Comstock Saloon Revisited, 155 Columbus Ave., SFCA

  Janet had to cancel her lunch date with me yesterday so I returned to the Comstock Saloon for my second time. The menu has expanded since my first visit and now includes Corn and Jalapeno Fritters (8), cooked to a crisp on the outside, moist and delicious on the inside. The lime juice was a surprisingly good touch. I had a tough time deciding on my second course - the Chicken Fried Rabbit looked intriguing, but somehow the Beef Shank and Bone Marrow Pot Pie (17.5) won me over. This is a rich, filling little number that's worlds apart from Marie Callender's chicken pot pies! I should know, I buy the occasional 8-pack at Costco and I'm not ashamed. The arugala salad had a garlicky dressing that helped balance the richness of the pie. A good glass of Broadside Cabernet filled out this equation quite nicely.
   I endorse the Comstock even though I feel the prices could come down a notch. Apparently they're doing well and bringing in the afterwork crowd, and I hope the menu continues to grow and offer more unique dishes not found elsewhere in the City. There's definitely a bunny wabbit in my future...

Eatin' in The Mission - The Sycamore, 2140 Mission St., SFCA

    The space formerly occupied by Cafe Prague now houses The Sycamore, a purveyor of Boston style sliders and roast beef. Bar snacks include chili roasted peanuts, marinated olives and an artisan cheese plate. But speaking of cheese, you must have the Pan Fried Provolone (5), which comes with chimichurri, an Argentinian sauce not unlike pesto, but without the nuts and cheese, plus some cloves of roasted garlic. This is a guilty pleasure, folks! Balance it with the Seasonal Mushrooms (8) with porcini butter, garlic, sherry and thyme, served with herbed crostini.
   To the meat of the matter - Mix 'n' Match Sliders (3 each - add a salad or fries for $1 more). You have your choice of the following: BLT - Niman Ranch bacon, heirloom tomatoes, butter lettuce, smoked paprika aioli; Lamb Burger - Seasoned ground lamb, caramelized onion, romesco aioli, Manchego cheese; Fried Chicken - chicken breast, fried crispy with pickled red onion, slaw, roasted garlic aioli; Ground Beef - served with roasted garlic aioli, caramelized onion and Point Reyes blue cheese.
   For regular sandwiches, try the pulled pork or BBQed seitan, and the Famous North Shore Roast Beef (8) served with sauce or mayo or neither and a slice of cheddar - it looked like a Kraft single. As you can see in the pic, there's lots of tender rare roast beef on this puppy. I didn't ask, but I think this was an Acme bun, another nice touch.
   The Sycamore has eight beers on tap, another fifteen or so in bottles, a handful of wines and sangria. If you want to work on your tan, there's a patio in back. There open seven days a week until midnight, with the kitchen open til 10pm. Draft beers are $1 off during happy hour, 4-7.
   I'm glad there are more of these small, unpretentious places opening up in the Mission and I hope you'll support them

