JoyM's Profile
Best Dim Sum In SF
Koi Palace is really hard to get to without a car. Some other suggestions:
I really love King Wah in Daly City. It's a short bus ride from the Daly City BART station. (SamTrans bus #120)
Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Millbrae is great, and right across the street from the Millbrae BART station. It's probably one of the best dim sum places in the Bay Area, but quite a scene and hard to get into on weekends.
I also like Zen Peninsula, in Millbrae but about a mile or two north of the Millbrae BART station. There are several buses that go along El Camino Real that you can catch, or you could take a cab from the BART station.
CSA recommendations for 2012?
Thanks, that's helpful to know. It's true -- it would be better to support a farm directly, but the reality is that we'd be throwing out a lot of the food if we didn't get to exclude things we dislike, and we pickup would be difficult for us. I think it's still better than shopping at Safeway, and the produce IMO is much better than a lot of what's in the store or even in the farmer's market.
CSA recommendations for 2012?
We've been doing Farm Fresh to You since last July, and never had any of the problems you mention. The food is always fresh, and every time I've sent them an email they've gotten back to me within an hour. I like the variety of stuff they send, and I like having a list of things that I don't like that will never be in my box. I know they buy from a lot of different organic farms, but I just don't see how that's different than supporting one individual farm. We used to get a box that came directly from a farm, but found we were throwing out or giving away half the box because they didn't allow you to exclude things you don't like. If you look on their website you can see exactly what's in each of their boxes each week and decide for yourself if you like the variety.
Frugal meals
This is my favorite cheap soup. It's incredibly thick and delicious:
One turkey neck or wing
Some beef soup bones
2 cups legumes and rice -- I usually use 1/3 cup each of regular lentils, red lentils, green split peas, yellow split peas, barley and wild rice -- but any combo will do
1 onion
2 or 3 celery stalks
4 or 5 carrots
any other root veggies you like -- parsnips, turnip, celery root, etc.
1 small can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped
1 can corn
some kind of green vegetable -- Chinese greens, spinach, or even lettuce
whatever spices you like -- I use thyme, pepper and cumin and of course salt
All ingredients above are approximate. Basically, you should just use what you like.
I like to chop and saute the onions and celery first, but you can just throw them in later if you want.
Put the meat in a large pot with about 12 cups of water and some salt. When it boils, add the sauted (or raw) onion and celery, plus 2 cups of legumes. Add any root veggies other than parsnips or carrots at this point. Let it simmer on medium heat for about 1/2 hour, then add herbs (if they're dried), parsnips, carrots and tomatoes. Simmer for another hour or so, then add fresh herbs if you've got them, corn, mushrooms, and greens and cook for about 15 minutes. Let me know if you like it.
Ham
I finally tried the Framani smoked ham and OMG is it good. I gobbled down more than a pound in a few days. It's definitely one of the best hams I've ever tasted. Thanks!
Romaine lettuce
Is there anyplace that offers a salad made with romaine lettuce that is NOT a Caesar salad? I love Romaine lettuce -- it has the crunchiness of iceberg, but unlike iceberg it also has flavor and nutritional value. Red and green leaf and Boston are ok, but those ubiquitous "salad greens" taste are boring and crunchless. I love to start a meal w/ a good salad, but even the fanciest restaurants seem to offer Romaine only as a Caesar salad, which I am sick of. Am I the only one who craves a crunchy, non-Caesar Romaine salad to start her meal? And, more importantly, are there any restaurants that share my concern, preferably restaurants where the rest of the meal is also something yummy.
Dungeness crab prices for '11
They were $2.99/lb for small and $3.69 for large yesterday at Pacific Mkt on Vincente near Sunset.
Cheap but tasty passion fruit puree in the Bay
Oh, so sad. Between that and the demise of Stangellini's, it sounds like I got out of San Mateo just in time.
