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SB35 posted:I'd appreciate recommendations for good coffee and read a book kinda place in the peninsula. Starbucks and Phillz are out because they're ridiculously loud. I don't know how anyone actually gets any work done there.
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Sep 25, 2016 14:07
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OGS-Remix posted:Does anyone have any suggestions for interesting places to try around Davies Symphony hall? I eat pretty much anything so I'm willing to try stuff. Nojo is maybe a block away and without question the best ramen I've ever had in SF. I suggest either the basic chicken paitan or the soy sauce variant; the chicken nanban appetizer is particularly good if you're hungry. It's on the expensive side but entirely worth it IMO
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Feb 3, 2017 07:50
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mmm11105 posted:Anyone have any recommendations in Napa Valley in the $50-60/person range? This is a little late but I suggest Bounty Hunter in downtown Napa. Get the chicken Also Solbar in Calistoga amethystbliss posted:Bouchon is really good. FWIW I've found the Bouchon in Yountville to be inconsistent. I would suggest going for brunch and getting the chicken & waffles
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Apr 1, 2017 18:51
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Toe Rag posted:I went here tonight. It was pretty good, but I don't really understand why it has a Michelin star. Like, if this is Michelin star, why is Dosa "bib gourmand?" Given the criteria for bib gourmand seems to be primarily around price, if anything I would expect the inverse. I think the dosas at Rasa are 5-10% better than say Udupi Palace or Vik's Chaat. You're paying a large premium for a fairly small but IMO noticeable improvement (I haven't been back to Dosa since I ordered their truffle oil utthapam) Bib Gourmand IIRC requires both a certain level of quality under a certain price threshold. There's a separate designation just for inexpensive food 2nding Yi Yuan; those who don't want to travel there should also check out Chili House on Clement St
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Oct 7, 2017 06:57
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Ranter posted:mensho ramen is completely overrated. If you want to wait an hour for soft overcooked noodles and chashu that disintegrates because its so overcooked then be my guest. Agreed; IMO Nojo and Hinodeya are miles better
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Jan 30, 2018 04:15
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Development posted:I'm going for hotpot tonight at Haidilao in Cupertino. Anyone been and have any recos? You've got to go check out the ones in China
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Mar 15, 2018 05:26
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Ranter posted:I got there at 5:15 (official opening time was listed as 5:30) and he was already slowly letting people in to not overwhelm FOH and BOH. Took about 35mins to get let in.
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Mar 15, 2018 05:28
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Ranter posted:What does "zoolike" mean? I was able to watch the other patrons I guess? But that would mean most restaurants are zoolike. So zoolike would be: too many people crammed into a small place such that it's uncomfortably tight and you have to shout in order to have a conversation
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Mar 15, 2018 06:33
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Incoherence posted:Really loud restaurants are all the rage right now. Not necessarily cramped, but lacking in sound dampening. I can't say I'm a huge fan of it as a trend. Me neither; I remember reading that louder restaurants lead to customers spending more and/or not lingering, both of which are wins for the restaurant. I personally am loyal to quiet(er) restaurants
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Mar 15, 2018 07:37
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AnonSpore posted:Anybody have a good rec for the kind of dimsum you order in line and it's all put into boxes to go, not the kind where you sit down and get it brought to you in carts? I normally go to Good Mong Kok but I was wondering if there was some other place I should be checking out. Doesn't have to be in SF. This is a fairly obscure one, but I highly highly recommend Oriental Tea House in San Leandro. They do a lot of to go business
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Apr 26, 2018 05:01
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Ranter posted:If we're talking east bay and the San Leandro/Hayward area, then Tin's Teapot > Oriental Tea House Never been; will have to go check that out. Any dishes in particular you recommend
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Apr 27, 2018 01:04
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Carillon posted:A food blogger I follow has been trying to find good XLB here in the bay area and failing. All the talk of XLB though has made me want to find some here, anyone have any leads on where they might be? Not world-beatingly good, but these are solid choices: Dragon Beaux (in the Richmond), or Koi Palace (specifically the one in Dublin, CA not Daly City)
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May 19, 2018 15:18
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Well CTM and Pad Thai and sushi rolls with e.g. cream cheese are all distinct from XLB in that they are made up things (cf. http://fooddetectivesdiary.blogspot.com/2011/02/brief-history-of-chicken-tikka-masala.html and https://gastronomica.org/2009/02/10/finding-pad-thai/; as for sushi rolls you're on your own). To call them 'basics' is to imply they are fundamental to Indian, Thai and Japanese cuisine respectively, which isn't right Also yes, authenticity is a pointless shibboleth etc etc etc, so here is some helpful content in that vein: check out the butter chicken at Rooh in SF with a side of garlic naan; it's worth it!
