Saigon Sandwich

Best meal I've ever had in San Francisco for less than $5.

Definitely the best Banh Mi I've ever had. I got the Special Combination, which looks and tastes like Roast Pork, Pate, and either Chicken or Boiled Pork. Pate was fabulous. Super fresh jalapeno & cilantro. Outstanding baguette. Carrot & daikon in Vietnamese marinade (Nuoc Cham?).

La Taquiza in Napa

Tried something new at La Taquiza, above: Carne Asada that's as good as any I've ever had.  Below, another Pulpo Taco. Great salsas at this place: habanero, arbol, verde & pico de gallo made right. 

We've been to La Taquiza before--we were impressed the first time, even more impressed today. Above you can see two shots of their version of Oyster Tacos, which was a special of the day. Lightly breaded and briefly fried, these oysters were of such high quality they could have served them to us raw.

A couple of shots of what we came for, their Octopus Tacos. Insanely good, cooked over a grill, so there's a nice smoky char on the fish, but cooked perfectly.

Bay Thai Cuisine & L&G Vietnamese Sandwich

Robin's been raving about Bay Thai in San Rafael for a while. Yesterday she was running work-related errands all day, and after she picked me up, we eventually made our way to downtown San Rafael where she had to pick up dye supplies at Dharma, which seems like one of those places that's been around since the 1970s. In fact, they were playing Fleetwood Mac's Rumors when we were there. But then after that errand, we were gettin' hungry, so we finally checked out the best Thai food I've had yet in the Bay Area.

Calamari salad (YUM PLA MUK). Mostly finely shredded lettuce topped with perfectly cooked calamari, and a fish sauce based dressing. A fine beginning to an exquisite meal.

Pad Thai. Best version of the Bangkok style Pad Thai (there's a regional version served at Sap's in Austin, TX that I've had which is very different, but equally as excellent) I've ever had. Huge shrimp. Marinated tofu.

Seafood Red Curry. Scallops, shrimp, calamari. I didn't find it that spicy in terms of heat (not something folks in the North Bay generally like), but very spicy in terms of the flavors one expects in a thai red curry. Complex and balanced. I augmented my portion with the chili flakes sitting on the table which, upon tasting them, made my eyeballs roll into the back of my head with pleasure and ecstasy.

Bay Thai Cuisine

809 4th Street, San Rafael

415-458-8845

Little Saigon is near where I work, and I sometimes forget that I can score a cheap Banh Mi down there. The other day I was getting hungry, and found this new place, L&G. Pretty awesome.

This is their porky "Special Combination". For $3.50, it's a bargain, and much better than a slice of pizza. Delicious!

Here's their simple menu. Might not be the best Banh Mi in San Francisco, but way better than most!

L & G Vietnamese Sandwich

602 Eddy, SF

415-345-1878

Roses Blooming (plus one orchid)

These are roses at Robin's friends' house in Vallejo. Robin has some kale and alliums (garlic?) growing there, and her friends Bruce and Michelle grow a whole lot of stuff, but these roses were planted by the previous owner. This is when roses bloom here in the Bay Area. Enjoy.

Alameda Marketplace & More

Alameda has a lot in common with Vallejo. Major naval bases were shut down in both cities in the 90s. Alameda has bounced back better than Vallejo, but many people there are barely making ends meet. And yet, both cities have their beautiful side: Victorian architecture, wonderful natural settings, and a setting on the Bay that most people would pay a premium for.

Robin wanted me to see this food hall, Alameda Marketplace, that's in a refurbished old brick building on a main street. Here's you're looking at the dry aging fridge of Baron's Meats and Seafood. 

And here's a shot of Baron's meat counter. Wild Board Bacon & Lamb Sirloin. You don't see that everywhere.

Long (if fuzzy) shot of the Marketplace. Looks ultra modern inside, nostalgically old on the outside.

Farmstead Cheeses & Wines. Astonishing wine selection.

And cheese. Stunning selection.

The Pantry. We laughed about these dog mugs, but then later we were thinking how practical. Hmmm. Great selection of cooking gear.

Feel Good Bakery. I'm usually skeptical about baked goods, but this place drew me in. Look at this stuff! They also had a toothsome array of sweet pastries including some beautiful macarons.

Alameda Natural Grocery. Sorry this one's so fuzzy, but it's a display of medicinal mushrooms used in various healthcare supplements, including products by Paul Stamets, one of the world's experts in the field. Robin knows him. The lady working in this department was so sweet.

Generally, a store with a nice selection, but with prices higher than Whole Foods. Like this one. An ugly incident transpired when I checked out with my box of Ak-Mak and bottle of ginger honey juice which was on sale. The youngish cashier tried to charge me full price, then I pointed out the sale. After she gave me the change owed, some guy (with the store, I assume) was all hostile and in my face. When I asked for a receipt, he barked out with hostility "she offered it to you but you turned it down" (actually, I turned down the offer of the bag). I chalk all this up to the fact that it must be hard to keep a high priced place like this afloat in a market that's got the lowest amount of Sales Tax Receipts Per Capita in the Bay Area--even lower than Vallejo! (Of course Vallejo until recently had a booming Medical Marijuana sector, also used car dealerships).

Probably old Navy warehouses. Beautiful buildings.

Old school Chinese.

Pho King Vietnamese Restaurant in Oakland

Two years ago I posted my initial review of Pho King, and although we've returned many times, this is my annual update. Above and below, grilled shrimp & pork with rice.

Fresh Spring Rolls.

Wide Noodles with bacon, pork on the bone & shrimp, served with lots of greens. Note that I chose fresh-squeezed OJ, an ideal beverage with this meal if not getting spirits or caffeine.

That's without a doubt the best Vietnamese iced coffee I've ever tasted.

Robin had heard good things about Pho King, so we checked it out. The place was packed, we had to wait a bit, which was fine. It was a lovely day out. Normally we would have just had a couple of entrees, but when I saw Roast Quail on the menu, I had to have it. Dry rub of Five Spice Powder, perfectly roasted. Made me nostalgic for El Tacos Rico, my favorite Mexican food in Austin, which is no more--they used to serve Enchiladas Quilota--Quail enchiladas, which were utterly divine, as were these.

We each had one. Oh yeah, also it came with some pickled cabbage and carrots. Funny thing, that, because the El Tacos Rico Quail Enchiladas *also* came with white cabbage & carrots, though raw and sliced thinly, along with radish and jalapenos & some cotija cheese. Cuisine of this caliber stays with you, and only the best cuisine will make you think of past culinary masterpieces you've had.

The #17, the Crab, Pork Blood Cubes, Quail Egg, Tofu, Fish Ball, Tomato-based noodle soup. Apparently one of their signature dishes. Mainly the broth tasted of crab, garlic and tomato. The Holy Thai Basil and Jalapenos added to this really rounded things out--and those weren't no wimpy jalapenos, no sirree!   

Bliss!

The Quail eggs beckon.

Come to Papi Chulo. Oh yeah, also they had some killer chili sauce at the table that was divine, the best ever.

Robin ordered this chicken noodle soup which doesn't look like much, but it was deeply soulful and delicious. Tasted like Five Spice Powder. Damn, do these folks at this restaurant *know how to cook*!

Pho King

638 International Blvd, Oakland, CA 94606

(510) 444-0448