...tm...'s Profile
Peninsula commuting todo list (obscenely long...)
Thanks for gathering things in one place. As an eastbayer who rarely gets over to that corridor and when I do always wishes there were a better way to search what might be of interest I really appreciate it. I notice you have Daly City places on your list, so I though I'd mention one that caught my eye, though I've never been there--Jonathan Kauffman's review of the Brazilian Pamonha caught my attention http://www.sfweekly.com/2011-08-31/restaurants/pamonha-brazilian-cuisine-food-review-jonathan-kauffman/
Soly y Luna--new taqueria downtown Berkeley
They offer a couple of different burrito styles, one of which is a "California burrito" which includes fries inside. I got this once, with carne asada, and it was pretty good. Definitely a good value. I experienced a similarly long wait as ernie, but chalked it up to frying the fries.
Suggestions for lunch only M-F restaurants
FuseBOX, new place I just read about in West Oakland looks interesting to me
http://oaklandlocal.com/article/fusebox-new-west-oakland-lunch-spot-affordable-gorgeous-and-yummy
It sounds like it is open for weekend lunches too, which I can't believe I didn't check out this weekend, as I'd love some good Korean fried chicken.
Sun Hong Kong - Berkeley
Seriously!! It's a good thing I cook most of my food at home, including Chinese. Currently my most visited, China Village, Great China, Happy Golden Bowl, and L&L Chinese Seafood are out of commission. I never made it to Sun Hong Kong--I walked in to Kip's once at lunch from work, hoping too, but was too confused by their frat food menu to figure out where to go/how to order. I don't usually believe in conspiracies, but when ALL of the Chinese restaurants between El Cerrito and Berkeley I like better than my home cooking are out of commission...
Paisan Meatball Sandwich - [Berkeley]
Oh, no! I thought that might be the case, since I see they're marketing Blue Bottle coffee now. I saw several people stop by during lunch for coffee and they grind fresh for espresso and drip style drinks. Fatpants!
Paisan Meatball Sandwich - [Berkeley]
I've heard great things about Roxie, yet never made it there. I'll have to give it a try. I've tried the Genova version at their Walnut Creek location and didn't care for it at all. I actually got the mix of meatballs and sausage which they offer as an option they ask you about when you just order a meatball sub. The meatballs weren't very flavorful or juicy, but the sauce was pretty good.
The only problem with the Paisan version is it is only available until 2:30 pm. Luckily I was working from home today and could drop in.
good ideas for "streetfood tour de san francisco" ?
You're understanding and my understanding are similar and I live here. If you'd like to check it out first hand check out one of the Off the Grid events. The big one is on Friday evenings at Fort Mason, but there are other times and locations for these gatherings of food trucks.
When I think of street/takeaway food I actually stop for here I think of tacos/burritos, banh mi, dim sum, pizza, and burgers. Wander the 24th St. corridor from Mission to York for tacos. Get a banh mi from Saigon Sandwich. The takeout dim sum places on 6th and Clement are better, but when I worked around the Stockton tunnel for a couple months those places saved me on my half hour breaks. Get the burger or the special of the day from 4505 meats at the Ferry Plaza on Saturday or Thursday or fiveten burger if you happen through the East Bay. And for pizza, I like the slices at Gioia, Arinell and Tony's.
Paisan Meatball Sandwich - [Berkeley]
Which one has donut holes, Paisan? If so I'm in trouble as it is on my way to work. I just stopped by there this afternoon, to complete the Berkeley meatball sandwich trifecta. My personal preference is Rotten City, Paisan, and in a lower-tier third place, Southie.
The meatballs in the Southie version were dry and crumbly for me, and overall there just wasn't as much flavor--either in the balls or the sauce (and I usually prefer the freshness of the lighter, less cooked sauce they use). Not to mention the structural issues. Meatball sandwiches are difficult to eat and I initially thought Southie's innovation of giving the sandwich the burrito wrap would help with this, but that with the Italian roll just made it soggy faster. I'll stick to the pulled pork next time I stop by there.
