THE BIG EAT: December 2012

(100) Cracked Dungeness Crab @ Swan Oyster Depot

Swan Oyster Depot is a San Francisco hole-in-the-wall staple - an icon, an establishment, a legend! And so are the friendly passionate fishmongers that work there - it seems like every guy was born & raised & worked their whole existence behind that counter. The place is full of photographs, ornamental fish, tchotchkes, it's just oozing with personality and quirky charm. Seating is very limited and often there is a line around the block for the fresh sea goodies, but it's totally worth the wait for the city's freshest fish. The cracked dungeness crab was fresh, meaty, briny, toothsome, and delicate. They offer a variety of seafood - lobster, shrimp, oysters, salmon, prawns, if you are lover of seafood you gotta come here!

Swan Oyster Depot. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Cracked Dungeness Crab @ Swan Oyster Depot. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Swan Oyster Depot. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Cracked Dungeness Crab @ Swan Oyster Depot. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

(100) Cracked Dungeness Crab @ Swan Oyster Depot from Kendra Aronson on Vimeo.

Cracked Dungeness Crab @ Swan Oyster Depot ($17.95/half cracked crab or $10/lb
1517 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.673.2757
Monday - Saturday > 10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Sunday > closed

(99) Fried Chicken and Waffles @ Little Skillet

Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom nom x infinity more noms. This is one of my all time favorite meals in the city of San Francisco. When I order fried chicken & waffles from Little Skillet I do not share. My family was reeaaaaaally stoked on this greasy, salty, sweet syrupy, glorious chicken. The chicken is tender, hunky, and fried to golden brown delicious perfection with a nice crunchy salty skin. The waffles are fluffy, golden, crispy, and sweet. It's a match made in heaven. Fried Chicken. And. Waffles. GENIUS. I want to eat this for every meal. All day. Every day. It's $9.25 for 2 pieces, $11.50 for 3 pieces, $24 for 8 pieces......kind of really tempted to buy 8 pieces for $24.....who's in?!??!?!

Fried Chicken and Waffles @ Little Skillet. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Fried Chicken and Waffles with Rory @ Little Skillet. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Fried Chicken and Waffles @ Little Skillet. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Fried Chicken and Waffles @ Little Skillet ($9.25 for 2 pieces, $11.50 for 3 pieces, $24 for 8 pieces)
360 Ritch Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
415.777.2777
Monday - Friday > 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday > 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

(98) Chicken Curry Lunch Special @ Punjab Kabab

Chicken Curry Lunch Special!!! Wooooohooo! What a massive feast of food for only $8! Score. Look at those vibrant colors of the chicken, chickpeas, rice, and naan! Everything was so flavorful - the chicken was succulent and saucy, the rice was tender and sticky, the chickpeas were spicy and crunchy, and the naan was fresh and warm. Mmmmmmm. Down the hatch. If you ever find yourself craving some Indian Food near Powell St. station, go here!

Chicken Curry Lunch Special @ Punjab Kabab. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Chicken Curry Lunch Special @ Punjab Kabab ($8)
101 Eddy Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.447.7499
Everyday > 11:30 a.m. - 11 p.m.

(97) Green Goddess Salad @ Prospect

I totally doubted this salad. I figured there was absolutely no way a salad could make this Top 100 Eats list and live up to it's reputation. A salad. C'mon. What could be so special about a pile of greens? Especially when it was delivered to our table, a pile of greens, okay, nothing special. Ohhhh man, I stand corrected. This was my first Little Gem salad, if all salads could be made up of little gems I think everyone would consume more salads on a daily/weekly basis. Reasons why this was a kickass salad: (a) Top notch greens - fresh, local, organic Little Gems. (b) Greens sufficiently dressed in a caper vinaigrette - olive oil + capers + rice vinegar + lemon juice + dijon mustard + salt. (c) The tossed greens sat on a bed of rich decadent pool of creamy green goddess - mayo/aioli + sour cream + avocado + parsley + chervil + chives + cucumbers + salt. It was refreshing, ripe, citrusy, tangy, salty, creamy, leafy, crunchy, delicate, & so frakkkking delicious. I wish I could eat this salad for lunch every single day. This was hands-down the best salad I've ever had, period. Go get it!!!

Green Goddess Salad @ Prospect. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Green Goddess Salad @ Prospect ($13.50)
300 Spear Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
415.247.7770
Monday - Thursday > 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday > 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sunday > 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday > (Happy Hour) 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

(96) Ube Ice Cream @ Mitchell's Ice Cream

Ube Ice Cream is made from purple yam that is imported all for way from the Philippines. It wins for being the most intriguing ice cream flavor I've ever had. It's such a photogenic beauty! It's super creamy, with a nice balance of savory/sweetness, which is a really vague description but I'm having a really difficult time explaining it's tasting notes. Guess you'll have to be adventurous and order yourself a scoop!

