dordogne's Profile
First Trip to SF since 2010. Best of what's new?
definitely Mission Chinese (check the SF board for passionate discussion of preferences, counter-preferences)
Bar Tartine (new incarnation)
Canteen
Lers Ros on Hayes (second outpost, spiffier ambiance, but I still prefer the funkier Larkin St. location)
Perbacco/Barbacco
Sam Wo closing... help!!!! Where...
R.I.P. Anywhere else to get cold rice noodle rolls with lots of cilantro?
Vietnam House Chowdown Report [San Francisco]
I agree that execution at Bodega Bistro is better, esp on the classic dishes. Which are your other favorite Vietnamese places? Are you referring to Vung Tao on Telegraph Hill or the one in San Jose or ?
Vietnam House Chowdown Report [San Francisco]
Perfect chowdown (and many thanks to Pane and Windy for organizing and guiding selections from a huge menu) and to recording secretary Thomas): opportunity to order many dishes; everyone gets a good-sized taste of each and opportunity to order more of the favorites (in this case, we ordered more of the 4#. Banh Khot and #6. green papaya salad); major topic of conversation is the great meals we've had, the wonderful meal we were then having, and detailed anticipation of planned future meals.
My favorites were: #6 papaya salad: beautiful shreds of papaya and savory bits of dried beef (sounds strange but so good) in a sweet/funky (in a good way, of course) sauce. I would have liked a bit of heat or more umami-type flavors in this one, but of course that would have made it a different dish. #32 Noodle soup with crab, shrimp, pork. I didn't get any discernible pieces of crab, shrimp or pork in my serving, but the broth and noodles had a rich, complex flavor. #4 Banh khot was an unusual treat, meant to be wrapped in lettuce leaf with cilantro and other greens and drizzled with sauce, but flavors were quite subtle and I realized I probably overdid it with the greens in a feeble effort to take care of my vegetable course for the evening.
Least interesting to me were the #1 fresh shrimp rolls--skimpy on the pork and shrimp and better done at many take-out places, #16 the "egg meat pie" component of the dish had a quiche-like texture (not necessarily a bad thing but portending blandness) and little flavor.
Roli Roti roasted pig knuckle?
They have the pig knuckle but not the porchetta at the Heart of the City Farmers Market, UN Plaza on Wednesdays.
Xiao Long Bao options in the City?
We went to Kingdom of Dumpling at 5:30, hoping to avoid the Lunar New Year crush in this tiny (15-20 seat) place. By 6:00 the wait was out the door and hovering over the diners inside.
The XLBs were markedly inferior to Shanghai Dumpling King--smaller, wrappers flimsy in texture and not nearly as artfully pleated, filling not as flavorful. But they do have a vast selection of non-soup dumplings, and the pork/shrimp/chives version was very good. My favorite dish was the stuffed Shanghai pancake--like a conventional onion pancake but lightly filled with vegetable and savory items, then pan-fried--a Shanghai quesadilla.
But thanks to Chowhound XLB enthusiasts, I now have a list of additional places to try.
Xiao Long Bao options in the City?
I'm hoping to introduce out-of-town (indeed, out-of-country) guests to the wonders of XLB, but Shanghai Dumpling King is closed on Tuesday, our only free evening together. Any other recommendations in the City and what other dishes do you suggest for those recommended places?
Stand-outs at Aziza?
Going to Aziza after a long absence and the menu has changed. Any recommendations, either revelations or disappointments? Anyone tried the duck confit basteeya?
http://aziza-sf.com/food.html
foie gras retail in San Francisco
Gourmet & More on Gough in Hayes Valley carries Fabrique Delices fois gras.
Public Service Announcement: Golden Gate Bakery is NOT open.
As usual, sign says nothing about when they might be back.
How to "split" a check equitably?
I often dine out with friends. I am a small person with a small appetite for both food and drink (e.g., I often order two apps, single glass of wine or only one glass from a shared bottle(s), no dessert) and most of my friends are hearty eaters/drinkers whose meals end up totaling significantly more than mine. So while I understand that the simplest, most gracious thing to do is to split the tab evenly, I often end up spending twice the actual cost of my consumed portion of the meal.
I'd appreciate suggestions for a gentle, inoffensive way to request a more equitable sharing of the tab (I'd wince at the gaucherie of requesting separate checks).
