Yank Sing

Pin It Now!

Yank Sing is one of the dim sum restaurants that populated my Chinese childhood from the huge crowds to playing by the fountain while waiting for a table.  They have since raised the prices a lot and knocked a lot of familiar dim sum dishes off their menu and most Chinese have found suitable appetizing and cheaper substitutes, my family being one of them.  Although, this visit assured me that some things didn't change, even though the prices have almost doubled, they do still have those etched glass room dividers.
One positive thing about Yank Sing is each cart does stop by every table, sometimes repeatably too often, but it beats having to stress out about missing one of your favorite items carting by.

Siu mai (shu mai) or pork dumplings are one of the normal dim sum items everyone orders.  Yank Sing's are plump and juicy, but a tad bit on the oily side.

Har gow or shrimp dumplings are another must order dim sum item.  Nothing too special here with a standard shrimp wrapped in a rice wrapper.  A little oily.

Pot stickers, which I have to say wasn't my choice so I don't get discredited on my ability to order dim sum items.  They were greasy, but full of meat.

Wu tao or fried tao balls is one of my favorites to order in dim sum.  I've always found the fried outside to be delicious as well as the soft inside filling.  I've had better since this one bordered on being too oily.

Steamed spareribs with black bean sauce.  Usually one of the more flavorful dim sum dishes, this one was probably the worst item of the meal.  Flavorless and greasy with hardly any meat on the bones and if so, more fat than meat.

XLB (soup dumplings) at Yank Sing-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

Yank Sing carts around some somewhat unfamiliar dim sum items that raised my eyebrow when being wheeled by.  Lettuce wrap?  XLB is another one.  While some restaurants do serve it as dim sum, its not really a popular dim sum item.  After having some subpar dim sum, I wasn't exactly expecting much when the XLB rolled by.  One pinch of the chopsticks to transfer to the spoon showed that the wrappers held firm.  A nice amount of soup and a juicy inside made this item the surprisingly only dim sum dish worth getting in this meal.

  The vinegar to accompany the xlb.

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                  Yank Sing
                                 101 Spear St.
                                 San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                        dim sum/Chinese

Popular chomps:      shrimp dumpling
                                  soup dumplings (XLB)
                                  peking duck
                                  siu mai

Chomp worthy:         soup dumplings (XLB)     

Bun Mee

Pin It Now!

Bun Mee is located on Fillmore, which means premium prices on premium property.  At almost $7 for a Vietnamese sandwich (banh mi), this place stretches my banh mi budet to the extreme.  I've walked passed this spot many times with no curiousity to go in, except now, only to strikethrough another item on the 7x7 2013 Big Eat list.  It's more fushion than Vietnamese so don't be surprised when you see people ordering a side of fries or sweet potato fries with their banh mi.  The restaurant is pretty busy, but not sure how much of the clientele has actually had a real banh mi or knows how much they are really supposed to cost. 

Sloppy Bun with fried egg at Bun Mee-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

The sloppy bun looks like a riff off of a sloppy joe with red curry ground beef, house garlic aioli, shaved onion, thai basil, and jalapenos.  A fried egg is recommended with this sandwich and no one needs to ask me twice about adding a runny egg to anything.  First of all, all the ingredient would seem like it would create a burst of amazing South Asian flavors, but its very bland and a little oily.  The jalapeno is spicy, though.  Although I think they meant for the fried egg to be runny, it came cooked through.  I overheard the expediter saying my sandwich should have had the egg over easy, but to let it go since they didn't want to remake it.  Bad execution and bad flavors for a ridiculous price means no thanks. 

Hanoi style fried catfish with red curry aioli, shaved onion, pickled carrots, daikon, cucumber, jalapeno, and cilantro.  The catfish was lightly fried and mild tasting, but smelled like it wasn't very fresh or perhaps previously frozen.  Even so, this sandwich was better than the sloppy bun, but that doesn't say much.

