Oodles of Noodles..

Review of: Osha Thai Noodle Cafe

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 3

Read review on Judy’s Book.

I wanted to start this review with a witty anecdote comparing Osha Thai Noodles to its federal counterpart OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but there’s just no comparison between a federal bureacracy put in place to protect workers while on the job and an affordable place to get a mid-drinking dinner.

Osha noodles is smack dab in the middle of the TenderNob at Geary and Leavenworth, right next to Rye and near the Indian and Pakistani restaurant corridor on Jones. Getting there around 8:15, prime dinner time, there was a line – but the turnover was so fast that we were sitting by 8:30 and eating by 8:45.

The food ranged from average to better-than-average. The Thai Iced Tea was very nice, and considering it was the size of two normal Thai Iced Teas from most other restaurants, it was a real bargain. Sate pork ($5.95 for 4) was fine if not extremely memorable but the fried wontons were outstanding ($5.95 for 12) – evoking memories of fried wontons on the East Coast. The main courses were in the $6.95 range, and my Spicy Laht Nah – spicy chicken and flat noodles with broccoli, peppers and straw mushrooms was very good ans satisfying. The best part? For two iced teas, two appetizers and two main courses, we only spent $31!

Osha isn’t a destination restaurant by any means – but it’s a fantastic place to go when you’re in the neighborhood looking for an affordable, fast meal.

Great Salsa but Worth the Hype?

Review of: Papalote

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 3

Read review on Judy’s Book.

After hearing so many good things from friends, colleagues and even sources like Chow Magazine, I was excited to give Papalote a shot when my co-workers decided to head there for lunch. Finally, I would have a chance to sample their “practically-orgasmic” salsa!

Papalote is a taqueria with partial table service. You order your food at the counter, grab a drink, pay your way, take a number and head over to a table in the side room and eagerly await the server with your taco, burrito, quesadilla or other standard taqueria fare… which is exactly what I did.

The chips (still warm) and salsa were brought almost immediately – and for all intents and purposes, they were the highlight of the meal. The rich orange salsa was spicy, sweet and had a complexity of flavor not commonly found in the condiment. The texture was smooth with black flecks – possibly from black pepper or from the skin of roasted pumpkin or peppers (yep – the secret ingredient, I have been told, is pumpkin seeds). This salsa’s only competition for #1 in San Francisco is by Orale Orale.

The steak for the Carne Asada (which got very high marks from my co-workers), as well as the chicken, is cooked to order on a grill instead of scooped out of a steam table bin… and though I didn’t sample it, the meat certainly looked good: appropriately charred and tender.

The pork Chile Verde was also quite good, with distinct flavors of tomatillo, cilantro and citrus in the sauce. Unfortunately, this filling, when combined with refried beans, cheese, rice and guacamole and wrapped in a tortilla, didn’t meld into that cheesy-goopy goodness that makes an excellent burrito. It was good, but not great. Certainly not on par with Victor’s or Mexico au Parc – which just goes to show you: even if every component of a dish is excellent, sometimes it doesn’t come together properly to make something amazing. This time, the components were better than the sum of its parts.

$8.89 for a super burrito, chips, salsa and a bottle of grapefruit soda. 3 stars for now, but I will certainly be back to try a carne asada quesadilla.

Like a drive down to Rome

Review of: A16

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 5

Read review on Judy’s Book.

A16 might just have the best southern Italian food in San Francisco – certainly the best I’ve had since leaving Europe. For a place smack in the heart of the Marina that’s filled with striped-shirt wearers, it’s remarkably without pretension and attitude, the service is efficient and the staff is personable and witty. The challenge is getting seated…

Tonight was our second trip to A16, and the food just gets better. We started with perfect meatballs – light and almost fluffy made with pork, proscuitto and ricotta cheese which was quickly followed by the mozzarella burata (handmade partially formed mozzarella) with crostini and a fried cheese dish – amazingly crispy and chewy with a radiccio and arugula salad on top.

We all had pizza next – and my rapini (broccoli rabe) pizza with pancetta and chili oil was amazing. I’ve always been a fan of broccoli rabe, and the preparation was spot-on: garlicy and spicy with a little fat and salt lent to it by the melt-in-your-mouth pancetta. The crust was perfectly charred and had a fresh dough flavor.

The point doesn’t come off for the food, which is a clear five stars. A half point is lost due to the physical layout of the entrance/bar area – it’s way too crowded, making it almost impossible to physically get up to the bar to actually order a drink. Because the restaurant is so popular (read: prone to crowds) and they offer food service at the bar, the turnover up front is very slow making it an uncomfortable place to park yourself while waiting for your table. Still, once you make it to the restaurant area, it’s quite relaxed, with enough space around each table so that you don’t feel like you’re listening in on your neighbor’s conversation.

The second half point is due to the 45 minute delay we incurred waiting for our table. Even though we had to wait, the maitre ‘d did a very good job keeping us informed about the delay (a table wasn’t clearing out fast enough) and arranged with the owner, who stopped in to check on us, to comp us a significant amount off of the bill for the delay. For the record, I do expect that a restaurant open for more than 3 months should know their turnover rates and arrange for their seatings appropriately. I know we were not the only table waiting to be seated this night.

