What Chowhounds are discussing on the San Francisco Bay Area board.
Restaurants, bars, food stores, and more that are new, old, weird, or totally under the radar.
A new Yucatecan spot has opened in the Mission District of San Francisco, but according to Melanie Wong, only the genuinely fiery, roasted-tasting habanero salsa hit a high note at Ku'u Up.
The rest of Melanie's meal was characterized by stiff masa, rubbery eggs, and a strangely metallic-tasting watermelon agua fresca. Apparently it wasn't just an off day: In elise h's rundown of her recent meal at Ku'u Up, she rated the three dishes she tried on a scale from "OK" to "very bland."
Ku'u Up [Mission District]
2052 Mission Street, San Francisco
415-621-5510
Discuss: Ku'u up – More Comida Yucateca in San Francisco
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on Monday, May 28th, 2012
It's tough to get a croissant right. Or so you'd assume, seeing how many bakeries get it wrong, asking you to fork over $2 for tasteless dough and a lifeless texture that conveys all the charm of an unwashed sweat sock.
hyperbowler says that Sandbox Bakery in Bernal Heights gets it right. "The quality of the baked goods is always stellar," hyperbowler says. The pain au chocolat succeeds by nailing the balance between flakiness and chewiness, and the finished product is remarkably consistent.
The savory curry bun and sweet banana–chocolate heart bun are also must-haves at Sandbox, though hyperbowler warns that experimental flavor combinations don't always succeed. "My experience has been that if it sounds weird, it's probably not that great," hyperbowler advises.
Sandbox Bakery [Bernal Heights]
833 Cortland Avenue, San Francisco
415-642-8580
Discuss: Sandbox bakery and 903 (Bernal Heights, SF)
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on Sunday, May 27th, 2012
Cora Jean's Old Skool Cafe in the Bayview is a restaurant with a mission: to provide job opportunities to at-risk youth. At Old Skool, young paid apprentices work in every aspect of the business, learning skills that open doors to careers.
As for the menu, it's a mishmash of favorites from near and far, including red snapper ceviche, spicy collard greens, and the charmingly named "Someone's Grandmama's Fried Chicken Wings."
Thomas Nash visited recently and recommends Abu's West African Peanut Butter Stew, a coconut milk and chicken concoction developed by a young café worker from Sierra Leone. Another winner is cheesy grits loaded with plump, spicy shrimp, and the sweet potato pie is great. The small-plates menu prices most dishes at $10 or less, which encourages diners to sample widely while allowing them to not run up a bill as rich as the food.
Cora Jean's Old Skool Cafe [Bayview]
1429 Mendell Street, San Francisco
415-822-8531
Discuss: Old Skool Cafe
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on Saturday, May 26th, 2012
Reviews are mixed about dinner at Amber India, an upscale restaurant in San Francisco, but many past reports have praised the lunch buffet, which is pricier than most at $16.95 during the week. A recent visit made vulber wonder if the kitchen hasn't also grown inconsistent during the lunchtime service.
"Just got back from it and while the butter chicken was of course up to par, a lot of the other items weren't as good as they usually are (lamb wasn't tender, tandoori chicken was bland)," vulber says. vulber adds that normally the buffet dishes here are less heavy than at competitor restaurants, but this wasn't the case during the most recent visit.
Amber India Restaurant [SOMA]
25 Yerba Buena Lane, San Francisco
415-777-0500
Discuss: Inconsistencies in Amber Lunch buffet?
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on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012
With several visits to Range under her belt, mariacarmen offers a few tips on what to order and what to avoid at the Valencia Street stalwart. Its chicken is the tastiest among Range's peer restaurants, even better than the much-discussed Zuni chicken, mariacarmen says. The "rich and yummy" beef cheek cannelloni that arrived alongside the bavette was the highlight of a recent dinner. A few dishes fell short: Flounder with favas was dull as dishwater, and an asparagus salad with fromage blanc lacked spark.
And a word to the wise: Seating in the hallway space made our reporter feel like an afterthought—consider requesting a table in the main dining area.
