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What's the *one* thing to eat in San Fran?

Gastro888

By Gastro888
in California: Dining

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Gastro888

Gastro888

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That fish taco rocked. Oh holy cow was it tasty. Perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked - a tasty morsel of a meal. The fish was firm, tender and moist. Oh wow. I wish I had gotten 3 of those instead of the dried, underseasoned, undersalted carne asada taco and the too firm beans with no seasoning. (What the heck? I thought for sure I'd get great Mexican food on the West Coast.)

And now to the IAO burger. Three words for you: Shake Shack rules. I'm sorry to say that yes, you guys were right and that it was "just" a burger. It wasn't this OMG wow burger - it was a cheeseburger with limp fries. Why does this outlet have a cult following? I don't get it. True it's much better than McD's but it's nothing to stand in line for. Shake Shack on the other hand...

HOWEVER, I did go to Taylor's Refresher and WOW, those where the best fries I had this year. Amazing. That place is awesome. My camera was not working that night so I couldn't take a photo but let me tell you I would definite do the Mijita fish taco with the Taylor's fries for sure. With a Peet's iced coffee and a Miette macaron.

And did I mention that Peet's iced coffee rules? No seriously. I love that place. The iced coffee perfect: smooth, rich, bold, not bitter and delicious. The best part? Not only do they have 1/2 and 1/2, whole milk, lowfat milk AND skim milk, they have simple syrup for your beverages. The best part is that they're very reasonably priced.

How cool! Why can't other coffeeshops follow suit?

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hzrt8w

hzrt8w

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...  I was forunate enough to stumble upon (literally) Golden Gate Bakery in Chinatown.  I love Chinese bakeries and the wonderful baked/steamed/fried goodies they sell.  GGB is a nice mom and pop operation and if I lived in SF, I'd frequent this bakery for its delicious looking products.  From what I know, Golden Gate's famous for their egg tarts (dan tats) and they usually sell out fast.  Surprisingly, I got one fresh from the oven that night:

My favorite is AA Bakery, one block uphill from Golden Gate Bakery. AAB and GGB are probably even par from the picture you showed. I didn't make it to AAB one thing because the line was too long. Patrons are tourists and locals mixed equally. At AAB, mostly locals.

Some like Eastern Bakery on Grant. I think Eastern is too old and too geared towards tourists.

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
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Carolyn Tillie

Carolyn Tillie

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And now to the IAO burger.  Three words for you: Shake Shack rules.  I'm sorry to say that yes, you guys were right and that it was "just" a burger.  It wasn't this OMG wow burger - it was a cheeseburger with limp fries.  Why does this outlet have a cult following?  I don't get it.  True it's much better than McD's but it's nothing to stand in line for.  Shake Shack on the other hand...

Something you have to keep in mind; you only have one ShakeShack and I understand it has quite a following. The thing about IAO is that there are hundreds of them; it IS a chain, not just a one-off. That is why there is such a following at places like ShakeShack and Taylors Refresher (although there are TWO of those and soon to be three). IAO has a following because it is infinitely better than McD's and Carl's Jr and Jack in the Box. Of course it is not going to be as good as a specialty place like SS or Taylors, but for what it is and how accessible it is, it is damn fine. (oh yeah, and you have to order the fries crispy to get them beyond the limp stage). Perspective, please, when comparing apples to oranges...

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skoolpsyk

skoolpsyk

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I agree with you about Peets. I'd read where Starbucks roasts their coffee by some kind of program, but Peets still uses a real person that uses their art and instinct to roast to just the right degree...

And here's hoping for a Taylors to open in Southern Cal! Would it be possible for them to become a chain and still maintain the same quality?! Well, one more month til my SF trip!

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Carolyn Tillie

Carolyn Tillie

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And here's hoping for a Taylors to open in Southern Cal! Would it be possible for them to become a chain and still maintain the same quality?!  Well, one more month til my SF trip!

I don't think so... the third one to open will be in Napa -- there is a redevelopment near Copia that is being done by the same folks who did the San Francisco Ferry Plaza. They are modeling it similarly with many of the same vendors.

