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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Something Old Something New

Eiji miso cod and strawberry mochi (photos courtesy of she-rene)

Lots and lots of puff pastry dough and butter, pizza from Americano

Brussel sprout chips (the lemon really makes it sing!), ADD burger drenched in grease from Marlowe

Pork bun from Spice Kit (short ribs are pretty money), kouglof and pain au chocolat et pistache from Laduree

some dish from the lazy ox, burma superstar leftovers

heart attack from namu, santa ramen on easter sunday

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Bits + Bites

Carte415: Alice, just a tad disappointed by their "gourmet sea salt chips." Grilled cheese w/ Mt. Tam a la Kathy


Liou's House: stuffed duck, winter melon soup


Lechon at Pistahan, Palabok and pork adobo = fatty goodnesssss

[not pictured] Flour+Water: good crust and pasta, but very skimpy on toppings and overall a bit unsatisfying. Very similar to Dopo, but not as good. Really great service though.

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Wexler's

This new spot has the perfect location for a work lunch that is tasty and affordable. The black structural piece thing on the ceiling is interesting, albeit a bit suffocating and makes the space look small. After reading an article about the food however, I was really excited to see how their menu would be executed.

We started with the wings - I think most of us agree that Point Reyes blue cheese can make anything taste good - creamy, rich, tangy, but not too overpowering.

Alice gave her squid salad a thumbs up, despite her usual dislike for frisee. The fried green tomatoes were perfect and sweet - summer is truly the best season ever!

The "pulled" lamb was so juicy and tender, and the watermelon vinegar only enhanced the flavor. The accompanying slaw had a bit too much mint for my taste, but it gave nice contrast in texture to the sandwich.

The fish sandwich (I don't think it was the po boy on their online menu) and the BBQ chicken sandwich weren't as memorable, but still satisfying. The desserts also sounded much better on the menu than they were executed. The Japanese pear pie with aged gouda sounded so delicious, but the final product left us wondering if there was any point to the ingredients they used. It tasted great - warm and comforting, but it was barely distinguishable from a traditional apple pie. The spices overwhlemed the delicate flavor of the Asian pear, and the gouda got lost in the pectin from the fruit once baked. The crust, however, was perfectly flaky, so props to them on that. The inverted root beer float was also a fun concept, but it was not for me.

Overall, Wexler's has some winners here, and is a great place for a warm break from work.

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Il Cane Rosso

Not much to say since it just opened. They have plenty of seating, including bar stools inside the kitchen. Their menu sounded quite promising, but what we ordered ended up not being what was expected. Grilled peach sandwich was more of an open-faced canape on some too-toasted bread ($9). Rotisserie chicken salad was about a half cup serving ($12.50). Egg salad sandwich was simple, but we were given what felt like half of a sandwich (pictured.. the entire sandwich = half of a sandwich for $9). Polenta ($5, not pictured) was the best and the safest.

Summary: very small portions and pricey. Maybe Daniel Patterson is too used to Coi-sized servings and forgot that people usually only order one item for lunch. I would consider going back to try their porchetta, and potentially other seasonal dishes of interest in the future.

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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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Salumi Cycle

On my way back from Crocker, I passed by the Boccalone bike (or salumi cycle, if you prefer that alliteration). I walked by at exactly 12:30pm and there was already a line about 30-deep. I also noticed people loitering at different corners of the intersection about 15 min before. I would've been one of them if I was in the mood for a prosciutto panini.

The bike is cute!

Photo from their twitter.

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Weekend Recap

This weekend was packed and the crazy weather led to lots of activity, some food-related and some not.

Front Porch: after years of passing by (it's right next to Mitchell's) I finally went. We avoided the 40-min wait by nabbing a seat at the bar. We got a few freebies (jalapeno cornbread, tomato "tartare" crostini) during the 20min wait for the food. Fried chicken was nice and crisp, but could've used some more seasoning. I wanted to try the shrimp and grits, but I only have one stomach and had to save room for some grasshopper pie. It was nice to finally try it, but I don't really have a desire to go back.

