Tag: san francisco

Categories
taco travel

Papalotes Mexican Grill

On our way out of San Fran to LA, we stopped over at Papalotes, that has soyrizo tacos & burritos –perfect for the vegan/vegetarians in our crew. I had the fish tacos. The hot sauce they give with the complimentary chips worked nicely. Robyn had the chilaquiles that I only recently discovered. They did theirs a little differently –with eggs and less soggy chips. It was really really good. Although I still think I can make this at home easily –open a bag of chips, drown in green salsa. One day I will find out.

Papalotes Mexican Grill – 3409 24th St (btw Poplar & Valencia St) San Francisco, CA 9411

Categories
restauranting travel

Little Star Pizza

We met up with Pavan’s friend, Jeff, for pizza dinner. Pavan had planned that we’d go to Delfina (a popular San Fran Neapolitan-style pizza place), but because it was Jeff’s choice since he’s moving out of town, we went to Little Star Pizza. Fine with me either way. I didn’t want to deal with the long waits at Delfina and the snobby pizza customers. But as for Little Star, I heard this was where the young hipsters of San Fran hang out. I’m still trying to figure out what that means and how that’s different from NY hipsters. To me, they look like 1998 indie scenesters from a cool college town. We were at the bar waiting for our table and this indie nerd who was trying to hit on the bartender offered us a slice. I declined but said I was willing to take a photo. I think he thought I was making fun of him. So Pavan told him that I have a Brooklyn blog. Then the kid tried to make a joke and said “…oh from East Bushwick?” I think he meant East Williamsburg/Bushwick. Either way I wasn’t sure if I was offended that he was trying to call me a hipster or that he didn’t let me take a photo of his pizza. He did go on about how the pizza was superior to Delfina’s. From what I understand is that Delfina has the thin crust and Little Star has the Deep Dish. Kinda hard to compare I think.

We got a deep dish pizza with mushrooms and pepperoni. The corn meal crust gave it a grainy corn bread texture. It’s a good sloppy saucey pizza, but I think that indie kid left a bad taste in my mouth. I couldn’t really enjoy it. I guess I don’t like people bragging to me how something is so much better. Even though I might’ve agreed, I’ll go the other way out of spite.

Oh yeah. When we left, we came across a homeless man that looked like Captain Crunch. He had already been swearing at someone down the street. He came to us to ask for money and Jeff said no. Captain Crunch then starts to call us buttfuckers and proceeds to walk away. Then Jeff retaliates and Captain Crunch came back. It went back and forth for ten minutes (at least it felt that long). It was awkward because Jeff is a lanky math nerd and it would have been really awkward to see him fight with the strung out Captain Crunch. Anyway I always grew up thinking New York had the meanest streets, but San Francisco has the scariest hobos ever.

Little Star Pizza – 400 Valencia St (btw 15th St & Sparrow St) San Francisco, CA 94103
01 Little Star Pizza02 Deep Dish Pizza with Pepperoni and Mushroom at Little Star

Categories
chinese takee outtee travel

Western Restaurant and Donut Shop

Right next to Mission District BART station where a lot of strung-out homeless hang, I came across Western Restaurant selling Donuts, Smoothies, Ice Cream and Chinese food. Super cheap at $1 per Chinese item over rice. There wasn’t much left at late afternoon. Pretty much scrapings. The Chinese owners seemed pretty happy to help me choose. I got the stewed fatty pork with daikon over rice in a small take out box for only a buck. Plenty of food for a small meal.

As I walked out, a strung out man with his face peeling off walks right into me with his cup of ice and drops it. Then he starts yelling at me and tells me I owe him a dollar. I didn’t know what to do, mostly because I felt bad for the owners having ice all over their floor so I just stood there looking at the guy. As the guy continued to swear at me and try to scam me out of a dollar for his free ice, the old Chinese owner waves at me to get out of there and don’t bother–he’d take care of him. It’s funny that I was about to fight over ice.

I suppose I was a huge target walking in with my Entourage/Miami night club blazer and skinny jeans. They probably thought I was a Jonas bros.

Western Restaurant and Donut Shop – 2034 Mission Blvd (btw 16th & 17th St) San Francisco, CA 94110
01 Western Restaurant and Donut Shop02 Chinese Pork and Daikon at Western Donut

Categories
chinese travel

Hu Tieu Nam Vang

Pavan and I walked all around Chinatown in search for what I was looking for –big noodle soup bowl. I’ve been interested in the west coast noodle since my friend Jimmy raves about the Oakland Chiu Chow noodle bowls. I gotta say, there’s a lot more dim sum parlors and fancier sit-down restaurants than I’m used to for a Chinatown. So we came across this one noodle bowl place called Hu Tieu Nam Vang (or at least I think. I can’t seem to find any info or address on the Internet). I believe it was the only noodle bowl restaurant we found and interestingly it was full of European tourists that didn’t seem to know what was going on. I think they were attracted to the big photo menus on the walls.

I did find that the noodle bowls were priced about a dollar or two than you’d find in comparable NY Chinatown restaurants. I chose the Chiu Chow Won Ton noodle soup ($7.25), because it sounded like what Jimmy’s been telling me about. This bowl had duck, shrimp, pork, won tons, noodles and vegetables. A big smorgasbord noodle bowl. It was alright, but the whole time I’ve been second guessing my choice since I do love my curry noodles. However I’m sure I’d regret not trying their Chiu Chow, right Mr. Gladwell?