Three Seasons, 3317 Steiner St., SFCA

   Three Seasons calls itself a Vietnamese restaurant, but don't expect a lot of Asian people with their face buried in a steaming bowl of pho. This is more of an upscale California/French style of Vietnamese cuisine. We had a $50 Groupon ($25 actual cost), myself and my sweet self-confessed WASP and professional race car driver, Walker Allen, who is a foodie like yours truly.
   Pictured at the top is the Green Papaya Salad with Shrimp (11), dressed with a sweet chile sauce, tomato and peanuts. A half dozen fresh plump prawns and that nice crunch that comes with green papaya.
   Next, a spin on your average imperial roll, Duck Rolls (11), with Peking style duck, mango, hoisin sauce and chile sauce. The slightly dry duck was balanced by the sweet mango and the hoisin sauce. Definitely a keeper.
   Crispy Tofu with Spicy Sweet Sauce (9) was greatly enhanced by the bits of crunchy fried onion and garlic sitting atop the dish. Not a lot of flavor in the tofu itself, but the dipping sauce makes up for that. There's nothing like fried protein!
   The Spicy Green Beans (8) had that bite that perfectly cooked green beans should always have, but a somewhat bitter taste in the seasoning which made it the weak link in the chain. I wouldn't repeat this one.
   The Malaysian Lamb Satay (11) is a 5-spice rubbed loin, nicely grilled and served with a curry peanut sauce. This brought back memories of street food in Singapore, and I wouldn't hesitate to get two orders next time!
   Seared Lemongrass Salmon (15) was the only dish where we had slight difference of opinion - Walker thought it was overcooked, but I thought it was fine. Besides, there was yet another dipping sauce, which can easily cure your dryness issues. Fish always brings a nice balance to a meal like this one.
   The menu includes sushi Monday through Saturday after 5:30pm, and if you'd like to see the entire menu go to: www.threeseasonsrestaurant.com
I would like to go back with more people and really sample some more of the other interesting dishes that I saw. give me a call!

Eatin' In The 'Hood - Falletti's Deli, Oak and Broderick, SFCA

   Yup, laundry time again yesterday, and a chance to try the new deli section at Falletti's Grocery. This pretty little thing you see here is a Smoked Black Forest Ham and Swiss Cheese Sandwich (6.99). You can have your choice of any meat and cheese, with lettuce, tomato, pickle, cucumber, pepperoncini, jalapeno, mustard and mayo. They weigh out a 1/4 lb. of meat, and this bad boy weighed a total of 1lb. You can add some other items for $.50, like sprouts, if you want to re-live the 60's. There are also a lot of great looking sides in the display case if you think a sammy won't be enough to sate your appetite.
   As an added bonus, the Delessio Deli adjacent to Falletti's now carries ten flavors of ice cream from Humphrey Slocumbe, plus two sorbets.
   Sidebar: I wish Falletti's could magically buy back their old location at Fulton and Masonic, where the Lucky is now. If you never had a chance to shop there, you missed the greatest supermarket this city has ever known. I used to go there on a Saturday with an empty stomach, intentionally, so I could roam every single aisle and just pick things that looked tempting. Checkers knew a lot of their customers on a first name basis, you could call the meat dept. a day in advance and order things for next day pick-up, there was a separate deli and seafood section, a video rental, dry cleaners and more. It was the antithesis of Safeway...