Ube Ice Cream @ Mitchell's Ice Cream. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Larry Mitchell, founder of Mitchell's Ice Cream. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Half gallons of ice cream @ Mitchell's Ice Cream. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Fruit flavors @ Mitchell's Ice Cream. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Ube Ice Cream @ Mitchell's Ice Cream. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Ube Ice Cream @ Mitchell's Ice Cream ($3.20/scoop)
688 San Jose Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.648.2300
Daily > 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

(95) Deviled Eggs @ Park Tavern

Deviled Eggs @ Park Tavern are hard-boiled eggs stuffed with bacon, pickled jalapeno, and chives. Don't have anything positive to say about these because I really despise deviled eggs, and I don't want to give a bad review because of my picky tastebuds. I don't feel that it is fair to Park Tavern that churns out really hefty and delicious New American cuisine, so I will say that I appreciate this dish for it's plating/presentation and if you want to read reviews of these deviled eggs, read it here ;)

Deviled Eggs @ Park Tavern. Photo credit: SF Gate.

Deviled Eggs @ Park Tavern. Photo credit: Top 100 in San Francisco.

Deviled Eggs @ Park Tavern. Photo credit: SF Weekly.

Deviled Eggs @ Park Tavern ($2/each)
1652 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.989.7300
Sunday - Wednesday > 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m., bar open til 12 midnight
Thursday - Saturday > 5:30 p.m. - 11 p.m., bar open til 12:30 a.m.
Friday > (Lunch) 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday (Brunch) 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

(94) Hawaiian Hangover Cake @ Bluestem Brasserie

HOLY HONOLULU HANGOVER CAKE @ Bluestem Brasserie is breath-taking! Just look at it! What a piece of cake! What a work of ART! Gorgeous, almost too beautiful to eat! Light chocolate rum layer cake, held together with marshmallow meringue, gobs of whip cream, topped with sweet crunchy toasted coconut, dusted with cocoa, and garnished with an edible flower. BOOM! There is a nice rich subtle flavor of rum shining through in the light fluffy chocolate cake, rounded out with creamy components (mallow meringue & whip cream), and pulled together texturally with the toasty coconut. It's out of this world, I highly recommend it!

Honolulu Hangover Cake @ Bluestem Brasserie. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Dessert menu @ Bluestem Brasserie. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Hawaiian Hangover Cake @ Bluestem Brasserie ($9)
1 Yerba Buena Lane
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.547.1111
Daily > 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

(93) Seven Flavors of Beef @ Pagolac

Bo 7 Mon @ Pagolac. Only $17 (HELLYEAH) includes a set course of seven flavors of beef served with rice paper, side of fresh vegetables, herbs, and dipping sauces. The following descriptions is taken from their menu >
(1) Bo Tai Chanh = Vietnamese beef carpaccio; thin slices of rare beef marinated in lemon dressing seasoned with fresh herbs and crushed peanuts.
(2) Bo Nhung Dam = cook it yourself; slices of beef cooked in a vinegar & onion fondue.
(3) Bo Nuong Vi = cook it yourself; marinated beef slices cooked over a grill at your own table.
(4) Bo La Lot = grilled beef sausauges wrapped in wild pepper leaves on a skewer.
(5) Bo Cuon Mo = grilled beef wrapped over scallions on a skewer.
(6) Bo Lui = grilled marinated BBQ beef skewers
(7) Chao Bo = Vietnamese rice porridge with mined beef, green onion and cilantro.

#1 was my favorite dish of the seven, razor thin carpaccio marinated in citrus juices topped with herbs, red onions, and crushed peanuts, c'mon. So good. My second favorite was a tie between #2 & #3 because of the awesome cooking vessel we got to use! > check out the video below, cooking your own meats at the table is soooooo fuuuuuuun. It was awesome to taste so many beef dishes back-to-back-back, all very different and very tasty. This was a really unique dining experience at a cool hole in the wall in the Tenderloin, if you have a chance I suggest going on a date here!

(1) Bo Tai Chanh of Seven Flavors of Beef @ Pagolac. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

(93) Seven Flavors of Beef @ Pagolac from Kendra Aronson on Vimeo.

Pagolac walking tour from Kendra Aronson on Vimeo.

Rice paper, side of fresh vegetables, herbs, and dipping sauces. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

(4) Bo La Lot, (5) Bo Cuon Mo, (6) Bo Lui of Seven Flavors of Beef @ Pagolac. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

(7) Chao Bo of Seven Flavors of Beef @ Pagolac. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Pagolac. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Seven Flavors of Beef @ Pagolac ($17)
655 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.776.3234
Monday > closed
Tuesday - Sunday > 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.