Mitchell's: yes, even after polishing off the fried chicken on my own, of course I had to get some grasshopper pie! The 30+ min wait was enough to digest my dinner, anyway.

Le Cheval (Oakland location): pretty standard Vietnamese food, very spacious and perfect for Cyn's post-graduation lunch despite the slow service. Yay you're a lawyer (almost)!

Sketch: <3

La Mar: finally gave the US version a try and had a great time. However, the original location in Lima is definitely better. As to be expected, in Lima the ingredients were just fresher, the prices were lower, and the service was better. Business was also a bit slow which was surprising, especially given their great location and the hot day!

MR: I'm over the club/bar scene and usually limit those visits to happy hours. However, my friend's friend was having a get-together here and it totally reminded me of Freemans Sporting Club, except it was a bar and not a clothing store. Definitely a boys club but I was also very much tempted to get my hair washed because it was so freaking hot!

B2B: omg so hot. My group of friends likes to run it, but it was really difficult with the temp pushing 90 at 8am and the severe lack of water stations! If you saw Dharma scientists, that was us! ("What's Dharma? Must be an Asian thing") LOVED the beaver dam on Fell.

Underdogs: post-b2b lunch and watched the beginning of the Rockets/Lakers game. Fish taco Nick's way is so satisfying!

OK back to 60-degree weather.

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RN74

As mentioned before, I went to the new Michael Mina last week. I'm not really a power-lunch type (my wallet groans when I buy $11-salads), and I usually intentionally wait for new restaurants to work out their kinks before I give them a try. My lunch here, however, was completely decided on a whim. It had just opened, was just a stone's throw from the office, and was a slightly more attractive option than chicken fingers, even as Alice's treat.

As expected, this restaurant/wine bar was more casual than its fine-dining sister. I called Friday between 10am-11am to no avail (usually reservationists get in by 10am), and when we walked into the empty restaurant at 11:45am, they said they were all booked (I later got a voicemail saying that they were having phone problems and had open reservations for lunch. Um whaat). The bar is open seating and serves full menu so we took a load off, and as expected, the place was pretty lively around 12:30pm (when normal people eat lunch).

Blah blah blah. I'm boring myself writing this post. A lot of it is because... our meal there was easily forgettable and underwhelming. The food was fine and moderately priced for a restaurant attached to such a famous name, but also as expected, portions were small but still filling enough for the average small person. Hamachi was like any other dish anywhere else, the grilled mushrooms could've come from a Foccacia kitchen, the halibut was bland, veal a bit too homemade, and the duck and agnolotti were pretty tasty. I LOOOVED the desserts at Michael Mina, so the chocolate frozen parfait-like dessert was a bit lackluster. The cherries and lemon crisp complemented the white sesame pot de creme nicely, although the crisp wasn't... crisp. Blah blah blah.

Ultimately, what saved my view of RN74 was the wine. Countless reviews anticipating its opening have gone into great detail of the sommelier's vision of the restaurant's marriage of wine and food. I am far from an oenophile, so I just told the server/bartender to give me a glass of pinot to go with my veal. It was absolutely delicious. Light and fruity, but still smooth and endlessly drinkable... I should've noted what it was actually called. Either way, this glass of wine made me a believer in RN74... as a happy hour destination. I mean, the restaurant is not even a month old and is still working things out, so what can I really say, you know? Do expect to see the head honcho himself though!

