F.A.T. #1: Saha

We recently held our first F.A.T. dinner and I'm going to label it a resounding success. At 5pm, I received a text to meet on the corner of Larkin and Sutter- right in the middle of the semi-sketch Tenderloin neighborhood. I tried to picture the area with little success- certainly couldn't think of any "fine" dining establishments in the area... Maybe some coke dealers, but no restaurants to speak of.

We met the rest of our party on that corner and followed this month's leaders into Saha, a very cute little restaurant situated in the unlikely Hotel Carlton. Saha is a self-proclaimed "Yemini Arabic Fusion" restaurant. Translation: delightful mixture of middle eastern/north african/french-californian flavors. They had a huge menu with a whole bunch of small plates and them some larger ones. The space is very cute and intimate- its not particularly large and not too loud.

The beauty of going with a big group (we were 8) is that we got to try a number of things. We started with a Sampler Platter, Saha Ravioli, and a Grilled Mezza Plate, which were large enough for eight of of to get a little taste of everything. The Saha Sampler comprised of a number of spreads and neverending baskets of Pita. Most of us agreed that the Raita-like spread was our favorite, along with the Zahaweg which is a spicy sauce made from tomatoes, peppers, and spices. The meat on the mezza platter was also all delicious, with the Merguez sausages highlighting the group.

For entrees, most of the meat-eaters agreed that the Sage Roasted Duck was absolutely delicious- easily the best dish of the night. It was tender and delicious and reminded me why I love duck. All of the dishes were hearty and flavorful. Other highlights were the Lamb Tangine and the North African cous cous. We were too stuffed for Dessert, although some of the options looked interesting.

All in all, the first F.A.T. experience was a huge success. We had a delicious dinner in a restaurant most of us had never heard of (good find, F.A.T. #1 leaders!). Hopefully we'll keep the ball rolling- our next meeting (a dive this time) is set for 11/12!