Side of Peruvian style rice topped with sliced tomatoes, red onions and chopped cilantro.
Limon Rotisserie, San Francisco
I’m not sure what’s in this rice that makes it Peruvian, but it tasted pretty good. It wasn’t as tomato-y as Mexican rice I guess, and they must use different spices.
Strawberry lemonade. $2.50
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
Served with cilantro, ginger, thai chilies, and onions. $15
The Slanted Door, San Francisco
This was my absolute favorite dish at The Slanted Door! I remember ordering this back in the day when the restaurant was still in its small space on Valencia Street. I loved it then and I still love it today. It has such a deep, rich flavor and the catfish is so tender and fall-apart flakey. The sauce is SO amazing with the caramelized onions. The catfish slices do have a lot of bones in them so be careful! I’m used to fish bones, and I actually like that they’re there because they add more flavor to the dish. Beautiful and delicious!!!
With green onion, fresh dungeness crab meat, and garnished with cilantro. $19
The Slanted Door, San Francisco
This has got to be one of The Slanted Door’s most popular dishes. It’s absolutely delicious and the flavors are amazing. Even the noodles have absorbed a great seafood/crab flavor. There are large chunks of dungeness crab hidden throughout the pile of clear, al dente noodles.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Grilled pork patty and sliced pork with sliced carrots and fennel bulb(?), vermicelli noodles, lettuce, mint, and cilantro. $8.20
Turtle Tower Restaurant, San Francisco
I’ve never had this before, but it was really good! I think this was the only non-pho dish ordered in the entire restaurant. Seriously, lol! I wanted to try something new and this fit the bill. The grilled pork slices were yummy. These were cut thicker than at other Vietnamese places. The pork patties were flavorful, but way too fatty for my taste. They left that gross fatty film in your mouth. The sweet, fish saucey liquid that it came in was delicious. The fresh herbs were great and really made the Vietnamese flavor. I wasn’t really sure how to eat this so I made things up! I first wrapped everything in some of the lettuce, but that proved too messy. I ended up using a small bowl to mix everything in small batches, poured some sauce over it and enjoyed!
Chicken and rice noodles in a rich broth with cilantro, chopped green onions, and accompanied with sliced jalapeno peppers and lemon wedges. $6.20 small
Turtle Tower Restaurant, San Francisco
This chicken pho was really different from others I’ve tried. The most obvious difference was the wide, thick noodles they use. It also wasn’t served with a side of sprouts and sprigs of thai basil. That said, I think it was absolutely delicious! The broth was frickin’ amazing – so rich and complex. I actually enjoyed that they kept the skin on the chicken pieces. It seemed more authentic and definitely added more flavor.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Tsing Tao beer. $3.45
I totally forgot aobut Tsing Tao beer! I’ve been spending too much time at sushi joints so I needed a good Vietnamese fix. 🙂
Rice porridge topped with fried crispy wontons and chopped cilantro.
Ton Kiang, San Francisco
My first congee experience was horrible and I’ve never liked this Chinese rice porridge since. I was in the San Francisco Chinatown and had walked into a random Chinese restaurant where everything was written in Chinese except for a few menu items tacked onto their walls, one of which was congee. I ordered the chicken congee without really knowing what it was. When I received the HUGE bowl of white rice porridge, I was so disappointed. There are a few textures I really don’t enjoy and runny, slightly slimey, slightly thick and gelatinous porridge with bits of things floating in it is one of them, lol! I took a few bites, left the restaurant, and have never tried congee since.
…Until my trip to Ton Kiang! And I must admit, that it wasn’t half bad this time around. It still took some mental tricks on my part to try it, but I believe that I almost enjoyed it. I think this version was thinner than the previous and didn’t have any mysterious ingredients hiding inside. The crispy wontons and cilantro also helped to disguise the porridge texture and added some familiar flavors. I’m not going to start ordering congee on a regular basis, but at least now, I know I can somewhat enjoy it! 🙂
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Super burrito with soft flour tortilla filled with grilled steak, rice, beans, fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, salsa, cheese, sour cream, and avocado. $6.25
El Farolito, San Franciso
Like most Mission burritos, this one from El Farolito is ginormous (and quite delicious if I may add)! The carne asada was tender and flavorful, and the other ingredients are evenly portioned. They don’t over-fill the burrito with rice like some other taquerias. The salsa, however, was SO frickin’ salty! It pretty much destroyed my taste buds and ruined several bites of the burrito. I immediately stopped using more once I figured out that it was the salty offender, lol! If you plan on tackling this huge burrito, save your appetite or stow half for later!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
This dish was very clean and delicious! I loved the combination of the creamy grits, slightly sweet fruit chutney, and the sweet and salty pork belly. I’m not sure what they braised the pork in, but I’m guessing they used some soy and sugar. The effect was fabulous and the pork just melted in your mouth. The fruit and herb salad on top were bright and contrasted perfectly with the rich pork belly.
Ground Kurobuta pork shoulder, fresh tofu, Szechuan peppercorns, jalapenos, dried red chili pepper, chili oil, green onions, cloves, garnished with chopped cilantro.
Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco CA
This has to be one of my favorite Chinese delivery dishes of all time! It’s super spicy with all the jalapenos, dried red chilies, and even more chili oil but the pain in my mouth is worth every delicious bite. I’m thankful that it comes with steamed rice, not only for the cooling effect but also to soak up all that mouth watering sauce.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2011
February 1, 2014
Vittle Monster 