fancy schmancy

Dark & Stormy (ginger beer, lime juice, and spiced dark rum) at Jon Collins on Minna. Delicious and (maybe) nutritious, especially after a week of hard work and packing.

the architect of chicken

Lost post from... this Tuesday! Boy am I getting lazy!

New food truck! (As alerted to me by Speedy...)

I love fried chicken as much as the next girl but sometimes, you ache for something different. Chicken & mashed potatoes, chicken and red beans & rice, chicken & waffles...

But your fried chicken odyssey cannot continue until you have tried fried chicken & donuts from ArKi (the Architect's Kitchen!)

This fried chicken is well-seasoned, slightly sweet, and really crispy (though I went with a big group and a couple of friends said their chicken was not crispy.)

But the real glory here is the heavenly combination of fried chicken and donuts... at times ArKi calls these puffs beignets; other times, just plain donuts. Nevermind what this food is classified as, it is wonderful and bliss in a bite! The donut is glazed and slightly crunchy on the outside, soft and dense and warm on the inside. The caramel glaze is splendid... the whole experience reminded me of the sticky buns at Wicked Spoon. And when you combine the chicken in one hand with the donut in the other, you get a culinary phenomenon on your tongue. It is warm and sweet and savory and crunchy... and dare I say, better than any other fried chicken and waffle/potato/pick-your-carb combo.

overpriced fancy lunch battle

Lost post from about one month ago...

 

I've been using the smartphone app LevelUp for a while and it's nice to see businesses and eateries where I before I only saw ugly storefronts. It's also nice to try out some of those mystery spots as well as those super-pricey-yuppie lunch places with the help of a $1 or $2 credit that some businesses give you on LevelUp.

 

In the battle of such expensive healthy lunch places (one of which does have a storefront I used to overlook because it was such an unappealing color of Thousand Island dressing,) I first went to Darn Good Food. Enter on Kearny Street for take out. I ordered the un-fried chicken sandwich, which sounds delicious because it is marinated in yogurt and covered in panko bread crumbs... which means that no matter what they do to the chicken, it's going to be juicy and tender.

 

The sandwich was certainly juicy, tender, and delicious. The roasted potatoes and accompanying side salad were nice and fresh, too. It was the size that got me.

 







 



 

My expectations would've been more accurate if they had announced at any time, whether on the online menu or in store, that the sandwich is actually a wrap the length of your biodegradable fork. Maybe I'm asking for too much for $9. Or maybe I just expect to not have to go snack hunting an hour after I eat.

 

Next, I tried Fleur de Sel, a cute little café-type deal that should really reconsider the exterior paint color. Should you want more than just a sandwich, Fleur de Sel offeres customizable boxed lunches for $9.50 (half sandwich) and $13 (full sandwich.) The boxes come with a side and a dessert. Oh, did you say dessert?

 

This boxed lunch is a half-sandwich portion of the tri-tip sandwich, a side of the corn-riddled quinoa salad, and a seasonal fruit cup. The take-out packaging is superior to DGF's... this box has three locks and everything is wrapped up nicely.

 

 

Nice and neat, ready to eat! The sandwich was delicious and bready, but could benefit from a little more heat. The quinoa salad was actually my favorite part, the quinoa and corn and cheese all provided different textures and mixed nicely with the tomatoes... that little Peruvian grain is really growing on me. The fruit cup wasn't anything special, though as you can see they are cut up into little itty-bitty pieces to make you feel babied. And there is a lot of fruit.

 

 

Oh look, everything is kind of small. But that's okay because I was clearly given the option to choose a full-size or half-size sandwich. And now I know that DGF's normal portions are what normal people consider a half-size. And Fleur de Sel's half-size is still larger than DGF's sandwich wrap thing.