Paisan's sandwich was a good combination, and served with a salad. It has a lot more herbs than the others, both in the balls and basil as a topping.
The Rotten City version had very large meatballs, and was also the juciest of the three. Their balls definitely include pork, which is likely what I am liking, and the sauce was very tomatoey.
Root Beer -- housemade or good bottle selection??
I'm pretty sure I just saw Abita Root Beer on the menu at Paisan in Berkeley, but I'm a root beer avoider so I'm not 100% on that. Also, you might want to check with Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen, as they have several varieties of Abita beer, though, again, the root beer didn't necessarily catch my eye.
Vietnam House Chowdown Report [San Francisco]
I had never noticed Vietnam House before, so was glad to hear of it, and have the opportunity to sample a lot of the menu with fellow chowhounds. I'll be back for the banh khot and papaya salad. In fact, I might just order solely appetizers, as they were my favorites, (with the exception of the bland goi cuon) and I'm curious about the banh cu cai chien trung (daikon cake, of which I haven't had a Vietnamese version). I also enjoyed the banh cuon cha lua--this was new to me and liked the earthy rolls, but I may have actually enjoyed the small bit of the shrimp fritter I managed to chip off quite a bit. Does anyone know what it was made of? My guess is chickpea or yellow pea.
The rest was okay, but I've had better versions of those dishes elsewhere. I found the bun bo Hue to be especially disappointing, though that could have been due to getting an odd portion with little broth, but the broth didn't have much flavor at all. Sure, it had noticeable lemongrass and sour components, but not much shrimp paste funk, beefiness, or heat (until I added the hot chili condiment the waiter brought to the table.) Still satisfying as a soup, but not so much as bun bo Hue to me.
Reno: More authentic Chinese food at 101 Taiwanese Cuisine
I happened to be in Reno last week and was glad I found this post (it's odd to me that Reno is in the Southwest board). I wasn't too hungry, but was happy to have a snack of a Taiwanese hamburger and tofu with preserved egg. The "hamburger" was particularly well executed--the pork cutlet was tasty and crispy and I enjoyed the relish and sweet crumbly topping (along with cilantro) included in the steamed bun. I wish I had room to try more of the menu, but what I had was great. The waitstaff were also very nice and they had wireless. They have a long milk tea/boba/shake list and it seems like they are going for a Taiwanese cafe atmosphere. The drinks are shrink-wrapped on top, but I'm pretty sure that is just a common boba cafe style choice rather than an indication of pre-packaging. I didn't try any, however, as they're generally too sweet for my tastes (and they didn't have my favorite, the avocado shake).
Vientian Cafe Oakland - satisy that insatiable craving for Lao rice ball salad and sausage...
Great report--were the Lao Specialties on a separate menu? I went a couple of weeks ago and ordered the Nam Kao, which was probably the best version I've tried. The rest of the menu was mystifying and it seemed difficult for me to distinguish what the Lao specialties from the things that seemed like generic Thai and Vietnamese specialties. The two soups we ended up ordering, were fairly lackluster, but the Nam Kao left me believing I had just ordered poorly. I had even tried to follow yummyrice's advice and find the bamboo stew you ordered to no avail. I realized after ordering the soups that the Duck salad I was looking for was in the Specialties list on the back page of the menu, so it is possible I just missed that section.
Burgers and coffee, that's elf food, apparently -- your thoughts solicited
Shotwell's for the sour.
Tortillas for thin tortilla chips?
I agree. It makes my trips through the tunnel more bearable to be able to pick up tacos dorados, chips, and tortillas from Tortilleria El Molino.
Bay Area Food Festivals and Events - February, 2012
This Asia Society event looks interesting
http://asiasociety.org/calendars/taiwanese-beef-noodle-soup-chef-hou-chun-sheng
The Taiwanese Beef noodle soup champion is in town and giving a talk and serving soup for the Asia Society on Feb 8. I'd be interested in going
Grocery Outlet, January 2012
The Oakland store had a big table in the back with Asian ingredients--likely a closeout from an Indonesian store. I got some dark palm sugar (gula jawa), Indonesian bay leaves, caned macapuno, banana hot sauce, hearts of palm, and roasted chili paste. There were many other items, including a lot of Thailand imports.
