AsianEscoffier

its funny that i happend upon this post today! Me and some chef buddies of mine were eating at our favorite chinese bbq place here in SF last week. Whilst chowing down on chicken feet and char-siu, we noticed a huge trophy prominently displayed with a Top 100 sign by it. Me and my friends were thinking, how have we never heard of this award, and do you think its prestigous in any way? thanks for shedding some light on the situation Fat Guy!

Am i the only one who thinks that the apps at both places are great, but the entrees are seriously lacking? I mean, come on, roasted piece of meat and a few leaves of arugula, and a wedge of lemon does not an entree make. I do really like both restaurants a ton, however i always skip the main courses and focus on what they do best. Basically, if im fiending for offal, i go to incanto, and if i would rather have some pizza, i go to A-16.

Ive been cooking professionally for the past 7 years or so, at some great places, and some not so great places. But I have never worked at one of the top tier restaurants named in this thread(i have eaten at many though). And its amazing to see how techniques have evolved even in the short time ive been cooking. I would say that a great deal of the mid level restaurants(think 1 michelin star) use techniques pioneered by those aforementioned restaurants. Sous vide? Gellan gum? versawhip? liquid nitrogen? These things are becoming as ubiquitous as corn starch slurries and braising. So what really defines a molecular restaurant? Does one fluid gel on the menu make a restaurant avant guard? how many of the hot techy restaurants out these really pioneer new techniques? I think once you can answer that question can you really find out the best modern/molecular restaurants.

Everyone is wrong except for me. The best burgers in town are the following... Nopa($$) and Rosamunde Sausage Grill Burger tuesday(dirt cheap). I especially like Roasmunde cos you can get a delicious cheap burger until they run out, and wash it down with a delicious beer at Tournado next door.

Some of the best chinese restaurants in San Francisco also happen to have some of the biggest dining rooms as well. I personally really like R&G Lounge in chinatown, and Koi Palace in Daly City. Both places have large private dining facilities, and they both do killer authentic chinese food as well. For 50/55 bucks a head, i think youd be able to afford lots of great seafood, and maybe even a little abalone and sharks fin too.

As a journeyman cook, my career has enabled me to live and work in various cities. When I first moved to San Francisco in 2006, I was shocked when I found out the Chronicle ratings for various restaurants in town. I recall working in a certain manhattan restaurant, and the level of tension that permeated the kitchen when we found out that Grimes(NY Times) was coming in to eat. This restaurant had an amazing staff, and outstanding chef, and at the time(2002/2003) I believe that it was the best seafood restaurant in the city. When the review came out, and we had got our 3 stars, everyone was excited, the chef was patted on the back, cooks got glasses of champagne, it was a good moment, that had punctuated a tough tough season of working our asses off. And why? cause, even in a city with thousands of chefs with 4 star ambitions, getting 3 stars meant something. It meant you were good. Really good. There are numerous superstars that have never had more then 3 nytimes stars, and they are no less then culinary gods in my mind. However, here in San Francisco there is a different story. It seems that Chronicle critic michael bauer gives out 3, 3 1/2 stars like they were going out of style. I first really started thinking about it when i ate at La Folie and later found out that they were 4 stars. I was taken aback, because i was so thoroughly disapointed with that meal, that I was furious at myself for having wanted to eat there. Old school, heavy, huge portions, same veg sets on different entrees. I ate the 5 course dinner and left there more full than any meal of my life, and yet so completely unsatisfied. Then I found out chez nous was a 3 star restaurant. 3 Stars! Its a glorified neighborhood restaurant, and yet its deserving of three stars! All told there are 115 3 star restaurants and another 25 three and a half/four star restaurants. Am I the only one who thinks that his grading system is completely off kilter? Really, Coi the same level as Delfina? Rubicon the same as A-16? Meadowood the same as the Matterhorn? Tell me what you think guys...

At first i really wanted a bluefin tuna tat on my back, cause theyre huge, badass, really fast, and most important of all, delicious. But, recently ive decided to get a USDA Prime logo tattoo. On my right bicep. Itll be funny, cool, and shows my zeal for quality meat.

I think serrated knives are the best deal in the world of cutlery. No matter what brand you buy, or how cheap it is, itll still work just as good as german knife 4-8x more expensive. Oh, and the bowery in NYC chinatown is the best place for baragins in the known universe. I bought 10 large saucing spoons at a restaurant supply store for 15$ that are identical to the Lespinasse/grey kunz spoons that they sell at JB Prince for 7 bucks a pop.