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ABOUT ME:

Name: Gutenberg

Location: Somewhere near the Golden Gate Bridge.

Occupation: BRPR (Bunrab public relations.)

 
the BUNRAB blog spot
 

Do you need to answer back? You can send me comments if you want to.

If I want to, I'll post 'em in this very blog.

-Gutenberg



 

November 1-8 , 2006

 

go to next week's blogs

 

 

Wednesday, November 8, 2006


Manga, Manga

I always feel like I am tempting earthquake fate when I eat at an architecturally risky venue. Thankfully, the service at On the Bridge:

... is quick enough that I can be off to duck and cover in no time.

My locomoco ($9.95):

... was constructed to withstand some Richter activity. The runny yolk of the fried egg sauced a ground beef patty that made me think of fido food, but the grated daikon set me back on track with the green onion and tomato that polka-dotted the rice. I don’t know that I would order this again, but that’s not to say that I wouldn’t return.

I like the manga:

... to peruse during lunch, but the rabbit figurines:

... freak me out.

I’m on the fence.

On the Bridge
1581 Webster St
San Francisco, CA
415.922.7765

 

 

 


 

 

 

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

My fajita meater registers these skirt steak fajitas ($9.95):

... as a point higher than Chevy’s, which is to say, serviceable, but not muy bien. Dos Pinas is a fueling station when the Mission is impossible (or at least an inconvenient drive.)

Black beans and rice came alongside the onions, peppers and sliced, slightly tooth resistant, skirt steak.

The tortilla count (3) fell short of the huge amount of filling. There was so much chow that after over-stuffing the wrappers that I had with meat and veg, I couldn't put much of a dent on the generous portions of rice and beans with my fork.

I’ve tried a number of items here and the safer order would be the al pastor burrito, which is juicy and flavorful.

Dos Pinas
251 Rhode Island St.
San Francisco, CA
415.252.8220

 

 

Today’s bunrab email had yet another Vin Antico report, Michael C. writes:

Gutenberg,

Guess I'm not the lone stranger...had an experience at Vin Antico strikingly similar to Susan's & GraceAnn's: In a nearly empty dining room during a weekday lunch hour, I requested a seemingly simple addition to a familiar dish, prefaced with an offer to pay extra. The reticent but otherwise congenial server sheepishly replied, "Don't think so, but I'll try."

In clear sight & ear shot the chef responded with a punitive hard glance and bilious "No way" (heard only because the deafening music was reluctantly lowered at the request of another diner). Had an explanation or even simple civility been offered, it would have been easy to accept the rejection & move on to another entree consideration. In the absence of both, I tipped & politely thanked the server for her effort, and then promptly left.

Whether it was a cosmic turbulence caused by Jupiter's moons in retrograde up in Mars' house, or an inferred affront to imagined artistic integrity (perhaps the billowy effect of the chef's Rasta hat is not from his locks but an over inflated ego), it doesn't matter; lunch without attitude please.

Michael



Gutenberg replies:

Dear Michael,

Given all of these Vin Antico reports maybe they should consider changing into a West Coast branch of the soup Nazi kitchen. Then we could get delicious, hearty and warming lunches with all the anticipated rigidity. They could call it the “No Way Café.”

Or maybe they will take note of your, Susan and GraceAnn’s messages and lower the music along with the ‘tude.

Here’s hopin’


-G

 

 


 

 

 

Monday, November 6, 2006

Evergreen Garden serves Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese chow.

I always worry when multiple cuisines are under one roof (that roof being of my mouth) but I put my prejudices aside and got a Com Tay Cam ($7.25):

This clay pot resonated so much heat that Kane (from Kung Fu) wouldn’t be able to pick it up with his wrists without crying like a colicky baby. After it cooled down, I ate my chicken, shrimp and sausage rice  bowl. It was belly ballast, but nothing to write the monastery about. It could have used a spicing up, but it fueled me up so that I had energy to continue to walk the earth.

Evergreen Garden
3100 18th St.
San Francisco, CA
415.864.1657

Speaking of cultural confusionNoah’s Bagels put this up in their window:


Since when is Christmas being pushed by a Jewish eatery? I mean, Noah’s has a sign next to their beverages that you can't bring in coffee from outside vendors because “it’s not Kosher” (but you know it’s really because they want to sell their own he-brew.)

It’s official, Noah’s freaks me out.

-G

 


 

 

 

Sunday, November 5, 2006

The hostess told us that there would be a 20 minute wait for brunch, but it turned out to be about 10. We sat down to a couple cups of Freed Teller and Freed coffee and tucked into chicken hash ($11.50):

... which was a pan fried, crispy skinned football of potato suspended white meat clucker with herbs and mustard seeds. Although it wasn’t a touchdown, it wasn’t a fowl ball either - just warm belly ballast for a chilly Sunday. The poached eggs looked like one of them had a cataract:

... but I performed a radial keratotomy to find a runny yolk within (although I am always suspicious of the egg’s maturity if the white doesn’t adhere more firmly.) The house made wheat bread toast was thick sliced and homey.

