From Sonoma County to San Francisco, Spring, 2024

[KennethT]

3 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

Are your 'turnip cakes'made with turnip? In most of dim sum places here, what is sold as turnip cakes are actually daikon radish cakes. I've never seen a turnip in China.

I'd assume it's daikon radish.   Many times, they'll call it carrot cake in Singapore even though it has no carrots in it - so I wouldn't be surprised if they were radish rather than turnip.

[weinoo]

Our last day in San Francisco dawned, and we hadn't yet been to our favorite breakfast place!  Into the car, and up the hill, Potrero Hill, that is. Where, on one of the steepest streets around, you'll find PLOW. We like it so much.  The griddle tends to be loaded, all the time...

 

 

And these guys rock...

 

 

To go orders, to stay orders, almost everything cooked from scratch (they make their own sausage, and if you order fresh fruit, it is cut to order).  Just a great place.

 

For our final dinner, another classic - Zuni Cafe was the destination, and actually we walked from our AirBnB.

 

 

As is our wont, drinks at the bar to start. And the menu...

 

 

I was unwilling to order the famous chicken, not wanting the leftovers to go to waste. But there were other Zuni classics to be had.

 

 

Piccolo fritto; expertly fried veggies, with that lovely aioli.

 

 

A very proper Caesar salad.

 

 

And my fantastic loin of rabbit. With sautéed greens, carrots that taste like carrots, and rich mashed potatoes.  Significant Eater had (and loved) the gnocchi and  we shared the Pavlova for dessert.  Took an Uber back to the AirBnB - didn't feel like walking that stretch of Market St. again, though it does go right past the historic US Mint's San Francisco Facility.  (WIKI) We stopped to read about it on our way to Zuni...

 

 

Coincidentally, the following week Ruth Reichl's Substack La Briffe was a piece about her current trip to the Bay Area.  

 

I had no idea the current San Francisco Chronicle's restaurant critic is the granddaughter of Henry Chung, he of the famous Hunan Restaurant, a beloved place I often dined at, even back in the 80's.
 

Quote

 

MacKenzie is the granddaughter of Henry Chung, who opened Hunan Restaurant in 1974 which The New Yorker famously (and ridiculously) called “the best Chinese restaurant in the world.” Don’t get me wrong: I loved the barebones little Hunan and ate there at every possible opportunity. But Henry (who lived to be 98 ), wasn’t a chef; he was a former diplomat who had great taste memory and introduced the spicy food of his native Hunan to San Francisco.

 

MacKenzie kicked off her tenure by writing about Zuni Cafe, another San Francisco institution I have always loved. You can read her review here. And you can read what I wrote about the restaurant in 1989 below. (If you want to know more about the late Judy Rodgers, a chef who inspired so many of us, I wrote about her in this article about the young women chefs of California in the eighties.)

 

 

Soon, we'll head back north, to the Sonoma coast, valleys, and Healdsburg.

[weinoo]

P.S.  Here's the paywalled Zuni Cafe review, from the current SF Chronicle reviewer.

[rotuts]

@weinoo

 

thank you for the menus

 

 

[rotuts]

@weinoo

 

thinking about the price of the Zuni Chicken ( for two )

 

w an hour wait :

 

wonder if there is a ' table fee '   involved

 

the ZC chicken is famous .  if a significant % of diners ordered it

 

turnover , thus ' Bill Flow '  would suffer .

 

then again , few might be able to wait an hour 

 

wondering aromas , etc .

 

( F.D.:  slow day . waiting for Thurdays blizzard )

 

 

 

 

[TdeV]

Thank you sooooooooooo much for the vicarious pleasure(s) !

[Shelby]

I bought the Zuni Cafe Cookbook specifically so I could make that chicken.  I still haven't done it 🙄

[rotuts]

@Shelby

 

I know some one ( Anonymous )  that did the same.

[weinoo]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

hinking about the price of the Zuni Chicken ( for two )

 

w an hour wait :

 

wonder if there is a ' table fee '   involved

 

the ZC chicken is famous .  if a significant % of diners ordered it

 

That chicken is really no more expensive than so many places doing a whole roast chicken for 2 (or more).  As a matter of fact, it's probably cheaper!

[weinoo]

I've had the book for a long time; while not making that roast chicken specifically, it was almost cutting edge back in its day, for the simple reason she was doing a long (2 or 3 day) dry brine.

 

And now I generally dry brine chicken, at least overnight.

