Mar 06 2012
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Daly City, Food, japanese

Tani’s Kitchen- Tempura Don

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There’s something nostalgic about watching this Japanese man at Tani’s Kitchen run his business.
He places sashimi over rice, he mumbles Japanese mumbles, hums his karaoke love song to his dainty little wife waiting tables. He pours his curry, hums even more karaoke love songs and fries his tempura in a sea of hot oil.
For 18 years, the same couple has upkept the little closet of a restaurant among the titanic-sized chains that make up the Westlake Shopping Center in Daly City. An antique among recent developments..
My tempura don was a comforting meal on this breezy Bay Area afternoon. I’ll be back to eat again.
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Mar 05 2012
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Food, italian, North Beach, San Francisco, sandwiches

Cafe Puccini- prosciutto, pilsner at the park

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I tried to keep it Italian, but they ran out of Peroni.
The weather has been grand in San Fran and I’d be disappointed if I didn’t enjoy it outside. In my case, I ended up at Washington Park, a central gathering place for North Beach locals.
My prosciutto sandwich from Cafe Puccini was the perfect call for a hot day’s lunch. Peroni was a bust. Trumer Pils, an adequate replacement. Another take-it-easy Sunday..

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Mar 04 2012
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dessert, Food, italian, North Beach, San Francisco

Cavalli cafe – holy cannoli

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My favorite Italian dessert at a nice spot to sit and people watch. Window side table view of Stockton and Columbus St. Decent cannoli too. Shell, ricotta, chocolate chips and a pinch of orange zest. Muah!

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Feb 27 2012
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American, North Beach, sandwiches

Sam’s -simply good burgers

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Meat. Cheese. Lettuce. Tomato. Bun. Sometimes simple is better. For 43 years, Sam’s has been hooking up North Beach burger fundamentalists with their midnight fix. Depending on the flow of the evening, Sam’s stays open ’til 3 a.m. Anthony Bourdain stopped by the joint a few months back, calling it “one of the top three” burgers in the world. He might be right.

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Feb 22 2012
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Food, San Francisco, seafood

Hog island oyster co

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Mixed dozen right on the water. Rice vinegar mignonette, fresh shaved horseradish. This dozen on ice will cost you $36, however, hog island attends the weekly farmer’s market where oysters go for a buck a piece! Bring a container of your own, and they’ll hook it up with all the condiments free. Enjoy with Champagne.

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Feb 21 2012
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Da Pitt BBQ – Mad Ribs

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BBQ beef brisket and pork ribs at Da Pitt on Divisadero Street. Don’t let the lack of decor fool you- this place is pricey. A plate of BBQ and two sides cost me $20!

Feb 19 2012
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inner richmond, korean, San Francisco

Muguboka-sugar,spice and a whole lotta rice

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I’ve was looking for some good Korean BBQ. I found it at Muguboku . While on my house hunt in the inner Richmond, I stopped in for their lunch special.
For $9, it doesn’t get much better. My Kalbi beef was tender and chewy right around the bone. This place serves you a lot of banchan. Like a lot of banchan. Like enough banchan to fill the whole table. Decent Kimchi. Hot tofu soup.Try the salty-sweet dried fish. I’d do a bag of these over Doritos any day.
They even serve you cinnamon punch after your meal. This Asian boy couldn’t be happier to find this place.

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Feb 07 2012
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Food, hofbrau, San Francisco, sandwiches

Tommy’s Joynt – The Great White Buffalo Stew

Buffalo stew, corned beef and a brew!

This place looks like it’s been around since the mining ages.

Behind it’s carnival-painted walls is a dimly lit den, illuminated only by the soft glow of candle light, heat lamps and Budweiser signs. This place reminds me of a hunter’s refuge, if I knew what a hunter’s layer looked like. The red checkered table cloths -  the touch of a mountain man’s wife.

Corned beef on a sourdough roll is what I came for, and corned beef on a roll is exactly what I got. Corned beef, buffalo stew, a side of baked beans, potato salad and a few bites of my girlfriends pastrami too. That is all.

Though SF’s competing hofbrau, Lefty O’Douls may pour the best bloody mary in town, Tommy’s holds the higher hand for the hungry. And the prices here are amazing. Each sandwich, carved to order from their repective roast, costs a whole whopping $6. The buffalo stew ($8.50) was melt-in-my-mouth good. I could use a pot of this stuff at my bedside.

I’ll be back.

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Feb 05 2012
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Cuckoo for coconut juice

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This is the best coconut juice on the market. I’m tempted to pick up a case of this stuff. This stuff is sweet, and loaded with pulp. I’ve had many a coconut juice in my days, but call this stuff king!
Coconut juice is also loaded with potassium, calcium and fiber found in its pulp.

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Feb 04 2012
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Swan Oyster Depot – The Pearl on Polk

These were probably the best oysters I’ve eaten in my whole life.

Two words: cocktail sauce.

Maybe it’s because the magic in these creamy bivalves were the perfect pairing with my gorgeous date. Maybe it’s because the fellas working here even look like scruffy fisherman, making me feel like I was eating oysters caught by the same people serving them. Since 1912, Swan Oyster Depot has been up to the same thing – pouring chowder, smoking whitefish, and, of course, shucking oysters. Swan also serves as a fish market, distributing prime catch, crab and mollusk.

My girlfriend and I arrived at exactly 5:19; one minute before they stop seating. I don’t know who eats oysters at 8 a.m., but that’s when this place opens and people wait in lines out the door just to get in. The antique, old fashioned feel of this oyster will cost you a pretty pearl. A mixed dozen of kumamotos and fanny bays are $26.

However, I’ll bet your bottom dollar that you won’t find a better oyster in the city.

 

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