Category Archives: 7×7 Big Eat SF

Bbq belly and grits – Magnolia Pub and Brewery

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Bbq belly and grits - Magnolia Pub and Brewery
Anson Mills cheddar grits, poached eggs, fried shallots. $14
Magnolia Pub and Brewery, San Francisco CA

Gross! This was probably the most bland dish I’ve ever eaten that had pork belly and/or grits in it; and I’ve eaten a lot of dishes! I ate half of it because I was starving, then couldn’t eat any more of the crap. The service was also atrocious! The seater tried to make a joke but ended up just being offensive. I didn’t get water until halfway through the meal, and the server was completely clueless about everything whenever she decided to make a rare appearance. I don’t think I have any reason to return to this restaurant.

Blue Bell Bitter beer - Magnolia Pub and Brewery
Blue Bell Bitter beer. $7
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010

Five spice roasted chicken and imperial rolls – Sunflower Vietnamese Restaurant

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Five spice roasted chicken and imperial rolls - Sunflower Vietnamese Restaurant
Vermicelli rice noodles with greens. $8.95
Sunflower Vietnamese Restaurant, San Francisco CA

Ugh, I was not impressed… The chicken was dry and really salty so don’t even think about adding any of the fish sauce – you’ll pass a kidney stone. The imperial rolls were delicious, perhaps on the greasy side. I liked the noodles and the fried scallions, but the chicken was gross.

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

Fish sauce - Sunflower Vietnamese Restaurant
Served with fish sauce.

Iced Vietnamese coffee - Sunflower Vietnamese Restaurant
Iced Vietnamese coffee. $2.95

Pluma Iberico de bellota – Coqueta

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Pluma Iberico de bellota - Coqueta
Pork shoulder loin with honey-chili glaze. $38
Coqueta, San Francisco CA

This pork was pretty damn tasty! But I would hope that it would be for costing almost forty bucks! I thought that it was maybe a bit undercooked for pork, so I was a little afraid to eat it, but I knew that it was really good quality pork and it tasted delicious so I ate the entire thing. The exterior was nicely seared and charred in places and the slices just melted in your mouth. The honey-chili sauce was also frickin’ amazing with the pork. I really liked this dish, but it was a bit much for a lunchtime entrée.

Pluma Iberico de bellota - Coqueta
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2014

Udon a la carbonara – Izakaya Roku

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Udon a la carbonara - Izakaya Roku
$8
Izakaya Roku, San Francisco CA

I liked this fusion. Udon is usually great with anything, and it tasted pretty good in this Italian style. That said, the carbonara wasn’t authentic in any way but it still had a pleasant texture and was nice and creamy/cheesy. It wasn’t the best dish here, but it was a nice change of pace.

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

Edamame - Izakaya Roku
Edamame. Happy hour $3

Maccaronara – A16

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Maccaronara - A16
Ragu napoletana, house-made ricotta salata. $14
A16, San Francisco CA

Mmm, this pasta was delicious! I don’t think I’ve had this type of pasta before and I really liked the texture of it. The house-made ricotta salata was also pretty amazing with the awesome ragu. So good!

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

Stefano Mancinelli red wine - A16
Stefano Mancinelli, Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, Superiore, Morro D’Alba, Ancona, Le Marche. $15

Crankshaft sandwich – Machine Coffee & Deli

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Crankshaft sandwich - Machine Coffee & Deli
Albacore tuna melt, arugula, house pickles, Shelbourne cheddar. $11
Machine Coffee & Deli, San Francisco CA

While I liked the flavors of this sandwich, I didn’t like the bread to filling ratio. I like sandwiches using baguettes, but there was almost no filling in this sandwich especially since it was a tuna melt. The baguette was also on the hard side. I was not impressed.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2013

Potato chips - Machine Coffee & Deli
Served with potato chips.

Crankshaft sandwich - Machine Coffee & Deli

Ritsu tonkotsu ramen – Izakaya Sozai

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Ritsu tonkotsu ramen - Izakaya Sozai
Pork broth, ramen noodles, egg, char siu, nori, scallions. With add-ons of fried braised pork belly and garlic chips. $11.75
Izakaya Sozai, San Francisco CA

Mmm, the broth in this ramen dish was really delicious! Was it the best ramen I’ve had, probably not but it was very tasty nonetheless. The noodles were good and the regular toppings were yummy. I was disappointed in the fried braised pork belly add-on though. It was too dry and tough for me. I also wish the egg was a little more soft and runny.

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

Sardine chips – Rich Table

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Sardine chips - Rich Table
Horseradish creme fraiche. Each $2
Rich Table, San Francisco CA

These little bites were so much fun to eat! I didn’t know what to expect, but I loved that the sardines were weaved into the thin potato slices. But the star of the dish was the horseradish creme fraiche. Omg, it was SO good! I expected the sardines chips to be reasonably crispy, but they were actually a bit chewy. That was fine though.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2013, 2014

Flashpoint and Manhattan cocktails - Rich Table
Flashpoint: Rittenhouse, pineapple gum, lemon cappelletti, lemon. $11
Manhattan: Buffalo Trace bourbon. $11

Sloppy bun – Bun Mee

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Sloppy bun - Bun Mee
Red curry ground beef, house garlic mayo, shaved onion, thai basil, jalapenos, sunny free range egg. $7.75
Bun Mee, San Francisco CA

This sandwich was good, but it didn’t blow my socks off. I thought that the red curry beef could have used a bit more flavor. My favorite part was the sunny egg and jalapenos. The sandwich did maintain its Vietnamese roots in its flavor profile which was nice. I thought it was really good quality so I’ll probably return and try some of the other banh mi’s.

Sloppy bun - Bun Mee
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2013

Takoyaki – Izakaya Sozai

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Takoyaki - Izakaya Sozai
Battered octopus balls, bonito flakes, nori, served with tonkatsu sauce. $9.50
Izakaya Sozai, San Francisco CA

Omg, these octopus balls were frickin’ amazing and I loved the presentation. This was definitely a case of eating with the eyes and mouth. The dish looked so pretty on the wooden plank and the bonito flakes and nori strips danced on top. It was difficult to taste the octopus (partly because octopus has such a mild flavor to begin with), but the texture was great and it was perfectly fried.

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

Arista sandwich – Merigan Sub Shop

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Arista sandwich - Merigan Sub Shop
Roasted and braised pork, sharp provolone, rapini, hots. $13
Merigan Sub Shop, San Francisco CA

Wow, this sandwich was awesome! The roasted pork was SO juicy and flavorful. The bun was hefty enough to withstand soaking up all those delicious juices from the meat and still maintain its integrity. The rapini added a nice sharpness and the hot peppers were just plain yummy. I would definitely order this again.

Arista sandwich - Merigan Sub Shop
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2014

Crispy imperial rolls – Out The Door

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Crispy imperial rolls - Out The Door
Shrimp, pork, lettuce, mint, rice vermicelli noodles, peanuts. $9
Out The Door, San Francisco CA

Mmm, imperials are pretty amazing. You get the deep fried crispiness from the roll, the salty amazingness from the fish sauce, carbs from the noodles, and a false sense of healthiness from the greens – the perfect combination. These were tasty, but I’m surprised that the rolls were a bit on the greasy side. 😦

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