DavidForer's Profile
Pal's Takeaway
My previous post on Pal's got deleted by the CH censors. I guess they didn't like that I humoursly (IMHO) joked that I "knew" one of the owners from going to Andante at FP market. Let me clarify. I don't "know" him, don't even know his name, nor he me. I just know that he works for Soyoung and that he has this sandwich take-away place. I'm no Insider anywhere, except for maybe the Phone Booth ("Dave, you're cut off! Go home to your kids you lush!").
Anyway, I liked the two sandwiches I got there today. Roast beef with homemade horseradish, and a vietnamese chicken sandwich. The later was especially good, and I consider myself a bit of a Banh Mi fan. The menu is local, seasonal, organic style, in the 7-8 buck range per sannie. Really tasty, and welcome addition to the neighborhood.
It's across from Dynamo on 24th street.
... dave
Alhambra meats is gone
I walked by Alhambra meats at 24th and Folsom last night and it was quite a scene. The coolers were being pulled out, there was a crew of guys breaking up the granite tile floor, and at the same time, the butchers were carrying out the meat to a waiting truck. It's closed. Done.
I asked Ray at my corner store down the street and he had insight - they just couldn't make it work - not enough revenue.
I'm kind of sad. The owner seemed to be interested in making a contribution to the neighborhood, and was always nice when I shopped there. That being said, I was always kind of surprised that a Halal place opened up in this neighborhood - most people here either want super cheap meat, or are more on the vegetarian side of the food spectrum.
RIP:
Alhambra Halal Meat Company (sorry, don't know how to post a link)
3111 24th St San Francisco, CA
... dave
knife sharpening lessons?
I've got a selection of the standard brands of knives (Global, Henckel, etc) but was recently given a high-end handmade Japanese number. I am loath to send this knife to Columbus cutlery or similar, and would rather go the wetstone or equivalent approach.
I've searched the web and downloaded all the instructions for how to use wetstones, and bought that multi-coloured version (forget the name) where you attach the stones to metal rods and use a clamp. But no matter how closely I follow the instructions, my edges don't come out sharp.
Does anyone know of a passionate knife person who would do private lessons (preferably in the city)? I could even get a small group together and make it even more worth their while.
... dave
Third Street Corridor BBQ?
A friend went by Jordan's about 5 minutes after what was a traffic accident. Motorcycle on the road, and a car hood halfway into Jordan's. I've been meaning to check if it's still closed, but you've saved me a trip.
(Nope, don't know if everyone was okay or not from the accident.)
Trip report - tomato u-pick at Mariquita
Dragged the 4-year-old down to Holister on Saturday for the tomato u-pick at Mariquita Farms. Had a good time, got lots of tomats, but sweated about half my body weight, and my back and legs are seriously suffering today. Here's the skinny, in case you are going down on Thursday or Saturday for the next u-picks.
U-pick San Marzanos are 50 cents a pound. Not sure what the price for u-pick early girl or heirlooms are. If you buy them already picked, tomatos are 75cents a pound. NB: they did not have San Marzanos for sale already picked this past Saturday. They also had some other veggies already picked - cucs, beets, basil, peppers. You could also u-pick padron peppers.
I highly recommend getting down there early to get first dibs on the field, and before the heat hits. Next year I'm going to be there by 9am.
... dave
Disclaimer: We're a host site for the Two Small Farms CSA, though our site is full so I don't know if it's a conflict of interest or not, and anyway I'm just a host.
new limon site on so. van ness, SF
I took the family there this past Friday. Seemed like the whole staff of the old Limon were there.
Whole, half and quarter chickens, then 6-8 cold small plates, 6-8 hot small plates. Quality of the chicken was Good, mainly due to the nice rub, and being perfectly cooked. But the chicken clearly wasn't a tasty run-around-the-field type, so it doesn't get a Very Good rating from me.
Small plates were just okay. Seemed like they didn't have the fryer quite hot enough for the fries or the fritto misto.
The bill for a whole chicken, two sides, one ceviche small plate, one fritto misto small plate, two glasses of Vinho Verde, and a beer, was $55, IIRC. I thought the price was fair for what we got.