Ham
Thanks, all. I think Fatted Calf is what I'm looking for. I think I'll try Framani also, and Seakor Deli if I'm over that way.
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Fatted Calf
644-C First Street, Napa, CA 94559
tea store?
Looking for bulk or loose (not teabags) decaffeinated Darjeeling tea, in San Francisco. Any ideas?
kid-friendly SF restaurants with seriously delicious food
We go to Moki's in Bernal Heights a lot w/ our 4 year old. There are always a lot of kids there, and they will bring your kids crayons and paper as soon as you sit down. Excellent Japanese food, too. Get the Ahi Poke and the grilled asparagus for yourself, and edamame and miso soup and tempura for the kids.
Ham
I'm having a hard time finding really good ham in San Francisco. I just want regular, ordinary ham, nothing fancy like prosciutto, but something that's not Boar's Head. When I lived in San Mateo, I used to buy ham at Trag's that they made themselves, which was great and pretty cheap (although the rest of their cold cuts are awful). The supermarkets (even Whole Paycheck) all sell packaged crap, but even the fancy grocery stores I've been to (Canyon Market, Good Life) don't seem to sell anything that's not just bland and slimy. Even Lucca's doesn't have anything good. I want some real, chewy, hardy, tasty ham. Where to go? Especially looking for a source in the Mission, Bernal, Glen Park, Noe area.
Any recent dim sum experiences South of SF?
I've been to Koi Palace, HKFL, Zen Peninsula and Tai Wu/Mr. Fong and they're all very good, but different. Another place that I like a lot is King Wah in Daly City.
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Koi Palace Restaurant
365 Gellert Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015
Zen Peninsula
1180 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA 94030
Tai Wu/Mr. Fong
950 King Plz, Daly City, CA 94015
King Wah Restaurant
209 Southgate Ave, Daly City, CA 94015
Cheap but tasty passion fruit puree in the Bay
The Brazilian grocery store on 25th St. in San Mateo had it when I was last there, but that was a couple of years back. Passion fruit is called maracuja in Portuguese, in case you're looking for the right package in the freezer case.
anywhere in Chinatown sell fresh rice noodles?
Sorry, should have specified SF Chinatown, not Oakland. Also looking for fresh galangal
anywhere in Chinatown sell fresh rice noodles?
Going to be in Chinatown today, and need some noodles. Thanks.
What happened to Stangellini's?
When I lived in San Mateo, I used to love Stangellini's Italian deli. About a year ago, they said they were moving but instead they seem to have disappeared. Anyone know if they did they actually move or did they go out of business?
Great ethnic food in Alameda?
Burma Superstar has a branch in Alameda
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Burma Superstar
1345 Park Street, Alameda, CA
I Scream!
Sadly, my favorite neighborhood ice cream place, Maggie Mudd's, has closed. The best thing about Maggie Mudds, for me, was all the flavors of non-dairy ice cream (both soy and coconut-based), since I'm lactose intolerant. Where else can I get decent non-dairy, particularly the coconut milk kind, ice cream? I already know about Tofutti and all the other store brands and I'm not looking for opinion about those -- I'm looking for store in or near the city that makes their own, and I'm looking for ice cream, not sorbet/sherbet.
2 dinners/2 lunches to convince NY hounds to move to SF?
You might want to stop by the new branch of Arizmendi in the Mission, on Valencia.
Dim Sum, once again
I recently moved into the city from the Peninsula, and I've been trying some new dim sum places in the southern part of the city and nearby, in the hopes of finding something decent without having to drive all the way to Millbrae. I've tried Imperial Garden on San Bruno Ave. It gets a big plus for having Peking Duck, but is otherwise just ok. I've also tried Grand Palace in SSF, which gets a big plus for having shrimp and mango rolls, but is also otherwise just ok. Then recently a friend recommended King Wah in Daly City, and I thought it was excellent. The har gow were perfect and the BBQ pork was tender and sweet, both by itself and in the char siu bao -- my two personal dim sum barometers. I may regret telling everyone, but I highly recommend this place. 209 Southgate Ave. Worthy of a chowdown, IMHO, but I'm too lazy to organize it.