Thai Noodle represents sugary, flavorless Americanized Thai food at its worst
My co-workers like to go there and I've found that the pad kee mao is something they do fairly well. I suspect the issues with canned curry pastes go beyond just starting in a tub, as I can make much better curry at home with packaged curry pastes. The time I ordered a green curry based dish and asked for it very spicy it came out with extra red chili flakes on top, rather than just a higher paste/coconut milk ratio. After the waitress delivered that with a smile, and genuinely inquired if it was spicy enough for me, without realizing the absurdity of the situation I've stuck to ordering the pad kee mao (which may be called Thai kee mao on their menu).
rice bran oil in Berkeley area?
It was a couple months ago, but I got a gallon of Miyako brand rice bran oil at Ichiban Kan.
Does anyone know were to buy fresh beef tongue?
I know I've seen it regularly in the past at Foods Co. across from Rainbow Grocery. It was also my occasional source of beef cheeks when I was on that side of the bay.
Grocery Outlet 20% off Wine Starting Nov 9 - Opinions?
There were 4 cases or so of the Louviere blanc at the Berkeley store on Friday, marked down to $9.99 from the previous 18.99 or so.
Tempeh Goreng- Recommendations
Jayakarta's is thin and crispy. I don't know about sweet and spicy--the tempeh is fried plain and served with their chili sauce on the side.
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Jayakarta Restaurant
2026 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
Thai Red Rice
I'm a big fan of Thai red rice. I used to get it from Berkeley Bowl, but they've changed to semi-polished red rice. I've gotten Himalayan red rice at the Richmond 99 Ranch, but my new favorite is the Camargue red rice I recently picked up at the Pasta Shop in Berkeley. It is short grain, but with my usual whole-grain rice cooking method of boiling for 30 minutes, draining, and letting sit at least 10 minutes it turned out with separated grains, plenty of flavor, and great texture. I especially enjoyed fried rice with the leftovers.
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Berkeley Bowl
2020 Oregon St, Berkeley, CA 94703
99 Ranch
4299 Rosewood Dr, Pleasanton, CA 94588
Restaurants near the Wharf?
Well, count me in as a true hater of The Slanted Door. My problem is that I can't see what they're going for, besides profitable. I was open to going with a friend who was excited about it (and apparently found reservations difficult to get) after being disappointed by both the ferry building and the Westfield locations of Out the Door, which, I believe, is open to, and a legitimate victim of the claim that they are making Vietnamese food for the mass audience, and it is more expensive and less tasty than it should be. If it were just more expensive and used carefully sourced meats, as I'd hoped, I'd be excited about going back, but it just wasn't delicious--they're using the wrong cuts of meat (too lean) and underseasoning to my tastes.
But that isn't the question. The Slanted Door is obviously doing something more upscale, and allegedly ingredients-based and interesting. While all the food I ate there was at least good, the overall experience wasn't pleasant for me. First of all, we chose to eat outside, where the tables and chairs are less comfortable, but it was nice, and I don't really understand why people always refer to the views there, as even outside, by the fence to the bay it isn't an unobstructed view, and in looking at the indoor seating, the view is generally blocked by us outside diners.
I also don't know if we had a lesser tier of service by dining outdoors, but I suspect not, as it seemed to be an institutional policy. We had a waiter who took our orders, and tried to suggest more drinks and dishes than we needed, and everything else was delivered by bussers,who seemed to be in a huge rush. And looking around the dining room, it seemed to be because there were about 2 bussers delivering everyone's dishes. This lead to things like one of the tastiest dishes we ordered, the clams with pork belly, having one clam that was entirely full of sand that went unnoticed by the kitchen or busser, and by the time I noticed it, plates were whisked away without a chance for me to say anything. The one conversation we were able to have with staff was about how they don't offer bread, though everyone who has ordered the clams dish has requested and realizes it would be perfect with it. It is as though their corporate policy wants to seem "Asian" in some way that refuses bread, though it has quite a tradition in Vietnamese cuisine. Or they're cheap. It is just that all signs pointed to their confusion as to what they are: Vietnamese with a twist, upscale, or seasonal/local. Their manner of compromise leads to be none of these things, rather than a great combination of such.