Chubby got the fried cornmeal ($11.50):

... which was a Cheddar and green onion slab that was good alongside the scrambled eggs which were cooked to the standard firmness (which verged on too firm for Chubby’s personal preference, but he forgot to specify when ordering.) The house made biscuit may have been in the warming oven a little longer then it’s breaderen because the outside was tough. This dura-biscuit was okay otherwise.

 Chubby’s not a big fan of whipped butter. He feels that the ease of spreading sacrifices textural control. If he spreads it thick, there isn’t that slight, buttery barrier, (instead, it’s a buttery airier.) He was pleased that there weren’t yesterday’s individ-jam packs. Even though the pots of jam with spoons can get kind of gross in some places, this one didn’t have that communal-trough/vector-for-disease look to it. I guess they keep them pretty tidy.

The service was super speedy and they were turning tables. The food arrived so quickly that I thought they had mistakenly given us someone else’s order. The hustle of the room makes it less of a leisurely weekend spot and more of an eat-it-and-beat-it breakfast.


It was okay but we're not rushing back any time soon.

Ella’s Restaurant
500 Presidio
San Francisco, CA
415.441.5669

 

From today’s bunrab email, Anthony C. writes:

Gutenberg,

Read your thoughts on Paradise Restaurant; I've been there twice and it's an average place... especially since Saigon Village (2nd and B Street) is scarcely a hop, skip, and jump from Paradise and has oodles of pho choices to satisfy anyone with knowledge of Vietnamese dining. You probably know about Saigon Village but just in case you didn't. Also, ever since Tomoe is gone and replaced by Sushi Lin, I was hoping if you know of another Japanese Ramen place? I work in San Rafael and miss Tomoe quite dearly (though I don't miss the sometimes wickedly mean hostess).

To good eats!

Anthony


Gutenberg replies:

Dear Anthony,

I agree with you about Saigon Village. It is my default Vietnamese destination in San Rafael, especially when I have a cold.

As far as Japanese Ramen goes, S.R. still needs a good Nihon noodle stop.

-G

 

 


 

 

 

Saturday, November 4, 2006

We were in the mood for some eggs and went to check out Finnegan’s morning offerings. A nice barman greeted us from an otherwise empty dining room. I guess that most people don’t go to bars at 10 a.m. on Saturday in non-urban settings.

I got some bacon and eggs ($9.00):

... for which I specified crispy and soft (and hoped that they wouldn’t confuse these attributes between the two protein products.) I was pleased that they arrived as desired. The 4 slices of brittle pig and the well seasoned scram topped with scallions were just what I wanted. Those professional toasters take a while to get up to heat so I’m guessing that they threw my wheat bread:

... under the broiler which would account for the dual personality disorder of my carbo-angles. Very sad. I wish they flipped it over to make for a less half-assed attempt at bread cookery. I mean it’s usually the first thing we learn how to “cook” but this is just hyper-critical in the face of an otherwise tasty breakfast. Smucker blister packs may be cost effective, but their single serving sterility compounded by their flavor and texture impairment make me think that the name is the only “good” thing about them.

Chubby got the Eggs O’Finnegans ($7.00):

... which the runner described as “sort of a sausage egg McMuffin.” It seemed funny to draw a likeness between your chef’s cooking and a fast food item, but when it arrived, we understood that she meant it in a good way.

Although the English muffin could have used more of a toasting (toasting is an issue here) the Cheddar, egg and sausage patty were a fine McMeal. Although he ate it all, Chubby said that he would probably go with another of the selections next time.

We hopped next door to check out one of the latest additions to Grant Avenue, Powell’s.

If you have been to one of their other franchises, you will find this one no different. They have their formula of disguising a chain store as a home town candy shop:

... (or “shoppe” to make it even more olde school) with all your childhood fetishes. Whether it’s candy cigarettes, Scharffen Berger or you’re into M&M’s, there is an impulse buy for anyone with a sweet tooth.

They cleverly place bushels of candy within the reach of children to promote desperate pledges of eternal obedience in exchange for some sucrose.

There is a large screen TV on the back wall that plays Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory over and over to the point where the employees must find themselves at home spurting out, “but I want it now” and ridding themselves of any friends by continuously humming the Oompa Loompa song. At least they can comfort themselves with their only “real” friend that will never leave them…candy.

