foodhoe's foraging

Noodle Shop and Lounge at Heaven’s Dog

March 7, 2010 – 5:54 pm

1148 Mission St (between 7th St & Julia St), SF, CA 94103 | (415) 863-6008 | website | @HeavensDog | reservations
Dinner only. Mon-Sat. 5 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. Sun. 4:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

I met up with a bunch of girlfriends for a pre-holiday happy hour to sample the small plates menu of Heaven’s Dog, the latest endeavor of Charles Phan, the entrepreneurial chef/owner of The Slanted Door. It occupies the ground floor of the SoMa Grand, a sleek modern residential tower next to the Federal Building on Mission Street.

The chef is Andy Wai who was previously the executive chef at Harbor Village in Embarcadero 4 and had his own restaurant in San Mateo. Phan conceived of Heaven’s Dog as an afterwork hangout and watering hole, with the noodle bar counter open during lunch. The menu focuses on Northern Chinese cuisine using the bountiful resources of the Greater Bay Area, and offers a variety of snacky appetizers, like dumplings, buns, wontons and lamb skewers and familiar standard stir fries like Cashew Chicken and Mapo Tofu. Throughout the restaurant are gigantic whacked out portraits of dogs.

We were seated in a private room off to the side of the bar, at a long narrow table which felt very cozy and intimate, it was quiet and I loved that we could enjoy the food and be able to catch up and chat.

The lighting was not very bright, but since we were in our own little space, I busted out the flash. We started off with the famous Braised Pork Belly in Clamshell bun ($9). I especially wanted to try this dish which has become an obsession after reading about the infamous Momofuku buns and drooling over Foodgal’s post here, The plate came with four fluffy buns, smeared with hoisin and filled with a thick piece of pork that reminded me more of charsiu than bacon in texture and with a nice amount of slivered green onion

We shared a couple orders of Shanghai Dumplings ($9), plump little orbs filled with a savory pork mixture and a little bit of broth that is served with spoons so that you don’t lose any of the liquid when you bite into it.

It comes with dark and mysterious rice vinegar, and fine shreds of fresh ginger that go perfectly with the rich meaty dumplings.

The Beef Curry Puffs with Mint Sauce ($7) reminded me of samosas, wrapped in puff pastry and deep fried. The mint sauce was an unusual accompaniment, it was a simple acidic and minty mignonette that played well with the rich fried spicy puff.

We devoured the Salt and Pepper Local squid ($13), which had a light crisp batter that was spicy and fragrant with red chili, toasted garlic and a handful of fresh cilantro.

The Spicy Niman Lamb Skewers ($9), were very aromatic with cumin and chili powder, served with a few slices of pickled vegetables on the side.

We tried one of the two noodle dishes on the menu, Vermicelli stir-fry, pork shoulder, shrimp, yellow curry ($12), which was full of light crisp julienne vegetables and infused with the heady aroma of curry.

DebbieN zeroed in on the Spicy Chicken with fresh bamboo and toasted cashew ($14) when she saw it on the menu because she loves fresh bamboo shoots, but it didn’t seem to have the fresh stuff.

Ma Po Tofu ($12), was a generous mound of soft custardy chunks of tofu combined with a mixture of ground beef, chili paste, and szechuan peppers that was thick and spicy. It was delicious served over hot steaming rice (you can also request brown rice).

We shared one of the vegetable side dishes, which turned out to be one of the more intriguing taste combinations of the evening, Rodoni Farms organic brussels sprouts ($10), flavored with ginger and chinese sausage. The brussel sprouts were tender and I wished there were more bits of the chinese sausage.

We saved enough room to share one dessert, a Red Bean Buckwheat Crepe served with a scoop of ginger ice cream. It was a subdued but delicious combination, I would have liked a bit of dark chocolate sauce drizzled over the crepe…

On the way out we walked by the actual noodle bar, which seemed serene from the outside. When we went, there were only two noodle dishes on the dinner menu, and I was told that they had a much larger selection of noodles on the lunch menu. Since then they changed their hours and are only open for dinner, so I wonder about that noodle bar… It sure looked empty.

There are so few Asian restaurants that have embraced using local, organic and sustainable products, and while the food we were served stayed within the bounds of a traditional Chinese menu, the fresh quality and flavors were brilliant. It was around $35 per person including a drink each from the bar, which I need to mention serves fantastic sounding cocktails designed by Erik Adkins who hand cuts ice for rocks drinks. They offer a beverage called ”Freedom from Choice,” where you tell the server your favorite spirit and let the bartenders do the mixing. I thought the price was very fair for the quality of the food and excellent service, and being able to enjoy it all in such stylish surroundings.

I haven’t been to this part of town in quite a while and was pleasantly surprised at how clean and brightly lit the area is, especially with the Federal Building next door.

