Which highlights another salient truth about San Francisco: it is a free port town, where one can walk the streets and hear a dozen different languages spoken on any given day. The food scene here is so diverse, complex, and metropolitan. There's historical reasons why there's so many people here from many other countries, and perhaps no other immigrant group has had more of an effect on the Bay Area than the Chinese.
And there's no other restaurant that's had more of an effect on me since I returned in 2013 than China Village in Albany. Chef John Yao is working on a level I didn't know existed until I encountered his work firsthand. His Famous Five Spice Hot and Spicy Pork Shoulder (#72) is as dramatic as it gets, all five senses working overtime. And, yet, Yao is a master of subtlety. The floral notes of the Sichuan Peppercorn is exploited to full effect in many other dishes.
I've only been in the South Bay a couple of times, and the other day I found the main reason to exit the highway at Milpitas. Amid high tech office parks, there's a strip mall anchored by a 99 Ranch. This must be the role model for the MT Supermarket Chinatown Center on North Lamar in Austin, I thought to myself. On either side of the centrally-sited 99 Ranch sit dozens of Asian restaurants.
We decided on Mayflower Seafood Restaurant where you can order Chinese Wedding Food any day of the week. We had Giant Surf Clam topped with shredded sauteed scallions, a Seafood and Greens combo, and Noodles with Crab, all of which was fresh and prepared as perfectly as one can imagine. This place is gigantic, and the waiters are dressed to the nines, and yet the menu is wide ranging enough to accommodate any budget. As far as I'm concerned, this place is the only reason to ever go to the South Bay.
Everyone knows about Chinatown abutting North Beach in San Francisco, and while there's a number of great restaurants there, one might not know about restaurants in the Secret Chinatowns and other parts of the City. Notably, there's the scene on Clement Street in the Richmond District. And my two favorite places in Richmond are next door to each other: Chili House serves some of the best Szechuan cuisine I've ever had the pleasure to encounter. Fish Fillet With Flaming Chili Oil is what you wanna have for dinner: a succulent fish soup covered with dozens of red chilies. Chili House is a dinner destination; Good Luck Dim Sum is appropriate for Brunch, Lunch, Second Lunch or High Tea. Two hearty diners can get full to bursting for $8-10 here. Everything they serve is top-notch, just fill out one of the sheets with the little pencils provided to indicate how many of each you want--each order is 3 pieces. Chive Dumpling with Shrimp is a must have. They list one item which should be more accurately labelled *Mock* Shark Fin Dumpling (probably flavored Agar).
One Chinatown that's so on the down-low that many natives are barely aware of it, is the Portola neighborhood, just west of Bayview, on the other side of 101. One place on San Bruno is Hong Kong Restaurant, which serves old school homestyle Chinese fare that is so inexpensive it is rather unbelievable. They have Roast Ducks and Pork hanging in the window like so many other places (I highly recommend both), which they'll serve on white rice and some perfectly cooked vegetable side (usually cabbage, bok choy or chinese broccoli) no doubt sauteed in chicken stock made from scratch. But first, they'll bring you a giant bowl of soup. Vegetarians, don't come here. The soup is always some sort of meat on the bone with plenty of vegetables and some beans, one time the dominating flavor was Bitter Melon. I think the soup is the key here, as it is a subtle way of serving you good medicine. On one recent trip, we looked more carefully at the roasts in the windows, and I did a double take when I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "Is that...duck liver?!" I inquired. The young waitress made face of disgust briefly, and answered in the affirmative. I had that last time I was there. Exquisitely prepared, cooked to perfection & redolent of Five Spice Powder. And it was only $4. With rice, vegetable side, and soup.
San Tung, on the other hand, is no secret, as the long lines will attest. This Inner Sunset establishment on Irving specializes in cuisine from the city of its name, in Manchuria on the Korean border. They'll serve you a version of Kim Chee you might not be familiar with, and in-house made noodles that are to die for. I can't recommend a place any higher.
Old Mandarin Islamic, in Outer Sunset, is located squarely in the middle of a neighborhood that until fairly recently was entirely Irish, but now seems as diverse as any neighborhood in SF. Properly Xi'an cuisine, this place specializes in Lamb--probably the best quality red meat you can get in this region. Cumin Lamb is the thing to try--next time we go we'll have to check out their Lamb Kidneys, some of their many noodle dishes, and Stirred Flour Ball dishes.
