600+ SF Restaurants impacted by recall of spices
April 10, 2009 at 12:40 pm Filed in:food&drink No Comments
In San Francisco, there are over 600 restaurants and retailers (622, according to a spreadsheet released by the California DPH.) affected by the recent recall of spices packaged by the Union International Food Company under the labels Lian How and Uncle Chen. The list includes a bunch of liquor stores and groceries where consumers may have unwittingly purchased the potentially contaminated products… but hundreds of restaurants are included in the list as well.
The establishments include a large number of smaller Asian restaurants and corner stores, but also include some well-known SF establishments ranging from the low-cost dives where you’d likely expect to get food poisoning anyway, to like Burma Super Star and Mandalay, Boogaloo’s, Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack, Bissap Baobab, the King of Thai chain, Peasant Pies, Osha, Seller’s Markets, to places that are a little more ‘up there’ Espetus Churrascaria and Tryptich. Even bars like Delerium are affected. [See the full list after the cut.]
In a quick glance at the restaurants, I didn’t notice any of the restaurants which label themselves as ‘sustainable’ sticking out as being on the list… but that doesn’t mean that I think this is a “sustainable vs. industrial” food production issue, as it might appear. And I’m not laying any fault on the restaurants themselves…. not really.
What it really communicates to me is the bizarre disconnect between us and where our food comes from – especially when we’re dining out in restaurants. When I was still a vegetarian (at least when in Florida and the Midwest), not only was it impossible to find out where my food came from – most of the time, I couldn’t even find out if there was chicken in it or not. The wait staff usually doesn’t know… and in many places, there’s a communication gap between the servers and the kitchen. Although in San Francisco, it’s a little different… you’re usually able to find out if there’s meat in a meal… but if you have other dietary restrictions, restaurants are still not always accommodating – they’re unwilling to let you know what’s in a dish to protect their recipe, they simply don’t know, or they unintentionally (or, perhaps, sometimes intentionally) disseminate misinformation.
Note: the next page takes a while to load with all the restaurant data.
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Mars and Venus can’t find burger at Saturn Cafe
July 13, 2008 at 1:58 pm Filed in:food&drink No Comments
Saturn Cafe
145 Laurel St
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 429-8505
Say you’re craving a big bowl of gnocchi in a walnut-gorgonzola sauce, so you go out to eat at a place called Mars. Once there, you ask the waiter to make sure there’s no chicken broth in the sauce ’cause you’re a vegetarian, you wait for your meal to come out, and when it’s finally delivered to your table, you discover slices of prosciutto on top because there’s prosciutto in every dish at the restaurant? A small sign outside mentioned that they make their own cured meats, but didn’t say anything about every single meal being laden with prosciutto or sausages.
Although I’m now a recovering vegetarian, having been on that end of the spectrum for about 15 years, I was disheartened to have a similar (albeit opposite) experience when we headed to the Saturn cafe to satisfy our burger craving. Large signs on the windows heralding the presence of “Burgers” and “Shakes” and only a small sign above the door touting their fantastic vegetarian (but notedly, they didn’t say “ALL-vegetarian”) menu.
Luckily, after spending 15 years as a vegetarian, I’m well attuned to noticing the phrase “100% vegetarian.” And I noticed it on the menu the second I sat down… and two seconds later, I was out the nearest emergency exit door. Had there not been such a conflict between what was advertised and what was on the menu, and had I not been craving a big hunk of ground beef molded into the shape of a patty, I might have dove into any seitan-containing item on the menu… but I don’t take kindly to manipulation, and I wasn’t going to feel guilty leaving a restaurant which lured me in by false advertising.
But I’m a mid-century modern junkie. One star: for the decor alone.
Goin’ to Kansas City (or at least the East Bay) – Berkeley, here I come!
January 10, 2008 at 2:10 pm Filed in:food&drink No Comments
KC Bar-b-Q
2613 San Pablo Ave
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 548-1140
I’ve never been to Kansas City, but after visiting KC Bar-b-Q, I’m thinking about making a point of it should I ever again drive through Missouri.
Damn, that’s some good meat. The ribs are slow-smoked, not quite falling off the bone, but tender, juicy, and just a bit caramelized on top. Get the sauce on the side to fully appreciate the flavor and quality of this meat.
As for the sauce, it’s sweet and not too spicy (read: not spicy enough for me), but that really doesn’t matter, ’cause here it’s all about the meat.