By foodhoe | Posted in brilliant, chinese, san francisco, soma | Tagged charles phan, chef andy wai, heaven's dog | Comments (11)

Rijsttafel at Jayakarta Restaurant in Berkeley

March 5, 2010 – 2:22 pm

2026 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704-1006 | 510.841.0884 | website

Last night I was fiddling with the words for this post and noticed something odd. In my blogroll were some entries that I didn’t put in there and couldn’t figure out how to remove. Foodhoe’s been hacked! The blogroll is down while I investigate further. Onto the food… Rijsttafel is a Dutch word that translates to “rice table,” which is an elaborate banquet representing the multi-ethnic nature of the Indonesian archipelago. Years ago my good friend TKC travelled to Amsterdam and raved about this exotic sounding feast and since the prospects of a trip to Europe are pretty slim, I am thankful that we have Jayakarta Restaurant in Berkeley. At last I was able to partake in this festive meal which is traditionally presented with bowls of rice surrounded by a number of small dishes with contrasting textures and flavors.

By foodhoe | Posted in berkeley, brilliant, east bay, indonesian, singaporean | Tagged bay area noodle whores, berkeley, indonesian cuisine, jayakarta, rice table, rijsttafel, singaporan cuisine | Comments (4)

Dinner at Quince Restaurant, SF

February 28, 2010 – 6:16 pm

470 Pacific Avenue, SF, CA 94133 | 415.775.8500 | website | reservations

A while back, it was before the holidays last year, I met my friend Ben, of Cooking with the Single Guy for a delightful dinner at Quince Restaurant in the City. I had been looking forward to the relocation of Michael Tusk’s Quince to Pacific Avenue, which is an easy walk from public transportation (and my old stomping grounds). The interior has been transformed into several sleek and elegant dining areas that are interconnected, dramatically lit with glowing venetian glass chandeliers that make everyone look good.

We were seated in the main dining room which has wide doorways that open into the other rooms, but feels intimate and cozy with velvet banquettes along the walls. The chef/owner Michael Tusk has worked at Stars, Oliveto and Chez Panisse, and the menu reflects his dedication to cooking with seasonal ingredients and working with local organic farmers. I debated between the chef’s tasting menu ($85,) and the seasonal menu featuring porcini mushrooms, but in the end decided to go with the ala carte menu when I saw the scallop appetizer with sea urchin… Our server was very patient and seemed to appear as soon as we looked up.

This plate of delectable breads with rustic crusts kept coming around and I helped myself to at least one of everything, slathered with butter.

Here’s my appetizer of Sea Scallop ($17), served with pureed potato, sea beans and sea urchin. The potato was so creamy (the soft mounds that look like aioli) and for once I liked how the foam reminded me of the ocean surf ,which along with the rich buttery urchin, bathed my tastebuds with a kiss from the sea.

Ben enjoyed his Four Story Hill Farm Sweetbreads ($16), which looked crispy but apparently were not, along with pieces of parsnip, artichoke and paper thin slices of black truffle. Underneath were artistic smears of pureed parsnips and the plate was dotted with drizzles of black truffle infused sauce.

I couldn’t resist the Raviolo di Ricotta della Casa ($17), when I saw it on the menu. The housemade pasta was fantastic, drizzled with a browned butter and a handful of parmigiano reggiano

Inside was creamy ricotta and the golden egg yolk burst forth soft and silky. I was glad that I hoarded a roll to wipe my plate with, there really is no neat and tidy way to eat this…

Ben had the Pappardelle Verde ($19) suckling pig and wild nettle pasta which was a gorgeous dark green color. The texture of the pasta was incredible and generously piled with the rich flavorful meat sauce. It was so good that I wished I had my own plate.

Instead, I had ordered the Chatham Haddock ($27) with porcini mushroom puree, the plate was exuberantly ringed with circles of sauces made with wild nettle and cippolini-speck crema. The fish was tender and flaky but overall the serving was big and not so flavorful. I would have been happier with a plate of that suckling pig…

Single Guy’s entree came piled with Watson Farm Lamb ($27) which was served three ways (leg, loin, and rack) over braised Dirty Girl Farm Cannelini Bean and escarole.

We were both full, but when our server mentioned the Quince Creme Chiboust, Single Guy couldn’t resist trying this namesake dessert. I think the chiboust cream is the toasted item on the far left. It was an interesting assortment, the vanilla gelato introduced the element of the creamsicle when combined with the perfumed and fruity flavors of quince.

And after that plate, we heaved a sigh when they dropped off yet another, a beautiful display of tiny mignardise that were lovely to look at and I’m abashed to admit that we didn’t finish… the opera cake with the gold leaf was beautiful and shiney. What I liked the best was that for a time, I felt like one of the beautiful people…

Outside you can peek in and watch the action in the kitchen, and gawk at the famous 3 ton Bonnet stove, a name so rarefied and highbrow most of us have never even heard it… Bonnet is a French company, which custom-designs units for each customer, and they found it on eBay.