(92) Chicken Liver Mousse on Toast @ Frances

After insistently calling Frances every evening for months (no exaggeration, I'm a very persistent person) to see if their famed Chicken Liver Mousse on Toast was on the menu, I decided to reach out to them via email. I asked if they could give me a heads-up on when it would be offered, and to my surprise, they responded in saying that if I picked a day/time to come in, Chef Melissa would make it for me. For me! What! No way! Incredible!!!!! So, one late December evening a few days before Christmas I made a 10 o'clock reservation to dine solo. Frances is one of my favorite restaurants in the city, the warm aesthetic is inviting, cozy, welcoming, nourishing, calm, and minimalist. My soul/stomach feels real good when I am in there because the space and food is just perfect. And the service is absolutely incredible, you feel so taken care of, the servers are so humble and gracious to be part of your amazing dining experience. I arrived at Frances, got the evening's market shot which is "whatever we find at the market gets juiced, spiced, and spiked"- this night it was Cara Cara oranges + Honey + Almanac Beer's Honey Saison. I got a little nervous when I didn't see the 7x7 item on the menu, but they told me that the Chef had only made one serving that evening and had set it aside in the kitchen awaiting my arrival (!!!!!!!!). The presentation was gorgeous - charred smokey toasts with sweet shallot jam stacked alongside some huuuuuuge canelle-shaped chicken liver mousse - that was so decadent, silky, buttery, and rich. It blew my mind. It was the fanciest, silkiest, tastiest mousse I've ever had, or ever will have! Frances, Chef Melissa, Samantha, and my servers - thank you so so so very much for this wonderful experience, I still can't believe I got the royal treatment :)

Chicken Liver Mousse on Toast @ Frances. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Frances. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Sidenote: I sat next to the most wonderful couple in the universe - Jake & Brett, lovely lads from Philly. Jake is a 4th year medical student seeking out residency in many cities across the U.S. & Brett is a lawyer. They were contemplating moving to San Francisco within the next year depending on where Jake lands his residency, I'm crossing my fingers they will move to the City :) They were so incredibly nice and charming - the ultimate sweethearts! They expressed enthusiasm and encouragement of my blog, which was very flattering. We came into this meal as complete strangers and came out as friendly acquaintances, it's so amazing how food can bring people together. Best of luck to you both!

Chicken Liver Mouse on Toast @ Frances ($11)
3870 17th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
415.621.3870
Tuesday - Thursday, Sunday > 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday > 5 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

(91) Bacon-wrapped Hot Dog @ a cart in the Mission

Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog @ a cart in the Mission is the quintessential way to end a night of rowdy fun partytimes in this wild neighborhood. It's greasy, bacon-y, slew condiment-y options (your choice of mustard, ketchup, mayo, grilled onions, jalapenos) just hits the spot every time. It's also a wonderful bargain, only 4 bucks! My favorite thing on the weekends is that all the streets/alleyways in the Mission district are just wafting of good swells - particularly the smell of sweet bacon and onions frying up on every street corner. #baconwrappedhotdogsforthewin

Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dog @ a cart in the Mission ($4)

(90) Albondigas Soup @ Mijita

Albondigas Soup @ Mijita = beef & pork meatballs in a tomato based broth with vegetables. It's a hearty soup topped with specks of cilantro, juicy lime wedges, and crunchy tortilla strips. The colorful aesthetic of Mijita is eye-popping, vibrant, and fun. Their chips & salsa are super fresh, salty, and spicy. I like!

Albondigas Soup @ Mijita. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Chips & Salsa @ Mijita. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Mijita mobile @ Mijita. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Mexican beer & jarritos @ Mijita. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Pretty tile @ Mijita. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Albondigas Soup @ Mijita ($8)
Ferry Building # 44
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.399.0814
Monday - Thursday > 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday > 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday > 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday > 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

ALBONDIGAS SOUP (via 7x7)

Makes 6-8 Servings

For the meatballs:
1/2 cup short-grain white rice
1 cup water
2 white onions, peeled and diced
Vegetable oil
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
2 eggs
1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Salt
Pepper

For the soup and garnish:
1 clove garlic, finely minced
6 stalks celery
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 pound tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and diced (or a 12-ounce can of peeled and crushed tomatoes)
4 cups chicken stock
2 sprigs mint leaves, chopped
1 medium zucchini, diced
Fried tortilla strips

1. Place rice in a heatproof bowl. Bring water to a boil, and pour over the rice. Let soak for 20 minutes, and then drain.

2. Using a sauté pan, cook half of the onion in a scant amount of vegetable oil over medium-low heat until translucent and soft (do not brown). Let cool, and then add to the ground pork and beef in another bowl. Add the soaked rice, eggs, half of the cilantro, cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend everything together very well, and form into 1-inch meatballs.

3. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, place 2 tablespoons of oil into the pan, and brown the meatballs lightly. Remove from the pan, and add the remaining onions, garlic, celery, and carrot. Lower the heat to medium-low, and sauté until the onions are slightly softened. Add the tomatoes.

4. Add the chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Then add the meatballs and the mint. Simmer for about 1 hour. Then season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the zucchini, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and fried tortilla strips before serving.

THE BIG EAT

The Big Eat

ALREADY ATE