Spice Monkey - 1628 Webster St. at 17th, Oakland, CA

    I never bothered to check the menu online for this place and I just sort of assumed it would be Thai, with all the 'monkey' places in SF. Well, it's not. It is a rather eclectic assortment of apps, salads, sandwiches and whatnot. I started with a cup of the soup of the day Tomato with Red Bell Pepper (3.95) which also had what appeared to be caramelized onion. Just the right amount to stimulate the appetite, with a bit of spice to it. I thought the Crispy Samosa Twists (6.95) would come next, but no, they just decided to bring them along with the Chicken Pot Pie (9.95). Herein lies the problem with this meal. My first mistake was to sit at the bar. Instead of having one of the servers wait on me, it was the bartender who took my order. He's a busy man at lunch time and consequently not checking the food window as often as the servers. It took about 15 minutes to get the soup, and I'm assuming it wasn't made from scratch, it's sitting there in a big pot just waiting to be ladled into a bowl, which takes about 5 seconds. I waited another 25 minutes before they brought the rest. I told him I didn't expect to get them both at the same time, the concept of appetizers being that they come before the entree. I just told him to bag the samosas and I had them for a snack after work last night. They were quite good, filled with curried potato. I added some Matouk's Hot Sauce to the dipping sauce to get it up on its feet, and that worked well. As for the pot pie, lots of chicken to commend it and a decent enough crust which could have been a tad thicker - I love my crust. This gives me incentive to once again sample the pot pie at the Manor Cafe in West Portal, which has reigned as one of the best in the Bay area for a long time.
    Spice Monkey has twelve beers on tap, wine and a number of house made non-alcohol drinks such as the Ginger Lemonade (2.25) that I quaffed. There are two dining levels in this building, which housed a tile manufacturer in the 1800's. You'll notice a lot of that on the lower level, which was the showroom at that time.
   To see the menu, go to:www.spicemonkeycafe.com

A Funny Food Review

   Here's a guy that I immediately liked. The site was sent to me by my friend Ken.
Check out:www.thesneeze.com/steve-don't-eat-it/

How To Stay Home And Eat Out

   Wouldn't you love to have a live-in chef? Well, the next best thing is now available at Munchery. This site lets you set up an account and gives you a list of professional chefs that will deliver dinner for as little as $20. Some chefs have catering companies and some have their own restaurant. You can order just for yourself or for a larger party. You can design your dinner or just let the chef have free reign. You can also set up a regularly scheduled day with the ability to cancel if something comes up suddenly. Mix and match chefs if you like.
   For more info, go to:www.munchery.com

Rocketfish - 1469 18th St., at Connecticut, SFCA

   Rocketfish dubs itself a 'tapistro', or a bistro with small plates and Asian fusion style food as well as sushi. They have been in business since last July, when the former Lilo went under.
   Let's get right to it. At the top Agedashi Tofu (3 at Happy Hour), with grated daikon and a ginger-tentsuyu dipping sauce. A nice, light app using medium soft curd, the daikon providing a little crunch and the sauce most of the flavor.
   There are three Reservoir Dogs Rolls, this one being Mr. Pink (6.50), an inside out roll with tuna, black sesame seeds and a spicy sauce. I have to say that the color of the sauce put me off at first, somehow making me think of Pepto-Bismol, but I got over it.
   There are daily specials and the bartender recommended the Popcorn Langostinos (12). I had this dish last, and I wish I'd had someone to share it with because it's very rich. Think of the honey walnut prawns you get in a lot of Chinese restaurants. Here they fry the langostinos and then coat them with a seven-spice aioli. A cucumber salad was supposed to come with it, which would have provided a nice acidic contrast. I never got it, but by that time I was reaching full saturation level and I didn't care! This was definitely the outstanding dish of the outing.
   The other standout dish was a bowl of Shisito Storm Peppers (3 at Happy Hour), wok-charred in a ghost chile oil, lightly salted and sprinkled with sesame seeds. I could make meal out of these alone. The only thing that disappointed me was the noticeable lack of heat in the oil. The ghost pepper, or bhut jolokia, was for a while the hottest pepper in the world, so I'm wondering what happened here. No matter, these peppers are delicious!
   Now we come to the weak links in the chain, the first being the Sunomono Ceviche (8.50), a blend of shrimp, octopus, Manila clams, mango, pineapple, wakame and cucumber in a sweet Japanese vinaigrette. It sounds ambitious but just doesn't come together like your average sunomono. I think if the components were cut in larger pieces and there was a bit more shrimp, I could work with it.
   The same can be said for the Wild Mountain Salad (7.50), local greens topped with a warm fusion of shiitake, buna shimeji (brown beech mushroom), eryngi (king trumpet mushroom), the tiniest enoki mushrooms I've ever seen, white mushrooms, bacon chips and paprika with a sesame-balsamic glaze. I think the glaze might have been a little too heavy for the delicate flavors of all the different shrooms, basically giving everything the same taste.
   I wish I was eating more rice these days, because I'm always interested the creativity of specialty maki and other rolls. I think the menu here has a lot to offer and I'd love to go back. For you hardcore sushi fans, they offer an all-you-can-eat on Tuesdays, $19.99 for adults, $9.99 for children. There are also a large number of daily specials on the blackboard and a handful of house cocktails, beer, wine and of course sake - I had a large serving of the house nigorizaki for $11.
   To see the menu, go to:www.rocketfishlounge.com