It was good, a bit pricey (over $100 each but that included a glass of wine each) and it was worth it. You can read the Single Guy’s post here.

By foodhoe | Posted in Italian, californian, financial district, french, incredible, organic/sustainable, san francisco | Tagged michael and lindsay tusk, quince | Comments (14)

The Deep Fried Twinky & Pastrami Shop in Fremont

February 25, 2010 – 10:06 am

4004 Mowry Ave, Fremont, CA 94538 | 510.794.7666 | Hours: Mon-Sat. 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.

My friend Jaycee sent me a note about this place that he said just screams my name… Hmmm, the Deep Fried Twinky & Pastrami Shop housed in a Valero Gas/Carwash… is that a good thing? But of course I was intrigued and the next time I needed some gas, I headed over to check it out. Because yes, once I heard about this place, it felt like it was screaming my name…

I was mesmerized by the menu, especially the section for fried food devotees that includes a variety of sweets, a Ham or Turkey and Cheese sandwich ($3.99)… and even a Deep Fried Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog ($4.99) with fries. Apparently they will fry anything you want, so I think I’ll have to return to try a deep-fried Snickers bar… They had an interesting article from East Bay Express posted on the wall from which I deduced that the guy in the apron was the chef/owner Steve Yankos, fried food artist extraordinaire.

I noticed that he was busy at work slicing piles of pastrami, while I looked over the menu… Deep fried bacon wrapped Hotdog? Double Dipped Pastrami? Philly Cheesesteak made with thinly sliced rib-eye? Difficult decisions had to be made and secretly, I was mostly interested in the deep fried menu anyways… I asked for advice in deciding between the fried hotdog or the pastrami and was told that you could get a hot dog anywhere, but the pastrami here was special. He indicated the log of meat he was slicing and told me that it is the navel cut, which is from the belly, similar to bacon. He slices it very thin and then cooks on the grill to render out as much fat as possible, then dips it in beef jus for extra flavor. Sold. I decided to go for the Double Dipped Pastrami Sandwich ($5.99), which came with tiny housemade pickled peppers.

I sat and sipped at my Diet Pepsi in the gated dining area by the entrance and watched cars exiting the drive-through wash.

The sandwich arrived, wafting garlicky meaty aromas. The pastrami was paper thin and expertly cooked on the griddle. Most of the fat melted away and the delicate edges were deliciously crisped, and overflowing from the soft fluffy bun.

The final effect was light and luxurious, the translucent paper thin slices felt positively spa-friendly…. It really was the best pastrami sandwich I ever had. Dare I say it? Even better than Saul’s Deli in Berkeley! There was a thin layer of melted swiss cheese and pickles that enriched the experience.

I asked Steve at the outset about the timing of the deep fried sampler, mostly because I was worried that my delicious desserts would sit around getting soggy, but he is a professional. Never fear, he said. He wouldn’t start working on the desserts until I said so.

The sampler ($9.99) includes one Hostess cupcake, 2 pieces of banana, 1 chips ahoy chocolate chip cookies, one twinkie and half of a peanut butter and jam sando. Also an oreo cookie, but they ran out, so I got 2 chips a hoy…

Steve allowed me to sneak behind the counter to photograph the assortment prior to frying, and then to catch an action shot of him dipping it into the batter and then into the fryer.

Peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich, battered and frying

The assortment took about 4-5 minutes to cook. I paced anxiously…

The batter is almost as good as the deep fried pickle slices I enjoyed in Victoria last summer. It coats everything in a tender soft bready layer with an external crust that shatters when you break into it with your teeth

The peanut butter melts and occupies your tastebuds with their salty rich nutty flavors while your teeth make their way through the layers and textures of of bread, batter and crispy fried exterior.

Steve first removes the frosting top of the hostess cupcake, dips the cream-filled cupcake in the batter and then into the fryer. Before he places the frosting back on top of the fried cupcake, he carefully drizzles chocolate syrup over top of the cupcake.

Unlike the twinkie, I was able to enjoy some of the cream filling of the cupcake.

The Chips Ahoy cookie melted and steamed within the fried batter coating, and reverted to a cookie dough texture.

My favorite items from the sampler plate were the pieces of Fried Banana. The flesh of the banana steamed and cooked into a soft custardy puddinglike texture that was buttery and rich and extremely delicious with the crispy fried batter and drizzled with chocolate syrup.

Steve dropped off a little plastic cup filled with Nutella that he said was very good on the bananas… I am appalled to admit that I really have not had Nutella before and I was smitten. It was fantastic on the fried banana!

The last thing is the Deep Fried Twinkie, pictured here sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce.

The batter did create a lovely crispy crust around the soft spongecake.