In our travels to the East Bay, we've found another good dim sum place -- This Old Place on Grand Ave. in Oakland. The dim sum is very good, not great, but the prices are so low it's ridiculous. You can seriously stuff yourself for less than 10 bucks.
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King Wah Restaurant
209 Southgate Ave, Daly City, CA 94015
Guanajuato and Leon Mexico recommendations
I think it's further up the alleyway, but now I can't remember. It might even be a different alleyway. However, if you ask around in the Plaza -- donde esta el restaurant Japonese? -- you'll eventually find it.
Lunch near Cotati?
We decided on El Malecon, told our friends to meet us there, and then canceled at the last minute when my partner got hit w/ this virus that's going around :(
We'll probably go next weekend and will report back.
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El Malecon
217 Southwest Blvd, Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Lunch near Cotati?
We're driving up to meet some friends in Cotati tomorrow (Monday, MLK day) but every time we've visited them we've wound up at pretty dull restaurants, so I was thinking we should meet them in Santa Rosa or Petaluma or really anyplace in the area with decent food. There will be 3 kids and 4 or 5 adults. We're looking for something kid-friendly, not horribly expensive, that will be open for lunch on a Monday holiday. Suggestions? Any kind of food is ok.
Unique to San Francisco, off-beat, experimental?
Here's my advice, FWIW: Google "Off the Grid" and go to one (or more) of their weekly lunchtime food truck gatherings, and get some gourmet but relatively inexpensive food from a truck. I like Green Cyclo and Chairman Bao. Spend some time at some of the recommended places in Chinatown -- it's pretty different from anything you'd find in Seattle Chinatown. Try some xiao lon bau (sp?) at one of the Shanghai places around the city. Go to Hong Kong Flower Lounge or Zen Peninsula in Millbrae or Koi Palace in Daly City for amazing Dim Sum. Burma Superstar for Burmese, Angkor Borei for Cambodian, Bodega Bistro for Vietnamese, Thai House Express for Thai. Oh, and definitely get a burrito or two in the Mission. And don't confuse "innovative" with "gimmick."
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Koi Palace Restaurant
365 Gellert Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015
Hong Kong Flower Lounge
51 Millbrae Ave, Millbrae, CA 94030
Bodega Bistro
607 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Thai House Express
901 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Zen Peninsula
1180 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA 94030
Burma Superstar
4721 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA
Chairman Bao
San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Where can I buy some flour tortillas made with lard?
A fellow hound introduced me recently to La Palma. They makesand sell flour tortillas, both with and without lard. Both types are soft, flaky and delicious; the non-lard ones are flakier. The ones made with lard are chewier; I like them better. They are on 24th St in the Mission, around Florida St.
Best place to buy a fresh turkey in San Mateo/Burlingame area?
When I lived in San Mateo, I checked out the options at Dragers, Piazzas, Whole Foods, Trags, Lunardis, & Molly Stones, and decided on Molly Stones and bought my turkey from them every year. They seemed to have the best options in terms of price, availability of natural/organic birds, & different brands/sizes.
Best Vietnameses free-range chicken soup (pho ga) in SF
Well, I tried it and it was good, but I'm not sure I'm quite ready to give up on Turtle Tower. There's no question that Hai's pho ga has much, much more chicken, but it's also a couple of bucks more. The chicken was moist and flavorful and all-around excellent, but the broth is not quite as tasty, IMO, as Turtle Tower's. Also, I asked for dark meat but got a mixture of dark, white and a piece of chicken wing. But these are minor complaints -- having both places as lunch options, especially on cold days, makes me happy.
I also like the place next door to Hai -- Them something. I like their congee, and it's one of the few places in the Tenderloin with decent Chinese food.
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Turtle Tower Restaurant
631 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