San Tung, 1031 Irving St., SFCA

   Of the nearly 400 places I've eaten Chinese food at in SF, San Tung is in my Top Ten. Consistently fresh, flavorful and well prepared, I could eat here seven days a week. San Tung, or Shantung or more properly Shandong, is a province of northeastern China. The cuisine there is often referred to as one of the 'Eight Great Traditions', and its influence can be seen throughout China.
  My bud Charles and I snagged a couple of friends, Lee and Caroline, for a late Saturday afternoon visit. When we arrived at about 4:20, the place was almost full. If you plan on going anytime during the weekend, make it early or make a res, because after 5pm there will be a waiting list and a line.
   All diners receive a plate of spicy cabbage, not unlike kimchi and there is chile sauce and chile oil on every table. A number of the cold plates and appetizers are marinated in a 5-spice, garlic and light soy sauce. We chose the Pig's Ear (6), something you didn't see on menus twenty years ago. Here it is delicate and light-flavored - I like to dip it in the chile oil to give it a boost (at some Sichuan restaurants you can get it with the 'numbing' oil that has been infused with Sichuan pepper). For a hot app, we couldn't resist the Pork Dumplings (6.75), a dozen little jewels comprised of pork and Napa cabbage mixed with ginger and garlic,  wrapped in melt-in-your-mouth dough and boiled. You definitely want to mix your own dipping sauce in the little dish provided. I like a little soy and the hot chile sauce.
   One dish that you will see on practically every table is the Original Dry Fried Chicken (Dry - 9.50), which can be ordered as wings or diced meat - almost everyone gets the wings. This dish can also be ordered 'wet', which means it comes in a sauce with mushrooms, carrots and bamboo shoots. Either way, they are outstanding, deep fried with garlic and ginger and laced with a few pan roasted red chiles, if you want a bite of fire. You may never eat buffalo wings again!
   Our big ticket item was Liang Zhang Pi (24), which roughly translates as 'two flat skin', the word zhang actually being a 'classifier' for flat objects, in this case probably referring to the wide, flat, clear bean thread noodles that provide the bed for this platter. As you can see, it includes shrimp, jellyfish, scallops, squid, 5-spice beef, carrots and cucumber with stir-fried vegetables in the center. Beneath all that is a sauce flavored with garlic and mustard. The plate you see is actually much bigger than the other dishes pictured.
   Just for some extra protein and a lighter taste, we had the Black Mushroom with Bean Curd (8), a dish you see in a lot of Cantonese restaurants. Here it comes cooked in a soy garlic sauce with a little zucchini thrown in. Good quality tofu makes this dish.
   Ah, the piece de resistance. Shandong is known for its seafood, and here the Hot Braised Flounder Fillet (13) is among my favorites. Moist, succulent, deep fried and served in a special spicy house sauce, I should have ordered a separate one for myself. You can get the flounder prepared several other ways -  in chunks, with sweet and sour or black bean sauce, etc.
   I love this place and I want YOU to love it too. They're open every day but Wednesday from 11am to 9:30pm. Parking can be a bitch, but you can take the N Judah or the 44 O'Shaughnessy to 9th and Irving and walk two blocks to 11th Ave.

Eatin' in The Mission - Goood Frikin' Chicken, 10 - 29th St., SFCA

   That's no misspelling, BTW. For some odd reason I thought this was going to be fried chicken, but not so, as you will see. I guess I'll have to go down the street to The Front Porch for that.
   This is basically an Arabic style operation. You see those lovely falafel - they are cooked to order, either as a starter (pictured) or a main, with onions, cucumber and tomato salad and tahini on lavash. These were really goood! You can ask for some hot sauce on the side.
   If you order your chicken as a complete meal, you will get a house salad (pictured) and a side dish. Besides the sides in our meals, you can order house potatoes or baked beans. The chicken comes in both half and whole servings and can be ordered a la carte. Tobias ordered the Open Flame Chicken - 1/2 portion (11.75) with Basmati rice pilaf. This is marinated in an herbal marinade and slow cooked on the grill. He said it was fairly juicy, as was mine. I had the Rotisserie - 1/2 portion Chicken (11.75) with mac 'n' cheese. The chicken is marinated in a garlic/lemon marinade, but those flavors weren't all that apparent. It was still a pretty tasty bird. The mac was okay, not extraordinary. With both plates we got some nice pita bread brushed with olive oil and dusted with zatar, a Middle Eastern spice mix of either oregano, thyme, basil or savory, depending on who makes it. This comes with a garlic dip.
   No doubt about it, this is a lot of food for a good price. I will say that my favorite chicken is still the 5-spice chicken at Cordon Bleu Vietnamese Restaurant, but I'm willing to try something new.
   In addition to our dishes, you can get chicken or lamb shawerma, chicken or beef kababs, and an intriguing dish called mosakhan, chunks of chicken smothered in onions, olive oil, summak (sumac) and pine nuts, rolled in a corn tortilla and grilled to a crisp. There is Vegetarian Combo Plate (8.25) and a Chicken Shawerma Salad (9.45). Middle Eastern desserts are available, along with bottled and tap beer, soft drinks, fresh carrot or orange juice and Arabic coffee and tea. They also do catering 'to fit all needs and budgets'. I say check 'em out!