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Jun 2, 2018 22:01
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AnonSpore posted:Carbonara Tonkatsu try Muracci’s either downtown SF or Berkeley For udon please tell me if you find something good; I’m not aware of any e: Marugame is decent but variable depending on how slammed they are
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Aug 22, 2018 19:27
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TheCog posted:Gonna be in SF for a couple days: For #2 would recommend Al’s Place or The Morris or Rich Table. For #1: knishes and honey cake at 20th Century Cafe, ice cream at Salt & Straw, croissants at Arsicault
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Sep 4, 2018 06:00
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MAKE NO BABBYS posted:Als place and commonwealth are both fussy tasting menus, I say that as a person who enjoys that but doesn’t sound like what you’re looking for. Foreign Cinema is a decent choice though. Exceptional wine list
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Sep 5, 2018 00:15
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minato posted:
Try Sasaki 
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Sep 12, 2018 07:41
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OGS-Remix posted:If you had to pick between going to Meadowwood or French Laundry, which one would you pick? And you can include the Chef's table at Meadowwood as well. I've (also) eaten at almost every 2 & 3 star in the Bay Area, and would second (or third?) the consensus that French Laundry is not worth it. Meadowood I would rank in the upper echelon of 3 stars along with Single Thread, Benu and Quince. Atelier Crenn, Manresa and French Laundry I'm rather meh about (I would actually rank Coi above these three). Never been to Saison Kin Khao is not trash, but I wouldn't make a special trip there. My favorite 1*s: Al's Place, Gary Danko, Nico, Octavia, Rich Table Also sushi-wise it is utter bs that Sasaki didn't get a star
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Dec 6, 2018 06:33
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bee burger posted:I had the tasting menu at rich table and I thought it was not good. Lotta weird choices on there, like poorly cooked pasta, and overall not a good unifying theme. Did I screw up or something? Yeah do never get the tasting; I always get a lot of bites and apps, a few pastas, and once in a blue moon an entree. That’s probably counterintuitive
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Dec 8, 2018 20:17
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beefnchedda posted:Thoughts on Che Fico? Worth the hype? Sasaki is IMO very good. It is run by the chef who opened Omakase and got them their star in the first place. He only serves 6 per seating at the counter, so you’re sure to get him instead of some understudy. Highly pricey though
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Dec 8, 2018 20:22
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luminalflux posted:Where can I get good khao soi in SF? I had mindblowing northern thai in LA and i need more of it in my life They don’t have khao soo but Tycoon is an amazing place to go for Northern Thai food. I love the Nam Kao Tod and the Kao Piak
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Jul 13, 2019 17:27
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OGS-Remix posted:R&G Lounge is probably the best then yeah. I heard they changed owners though but I went a couple of weeks ago and it was still solid. Z&Y is decent and also more casual You guys should also swing by Golden Gate Bakery on the off chance it's open. I've only ever been lucky once in my life, but I made it count
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Jul 16, 2019 06:25
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8 Tables is decent but you can do much much better for your money. Like Benu. Good cocktails though Also I’m shocked that people like Mister Jiu’s but perhaps they had an off night when I was there FWIW my three favorite Chinese restaurants are: Chili House in the Richmond neighborhood, Oriental Teahouse in San Leandro, and Great China in Berkeley (bonus: outrageous wine list)
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Jul 19, 2019 06:12
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AnonSpore posted:Anyone got a good rec for a wine tasting thingie in Napa Valley? Serious post; do Shafer or Opus One. Both are moderately serious if rather expensive
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Aug 17, 2019 19:02
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MAKE NO BABBYS posted:If anyone could make baiju palatable it would be Danny Louie. You have to buy the expensive kind and drink it straight up with filthy peasant spicy Chinese food, the filthier the better. I don’t often drink it, but getting shitfaced on it in the Guizhou countryside is one of the peak drinking experiences of my life
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Aug 17, 2019 19:07
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Carillon posted:XLB I liked at Palette
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Sep 10, 2019 23:49
