Stir-fried eggplant and tofu with red bell peppers and carrots in a garlic chili sauce. $9.25
Lers Ros Thai, San Francisco
I usually love eggplant dishes, but I could have done without this forgettable version. The eggplants were SO undercooked and the tofu was bland despite it swimming in garlic chili sauce. But I guess since the garlic chili sauce was bland to start with, it couldn’t impart much flavor to this sad dish.
Served in a red coconut curry broth. Part of Chef’s tasting menu. $25 per person
Mercury Lounge, San Francisco
The menu said this was supposed to be fish and tofu with vegetables, but it ended up just being fish and eggplants. They obviously didn’t have tofu that night. We were one of the first tables seated so I know they didn’t run out of it. The eggplant was way undercooked and I swear they used the same fried fish from the salt and pepper fish appetizer. Not a successful dish!
Sauteed eggplants with green onions, bamboo shoots, onions, black fungus, ginger and dried chilis in a garlic sauce. To go special $8.00
Grand Palace Restaurant, South San Francisco
Oh how I love eggplant! These were SO good too. I love how they were super saucy and garlicky. I was also surprised how much food they give you for their To Go Special. This didn’t come with any rice so it’s just a huge container of Szechuan eggplants, noms!
Sauteed eggplant with chicken, shrimp, red bell pepper, and basil in a special spicy sauce. $9.75
Eric’s Restaurant, San Francisco
I’m an eggplant fanatic so, naturally, this is one of my favorite dishes at Eric’s. You also get a great combination of different proteins with the beautifully sauteed eggplants. The sauce is so flavorful and made even better with the basil. My only complaint is that I always order this extra spicy, but I always receive it with barely any spice. C’mon people, gimme some heat!!! 🙂
Deep fried eggplant slices filled with a shrimp mixture.
Ton Kiang, San Francisco
Yet another disappointing dish from Ton Kiang. These stuffed eggplants are one of my favorite dim sum dishes, and they managed to completely ruin it for me! You can see from the photo that the color is a bit off and that’s because this was one of the greasiest things I’ve ever eaten! The greasy was literally dripping off this thing once you picked it up with chopsticks, EW! It had absolutely NO flavor except from the excessive oil that end up coating your entire mouth. Good thing this was the last plate we had, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to taste the others from the oily film coating our taste buds. Sadness…
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Fried Japanese eggplants with cherry tomatoes, celery, basil, capers, Sicilian green olives, toasted pine nuts, white balsamic vinegar, and topped with a generous portion of burrata cheese. $9
Beretta, San Francisco
Wow, Beretta doesn’t skimp on the burrata cheese for this dish! I personally love buratta. The cream filled fresh mozzarella cheese acquires such a creamy, luscious texture. It’s absolutely divine. I’ve never had eggplant caponata before this, but I really enjoyed it. The dish was very flavorful and the fresh vegetables, basil and pine nuts helped to brighten the fried eggplants. There’s a lot going on here, but they all work. The buratta is additional, but I highly recommend ordering it. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this dish half as much sans the buratta!
Vittle Monster 