[rotuts]

@weinoo

 

'''   it's probably cheaper!  ''

 

confirming my suspicion 

 

I don't get out much

 

( by personal choice )

 

P.S.:  its my understanding Anonymous did read the book

 

and was impressed.

Edited April 3 by rotuts (log)

[MaryIsobel]

5 hours ago, weinoo said:

Our last day in San Francisco dawned, and we hadn't yet been to our favorite breakfast place!  Into the car, and up the hill, Potrero Hill, that is. Where, on one of the steepest streets around, you'll find PLOW. We like it so much.  The griddle tends to be loaded, all the time...

 

 

And these guys rock...

 

 

To go orders, to stay orders, almost everything cooked from scratch (they make their own sausage, and if you order fresh fruit, it is cut to order).  Just a great place.

 

For our final dinner, another classic - Zuni Cafe was the destination, and actually we walked from our AirBnB.

 

 

As is our wont, drinks at the bar to start. And the menu...

 

 

I was unwilling to order the famous chicken, not wanting the leftovers to go to waste. But there were other Zuni classics to be had.

 

 

Piccolo fritto; expertly fried veggies, with that lovely aioli.

 

 

A very proper Caesar salad.

 

 

And my fantastic loin of rabbit. With sautéed greens, carrots that taste like carrots, and rich mashed potatoes.  Significant Eater had (and loved) the gnocchi and  we shared the Pavlova for dessert.  Took an Uber back to the AirBnB - didn't feel like walking that stretch of Market St. again, though it does go right past the historic US Mint's San Francisco Facility.  (WIKI) We stopped to read about it on our way to Zuni...

 

 

Coincidentally, the following week Ruth Reichl's Substack La Briffe was a piece about her current trip to the Bay Area.  

 

I had no idea the current San Francisco Chronicle's restaurant critic is the granddaughter of Henry Chung, he of the famous Hunan Restaurant, a beloved place I often dined at, even back in the 80's.
 

 

Soon, we'll head back north, to the Sonoma coast, valleys, and Healdsburg.

When I read the menu, I thought "I bet he got the rabbit." I would have too.

 

[Katie Meadow]

When the original Hunan opened in SF in 1974 I was living a few blocks up the hill on the edge of Chinatown on Powell St.  This little hole in the wall was magical. We just couldn't believe how good it was.

 

 

[weinoo]

7 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

When the original Hunan opened in SF in 1974 I was living a few blocks up the hill on the edge of Chinatown on Powell St.  This little hole in the wall was magical. We just couldn't believe how good it was.

 

That one, and Brandy Ho's, were two of my favorites. Even the "newer" Hunan (on Sansome?) was excellent.

[Katie Meadow]

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

That one, and Brandy Ho's, were two of my favorites. Even the "newer" Hunan (on Sansome?) was excellent.

No idea why I never went to Brandy Ho's. Did you ever eat at Barbara Tropp's China Moon? That was lovely. I went to camp with her when we were teenagers, and she was always kind and generous.

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, Katie Meadow said:

No idea why I never went to Brandy Ho's. Did you ever eat at Barbara Tropp's China Moon? That was lovely. I went to camp with her when we were teenagers, and she was always kind and generous.

 

I believe I ate there once, and it was very good! We also enjoyed many late night, perhaps inebriated meals, at the old Sam Wo's, along with Yuet Lee. And others no longer around, including Square One, Postrio (my first exposure to Wolfgang), Stars, 4th St. Grill, et al.

[Katie Meadow]

I was never a huge fan of downstairs at Chez P but always had great celebrations upstairs in the cafe. Lunch pizzas are great, and one of my favorite desserts in summer is the fruit sorbets. .Also the seating is so sweet. My most memorable downstairs dinner (not in a good way) was one where the soup course, served in a large graceful bowl, was about 1/8 inch deep. One of those occasions where you say "it wasn't very good and there wasn't enough of it."

[liamsaunt]

Thanks for sharing your trip.  It was nice to spend part of a Saturday morning looking at your delicious food and lovely scenery.

 

As another owner of the Zuni Cafe Cookbook, I can report that the Zuni Cafe chicken is indeed very tasty, and it's not at all hard to make.  You just need to be able to find the right size chicken.  It used to be on regular rotation here, but I have not made it in a few years for whatever reason.  I need to pull that book out for a re-read.

