, late lunch. For those who haven't been there -- the interior of Betelnut is tastefully done in dark wood with elegant Asian-influenced decoration.

The first menu on the table was the specialty drink menu -- the waitress made some recommendations and promised that we could return any drink if we didn't like it. I ordered a Dragonfly (light and dark rums with exotic juices) which tasted like lime Kool-Aid with too much sugar and sour mix -- and promptly sent it back. The Mai Tai was a real winner, and the Emerald Limon Drop was also well received at our table.

We ordered a bit on the light side for four women, thinking that we'd head back to Bepple's Pies for a slab of that tasty looking coconut cream pie we had passed on the way to Betelnut.

From the Small Plates, we ordered the Chili Crusted Calamari (6.95) which were absolutely outstanding. Big long curly sections of calamari in a spicy batter reminiscent of fried-chicken batter with a light tamarind dipping sauce hit the spot. The Taipei Shrimp Fried Rice (4.95) was also a winner -- succulent medium shrimp mixed in a non-greasy fried rice with fluffy little egg shreds.

My favorite was the Oven Smoked Seabass with ginger cucumber namasu (13.95) -- this seabass has the most amazing flavor and was without a doubt one of the most original preparations of seabass I have ever had. We also tried the fish special -- tender & succulent. From what I understand, the specials change regularly and are always worth trying.

After this luscious repast, we were short on space to spare for dessert but didn't regret it one bit!

Reservations Recommended.

Parking is always a problem in the Union Street area -- there are a few parking garages but I would heartily recommend San Francisco's public transportation or a taxi.

Jennifer R. Accettola
Originally published on http://www.planetx.org/~jenn/

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