 

So... I must admit that DGF had it a little harder because I went there first and I am predisposed to dislike such pretentious "we're so healthy for you" sorts of places. For me, their unfried chicken sandwich tastes better than FDS's trip-tip. But the size is downright disappointing... couldn't you add a little more potatoes or salad to make up for it? Fleur de Sel's sandwiches could use a little more pep but you know what you're paying for over there. And the quinoa salad really takes the cake for me (yes, it just beat DGF's roasted potatoes.)

 

Oh my, if I choose another food over potatoes, maybe the world really is coming to an end.

gold like Au

Lost post from two weeks ago...

I do love eating sandwiches from Sentinel on New Montgomery... so when Speedy told me about Au (Golden West,) a take-out window in Trinity Alley from the same man behind Sentinel, I had to try it. After all, it's only a few steps (or a jump out the window, whatever) away.

This is their crown jewel, a short rib sandwich smothered in caramelized onions on their deliciously buttery bread.The price point and taste are about the same... the sandwich has good flavor and the beef is very tender. I do question whether or not these sandwiches are hot enough... after all, it is a short elevator ride back up to the office to enjoy my sandwich but it was not as piping hot as say, Sentinel's iconic corned beef sandwich. But the short rib lunch was still tasty and you can tell that the same guy writes the menu for both places.

 

Au's menu is much smaller and is conveniently located (for me) and has the same flavor profile as big sister Sentinel. I hope to see more variety in Au's menu soon, otherwise I will be returning to Sentinel hearty sandwiches.

Source did it before it was cool

I finally gave in and tried a homemade twinkie from Source, a concept restaurant in Potrero Hill focused on vegetarian food, holistic rhetoric, and some things beyond my understanding. Once you get past the laughable talk about geometric shapes attuned to your body, you'll see that the food is actually really good.
And yes, the homemade twinkies are excellent!

zumba

I finally put that $5 voucher to good use and tried out the 75-minute zumba class at Metronome Collective. In my head I used to make fun of zumba, haughtily assuming it was the unwanted love child of samba and tai bo  that has captured the secret desires of housewives across America to shake it like Dirty Dancing.

After sweating so much my face was just about crusted in salt and considering leaving the class multiple times, I vow to never poke fun at zumba again! That stuff is seriously hard! I stumbled through the choreography... it's as if all those Latin and ballroom dancing classes and all those hours spent with my workout DVDs never happened! As many well-endowed cougars and openly hungover students breezed through the dance, I played the fool as I jumped and lunged in the wrong direction. Granted, I believe that zumba is easier if you know the teacher's choreography and style but this was definitely the most difficult first class I've ever been in.

My legs were so tired I decided to rest before driving... didn't want to risk an accident because my legs were the victims of zumba. When I was finally confident in my ability to apply the brakes, I drove to Carl's Jr. I don't eat fast food a lot but when I do, I make it worthy occasion.

Pigging out on a guacamole bacon burger combo...
with very little guacamole.

What are these tater tots doing in my fries?

For now, I'll stick to salsa so I can feel like I'm accomplishing something.

a grand day in yogurt-human relations

After switching locations and forgetting which phone number I had used before, I finally accrued $50 of yogurt receipts on a songle account at the same location. And I've been rewarded with a $5 credit for more yogurt!

Fellow customers take note: Yoppi locations do not share information so you can't buy yogurt in two stores and expect to see your hard work on a single account. Also choose a single phone number and stick with it instead of waffling between your work and mobile numbers. Just do it!

Giants and crustaceans

Midway through our shopping escapade, Tater and I started looking for a restaurant that was showing Game 3. Our first try was Social on 9th Avenue but about half the tables were reserved. And empty. I asked the hostess how long she would be holding the tables for the reservation, to which she replied, " They're already here, I'm going to seat them soon." Then she began calling the tardy customers, informing them that their tables were ready.

Not wanting to wait around while a lying hostess refused to seat paying customers who were already here, we walked up a few doors and found Craw Station, a small restaurant similar to Boiling Crab. Butcher paper on the tables? Check. Shrimp and clams by the pound? Check. Garlic butter and house cajun sauces? Check. A TV showing the game? Check! Well, that last one came after I asked the waitress to show the game instead of music videos but she was very obliging. And once the game was on, tons more customers started flowing in.