Bagan (Pagan), 731 Clement St., SFCA

   Just a little over a year ago I went to Pagan Restaurant for what was to be my last lunch outing with Larry Huff, now deceased. Larry had never had Burmese food before but was up for something new, and our friend Tobias joined in for the Tuesday Lunch Club. I felt it was time for another visit for old times sake.
   Being by myself yesterday, two dishes was all I could handle. Burmese Fried Tofu (5), seen at the top, didn't exactly float my boat. It wasn't crispy in any way, and the texture bears little resemblance to your Chinese/Japanese style. It's a bit more like polenta, with little flavor. Thank God for the sauce. I've had the ubiquitous tea leaf salad, so I decided to try the Rainbow Salad (8.25), which you see in its unmixed state. It's comprised of noodles, fried onion, daikon, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, etc. with cilantro and a nice hot pepper kick in the dressing. Definitely a winner.
   The remaining pics are from that first visit, starting with fried onions that I see have been deleted from the current menu, which is a bummer. Next time I'll demand to know why! Next is that tea leaf salad, in a well-mixed state. It pretty much resembles the kind you get at all the other Burmese joints in town. The Lamb Curry (11) was outstanding, as well as the chicken curry noodles at the bottom. There is more than one chicken curry and I don't recall which one we got.
   In January of this year, Bagan added Thai food to their menu, and they now offer a Lunch Buffet for $9.95, featuring both cuisines. I asked about the change in spelling (Pagan) and my server explained that though the English spelling is 'Pagan' (a major historical city in Myanmar) the pronunciation is 'Bagan'.
   I know Burma Super Star is the darling of the Burmese cognoscenti, but I'd just as soon not wait in line to get the same food available at Pagan or the grandaddy of Burmese restaurants, Mandalay, at 6th and California. Pagan still has their original outpost at 33rd and Clement, and if you want down home style, try Little Yangon at 6318 Mission St. near John Daly Blvd. Tobias and I went there a few moons ago and were pretty knocked out by the no-frills, Mom-is-cooking style and the presence of more Asian people. My lovely friend Khin, whose is of Burmese descent, says her mother calls it the real deal. Come on somebody, let's go eat!

Reverie Cafe, 848 Cole St., at Carl, SFCA

   I've only worked a block away from Reverie for about the last 20 years (it hasn't been there that long - maybe 5 years) but a lot of my customers eat there on a regular basis, and some of the cooks come in to hang at Finns. One of them, by the name of Elder, suggested I come in to try the Huevos Rancheros, which he said he makes slightly different than the usual variety in the Mission. If you like the layered look, it's for you. You've got hash browns on the bottom - these I could do without, unless they were a little crispier. Then your corn tortillas, beans, bacon, eggs, cheese and chiplotle sauce with avocado garnish. This is a big bowl o' food folks, so don't order it unless you're hungry.
   Weekends are busy with overflow from nearby Zazie, but they do have the outdoor patio, great coffee and pastries if you're feeling Continental and an extensive menu of lunch and dinner items. I plan on eating here a little more often...

Chinatown Produce

   Lychees are abundant in Chinatown right now and are selling for only $2.50/lb at most produce stores. This is a good price, since they sometimes go for as high as $8/lb. And they are really sweet and juicy. If you squeeze one it should be soft and pliant. What do I do with these, you say? Just peel and eat, or make a sorbet. If you're really adventurous, you can pit them and glacee, which involves dipping them in a hot simple syrup and then plunging them into ice water. Too much work for me.
   There are also plenty of fat freestone peaches available at $.99/lb. They take about two to three days to become edible and they're really good right now.

Olive Oil

   According to a small item in today's Chronicle (7-16-10), researchers at UC Davis found that 69% of imported and 10% of domestic extra virgin olive oils that they tested did NOT measure up to the standards that qualify an oil as true cold-pressed, first extraction extra virgin quality. No brands were named, unfortunately, but you might do a little digging online and find out. My suggestion is to buy the bulk Sciabica California-produced oils at Rainbow. They usually have two extra virgin types and a pure olive oil if you like to fry with it. If you're a deep fryer person, they have rice bran oil that's good up to 500 degrees before burning. And remember, always save at least one cup of used oil to add to your next new frying oil. If you want to know why, buy the book I recently suggested, How To Read A French Fry.