Hu Tieu Nam Vang Noodle Restaurant – 760 Pacific Ave (off Grant) Chinatown San Francisco.

Categories
chinese travel

Louie’s Dim Sum – Shark Fin Dumplings

We went to a small hole selling mostly dumplings in plain view. Four Shark Fin Dumplings for $1.90. I didn’t notice any of the shark fin texture, but did notice the salty pork and shrimp. Not too bad for the price, but I could only eat one and a half if I’m going to keep food blogging.

Louie’s Dim Sum – 1242 Stockton St (btw Broadway St & Pacific Ave) San Francisco, CA 94133
01 Louie's Dim Sum
02 Shark Fin Dumplings from Louie's Dim Sum

Categories
chinese travel

Eastern Bakery in Chinatown San Fran

Eastern Bakery, “The First Bakery in Chinatown.” A couple of small old Chinese ladies taking orders alongside trays of mooncakes and red bean and lotus cakes filling the tiny shop. I first ordered a steam pork bun, thinking it would be the red BBQ pork meat filling. Instead it was brown, but surprisingly just as sweet as the BBQ filling I was expecting.

Near the end of my roam around San Francisco’s Chinatown, I decided it wouldn’t be right to leave without trying a mooncake from the first bakery in C-town. So I came back. However, the mooncakes seem quite steep at $4-5. I don’t know how much mooncakes usually cost, but that seems like a lot for these things I would eat two of as a snack when I was five. Now that I think about it, these things are probably packed with sugar, fat and calories. Maybe that’s why I was fat kid. Instead, I got a Chinese lotus cake which is smaller, cheaper and with similar filling. Pavan asked what the filling was like and I couldn’t quite describe it at the time. But then he got to try a taste and equated it with the consistency of pecan pie. I’d like to now equate it to the consistency of hardened ear wax, but sweeter.

I wonder how long the buns and mooncakes have been sitting on display in the front window.

Eastern Bakery – 720 Grant Ave (btw Commercial & Sacramento St) San Francisco, CA 94108

Categories
chinese travel

Chinatown San Francisco

My grandfather used to live in the heart of Chinatown, San Francisco on Grant St before he was insisted on moving to Orlando with the rest of my family so they can take care of him in his later years. I’ve always wondered about the life he left, especially when I walk around Columbus Park in Manhattan and see the old folk playing Chinese chess, singing Chinese opera and yelling at each other. This trip to San Francisco would hopefully offer me a glimpse into that life of “gong-gong.” Chinatown San Fran was my mecca.

I read on Chinatown SF’s official tourism website that they are the largest Chinatown outside of Asia. I wonder what factors quantify that. It didn’t seem so physically large walking through it, but did have a large tourist concentration. Also the most dim sum places I’ve ever seen. One particularly caught my eye –All You Can Eat Dim Sum $5.99 at Dick Lee Pasty Shop. (look at their Angelfire website. Retro cool. So 1998.) They have a loud speaker that runs on a loop announcing the items they have on the buffet. I walked in, saw the meager selection and walked out. If I had more time in San Fran, I probably would have tried it, despite the poor reviews on Yelp. Like one reviewer notes, you’d probably be paying close to this price anyway at a decent dim sum parlor. Dim Sum is cheap.

I’m not sure I quite got a taste of the life my grandfather led in San Francisco. I’m sure times have changed. All I can think about is how all the old Chinese people walk up and down those huge hills. Is that why they’re so hunched over? I wonder if someday I’ll make my parents move to New York, so they can hang out with other old Chinese folk in Columbus Park. I would love to hang out there when I get old. It’s like partying everyday. I wonder if they’d talk behind my back in front of me because they know I don’t speak Chinese.

All You Can Eat Dim Sum $5.99 @ Dick Lee Pastry Shop
Dick Lee Pastry Shop All You Can Eat Dim Sum

Categories
brunch travel

Tartine Bakery Treats in the Park

Brunch picnic in Dolores Park. Pavan and I picked up some tea cakes and quiche from the popular Tartine bakery (James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef 2008). I dread long lines, but it went relatively quickly. I usually don’t eat baked goods, but these were delightful. I never use the word “delightful,” but I just did.

Zzalgern0n picked up this awesome looking pastry ball filled with rice, called a Ohzi Al-Sham from Ali Baba’s Cafe. He thought it was bland. I tasted it and agreed. It could use some sauce or chutney.

After the park, I got a mango kulfi pop from Bombay Ice Creamery. They say they make the kulfi even though it comes in a pre-packaged wrapper. Very creamy. They also sell many Indian ice cream flavors like pistachio, saffron rose, cardamon and chai.

Tartine Bakery & Cafe – 600 Guerrero St (btw 18th & 19th St) San Francisco, CA 94110
Ali Baba’s Cave Cafe – 799 Valencia St (@ 19th St) San Francisco 94110
Bombay Ice Creamery – 552 Valencia St (btw 16th & 17th St) San Francisco, CA 94110