Caitlin

Has anyone been to Jai Yun, a Chinese restaurant on Pacific Ave. in SF? It's on my list of places to try because I've read a lot of rave reviews about it, but I've also read some reports suggesting it's gone down hill, is overrated, and/or is way overpriced. It's a many-course, prix-fixe meal, ranging in price from $35-$180 per person. It doesn't look like anyone on egullet has posted on it in the past few years, but I'm wondering if anyone has been recently and has any thoughts...

I went to Burma Superstar for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it. We ordered the chicken samusas, the vegetarian samusa soup, the tea leaf salad, and the chicken and shrimp casserole with cardamom cinnamon rice. I would order each of those items again, but my two favorites were the tea leaf salad and the casserole. I had read about the salad ahead of time and knew I wanted to order it, but had no idea what to expect. I don't really know quite how to describe its flavors, but I think I'm going to have to order it every time I come back. The chicken in the casserole is a thigh that is kind of buried underneath the rice, and it comes out very moist and tender. I'm not a big fan of sweet flavors, so I was worried about the cardamom and cinnamon, but the casserole wasn't overly sweet - it just had lots of great flavor. And the samusas and samusa soup were great too - everything was great!

I was in Miami the last weekend in August and had the Spice menus at Wish and Table 8. I don't recommend the Spice menu at Wish. The three entree choices were chicken, sea bass with eggplant griddlecakes, and a pork chop with clam and chorizo hash. I don't recall anyone in my group ordering anything other than the sea bass (other than me), and no one was very impressed. The eggplant griddlecakes were basically soggy pancakes. The chickpea ravioli and beet salad were okay, as were the deserts. I can't comment on the other two entree choices, but I ordered the crispy skinned snapper off the regular menu. It was served with shrimp, chinese sausage, and jasmine rice. I did enjoy this dish, but for the Spice menu, I would not recommend going to Wish. Table 8 was a different story. I had the green bean salad with duck prosciutto as my starter, and the fish dish as my entree. I can't remember exactly what the fish dish was, but it was just okay. I also wasn't too excited about the green bean and duck salad, but the other dishes ordered at the table were all very good. I wish I had gotten the fava bean soup with pancetta and either the steak or lamb entree. I shared someone else's soup and loved it, and I also sampled the steak and lamb dishes, both of which were very good. I can't remember the dessert - I'm not big on sweets - but Table 8's Spice menu is definitely worth while.

I don't know of anything in the exact towns you mention, but you can get some great hot dogs in Langlois, which is in between Bandon and Port Orford (I just posted about this in another topic, but can't figure out how to link there). The Langlois Market is a well-known local favorite for sandwiches and hot dogs. I haven't tried their sandwiches, but the hot dogs are really good, and they're served with the market's own homemade, secret-recipe mustard. 48444 Highway 101, Langlois, OR, 97450 (on the right hand side if you're heading south) (541) 348-2476

Hi Carolyn - I just moved back to the Bay Area after being in Eugene, OR for 3 years for law school. Your posts in the CA forum have been really helpful to me as I've been getting back into the food scene down here, so I'm happy to have the chance to share my Oregon knowledge with you. Here are a few of my favorites: Portland: Apizza Scholl's 4741 SE Hawthorne Blvd., (503) 233-1286. Only open for dinner. Their pizzas are excellent. My favorites are a white pizza with bacon, and one with sausage and Mama Lil's Goathorn Peppers (these peppers are seriously amazing). Eugene: Beppe & Gianni's 1646 E. 19th Ave., (541) 683-6661. This Italian restaurant has some of the best - and maybe even the best - homemade fettuccine I've ever had - it's paper thin and very delicious. They also have a great appetizer - warmed Cambazola cheese served with grilled bread slices brushed with olive oil and roasted heads of garlic. Bandon: If you're in Bandon for dinner, I recommend Alloro Wine Bar 375 2nd Street SE, (541) 347-1850. I had an excellent meal there in February. My entree was grilled sturgeon that had been marinated in balsamic vinegar, and it was wonderful. Langlois (15 minutes or so south of Bandon): If you pass through Langlois, stop at the Langlois Market for one of their famous hot dogs. They use Hill Meat Company frankfurters, but they peel off the casing after cooking them and serve them skinless (which didn't make sense to me until I tried one with the casing and discovered how tough and chewy it is). But the hot dogs have great flavor and they're served with the market's homemade secret-recipe mustard. 48444 Highway 101, Langlois, OR, 97450 (on the right hand side if you're heading south) - (541) 348-2476. Enjoy your trip!