Score for Tater and I for grabbing a table right in front of the tv!

We got a Dungeness crab covered in garlic butter and a pound each of large shrimp and clams, both covered in cajun sauce. Everything was hot, tender, and delicious. I resolved not to be too messy but a few shrimp got their revenge by squirting me when I twisted off the head.

We so got white rice (to soak up the sauce) and cajun fries, which came with some ketchup doctored with something spicy. The entire meal was enjoyable, the service friendly, and the beer cold. And you know what? Cracking crab legs while watching a Giants double play certainly beats waiting an hour for a table at Social.

orange mania

Yoppi Yogurt has dived into tbe sudden rash of orange affecting San Francisco... check out the orange cups at the Montgomery Street location.

Though they ran out or orange spoons... hmm.

Red velvet and pecan praline yogurt topped with cookie dough balls, oreo crumbs, brownke bites, and a few blackberries. I think it's going to be a great afternoon. Let's keep it that way, Giants!

I totally need to marry an Italian man

Just so I could pig out on Italian Wedding Soup! This bowl from San Francisco Soup Company.

NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro seems to fit the bill... except he's Venezuelan, not Italian. And he's already married. What a deceptively Italianate surname that sureshot has.

Well good soup and great series. As Buster Posey said back at the Giants parade in 2010, "Let's do it again!"

 

 

Let's go Giants! Beating the odds like Lady Luck on crack! Ooh, I should go easy on this soup.

ceviche time

Do you know about those plaintain chips that Trader Joe's stocks periodically? Dear Mumsy is the snack's newest devotee. After picking up a few bags for her, I mentioned tbat it's a popular Peruvian snack. And now - after I've visited Peru twice and gorged myself at the Peruvian food festival - now Mumsy wants to try Peruvian food.

Since I have been disappointed by an old favorite, I decided tbat Mumsy should try Fresca in West Portal. I left my tv when the Giants had a 5-0 lead and ordered lomo saltado, tbe super savory combination of steak bits, french fries, tomatoes, and red onion cooked in a soy-based sauce. Ever since my friend's mom cooked this for me in Peru, it has been one of my favorite meals ever. Fresca's lomo saltado did not disappoint and despite a couple of tough pieces of beef, I finished my plate clean.

We were both surprised that Fresca's pollo a la brasa "wasn't ready" because Mumsy really wanted to try the rotisserie chicken (after all, it's almost all I talk about when it comes to Peruvian food.) She ordered a tuna dish as a substitute and though the grilled tuna could've used some salt, tbe green cilantro-flecked rice and the spicy red sauce were spot on.

What I really love about Fresca is their ceviche bar, where a ceviche expert marinates fish and seafood in lime juice to order. If you want to try something different, I recommend the mojito ceviche. But since this was Mumsy's first taste, I ordered the classic Peruvian ceviche of white fish (halibut used here) and red onions soaked in lime juice and peppers and seved with choclo, yucca, and toasted corn kernels. We don't have a picture because we had devoured it all before I remembered. It is that good (and might I say, much more accessible than La Mar on the Embarcadero.)

All in all, I think I showed Mumsy exactly why I gained weight the second time I went to Peru: la comida peruana.

I shall wait in a line no more!

Dear painfully hip San Franciscans, how many hours have you wasted waiting in line for Bi-Rite Creamery's salted caramel ice cream?