There's so many great Korean restaurants in the Bay Area I don't know where to start. You could practically choose any place at random and not go wrong, it seems. The Temescal area of Oakland, Inner Sunset and Richmond Districts of SF have many great places. Bowl'd in Albany (there's also an Oakland location of great repute) specializes in Bibimbop. I've only had this dish a few times in my life, and as far as I'm concerned, this is the best version. They give you so many options--cold vs. hot, what protein you want, you can even choose Mixed Grain (barley, red rice, wild rice, black rice, brown rice) instead of White Rice. I recommend the Hot version with Mixed Grain. By the way, the Spicy Chili Sauce served with your meal? They aren't kidding around. I'm so used to people here playing it safe, but this is the real deal, it is seriously spicy and delicious. This is one of the best restaurants in the Bay Area.
And I can say the same for Seoul Gom Tang, located on the NW corner of Telegraph and MacArthur in Oakland. Look for the building with the blue awning, signs in Korean (no English), and a parking lot that's jam-packed. While Bowl'd specializes in Bibimbop (everything else I've had there is equally astounding), Seoul Gom Tang specializes in soups. Since this place is usually crowded, you often have to wait to get a table, and sometimes service can be relatively slow, but don't let that put you off. Highlights include Ginseng Chicken, Oxtail Soups, Shredded Beef, Seafood & Soft Tofu. I haven't had anything yet that wasn't extraordinary.
Vietnamese is another cuisine where you just about can't go wrong around here. I couldn't believe the first time I had a Bahn Mi here that utterly blew away my favorite version in Austin. Why is that? Because the quality of the meat, seafood, tofu, bread and vegetables--in other words, everything--is far superior to what you can find in Austin, Texas, unless you're talking about beef. Aside from that, there's the skill of the chef and the type of regional speciality within Vietnamese. Pho Pho Quoc Beef Noodle House in Sunset on Irving serves brilliantly-spiced Vermicelli dishes, and exquisite Pho. You might try going there before or after the normal dinner or lunch rush, as the place can get quite full.
Pho Pho Quoc Beef Noodle House's sister restaurant, PPQ Dungeness Crab on Clement in the Richmond district of SF specializes in Roast Dungeness Crab, which many point to as the best version of that locally-sourced crustacean.
If you're flying to SF from a different part of the country, you really owe it to yourself to try Dungeness while you're here.
If you're flying to SF from a different part of the country, you really owe it to yourself to try Dungeness while you're here.
I'd been hearing about Burmese cuisine for years, and the first place I had it was at a place that used to be in the Tenderloin, Burmese Kitchen, now moving elsewhere. However, Burma Superstar, located in several places, including Temescal in Oakland, reigns supreme. Their version of the traditional Tea Leaf Salad is something you must try to believe. Burmese Curry is a prime example of both the singularity of this cuisine, and similarities to dishes from the region of South Asia.
There's so many great Indian/Pakistani restaurants throughout the Bay Area that I'll probably need a few more years of "research" to get a handle on it. The best Pakistani place (on O'Farrell in SF) had to shut down because it got too popular (a case where a rave review in the NY Times had an undesired effect). There's some other places in SF and Berkeley that I simply haven't had time to check out yet, but here's a couple of places that I've been to multiple times that are fabulous: Shalimar in the Tenderloin, Punjabi Dhaba in Dixon, and All Spice in American Canyon. All three places make curries and sauces just like I like them: with plenty of spices that taste freshly ground and roasted, and an overall sense that you are eating something similar to a home-cooked meal. They also all take advantage of sourcing local vegetables, seafood and meat--you can find multiple goat and lamb dishes. Also, Naan that doesn't taste like it came out of a frozen package. All Spice also serves a number of Fijian entrees.
You'll notice right away I'm not mentioning many high dollar restaurants like Chez Panisse & French Laundry (which I've never been to). Those of us who are with the Broke, Not Poor set (tip of the hat to Ed Ward) find Asian takeout a viable alternative. For sushi and Japanese cuisine I recommend Nijiya Market (Japantown, Mountain View & elsewhere) & Tokyo Fish Market, on San Pablo near Gilman in Berkeley; Koreana Plaza, in Oakland on Telegraph, is a great place to get squid, fish cakes, noodles and other Korean delicacies for cheap; Russian Deli Eliseevski (Inner Richmond) has a nice selection of smoked fish, sausages, and fresh breads; 99 Ranch (multiple locations) is an Asian grocery store with great prices, but their in-store restaurant has a deal that can't be beat. Get the two meat plate (we usually get Chinese BBQ Duck and Roast Pork), which comes with a huge pile of rice and side vegetable (usually chinese broccoli or bok choy) for less than $10. That's enough food to feed two very hungry people with healthy appetites.