Still, when we had our first bite of the food, the four of us unanimously agreed that it’s practically impossible to be angry, because the food completely lived up to our expectation.

Highly recommended if you miss the bold flavors of Southern Italian food.

Next!

Review of: Lee’s Deli

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 3

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Back in 1994, right after arriving in San Francisco from Connecticut, I took a job working in the Embarcadero Center. On my first day, I noticed a sign for Lee’s Deli and decided it would be a good place for lunch. See, in my mind, I saw the name… Lee’s Deli. Lee is a good Jewish name so I figured I would stop into his deli and get a nice corned beef sandwich and maybe some matzoh ball soup.

Color me surprised when I saw that Lee isn’t a first name, but the family name. In front of me was a long, fast moving queue leading up to a completely Asian serving staff who was serving up sandwiches at lightning speed. The murmur of the crowd was punctured every few seconds with a shrill scream of “NEXT” from one of the women behind the counter. I had to immediately adjust my expectations and figure out what I want fast… there were only a few people in front of me and at this speed, within a few seconds I would have to order.

NEXT!

Quickly, I stammered out my order: turkey (freshly roasted), bacon, cheese and avocado with sprouts and avocado on dutch crunch (I learned how to order a Californian sandwich pretty fast, didn’t I?) with mustard and mayo. As fast as I ordered, the sandwich was put in my hands and I paid, barely moving out of the way before the server waved her hand to the crowd and screamed “NEXT!”

The sandwich? Good. Not amazing, but pretty darned good. Over the years they were consistant – a hundred times better than Subway.

After a 7 year hiatus, I went back to a Lee’s Deli this afternoon… this time, the Lee’s on 2nd Street. The concept has changed – now there’s a wonton soup bar, a chinese food bar, a salad bar, but the sandwiches were still there. I got in line and heard the young Asian woman behind the counter say that magic word…

NEXT!

I placed my order, grabbed a gatorade, paid and went outside to enjoy a warm St. Patrick’s day. The sandwich was exactly the same as it was over half a decade ago. The turkey was fresh, the bacon crispy and the avocado abundant and creamy. All in all, I paid $5.45 for the sandwich and with the gatorade it came to $7.20.

I’m not sure when I will be back, but I certainly WILL be back. I figure I could go there when I am old and grey and it will be exactly the same. I might be a little slower, but they won’t care… as I hobble up to the counter, they’ll be motioning me over and screaming the magic word…

NEXT!

Where the Men Are Guapo

Review of: Victor’s

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 4

Read review on Judy’s Book.

“Eey, Guapo… you wan’ that for here or to go?”

Yes, here, I’m guapo. At Victor’s, every guy is guapo, and every girl guapa – and why not? In here, life is beautiful! The girls are beautiful! Even the orchestra is beautiful!

Practically a South Beach institution, Victor’s serves up better-than-average tacos, burritos and quesadillas. The flavor of the pork is possibly the best in the neighborhood: the carnitas, al pastor and chile verde are all top notch and distinctly flavored. Considering that they have Mexico au Parc, Los Socios/3rd Street Grill, Tres Agaves and an on-again/off-again taco truck parked in the Limn parking lot to compete with, the fact that Victor’s is always packed while Los Socios/3rd Street Grill has had to cancel their dinner service is a testament to them delivering what the neighborhood wants. Plus, they’re open on Saturdays, something our neighborhood desperately needs.

A super burrito or quesadilla runs between $5 and $5.50 – and with a Jarritos fruit or a mexican Coke or Squirt (grapefruit) soda thrown in, we’re still well shy of $8.

If I could do half stars, Victor’s would get 3.5 stars. Compared to other taquerias, the food is 4.5 stars. I would knock a half point off for not being open for dinner, and another half point for their tortillas, which are prone to tearing when stuffed full with burrito goodness. However, since I can’t do half stars, the staff’s warm personality and fast service are enough to have me round them up to a full four stars.

Ok, Guapo?

Don’t be a Jerk…

Review of: Primo Patio Cafe

By: Avery Glasser

Rating: 3

Read review on Judy’s Book.

Jerk Chicken? Check.

Large glasses of lemonade with free refills? Check.

Sort of nasty tasting limp fries that are prone to breaking apart at just the right time to ensure that some of their spiced mayo falls on my shirt to permanently stain it? Check.

Bread that dissolves when you get a Jerk Chicken Sandwich, making sure that a big ol’ chunk of chicken falls onto your shirt, permanently marking it with a turmeric and oil stain? Check.

Of all the lunch places in the area, Primo Patio is the place where I just can’t really get excited to go. I mean, the food is good – get the jerk chicken as a quesadilla and you can appreciate the classic Caribbean flavor of the jerk spices, even though a quesadilla isn’t really traditional island fare. The yellow cumin rice is pretty good, but the steamed carrots are just sort of an afterthought. The ginger beer, what should be a signature drink, is just bottled Stewart’s Ginger Beer and there are much better versions than this corn syrup laden soda.

For me, it’s the place to go when you’re sick of everything else. Put on something you don’t mind staining with various sauces and marinades, get a big tumbler of lemonade and pretend you’re sitting in an island cafe next to beautiful people in swimsuits, not in the industrial quarter of San Francisco sitting next to people in business suits.