Despite the lighter texture and less creamy taste, I am A-OK with substituting Yoppi Yogurt's salted caramel frozen yogurt for the ice cream. The flavors are a very good imitation of Bi-Rite's and the downtown locations are way more accessible for me. Besides, even the longest afternoon break line for yogurt doesn't wrap around the block, leaving me with ample time to finish my daily crossword.

not for everyday

But at just $5 per person, how can you resist a buffet lunch with good fried chicken? Even if it is in Gold Lounge. The lunch was surprisingly good, with huge bowls of spring salad and Greek salad, two kinds of hummus, roast beef, veggie kabobs, fried chicken, and cake and cookies for dessert. I skipped the carrot cake because I believe it a crime against stomachs but I enjoyed the coconut macaroons (not to be confused with the French cookie confection.) The view was... different but nothing awful or distasteful. After all, we are eating lunch.

as good as gay paree

Admittedly, it has been difficult finding a good macaron. Rarely have I actually had a bad one but, well, after eating palm-sized macarons in Paris, it's hard to find some in San Francisco that can compare.

So let it be no surprise that I had to leave the city limits to find an equitable macaron! Masse's Bakery on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley is the place to go not just for perfectly textured macarons but also innovative flavors. You'll never find a mango-flavored macaron in Paris but here, it's just the flavor du jour.

Clockwise from top: Violet cassis, apricot, mango, and raspberry.

The extra nice touch is that when I asked for iced tea, the girl behind the counter actually brewed me some black tea - steeping loose leaf tea leaves for a proper amount of time - before adding ice. This is no ready-made iced tea, this is real refreshment and I could taste the difference. Perfect for a swelteringly sunny Saturday.

eat first, talk later

On a very sunny Saturday my lovely Tater Tot had a craving for Indian food. After showing off her new wheels (mobility is key!) we headed off to Vik's Chaat Corner/Chaat and Market on 4th Street and Channing in Berkeley. The Chaat part is a large cafeteria-style eatery with a pretty good selection of Indian street food and entrees, both vegetarian- and meat-friendly.

The dosa is a little crispy on one side and a little chewy on the other, and stuns with the length of the pastry sticking out past the plate. I liked it but Tater would've preferred it if the dosa was filled with potatoes instead of a cauliflower mix. What can I say, Tater knows her taters.

I only had a spoonful of the chicken biryani and didn't find it particularly flavorful, but judging by Tater's sigh of defeat, it must've been filling.

The potato and spice-filled samosa cholle plate was delicious, as expected. I don't think I've ever had a bad samosa, but I did like the garbanzo bean sauce thing on the side. Whaddya know, they found a way to make garbanzo beans taste good without turning it into hummus!

My absolute favorite was the lamb baida roti, or a very hearty bread pocket filled with very tasty ground lamb. I've never been a fan of the smell of lamb meat but that wasn't a problem with this good ol' (just a little) greasy dish. Yum, I would love to have another one of these right about now.

After lunch we peeked into the small market and found spices that Trader Joe's doesn't have (whole cloves, ground nutmeg, cardamom pods) at pretty good prices. Looking for whole star anise? You'll find it here, along with a pickled version of every fruit and vegetable imaginable sold in a can. Quite literally, you can bring a taste of Vik's Chaat Corner home.

the gritty truth

What's for dinner? Why come to Beachside Cafe, my friends! And that's just what we did.

Speedy chose the fish & chips... the fish fillets fell apart at the touch of a fork. The fries are the soft and salty sort, not the crispy shoestrings type that kids go crazy for. All in all, this plate got a thumbs from Speedy.

Driver tried the chicken and waffles, my Beachside favorite, for the first time. Everyone agreed that these superbly breaded chicken cutlets beat out Little Skillet's fried chicken and waffles.

Snapshot and I both tried the beer-can chicken, marinated in Guinness beer and served with brussel sprouts and cheesy bacon grits. The chicken was pretty good and had an intriguingly savory flavor. The brussel sprouts were not bitter (yes!) and once again, the grits survived my appetite. There's something about that incarnation of cornmeal that really fills you up... as Driver laughed, he used to think grits were prison food.

Oh, what would my cousins in Georgia think of that!

donuts

I love donuts!

Dynamo Donuts now has an outpost in the Financial District... just stop by Soup Junkie's Market Street storefront in the morning for delectable goodies such as this bacon maple donut!