     

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                Bun Mee
                               2015 Fillmore St.
                               San Francisco, CA  

Type:                      Vietnamese/sandwich

Popular chomps:    crispy catfish banh mi
                                sloppy bun with egg

Chomp worthy:       nothing         

The Little Chihuahua

Pin It Now!

With location popping up in every SF neighborhood, The Little Chihuahua reminds me of Papalote.  Unfortunately, the one I went to was in the Mission area.   Its hard to be open minded about a new burrito spot when there are dozens of taquerias that serve up a better and cheaper burrito within a five block radius.  It falls somewhere above Chipotle and below any Mission taqueria.  The best thing to do when eating at one of these places is to know its not real Mexican, more like Mexican inspired.

Fried plantain and black bean burrito at The Little Chihuahua-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

The fried plantain and black bean burrito is one of the popular burritos here.  The plantains are sweet, chunky, and give the burrito a nice texture.  I wouldn't normally get black beans in a burrito, but I'm trying to open minded with their standard ingredient.  Overall, its not bad and really healthy tasting, which isn't a bad thing, but I prefer my burritos a little dirty and with refried beans cooked in lard.  When it comes to fried plantain burritos, I prefer Cuco's in the Haight for a more authentic Salvadorean take on the burrito (see post HERE).

I'm still on the lookout for a substitute for Dos Coyotes's shrimp burrito so the garlic shrimp burrito seemed like a tasty option.  Not much garlic flavor.  The small shrimps were dry and bland.  Not a tasty substitute so I'm still on the search.

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                  The Little Chihuahua

                                 581 Valencia St.
                                 San Francisco, CA 
 

Type:                        Mexican

Popular chomps:      garlic shrimp burrito
                                  fried plantain and black bean burrito
                          

Chomp worthy:         nothing                

Pringles White Chocolate Peppermint

Pin It Now!

I had been searching high and low for the last flavor of the holiday Pringles, specifically the White Chocolate Peppermint flavor.  Having tasted the other flavors in this release (see post HERE), I was a little bummed that the holiday season was over and thought my hopes of trying this quirky flavor were forever lost.  Thanks to an awesome reader who chimed in that this flavor was at Big Lots in the Mission!  Thank you!  Also, you can't beat the $1 price.  The verdict?  Funky.  Exactly like what you think a white chocolate peppermint would taste like, right down to the minty aftertaste.

Thorough Bread & Pastry

Pin It Now!

It seems like every good bakery in the city always has a line out the door.  It made me a little hesitant to find no line and not one pastry sold out, but Thorough Bread & Pastry must still be one of those hidden gems waiting to be discovered by the masses. 

A stunning array of pastries, cookies, and cakes.  One of the nicest things to discover about this bakery is the cute backyard patio with outside seating to enjoy your pastries.

Almond croissant at Thorough bread & pastry-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

The almond croissants at Thorough Bread & Pastry are buttery and flaky.  Topped with slivers of almonds and an almond frosting, they are one of the bakery's signature pastries.  Its softer with a subtle taste of almond.  Tartine Bakery's almond croissants are still the winner in this category for me, but the no waiting for a still stellar croissant makes it a nice substitute.

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                  Thorough bread & pastry

                                 248 Church St.
                                 San Francisco, CA 
 

Type:                        bakery

Popular chomps:      almond croissant
                                  galette des rois   

Chomp worthy:         almond croissant      

Molinari Delicatessen

Pin It Now!

It seems like every neighborhood in San Francisco has their own Italian deli, but the best, of course, is in North Beach.  Molinari Delicatessen churns out the best Italian sandwiches.  Simple, but satisfying its not a surprise that their take on classic Italian sandwiches is so popular.
Similar to Lucca (see post HERE) in the Marina, to order anything here, first take a number.  If you are getting sandwiches make sure you walk over to the sandwich bin on the left side of the store and pick out your bread of choice and hand it off when your number is called.