The potato salad was light, providing a nice counterpoint to the density and flavor of the ribs. Be forewarned, though… if you have a celery phobia as severe as mine, you might find it laden with Satan’s favorite vegetable.
Even though I ordered the rib sandwich, the chef saw one of his friends at the counter and thought the order was for him, so I didn’t get the standard order… it came with sauce on the side, probably a couple of extra ribs and some links too.
Links aren’t exactly my cup of tea: I prefer sucking the meat off a bone to eating meat that’s ground up, then compressed inside an intestine (unless it’s bratwurst). Nah, the links weren’t bad, but they’re the only remnant of that meal still sitting in my fridge 5 days later.
In summary:
+ Great ribs, decent everything else.
+ Not a fan of the style of sauce? Get it to go with sauce on the side, take home and dip or use your favorite instead.
+ Celery is the stalk of the devil.
+ Do I need to clean out my fridge? Probably.
+ Would I take my dad here? The answer is a resounding YES. So far, some of the best ribs I’ve had in the Bay Area… but then again, there hasn’t been too much stiff competition.
It tastes nothing like Greek to me.
January 9, 2008 at 5:29 pm Filed in:food&drink No Comments
Daphne’s Greek Cafe
344 Westlake Center
Daly City, CA 94015
(650) 991-3496
No.
This is not Greek food.
Some of it looks right. The vegetarian platter had things that looked and somewhat tasted like dolmas, bland hummus and pita.
But what were the hockey pucks? You call that falafel? And the oversized Totino’s pizza rolls? Don’t even try to tell me that crap is spanikopita with a straight face. Deep-fried and greasy as hell, the spinach and cheese was more akin to frozen pizza snacks or even egg rolls than anything any self-respecting Greek restaurants back home would even consider serving. And the tzatziki was just wrong. It was incredibly thick and seemed more like sour cream with dill than the tzatziki I’ve had anywhere else; no cucumber was noticeable at all.
The overall quality of the food, although it was nowhere near authentic it would have warranted two stars. But the last star gets taken away for my last bite. Even though I still had 1/3 of my meal left, but after tasting mold, the rest of that food went right where it belonged: into the compost.
One star, Daphne.
#fail.
January 3, 2008 at 5:32 pm Filed in:food&drink 1 Comment
The Bashful Bull Too
3600 Taraval St
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 759-8112
My cat’s breath smells like cat food.
…No, wait…
My cat’s breath tastes like cat food.
…Oops. Let me try that one more time…
My corned beef hash tastes like cat food.
I really don’t get what everyone over on yelp is talking about: this corned beef hash is absolutely disgusting. The taste and texture is exactly what you would get if you opened up a can of moist cat or dog food, flattened it into a pancake, and pan fried it. The two eggs were rubbery. It was not a good meal.
As this is the only diner in my neck of the woods, I’ve been on other occasions, and although they weren’t fantastic dining experiences, they were tolerable. Actually, the grilled cheese with pineapple + avocado was fairly tasty… but about $8 more than I’d pay to make it myself (if the light in my kitchen actually worked…)
The only item I’d truly recommend: the avocado milkshake. True, it isn’t the only place in the city serving up the combo of avocado and ice cream… but if you find yourself at the beach, it’s a tasty, creamy, refreshing way to cool off on one of those rare warm, sunny days in the Inner Farallons.
Yamo is lots, but not a lot.
January 3, 2008 at 2:19 pm Filed in:food&drink No Comments
Yamo
3406 18th St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 553-8911
1/3/2008
Lots of food.
Not a lot of money.
Lots of people calling orders in for pick-up.
Not a lot of seats.
Lots of tasty, filling mohinga (fish chowder with noodles).
Not a lot of love for the samusas, unless soaked in the mohinga.
Lots of people coming in and asking for a free sample of the soup, then leaving.
Not a lot of protection from the cold and rain blowing in the open door.
Not as high-end as Mandalay or Burma Superstar.
Lucky means it’s 24 Hours… not because it’s any good.
January 2, 2008 at 5:34 pm Filed in:food&drink No Comments
Lucky Penny Restaurant
2670 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 921-0836
1/3/2008
Having spent innumerable wee hours during my teenage years at Denny’s, rolling into Lucky Penny at 3 a.m. on NYE proved exactly how I expected it to be.