Oh, and kid friendly. And we showed up at 6:30 and got a 4-top right away. We'll go back, though being 5 blocks from our house helps.
... dave
Is La Taqueria burrito changing, or is it just me?
I've been a huge fan of the La Taqueria burrito for many years. My "usual" there is a carne asada burrito, with everything. Sometimes get it Dorado, where they put it on the flat-top for a quick browning.
But recently (maybe last 6 months) I've been disappointed in my burritos there. My main criticism is that it is getting more and more salty. I know that they generally don't use the greatest quality ingredients - is the over salting a function of the ingredient level.
So my question for chowhounds out there: is La Taqueria getting more and more salty? Is there a concensus that the quality is going down?
... dave
Need Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Recs
The only good mexican shrimp cocktail I've had in SF was at Primavera, the stand at the back of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturday. Problem is that you never know when they're going to have it, and they only rarely put it on the menu. But it was good - really good. Compared well to the shrimp cocktails I've had in sleepy beach towns in Michoacan.
Milk CSA or buyers club in SF?
If we don't need to go to Rainbow to get dairy, and we get veggies, meat, and eggs from CSAs, then I might only have to go to Rainbow every 6 weeks when toilet paper and cleaning supplies run low. ;-)
Ideally, I'd like to join some buyers club/CSA, but I've had a tough time finding one.
Milk CSA or buyers club in SF?
One of the mom's at my kid's school has Mr. Moo's number I think. I'll try and get it from her (I hope it's cool to post phone numbers on this board - maybe I better check with him first.)
The eggs come from Pie Ranch, the partnership with Mission Pie. We know Karen from the 'hood - we live a few blocks away and have been observing/loving the transformation they've been doing to the building. So when they started the egg CSA they asked us if we wanted to join. This year was the first year, and they did all the capital expenditures and bought chickens and stuff. We got to go down to the farm and our young daughters helped paint the coup which was great fun for them. If I remember right, it was ~$250 for the year, with a dozen of the best eggs imaginable coming every week, picking up at Mission Pie.
If you're interested, email Karen from the missionpie.com site and ask - feel free to mention my name.
... dave
Milk CSA or buyers club in SF?
We have been really happy of late of the CSAs we are members of - Two Small Farms for veggies, Marin Sun Farms for meat, and Mission Pie/Pie Ranch for eggs.
I am trying to close the distance on alot of the food we eat at home and hoping to find a milk and dairy CSA or buying club. Does anyone know of one?
I've heard of a milk/dairy delivery service that does Strauss - called Mr. Moo or something - anyone heard of him? If we can't go direct with a CSA or something like that we'll try Mr. Moo.
Thanks in advance
... dave
Best pasta restaurant in SF?
Completely agree. Quince.
In fact, I heard a rumour that Mario Batali said Quince pasta was the best pasta outside of Italy - not sure if he included his restos in that statement!
Beretta
We went there on Saturday night and were impressed. Started with a couple of $9 cocktails. Not cheap, but of the quality level of these new high end cocktail places (i.e. Rye, Bourbon and Branch, etc). Melinda was hoping for one of the old Last Supper Club Mojitos, but settled for a rum with mint type cocktail. She didn’t really like it (was hoping for sweet and this was more on the bitter side). The bartender saw she didn’t like it, tossed it, and gave her a new drink.
Had the grilled radicchio with saba app. Nice charred flavor with whatever saba is adding a sweet note. Then the squid ink risotto and a prosciutto and arugula pizza. Melinda thought the risotto was a little too al dente, but I thought it was fine. We both agreed that the squid was beautifully tender, and that the dish had nice flavors and was well salted. The pizza was great. Very fresh raw arugula scattered on top which eventually sort of melted in. The style of pizza was more thin crust, minimal edge. Not Delfina thin, but definitely thinner than Paulines.
Prices were great (cocktails notwithstanding), with apps at the well below $10 range and the pizzas and mains at the 11-13 range, IIRC. Overall, for 2 cocktails, one glass of wine, one app, and two mains, it was $60 plus tip
Oh, and the wine list is well priced. Reasonable pours by the glass (they call it a “taste”) for $4-5. Can’t beat that. Still an all Italian list like Last Supper Club.
… dave