I MAKE FOOD JEWELRY!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Feast Blog

Fried Dough Ho Blog

Ultimate California Wine Blog

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Gastro888

Gastro888

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And now to the IAO burger.  Three words for you: Shake Shack rules.  I'm sorry to say that yes, you guys were right and that it was "just" a burger.  It wasn't this OMG wow burger - it was a cheeseburger with limp fries.  Why does this outlet have a cult following?  I don't get it.  True it's much better than McD's but it's nothing to stand in line for.  Shake Shack on the other hand...

Something you have to keep in mind; you only have one ShakeShack and I understand it has quite a following. The thing about IAO is that there are hundreds of them; it IS a chain, not just a one-off. That is why there is such a following at places like ShakeShack and Taylors Refresher (although there are TWO of those and soon to be three). IAO has a following because it is infinitely better than McD's and Carl's Jr and Jack in the Box. Of course it is not going to be as good as a specialty place like SS or Taylors, but for what it is and how accessible it is, it is damn fine. (oh yeah, and you have to order the fries crispy to get them beyond the limp stage). Perspective, please, when comparing apples to oranges...

But I am comparing apples to apples in that I'm comparing well-loved, well-praised burgers served in a fast-food restaurant. All I am saying that that I wasn't impressed with the IAO burger that has this cult following and is more often than not highly praised. Now if I said that the burger at Peter Luger is better than IAO, of course then you can call me out on the unfair comparison. However, all 3 places (SS, TR, IAO) are fast-food restaurants and not sit down so I feel I am making a fair comparison regardless of the number of units that are operating within the business model. Being a chain is no excuse for a lack of quality or maintaining standards. Also, how many one-off restaurants do you know that are poor?

(And I gotta say the best burger I've had in my life so far is a Peter Luger burger but I never had the Taylor's Refresher burger...damn that I have only one stomach. :laugh: )

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djyee100

djyee100

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...the best burger I've had in my life so far is a Peter Luger burger

The next time you are in SF, go to Zuni and try their burger. To me that's the SF burger. Then you can compare Peter Luger with Zuni, and I for one would like to hear what you have to say. (I've never tried the Peter Luger burger, but now that you've mentioned it, it goes on my list.)

A digression--why do people always say apples to oranges? Why not spinach to cauliflower? or bananas to boysenberries? or carrots to endive? There's a world of food out there, eh? :raz:

Edited by djyee100 (log)
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rancho_gordo

rancho_gordo

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(oh yeah, and you have to order the fries crispy to get them beyond the limp stage).

That's a good tip! I didn't know you could request it.

Is this a marketing ploy? ASk for burgers and fries and you get carnival food but ask for the secret onions and cripsy fries and it becomes palatable?

In general, I'm with Gastro888 on IAO. It is much better than McD but I can't help thinking that almost anywhere in California there's probably a taco truck lurking nearby with much better, cheaper and even healthier fare.

Visit beautiful Rancho Gordo!

Twitter @RanchoGordo

"How do you say 'Yum-o' in Swedish? Or is it Swiss? What do they speak in Switzerland?"- Rachel Ray

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prasantrin

prasantrin

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Here's another thing I  :wub: from Mijita at the Ferry Building.  Ok, I only  :wub: the fish taco as the carne asada and the beans were eh.  (Why oh why were the meals at the Ferry Building eh?  :huh: )

They aren't my beans, in case you were curious.

If you go during the farmers market (Saturday am), be sure and check out the Primavera stall in the back. They are famous for their tamales and more recently, their chilaquiles.

And then come see me! I'm im in the front and it's almost like a food salon with all my foodie and bloggie friends. (Major shill: And if you want to try my beans when it's not a market, check out Village Market in the Ferry Building itself.)

Yes, do see Rancho Gordo. We were at the Ferry Building last summer, and got some great help from a young gentleman (Rancho's son?). I only recently heard about the beans (they were my mother's purchase) and she raved about them. She said they weren't like any other beans she had ever bought. I think we got the tiger's eye? Or the goat's eye? I can't remember which one. Also posole and one or two other kinds of beans, which I don't remember.

Primavera sells out early, I think. If they're the ones we saw, we wanted to get some tamales but they were out. Another missed opportunity!

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