Where The Hell Is He?

   Did you miss me? Sorry for going off without an explanation. I've just spent three nightmarish weeks in St. Mary's Hospital after having some mild surgery on my legs. If you have to spend time in a hospital, try to avoid that one. They joke about the food being bad; well there it's atrocious unless you stick to packaged things like yogurt and fresh fruit. Any cooked food is just abysmal. One trick I use to make the oatmeal edible is to ask for sugar free cocoa mix, sugar packets, butter and a fresh banana. Stir it all up and add a little milk if you like et voila!
   I don't know how soon I'm going to be able to resume work and thus enjoy eating out again, but let's hope it's soon! Let me hear from ya...

Wild Hare - 2801 California at Divisadero, SFCA

   Brought to you by the same folks who own Bullitt, Tonic, Dr. Teeth and other establishments in SF, Wild Hare occupies the former Solstice space. They don't have the forties of Old English 800 like Bullitt, but they do have Jameson and Fernet on tap.
   We started with a Sampler Plate (15) which included mac 'n' cheese, corn dogs and crab jalapeno poppers. We had ordered the reuben egg rolls but somehow got corn dogs. Oh well, we also got the Showdogs Fried Bacon (9). I wasn't in a corn dog mood, so I skipped those. Everything else was easy on the palate, especially the mac 'n' cheese, nothing fancy just plenty of creamy goodness. The poppers could have used a bit more crab meat and the sauces need a little more zing and less salt. Dipping the bacon in the mac 'n' cheese hit the spot.
   I'm always a sucker for Cobb Salad (11) but in this case it was a mistake. The salad came last, after we'd eaten almost everything else, and I saw food coming out of the kitchen for people who ordered after we did. Someone in the kitchen needs to get their priorities straight. It was pretty average and needed more dressing.
   I forgot my camera again, so Melissa was kind enough to take these pics with Instagram. Unfortunately, the pic of Jared's Crab Melt (12) didn't come out well. It came with a tomato bisque, which Jared said was so-so, but the melt itself was very good.
   Melissa opted for the 4pc Fried Chicken Bucket (8) and she said the crust was nice and crispy and the meat was tender and not dry. It came with a hefty bowl of cole slaw, fixed with sparse seasoning and vinegar.
   The beer is served in pint Mason jars, except for the Guiness of course, and a Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale and a Firestone IPA were both $6. The back bar has a number of Hangar One vodkas and three Cortaleza tequilas if you want to step up in class.
   I'd like to go back when I'm in the mood for a tempura style bacon dog and some truffle Tater Tots, just a couple more items that make the menu here interesting. At 1:20 on a Sunday afternoon it wasn't jammed with hipsters, but then again it's a ways from the Mission.

Villa Romano - 731 Irving near 8th Ave., SFCA

   People told me not to go and of course, being the stubborn and fair-minded dude that I am, I went anyway. I didn't have the camera with me, but you all know what ravioli and meatballs looks like, don't you? I gotta say, the people were right. The meatballs were dry and over-salted and the cheese ravioli tasted like the ones you buy frozen in large bags. The bolognese sauce was light on meat and also salty. The server brought me bread right away, but no butter, no knife and no plate! With a glass of house red, which was actually decent, this came to $31 plus tip. So much for some of the old SF institutions...

Burmese Kitchen - 452 Larkin near Turk, SFCA

    I was intending to eat at a place called Larkin Express because I'd heard they had curried goat stew. When I got there I discovered it was now Burmese Kitchen, but I didn't care. I said, good, now I don't have to go to the Richmond or Top of the Hill. I found out it's still the same owners, they just changed the name. But the curried goat isn't available anymore.
   I made do with the Ginger Salad (6.5), a healthy combo of shredded cabbage, ginger, peanuts and various dried peas with sesame seeds on top. This was a perfect foil for the Spicy Fish (7.95), two nice batter-fried filets smothered in a potent sauce of shallots, garlic and pepper. This baby had kick to it!
   The whole menu here is very reasonably priced and has plenty of vegetarian options. They're open daily except Sunday from 10:30 to 8:15. If you'd like to order online, go to:
burmesekitchen.eat24hour.com