Not surprisingly, the line at Molinari can get atrociously long, but there are plenty of Italian treats like dried salumis, canned goods, and sauces to look at while you are waiting.

Each sandwich is made with freshly sliced meats.

Renzo special at Molinari Delicatessen-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

Usually my nose wrinkles a little when I see the words, "sun dried tomatoes", but the Renzo Special has to be one of the few items I've eaten where it works.  Paper thin slices of prosciutto, coppa, fresh mozzarella, and sun dried tomatoes between your choice of bread is so simple, but amazingly delicious.  Not too much meat, the perfect creamy mozzarella, and just a hint of chewy sun dried tomatoes is utter perfection.  Though, this sandwich does have a horrible habit of getting stuck in your teeth..

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                   Molinari Delicatessen
                                  373 Columbus Ave
                                  San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                         Italian/deli

Popular chomps:       renzo special
                                   ravioli
                                   potato salad

Chomp worthy:         renzo special       

Ramen Underground

Pin It Now!

The weather is seemly getting warmer in the city, but Ramen Underground was crowded with people getting their slurp on.  The place is really tiny so you'll most likely have to share a table with another party. 

Ramen Underground serves up the usual miso, salt, and even a tomato ramen.  Daily specials like tonkatsu and habanero ramen are limited to 50 bowls a day.

It's hard to find good ramen in San Francisco.  The closest is usually San Mateo or even San Jose.  Santouka (see post HERE) in San Jose is my benchmark here in California.  The tonkatsu ramen at Ramen Underground is milky and rich.  The pork belly and soft cooked egg are extra, but a nice touch with your ramen.  The noodles are chewy and dense and probably the best thing in the bowl.  Not the best ramen I've had, but probably one of the better ramen options in the city.

Spicy Miso Ramen at Ramen Underground-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

The spicy miso ramen has a intense red color from the chili flakes and chili oil, but its not spicy at all. One of the oddest thing about the ramen at Ramen Underground is the addition of thinly sliced mushrooms.  I've never seen that before and didn't feel like it added anything to the ramen.  The pork belly (kakuni) was too fatty and the meat chunks were a little dry.  Also, the slow cooked egg ended up a little too cooked in my ramen.  Admittedly, I'm not a huge spicy ramen fan even though I love all things spicy.  I actually think the spicy ramen at San Mateo's Ramen Dojo (see post HERE) serves up a better bowl.

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                  Ramen Underground
                                 355 Kearny St.
                                 San Francisco, Ca
 

Type:                        ramen/Japanese

Popular chomps:      spicy miso ramen
                                  tonkatsu ramen
                                  kakuni

Chomp worthy:         tonkatsu ramen     

Tartine Bakery

Pin It Now!

 Tartine Bakery is one of those places that can do no wrong.  Literally everything is good.  The only problem is that everyone else knows it too.  There is always a line and the chances of your favorite pastry being sold out is pretty high so you need to be ready to name off your back up choices.  Having been to Tartine Bakery more times than I want to admit, I like (in order) the almond croissant, morning bun, and the bread pudding.  I've never found anything I didn't like there, but one of the three (if I'm lucky, all of them) seem to make it home with me on every visit.

Tartine Bakery's morning bun is one their most favorite and well loved pastries.  It took me three visits to get my hands on one of these babies.  Well worth it too!  Perfectly flaky layers dusted with sugar granules that give it a sweet, unexpected crunch.  As you get closer to the fluffy center, you get hints of orangey flavor.

The frangipane croissant was a first for me on this visit.  It reminds me more of a tart than a croissant with a dense crust.  Its topped with a generous sliver of almonds and tart dried berries, which I think are currants.

Banana cream tart at Tartine Bakery-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

This is the first time I've had a banana cream tart.  A mound of whipped cream with gorgeous chocolate shavings hide the fresh slices of bananas.  Topping off sweet perfection is the flaky tart.  Perfect, sweet, but not too sweet.  You just can't expect anything less from Tartine Bakery.

