Cool As A Cucumber...

   Hope your enjoying this beautiful Indian Summer as much as I am. If you're a fan of cucumbers and you're looking to make a new dip for that next patio party, you should try this classic favorite from the folks in Louisville, KY. It's called Benedictine, named after Benedict's restaurant. You can buy it at just about any grocery store there.
  To make roughly one pint you'll need:
8 oz. cream cheese, preferably Gina Maries, which has no gums or thickeners
1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
2 Tbs. minced  onion or shallot
2-3 Tbs. mayo
salt to taste
a few drops of green food coloring (optional)


   Just throw everything together in the food processor and make it smooth, then chill for a couple of hours. Serve it up with your fave crackers, pita chips, etc.

Great Saigon - 915 Kearny between Jackson and Pacific, SFCA

    Dr. Manson and I resumed our search for good Vietnamese food by dropping in here yesterday afternoon for lunch. What was in this space previously, I can't remember, but it's now squeaky clean and bright and doing a fairly brisk business. We started with Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls (5), which Michael has adapted as one of his litmus tests. These were pretty much your standard offering and he thinks the shrimp were frozen, but I couldn't tell; they didn't taste old, with that annoying iodine flavor of 'long time no sea'.
   Pho hasn't played a part in Michael's food choices before and I think he started out with a winner here, the BBQ Pork Noodle Soup (6.55). I explained that the meat is served on the side sometimes so that the diner can dip a piece in a small bowl of sauce of his choice, eat it and then spoon up some broth and/or noodles. He tried one piece this way and then just dumped the rest of the meat into the bowl. Hey, he's the one eating it and that's all that matters.This was a hefty serving and he ended up taking half of it home.
   I can't recall having curry in a Vietnamese place before, so I ordered the Curry Beef Noodle Soup (6.55). Can't say much for this - the meat wasn't trimmed of fat and gristle, just chopped into chunks. It did have a few bits of roasted potato, which were quite flavorful. I think the Curry Beef Noodles at Bund Shanghai are much better.
  Besides pho, there are some salads, vermicelli bowls, combo plates and rice plates, all economically priced. The food I saw around me all looked good, so I think I'll try my luck again sometime soon.
   This block of Kearny is transforming nicely. I'm told the Grasslands Bar has been cleaned up and is no longer a terrifying toilet, and there's a fairly new Japanese place on the corner of Jackson that has been a series of restaurants. House of Nan King continues to pull in the tourists, and I keep telling people to go to Chef Jia's next door, where there's seldom a wait, the portions are bigger and the food is better!

Pizza Wars - Pizza Pino, 1534 California between Larkin & Polk, SFCA

   Another coupon visit all by my lonesome, but it was no problem. I was starved and had $25 to play with, so I had a Small Dinner Salad with Italian dressing and a Small Pizza (17) with fresh tomato, fresh garlic and onion. I didn't ask for the pizza well done, so it wasn't scotto, or slightly charred on the bottom. I will say the crust was perfectly thin and light with some crunch to it and it wasn't drowned in cheese and too much sauce. I ate the whole thing without batting an eye! I'd say that for a nondescript hole in the wall, this was a good pie. Ironically, it's about three doors away from the original Front Room Pizza that's been in business for almost 40 years.
   An 8 on the Meter.

Pacific Catch - 1200 - 9th Ave. at Lincoln Wy., SFCA

    I found myself with some time to spare before going to the California Academy of Sciences to meet my friend Alisa, so I thought, 'It's (red) Meatless Monday, so let's duck into Pacific Catch.' This was my first visit to a place that's getting ready to celebrate their fourth anniversary on the 31st., and apparently they're doing quite well, with three other locations in the Bay Area.
   The Regional Soup of the Day was Tortilla Lime (7), a nice light chicken broth with shredded chicken, shrimp, avocado, onion, serrano pepper and a garnish of fried julienned tortilla. My server said I absolutely had to squeeze the lime wedges into the soup to maximize the flavor, and she was right. This was a fantastic little dish and made to order, as is everything else on the menu.
   The Poke Salad (9.5) was a great pairing, with what seemed like a half pound of ahi tuna in a slightly spicy soy-sesame marinade, served with won ton crisps. Delicious, and though normally I would have wolfed it all down, I decided to save a little for my friend, since she was nice enough to get me into the CAS for free!!
   To see the menu, locations, happy hour info and all that other business, go to:www.pacificcatch.com

A Regular Sausage Fest...