Speaking of Bloody Mary's...

  Since I dissed the Bloody Mary mix at Pedro's, I figured I'd better put up or shut up. I mix up my own at home and have a virgin bloody about every other morning, just to get things rolling. We start with the Trader Joe's Low Sodium Garden Patch (138mg of sodium per 8oz.); you're not going to find a lower sodium content in other vegetable blend, Like V-8. Put this in a container - mixing bowl, 5lb. mayo jar or whatever - large enough to hold about 75oz. comfortably. Next add one (1) level Tbs. of celery salt. I buy the Tradewinds brand seen here at Smart & Final, very inexpensive. This will add 1400mg of sodium for a combined total of 2520mg for about 9 cups of mix, or roughly 280mg per 8oz., which is still fairly low (most people are allowed about 2400mg per day). Next is Tabasco. You can add anywhere from 1tsp. to 1 Tbs. or more, depending on your fondness for heat. You can also use any other hot sauce you like. The First Street horseradish is another Smart & Final label and a great deal price wise. It's kept in the refrigerated section. I add about 2 Tbs. but you can use less or more, again depending on your taste. Add at least 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce or more, and the juice of one whole lemon. For a little extra kick, you can add a tsp. of fresh ground white pepper. Stir or shake well and funnel into three clean 750ml wine bottles. Keep refrigerated.

Pedro's Cantina - 128 King St., between 2nd & 3rd, SFCA

   Now that baseball is upon us, I'll be going to a different spot before each game, which will include about ten choices this year. Yesterday was my first game and I chose Pedro's. What we have here is a Chicken Chile Verde Quesadilla (8) accompanied by a Bloody Mary (6). Both the online menu and the menu at the resto say a plain quesadilla is $7; they only charged me $6. There are several meat options for $2 more. This was pretty good and not overly filling. I can't say much for the Bloody Mary - it's a house mix with some chipotle in it but it's too salty and not all that flavorful. And they put a lime in it, %&*@! Let me repeat - limes do NOT belong in a Bloody Mary. It's been lemon since bloody day one, and that's a squeeze, not a slice.
   Pedro's is a large space with plenty of TV's for you sports fans. They have a lot of tequila, of course, except for Sauza Tres Generaciones, my favorite, and several beers on tap, including Dos XX for $5.50.  Visit their website at: www.pedroscantina.com

Hot Dogs For Charity

   Showdogs at 1020 Market (near 6th) will be featuring their first "Rescue Dog Days" this Thursday, April 28th, from 6-8pm. This bi-monthly benefit will be held for a different charity each time, the inaugural being the SF Food Bank. Patrons will have a chance to indulge in all the food, beer and wine they can handle for $20!

For Your Library...