Dagwood and Scoops redux - 24th & Hampshire St., SFCA

   I've had 'hoagie' on the brain, so I decided to visit my friend Paul at his deli, Dagwood & Scoops, which I mentioned a while back. I'm not a hundred percent sure that I remember everything that went into the hoagies I had as a youth at the Kresge's 5&10 lunch counter, except for the meat, shredded lettuce and onions with vinaigrette. What you see here is an approximation, which turned out pretty close if my taste bud retention is working at all. Plenty of mortadella and lettuce, but maybe not enough onion and vinaigrette. I'm thinking the original may have had onions that were marinated in the vinaigrette, because it's what gave the sando a lot of its flavor. At any rate, this was a decent creation and it costs $6. If you're in the Mission, stop by and pick up a sandwich or some ice cream and remember, you're almost next door to Dynamo Donuts and Humphrey Slocombe!

Higher Than An Elephant's Eye

  Now that the corn season is upon us I thought I'd show you some handy little gadgets that can save time, trouble and mess. On top we have a scrub brush to help remove all those pesky silk fibers, which BTW are the equivalent of fallopian tubes, helping form those delicious kernels.
   Next, once you've cooked those ears to perfection you need to butter them. You simply place a stick of your favorite unsalted  - always buy unsalted butter - in this tube, place the cap on top, remove the bottom cover and run the contraption up and down the ear. The bottom is curved to fit the round surface and the top cap can pressed to push the stick down the tube. No more muss and fuss with a knife!
   And lastly, if you want to remove the kernels or maked creamed corn, Lee's Corn Cutter-Creamer is for you. I bought mine in a funky old hardware store in Holly Springs, MS, but you can get one online from:www.peasandcornco.com/corn_creamer.asp
They come in wood or stainless steel with instructions on how to use.
   The first two items I purchased at Bed, Bath and Beyond some time ago, but I imagine they still carry both. If not, there's Sur Le Table and Williams-Sonoma
   By golly, a plate full of Silver Queen white corn sounds like an option this weekend...

Mission Chinese Food, 2234 Mission St., between 18th & 19th, SFCA

   Mission Street Food, the regular pop-up held on Thursdays at Lung Shan Restaurant, is no more. In its place, Chefs Danny Bowien and Anthony Myint are offering their take on American-Chinese food. I was lured by the talk of the 'soon-to-be-world-famous' Ma Po To Fu (8), one of my all-time favorite Sichuan dishes, as some of you know. Well, I wouldn't count on it being famous all that soon. While it was well prepared and incorporated good quality pork and tofu, it wasn't all that hot spice wise, unless you eat one or more of the dried whole chiles. I have some leftovers I plan to eat tonight after work, which may change my perspective. My standard of near perfection for this dish is at Z&Y Restaurant, 655 Jackson St., which I reviewed a while back. I encourage you to try the Mission version first and then compare.
   At the top, you'll see the Sichuan Pickles (3), a great warm weather snack with a bit of the house spice mix, oil and vinegar batheing pickles, peanuts, cabbage and green beans. I'd keep a big jar of this in the fridge for those late night cravings.
   The Xian Lamb (5) proved to be the most interesting dish, apparently a modified version of a dish famous at a NYC joint. A lamb breast is coated with a rub consisting of salt, pepper, sugar, cumin and other spices and then slow cooked until falling off the bone. Chopped meat is placed between two pieces of flat bread and served with lamb jus, French dip style. A nice idea, but a bit unwieldy. Currently, only one baker can provide organic flat bread and doesn't make a pita pocket, which might work better if it doesn't absorb too much moisture from the meat - this from the chef himself, so they're workin' on it.
   I like this effort, and at this point the menu is small enough that a party of six could eat almost all of it if they were truly dedicated. you can also mix and match with the regular Lung Shan menu, which is pretty decent as far as Chinese food in the Mission goes. And did I mention affordable? Thumbs up!