   This was a relatively cheap ($10) event, promoting Saag's Sausages, and labeled "Rocktoberfest", since there was live music. It was held in the large back room at Tres (Agaves) and there were surprisingly fewer people than I'd expected. Maybe because I got there at 2:45 and it started at noon? Who knows? A lady at a desk took my printout from Scoutmob or whatever coupon I had, and drew a little 'x' on my hand. Talk about tight security. I later noticed that the back door was open and anybody could have walked in and helped themselves.
   Someone named Scott Schaeffer was apparently there to represent Saag's but I never saw him. He was nice enough to put up the board at right, showing us all the merits of their products, of which four were being sampled.
   At the long table were Kelvin Ott, who used the Habanero Pepper Jack sausage in his presentation, which included a tequila infusion in the sausage itself and was served up with caramelized onions. Chef Morgan Robinson from Smoke Restaurant in Napa utilized the same sausage in a cassoulet with Rancho Gordo beans and delicata squash. For some reason the sausage in Mr. Ott's offering had a bigger wallop, even though it was the same sausage.
   Mr. Schaeffer (or somebody) laid out some nice little sandwiches featuring Bavarian Brats, Louisiana Hot Links and an Asiago and Fennel link. Sauerkraut and mustard were provided, along with slaw and potato salad. I tried what I assume was the brat and while it was okay, it wasn't a Johnsonville, let alone a Usinger's quality brat.
   There were plenty of chips and salsa and $5 margaritas to round out things, and of course the live band, New Diplomat. They were pretty much just another rock band selling T-Shirts and whatnot, and they had a woman on the soundboard who apparently didn't know that drums shouldn't dominate the sound and that it's also nice to occasionally hear the vocals.
  

Just A Couple Of Things...

   I'm sure that once in a while you get a sudden craving for something that you've refrained from eating for one reason or another. I had that experience Friday when I felt the need for plain ol' lettuce with some kind of rich, creamy bottled dressing and a tomato or two. It may have been that third bourbon on the rocks that propelled me from my seat at Finnegans to the Alpha Market across the street, where I bought a big fat head of iceberg lettuce, two large vine ripened tomatoes and a bottle of Paul Newman's Ranch Dressing. When I got home I proceeded to eat that whole head, both tomatoes and about 2/3 of that dressing. So where's the harm in that? To start with, it cost $10.19 - $5.49 for the dressing, and a mere 16oz. size at that. Second, that's approximately 160g of fat, or about three times the daily maximum in a healthy diet. The fact that all profits from Newman products still go to charity assuages my guilt only slightly. But I have to admit it tasted great!!
   Normally I make my own dressing and I'd like to share one of my recipes for a relatively fat free and easy, tasty concoction:
   One cup raspberry vinegar, one cup of honey and a half cup of good quality whole grain mustard. You can add poppy seeds as an option, but they must be fresh.

Chinatown Snacks

   Another fine healthful snack I found while browsing at Asia Star on Grant Ave. This is made in Japan by Glico and is labeled 'wheat cracker - chocolate on chocolate'. Among the nutritious ingredients are: Wheat flour, sugar, lactose, cacao mass, ilipe fat (no idea what that is), sal fat (derived from a tree indigenous to India), cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cake crumbs, egg, margarine, high fructose corn syrup, butter, powdered egg yolk, salt, yeast, glucose syrup, soy lecithin, artificial flavoring, trisodium phosphate, sorbitol, sodium bicarbonate, sucralose, annatto extract, carotene. One serving - three sticks - contains: total fat, 5g (2.5g sat fat); cholesterol, 5mg; sodium 30mg; carbs, 9g (sugar, 6g); protein, 1g. Box of 12 sticks - $3.30. A losing proposition all around!