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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111
Out the Door
1 Ferry Bldg Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94111
Good place to buy scotch in the east bay ?
Agreed that Ledger's is likely your best bet. The staff is quite knowledgeable and helpful. Unfortunately I don't know of anything in Oakland.
Community Grains
The fresh pasta was behind the counter by the cured meats in a bag, labeled Community Grains.
Oh, and to correct my previous typo, that should read Rusticella d'Abruzzo's whole-grain Farro pasta, particularly the Pizzichi.
Community Grains
I got fresh rigatoni and dried linguini from the pasta shop in Berkeley today. I had high hopes, but I made the fresh stuff for dinner, and against my usual instincts to mask while wheat pasta I made aglio-olio to truly incorporate the taste of the pasta. I did not enjoy it--the texture was gummy, and I was sampling frequently during cooking--it seemed to go from raw tasting directly to gummy and soft. The taste was unpleasantly bitter to me, and I'm the sort who can appreciate bitter--IPAs are always my favorite beers.
I still have high hopes for the dried pasta--the texture looks beautiful with plenty of shagginess to hold a sauce. If I'd seen it first I would have passed up the fresh pasta.
I love whole grain bread, but have yet to like any whole grain pasta. So far the only one I've enjoyed at all is Eusticella d'Abruzzo's whole grain Farro. I'm not rally sure there are even significant health benefits of whole grain pasta (at leat for those of us who are just trying not to get too fat) as I've seen stats that truly al dente white pasta, which is fairly easy to cook from Italian pastas has a lower glycemic index than the processed whole grain pastas, which, in general, are difficult to impossible to cook al dente.
Is it worth going to PPQ if you're not going to order the crab?
I'm not sure I agree. My initial instinct was to agree, as I'd certainly be sad leaving without having the crab and garlic noodles, but everything else ive had there has been quite good. In particular, I remember the braised green beans and sea bass being really tasty. I've also had bits if the grilled plates and they seem right on, too. The meathead eaters who have insisted on ordering them when there is delicious crab to be had have been mystified by the herbs, dip, and wrappers accompanying. I'm not sure it's well priced--the beans ate 10.95 which are slanted door type prices or if there are better Vietnamese aces in the immediate area, but I've found nothing wrong, and would say that for the type of dishes I've mentioned, have found only Bodega Bistro to be the equivalent. If anyone has other suggestions for this type of fresh, French-cal Vietnamese places I'd love to hear them. Not that I don't live banh mi, pho, and especially bun, but those seem well-covered by chowhound.
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Bodega Bistro
607 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Maoz Vegetarian (chain from Amsterdam) now in Berkeley
Right. It's not like you have to go upscale or high tech to go biodegradable, just use paper. But even more relevant to the topic I vastly prefer the overall experience around the corner at Fa La La. I've found Maiz pitas to be really dry and the salad bar to be much appreciated that it is there and has a lot of variety, but nothing has wowed me as the grilled eggplant topping at Fa La La does. Plus, I find it friendlier environmentally and personally, I've enjoyed their fries, and even their day-old pitas for sale (6/$2?) are better than those I've had at Maoz
Grocery Outlet, October 2011
The Sierra Nevada aged goat cheddar is occasionally available at the Berkeley branch and I get it whenever it is. That and the Uniekaas aged goudas are my favorite cheese occasionally, but regularly available at Berkeley Grocery Outlet. The goat cheddar is generally $7.99 per pound, factory wrapped in black plastic in blocks of ~0.6 lbs.
