Over the past four or five years or so, San Francisco has been over-run with a restaurant trend called "small plates." (With all due respect to the NY Times, I hardly think we're copying the East Coast on this one.) It's an extension of the Spanish Tapas idea: food is served on small plates, often in small bites, and usually shared. In its best form, it allows you to have many different tastes on the table and can save a bit of money (as the plates are often half as much as regular entrees). In its not-so-perfect form, you can spend LOTS of money for very little food. You just gotta know where to go.

M and I have our favorite small plates places (most notably Timo's, which we've loved since the week we moved here and Tallula, which has recently opened to deservedly rave reviews), but this past week we've had a chance to dine at two more new restaurants - Cortez and Baraka - with mixed results.

We went to Cortez last Saturday night before the Christmanukkah party with W and Y. Four people at these restaurants is ideal, as you're able to sample much of the menu. We all enjoyed our meal here, especially the Katafi crusted crab cake which arrived looking like a spiky, forbidding, fried sea urchin all but tasted divine. I also loved the terrine of foie gras which was accompanied by chunky orange and Herbes de Provence marmalade - it had the texture of butter or a good triple-cream cheese and I loved the idea of mixing herbs in marmalade.

Last night, M and I went to Baraka in Potrero Hill, largely because of the favorable review in the Times and because we've been saving money by not going out to dinner and were feeling in need of a dose of civilization. We had higher hopes for Baraka given that the owners operate two other extremely successful restaurants right down the street, but I found the food very one-note and overly sweet. Perhaps we didn't do a wonderful job ordering, but nearly every one of the five dishes we received had raisins in it. And while I appreciate the well-used raisin (Timo's Catalan Style Spinach, I'm looking at you), I don't need it hiding in every dish on the menu. The lemon and cumin marinated quail was outstanding (though on a plate of soggy, overly-sweet spinach - with raisins!). We should try to cook little birdies on our own more often.

So tonight we're back at home, happily creating our own "small plates," as Clotilde's Oeuf Cocotte recipe bakes in the oven as I type.

In other news, for the holidays this year M and I decided to use an old merchandise credit we had at Williams-Sonoma to buy ourselves gifts. Apres nos oeufs ce soir? Ice cream from our brand new ice Ice Cream Maker!

And as exciting as that purchase is, I'm even more excited about this one. What can I say, I'm a kitchen dork!