Yogurtsoda – Page 86 – Eating my way around the world by Mariam Hosseini

Crab and Tobiko Summer Rolls

February 21, 2011February 7, 2019

It’s only February, but I’ve had summer on my mind, and all the fresh dishes that go with it. The aptly-named summer rolls are one of my favorite things to eat in the warmer weather and with spring only a few weeks away, I’m making these early this year.

These seafood summer rolls pack a bunch with a chili-garlic spiked aioli and the crunchy, vinagared vegetables balance out the mayonnaise perfectly. If you take the time to prep your mise en place ahead of time here, putting these rolls together is a snap.

Ingredients:
1 (3-inch-long) piece daikon radish, peeled and julienned
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 Persian cucumber, halved and julienned
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
1 ounce tobiko roe
3 teaspoons soy sauce
10 round rice-paper wrappers
1 pound crabmeat, picked over and coarsely flaked
1 green onion, thinly sliced diagonally

1. Combine one tablespoon of lime juice and soy sauce in a small bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, toss carrot, daikon, and cucumber with vinegar, sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, and salt to taste.

2. In another bowl, mix chili-garlic sauce with mayonnaise and half of the tobiko and set aside.

3. Stir together the remaining lime juice and soy sauce in a small bowl.

4. Soak 1 rice paper wrappers in a baking dish of warm water until pliable, about 5 seconds. Put 1 soaked wrapper on a dry cutting board. Put one tablespoon of crabmeat across lower third of wrapper (nearest you), leaving a 2-inch border at bottom. Spread with 1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise-tobiko mixture and top with a few pieces of the carrot mixture and sliced scallion. Fold bottom of wrapper over filling and roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining filling ingredients and rice paper wrappers.

5. Cut each roll into 2 pieces. Arrange on a platter, standing them up, and top each with a dollop of tobiko. Drizzle lime-soy sauce around rolls.

Kung Fu Tacos

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.

Giordano Bros.

February 15, 2011February 16, 2011

I’m a big fan of French fries. (Who isn’t?) I’m also a fan of sandwiches. Thus, the only thing better than a sandwich and fries is fries inside a sandwich. Surprisingly, only a handful of restaurants have caught on to this gluttonous combination, and Giordano Bros. is one of them. Nestled in the heart of North Beach, it’s the perfect casual spot to sate your carb-on-carb craving.

Giordano Bros. models their sandwiches after a Pittsburgh tradition, of which I knew very little about. According to the proprietor, Giordano’s sandwiches are an ode to those served at Primanti’s in Pittsburgh. This tradition also includes showing Steeler games (think sports bar, not white tablecloth).

During our first visit, my dining companion and I split our sandwiches so we could each get a taste of both worlds. We shared the pastrami and the steak. The pastrami was saltier, but I actually preferred the texture of the pastrami over that of the steak. Both were solid though, and nestled between all those French fries and white bread, they were hugely satisfying. Don’t worry, though – the sandwiches also have a serving of tangy, light coleslaw, so you’re getting some greens. Or something.

Service is super laid-back and casual and Giordano’s, evoking a neighborhood feel in an area that can otherwise feel touristy at times. Health-consciousness aside, this is a terrific place when you’re craving a hearty, comforting sandwich. With French fries, of course. Glorious, glorious French fries.

R&G Lounge

February 13, 2011

If you asked me to name my favorite Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area, I’d be at a loss. There’s just too much good Chinese food to name one. But my top three? R&G Lounge in Chinatown forever holds a place in the ranking, and these days, the word is out.

Ever since I heard about the salt and pepper crab from a friend who’d dined there, I’d been intrigued. Then Anthony Bourdain featured the crab dish in his San Francisco episode of No Reservations. By the time I finally paid R&G my first visit to try their famed crustacean dish, the restaurant was packed, and with good reason.

My dining companions and I were quickly seated for lunch in the upstairs dining area (there’s an underground dining room as well). Service was brisk and the dishes we ordered emerged quickly from the kitchen. The first was the salt and pepper crab, of course. Deep fried and other wordly-looking, this Dungeness beauty was generously sprinkled with loads of fried garlic, which coated the crab meat as we pried open the claws. The hype is worth it – this crab is among the best I’ve ever had.

Next came the Mongolian beef, one of my favorite Chinese-American dishes. This was spicy, peppery, and the tender beef was seared well. Oh, and lots of onions.

As tempting as it is, it’s no good to order all meat, so we split a dish of bok choy with garlic as well. I’m not sure what was in the translucent sauce, but it was full of savory flavor, lending a hearty note to our supposed “light” dish. Not that I’m complaining.

We shared plate of seafood fried rice too, which was also tasty. My favorite thing about this fried rice is that it was far less greasy than your usual restaurant rendition of fried rice, and with extra bits of yolk mixed in.

I’ve been back to R&G Lounge several times since my first visit. A few regular dishes have grown on me in addition to the crab; namely the R&G special beef, the braised e-fu noodles, and the three treasures with black bean sauce. Now when I go to R&G Lounge, my biggest challenge isn’t sitting through the wait – it’s narrowing down what to order.

Jang Su Jang

February 1, 2011February 1, 2011

These days, I rarely venture into the South Bay. It’s a shame, because I absolutely love Korean food and Silicon Valley is home to some of Northern California’s best Korean food. The last time I found myself there, my cousin introduced me to Jang Su Jang in Silicon Valley, an upscale Korean restaurant located in a Korean strip mall. (I know, I know. Upscale and strip mall don’t usually go in the same sentence.)

As soon as we sat down, our super friendly waitress covered our granite table with bowls of broth and an array of banchan, the Korean small plates and kimchi that are eaten alongside a meal. I was in heaven with the crunchy daikon, the sweet potatoes, and vinegared seaweed.

For my entree, I chose one of my favorite Korean dishes: bibim naengmyeon. Made up of long, thin, chewy noodles and served cold in a stainless bowl, my favorite naengmyeon variation is bibim naengyeon, which includes a generous serving of gochujang, a savory and pungent hot chili paste. The whole thing is topped with pickled radish, cucumber, a boiled egg, and cold sliced beef. The noodles in this case were a little bit overcooked but the sauce was incredible and I couldn’t stop myself from finishing the bowl.

Most Korean restaurants that I’ve been to usually end the meal with a complimentary sweet, be it a cup of rice dessert drink or a stick of melon gum. At Jang Su Jang, we were served a “frozen dessert.”

Despite the label, our mystery dessert wasn’t frozen. It was liquid, very sweet and slightly grainy, and I have no idea what it was made out of. It was an curious note to end our meal with, though.

Jang Su Jang is a solid restaurant: the food is delicious, the service is very warm, and the ambiance is modern and sleek. I know where I’m going the next time I visit the South Bay.