Best Indian in SF

Review of: Mehfil Indian Cuisine

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

After experiencing some of the best Indian cuisine in Germany, I was disappointed that the best that San Francisco could offer me was Indian Oven on Fillmore – uninspired curries and overcooked tandoori dishes.

Last Friday, a group of four of us decided to try out Mehfil, our local Indian restaurant. Keeping our expectations low, we were just hoping for passable food. Boy, were we wrong.

The food was affordable, spicy and fantastic. Highlight dishes: Chicken Lachha – spicy and tender, Garlic Naan – a perfect teardrop naan… both crispy and tender as a naan should be, Chicken Tikka Masala – with its beautiful nutty flavor, and the Kadahi Chicken – made appropriately spicy when asked. The Rogan Josh was good, but a little oily for my taste (but not inappropriate for the style), and my friends who were samosa divas found them to be OK – not bad, but not the best. The Butter Chicken was also nice – not a favorite dish of mine, but very well made.

All of the chicken dishes, aside from the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Chicken Lachha are made with thigh meat – which I happen to prefer as it lends better flavor and texture, but for some who only eat (the typically flavorless and overcooked) breast meat – be prepared for poultry with flavor!

Great to have in the neighborhood, and the best Indian so far in SF proper.

All-in-One Sandwiches in San Francisco

Review of: Giordano Bros

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

When my wife and I were in college, we would head into Pittsburgh every Saturday around midnight to pick up the New York Times with a couple of friends who had a side job delivering the paper to the students and faculty of West Virginia University. It was then that we realized that the city of the Steelers could hook us up with a damn good sandwich.

Fast forward a decade and a half and a long drive down I-80 to Giordano Brothers – a shop making the quintessential “Pittsburgh Sandwich”… though I never saw a sandwich like this during my saturday nights in the Tri-River area.

Regardless, it’s an interesting concept: fresh italian bread cut thick, cole slaw, grilled meat (the cappicolla is amazing), cheese and a small handful of what might be the best fries in the city. It sounds like an artery blocker, but instead of being unwieldy, it’s a perfect, managable balance of flavors without being too heavy.

A sandwich, coke and a mini-Clark bar later, neither of us felt like we were transported back to Pennsylvania, but we walked up towards the 30 Stockton feeling better for having the experience.

Giordano Brothers: Cash and credit cards accepted, international soccer on the TVs in the background, good looking chicken wings, excellent sandwiches, buckets of beer (though I don’t recall if they had Rolling Rock) and hooks to hold a jacket or umbrella all across the bar. Worth a visit.

An Union Square Oasis

Review of: Johnny Foley’s Irish House Llc

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Yeah, you’re likely to have an expat on one side and a tourist or twenty on the other, but if you’ve spent the afternoon trapped in the shopping hell that is Union Square, there’s nothing nicer than a well poured Murphy’s Stout while sidled up to the bar at Johnny Foley’s.

If I am ever in need of a time-out while exercising the bank card downtown, you can be sure I’ll end up there before making my way through the tourists to get home.

An Union Square Oasis

Review of: Johnny Foley’s Irish House Llc

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Yeah, you’re likely to have an expat on one side and a tourist or twenty on the other, but if you’ve spent the afternoon trapped in the shopping hell that is Union Square, there’s nothing nicer than a well poured Murphy’s Stout while sidled up to the bar at Johnny Foley’s.

Unforutnately, it’s closed for earthquake retrofitting – and if they don’t hustle, my neighborhood will soon be home to a branch of O’Neill’s (of San Mateo) – so it will be harder to justify tromping through the crowd of dazed tourists at the cable car turnaround just to get there. However, if I am ever in need of a time-out while exercising the bank card downtown, you can be sure I’ll end up there before making my way through the tourists to get home.

A love/hate relationship…

Review of: 21st Amendment Brewery Cafe

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 3

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Sigh. I really, really want to love 21A. It’s fresh beer, perfectly acceptable food and only a block away… yet, there’s something unsatisfying about it.

It’s not the beer. Overall, the house made beer is better than average… if a little pricy ($4.75 per pint)… and they offer cask ale once a week. It’s not the food either – the asian-style ribs I had as a snack were actually quite good, though I didn’t understand why they served them with field greens. It’s also not the staff- the bartenders there are friendly, efficient and overall pleasant to be around. They also started to serve guest beers from local breweries like Drakes and Speakeasy – a real plus.

I think that the problem is that everything just doesn’t fit together properly. The bar is small, the restaurant space is industrial (but not in a chic sort of way), and you just don’t know if they want to be a restaurant that serves its own beer or a bar that wants to serve food. There’s nothing wrong about it, but there’s something not quite right either.

Don’t get me wrong – I’ve met Nico (one of the owners) and watched this place for years, and I love having this place in the neighborhood. Even if it’s not inviting… and the beer and food is expensive… and it closes earlier than I want on the weekends and…

Sometimes you don’t get what you pay for

Review of: Yank Sing

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 3

Read review on Judy’s Book.

A Yank Sing haiku…

Randomly priced treats
Why are you so expensive?
Ton Kiang? Better.

There are much better places for Dim Sum, such as Ton Kiang, but 40 minutes on the 38 Geary is just too darn long of a trip when you just want a quick couple of dumplings and some buns. So, the premium price equates to a penalty for lazyness. No consistency on the pricing or itemized receipt (take a hint from Tian Sing) makes me suspect that a $40 lunch for two one week costs $70 the next.

Overall, the food quality is good – but not nearly as good as when they operated the Battery Street location. The Rincon facility on the weekend is just too large and impersonal. A good place to introduce visitors to Dim Sum and when someone else is paying.

PS: if Ton Kiang is only two syllables instead of the three I think it is, make the last line of the haiku “Ton Kiang? Much Better”