Messob Ethiopian in the Piedmont neighborhood of Oakland is one of many fine Ethiopian restaurants in the East Bay and elsewhere, though this one seriously stands out. Quite comparable to the Indian Curry places, the fare here is heavily spiced, and the produce and meat is succulent, ripe and fresh. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming.
I could probably spend five years eating pizza and other Italian-American cuisine throughout the Bay Area and still barely scratch the surface. One thing for sure: there's plenty of top-notch pizza places. A couple of folks I know who are from NYC, or lived there for years, tell me that Napoli's here in Vallejo is as good as any place back home, and I've also had many great slices in North Beach. But forget about pizza, here's one place that is utterly amazing: Genoa Deli in the Temescal area of Oakland. Every time I've been there, there's at least 30-40 people with numbers in front of me. Genoa is an old-school kind of place, with fresh ravioli, lasagna, soups and other items on the steam table, with a huge deli full of top quality Salumi, Cheeses, and Salads, and freshly baked breads on the counter behind. I guarantee you've never had a better Italian-American style sandwich.
There's brewpubs and gastropubs galore around here, but the one with the best food that I've happened upon is Pyramid Alehouse in Berkeley on Gilman. They have a huge selection of beers, and a great looking menu, but there's only one item you need to know about: their Wagyu beef burgers. Gotta say, it takes a lot to impress me with a hamburger, but the beef is such high quality, and every aspect--the bread, the sauces, the veggies--is perfect. The atmosphere is a bit on the sports and bro-ish side, but not overwhelmingly so (after all, this is Berkeley).
Bakeries? I'm not eating that many refined carbs these days, and I made pastries for years, so I'm a little jaded. La Farine (East Bay locations) is a great overall bakery, known for their cakes and tarts. Everything I've tried at the Cheese Board (a Collective including Ariz Mendi in various locations in the Bay Area) is superb, but I've never had anything like their Corn Cherry Muffins & Foccacias. The Berkeley Shattuck location often has a line down the block, by the way.
Stella Pastry & Cafe in North Beach is arguably the best place to get an authentic Cannoli around here, but we like to go for the lobster-tail shaped Sfogliatelli. If you are going wine-tasting in Napa County, stop in at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville in the morning first for a croissant that tastes exactly like that one you ate in Paris all those years ago. If you're on your way to wine-tasting in the Russian River area of Sonoma, it is worth your while to stop in at Wild Flour Bakery in Freestone, at the southern end of the Bohemian Highway; everything I've had there is fabulous, but I particularly like their Goat Cheese Flats, which uses goat cheese that's probably hyper-local, possibly made by the hippie lady at the Farmer's Market in Occidental.
Speaking of wine-tasting, I recommend Sonoma County rather than Napa for many reasons. Sonoma (especially away from the whole Santa Rosa/Windsor 101 corridor) is much less corporate, they usually don't charge for the tasting, plus you've got more redwoods, the ocean, and more wilderness. Additionally, there's some world-class restaurants using local, seasonal ingredients. Bistro Des Copains in Occidental is French/American Contemporary, with roots in French peasant cuisine (rabbit, duck, escargot). River's End in Jenner, site of the dramatic terminus of the Russian River, emphasizes seafood, steaks, and wine matching. Terrapin Creek in Bodega Bay features a menu that is continually changing, and is the epitome of the local & seasonal restaurant. The seafood is as fresh as can be. I had the Hamachi Crudo, perfectly presented with parsley, radish, lemon, olive oil, & horseradish. The chefs are as skilled as any of the best whose magic I've had the pleasure to behold. The service was spot on--welcoming, professional, helpful without hovering, and a look in the eye that told me they were happy and delighted in the fact that I was happy dining there. This sort of integrity and sincerity is something money can't buy. Later on, I found out that two of our servers were none other than the owners of Terrapin Creek, down there in the trenches with their workers and customers, setting a tone that was unmistakably joyful, a deft soft touch, and radiant.
Finally, one last jewel of a restaurant: Passionfish in Pacific Grove. There's quite a few notable restaurants on the Monterey peninsula, but this one came highly recommended for their sustainably caught seafood, slow cooked meats, organic locally-sourced vegetables, and very reasonably-priced wine list. First we shared the Dungeness Crab & Avocado Salad with spicy ginger vinaigrette.
We also indulged in a serving of the spoonable 12 hour lamb breast served with a Meyer lemon tajine.
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