Saratoga Chocolates, 3489 - 16th St., near Sanchez, SFCA

   Since the closing of the venerable Schmidt's store, chocoholics have had to be content with See's and whatever they can scavenge at specialty food stores, and mind you, I won't turn down a Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bittersweet Almond Bar. But now a new player is on the scene at the old Schmidt's location, Mary Loomas, who learned from the master himself. The focus here is on truffles, which come in a wide variety and are basically $1.95 each. I was lucky enough to print out a Groupon for $30 worth of goodies for only $15, so I bought a mixed box of twelve for $23.50, plus a handful of other flavors not included in the box. Now if you return the box in good shape, they'll give you a 10% discount on your next purchase.
   Check out the website and sign up for their mailing list. If you're lucky enough to get a reservation at nearby Frances restaurant, bring a couple of truffles as a little gift for fantastic owner and chef, Melissa Perello!

Chips and Salsa

   Whenever I go to Walgreen's I always check out what's going on in the Snack Dept. Tortilla chips and salsa are one of my weaknesses, so much so that I'll pick up the odd brand now and then in hopes that I'll find something new and fantastic. Well, I can't say that the On The Border line of products will be on my pantry shelf on a regular basis. The chips (2.50) aren't half bad - I'll take them over Doritos any day. The salsa (2.99) might be nice over eggs or whatnot, but pretty gutless as far as a dip goes. I added a minced fat clove of garlic, a large shallot and some hot sauce, which sort of got it up on it's feet.
   For locally available stuff, it's still Casa Sanchez Organic chips with their own brand of hot salsa fresca, which is usually in the refrigerated section of your supermarket. There's mild and medium too, for those sensitive palates. I wish some of the restaurants here would bag up their chips to go. Los Panchos has great house made chips that are half as thin as any commercially sold chip, and their simple salsa on the table is a perfect match.
   If you're ever down in Austin, TX, pick up some El Milagro unsalted, white corn 'totopos', as they call chips down there. Probably the best packaged chip I've ever had.

Queen's Louisiana Po'Boy Kitchen, 3030 San Pablo, at Dwight. SFCA

   Gabe and Stepha were jonesin' for a little NOLA style food and asked if I wanted to tag along. I said, 'does a goose go barefoot?' Since Yat's at Jack's Bar closed their kitchen, it's been hard to satify that craving, unless you drive out to Cajun Pacific and gamble on not having to wait for a table. I'd been wanting to come back here after my first visit with Tobias, and I wasn't disappointed.
   As the name implies, the focus is on po'boys, and while you're not going to have as big a choice as say, Johnnie's on St. Louis St. in the Quarter, the quality is on a level with just about any good shop in NOLA. The owners fly their rolls in from Leidenheimer Bakery in the Big Easy, par-baked and by the pallet. This is one sandwich where the bread is very important, and Leidenheimer's has been doing it since the 19th Century. You can choose from about a dozen fillings here, and of course fried is always better, isn't it? You can have a full, foot long or a half, but the foot long is a better deal price-wise. I was really hungry, so a full-sized Catfish Po'Boy (12.5) was in order. You order it 'dressed' if you want tomato, lettuce and mayo. Good crispy, crunchy fish without grease on that sweet, sweet roll - man, we're talkin' heaven! You can see that bad boy to the right.
   If you want to mix and match, you can have a Half Sandwich (9) and a Cup of Seafood Gumbo (4.95), or other sides such as fries, onion rings, etc. Gumbo and Hush Puppies (2.5 for 2, 4.5 for four) go together like beans and cornbread, and the hush puppies here are moist without being doughy, and are crisp on the outside. Louisiana just knows how to fry! I heard no complaints from Gabe about his small oyster po'boy and ditto from Stepha about her small crawfish po'boy. Pictured at the bottom is a small smoked sausage po'boy with onion rings that Tobias had on our visit.
   Granted, you're going to pay a bit more than you would in NOLA, but it's worth it once in awhile. I was so bent on eating that I forgot to pick up a menu, and theirs isn't available online, but I can tell you they have Abita Amber and Abita Purple Haze in bottles,as well as iced tea and soft drinks, and they will usually have some kind of pie and pralines available for your sweet tooth.
Hours are 11am to 8:30pm, Tuesday thru Sat.; 11am to 3pm Sunday; closed Monday. As a bonus last night, they had a nice jazz/blues duo with sax and electric piano and a harp player sitting in on a couple of tunes.