Top Chef - Texas - Last Chance Kitchen (spoilers)
Is Last Chance Kitchen broadcast on Bravo and, if so, when? I haven't been able to find it on the program guide, though it's advertised during each showing of Top Chef.
Foie Gras countdown...
For takeout, Fatted Calf is selling foie gras terrine with madeira and foie gras torchon with port this week.
Sliced Meats for Cheese Plates in San Francisco?
Fatted Calf on Fell (btw Gough and Octavia) has a small but excellent selection. Boccalone in the Ferry Building or perhaps even at mother ship Incanto, but I don't know whether they will slice for you.
Where to buy a pound of coffee?
Many thanks for the tip. I noticed the recent remodel but didn't realize that Peaberry's (coffee mediocre, to my taste) had been replaced. Do they roast their own beans or get them from one of the usual suspects?
Foie Gras countdown...
Txoko (adjacent to Naked Lunch--same ownership?) has foie gras a la plancha and foie gras ice cream (!) on current menu.
Foie Gras countdown...
Try Oliveto and Gourmet & More (tiny new shop,141 Gough St btw Page & Oak in Hayes Vallley, with a dazzling assortment of French cheese, condiments, great selection from local Fabrique Delices). Gourmet & More had foie gras last week-end.
"Higher-End" Takeout -- Oakland/Berkeley?
Gregoire (Cedar in Berkeley and Piedmont in Oakland) has excellent take-out, but closer to fine dining appetizers and mains, not pizza and salads.
http://www.gregoirerestaurant.com/
Seeking quiet but festive restaurant in Oakland or Berkeley for small 90th birthday celebration
Bay Wolf on Piedmont doesn't have a private room, but the space in each of the two dining rooms is acoustically friendly and the wooden wainscot, gracious service and classic menu would please any mother, 90 or otherwise.
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Bay Wolf Restaurant
3853 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611
duck, duck and more duck
Agreed re the movie star flash of tea-smoked duck (same phenomenon at work in California palates weaned on fruit bomb cabernets, dead to the wonders of burgundies), but the restaurant was careful to order and pace the courses, including an excellent platter of cold appetizers. Though I don't remember whether the Peking duck preceded the tea-smoked version. Also agreed, Great China does a great version--of both.
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Great China Restaurant
2115 Kittredge St, Berkeley, CA 94704
duck, duck and more duck
Oops, thank you for the catch; here's the correct link to the 2009 chowdown thread:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/609155
duck, duck and more duck
Several years ago, we had a chowdown at Five Happiness on Geary with duck three ways: Peking, tea-smoked and boned/stuffed. All were very good (tea-smoked was my favorite), prices were reasonable, and the owner is accommodating, generous with advice and recommendations.
Here's a thread with generally enthusiastic comments:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/818078
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Five Happiness
4142 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118
Bay Area Food Festivals - 2011
Saturday 11/19 11am-4pm: Kermit Lynch Beaujolais Nouveau 2011 with food from Cafe Fanny, in the tented parking lot with aromas wafting for blocks around:
http://kermitlynch.com/page/2011-beaujolais-nouveau/
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Cafe Fanny
1603 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702
Tacos Al Pastor - Vertical Spit with Pineapple - Anyone in the east bay?
Tacubaya pork is done on a vertical spit; you can see it in all its glory directly behind the counter.
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Tacubaya
1788 4th St, Berkeley, CA 94710
Any reports on month-old Origen in Berkeley?
The menu looks inviting ("farm to table," so TMI re sourcing but the dishes are well-thought-out, great flavor combinations) and well-priced (esp $32 tasting menu with $18 wine pairing) and they're starting out ambitiously--both lunch and dinner service, serving dinner until 11pm, and open on Sunday:
http://www.origenberkeley.com/menus/OrigenDinner1.pdf
But I've driven by several times in the middle of the evening and haven't seen much action. Several very strong reviews on Y____p, but I'm hoping for an opinion from refined chowhound palates.
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Origen
2826 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705
Plugra by the Pound
$5 for one-pound package at Berkeley Bowl East, labeled as on special.
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Berkeley Bowl
2020 Oregon St, Berkeley, CA 94703
Li Hing Mui and Crack Seed
I've been overdosing on sodium from preserved plums since I was a child, but never before heard of Li Hing Mui powder. Now my mouth is watering--what do you do with it?
