bigwheel042's Profile
If you could go to only one Thai restaurant for dinner in San Francisco, where would you go?
I'm curious about Amphawa...I think it never actually changed owners, but simply overhauled the decor to compete with Be My Guest on Clement and changed its name (was formerly Chiang Mai). Very few reports here. Interested in hearing your report.
SF Culinary Delights from a Canadian
Which Taqueria Cancun location did you go to? There are 3 and most of the Cancun diehards (of which I am not one) swear by the one on Mission and 19th. I have mostly been to the one on the one on Mission near 29th, and most reports of the one at 6th and Market are not good.
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay Thread - 2nd quarter 2012
This one really comes down to what you like in an olive oil. If you are hardcore into grassy oils, the Spanish olive oil at TJ's isn't going to be your thing. If you like mellower, fruitier oils like I generally do, you'll like the Spanish - though I do get tired of it and tend not to buy it twice in a row, instead alternating their other olive oils in the rotation. (Agree that the President's Reserve is inferior, found their kalamata oil too grassy at first but have warmed to it, hated the non-extra virgin "Olive Oil" for non-frying uses.)
Cole Valley- Where EOS used to be,Papacitos is coming?
It's another location of an upscale Mexican restaurant in the Marina, Mamacitas. The ABC sign in the window is confusing because the original name was supposed to be "Papazote," which the unrelated Papalote objected to. http://sanfrancisco.grubstreet.com/2012/05/papazote-mamacita-name-change-papalote.html
Where to eat near San Francisco State
My palate includes all that stuff, but I don't count Taraval as "immediately around campus". It's about a mile and a half away, somewhat uphill, if you go straight up 19th. Not a pleasant walk. Within walking distance of SFSU is...all the chains in the Stonestown mall, a taqueria and a burger joint in a Parkmerced strip mall, and maybe a place or two in Lakeside. That's about it.
Where to eat near San Francisco State
The area immediately around campus is mostly a food desert. Best bet given the OP's specifications (assuming Outerlands is out) is probably West Portal. Spiazzo is OK for neighborhood Italian food, Xiao Loong is Americanized but fine Chinese, and Mozzarella de Bufala is a decent pizza place with some Brazilian specialties on the menu. Haven't tried Roti or the Mexican place.
I might give some thought to 9th and Irving though and take him to Craw Station for crawfish and crab.
Restaurant ideas in Hayes Valley
Went to Mazzat last night actually. A bit pricey compared to others serving similar cuisine in SF, but mostly quite good. Their baba ghanoush is the best I've tried in the Bay with the exception of Turkish Kitchen's. Next time I'm trying some of the more unusual eggplant mezes.
Arabian Nights + Pakistani Rec (SF)
A friend went and took pictures of the food, which looked really impressive. Haven't been yet though.
Easy fish to catch and eat in Bay Area for a newbie fisher?
Raw chicken (sometimes doused in fish sauce) is a popular crab bait but in addition to the ones mentioned, we've had good luck with squid. It's about $2 per pound in the markets and 2 pounds will usually last you the whole day, if the sea lions don't raid your bait cages.
Easy fish to catch and eat in Bay Area for a newbie fisher?
Do you have a fishing license? If not, you're limited to legally fishing on public piers only.
Some friends and I have recently gotten into pier fishing. The easiest, most foolproof intro to fishing is actually crabbing. The bay is crawling with them and (at least off the SF piers) you are virtually guaranteed to haul in some crabs, especially if you have a net. There's really nothing to it - you load up the bait cage, toss it out to the bottom, wait 5 minutes without bothering much about feeling whether you have a bite, and reel in. Note that you can't keep any Dungeness that are taken from anywhere in the Bay - Bodega Bay and Pacifica are OK, SF and Berkeley piers are not - but you can take rock crabs.