   The next best thing to preparing and eating food is reading about it, especially when you learn things that can vastly improve your kitchen forays, the little things that are not included in your average cookbook. Harold McGee's On Food And Cooking: The Science And Lore Of The Kitchen is the veritable bible on this subject. Over 800 pages dedicated to the evolution and structural analysis of food groups, what occurs when you cook them and how to make sure you get the maximum quality out of your cooking. There are nearly 50 pages applied to eggs alone, as an example. For companion reading, I also suggest you get Shirley Corriher's CookWise and Russ Parsons' How To Read A French Fry. All of these are available at:www.abe.com. If you get Mr. McGee's book, make sure it's the 2004 revised and updated printing.

Friday's Food Foraging

   I can't get enough of Z&Y, and I'd go more often if other folks had the same flexibility as I do. There's times when I feel like saying to complete strangers, 'Hey, can I join you? That dish looks really good.' I did manage to rustle up my friend and fellow Z&Y enthusiast Janet, who unfortunately had a slight stomach problem, so we had to eat kinda light. I had not tried the pea shoots before, but when I asked Michelle, the owner, if these were the large or small variety she said 'large'. She said she preferred the large, and I said vice versa, so she suggested what she called 'Chinese watercress'. She didn't know the English name, but the Chinese name is you mai tsai. These were sauteed with plenty of garlic and have a slightly bitter taste. Michelle said they're a good balance with spicy dishes. They're also not on the menu, so you have to ask for them if available.
   For protein we ordered the Silky Tofu with Fish. This comes with the very soft Japanese style tofu and some type of sole. It's got regular oil and some 'numbing' oil, a fair amount of garlic and scallions and is topped with dried soybeans. Like a lot of tofu dishes it begs to be eaten on top of a small bowl of rice. I asked, if less oil was used in the cooking would it detract from the flavor and the answer was no. Michelle says she has been encouraging her cooks to use less oil and salt and that customers are welcome to ask for such. She says she appreciates all the feedback she can get to maintain the quality of her food.
   While Janet was waiting for me to arrive, she ordered some xiao long bao. I told her I had just eaten fourteen of them the day before but I'd make a valiant effort to have two more. She said we'd had them before but I didn't think so, because after eating just one I realized that these are the best I've had in SF. They are just like what I had in Shanghai in terms of size, texture and thinness of the dough and the broth was superb.
   On my way to Z&Y I stopped in at Cheung Yuen Dim Sum at 648 Pacific to pick up some nai wong bao, custard buns. I noticed a tray of these little fellas on one of the steamers. They're called man tau and are very similar to the man tou (Mandarin) you get in Shanghai restaurants, except they're whole wheat instead of refined white flour that's used in most Chinese baked goods. A sweet, animated little Chinese woman customer next to me said, 'You should try it with some almond butter from Trader Joe's. You can spread the avocado on it too. Very good!' I tried one with just some Smart Balance and that was pretty good.
   After lunch and some cocktails and conversation at Vesuvio I headed out to Cole Valley to Finnegans to catch a bit of the Giant's game and snag some take-out for later. I hadn't had any pasta for a while, so I didn't think twice about getting some spaghetti Bolognese from Bambino's next door. I didn't look at the menu, and imagine my surprise when the guy tells me, 'That's $20.25'. I did a little checking online for prices at other neighborhood Italian restos, and if their prices are current, they're all at least $2 cheaper. The one I really have to call and verify is Little Henry's, which has it for $6.85! Granted, what I got was enough for two people to split, but it wasn't that great.

Dumplings Ahoy!

    Why stop at 400? I was reading a comment on Chowhound about two dumpling joints I'd not heard of and I sez to myself, 'you're free this afternoon.' So off we went to the Parkside to investigate. Our first stop was Kingdom of Dumpling at 1713 Taraval (at 27th Ave.), which was formerly David's Kitchen at one time or another. This place is tiny, but it was three o'clock, so plenty of seating. The emphasis here is on Shui Jiao, or boiled dumplings, of which they have 19 varieties. However, we had to try the Xiao Long Bao (4.95 for 6). Granted, these were fairly good-sized, but you should still get a minimum of eight, sometimes ten, to an order. The dough was thin and not chewy, and the broth - actually a gelatin that melts when cooked - was pretty good. They only offer the standard pork filling, which was also good. Above those you see a plate of Pig's Ear (5.95) served cold. It's fairly bland, but they have a house made hot sauce that's somewhat reminiscent of the sauce you get with Hainanese chicken and rice in Singapore. Side note: if you want to try some really spicy ear, get some of it in 'numbing oil' at Spices II on 6th Ave.