For some reason, after a full analysis of the menu I decided it was a good idea to order the Hot Roast Beef Sandwich. According to the menu, this dish consists of “sliced hot roast beef served open faced on a slice of taxas cost, with mashed potatoes and coleslaw topped with our smooth gravy” (did I mention I had been traveling since 4 a.m. the previous day? And it was New Year’s Eve?) Unfortunately, it wasn’t just the mashed potatoes that were swimming in a puddle of thick (but, as advertised, smooth) brown goo.
Nope, it wasn’t good. But t wasn’t entirely disgusting (the slaw was actually fairly tasty) , and I didn’t suffer the next day (but I did mention it was New Year’s Eve, right? I’m certain must have consumed enough champagne to sufficiently lyse any microbial cell membranes).
But hell, they’re one of the very few places in The City open at 3 a.m. And since I don’t ever plan on visiting Lucky Penny when I’m fully capable of thoroughly analyzing the experience, I’m overriding my usual “3 visits before reviewing” rule. Chances are, if I can palate the food, I won’t be able to remember it well enough to be useful anyway.
The Mayor of Butchertown
December 1, 2007 at 2:16 pm Filed in:food&drink No Comments
Sam Jordan’s Bar
4003 3rd St
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 282-4003
Sam Jordan’s isn’t a dive bar, it isn’t a lounge, it isn’t a club. It’s a piece of San Francisco history. Opened in 1959, when what’s now known as Bayview was instead known as Butchertown, the meatpacking district of San Francisco, where the Islais Creek ran red with the blood from the slaughterhouses and cowboys ran herds of cattle through the streets.
Sam Jordan was the mayor of Butchertown. When you came to town, you hadn’t really arrived until you met Sam. When you came to Sam Jordan’s, you’d meet Sam. And when you came back, he’d remember you.
While so many bars in this city are a place to imbibe, a place to find someone to take home for the night, a place to find a fleeting source of entertainment, Sam Jordan’s is a place to find a true community. You walk in, and you’re greeted not just by the bartender when you sit down for a drink, but you’re engaged by the clientele, invited to share in their conversations, invited into their community. You can still find the original bartender there, only now he’s on the other side of the bar.
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Eating the Golden Pagoda
December 1, 2007 at 2:14 pm Filed in:food&drink No Comments
Burma Super Star
309 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 387-2147
Before I decided to move to San Francisco, one of the first things I did was check to see if there were any Burmese restaurants in the City. Coming from Chicago and Miami where there are none, this was one of my major criteria for finding a new metropolitan area in which to reside. In large part, Burma Superstar helped me make my decision. Yes, I moved here largely so that I could eat Burmese food… you got a problem with that?
But in the year and a half I’ve lived here, why have I only been there ONCE? It’s not the food, which is excellent. Rainbow salad, the clay-pot chicken, the Superstar noodles, the coconut rice… fantastic. Tea leaf salad… good, although I do prefer Mandalay’s version sans laitue. Litchee mojitos made with soju? Niiiiice.
So why have I only been there once? I don’t wait two hours to eat.
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Papa Del’s West
December 1, 2007 at 2:12 pm Filed in:food&drink No Comments
[SUBJECT: Zachary's Chicago Pizza]
[WARNING: the following review reflects the opinions of a highly biased former Chicagoan]
Zachary’s is not truly authentic Chicago-style deep dish…
But it is good.
A panel of two Chicagoans have approved the following analysis of the standard spinach and mushroom deep-dish pizza:
The sauce is fresh-tasting and zesty, although a bit too fresh-tasting for true Chicago standards, but no complaints.
The cheese is high quality.
The spinach was fresh-tasting and well cooked, not exuding moist-ness into the pie.
The mushrooms were properly cooked.
The fillings were abundant, but not over-abundant.
The crust was… ok. For graduates of UIUC, it resembles a Papa Del’s dough crust than the delectable yet filling Chicago-style cornmeal crust a la Lou Malnati’s. It did seem to have more effort put into it than simply doubling the amount of dough found in a thin crust, which many Bay Area “Chicago-style” pizza parlors (*cough*Paxti’s*cough*) seem to find acceptable.
In the final analysis, it was pretty good, evidenced by the fact that my first bite put a huge grin on this Chicago-style deep dish snob’s face. Truth be told, I’d go back, and am one of the SF residents clamoring to see a Zachary’s open up on this side of the bay.
But it still isn’t a substitute for the Lou. Thank goodness for FedEx overnight.