Triptych - 1155 Folsom between 7th & 8th St., SFCA

   Everyone should come here at least for a drink, just so you can experience one of the more unique unisex toilets in the Bay Area. Kitschily decked out with publicity stills of the original "Charlie's Angels", ABBA, Donna Summer, etc.
   If you decide to eat, try the Sweet Potato Fries (4) with chile aioli. These are crinkle cut and don't have a great deal of crunch on the exterior, but they are nicely dusted with salt and chile powder and taste pretty good when dipped in that aioli.
   Miz Christine and I both opted for a little brain food. For me the Walu (19), a butter fish that I've never had cooked, only sashimi style. This comes with a cucumber raita, cous cous and baby bok choy. I think I might have preferred this poached or steamed, just to retain as much of that rich flavor that comes in a fatty fish. Cous cous is something that I'm rapidly convincing myself I don't need. The only time I've enjoyed it somewhat was when I cooked it at home, in peach tea. Bok choy I can eat anytime, and it was a saving grace on this plate.
   The Grilled Mahi Mahi (17) was another one of those 'adventuresome' dishes that try to combine a lot of flavors that sound good on paper. They use line-caught fish, which is admirable, rub it in poblano and serrano pepper and serve it with a Southwestern polenta and grilled red pepper and cilantro pesto, atop grilled yellow zucchini and basil oil. Christine said the basil oil completely threw things off. The fish was nicely cooked and the zucchini added a good contrast to the rest of the plate.
   We eased it all down with a Sauvignon Blanc whose name I didn't catch. No matter, it was overpriced at $9 a glass and a pretty puny pour to boot.
   Dessert usually eases all pain, starting with a Blood Orange Sorbet (6) and some Green Tea Cheesecake (8) with raspberry coulis. These helped to reinforce a notion we've had in the past, which is to dine on small plates, starters and desserts and omit the main courses. I've never seen cheesecake in the shape of tuna fish can, but it certainly didn't detract from the smooth texture and subtle essence of tea that has infused ice cream for the most part in the past.
   The other thing that put us off was the fact that we didn't have a reservation

and were asked if we would like to sit at the bar or in the 'patio' area. After seeing the patio we decided to sit inside, and two people were leaving a table by the front door, so we took it even though it's the least desirable spot. There were a ton of empty tables, but supposedly these were going to be 'filling up' soon. Well, we only heard one group say they had reservations when they walked in; every one else said just said 'party of four', 'party of three', etc. One couple just walked in and sat down without even asking! Go figger. 5.5 on the Food-O-Meter

Half Priced Wine at Solstice

   That's right, you can 50% off any wine at Solstice on Monday nights, 5 - 12pm, at 2801 California (at Divisadero)

Sage 1601 - 1601 Howard at 12th St., SFCA

    Working our way through that stack of coupons, separating the wheat from the chaff, trying to find a place that Tobias genuinely likes, we came here for lunch. A guy at a nearby table was eating sliders, using the lap top and talking into one of those little phones with earplugs, telling someone about 'this cute little cafe near work', and that's exactly what it is, a place near work. Two women sat next to us, one of them way over-caffeinated, who would not stop talking, even when her food arrived.
   So much for colorful clientele. One of the specials of the day was a BBQ Beef Sandwich (11) listed on a sandwich board outside; someone's handwriting was a bit shaky, but there was something about 'Kobe' and 'bulgogi'. Tobias said there was little to no smoke flavor and it was just okay. The fries were mushy with little or no crunch to them. I felt the need to go somewhat light, so a Beet and Spinach Salad (8.75) sounded good. Nothing special about this either, you can have the beets warm or cold and they toss in some feta and walnuts and douse it all with a balsamic dressing.
   They have beer, wine, coffee, tea, soft drinks, ice cream floats and shochu cocktails. Their FB page says they're staying open until 10pm, W-Sat., so they must be doing something right. I still can't go beyond 6 on the Meter.