    Onward to Dumpling Kitchen at 1935 Taraval (at 29th Ave.). As I neared it I realized that this used to be one of my favorite Cantonese spots, Han Goeng, which had the best deal in town on BBQ quail, among other things. I felt a little twinge, like losing an old friend. Oh well. Here they give you 10 pork dumplings for $6, a slightly better deal than up the street. However, I didn't think I could eat ten, so I ordered the Crab and Pork Dumplings (9 for 8). The dough here was also thin and not chewy, but there was not that much broth and the flavor of crab was faint. The rest of the menu is a general mishmash of Shanghai, Sichuan and Cantonese and I heard the cooks speaking Cantonese.
   I hate to say it, but as of this moment the best xiao long bao I've had in the US is at DinTai Fung in Arcadia, CA (San Gabriel Valley), and they have their detractors too. If you go to Shanghai, they are the most expensive. I'm going back to Kingdom of Dumpling to tackle those boiled dumplings - somebody want to join me?

A Little of This, A Little of That...

   Thanks to yesterday's blurb in Leah Garchik's column, we've had almost a 1,000 hits on this blog. All I want to know is, WHERE'S THE MONEY?? Seriously though, it's been rather uplifting and I hope many of you bookmarked me and will visit from time to time...What was not uplifting was the burrito I had yesterday at Zapata Grill, 18th and Collingwood. Whenever I go to the P.O. up the street, I take a look at what's available food wise, depending on how much time I have before going to Bible Study at the Lucky 13. Molly Stone's sandwich counter didn't do much for me, and now I can cross this place off my list. When you walk three blocks and your burrito is as cold as a well digger's ass in January, something is amiss. Plus it was puny by SF standards...In other breaking news, yet another only-in-SF storm is brewing over the upcoming debut of the La Cocina food truck in Dolores Park this Saturday. The ever self-aggrandizing Chicken John Rinaldi is planning a "puke-in" to protest what could be the possible ruination of our treasured park. Just imagine, that tiny little truck and that large piece of land co-existing without a myriad of problems. Next we should go after the Japanese tea garden in GG Park, and those guys selling BBQ out by the golf course, and on and on and on. I personally have something better to do at 2pm Saturday (This just in - the Chronicle sez that La Cocina will NOT be in the park on Saturday)...There will be a Valencia Bottoms Block Party tonight from 6-8pm at 15th & Valencia. Food trucks and freebies...

Vietnam Restaurant - 620 Broadway, between Columbus and Stockton, SFCA

    I need a new quest and I think it's going to be Vietnamese, although Thai is a close second. I was sitting in Vesuvio last Saturday and decided I needed a bite nearby. My esteemed colleague and fellow gourmand Peter Clyde has always extolled the virtues of the Vietnam Restaurant, namely its being fast, cheap and good, qualities I admire in an eating establishment.
   On his recommendation I tried the Bun Tom Thit Nuong (7.11), a choice from the vermicelli noodle section, with grilled pork and shrimp, served at room temp. Quite nice. And to get a bit of variety and a little take-home, I ordered the Goi Ga (6.63), chicken salad with carrots, basil, sprouts and lettuce, topped with crushed peanuts. They have the ubiquitous Sriracha sauce handy if you want to jazz it up a bit, as well as the dressing/dipping sauce you see here at the bottom. If your not a fan of sweet/sour flavored with nuoc mam, the fish sauce also known as nam pla in Thai and patis in Filipino, avoid this sauce.
   You'll notice the odd prices - they come out even when you add the tax. A nice way to avoid all those messy pennies. Also, this falls into the Great-Hole-In-The-Wall category, with precious little ladies doing the cooking. People on Yelp like it, so it must be good, right?