Start your day off with a smile.
Eat a donut.

she's a brick house

In a break from our usual ballpark rituals, the gang decided to eat at Brickhouse Cafe on Brannan Street. The prices are comparable to those in the ballpark but the quality of food is so much better!

The Brickhouse Cafe claims to be the home of the "Big Ass Burger." Well, it tastes good but it's not large, certainly nothing to advertise about... the crispy fries are what they should be promoting! But when you have flavor like this, size doesn't matter (much.)

For brunch, I had the Mexican burger: a jalapeño-studded beef patty topped with pico de gallo, jack cheese, avocado, and sour cream, all piled in a soft and buttery bun. I must say that I really love the sour tang of the pico de gallo against the fatty richness of the avocado and sour cream. I've had many southwest- or tex-mex-inspired burgers but this flavor combination seemed fresh compared to the others I've tasted.

Wary of spicy food? The jalapeños don't add any heat to the patty. Avoiding fat? There's not a lot of sour cream and avocados pack that "good" vegetable fat your body craves. Still daunted by the so-called big ass size? Want a veggie patty instead? All acceptable substitutes are suggested on the menu.

The drink menu at Brickhouse looks pretty good... there are various cocktails with Western-themed twists and beer on tap at both the upstairs bar and the main bar on the ground floor. I stupidly did not order any of these glorious libations; instead I persuaded two of my friends to get the housemade ginger ale. I have fond memories of sipping a very strong and bubbly homemade ginger ale in Dublin in Temple Square, complete with little ginger shavings at the bottom of the glass.

The Brickhouse does NOT serve this sort of wonderful gingery soda stuff. All I remember is a light coral-colored flavorless club soda placed in front of me. What a shame that they advertise this atrocity as housemade. I must be more cautious of associating travel memories with items of the same name in local restaurants, and I must drink some ginger beer now to push the awful memory of the "ginger ale" out.

Good burgers and (one) bad drink. That's the Brickhouse.

the smallest pho

Like-minded co-workers set me on the path to Soup Junkie, the brand new soup counter on Market Street. This little hole-in-the-wall boasts long lines, MSG-free soup, and great reviews. Here's mine...

While my friends opted for the crab-and-tomato bún riêu, I wanted to try the beef pho because that is the standard... sort of like the margherita pizza of the soup world. There's a lot to love about the bowl... super-tender beef swim in a flavorful and slightly sweet broth spiked with a lime juice. That broth... it rivals Turtle Tower's soup. Soup Junkie should bottle that stuff!

As good as the pho is, it is a lunch I will not be indulging in every week. This is the smallest bowl of pho I have ever feasted on but it is also the most expensive at $9. Now that's still not a lot compared to other lunch options but as far as pho goes, this is a pricey bowl. The portion wouldn't seem so small if there was more beef but bites of tender beef flank were few and far between.

Nevertheless, Soup Junkie's beef pho is worth a try. You won't regret slurping up all that delicious broth, which is just what we all need on foggy summer days like these.

the slipperiest noodle

The perfect remedy for cleaning house on a foggy weekend? San Francisco's best pho from Turtle Tower (this is the Geary Boulevard location in the Richmond.)

The tender beef! The rich and onion-y broth! The wide yet slippery noodles!

Wait a minute, these noodles weren't always this wide. Oh who am I kidding, I love a good noodle and this one slips and slurps in the most satisfying way. I only add a squeeze of lime to brighten the beef-heavy bowl; otherwise, this pho is perfect.

A regular or small-sized bowl (pictured) will set you back less than $7. And Turtle Tower is now issuing loyalty cards that can be linked to your e-mail and smartphone and all manner of that portable technology. Eat ten bowls of pho and get one free! This is a reward that won't take long to earn.

And that extra special something that makes a place so memorable? Turtle Tower has a table for two right in front of the wheelchair-accessible door to the restrooms. Ick and equal-access factors aside, this is pretty funny. It turns out that the entrance to the restroom is just around the corner. But I still wouldn't want to sit there!