Burger Wars - Frankie's Bohemian Cafe, 1862 Divisadero, at Pine, SFCA

   I'd been to Frankie's once before to try a 'brambory', which is like a potato/zucchini hashbrown pancake with your choice of toppings - the Italian, all vegetable; carnitas; sausage and meatball, etc. Probably the only place in town you'll find these.
   This time I went on the advice of a Finns patron who suggested I try the 'garlic burger'. On the menu it's called the Gilroy Burger (8.95) and comes with a house garlic pesto (no pine nuts) and your choice of feta or blue cheese. Purty tasty, but I think the bleu cheese may have clashed a bit with the pesto. Or it's just faulty taste buds. I'm sure they'd be happy to sub a milder cheese or make it sans cheese, if you like.
   All the burgers here are 1/2 lb. pure beef and come with a choice of fries, garlic fries or dinner salad. For $2 more you can have soup or onion rings. If you're layin' off the red meat, there's a vegetable burger made from scratch, two kinds of turkey, pulled pork and fried or grilled chicken breasts. Tobias had the fried breast and said it was pretty good, not over-cooked and dry.
   In addition to burgers and bramborys, there are 11 apps, including a variation of angels on horseback, called Angels on Horses (8.95) in which shrimp are substituted for the traditional oysters. These are wrapped in bacon and fried. There are also wings, popcorn shrimp, chili cheese fries, zucchini coins, jalapeno poppers and more. And if you're in dinner mode, there's jambalaya, chicken, fajitas, surf 'n' turf and more.
Frankie's is open from 11am to midnight, and they have beer and wine to quench your thirst.

Eatin' in The Mission - Clare's Deli, 3505B 17th St., at Guerrero

   I wish more people were making a concerted effort to figure out where the Secret Sandwich Shop is so they could go there and avoid this place. On the surface it looks like yet another cool little joint, right next to the 500 Club, a marriage made in heaven like Rosamunde and the Toronado. Wrong. This has to be a joke, unless your idea of a sandwich is a lot of bread and a little meat. I ordered the Fugetaboutit (7) which has salami, prosciutto, bologna and mozzarella with olive and garlic spread. When I got to the Lucky 13 and inspected the goods I realized there was no mozzarella! And as you can see, there wasn't much of anything else. This is an affront to any dedicated SF sandwich hound who's familiar with Moishe's Pipic, Miller's East Coast West, Tommy's Joint and other respectable purveyors. Ixnay on Aresclay!

On The Menudo Trail - Puerto Allegre, 546 Valencia St., SFCA

   The first time I came here, about three years ago, I said to myself, what's all the fuss about? I went back yesterday for a birthday celebration and I'm still asking myself the same question. What brings people into this place? It can't be the food, which is so-so at best. The one thing everybody says is, 'they have great margaritas!' Well now, there's a good reason. Maybe it's the multiple TVs, or the fact that all the servers speak good English. Or maybe it's the fact that there are NO MEXICANS eating there. And of course it's right there next to Hipster Junction (16th & Valencia). It seems that this is the new La Rondalla. All I can say is, go ahead and wait in line here - I'll be somewhere where I can walk right in, sit down and have a good meal.
   As for the menudo, yet another fail. Not a bad tasting broth, but they use the honeycomb tripe and that doesn't cut it for me. Also, I asked for some lemons instead of the limes they gave me. This place has a bar and NO lemons! That's just wrong...