Manhattan Hub - 343 Sansome St. at Sacramento, SFCA

    I invited Monseigneur Manson to accompany me on this visit because he's always looking for that good sandwich at a reasonable price. We both had fun finding this place, since it's not actually on Sansome but around the corner on Sacramento; it IS in the building that resides at 343 Sansome. Oh well. This is one of the legion of quick lunch fixes in the FiDi that service those who don't have the time or expense account for The Wayfarer or Bob's Steakhouse. Order, pay, get your little number on a stick to plant on your table and three minutes later you're eating.
   Mr. Manson had the BLT (6.75) and a side of Pesto Pasta Salad (2.45) both of which he deemed to be highly edible and of manly proportions. I went for the Pastrami (8.75) with Cole Slaw (2.45) and while I wasn't overwhelmed, I had to admire the quantity of meat for that price. I would have preferred a straight light rye bread and perhaps another slice of Swiss and maybe just a tad more smokiness in the pastrami.
   If you work in the area you want to check it out.
To see the menu, go to:www.manhattanhub.com

Daddy Bill's Sideways Succotash

    Succotash is not a dish you see much west of the Rockies. In its most basic form, you mix lima beans and corn, heat it up, add salt and pepper and maybe a dash of butter. There are myriad variations and I want to give you mine, cuz I love ya. You'll need:
1 lb. of (preferably) dried green baby limas
1 lb. of fresh, frozen  or canned corn (I prefer white shoe peg when I can find it).
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 small head of garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can of peeled and diced tomatoes
1 level Tbs. of Pimenton de la Vera (regular sweet)
4 Tbs. Olive oil
Salt and pepper
   In a good sized pot or saucier, heat the oil and add the onion, season well with s&p, add the pimenton and cook until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for about two minutes more. Add all other ingredients and just enough water (or broth of your choice) to cover by about a 1/4 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the limas are tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check seasoning and serve.

Sparky's - 242 Church St., between Market and 15th, SFCA

   I had intended to be Mr. Healthy Eating last Wednesday by going to Ananda Fuara and doing the vegetarian thing. But of course they were closed for a 'retreat', not a vacation, so I have to wait until next week. In pure rebellion, I chose to hit Sparky's, a 24/7 institution since 1984. I will say they pour a decent coffee in an old-fashioned serious diner style cup. I'm always looking for good Steak 'n' Eggs (12.95) and I'm afraid Sparky's doesn't quite cut the mustard. You're not going to get Harris' quality meat for $12.95, but you should expect some flavor other than the butter melted on top. At this point in my search, the best I've had is at the Bashful Bull out on Noriega St.
   One thing that really burns my bacon, so to speak, is inferior hash browns and home fries, which seem to be the norm in SF. These hash browns were barely cooked

with no crispiness whatsoever and served at just about room temp.
   I may have to see if the Lucky Penny (Geary & Masonic) can give Sparky's a run for their money in the 24 Hour Greasy Spoon division.

The Deli Board - 1080 Howard St., between 6th & 7th, SFCA

     My good friend and fellow food nut Adam Mesnick has created a beautiful thing in SOMA. This is another walk-up type operation purveying killer sandwiches, soups and salads. At right is the Boca (9), kind of like a miniature version of the 'fresser' served at Moishe's Pipic -pastrami, corned beef and brisket with Muenster cheese, Board sauce and brown mustard on a sweet French roll. Even though I call it a miniature, it still weighs in at just over a pound. All the high grade meats are flown in from the East Coast, cooked and sliced paper thin. Along with the regular sandos you can build your own custom job, and there is usually a daily special. If you're in within biking distance, you can get delivery service with orders of $15 or more. Catering is available for parties of 10+ with 24 hour notice. All prices include tax and delivery. To visit their page, go to:www.deliboardsf.com
Oh yeah, that's Mexican Coke with cane sugar (2).

Chinatown Snacks

   These are not actually whole nuts but an amalgam of 53% peanuts, 29% wheat flour, 13% sugar, 4% coconut cream and 1% salt formed into little kernels. A 30g serving contains 160 calories (90 from fat); 10g fat (3.5 saturated); 170mg sodium; 14g carbs; 5g protein, and there are 6 servings per bag.
   I found these at Pang Kee Market, 1310 Stockton, where they have an ever-changing array of crackers, cookies, etc. A Chinese woman next to me was digging around in the pile of these stacked on the sidewalk table. I asked, somewhat quizzically, if the ones of the bottom were better. She replied, 'I don't like the Sun'. Well, that settles that. I took mine right off the top, and they still tasted pretty good.

