Quick takeout from Mission Chinese while packing for a trip, and it was intensely, all-consumingly delicious (and all consumed). Stir-fried pork jowl with radishes, mint, fermented black beans, and vinegar-anise-garlic peanuts.
A delightful crawfish boil in the park (I’ve only had crawfish once before, and that was in a restaurant environment), courtesy of the inimitable Allen. Checking each one to ensure it’s alive: The boil, with potatoes, corn, and hot sausage (start the potatoes a bit earlier, everything else goes in at once, the sausage starts raw): Pulling them out to rest in the insulated container they came in, with spices and lemon (did I mention the forty pounds of crawfish were shipped overnight in ice from Louisiana, to arrive, live, the morning of the boil?) ...
I finally made it to Mr Pollo with a friend (and we lucked into the two last seats in the tiny 8-seat(?) restaurant, at the bar). What a great place– casual, wholly unpretentious, like sitting in an eat-in-kitchen in a friend’s studio apartment. If the friend had serious South American comfort food cooking talent. You sit down, pay $20, and get treated to four courses– whatever Manny has in mind to cook for you that night. It reminds me of my friend Clay, who’d said he wanted to start a restaurant serving “dinner” . ...
My favorite chicken rice of four variants tried this trip (this time, with roasted chicken and slices of raw but mild ginger), for a bit over $2 US, back at the Roasted Delights stall in the food court at Bukit Batok Block 109 (which is mainly the food court for the adjacent apartment building):
Another success: Yong Tau Fu (less than $3, in a food court at the end of a warehouse full of autobody repair shops and industrial supply stores, and in a stall with a ‘B’ health department rating, which some friends claim is the delicious sweet spot between authenticity and pathogen count): You stock a bowl with whatever greens, fish cakes, tofu, or other ingredients you want: Then you hand the bowl to the person behind the counter, tell them if you want soup or noodles, and they finish it for you. The person who recommended this particular stall said it were good because it’s not all pre-cooked ingredients– if you put tofu in your bowl they take it out and deep fry it for you right then, and certain vegetables they’ll also cook very briefly before tossing them in with the noodles/broth. You top it with chili sauce at the table, of course: ...
Amazingly delicious Japanese curry in the Tenderloin for $8.50 (Kare-Ken). I got the Katsu curry plate, spicy:
I suddenly had to go to Istanbul for a few days (long story). So, of course, I have to fit in some eating: People were drinking Turkish tea in small clear glasses with a lump of sugar everywhere I went. In the Grand Bazaar, I’d see delivery people running around with trays of 5 or 6 glasses of it. I finally happened on a tiny tea stand in the market where the runners were picking it up: ...
My favorite “tacos with lots of toppings” in SF. Moist clumps of grilled meat, pinto beans, mashed avocado (not guacamole), salsa. I was caught up in conversation with a friend and we accidentally stayed half an hour past closing (why didn’t they just kick us out?)
If a few days of eating near Shanghai let me down, eating in Singapore blew me away– the food was so consistently good, and varied. And some of my best experiences were street food or other inexpensive food (I already posted some photos of my amazing chicken rice experience at 109 Bukit Batok, West Avenue 6). Some other photos: The Maxwell Road Hawker Center (near Chinatown), a combination indoor/outdoor bazaar of many independent food vendors. ...
Chicken rice tops chili crab as an informal national dish of Singapore, and locals have strong and differing opinions about whose is best (FD said he’s heard it rivals the “Best Mission Burrito” religious wars). Generally, it’s rice cooked in chicken fat and broth, giving a rich, meaty flavor on its own, topped with cooked chicken (typically bone-in dark meat with skin), along with some ginger and chili paste. Simple in concept, and yet so delicious! ...
Fish at the informal yet favorite sushi place* was in top form! The hamachi, albacore, and fresh scallop in particular. Sashimi plate (and the embarrassment of using one of those “retro camera filter” programs): Hamachi kama: Not shown: asparagus-shiitake stirfry, tsunomono (paper-thin cucumber slices, sliced octopus, vinegar, spicy sprouts), and one concession to rolls: crunchy fried salmon skin. \* I’ve vowed not to publish its name, because it doesn’t need any more customers (you have to get there 45+ minutes before it opens to get a seat, or tonight: 80 minutes)… but if you know me, I’m happy to take you there in person some time… ...
I’ve had a few decent meals out and at home recently, but the Hungarian-inspired brunch at Bar Tartine was really excellent. The Smørrebrød (smorgasbords?) on hearty rye bread were a great start, especially one with roe, avocado, and citrus. Also quite good was a blood sausage with sauerkraut, mushrooms (hen-of-the-woods?), apple, and a really great spicy broth (w/ bread to sop it up). We also got the escabeche pickles (spicy pickled hot peppers, carrots, and probably other vegetables), and the buckwheat spätzle with soft egg – both good. ...
For New Year’s Eve, I wanted to eat a series of delicious little dishes and drink some excellent beer with friends, without going out to a crowded restaurant. So four of us hung out at an apartment in the Mission and shared the Osechi (New Year’s Bento) made by Peko Peko Catering*, a mix of traditional Japanese foods and California interpretations with local ingredients. We also each brought some special beer, and spent plenty of time geeking out over what beer went well with each course (it wasn’t always what we expected, so at times we’d have three half-glasses of different beer, trying them with each new dish). It was a great evening. ...
Freshly-made Boudin Blanc, the white pork sausage made with cream, twice in one week? Once by Christopher Lee at an outdoor wine event, and once by Russell Moore at Camino: The former was served with Acme bread and sauerkraut, and was a bit more meaty in flavor, while the latter was a chicken-pork Boudin Blanc (as praised by Bakesale Betty’s Alison Barakat) with an especially fine-grained texture, and an almost nutty flavor (caramelized onions? the taste of the fire pit?), served with duck fat potatoes, beets, red sauerkraut , and a kabocha-radish salad. Both were delicious. ...
The release party for the Almanac Beer Farmhouse Pale w/ Plums was a very nice dinner and beer pairing at Bar Tartine with food by Hapa Ramen: amuse: lardo, cauliflower with almonds and lemon, and a cup of ramen broth. I tried two beers, an Oud Beersel Oude Geuze, and a German Gose. swordfish crudo with a bit of spice, well-paired with Telegraph Reserve Wheat, a sour, slightly citrusy beer. ...