FYI - they don't just make great pastries and cakes, they make some awesome bread that is sold fresh from the oven after 5p (see my post HERE).

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

      

Address:                 Tartine Bakery
                                600 Guerrero St.
                                San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                       bakery

Popular chomps:     banana cream tart
                                 bread pudding
                                 almond croissant
                                 morning bun
                                 loaf of bread
                                 paninis
                                                          

Chomp worthy:        everything     

Anda Piroshki

Pin It Now!

331 Cortland is home to not just Anda Piroshki, but four other food shops.  Its almost like a (very) mini Ferry Building. 

Anda Piroshki sells Russian and Ukrainian delicacies, specifically piroshkis, but they do sell borsch!  Piroshkis are sometimes baked, but more commonly fried buns filled with a variety of fillings.  Most of the piroshki I've eaten are the fried variety, but at Anda Piroshki, they take the healthier baked method.  They come in a variety of stuffings and shapes.

Beef and cheese piroshki at Anda Piroshki-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

One of the more commonly seen piroshkis are the beef and cheese fillings.  Anda Piroshki's piroshkis' are perfectly, fluffy clouds of doughy goodness.  I could eat just the outside and be happy.  They remind me of Chinese baked pork buns.  The inside, however, is a little too salty for me.

One bite into the beef and cheese piroshki and you can see the bun to filling ratio.

Among the variety of flavors, Anda Piroshki shapes their dumplings into cute shapes.  This salmon and cheese piroshki is shaped like a fish!  You have to pause a moment to take in the cuteness of the pastry before biting off the head.

The bun is similar to that of the beef and cheese with a thumbs up fluffy shell, but a sadly similar salty filling.  Though, the salmon and cheese piroshki does have a good salmon flavor.

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                   Anda Piroshki
                                  331 Cortland Ave.
                                  San Francisco, CA

Type:                         Russian/bakery

Popular chomps:       beef and cheese piroshki
                                   borsch
                                   spinach and mushroom piroshki    

Chomp worthy:          nothing    

4505 Meats

Pin It Now!

Another trip to the 4505 booth at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market, this time for a Thursday lunch.  The first time was for their famous burger (see post HERE).  Seems like these days everyone is doing a fried chicken plate or a fried chicken sandwich.  Know for all things meat, I was a little surprised that 4505 decided to take a stab at their take on fried chicken. 

Fried Chicken Yum Yum at 4505 Meats-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

One bite says it all, a succulent, juicy piece of breaded, fried yum yum chicken between a lightly toasted pan de mie bun.  A house pickled slaw and some fresh market greens added a freshness to the sandwich.  The only gripe is the very generous spread of coriander aioli, which oozed everywhere and made it a 5+ napkin sandwich.  I think I actually prefer their chicken sandwich over their famous burger.

Whats a burger without some fries.  A different twist on fries with an Argentinian chili sauce with lemon parsley aioli.  It was crispy deliciousness halfway through until you realized how much oil sat at the bottom.

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                  4505 Meats                                       
                                 Ferry Building Farmers Market (Sat)                                       
                                 San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                       American

Popular chomps:     burger
                                 fried chicken yum yum

Chomp worthy:       fried chicken yum yum 

Little Star Pizza

Pin It Now!

I'm back again at Little Star Pizza, this time to taste The Brass Monkey.  Last time I had the Classic (see post HERE) and I wasn't too impressed.  Thin crust probably will forever and always be my first love, but I'm trying to be open minded about other types of pizza, even though it seems wrong to eat a pizza with a knife and fork.

The Brass Monkey at Little Star Pizza-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

The Brass Monkey isn't actually on Little Star's menu.  Its their Little Star Pizza (spinach, ricotta, feta, mushrooms, onions, and garlic) topped with sausage.  As always, their buttery cornmeal crust is always delicious.  The taste reminds me a little of Pizzeria Mozza's pizza crust (see post HERE).

