Category: San Francisco, California

Posted on May 1, 2011

You might not know this, but mortadella is very much an Iranian food. Sure, it may have originated in Italy, but for me and countless other kids in the Iranian diaspora, we grew up eating garlic and pistachio-flecked mortadella, wrapped up in lavash and enjoyed with a side of pickled Persian cucumbers.

It’s this childhood nostalgia that compels me to seek out new variations of mortadella wherever I can find it, and Boccalone in San Francisco’s Ferry Building is doing amazing things with it. (Not to mention a whole cornucopia of other high-quality cured meats.) Run by Chris Cosentino of Incanto fame, one of my favorite things to do is to buy a sandwich at Boccalone and enjoy it in front of the pier. (The shop does not have a seating area.)

During my last visit, Boccalone was carrying their seasonal truffled mortadella, so I shared a sandwich with a friend. Stuffed with provolone, lettuce, tomatoes and mortadella and encased in a crispy baguette, the sandwich was perfect except for one thing: too much mustard. I mean, it was terrific, whole-grain mustard, but whoa. The mustard was so strong that I couldn’t taste the truffles.

Despite the overzealous mustard incident, Boccalone is still one of my favorite sandwich shops and I’ll be back the next time I’m at the Ferry Building. Their menu is always changing so I know I’ll be in for a surprise. Just go easy on the mustard, thanks.

Posted on April 17, 2011April 17, 2011

Ever since it opened last year, Comstock Saloon in North Beach has become one of my favorite after-work hangouts. As its name implies, the vibe is saloon-like, down to the live piano on the mezzanine and the old-school cocktails (think Manhattans and Sazeracs). And to be honest, I rarely visit a bar with the quality of food in mind, but Comstock’s dishes are just as good as their drinks.

During one of my last visits, I ordered a hop toad cocktail, made of Jamaican rum, apricot brandy, lime and bitters. Strong and oh-so-slightly sweet and tart, it was a good accompaniment to the plate of fried potatoes I shared with a friend. Served with cheese curds and gravy, I imagine these amazing potatoes are a tribute to poutine, the classic Quebecois dish that I wish would take hold in California already.

That’s what makes Comstock so great. They have terrific all-day fare, with an emphasis on hearty, traditional cuisine. Naturally, a place with solid drinks and food, and in a convenient neighborhood to boot, gets busy, even on weeknights. If you’re coming with a large group, it’s best to make reservations ahead of time. But even with a crowd, the service at Comstock is consistently friendly yet professional.

They may have been open for less than a year, but Comstock seems to have it all.

Posted on March 8, 2011

It’s almost as if the food truck gods heard my food truck prayers and answered my wish. For months, I’d been telling people that what San Francisco needs is an onigiri stand. And lo and behold, Onigilly opened up shop in the Embarcadero.

Onigiri are Japanese rice balls wrapped in nori seaweed and stuffed with an array of delicious fillings like pickled plum or salted salmon. Portable and easily customizable, they make the perfect snack or lunch on the go. When Onigilly began serving lunch a few months ago, I stopped by with a colleague to try out their healthy riff on one of my favorite foods.

Onigilly uses brown rice instead of the traditional white, and their fillings are a modern take as well. I had two masago roe and one hijiki seaweed onigiri, garnished with edamame and pickled radish. The masago was rich, as the salty roe had been folded into a spicy aioli, and the hijiki served as a delicious palate cleanser. These are not the onigiri that I became used to snacking on in Japan, but a California-style take that’s just as tasty.

The Onigilly food cart can get busy, so plan accordingly. Each onigiri is made with care and by hand, and service can be slow at times. The owner is charming and happy to talk to patrons about his creations, so the wait goes by quickly. Make sure to check their Twitter account ahead of time to make sure they’ll be open.

Posted on February 28, 2011

The first time I visited Golden Flower, it was on the recommendation of a colleague who told me it’s the best Vietnamese food in San Francisco’s Chinatown. I dropped by the busy restaurant for a quick lunch of pho, and in the short time I was there, the owners’ cheerful attitude made such an impression on me that I soon returned again. And again.

Golden Flower is a welcome change of pace if you’re the neighborhood and craving something other than Chinese food. It’s is a casual hole-in-the-wall restaurant with solid Vietnamese fare, and their steady crowd of patrons is testament to the quality of their dishes.

During one of my last visits, I ordered the grilled beef and rice noodles. The dish comes with piping hot fried spring rolls, which I gleefully dipped into my nuoc nam dipping sauce. My favorite thing about this dish is that like pho, it’s easy to customize it to one’s own taste. Another splash of nuoc nam here, a drop of sriracha there, and I was happily sated.

Golden Flower has become one of my go-to lunchtime restaurants, not only for the food, but because I look forward to the cheerful employees too. Oh, and word to the wise: you can get pho to go as well. They’ll pack your broth and fillings separately so that nothing gets soggy.

Posted on February 20, 2011

I’ve mostly stayed away from the food truck trend, not because I haven’t wanted to sample what’s out there, but because I’m usually not in the right place at the right time. Or so I thought. A little bit of research and word of mouth revealed that there are actually a few food trucks making the rounds in San Francisco’s Financial District, like the now-popular Kung Fu Tacos truck.

Posted at the corner of Sacramento and Montgomery, the Kung Fu Tacos truck serves fusion fare for lunch Tuesday through Friday. I tend to approach fusion fare apprehensively, but I was pleasantly surprised here, even if the portions are smaller than average. I tried the roast duck and Asian asada tacos on my visit: Asian asada is marinated steak topped with onions, cilantro, and spicy Asian-style salsa, while the roast duck tacos are garnished with mango salsa, hoisin sauce, and green onions.

Both were tasty, but the duck was my favorite. Faintly reminiscent of roast duck with Mandarin pancakes, the rich meat contrasted well with the piquant mangoes. The steak was good too, even if it included almost as much onions as it did steak.

If you’re going for lunch, I recommend ordering more than the two tacos that I did, as I was still hungry afterward. These aren’t as filling as your standard taqueira tacos, but they’re a welcome change from the countless sandwich shops that line the Financial District. Plus, at $2 to $3 each, the price can’t be beat and for a busy workday lunch, neither can the location.