How Much?! - A learning experience at The Potsticker, 150 Waverly Pl., SFCA

    Yesterday's return to The Potsticker was indeed enlightening. In my recent post I stated that I was going to attempt to translate the 'Chef's Masterpieces' and give some of them a try. These are all order-in-advance creations, with no price on the menu. I managed to get a rough idea of the first four, with the exception of two characters at the beginning of each. Turns out they are the actual Chinese name of the restaurant, I Ping. The first dish on the list is basically I Ping Water Crystal Shrimp - I Ping Shui Jing Xia. As you can see, 'water crystal' is ice!! There were about two and a half dozen nice fresh prawns, peeled with the tail on, maybe 21-24 count size. The imitation lotus flower is actually an onion, which is not eaten. Accompanying the prawns are two sauces, on the left a somewhat bitter tasting mustard concoction that we sat aside, and a great sweet and garlicky mix. I had a feeling that I was in for a bit of sticker shock, and I was right - this dish is $48. But you know, I'd worked hard Thursday night, the weather was beautiful and I was dining with my favorite lunch girl, the fabulous Kimberly and I said, what the hell?
   Miz K. is big on the Dry Fried String Beans - gan bian si ji tou (7.95), which I asked to have with extra garlic and very little oil, with some dried red pepper thrown in. We agreed these were some of the best we'd ever had. She also requested some Pot Stickers - kuo tieh (6 at 5.95) and said they were as good as any she'd had in Japan. The filling was fresh-tasting and the skins were nice and thin with just a little chewiness.
   This place is definitely giving Z&Y a run for its money! BTW, they have a second location in San Mateo called Spicy Empire

The Flash On Freebies!!

   Dovetailing nicely with my recent visit to Chile Pies, the store has decided to give away freebies this Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 10pm. This includes samples of Frito pie, green chile stew, red chile chicken posole and Three Twins ice cream!! 314 Church at 15th St.

Coming Soon To A Shopping Center Near You

   While nibbling and sipping at this year's Fallfest at Justin Hermann Plaza, I ran into Mr.Yan here, hustling some very tasty char siu bao, made with cornmeal-like dough instead of the traditional refined white flour used in most local bakeries. In between glad handing and having his picture taken (with me, of course), he was promoting his new venture, M. Y. China (clever, no?) opening in 'early 2012' on Level 4 of the Westfield Center. One can only assume that it will not be similar to Panda Express down in the Food Court. Will it be similar to Tommy Toy's or Fang, catering to white folks with lotsa money who aren't particular about their Chinese food? Or will it be bright and flashy with great dishes from all over China, stuff that you don't normally see here? We'll find out...

The Soda Pop Stop

   Did you have a favorite childhood soft drink that you'd love to taste just one more time? If so, you may want to look at this website:www.sodapopstop.com. It's a small mom and pop (so they say) operation in LA run by the Galco's. Their inventory is huge, and almost everything comes in glass bottles, so shipping is a bit more expensive. Ever had a 'real' Dr. Pepper, made from the original recipe? There's only one plant, in Dublin, TX, that still makes it. How about real ginger ale? Blenheim's in South Carolina makes a Hot Hot, as well as a Not So Hot and a Diet version. Trust me, it blows Canada Dry and Vernor's out of the water. You can do a mix and match of individual colas and whatever else you like. And if you have a sweet tooth, they also carry a lot of old time candies. Check it out!!