I'm interested in buying one of these pieces for my dad as a gift, but I'm not sure which one to get. I think he'd use it mostly for brasing meat, but also for stews/chilis/etc. Is there a functional difference between a regular cocotte and a coq au vin cocotte? I'm looking at the 6 qt. oval coc au vin cocotte (eggplant), the 7 qt. round cocotte (eggplant), and the 7 qt. oval cocotte (sunflower). This will be his first piece like this, so I'm looking for something that's the most universal (i.e. if you could only have one of these....). I'd been thinking I'd get an oval one because I've heard that shape is less awkward to lift. That leaves the 6 qt. oval coc au vin in eggplant and the 7 qt. oval cocotte in sunflower. I like the eggplant color a lot better - so I guess what I'm wondering is whether the extra quart is worth getting a color I don't really like, or opting for the round one. I'd appreciate any advice you all can give me!

This WSJ article - "The Best Burger" - has the recipe from Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage, a great burger place in Harvard Square.

Ton Kiang - one of the restaurants you already have on your list - has great dim sum, too. It's out on Geary.

If you're looking for great pizza, I highly recommend Pizzetta 211 (211 23rd Ave - between California and Clement). They serve individual, thin crust style pizzas that are some of the best I've had. And I second the suggestion for checking out the Mission - but my personal favorite Mission burrito is at El Castillito (they have several locations in SF - but one is on Mission - another is in the Civic Center area). A great website for info on taquerias in SF is burritoeater.com (this link goes to their list of recommended taquerias).

If you're going to be heading up on a Tues, Wed, Thurs, or Friday, I strongly reccomend going to Salumi over Baguette Box. I did a similar trip a few weeks ago (Eugene to Vancouver and back) and stopped at Salumi on Friday on my way up, and at Baguette Box on Monday on my way back (both places are less than 5 minutes off I-5). In my opinion, there is no comparison between the two. Baguette Box was ok, but Salumi was truly amazing. If you go, get the porchetta sandwich (roasted sausage-stuffed pork) - I think it was the best sandwich I've ever had (I ordered it with provolone and peppers and onions + their great spreads). We left Eugene early Friday morning - around 6:30 a.m. - in order to get to Salumi before it opened at 11. It gets pretty crowded shortly after it opens, and stays that way through the lunch hour. It's open Tues-Fri, 11-4. Another place I'd recommend over Baguette Box, but which isn't as close to I-5, is Paseo on Fremont Street. Their roasted pork sandwich might be my second favorite sandwich in the world (the one that used to be called the Midnight Cuban, but now they call a different sandwich by that name, and it's just called Roasted Pork, or something like that). For me, it would be well worth the detour. I think it might be closed on Monday, though. Enjoy your trip!

Great - thanks for the tip.

Thanks for all the help! I think I'm going to try Kirin - is a particular location better than the others? Also, any recs for especially good dishes?

Or would the Cambie location of Kirin be better than downtown? (I just realized there are more than 2 locations)

I'm going to be in Vancouver this coming Sunday and Monday and am planning on having dim sum. It looks like Kirin is the place to go, but I'm wondering if I should go to the downtown location, or the Richmond location. The downtown location would be more convenient, but I'm willing to go to Richmond if it will be better. I usually order mostly dumplings - will there be a big difference between the two? Also, any suggestions for certain things I should try (dumplings or otherwise)? Thanks!

I'm going to be in Vancouver this Sunday and would like to eat a Chinese meal while I'm there (or in Richmond, if that's the place to go) because I've heard that area has some of the best in the country. I'm up for either dim sum or dinner - mainly, I'd like to have something either much better or different than I can get in San Francisco. I grew up there and will be moving back in a few months, but I don't know when I'll be back to Vancouver. For dim sum, I love dumplings - can't get enough - but I don't like those sweet pork buns. I'm not really a fan of anything predominantly sweet, but other than that, I'm open to pretty much anything. I've read that Kirin is good for dim sum, but more expensive than most. And I've also heard Sun Sui Wah for dim sum. I don't have any ideas yet for dinner. I'd appreciate any recommendations anyone can give me and also tips for particular dishes. Thanks!