The Front Porch - 65A - 29th St., near Mission, SFCA

    You've heard me rant about the lack of decent fried chicken in SF, how it's generally overcooked and dry? Well, we've finally found the answer at The Front Porch. On my first visit here, I was overjoyed with finding a resto that serves real ham for breakfast, another rarity in our fair city. I'm putting this place in my Top 50 as of right now.
   The chicken is cooked to order - another rarity - so I decided to try the Blue Crab Fritters (11) served with a "criolla" remoulade. Much softer in consistency than a crab cake but every bit as tasty, I added a bit of the house Habanero sauce to the remoulade just to kick it up a notch (oops, I'm sounding like Emeril) and it worked quite well.
  Ah, but the Fried Chicken (17). I asked Cyrus the bartender if it's pan-fried or deep-fried and he indicated the latter, adding that they finish it in the oven to crisp it up a little and lose a little oiliness. There's garlic in the crust, perhaps a little too much for my taste - you probably thought you'd never hear me say that! I could have used a pinch of fresh ground white pepper and a dash of cayenne for balance, that's just the way I do at home. What counts here is the tender, juicy quality. They use a 'rocky jr.' hen, which helps. Along side, there's garlic mashers and collards with fatback. Both were excellent, but I'd love some giblet gravy on those spuds.
   I have to say this is the best fried chicken dinner I've had since Art's on Church St. went out of business. To see the menu, go to:www.thefrontporchsf.com

How hot can it get?

   Through an email I received from a friend today, I've learned there is a new pepper that is now rated as the hottest in the world. It was developed in Australia and is called the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T. It weighs in at a whopping 1,463,700 Scoville Units - that is over four times hotter than the average Habanero! A sauce is being created by the Aussies, tentatively to be called "Scorpion Strike". I can't wait...

#400!!! - Henry's Hunan, 4753 Mission St. near Persia, SFCA

   It's official - we've now eaten at 400 establishments serving Chinese food in SF. It's taken about ten years, and it's not over yet, because restaurants change hands all the time. I'm thinking of tackling Thai next!
   I started eating at the original Henry's Hunan on Kearny St. back in the early 80's, after Calvin Trillin pronounced it "the greatest restaurant in the world" - a bit over the top, I'd say. After the quake in '89, they moved to the huge space at 924 Sansome St., and they've been on roll ever since. The Mission St. location is now number six, and it's being operated by Henry's grandson Eddie.
   Tobias and I were both hungry with a capital H, so we started with an Onion Pancake and some Dumplings. Damned if we didn't have a hard time finding a lot of onion in said pancake, plus we had to ask for the peanut sauce to dip it in. The dumplings were so-so, the dough being a bit thick and chewy for my taste, but the meat filling was good.
   Next up, the Smoked Ham with carrots, onion, bamboo shoots, etc. I have to say I like the ham at Brandy Ho's a lot better because it's bit more tender and flavorful. The ingredients in the smoking process are a guarded secret, but there are things like sawdust, orange peels and discarded tea leaves for starters. Chinese smoked ham is by far my favorite, with Spanish and good ol' US country ham not far behind.
   To balance our diet, we added some Eight Vegetable Delight and Orange Chicken. The vegetables were a hit, the chicken somewhat of a miss. I like the use of candied orange peel in the dish, but the amount of cornstarch put me off. It was the same with the complimentary small bowl of Hot and Sour Soup, which was just plain viscous. You should never have trailers of cornstarch strung out like bubblegum!
   This location is where the Granada Cafe used to be, and they've kept the liquor license, so you have a full bar, plus some funky old red leather banquettes in the dining room. There is also a large room in the rear for big parties, and limited delivery in the area. I'm hoping they shape up on the food preparation and carry on the tradition that Henry Chung first brought to San Francisco.

The Brazen Head - 3166 Buchanan St. at Greenwich, SFCA

    The Brazen Head has been a popular fixture in the Cow Hollow/Marina district for 30 years now, weathering the storm while many other restaurants in the nabe haven gone under. The secret? I don't they try to cater solely to the trendoids that inhabit that corner of the City. The staff is professional, the room is warm and cozy, perfect for that first date and they serve full dinner until 1am.
    I went solo on a Saturday night and it would have been a 2-hr. wait for a table, but then again it was 7:30 and I think a lot of people, like myself, had a Groupon that expired the next day. I volunteered to sit at the bar, so it was only a 20 minute wait.
   The special app of the evening was Slipper(y) Lobster Tails in Garlic Butter (9). This isn't a true lobster, but more akin to a spiny lobster or langoustine and belongs to the family that includes the famed Moreton Bay bugs of Australia. The tails were split and grilled and I could have eaten about five times as much, they were that good.