Recommended Reading

   How to Read a French Fry, by Russ Parsons (Houghton Mifflin, 2001) is a perfect companion to Shirley O. Corriher's CookWise. Both are dedicated to providing the scientific reasons why certain foods are cooked in a certain way, and why your efforts fail if you don't kow the correct methods. Chemical content in foods, the reactions between water and oil, the effects of heat - all of these are important in making sure those French fries come out perfect, as well as scrambled eggs, gnocchi and other apparently easy dishes. Consider The Joy of Cooking as high school, and these books as the beginning of college. Recipes are abundant in both, as well as a bit of wit and humor now and then.
As usual, I recommend www.abe.com if you want to purchase either.

Pier 23, The Embarcadero, SFCA

  Pier 23 is one of those SF institutions that I've neglected for a long time. I purchased yet another one of those great discount gift cards - $25 for $50 worth of food and drink - and met with Miz Janet Clyde for our bi-weekly Friday lunch. They have a sizable outdoor seating area so you can enjoy this great weather, and perhaps have a sea gull fly over and add some "special sauce" to your meal. At 1pm we had no trouble getting a table inside, where we could watch the Cup and see the infamous Uruguay 'cheaters', as Michael Manson calls them. After the stress of riding the F cattle car, I needed a Hendrick's Gibson (9.5), which eased the pain and increased my appetite.
   From the apps list we chose the Skirt Steak Sliders (9), which come with chile aioli and sweet pickles and some fairly decent matchstick fries. Since these two little buggers wouldn't equal a regular burger, I felt they could've shaved a dollar off the price. Mighty tasty though.
   The rest of our dishes came from the 'small-ish plates' section. The Butter Lettuce with Avocado, Papaya and Orange (9) came dressed in a smooth Meyer lemon vinaigrette and needed just a small sprinkle of black pepper to put it over the top.
   A good deal of the menu focuses on seafood. I'm told the fish tacos are fantastic - I just wasn't in the mood, however. So the "Old Bay" Gravlox Salmon (9) with a crispy potato cake, pickled onions and dill cream got things rolling. It was good, and there should have been a bit more salmon, I felt. The Cast Iron Octopus (9.5) appeared to me to be nothing more than calamari tentacles, which in the old days weren't even used when you ordered any kind of calamari. The romesco sauce was nicely seasoned and included Iacopi Farms giganate beans, similar to cannellini beans, and again, more would have been nice. The 'octopus' had a nice char-grilled flavor with no chewiness, and the leftover juice here invited a dip with bread. Our last 'small-ish' plate was the Steamed Mussels and Clams (12.95) which came bathed in a broth with Fresno chile, garlic and lemon. The only down side here is the piece of bread in the bottom of the bowl, soaking up that good broth. The dish comes with a side of sourdough and butter, so one could dip until his own desired degree of sogginess was reached. If you order this, tell them to leave the slice out! The clams were meaty, the mussels a little on the small side, but both were juicy and not over-cooked. I would have this again, for sure.
   There's always room for dessert, and on yesterday's Specials Board they featured a Kahlua and Coffee Parfait (7). Unfortunately, Janet didn't have as much room as I, so I was forced to eat most of this swell bit of sweetness. Yikes!
   Pier 23 is open for lunch from 11:30am to 3pm and dinner from 3pm to 10pm, Monday through Friday; Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10am to 2pm and dinner on Saturday from 3pm to 10pm. They have a full bar, fifteen bottled beers and nine on tap, several wines by the glass and champagne. For you music buffs, there is live music several nights a week. You can also book the venue for private events, and they offer party platters for take-out.
   I especially like the fact that Pier 23 isn't strictly a tourist trap, and you're likely to see all sorts of people there. Check it out.