[weinoo]

Significant Eater had a business trip to San Francisco recently; I decided to tag along, and we went a couple of days prior, which gave us nearly a full week.  First couple of days were AirBnB'ed in the Castro, then moved over to a hotel just off the Embarcadero.  Had a couple of old-fashioned breakfasts those first couple of mornings...

 

 

Orphan Andy's, followed by the following morning at The Cove.  Both fine for breakfast.

 

Took a drive out to Tomales Bay/Marhall for lunch with a friend: 

 

 

Northern Cal's best. Tomales Bays and Humboldt Bays, at Hog Island...via Tony's seafood.

 

First two dinners: one at Delfina, the night was arrived, was okay. And easy. Then State Bird, which is really good (and which I probably posted about previously). Met a friend there, and cranked up the bill. Some nice wines, some excellent food, and the sweetest service west of the Mississippi; I love that staff.

 

Our final night in the Castro,  a nice find, recommended here or by previous hosts, was this place on Castro St.

 

 

No res - we waited about an hour after writing our name on the white board - and they close early (like 8?). It's just the kind of food I want to eat when local...

 

 

Crab. Just...crab.

 

 

A really excellent wild shrimp dish. Which may have been a special, or based on the entree?

 

 

Main course was a special: a piece of local rockfish of some sort, mash, butter, lemon. Kind of a perfect San Francisco meal for me, with sweet service, easily drinkable wines, and 2 blocks from our AirBnb. The Castro could turn into my favorite neighborhood in San Francisco.

 

Moved to a hotel for her work related trip - view from our barely openable window on the 8th floor:

 

 

Once Significant Eater started dealing with work,  I was able to go off on some adventures.  I climbed the fucking Filbert Steps. I'm old. I hadn't climbed the Filbert Steps in a decade (or maybe more). It was warm, as the most beautiful time of year, at least in the Bay Area, tends to be the beginning of football season, and for the next month or two. 

 

 

Above - iykyk.

 

 

Climbing to get here...

 

 

For some pictures - the fog cooperated:

 

 

 

 

In every which way.

 

Our hotel was just off the Embarcadero, around the corner from Boulevard, where I'd reserved the bar area. The menu is a la carte, and the food is good.

 

 

 

Especially the California Abalone Roll:

 

 

Sig Eater's first night was a work dinner, so I met a friend at Angler...this took place before the above dinner at Boulevard. We shared:

 

The whole wood-oven roasted chicken. Perfectly brined and a delicious bird, along with that Carolina-style vinegar and mustard barbecue sauce.

 

More to come.

Edited Tuesday at 06:43 PM by weinoo (log)

[weinoo]

The somewhat abrupt ending of the post above? I forgot something was on the stove, almost boiling over.

 

 As a solo diner, I hit Yank Sing one day for lunch, and had a nice assortment of dim sum. The caveat at Yank Sing?  Don't order everything from the first cart that comes your way...they're pushy!

 

My other solo lunch was at old favorite, after wandering North Beach a bit (and popping into City Lights)...

 

 

And having an old-school espresso at Cafe Grecco, wasn't here...

 

 

But here...

 

 

(Y'all thought Sam Wo, huh?). No, Brandy's, along with Henry's Hunan, was where my first exposure to Hunanese food in the US took place.  Both restaurants were around 35-40 years ago, and visited extensively. On this gorgeous SF day, I had the lunch special...

 

 

Which included the starters above. Hot and spicy soup, cold noodle and cucumber salad, and a fried big dumpling...followed by a spicy stir-fry. All in around $20. 

After lunch, I walked to San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art (reciprocal entry with Whitney Membership!).  They have a nice Warhol collection, including this Dolly:

 

 

A Brancusi...

 

 

Quite a few Calders:

 

 

 

And a Robert Arneson, a local Bay-area artist, and a leader of the Funk Art movement.

 

 

That one is called Smorgi-Bob, The Cook. And I thought it apropos.

 

Our final dinner - thanks to @Margaret Pilgrim, was at a place in Dogpatch - Piccino. Dogpatch might be a little out of the way if you're staying out in the Richmond or Sunset or Noe Valley, but it's practically a hop skip and jump from where we were on the Embarcadero. 

 

 

A nice California melon salad, with obligatory flowers.

 

 

House-made pasta with sausage and greens was good (I might've cut back on the bread crumbs), and should've been shared.

 

 

Oat and berry crumble desert topped it off just right. Lovely meal, another place with lovely service as well.

 

Early flight home the following morning...