Lost Treasures - Adolph's

   I wish I could go back in time to the North Beach I used to know and love. One place I'd go first would be Adolph's, which sat on Vallejo St. a couple of doors down from Stockton St. It had an enormous pink neon sign that just said 'Adolph's' with no indication of what type of food was served, and there were no windows, so you couldn't see what people were eating. When you entered there was a small bar with six or seven seats, and off to the right was a warm, cozy little dining room. The menu was Italian old school. They made your Caesar salad at the table, as well as capellini flambe. The antipasti tray was listed as being for two people but could easily feed six. It came in an aluminum foil boat shaped like a bird, with a head on one end and a tail on the other, and was loaded with cold cuts, cheeses, ceci and kidney beans, carrots celery, etc. If I had to pick a favorite dish, it would be the boned leg of capon, stuffed with prosciutto, ham and provolone and smothered in mushroom gravy. All main dishes came with fresh sauteed vegetables. Mashed potatoes were put in a pastry bag, squeezed out in a swirled little mound, brushed with butter, dusted with paprika and baked until slightly crisp on the outside. Besides high quality food, Adolph's had a vast wine cellar, including some vintage Italian wines by the jeroboam.
   If somebody was having a birthday, all the servers would put on funny hats and sing "Happy Birthday" and bring out a cake with candles and everyone in the joint would raise a glass. This was part of the lack of pretentiousness that endeared Adolph's to people. We would often show up on the motorcycles with our ladies and park right in the white zone in front. The first time this happened the valet objected, but someone just tore a twenty in half and said, 'Here's half. If we come out and the rides are okay, you get the other half.' No one ever objected to jeans and tees and beards and tattoos, because when we ate and drank five or six hundred dollars worth of goods and tipped generously, everybody was happy.
   I always kept this place kind of a secret, especially with tourists in my cab. But once in a while I'd get that young couple on their honeymoon, looking for a special place to remember SF by, and that's where I'd take them, only if they promised not tell their friends back home...
  

Chile Pies - 314 Church St. near 15th, SFCA

    Thursday was a pie kinda day. This is little spot took over where the No Name Sushi used to be, and is pretty much a carbon copy of their flagship store at 601 Baker, where the original Green Chile Kitchen was located before moving to bigger digs up the street at 1801 MacAllister.
   I'd had beans 'n' franks with Fritos on many a Cub Scout overnight, but never a Frito Pie (7). It's served here with Niman Ranch beef, organic beans, chiles, cheese, pico de gallo and creme fraiche. Tobias and I split one of these after we'd each had our own individual pot pie - Chicken (8) pictured here, and Carne Asada (8). The chicken is Mary's free range and comes with potatoes, carrots, green chiles, corn and green beans in a cheddar crust with green salsa and creme fraiche. The carne asada is basically the same but using red chiles in the filling. Vegetarian versions of both dishes are available.
   If you're looking for something sweet, they have pies by the slice or whole. I tried the Banana Cream (5) and was very happy, happy, happy. You can get pie shakes - that's right, a slice of pie in the blender with ice cream and whatnot. They have Three Twins Ice Cream and Strauss frozen yogurt, and you can also get sundaes and floats.
   To get an idea of the menu, go to: www.greenchilekitchen.com/chilepies

2G Japanese Brasserie - 601 Van Ness (Opera Plaza) at Turk, SFCA

   Meeting another coupon deadline, I tried this spot for lunch yesterday. In business since February, they seem to be doing well. It's a large space, with two private banquet rooms. The coupon was good for $40, so I treated myself to Garlic Edamame (6), served right out of the frying pan and really tasty. I decided to avoid rolls and rice and carbs, so I chose the Sashimi Tasting (25), five types of fish with a total of twelve pieces and a nice sliced scallop in the small wooden bowl. Don't you just love the little candle? I always get Tobiko with Quail Egg (6) just to have something rich toward the end, and for a sweet finish, Tamago (5), the sweetened egg cake that at one time was used to judge the quality of a sushi place overall.
   Two things I should mention: a) this is the first place I've ever been to that didn't offer a warm moist towel for my hands, and b) they charged $13 for a small serving of nigorizake, that wonderful unfiltered sake. A bit dear, methinks.
    Oh, and I did mention the blue fin tuna matter. They said they are going to carry it less often. 8 on the Meter.

