Digest

The Squeezeburger at Squeeze Inn Hamburgers is definitely on the list of excellent cheap things to eat in Napa, says Dan Wodarcyk. A Squeezeburger is one-third pound of beef, fried rather than grilled, on a sesame bun with romaine lettuce, red onion, tomato, mayonnaise, and mustard. Add to this about one-third pound of cheddar cheese, put a bun on it, and then cover the thing for a few minutes to melt the cheese. “What you end up with is a large halo of crisp cheese surrounding the burger,” says Dan Wodarcyk. A Squeezeburger will run you $5.50. Add jalapeños, if you like, for 50 cents. Squeeze Inn also serves fresh-cut, skin-on french fries.

Squeeze Inn Hamburgers [Napa Valley]
3383 Solano Avenue (near Redwood Road), Napa
707-257-6880
Location

Board Link: Squeeze In, Napa Burgers

Range chicken hor fun (rice noodle) soup at Huang’s Kitchen will definitely satisfy your craving for pho ga (clear Vietnamese chicken soup) if you don’t feel like waiting in line at Turtle Tower down the street. Huang’s Kitchen promotes itself as serving “Chinese cuisine,” and the proprietors are from China, not Vietnam, but the chicken hor fun soup is pretty much straight-ahead pho ga, with the added attraction of being made with fresh rice noodles, says Melanie Wong.

The soup features a generous serving of tasty free-range chicken, poached and then served off the bone with its firm skin. Chewy, velvety fresh rice noodles flow easily through the clean chicken broth without clumping together. The stock isn’t quite as rich as that at Turtle Tower, but it’s very good, with a taste of bones and just a bit of sweetness in the finish. It comes topped with fragrant chopped cilantro and green onion, with a pho-style serving of bean sprouts, jalapeño, basil, and lemon on the side.

Huang’s Kitchen [Tenderloin]
611 Larkin Street (between Ellis and Eddy streets), San Francisco
415-771-1388
Location

Board Link: Range chicken hor fun soup (aka Pho ga) @ Huang’s Kitchen, SF

Lacinato kale, French fingerling potatoes, heirloom butternut squash, Jerusalem artichokes, long red Tropea onions, erbette chard, mustard greens, and Chantenay carrots—Cynsa scored a “mystery box” from Mariquita Farm with generous quantities of all of these and more. Mariquita Farm has a regular community supported agriculture (CSA) program to which people can subscribe, but those interested in what the farm calls “guerilla vegetable deliveries” can preorder a mystery box full of good stuff and pick it up on a Thursday night at the farm’s roving delivery location. (Folks also can preorder specific veggies off the available list on the website, like a bag of pimiento de Padrón peppers for $6.)

The mystery box costs $25, and Aaron was shocked to find out how much stuff is in it—at least three times the value in produce, he says. The selection may be even more varied and interesting than the regular CSA box. And it’s a ton of produce—bunches of greens that stretch rubber bands to the breaking point, big bags of peppers, bunches of carrots larger than those at the farmers’ market. It’s a great deal from a well-regarded farm that supplies some of the top restaurants in the area.

Mariquita Farm
Different locations; check website

Board Link: I love Mariquita’s Mystery Box

Loló, a just-opened restaurant in the Mission, serves Latin American fusion cuisine with Turkish and Mediterranean influences. The proprietors also own trendy restaurants in Guadalajara, Mexico, says Mari. They use local ingredients and do fusion cuisine well, says dobalina. Panko-encrusted fried shrimp wrapped in thinly sliced jicama (like little tortillas) is exceptional. “Never had anything like it,” says dobalina. Scallops and calamari are cooked perfectly, paired with a complementary sauce that’s flavorful yet subtle. Flank steak is tender and cooked to perfection, with excellent flavor. It’s the most expensive thing on the menu, at $18. Other items are priced around $9 to $12.

Loló [Mission District]
3234 22nd Street (between Valencia and Mission streets), San Francisco
415-643-5656
Location

Board Link: Anyone tried Loló? SF