Monthly Archives: October 2011

Albacore crudo – Reform Club

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Albacore crudo Reform Club

Served with fava, mint, strawberry, aged balsamic, and garnished with wildflowers. $40 for 4-course dinner.
Reform Club @ Specchio, San Francisco

We went to this weekly pop-up held at Specchio Restaurant in the Mission. It was $40 for four courses with a $25 drink supplement, and the menu changes every week! Overall, I enjoyed the meal partly because we were there as part of a great food club. This albacore crudo was SO good! It was such a small portion though, and this seemed to be a theme throughout the courses. I must say that I was still hungry afterward. But back to the albacore, hehe. It looked beautiful (loved the wildflowers) and all the flavors worked great together. Would’ve never thought that fava, mint, strawberries and balsamic would taste that amazing together!

Dungeness crab arancini – Beretta

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Dungeness crab arancini Beretta

Deep fried crab arancini served with a calabrese aioli. $10
Beretta, San Francisco

These are one of my favorite appetizers at Beretta! They are perfectly cooked and taste amazing with the calabrese aioli.  The warm arancini balls have delicious bits of dungeness crab inside and the arborio rice is soft and comforting – YUM! I only wish you got more that 4 arancini because I could eat these all day. I snapped the photo as the sun was setting through the front window to a pretty cool effect.

Ha gao – Ton Kiang

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Ha gao Ton Kiang

Steamed shrimp dumplings wrapped in a translucent wheat and tapioca starch wrapper.
Ton Kiang, San Francisco

Har gow is one of my favorite dim sum items because it’s delicious and the least scary looking thing on the roving carts (or trays in the case of Ton Kiang). I didn’t like a lot of the dim sum at Ton Kiang, but I did like these. They were filled with HUGE chunks of shrimp and had a great flavor! The wrapper was on the thick side, but it wasn’t tough or dry.  Still a favorite! (Thank god Ton Kiang didn’t ruin this one for me.)

Green tea Ton Kiang

Complimentary green tea.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Chips and salsa – Papalote Mexican Grill

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Chips and salsa Papalote Mexican Grill

It’s all about the salsa!  It’s hard to describe its unique flavor because it’s not like any other salsa I’ve tasted.  Papalote has been on the show Throwdown with Bobby Flay for a burrito challenge, and it was their AMAZING salsa that gave Papalote the winning advantage. When ever I go to their 24th Street location (conveniently close to my house) I pay for extra containers of this delicious condiment. They even sell jars of it at several Whole Foods supermarkets in San Francisco. Not sure if they’re sold in other cities/states, but they should be! Everyone should have the chance to taste their distinct salsa creation! $1.50 + .50 for extra salsa
Papalote Mexican Grill, San Francisco

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014

Cheese slice – Arinell Pizza

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Cheese slice Arinell Pizza

Thin crust, New York style, neapolitan cheese slice. Simple and delicious! $2.25
Arinell Pizza, San Francisco

I’ve found out that people either LOVE Arinell Pizza or they think that it’s overrated. I’m in the former group. Perhaps it’s because it reminds me of grad school, but I think that it’s just plain tasty! I prefer the classic neapolitan slice over their thick Sicilian slice. The crust is thin, crispy, and has a nice chewy bite. The marinara is quite flavorful and although the cheese can get a bit greasy, I think it just adds to the flavor – lol! The pizzas are parbaked, sliced to order, and reheated with your choice of toppings. Plop down in front of their small window counter and enjoy!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Red velvet cupcake – Susiecakes

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Red velvet cupcake Susiecakes Bakery

This is one of Susie’s signature “frosting filled” cupcakes, in one of their most popular flavors. And yes, that indentation on top is intentional, all of the cupcakes had them (personally, not a fan). Something else that I wasn’t impressed with was that they throw these cupcakes into a paper bag for you to take home. Needless to say, my cupcake was smashed on the sides when I got home. Who wants to eat an ugly cupcake, am I right!? I tried patching it, but it still looked sad and defeated. Even Mission Minis boxes their tiny morsels for take-home. The red “sprinkles” on top are actually red velvet cake crumbs. This cupcake was OK. Perhaps a frosting overload with it both on top and inside, and I couldn’t get over the smashed look to it.  $3
SusieCakes Bakery, San Francisco