The sausage on this pizza could be a little bit more generous, but after being disappointed by the taste of the Classic, the Brass Monkey had a lot more flavor.  So I'm admitting this pizza is pretty good, even better the next day after the flavors soak in, but I'm not giving up my beloved Pizzeria Delfina (see post HERE) any time soon.

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                Little Star Pizza
                               400 Valencia St.
                               San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                      pizza

Popular chomps:    The Little Star
                                The Brass Monkey
                              

Chomp worthy:      The Brass Monkey        

El Hurache Loco

Pin It Now!

I was excited to revisit El Hurache Loco.  The last time I was to cross of the huraches nopales off the 2011 7x7 The Big Eats list (see post HERE) and I was pleasantly surprised.  Also, all the food coming out of this little tent in the Alemany farmer's market looks so good.

Lamb tacos at El Hurache Loco-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

 Once again, the 7x7's Big Eat led me back here to El Hurache Loco.  This time for the lamb tacos.  No surprise that the lamb tacos were just as good as the huraches.  Juicy, tender chunks of shredded lamb on top a handmade corn tortilla, cilantro, and salsa.  Usually, I don't like much salsa on my tacos, but their orange salsa is amazing.  I really wish they would sell that separately.  At $4 each, these lamb tacos are a little on the pricey side, but so worth it.

Since being a repeat customer, I knew to order cautiously so I would have room to try something else.  On my first visit here, I was a little sad that I didn't have enough room to taste the gorditas.  This time I remembered to add that onto my order.  The thick handmade corn tortillas filled with ground pork and topped with steak, chorizo, bacon, grilled peppers, grilled onions, and cheese (alambre) looks like it would be a mess of flavors, but in each bite you can taste the freshness of every ingredient.  Tastes as good as it looks.

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                  El Hurache Loco
                                 various famers' markets
                                 AND
                                 1803 Larkspur Landing Circle
                                 Larkspur, CA 
 

Type:                       Mexican

Popular chomps:     huraches
                                gordita
                                lamb tacos

Chomp worthy:       huraches
                                gordita
                                lamb tacos        

Dianda's Italian American Pastry

Pin It Now!

Dianda's Italian American Pastry's location in the Mission area of San Francisco seems misplaced amongst the blocks and blocks of taquerias. 

St Honore Cake at Dianda's Italian American Pastry-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

The St. Honore cake is this bakery's claim to fame.  A creamy rum cake surrounded by a ring of rum filled cream puffs.  Unfortunately, you can't buy this cake by the slice, but they do sell the cream puffs that are filled with the same rum filling.

Its somewhat cheating on the 7x7 2013 list since I'm not going to buy a whole St Honore's cake right now.  Although, I'll have to remember to pick one up when the holidays roll around again.  They pointed me to their cream puffs that are filled with the same rum filling and drizzled with a sugar glaze.

When they tell you it's a rum based filling, they really mean rum.  Its probably one of the strongest liquor flavored food items I've had in a long time.  The sweet rum flavor mixed with the cold whipped cream is utterly finger licking deliciousness.

You cannot walk into an Italian bakery and not get a cannoli.  Cannoli derives from the Silicilian word "cannolo" meaning tube.  This Sicilian pastry is made of a tube shaped fried pastry dough piped with cream. 

Although I prefer the tiramisu cakes layered with lady fingers, this tiramisu was decadent.  They don't hold back on the liquor here, the cake was sweet, creamy, and heavily soaked with liquor.

These days I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but when it does make an appearance it comes out full force.  I love the fact that the eclairs here come with an option of custard or the traditional cream filling.  This chocolate covered pastry filled with whipped cream is a classic eclair done right.