With fish in the Bay, there are some to definitely be aware of in terms of mercury and PCB content in the meat. One of the perch varieties is a total no-no, IIRC. It sounds like you're new to fishing, so you may want to consider a guide to take you out in a boat for your first experience- it's costlier, but may save you plenty of headache for catching and cleaning that first fish.
what NOT to get at Lers Ros Thai
Ah, I had read a couple of conflicting posts which confused me, having been bewildered by the salted crab version at THE a few years back. Here's something I found explaining the difference between bpoo kem and bpoo ma, which it sounds like Lers Ros serves: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=118956&sid=153663b125fa9d1e602b6aa291ff6908#p118956
what NOT to get at Lers Ros Thai
This may come as a shock, but if the crab was Bpoo Kem from Thailand, the shell is generally supposed to be eaten. http://thaifoodandtravel.com/blog/salted-crab-bpoo-kem/
(Not sure how it's supposed to be handled when regular blue crab is substituted for salted paddy crab.)
Grill House Mediterranean (San Francisco)
I spotted it while having a the curry at Kare-Ken across the street (yup, in Eden's old space) but forgot to peer in afterward. Will take a look next time I'm on the block.
Grill House Mediterranean (San Francisco)
Now Karachi Chicken, a "Pakistani Fast Food Fusion" joint.
Who is responsible for those "really yummy taqueria" banners?
If this is guerrilla marketing, it's too discreet to be successful, because I can't see any logo or branding. Here's the Clement poster (I think it's identical to the others): http://richmondsfblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/taqueria.jpg
Little Yangon, Authentic Burmese in Daly City
Stopped in today and had the Kyae Oo (clear broth with rice vermicelli, pork, pork liver, pork meatballs,quail egg, mustard greens). Simpler than I expected but good.
In a disappointing turn of events, the Shan noodles I enjoyed so much are no longer on the menu. When I asked why, I was told something to the effect of "people didn't like them." Strange. My feeling was that they can't be ordered off-menu either, but I didn't push. Wonder if the sauce contained some hard-to-find ingredient that they can't get anymore.
Lao New Year, UN Plaza, San Francisco
Brief report on the festival today in SF - stopped by around 1 pm:
Overall, I was a little disappointed at this year's festival compared to the one in 2010 (I missed it last year). There were only about 4 food vendors and among those only one or two was from a restaurant that was from somewhere truly out of the way that I'd never ordinarily visit (I was hoping for some of the places in Stockton to show up, but I think the only one from outside the bay was based in Modesto). Additionally the Beerlao people were only serving regular lager at the time I showed up - the dark version had not yet been chilled, so we passed on beer.
We ended up getting the combo plates from Johnny's Cafe, which appears to be a mild-mannered donut and sandwich joint on Shattuck in Oakland by day. Not even sure they ordinarily serve Lao/Thai food from the cafe. They ran out of sticky rice so we settled for steamed.
-Papaya salad: nice and spicy, crisp papaya, a good lime sourness, very small amount of dried shrimp for funkiness, typical weak winter tomato slice plus some iceberg lettuce. An above average version; I would have liked more funk and complexity, but definitely worth getting.
-Cambodian sausage links: these were very different from the huge, lemongrassy Lao sausages I tried at the festival in 2010, but good in their own way. Nice and garlicky, with a tang that I think must have come from a bit of fermenting. These reminded me of the sour grilled pork I had in Luang Prabang a few years back, which was one of my favorite meat dishes ever.
-Egg rolls: didn't have high hopes for these, but enjoyed them quite a bit. Crispy, not too greasy, and a good balance of flavor with plenty of pork inside.
Would be interested in hearing whether Johnny's has SE Asian dishes available regularly or if this is a one-shot deal.
Who is responsible for those "really yummy taqueria" banners?
SF has plenty of pro and amateur designers who are capable of making something like this in their free time. I imagine the hardest part is spending the money to have it professionally printed.
What do you mean when you say "these," plural? I'd only heard of the one in the Namu window, and assumed it was just a gag played by some neighborhood resident.
So, Wise Sons Deli is open ... who's been? Beauty's Bagels? [San Francisco]
Inferior quality meat + insanely high prices seemed to be what they were getting at in terms of the kosher meat industry. That is, using religious requirements as a pretext to massively gouge customers for a service that is not only not all that costly, it produces a WORSE product rather than the advertised better one. But there may have been something else hinted at too like the companies that produce this meat getting rabbis to approve meat as "kosher" right at the moment of slaughter, even though its status as truly kosher is questionable because of the cattle being treated like any other factory-farmed animal up to that point. I'm not interested enough in the finer points of halacha to bother to investigate further, but it sure sounded like all the panelists were pretty disgusted at the way industrial koshering in the US operates.
