nianfong's Profile
Happy Hour at Hog Island?
http://www.hogislandoysters.com/template1.php?pageId=16&sessionID=ooUQxMWwyazpbb7d
straight from the source. Mon and Thu nights, 5-7pm, $1 oysters (sweetwater only or whatever they have on special), $3.50 pints of beer.
Brief Angkor Borei Report
I miss angkor wat :(
Angkor borei was ok, but the balance of flavors just was not as good, and everything was way too salty for me. and I like things more on the salty side usually.
WHICH CHINESE RESTAURANT TO IMPRESS VISITORS?
I second Shanghai 1930. Food is somewhat shanghai style, and includes non-shanghai stuff for the non-chinese. Pricey, but the decor is good. XLB are a B+/A-.
Jai Yun might be OK, though it's a little bit hole-in-the-wall like, the food is very well prepared. It's a bit pricey, but worth it. It's nanjing style.
For HK style, R&G lounge is pretty good. Koi Palace is excellent.
WHICH CHINESE RESTAURANT TO IMPRESS VISITORS?
oh god. house of nanking is ONE OF THE WORST "chinese" restaurants in SF. It's simply terrible.
Lunch at Henry's Hunan near Financial Center in SF
well they sure don't taste like my grandma's cooking. kung pao chicken is sichuan. twice cooked pork is hunan/sichuan. and overall they just use too much grease, too much sugar, not enough spice.
San Tung substitute?
zucchini means the kung pao chicken is "teh fake"
very likely it's the korean influence. I get the impression san tung is more korean than chinese.
Lunch at Henry's Hunan near Financial Center in SF
the only hunan dish there is the one with the cured pork. the place is really quite bad. they manage to screw up beef stew.
San Tung substitute?
kung pao chicken has no zucchini in it. no bell peppers. no carrots. none of that shite.
san tung's za jiang mian is strange. the sauce is right, but because of all the seafood and stuff they put in, the texture is all wrong, and it doesn't mix well with the noodles.
and the noodles themselves need more gluten. as do the dumpling skins.
Best Cumin Lamb dish within a 60 mile radius of SF
I find it too "soggy" at spices. the beef is overmarinated. Also I just don't like the balance as much as Wok City Diner's.
yes. ziran = cumin.
Lunch at Henry's Hunan near Financial Center in SF
kung pao chicken does not have bell peppers in it.
henry's hunan sucks.
Best Cumin Lamb dish within a 60 mile radius of SF
haha nope, not grisly at all. rather lean actually. It's quite spicey, and super tasty.
Good Frozen Chinese Dumplings in SF?
uh dumplings are supposed to have thick skins. esp the ones with handmade skins.
japanese gyoza tend to be thin skinned.
SF & Napa Restaurants, Dry Creek Passport Event
hog island: I've never been, but I heard it's great. I've only been to the tomales bay oyster company on the other side of tomales bay. pretty much the same prices.
boulevard: there are lots better places... My experience there was good, but not worth the hefty pricetag.
Napa: GO TO AD HOC. $45 per head. Thomas Keller's new restaurant. Very "casual" food and atmosphere, but awesome service. You can't choose your food, there's only one menu a day, like chez panisse. It's usually an american standard EXECUTED TO PERFECTION. Like the buttermilk fried chicken, which is the best fried chicken I will probably ever have in my life. They also have kurobuta pork, beef short ribs, lots of other goodies.
San Tung substitute?
fully agreed, though I haven't been to shanghai house yet. The chicken at san tung is too sweet. shanghai house dry fried chicken is probably you lin ji (oil drizzled chicken), because that's more shanghai style.
San Tung substitute?
san tung is passable chinese food... for good chinese food, go to spices.
San Tung substitute?
yelp is your source for all things local. citysearch sucks.
http://www.yelp.com/tsr?r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yelp.com%2Fbiz%2FQ25GDNRvf4dKzgwWli2oCg&position=1&type=composite&zip=94199&location=San%20Francisco%2C%20CA&biz_id=Q25GDNRvf4dKzgwWli2oCg&description=shanghai%20house
Best Cumin Lamb dish within a 60 mile radius of SF
Oh yeah wok city diner is at mission and warm springs, in the albertson's plaza.
Best Cumin Lamb dish within a 60 mile radius of SF
hands down the best cumin lamb I've had in the bay is in Fremont, at WOK CITY DINER. Yes. That is the actual name. Don't order the crap for the white folks. Written in chinese on the menu by hand are a few awesome dishes, including zi ran yang. Most zi ran yang is brown, gravy covered, over-marinated, and soggy. The stuff here, is red, dry, stirfried to perfection, with fresh hot peppers, over a bed of cilantro, and it's simply amazing. Nothing else around is even close to as good.
Good Frozen Chinese Dumplings in SF?
don't know of any in SF, but I'd love to know of some too!
Otherwise, my sources are:
1) Queen House, Mtn View on Castro
2) Grace Garden, Burlingame--best selection of frozen dumplings here!
3) Marina Foods (supermarket) in Cupertino has handmade frozen dumplings in their frozen food section. taste as good as a restaurant's!
In Search of Best Tri Tip in South Bay!
The smoke taste is why it's so awesome!
a cheater's tip: if the line is too long, call in your order via cell phone for takeout, then just pick up and eat anywhere you want. I used to eat in the outside patio.
In Search of Best Tri Tip in South Bay!
Every tuesday at St John's Bar and Grill in Sunnyvale, they have a hardwood grilled/smoked santa maria tri-tip sliced up on a sandwich for lunch. It is so fricking awesome. I always get the one with extra meat, cause it's so well smokd and flavorful.
Can't-miss wineries around Sonoma?
Make a reservation at A Rafanelli EARLY. Their cab is awesome. They supposedly used to own like half of healdsburg, if that says anything to you.
Michel Schlumberger is one of my defaults in the area--well crafted wines, decent prices, and cozy friendly atmosphere.
Ana Mandara - Any recommendations?
my only recommendation is to not go. The food there is really heavy handed and they COMPLETELY overcooked the seabass. It was more like a chunk of goodyear than a $25 fish fillet.
my yelp review:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/VOnBbQNvGHa054lMcnVVTQ?hrid=g1mBAWljAw5NFzXTyE1hsw
Genki Ramen - Thumbs Up!
Thanks Melanie! Yes, tonkOtsu. It's a very thick, opaque/translucent broth (NOT clear at all), usually made from stewing pork belly I believe, which is where all the creamy fat comes from.
It's not a miso broth.
best Shanghai cuisine restaurant in the entire SF Bay Area
shanghai noodle house? yeah that was ok. better than shanghai dumpling king for sure, where the chef is way too heavy handed with his sauce/salt/sugar/etc.
Shanghai ding sheng is my favorite in the bay area now... it's in milpitas, at the ulferts plaza.
My old favorite... the chef has moved on to like arizona or something. sigh... the original shanghai taste delight. I miss it.
Best Dim Sum In SF
Yank Sing is TERRIBLE. THey try to pass off normal roast duck as peking duck!! Their gai lan is cooked then put in a fridge before serving! The dim sum standards are mediocre, and not worth the price you pay.
the only thing worth eating there is their xiao-long-bao, which are actually quite good. except they give you red vinegar with it. and they don't give you a spoon to eat them with unless you ask for it