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

Address:                    Dianda's Italian American Pastry

                                   2883 Mission St.
                                   San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                          bakery/Italian

Popular chomps:        St. Honore cake
                                    tres leches
                                    tiramisu
                                    eclair
                                    cannoli

Chomp worthy:           St. Honore cake
                                    tiramisu
                                    eclair      

Irving Cafe & Deli

Pin It Now!

More banh mi!  A friend commented that I always review Vietnamese food and banh mis.  Well, I still have a little hope that there is a good banh mi spot in the city that is a suitable replacement for my #1 favorite banh mi spot in Oakland - Banh Mi Ba Le (see post HERE).

The one thing that did catch my eye is they sell fresh sugar cane juice.  I made a mental note to come back and try it when the weather gets warmer. 

These fried aren't your standard cha gio seen in most Vietnamese spots.  Instead of the normal egg roll wrappers, these are made with rice paper, which give it its transparent, white color.  Also, it gives it a different type of crunch.  I'm not sure what they use for filling here, but its softer with a mild taste so I'm thinking maybe rice or some type of rice ingredient.  A nice addition to my repertoire of all things fried.

Banh mi at Irving Cafe & Deli-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

The banh mis at Irving Cafe & Deli don't resemble a banh mi to me.  The bread is too thick and dense.  It actually made my mouth a little tired from chewing.  The bread to meat ratio is way off and the mayo is pretty nonexistent.  The bbq pork banh mi had huge chunks of pork, but the flavor was bland and the meat was tough.

The combo #1 (dac biet) banh mi had really thick slices of meat.  It reminded me of a regular sandwich than a banh mi.  Also, I didn't realize until afterwards that it didn't include the pate and that cost fifty cents extra! 

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

     

Address:                   Irving Cafe & Deli
                                  2146 Irving St.
                                  San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                        Vietnamese/sandwich

Popular chomps:       banh mi
                                  fried egg rolls

                                  sugar cane juice

Chomp worthy:          fried egg rolls      

Soup Junkie

Pin It Now!

When it comes to Asian, its hard to find anything that's authentic in the FiDi/SOMA area.  Soup Junkie seemed like a promising lunch (only open M-F for lunch) with hot soups, fresh ingredients, and a close walk from work.  Its recommended to call in an order since this tiny Vietnamese spot is so popular.  Besides the usual banh mi, Soup Junkie serves up soups, obviously.  I have to give them some respect for trying to bring something other than the usual Vietnamese pho to the mainstream. 

Bun Rieu at Soup Junkie-  2013 7x7 SF's Top 100 Eats

Bun rieu (aka #1 crab and tomato soup) is one of the less known, but very delicious Vietnamese soups.  I've noticed that this soup has had a rise in popularity as well as popping up on many Vietnamese menus all over the Bay Area.  Bun rieu is a tomato based soup topped with crab and usually egg droplets, noodles, various herbs.  If you've never had bun rieu before, I can see why Soup Junkie's version seems like you feel like you've unearthed a new delicious item in Vietnamese cuisine, but its nothing like real bun rieu.  More like bun rieu 101.  Soup Junkie's version is very mild with a fragrant smell of crab, but no crab meat.  The broth has a slight tomato taste.  The noodles are fresh and chewy.  Instead of a flurry of fluffy egg droplets, a huge egg omelet sits at the bottom of the bowl waiting for you to tear it up and mix with the soup.  Overall, its a satisfactory lunch option, especially when you are looking for something light and relatively healthy to warm you up, but its far from a real tasting bun rieu.  It has no complexity to the broth at all.  Bun rieus are hearty with lots of shredded crab, like Kim Son's authentic version (see post HERE). 

updated - Working my way through the 2013 7x7's SF big eat 100 things

      

Address:                  Soup Junkie
                                 388 Market St.
                                 San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                       Vietnamese/soup

Popular chomps:     crab and tomato soup (#1) - bun rieu
                                 banh mi
                                 chicken porridge  

Chomp worthy:        nothing