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Toe Rag posted:Quotes like that seem suspect to me. Why can’t they raise their prices accordingly, especially if they’re still busy? Are they already priced at the tipping point? They also blame a change in dining culture but there is no elaboration as to what that means. That could be the reporters fault, though. Bay Area people don’t appreciate quality or consistency, or being challenged in general (I'm exaggerating for rhetorical effect but you get the idea). They wouldn’t pay up for it even if they had the money. The rapid influx of wealthy but tasteless people is ever reducing the appetite for interesting poo poo, and is turning the market into a combination of Palo Alto and Vegas. There are still pockets of quality left, but they are mostly at the very high or very low end. Escalating costs (e.g. there was an owner I knew who couldn't keep staff at $65K with benefits) are merely the cherry on top of the poo poo sundae Most of the people I know who care about food are increasingly cooking it themselves and hosting dinner parties. Which is a pity because easy access to good food prepared with love is such a democratizing thing that we're losing slowly got off on a technicality fucked around with this message at 00:27 on Sep 30, 2019 |
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Sep 29, 2019 23:39
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Arsenic Lupin posted:.... but home cooking is good food prepared with love? In any case, I've had some transcendent meals here in the last year; the two most recent were at Jeanne d'Arc and at Mourad. Right my point is good food prepared with love is harder and harder to come by unless you do it yourself, which is a pity because it would be nice to just have to walk into a restaurant to get it Mourad is pretty drat good, and remains one of the islands of consistency that I appreciate. Never went to Jeanne d'Arc but will have to try. In that vein there is also Chez Maman and Mathilde
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Sep 29, 2019 23:57
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Carillon posted:Has anyone been to Bellota? I'm headed there Friday and trying to see if the paella is worth ordering. Let us know how it turns out; I’ve been meaning to try
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Dec 6, 2019 04:41
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Carillon posted:I haven't but it looks good, would love to A/B test there. Carillon thanks for the trip report FWIW I've been to Coqueta a number of times and they do have the proper amount of soccarat at the bottom of their paella e: oh poo poo I wrote the above before reading this page; I guess I'm never going back to Coqueta
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Dec 16, 2019 07:11
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MAKE NO BABBYS posted:Papi? He’s got the spits. A stack of potato chips is all I need with the delicious mezcal at Mosto. Really why else would anyone go there?
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Dec 18, 2019 04:53
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Toe Rag posted:Went to Palette Tea House tonight. Food and drinks were pretty good, but my god the service was terrible. Maybe they were just horribly understaffed because it is Christmas Eve? I had perfectly acceptable service the last time I was there for Sunday brunch; likely just the holidays Next time do something like Oriental Tea House in San Leandro for uniformly bad service year round
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Dec 29, 2019 05:39
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AnonSpore posted:More a point of curiosity than anything but, are there any particular knife sharpening services that are known to be good/to be avoided in the bay? There was a knife sharpener who would set up shop in Noe Valley on 24th St Saturday mornings. Don't know if he's still going but I went to him for years
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Jul 9, 2020 01:04
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minato posted:Within San Francisco: Tartine's croissant is also good but darker, more breadlike, and less buttery / flaky. It's less satisfying to me but this is more a matter of personal taste B patisserie is a distant third, but still good
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Apr 14, 2021 05:31
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Junior G-man posted:Got a table at al's Place as well for when we're back in two weeks 😎. All the amazing sounding places are like hyper closed on Monday though. Booo. Al's Place is a super great choice. The "Fish Mullet" is a must; they tend to sell out so I always ask them to reserve a portion as soon as I sit down. Also I suggest the fries (made from pickled potatoes), and they're always trying something fun with the burrata - last time I was there it was mapo spice, now it's something different
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May 2, 2022 02:13
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Marlena is a hot new restaurant that's open on Mondays. I find the quality a bit variable but they are creative and shockingly affordable by SF standards
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May 2, 2022 02:16
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fermun posted:Is Marlena open now? Last time I looked they were shut down to do some kitchen renovations. Oh drat I had no idea. Was there end-March but you're right. Scratch that then Mijote is another one worth trying that's open Mondays. Japanese chef who worked at David Toutain for years (an amazing 2* restaurant in Paris but in the modern style, which I suppose is what you're looking for). Haven't been but I'm told they're really good. Also very affordable by SF standards
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May 2, 2022 02:53
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