Chinese Food Additions

    Here are some dishes from previously visited restos:
    At the top, some Pork and Preserved Egg Jook (4.5) from Yin Du at 648 Pacific. I like this place more and more. This jook had really fresh pork and plenty of it, with just enough egg to offer a contrasting flavor. And it's $4.50 with tax! You won't get decent jook in Chinatown for much less than that.
    Michael, Christine and I paid a recent visit to Chili House, 726 Clement to see if we'd fare better at dinner than lunch. Pictured below the jook is Salty Egg Yolk Prawns, a dish now served at numerous Sichuan/Hunan restos like Z&Y and The Pot Sticker. There's corn in there too. This may be an acquired taste for some, but M & C took to it right away.
    Next is Fried Eggplant with Basil. This dish was really good, but you have to eat while it's reasonably warm because the batter can get a little soggy. A+ on this one.
    Fish Filets in Spicy Oil is served as a cold app and you get your numbing heat with this one. The idea of cold fish may put some people off but it really is good, and you get a little crunch and a cooling effect from the cucumber.
    And lastly, the House Cold Noodles. I wasn't quite as impressed with these, compared to what I've had elsewhere. There was definitely something lacking, flavorwise.
    Not pictured here is a hot pot we had with lamb and fish. They serve it either plain or spicy; if you order plain like we did, they lump the lamb and fish together in the pot, which makes it a little murky and that's why I didn't photograph it. If you order it spicy, the lamb is served raw on the side and you can cook it in the broth to your level of doneness. I like it that way better.

Southpaw - 2170 Mission near 18th, SFCA

    The first time I visited Southpaw was right when they opened, and unfortunately their smoker had died. So I had a catfish sammy that was pretty good. The second time I dropped by, they had changed their opening time to 5pm instead of three during the week, so I had to go somewhere else. I saw my friend and co-owner of Southpaw, Elizabeth, at Finns not long ago and I said it was about time I paid another visit to try some meat. So, Johnny Davis and I went on a recent Saturday and had a great meal.
   At the top you see some Chicken Fried Spare Ribs. These are normally served at happy hour, but charming Elizabeth comped us. The dredge on these is nicely seasoned and on the side is some sweet pepper relish to add even more zest.
   The menu here has been expanded greatly since that first visit and includes some interesting things like Smoked Pulled Goat with Salsa Verde and Hamhock-Ricotta Dumplings with Sweet Onion Broth. One of the starter items is Louisiana White Shrimp and Cheddar Grits (12) which comes with a 'New Orleans style' BBQ sauce. That's pictured here along with Butter Beans and House Cured Lardon (5) and Skippin' Jenny (5) which is basically black-eyed peas covered with cheddar. There are fourteen sides available, all $5, but you can get four of them with hush puppies for $14.
   I had to have some meat so I got the Smoked Pulled Pork Shoulder (15) which comes with your choice of two sides; in this case Creole Mustard Potato Salad and Chili (sic) Vinegar Cole Slaw. The meat was tender but not mushy. It comes plain, but they have a Memphis style BBQ sauce which I drowned the meat in. You can also get the pork as a sandwich with slaw, house pickles and chips for $9.
   If you don't like pork, there's brisket, lamb, catfish and whiskey-brined chicken in the meat section. It's possible to make a whole meal out of the salads, sides and shared plates. Also, they have an exemplary choice of bourbons and ryes, filling the entire top shelf of the back bar.
    4 stars out of 5.

Elephant And Castle - 424 Clay at Battery, SFCA

    Pub grub, anyone? I've gone by this place on the 41 bus many times and always liked the fact that it's named after a tube stop in southwest London. I'm sure the name has deeper significance but I'm too lazy to research it at the moment.
    I hadn't had fish and chips since my last trip to London, so I rounded up the Friday Lunch Bunch, this time consisting of Kimberly, Justin and Brian W. We started off with Onion Rings (7) that were pretty generic but without the overkill on batter.
    The menu offers you a choice of halibut (19) or Cod and Chips (13) which I had. Two nice fillets, lightly battered and crispy, accompanied by some pretty anemic fries, which isn't surprising. If you're gonna do fries, cook 'em twice and get that crisp outside with soft interior, not just a pile of mush.
   Justin went with the Bangers and Mash (12) which came with baked beans instead of some nice frozen peas, and a couple of onion rings. I tasted a bite of sausage and we agreed it was pretty bland. The gravy was tasty, though.
   Kimberly went into salad mode with the Buffalo Chicken Salad (11.5) that was, in her estimation, fantastic. I'm not big on chicken in salads, but I liked this style. You've got all the flavor of buffalo wings without the mess. A nice sized serving as well. This may have been the winner of the meal.
   Brian tackled the Chicken Pot Pie (11.5) and said that regardless of the lack of a full crust, it was pretty savory and filling. But was it better than Marie Callender's? He wasn't quite sure.
   We couldn't say no to the Bread Pudding (6) which some at the table argued was not real bread pudding. But one bite with some rum butter on it and I was hooked. One thing I love about SF restos, they do a pretty awesome job with desserts as a whole.
   I'd come back to this place just to have a few drinks. It's got the warmth and charm of a good English pub and would be an ideal spot on a cold dreary day, plus you'd probably have no problem getting a cab in case you had just one too many Guiness!