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Top 10 Go-to Lunch Spots Within a 1-mile Radius of Where I Work

Last week I celebrated my four-year anniversary... with my job. WOOT. I believe my very first meal as a FiDi yuppie was at Boudin, probably a turkey avocado sandwich on a croissant. Well, times have changed and many lunches have been had. While we celebrated this depressing milestone at the recently opened RN74, a large percentage of my income in the last four years has helped sustain these businesses:

1. Foccacia: GOOD LORD, I would not be able to count the number of times I've been here. My go-to salad: spinach w/ roast chicken, kidney beans, roasted red bell peppers, and goat cheese. Go-to sandwich: wheat w/ roast chicken, pesto mayo, roasted red bell peppers, brie, onions, lettuce, tomato [toasted]. (salad and sandwich sound oddly similar) Go-to grill: ground chicken w/ grilled veggies or mac n cheese if I ignore my conscience.
2. Harvest and Rowe: split-pea soup isn't as thick as it used to be (the thicker the better), but I still get it whenever it is remotely cold.
3. Mondo Caffe: crab melt
4. Mixt Greens: maui or the bachelor. It's so expensive, but sooo convenient!
5. Go-go Sushi: usually a sashimi bowl
6. Birley's: BBQ chicken sandwich
7. Baladie: lamb/beef shawarma (Oasis Grill has a much better falafel)
8. Niji Japanese Grille: I don't know why it's spelled with an "e" at the end. Udon (cold days) or gyu-don
9. Muracci's: katsu curry when I don't care about what I'm putting into my body, or beef ramen
10. Neeto's: Expensive, heart-attack-ish, but sooo close! California club!

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Bandwagon (bandcart?)

Good grief this food cart thing is getting ridiculous. Street food, food carts, street vendors... whatever you want to call it... this type of food has been lacking in SF, a thought that I've mentioned before and have felt for a long time (long before MSF came around). The concept is obviously nothing new, and if you ever go to other big cities (outside of LA), you'll see non-taco-truck food vendors everywhere.

Well, it's finally happened. I'm sure the recession has a lot to do with this sudden surge (less money = people want cheaper food, people can't afford renting restaurant space, people need extra cash, etc), and maybe the whole immediacy of the twitter craze, but I think the bigger influence is MSF. I just hope this fad is about serving good food, and not just about being hip and catering to the Dolores Park scene. If only! I'm sure there will be plenty more popping up around the city, but here's the running list:

Magic Curry Kart
Creme Brulee Cart
Amuse Bouche Guy (this guy doesn't have any permits = Amuse Douche? har har that was cleverrr)
*Correction* Apparently none of these guys have permits, and there's also a spring roll guy now.

Non-cart "street food"
John's Snack and Deli: I actually ate here a few days ago*, and eater finally got word today
Kitchenette
Kasa (it's been around for awhile and actually is a restaurant, but they've been having special street food nights featuring different regions of India)

* John's Snack and Deli has been around Financial for awhile, serving up "home-cooked" Korean food for cheap, like dok boki, bibimbap, etc. After LA's Kogi cart exploded, John and wife followed suit and started making kimchi burritos and tacos. I had both (pictured above), and let's just say that it wasn't for me. I haven't tried LA's Kogi, but I'm going to assume it's better than this. Don't get me wrong, John's Snack and Deli is great, but I don't think kimchi and cheese mix very well.

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Anchor & Hope

Time flew by so quickly and the month of January is over. The only Dine about Town restaurant I went to this year was Anchor & Hope. We actually didn't end up ordering the DAT menu because there are other stuff that we wanted to try. There are some interesting stuff they have on the menu, but the overall experience was ok.

Smoked Salmon with potato cakes.

Breaded Catfish Sandwich with Sweet Potato Ribbon Fries


Lobster Roll


Steamed Mussels with Herbed Ribbon Fries

Creme Brulee with homemade Oreo

So here's the load down: The salmon was a bit fishy. The catfish sandwich reminded me of Filet O Fish, but the sweet potato ribbon fries were good. Even though they were sliced so thin, u can still taste the sweet potato. The lobster roll was better than expected - balanced flavor, u can really taste the sweetness in the lobster meat, not like the overloaded mayo ones that you usually find. Kathy and Stacy really like the brioche as the roll. Mussel was good, the herbed ribbon fries were not as good as the sweet potato. The creme brulee was good, but Kathy didn't approve the Oreo so I didnt try :).

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