Il Cane Rosso

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Its hard to say exactly what Il Cane Rosso.  Its a mix of Italian, American, sandwiches, and basically, carnage.  Although, I think one word best describes this place:  hearty.  All the dishes here let you walk away pretty satisfied and fulfilled.  The menu changes daily as well as for breakfast and lunch.  This place is one of the more popular spots in the SF Ferry Building (even though its hidden in the corner), so the lines do get quite long and the dishes sell out quickly throughout the day.  

Beef Stew - #4 on SF Foodie 92 list

Beef stew.  First of all, this does not come with bread.  You have to order it separately, which I recommend.  What's a beef stew without bread?  Also, its Acme bread (my favorite).  When this dish came out, I was expecting more of a chunky meat version versus their grounded beef take on beef stew.  Nevertheless, the stew is quite delicious.  Very comforting and homey.

Warm egg salad sandwich - #14 on 2012 7x7 Top 100 Things to Eat SF

The warm egg salad sandwich is another popular dish at Il Cane Rosso.  Its a simple dish of basic egg salad served on an open faced toasted bread.  Its put in the oven after prepping for a couple minutes to heat up the egg salad.

Address:                        Il Cane Rosso
                                              1 Ferry Bldg
                                              Ste 41
                                              San Francisco, CA

Type:                                 American/sandwiches/Italian

Popular chomps:   warm egg salad sandwich
                                                braised pork sandwich
                                                beef stew
                                               roast beef sandwich

Chomp worthy:       warm egg salad sandwich
                                               beef stew     

John's Snack & Deli

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John's Snack & Deli is one of those places you can try if you're lucky enough to make it out this way Monday through Friday.  Its a convenience store that doubles as a Korean mini restaurant. 

The menu changes slightly each day, but the kimchi burrito is a consistent menu item.

They make their kim bap or korean sushi, as I like to call it, fresh and in store.  The vegetables inside aren't as pickle tasting as I like.  Also, it isn't rolled as tightly and tends to fall apart when you pick it up.

kimchi burrito - #15 on 2011 SF Foodie's 92

The kimchi burrito.  Pretty mild in the spice level and the meat is pretty tender and flavorful.  If only the burrito was rolled a little tighter...

Address:                            John's Snack & Deli
                                                 40 Battery St.
                                                 San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                                   Korean

Popular chomps:     kimchi burrito
                                                  kim bap

Chompworthy:         kimchi burrito

Random facts:         The kimchi burrito is #15 on 2011 SF Foodie's 92 list

Hai Ky Mi Gia

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Fresh housemade soybean milk.  It comes to the table hot - so watch out!

Almost every table has a plate of this fried fish cake dish.  Served with a side of pickled vegetables to add some sour taste and cut some of the oily taste from the fish cake.

One of the most popular dishes - the braised duck leg with thick noodles and won ton.  It can be served "wet" (pictured here), which just means its served as a soup.

The other option to the braised duck leg "soup" is ordering it "dry" which means it comes with the soup on the side.  Both versions come with a side of pickled vegetables which brings a nice texture and sour flavor between slurping your noodles.

#73 on 2011 SF Foodie's 92 list

A close up of the dry version of the braised duck leg "soup".  Even though its supposedly the same dish, it tastes totally different.  The braised duck is cooked so perfect, the meat just flakes off into tender chunks.  The most popular version of this dish is the dry version, which I prefer as well.  Make sure you add some scoops of chili oil into the noodles and mix!

Address:                        Hai Ky Mi Gia
                                              707 Ellis St.
                                              San Francisco, CA

Type:                                Chinese/Vietnamese/casual

Popular chomps:   Braised duck leg soup (dry) with thick noodles
                                               fresh soy milk
                                               fish cake

Chomp worthy:        braised duck leg soup (dry) with thick noodles (also add wonton)
                                               fresh soy milk

Random Facts:         The braised duck noodle is #73 on the 2011 SF Foodie's 92 list

Benu (December 2010)

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Peeking through the windows into the kitchen of Benu.  Corey Lee sighting?

15 course tasting menu

thousand-year-old-quail egg, cabbage, ginger

7x7 The Big Eat - #19 

oyster, apple, horseradish

sea urchin tofu with marinated salmon roe

abalone grenobloise

eel (right), fueille de brick, creme fraiche caramelized anchovy, peanut, lily bulb (middle) , salt and pepper squid (left)

oxtail dumpling, sea cucumber, fermented pepper

monkfish liver torchon, cucumber, turnip, salted plum, brioche

Crispy cod milt, pickles, mustard

"shark's fin"soup, dungeness crab, Jinhua ham, black truffle custard

#92 on SF Foodie's 92 eats

Risotto with white truffle from alba

Pumpkin porridge, lobster, black truffle

Chicken Cecilia

Beef rib cap, abalone mushroom, pine needle honey, pear, mitsuba

White chocolate, olive, yuzu, cilantro

Persimmon pudding, burnt acorn ice cream, mace

Assortment of chocolates

Address:          Benu
                         22 Hawthorne St.

                         San Francisco, CA 94105

Type:               American- Asian fusion
                          fine dining

Chomp worthy:  tasting menu

Pass:               nothing

Random facts:

• Chef and owner Corey Lee is a James Beard award winner
• Benu is an Egyptian word for phoenix
• Chef Corey Lee is a former French Laundry chef

Nopalito

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Nopalito

Local, organic Mexican food with sustainable ingredients - only something like this would exist in San Francisco.  I purposely avoided this place for a long time because I prefer my Mexican food greasy, authentic, and not next to some high end grocery store.  A carnitas loving friend, who I trust with Mexican food ,swore on their carnitas plus it was a chance to knock off another item on the 7x7 100 items list so...

complimentary fried and seasoned garbanzo beans

Pretty addicting..salty, crunchy like a corn nut.

Carnitas - braised pork, orange, bay leaf, milk, cinnamon and beer.  Cabbage salad, pickled jalapeno and salsa de tomatillo
7x7 The Big Eat - #52

This was the dish that was supposed to be the big winner.  Unfortunately it wasn't.  The carnitas was dry and bland.  I've had better carnitas at some taquerias in the Mission.

Quesadilla Roja con Chicharron - Mulato chile-corn tortilla, crispy pork belly, salsa, jack cheese, queso fresco, onion and cilantro

#42 on SF Foodie's 92 list.  A different type of quesdilla than what you would find in an ordinary taqueria.  I love queso fresco AND chicharrons so I had to order this.  The tortilla was crispy and overall this dish wasn't that bad.  I preferred it over the carnitas.

Verdict:             Probably a good spot to go to if you are weary about going to eat Mexican in the Mission and you want a clean place to sit down.  It does offer a variety of traditional Mexican dishes and ingredients that you wouldn't normally see if you are the average taqueria eater.  Needless to say my "Mexican foodie"  friend has been demoted to just recommending burrito spots to me. 

Address:                         Nopalito

                                              306 Broaderick St.

                                              San Francisco, CA 94117

Type:                               Mexican
                                              casual

Popular chomps:  carnitas

Chomp worthy:       nothing exciting for me to want to come back
                        

Pass:                                 nothing

Random facts:

• This Mexican place is brought to you by the people who run Nopa.