So, Wise Sons Deli is open ... who's been? Beauty's Bagels? [San Francisco]
They closed for Passover, but the fact that they held seders with printed menus and advertised a few open seats to the public makes me wonder if the closure was less for religious reasons and more to beta-test some special dishes with a group of their peers: http://twitpic.com/96z4wv
On the Jewish deli panel I linked to in a different thread, there's a couple minutes where all the panelists - including the Wise Sons guys - agree that the Kosher meat business in the US is basically a big scam. So I think it's pretty clear that any religious obligation is taking a back seat to trying to make good tasting food.
Non-packaged zha cai in San Francisco? (Ideally Richmond or Sunset)
Truth be told I'm rather surprised to hear that New May Wah no longer carries it in bulk, rather than it just being temporarily out of stock. I believe I bought some in bulk there about 6 months ago. Sunset Super is probably also worth a look.
Non-packaged zha cai in San Francisco? (Ideally Richmond or Sunset)
I think I've seen it in bulk in the back refrigerator at Manila Oriental Market, though I'm not 100% certain. Next time I'm there, will take a look.
Seeking Supper Recommendations Near Balboa & Park Presidio, Richmond Area
Burma Superstar IMHO is overrated and it's likely going to be nuts trying to get in unless the OP shows up right when they open. The Korean place you're talking about is Han Il Kwan, which is good, but is also likely to be very crowded on weekends thanks to the Korean tour bus crowd that packs the place. That's the main reason I picked Muguboka instead - maybe I overinterpreted the original post, but from his description of "want something close by, inexpensive and made with care" it sounds like he wants to minimize the amount of hassle and schlepping he has to put up with for a tasty meal.
If that's a correct interpretation then Nopa should be out - I think the food is very good, but it's a zoo most nights, and order anything other than the burger (to say nothing of appetizers/drinks/dessert) and you'll immediately blow right through $20/person.
Best Ethiopian in Bay Area?
Now reopened according to SFoodie/Eater. New location is at 9th and Mission. A nice surprise.
Seeking Supper Recommendations Near Balboa & Park Presidio, Richmond Area
SDK is probably closer to 2 miles from 13th/Balboa, so might be worthwhile to hop on the 31 bus. What are the Kosher places beyond the rather expensive and not-great Israel Kosher Meat on Geary?
One mile from that intersection goes almost all the way to Arguello and Geary or 25th and Geary in the other direction. Some others in that stretch that I think may fit the bill of "meals made with care": Tawan's, Sichuan Home, Muguboka, Five Happiness. I would also recommend To Hyang but I suspect it will still be jammed from all the post-Anthony Bourdain hype. Maybe try for a weeknight.
Anyone been to Okina lately? Keep meaning to try that place.
Inexpensive near Union Square with difficult people
Pearl's Deluxe Burgers on Post is open till 9. Too informal to fit the bill? The only Mexican I can think of around there is Colibri, but it's likely too expensive for the crowd.
I think Yemeni's Restaurant at Sutter and Larkin is excellent, hospitable, and not divey...but suspect your group will never go for it.
Whats the best sandwich/picnic food you can get for a a day at Golden Gate Park?
This thread is two months old so I'm guessing the OP has already made his/her GGP excursion but for further reference, I think Wooly Pig Cafe is pretty picnic-suitable. One block off the N-Judah and an easy walk into the park at 9th.
Tax Season: a very good three-course prix fixe at P'tit Laurent for $20.12
Thanks for the heads-up - this is actually the price they used to charge for the 3-course weekday "neighborhood menu" until they raised it by a few bucks. There are more choices on this menu though; the old menu had only 2 choices each night, if I remember correctly.
Which courses did you have?
Is Pastores closed?
I can't remember if I've told this story here before, but I showed up one afternoon savagely hungry. The door was unlocked, but nobody was there but Irma, and she informed me that she was closed for a private party that was happening in about an hour.
Me:
Irma: Would you like some tilapia?
She fixed me a huge plate of tilapia with possibly even more sides than the usual fried tilapia plate comes with - queso fresco, rice and beans, salsa, tortillas, just the works. Then she charged me only $9 for it, which I think was considerably less than the menu price. From that day forward I swore an oath of undying feallty to Irma.