Range [Mission District]
842 Valencia Street, San Francisco
415-282-8283
Discuss: Short Report on Range
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on Monday, May 21st, 2012
San Francisco's Del Popolo pizza truck is a stunner, with glass doors that showcase an Italian-made wood-fired oven. Keesey tracked the truck to Sydney Walton Square in the Financial District and bought a pizza for the $7 "beta" price (which has increased to $10 now that the truck has officially launched).
"Their mozzarella was exceptional!" Keesey marvels. The pie is loaded with basil and a decent sauce, though Keesey wishes the crust had been left to crisp in the oven for just a minute longer.
Del Popolo [Mobile]
No formal address, based in San Francisco, see their website for location info
415-967-1853
Discuss: Del Popolo Pizza Truck – Anyone Tried It?
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on Sunday, May 20th, 2012
Need a tip on where to get breakfast on your way back from the flea market in Alameda? annec says that she loves Alameda and loves breakfast, so she's provided a rundown of her favorite new places.
After one visit to the newly opened Café Jolie, annec says that the kitchen needs time to work out kinks in the execution. Beignets were greasy, and the menu options looked a little too conventional. However, the takeout section of the menu seems promising.
The details count at Café Q, which touts its delicious, high-quality eggs that our reporter admits are indeed delicious. A hint of vanilla is present in the waffles, while the zing of fresh orange zest lifts the French toast to new heights. Also important for early birds: quality coffee.
Red Onion has giant breakfast portions and an endless wheel of choices and add-ons. Hash browns or home fries, omelets or scrambled eggs, any size of pancake: annec reports that they have it all.
Café Jolie [East Bay]
1500 Webster Street, Alameda
510-523-4500
Café Q [East Bay]
2302 Encinal Avenue, Alameda
510-521-8848
Red Onion [East Bay]
1222 Park Street, Alameda
510-521-3288
Discuss: Report: Newish Alameda Breakfasts
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on Friday, May 18th, 2012
Five years after the initial report on Sorella Caffe in Fairfax, Malcolm Ruthven visited the restaurant, which prepares "old school Italian done well." The highlight of the meal was an eggplant parmigiana that was the best rendition of the dish anyone at Malcolm's table had ever had.
Other than the solid food, Malcolm mentions the décor: a "Fairfax-sort-of-funky" with wood and glass accents that have remained unchanged despite the list of restaurants that have called that space home.
Sorella Caffe [North Bay]
107 Bolinas Road, Fairfax
415-258-4520
Discuss: Sorella Caffe in Fairfax
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on Friday, May 18th, 2012
Gilberth's Rotisserie and Grill, a Dogpatch newcomer, serves small plates with a Latin bent, yet it's a spin on an American classic that has one reporter coming back for more.
Joan Kureczka loves Gilberth's "real winner": a burger made with a mix of lamb and chorizo, served with excellent fries and smoky chipotle aioli. It's moist, flavorful, and monster huge, cut in quarters and certainly large enough to share. The lightly pickled vegetables served on the side are divine, "especially the crunchy, raw pickled beets."
That burger is only $12, a relative bargain compared to Mission Bowling Club's much-praised and time-intensive $15 burger, served sans frites.
Gilberth's Rotisserie and Grill [Dogpatch]
2427 Third Street, San Francisco
415-913-7163
Discuss: Gilberth's Rotisserie and Grill -- looks like this is the first report [San Francisco]
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on Friday, May 11th, 2012
If you have a craving for Guatemalan and Salvadoran baked goods, Angie's Bakery in Richmond can hook you up, one hound says. wolfe praises the quality and prices of these pastries, which you can find in a display case in the space that once housed Pit Boss Barbeque at McBryde and San Pablo.
A "sweet, crispy" pineapple turnover (three for $1) was loaded with fruit, as was a crispy, 15-inch-long stick-shaped pastry, "sort of like a diet palmier." On Saturday, Salvadoran tamales sell for $2 each. "Worth a stop if you're in the neighborhood," wolfe says.
Angie's Bakery [East Bay]
12889 San Pablo Avenue, Richmond
510-776-4759
Discuss: Turnovers at Angie's Bakery [Richmond]
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on Friday, May 11th, 2012
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