   The Salad Special (8) featured a nice blend of red leaf lettuce and spinach with pear, cucumber, walnuts and ricotta dressed in a white wine vinaigrette. A good palate cleanser, making way for the Veal Piccata (19). I'd wanted to try the hangar steak special, but they'd run out. I was not disappointed though, as the veal brought back memories of late night dining at Original Joe's. Don't let the picture fool you, the sauce isn't red, I'm just a novice camera user. The veal was thin, tender and rich in flavor from the simple white wine, caper and lemon sauce. I was happy to dredge the rice and vegetables in the remainder, making me a member of the clean plate club.

   I have a feeling the Chocolate Cake (6) wasn't house made. It was adequate but not killer diller, and kept my Espresso Lungo (2.5) company.
   BTW, if you're a steak person their signature dish is a NY strip pepper steak. That's what I'm having the next time around!!

Ike's Redux Redux

   It's official! Ike's will re-open this Monday, April 11th, at 3489 - 16th St., about half a block from the old location.

Today The Bottle Let Me Down...

   When I read somewhere that someone was going to manufacture Schlitz the way they made it in the 60's, I was beside myself. When I was about fifteen - and yes, they had electricity back then - my mother would fix me a steak, fries and salad for dinner on Friday. Along with that came a can of ice cold Schlitz, in a can with no pop-top. That's right, you needed a 'church key' to open that puppy. In those days you could tell the difference between all the major American beers, just as you could tell the difference between all the cars on the road. The really cheap, watery beers ( much akin to the swill that passes for beer these days) was a little more difficult.
   Part of the Schlitz appeal was the hoppy-ness, which was part of their ad campaign. For a lager, it had a nice crisp bite and a great finish. Well, I tried a bottle of the new "Classic 60's Formula" at Lucky 13 yesterday and let me tell you, it tastes nothing like the original. It stands to reason that if they made it according to the original formula, it would cost more. The whole cheapening of beer has been about the ingredients - Budweiser using rice for example. I think it's time for a microbrewery to step up and make the real Schlitz!!

"Beans, Beans, The Musical Fruit..."

   A lot of folks talk about mac 'n' cheese as their favorite comfort food. Whatever happened to vanilla wafers and Cool Whip? Or mayonnaise on saltines? Or Spanish peanuts and red hots? But seriously, I'd have to say Navy beans and ham shanks are at the top of my list. I just whipped up a batch over the weekend, and it's great to come home after work and have something besides chips and salsa for a late night snack. It's a simple country dish, but it requires good quality ingredients. I order my Navy (pea) beans online from Camellia Brands, a Louisiana company in business since 1923. If you go to Safeway, you won't find anything labeled 'Navy beans', only 'small white beans'. Not the same thing in my book. Camellia also carries legumes you don't see antwhere on the West Coast, like crowder peas, field peas, lady cream peas, etc. They also have dried baby green limas, if you want to make a colorful succotash. The other important ingredient is the smoked shanks. Again, if you go to Safeway, you'll find little dinky ham 'hocks' that are all bone and skin with little meat. I bought one nice big shank at Guerra's Meat Market, 490 Taraval St., and it was sufficient for one lb. of dried beans. You can also find smoked shanks at Lo Cost Meat Market in the Lower Haight and their other store in the Mission.
   Here's what you do. Take one lb. of dried beans and rinse well. Those little 'stones' you sometimes find in beans are actually rat turds. The shanks at Guerra's are shrink-wrapped and have already been partially sawed through, so just finish cutting them into small pieces. Place shank and beans in a pot and cover with water to an inch above, cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer with the lid off. Cook for an hour and a half to two hours until beans are tender but firm. Turn off heat and remove the shank pieces and let cool, and then remove all the bones and skin. Chop or pull the meat in to small pieces and return to the pot. Stir well and let cool. When it's room temp, skim about a 1/2 inch of the beans and meat off the top and place in a colander in the sink. Rinse well with hot water to remove the excess fat, and return to the pot. Reheat the beans and add your choice of seasonings - I add salt, fresh ground white pepper and black pepper and about a Tbs. of ground cumin.
   Now if you want to go country all the way, make some corn bread, dice up some onion and toss it on top of your bowl o' beans and crack a cold one!