Pomelo - 92 Judah St. near 6th Ave., SFCA

   Another night on the town with Rachel and Justin and their pick of the week. I've been by this location, as well as their other site at 30th and Church, and I've always been intrigued. Let me start off by saying that 'cozy' doesn't quite define this place, it's small. Raymond Burr would never have fit into the toilet here.
  You can call the menu eclectic, and I like eclectic and fusion style - when it works, and I'm not quite sure it works here. We started with the Ulsan (9), a Korean style scallion pancake with scallops, prawns, red and green chiles and egg with a spicy dipping sauce. Basically a nice idea but the seafood tasted a bit old and the sauce wasn't all that spicy. Next was the Alassio (8), calamari stewed in white wine, tomatoes and herbs and served on grilled green onion bruschetta. It would have been a lot easier to just serve the calamari on the bruschetta, topped with the onion. Again, this sounded great but was lacking in any real knockout flavors in the seafood itself. At least it wasn't overcooked and chewy.
   Want something other than Asian flavors? Try the Havana (15.), a nice piece of grilled skirt steak served with Cuban style rice, black beans, plantains, ginger, chipotle and cilantro. Another ambitious mix of flavors that doesn't work as served. There's no harm in just serving the rice, beans and plantains separately on the plate. I could hardly ascertain the chipotle in the mix and I would think that the beans would have been stewed with whole peppers to absorb that smoky, warm taste. The meat was cooked well and had a good rich flavor.
   I chose the Lanzhou(15), egg noodles cooked with ginger, scallion and garlic and topped with peppered seared ahi drizzled with a miso-sesame sauce. Again an overload of flavors that make for a much too busy dish. The bean sprouts are totally out of place, and there was an overwhelming taste of wasabi oil in the noodles, which were quite good as far as texture and inherent flavor are concerned. FYI, Lanzhou is an area in Northwest China that has a mixed Chineses and Islamic culture.
   Which leaves us with the Weekend Special (18), some nice panko crusted snapper with saffron pappardelle and toy box tomatoes. We all agreed that this was the best dish of the evening, the fish tasting very fresh and moist, the pasta perfectly al dente. The bread seemed like an unnecessary afterthought, since there wasn't a lot of gravy to be sopped up. I think I told Rachel to stick it in her purse for breakfast, but she ignored me.
  We have to say 6 on the Food-O-Meter.

Smooth Thai - 55 Cyril Magnin (5th St. North) in the Parc 55 Hotel, SFCA

   I would not have expected to find a Thai resto in a major downtown hotel, so this was a pleasant surprise. I had a Groupon for $20, so I decided to hog it all for myself. This is a simple, unpretentious little space, and relatively inexpensive for being in a hotel. I started with the Som Tum (6.95), your good ol' green papaya salad, and I knew I was going to like it just from the way it smelled, redolent of fish sauce and garlic. Everything had that nice crunchiness to it, including the green beans and I naturally saved a little to take home.
   I love Thai curries, especially the reds, so I tucked into this Red Panang Curry (8.75) with chicken, red and green bell pepper, mint and basil in a red peanut coconut sauce. I tend to lay off the rice, but it's so good spooned up and dipped in that soup. I wiped this bad boy out! Lots of nice white chicken meat, not overcooked or dry.
   While I liked the food, the service seemed a tad slow. They do a fair amount of take-out with Asian customers of all sorts, none of whom looked like hotel residents. While I may not be rushing back anytime soon, I'd still give it a 7 on the Food-O-Meter. If you go, it's on the second floor on the the Ellis St. side of the building.