Finnegan’s Marin
877 Grant Ave.
Novato, CA
415.899.11516

Powell’s Sweet Shoppe
879 Grant Ave.
Novato, CA
415.898.6160

From today’s bunrab email, GraceAnn W. writes:


Gutenberg,

I had a very similar experience to Susan's at Vin Antico. I was there at lunch and there were a couple of other parties. The front and back doors were open, so the place was chilly. The music was ear-splitting. A gentleman at a nearby table asked the no-clue waitress if the music could be turned down. She replied that that was the way the chef liked it. The fellow said, "Well, maybe he won't like having any customers." I piped in and the music was turned down. At the end of lunch the owner, a young woman, arrived. Clearly, this place suffers from absentee and inexperienced ownership.

Disclosure: I did write about this place before it opened. Even good food cannot triumph over discomfort and rudeness.

GraceAnn


Gutenberg replies:

Dear GraceAnn,

Yikes. I guess this is far from an isolated experience. Maybe the chef needs an iPod.

-G

 


 

 

 

Friday, November 3, 2006

The White Stuff

Monochromatic menus are something that most restaurants try to avoid, but at Mabel’s Just For You Cafe:

... you get carte blanche to make your a la carte blanche breakfast with catfish and eggs ($8.95):

This moist kitty filet was accentuated by purrfectly eggsecuted overeasies, and a bowl of grits:

... served with a pat of butter.

Pigment impaired? No doubt, but San Francisco is a colorblind city.

Mabel’s Just For You Café
732 22nd St
San Francisco, CA
415.647.3033

From today’s bunrab email, Susan writes:

Gutenberg,

We always enjoy reading your blog. I have a couple of comments about Vin Antico. We've been there several times for lunch and once with a small group for dinner. Each time there have been problems that reflected a bad attitude from the chef and/or owner of the restaurant. We will not be going back after our last experience.

A friend and I stopped in for lunch on a Tuesday afternoon. The restaurant was empty and the music was so loud that we could barely hear each other speak. The server said that she couldn't have the music turned down because the chef liked the "vibe from the music". We ordered some appetizers and wanted to try several of the pastas and the chicken special.

When we asked the server if they could add the roasted chicken to our pasta, she said that the chef probably wouldn't like the idea. We said we'd gladly pay for the extra dish. The chef gave us a dirty look, said "no way" and turned away from us. We paid for our drinks and left. With a totally empty restaurant, it wouldn't have killed them to be a little more accommodating. I really don't need attitude from a restaurant. I can take my business elsewhere.

Susan


Gutenberg replies:

Dear Susan,

There is a reason they call it the “hospitality industry” and it’s a bummer when that name is not kept in mind by those in it.

Even when an answer is “no” it should never have a “way” attached, but it sounds like this chef went all “Russell Crowe” on you. It’s good that there were no phones within easy reach.

I’ve been to restaurants where they have “no substitution” policies and they print it on the menu. Maybe that is something they can consider to improve their vibe.

I’m glad that I happened upon a nice server while there. Hmmm…did I just get lucky or was “Russell” off duty?

-G

 


 

 

 

Thursday, November 2, 2006

I got my Hot Pastrami ($9.95):

... on rye bread which was a little softer than my personal preference, but it was still good. This grainy mitt held a baseball sized wad of sliced meat which was perfectly good, but not that “I’ll have what she’s having” deli meal. 

I was warned that my Matzo ball soup ($3.99):

... would take a little while since they were preparing a batch as I ordered. It arrived as my dessert. The cue ball sized, dense cracker-ball flying-spaghetti-monstered itself against vermicelli in a sea of chicken broth. Not craveworthy, but perfectly warming on a cold day.  I prefer this type of smaller, denser matzo ball over the gigantic fluffy ones that other nosh-aterias offer.

The service was their usual friendly and efficient in the face of chaos style. They get the crowd through quickly and everyone leaves with a full belly.

Miller’s East Coast West
1725 Polk St.
San Francisco, CA
415.563.3542

 

 


 

 

 

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

I got a Speck Pizzetine ($7.00):

... from the brick oven at Vin Antico for lunch. The pistachio pesto had a nice coarse texture against the crust which was fine, but contained more oil in the dough than my personal preference. This made the dough edge towards a light flakiness rather than a dry crispiness.

The mozzarella, thin ribbons of pickled red onions, dressed arugula and slices (much more than a speck) of pig were all very tasty. I was impressed that they were able to produce this filling and toothsome lunch for such an antico price. All of the lunch items were $7.50 or less in this chic little addition to San Rafael’s 4th street.

I had a difficult time choosing my chow with other menu items like the fresh pappardelle with beef ragu ($7.50), Muffuletta ($6.25), and roasted eggs in tomato sauce with parmesan ($5.50) all sounding pretty appealing. 

 

The San Rafael restaurant situation is looking up.

 

Vin Antico
881 Fourth St.
San Rafael, CA
415.454.4492

 

 


 

 

 


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