Snippets

I've lived in SF for a long time, but here are some overdue firsts that I've had within the last month or so:

Sanddabs and cioppino at Tadich

Cap + NYT at farm:table, popovers and afternoon tea at Nieman's

Chicken pho at Turtle Tower, $45 porchetta prix fixe + wine pairing at Jardiniere (ok meal, incredible value)

Nopalito
Primo Patio
Liang Mama's House
Chinese banquet at Kirin
Drinks at Trad'r Sam
Emmy's Spaghetti Shack
Sandbox Bakery
Sightglass

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Top 5: Vietnamese Sandwiches

It's pure coincidence that Gene from Hoodscope just wrote about Saigon Sandwiches in his SFE column (which of course tops my own list)! I've been slowly eating my way through the city's banh mis for awhile, and finally visited the last on my list! Props to bsze, Saigon Sandwiches new #1 fan and my partner in crime.

This is a direct comparison of a combo pork banh mi, ie. pate, roast pork, headcheese or some sort of meat jello at each place. That's just what I always get - it's yummy! It's no surprise that Saigon was my favorite since it's everyone's favorite... but people say it's the best for a reason! At the end of the day, it's all about personal preference, but I think big flavor will always win out. This list is also purely SF - I'm sure if you threw in the entire bay into the mix, SJ would dominate fo sho.

1. Saigon Sandwiches
Mounds of salty pate, loaded on top of rich pork goodness. Now I want one.

L: Saigon Sandwiches (a bit manhandled, but you get the idea), R: Wrap Delight

2. Wrap Delight
Yelp calls it "Wrap Delight," but I couldn't see a sign that actually said that; the awning just said "Vietnamese Sandwiches." Overall really tasty with juicy cuts of roast pork - the only real edge Saigon has over it is the amount of pate. I would totally go here again, except that Saigon is only a block away... maybe if it was closed? Or if I was in a rush and didn't want to wait in line?

Baguette Express - note the pork looks like char siu

3. Baguette Express
Great balance, and added flavor with the BBQ pork.

Lee's - my messy room in the background

4. Lee's
Not to be mistaken with the chain in Financial, this Little Saigon location is almost like a fast food restaurant, except baking their rolls daily. They take their branding seriously. Fresh, crunchy baguette, but just too much bread for my taste.

5. Little Paris
Tasty pate, but overall a bit small and not as satisfying as the others.

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Others I've visited around town:

Irving Cafe + Deli
Definitely Chinese style in the flavor of the meat, but proximity is a huge plus (for people in the avenues).

Les Croissant
Close to the Embarcadero, but definitely a bit out of proportion. Cucumber was in huge huge pieces that when it actually stayed in the sandwich that was all I could taste. The meat was also mostly headcheese, so there wasn't much flavor aside from the carrots.

Cafe Dolci
Closest to where I work, and consistent with FiDi prices ugh ($5). Very Western-friendly and dumbed down (their combo was "ham and pate"... and that was literally it). A little bit of ham and a lot of pickled veg.

L: Les Croissant - cucumber madness, R: Cafe Dolci

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Dottie's True Blue Cafe

522 Jones St. (at Ofarrell)
(415) 885-2767

Guest starring Lil Cyn at the mic.

Breakfast/Brunch place in the Tenderloin

This past Sunday I went to Dottie's True Blue Cafe. I went with my friend who helped design the posters, mugs, lamps, you name it. He highly recommended this place and he says he goes just about every day, so I thought heck why not. Besides, breakfast food is THE BEST. i do like breakfast foods!

So we arrived at Dotties and it was a gorgeous day, which made the wait in line not that bad. We waited about 20 minutes and I think I got a neck tan in the process. our day wasn't so nice...we waited about an hour saturday morning. lucky for us (but not for those in line) it started pouring after we were seated. We wait about 30-40 min. Good thing I wasn't hungry (yeah right).

When we got in my friend said everything was good, so I ordered the sweet potato tart, which came with two slices of homemade dill bread, a mountain of scrambled eggs, and a bowl of fruit. I also got the coffee and later we split a cinnamon roll. The tart was really good: sweat and savory at the same time. The bowl of fruit was also really good, surprising because sometimes those can just be gross. i tried the recommended frittata that consisted of a lot of ingredients, one of which was penne. it was unusual, but good. i also tried the southwestern scramble which had Andouille sausage, onions, cheese, salsa served with two tortillas - tasty, though my frittata was better. it was the same with the smoked chicken apple sausage, eggs, and other stuff special which came with grilled cornbread - good, but not spectacular. I also tried the frittata (asparagus, feta, tomatoes, and other stuff) and it was gooood. It was served with a side of potatoes and toasted zucchini bread mmm you could taste all the butter in it. Kevin agreed that mine was better than his (he had scrambled eggs with sausage, spinach, and more normal stuff).

(random side note: Dottie's is a hot spot for celebs - Halle Berry, Cheryl Crow, Jake Gyllenhal...I forgot the rest)

My friend said to order the cinnamon roll because it wasn't like other cinnamon rolls. It was much flakier and not too uber sweet. There was a faint hint of orange in the roll because they use orance juice in the brown sugar sauce part. My friend got an omlette with pesto, goat cheese, and something else, and it looked deeeelicious. I only ate half my meal so that I could eat the cinnamon roll, and I ate the rest of it for lunch today, and it was still good! Yay! i'd go back on a weekday and try the cinnamon roll =], but i wouldn't try going again on a weekend.

If you love breakfast, you'll love Dottie's. I totally plan to go back. The service was great, service was average (maybe they just liked c better) the people friendly, and the ambience cozy. And, if you love old Hollywood, like I do - pay attention to the collages and posters of Betty Davis, Rita, Veronica Lake (whose hair I could never manage to copy), and other beauties from when Hollywood was Hollywood.

I took away one star from the original post because the food wasn't FABULOUS. It was definitely good, but I don't know if it's worth the wait. They don't have a sign-up sheet or waitlist, so you just have to wait in line forever.

Yay, two thumbs (tongues?) up! (one tongue!)

- c - s - k

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