54 Mint - 54 Mint Plaza, off 5th and Mission St., SFCA

    Birthday dinner time here. A nice party of nine celebrating my good friend Lee's 38th. I'm always up for Italian fare, and this was my first visit to 54 Mint. I don't usually mention decor, bathrooms, etc. but I will say that if you plan on going here for a nice quiet meal, don't let them seat you in the downstairs area. Very loud, and a low ceiling doesn't help. Be that as it may, let's talk about food.
   Lee's partner, Caroline, picked out the Affettati e Formaggi (18), a nice salumi platter. We got three orders of this, and a plate between three people was just the right amount to tweak the old palate. Ask for more honey in that little bowl, though, because it just rocks the cheese! I should asked what kind of cheese it was, dang it. You see also some salami, prosciutto and soppresatta with house made crescia bread.
   As with the salumi, there were three orders of the Arrosticini d'Agnello (15), wonderfully tender grilled lamb on a bed of arugula with lemon. If you're normally not a fan of lamb, you may change your mind after trying this dish. I'd say it's some of the best grilled lamb I've had since the old Helmand Restaurant on Broadway.
   I'd never had raw black kale until I tried the Insalata Autunnale (14) and I will probably never have it again. It's just too bitter for my taste, and even the sauteed chanterelles, asparagus and pecorino couldn't help it. Plus it was hard to get it from plate to mouth, being very firm and difficult to spear with a fork.
   My choice for a main was the Galletto al Mattone (25), a cornish game hen grilled under a plate topped with a brick. I cook chicken this way at home when I can find a true 'spring' chicken. I have to say this was over-cooked and dry. One other person at table had it too and agreed with me. No problem, I took it home, let it simmer for a couple of hours, strained it and boned it out and made soup with rice. Tasty! This dish comes with roasted beets and baby carrots.

   I didn't photograph all the mains simply because I was lazy and concentrating on eating and drinking some fine wine with friends, but I did manage to capture the Merluzzo al Forno (24), pan-seared Alaskan pollack served with sauteed Swiss chard and soft polenta. I like pollack, and now that good Atlantic cod is a scarcity, you'll see it used, along with whiting, as the fish of choice in US fish 'n' chips. This was decent portion, cooked until just flaky and seasoned well.
   Since I didn't care for the black kale I was glad I ordered the Salad Special of the Day (no price), a mound of frisee tossed with apple and walnuts in a citrus-y vinaigrette. Thoroughly enjoyable.
   We decided to go communal again with pasta dishes, and I immediately demanded that Jamie, Alissa and I share the Rigatoni alla Carbonara (15) since I'm perpetually in search of  best version in town. It's amazing how few chefs seem to know how to make this correctly, but we found one that hit the target. A perfect wedding of eggs, guanciale (cheek meat), black pepper and Parmigiano Reggiano, the sauce smooth and just enough to cling to the pasta. Normally, you see it made with spaghetti or linguine, but this seemed to work just fine.
   The rest of the table ordered the Rigatoni All'amatriciana (no price), the pasta special of the day. This dish from the town of Amatrice is a simple combination of pancetta or guanciale, tomatoes, onion, garlic and fresh basil, served with pecorino or parmigiano cheese. I felt it was a bit salty, but everyone seemed to like it.
   Desserts don't seem to be a strong point here, the Deep Fried Ricotta Balls and the Budino both being somewhat less than extraordinary. The budino was supposed to have pepperoncini  infused in it but I couldn't detect any, so it was basically chocolate pudding with whipped cream. The ricotta balls were just plain bland, and the powdered sugar and chocolate sauce didn't  cure that.
   Overall, I liked this place. They have a good wine list, and service was attentive. You can also purchase a large number of imported foods such as olive oil, vinegar, spreads and pates, grains and legumes, cured vegetables, honey and preserves to take home.
   Visit them at: www.54mint.com