Tuesday, October 9, 2007
SF Trip Meal #5: Ebisu
Monday, October 8, 2007
SF Trip Meal #4: Louie's Dim Sum
But between the buns sits Louie’s pleasantly presented dim sum plate, and though it’s more than I want, for $5, I can spring for the whole thing. Thankful to not be handed the display plate sitting out, the cashier reaches into two large bamboo vats to grab 2 of each dumpling, which look prettier on the plate than in the plastic take out container they’re shoved into.
No carts here. No tables either, just a thin counter with 2 stools. Above the counter are sheets of colored paper explaining dim sum and its place in Chinese culture to the tourists that stop by. And though it explains that dim sum is never served without a pitcher of tea, they don’t serve tea and offer me a Coke instead. I decline. The garlicky green vegetable dumplings--leeks perhaps--with a large, thick skin are the best of the lot. Shu mai style pieces are greasy, somewhat grey, and at times gristly. I'm joining the choir that proclaims that the dim sum here is 'just okay.' But just okay was good enough to fill me up and leave me with snacks for the rest of the afternoon.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
SF Trip Meal #3: Boudin Bakery
I should have stuck with my gut. Go to Boudin for the bread and skip the chowder. They ladle the stuff out by the gallon for the hordes that come and you can even buy the chowder by the can in their shop. I envision the chowder coming more from a can than a chef slaving away at vats of large soup pots in the kitchen. My clam chowder comes lukewarm, and with a few potatoes here and a few less clams there, suffers from a creamy blandness of mediocre chowder.
The loaves come in all sizes and shapes (including crocodile shaped). It's not just the smell of fresh-baked bread that fills the air; bread is constantly buzzing above your head. The bakers are constantly churning the stuff out, and a suspended conveyer system hooks bread baskets from the ovens overhead to the shop below.
Friday, October 5, 2007
SF Trip Meal #2: The Boat House
Shortly down the road, a neon anchor sign advertising fresh fish and chips? Yes please! Walking to the entrance, with the Bodega Bay police force exiting the shack with happy faces, I knew we had found gold. Place your order at the counter and grab a table (with plastic checkered table cloths). A bottle of Boont Amber Ale helped tide me over. So did the snapshots of countless fishing expeditions. Memories from hauls of squid and sharks, mammoth albacore and cod, and crates of Dungeness crab line the wall and add to the anticipation of the meal.
As I wait for my basket to arrive and eye the bowls of egg and flour I could see by the fryer, I knew there’d be no Gordon’s fish sticks here! A generous portion of juicy fried clams and chips were perfectly fried, served in a perfectly quaint red plastic basket, and washed down by a perfectly refreshing beer. The four large filets that came with the fish basket were flaky, with a crispy, thick batter clinging to the fish. With a squeeze of lemon and an extra cup of tartar sauce, the greasy (but not too greasy) fist is simple, spot on, and filling. The Boat House also serves burgers, dogs, chicken sandwiches, and salads for the unfortunate land lubber. But stay away. You're here for the fried fish (and maybe a local microbrew or two).
http://www.chow.com/places/6757
http://www.avbc.com/beers/amber.html
Thursday, October 4, 2007
SF Trip Meal #1: Pancho Villa
Along with the salsa bar, the variety of the English friendly menu also helps distinguish Pancho from its competitors. Choose from 12 meats from a mouthwatering chicken in green or red sauce to tofu ranchero. There's 4 types of beans and 5 wrap choices. The only Spanish being spoken is by a young woman there to apply for a job, and despite the heat, the enormous, all English menu leaves the impression that the place caters mostly to American palates. Tofu ranchero burrito with a sundried tomato tortilla, anyone?