And the strangest thing is that the cream filling must get steamed into the cake interior, which made it seem unnaturally heavy and dense like pound cake. Ever compared a twinkie with poundcake before?

On the way back to my car, I briefly pondered a quick walk through car wash to perhaps wash off some of the grease…

Now that I’ve got the deep fried sampler under my belt, next time I must return to try the Philly Cheesesteak which Steve said is as good as the pastrami. And I’m thinking about a battered and fried ding dong!

By foodhoe | Posted in addictive food shrine, american, brilliant, east bay, foodhoe's favorite, fremont/union city, fried, sweets | Tagged deep fried banana, deep fried chips ahoy, deep fried peanut butter and jelly, deep fried twinkies, nutella, pastrami, steve youkas | Comments (13)

Sichuan Fortune House in Pleasant Hill, CA

February 20, 2010 – 7:33 pm

41 Woodsworth Lane (at Contra Costa Blvd.), Pleasant Hill; (925) 686-9828. Lunch daily 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., lunch specials Mon.-Fri.; dinner daily 5-11 p.m.

I chose this restaurant because of its high ratings on Yelp, which is proving to be most helpful in finding good eats out in Coco County. From outward appearances, it looks the same as any other Chinese restaurant, but the spicy Sichuan dishes are what make it stand out. In fact, it’s Mr. K’s new favorite Chinese restaurant, especially since our favorite in the WC area, Tin’s Tea House closed in 2009. In 2007 Allen Shi opened Sichuan Fortune House, with chef/partner Shaobin Zhang, formerly of China Village of Albany. The menu highlights Sichuan dishes, but offers a wide variety to suit everyone’s tastes, with very generous portions.

We welcomed the plate of peanuts coated in a savory sweet glaze, sprinkled with sesame seeds, along with a bit of pickled cabbage that was crunchy, sweet and spicy. An interesting combination that we enjoyed while perusing the rather extensive menu of dishes, many of which I had never heard of. I haven’t had much exposure to Sichuan cuisine, just a few meals at Z & Y Restaurant in the city, where we had the memorably named Chicken with exploding chili peppers and Spicy fish in flaming chili oil… Our server was very patient and enthusiastic in helping us decide what to order.

We watched mesmerized as the bowl of Dan Dan Mien was mixed up at the table for us.

The thick chewy noodles were perfectly coated with the rich spicy meat sauce. It was similar to spaghetti bolognese but had a different set of spices, including the rich nutty flavor of sesame paste. Mr. K found them to be uninteresting as he is not a noodle fan, which means more for everyone else!

He drizzled the housemade chili sauce over everything, which he said made it even better.

The Changsha Chicken Claypot arrived in a foil lined claypot and looked more like a stir fry. I always thought claypot dishes were more like long cooked casseroles, but this was an interesting and delicious version, full of fresh vegetables and tossed in a spicy sauce.

The Cumin Lamb arrived and demanded everyone’s attention with its tantalizing fragrance. I love the funky combination of the flavorful lamb with the pungent aroma of cumin. The thinly sliced lamb was tender and infused with the penetrating spices, fortified with sliced jalapeno, garlic and a few dried chili pods.

We also ordered the Tea-Smoked Duck, which was stir-fried with crisp bell pepper, cucumber, ginger and green onion.

The duck had a wonderful smoky flavor that infused the tender flesh and was brought out by the spicy marinade and crisp fresh vegetables.

The second time we visited was with my sister Barbara, who really enjoyed the Spicy General Zhangfei’s beef which was completely different from any Chinese dish whose title includes the word General. The server pointed out that the dish is made with brisket when we ordered it, so that we wouldn’t be surprised. It was long braised, tender and fatty and cooked in a sauce made with spicy chili, ginger, garlic and Sichuan pepper which makes your lips tingle. It has the kind of spiciness that makes me want to keep eating, before the heat overcomes me… but you know I am on the wimpy side of the scovillian scale.

The Eggplant Pancakes were an unexpected novelty. Thick slices of eggplant were stuffed with a savory ground pork filling, then battered and fried and then covered in a spicy garlicy sauce.

The eggplant was creamy and the combination of flavors and texture was truly delightful.

My parents loved the Pan Fried Crispy Noodles, which had a very nice crunchy texture and no chili peppers. It seemed strangely bland in comparison to the rest of the dishes, but it’s good to have balance.

The Dry Cooked Green Beans are vegetarian friendly but robustly flavored and cooked so that the skin is slightly blistered but the interior is still crisp and fresh tasting.

We enjoyed the Snowpea Leaf with Garlic which is similar to spinach, but a bit more robust and the stalks remain crunchy.

Every dish that we tried reflected a refined and nuanced hand in the kitchen, which makes me want to return to continue exploring the menu. I’m especially interested in checking out the hotpot, which is not on the menu, while the weather is still winter chilly…