Category Archives: Restaurant

General Tso’s chicken – Eric’s Restaurant

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General Tso's chicken Eric's Restaurant

Breaded and deep fried chicken pieces topped with a special sauce.  $8.75
Eric’s Restaurant, San Francisco

“General Tso’s chicken” can mean anything on a Chinese restaurant menu.   If you haven’t been to that particular restaurant before, you can expect to get just about anything.  The General Tso’s chicken at Eric’s Restaurant is one of my favorites.  The nuggets are pretty meaty (meaning they’re not overly breaded) and the sauce is absolutely delicious.  It was a great dark, garlicky flavor and it’s nice and sticky.  Noms!

Fish and calamari fritto – The Ramp

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Fish and calamari fritto The Ramp

Deep fried fish fillet and bread calamari.  Served with french fries, cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, and a lemon wedge.  $14.50
The Ramp, San Francisco

This may look like a great plate of food, but it was the greasiest pile of crap I’ve ever had.  The oil they used to fry this in had to have been super cold because the fish fillet (especially) and everything else was saturated and dripping with grease.  I tried dabbing (then pressing and pummeling) napkins on it to try to soak up the grease, but all the napkins on the table were quickly used up and I was left with a sad, flaccid still-greasy pile of food in front of me.  They could’ve served me a cold sponge saturated in grease, and I wouldn’t know the difference.  Sad…

Chips with guacamole and salsa – The Ramp

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Chips with guacamole and salsa The Ramp

Every part of this appetizer probably came out of either a can or bag, but I still liked it and definitely ate more than my share.  There’s just something about chips with salsa and guacamole that keeps you eating regardless of the quality.  Or maybe I’m just a pig!  Either way, I enjoyed these and would order them again in a quick second.  You definitely get lots of it!  $8
The Ramp, San Francisco

Rock shrimp tortellini – Firewood Cafe

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Rock shrimp tortellini Firewood Cafe

Stuffed with fresh gulf rock shrimp, green onions, shallots and red bell peppers.  Served with Firewood sauce (mixture of marinara sauce and white wine cream sauce) and bread, topped with parsley and shaved parmesan cheese.  $9.95
Firewood Cafe, San Francisco

I’ll admit that I’ve had this dish more than a few times after hanging out at the surrounding bars all night, hehe!  I think it’s the Firewood sauce, a great mixture of marinara, wine, and cream) that hits just the right spots.  It’s a warm and homey dish – a perfect plate to satiate an after-bar appetite.  The tortellini always has a nice bite to them and the rock shrimp filling is delicious.

Combination vermicelli clay pot – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

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Combination vermicelli clay pot Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

Wow!  I could eat this every day.  It’s so warm, rich, and comforting.  It had a little bit of everything in it: chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, and squid!  The sauce was absolutely amazing and the vermicelli noodles soaked up all of the delicious flavors.  Thank you, XLB Kitchen! 2 person lunch combo $14.95
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco

Combination vermicelli clay pot Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

Minced pork noodles – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

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Minced pork noodles Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

Oddly enough, I would say this dish tasted like a Chinese version of spaghetti!  Weird, huh?  My friend order this thinking it was something else, but this is what we got.  It tasted a little bit sweet and the sauce had a slightly slimey texture.  The noodles are underneath and you just mix everything together.  I didn’t NOT like it, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite.  They certainly gave you plenty, though.  🙂 $6.95
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco

Sesame chicken – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

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Sesame chicken Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

Omg, this has got to be the best sesame chicken I’ve ever had!  Other versions can sometimes be over-breaded and greasy, but these were perfect.  They had large strips of chicken, only lightly breaded, and not greasy at all.  The sticky sauce was absolutely amazing and the toasted sesames gave it an additional flavor dimension.  SO good, definitely worth a return visit! 2 person lunch combo $14.95
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco

Xiao long tang bao – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

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Large Shanghai dumpling Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

Holy monster Shanghai soup dumpling!  Apparently, these are usually served with a straw so you can suck up all the excess soup from the bottom of the dish.  The dough is way thicker than a normal sized soup dumpling and it has a different texture.  I guess some people don’t even eat the wrapper.  While I appreciate the novelty of this giant dumpling, but I prefer the smaller version to actually eat! 20 minutes for order. $2.50
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco

Mu shu chicken – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

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Mu shu chicken Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

Large pile of shredded chicken, napa cabbage, onions, carrots, green onions, black fungus, and scrambled eggs.  Served with mu shu pancakes.  These are always fun to eat because you get to make yummy Chinese burritos of sorts.  The hoisin (or plum sauce) tastes great with the mildly flavored filling. $7.95
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco

Xiao long bao – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

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Shanghai dumplings Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

I must say that these Shanghai soup dumplings rival those at Shanghai Dumpling King in San Francisco.  These definitely come a close second.  The soup inside is very delicious as is the pork filling.  The dumpling skin is resilient enough to withstand my amateur chopstick handling.  I’ve learned that they taste even better when eaten with the accompanying vinegar sauce.  Just don’t get too anxious like me and burn your mouth with the hot soup inside – rookie mistake.  Hehe! 8 pieces for $6.95
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco

Shanghai dumplings Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

A perfect spoonful!

Vinegar Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

I love the garlicky vinegar sauce.

Pan fried pork buns – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

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Pan fried pork buns Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

I get hungry just looking back at this photo.  Pan friend pork buns are SO yummy, regardless of what my friend said about how they’re made.  Let’s just say their not diet approved.  I don’t care!  I’ll sacrifice my waistline any day to eat these amazingly flavorful buns.  Great job XLB Kitchen! 6 pieces for $5.95
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco