Blackberry Ice Cream

I couldn’t decide which flavor ice cream I should get at Downtown Bakery & Creamery in Healdsburg, so I asked what their specialty is. “The blackberry – it’s grown locally here.” So there you go. Home-made blackberry ice cream, locally grown, locally made, and locally enjoyed. Enough said.

308 Center St
Ste A
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(707) 431-2719

Croque Madam

I can’t say it’s the best I’ve ever had, but I do think that the croque madam from Bistro M over at Windsor is one of the best. There was a good balance of cheese, ham and bread, and the egg on top is always a good call. I think what made this dish even better was the fries that it came crispy and seasoned with garlic and parsley, plus a small side of greens. It was a pretty hefty dish, and all for only $10.

It was a Saturday, and their Saturday special was the cote de boeuf, or beef rib-eye. It was excellent – thick and melt-in-your-mouth juicy. They also offer a three-course pre-fixe option, which came with a soup, quiche florentine, and a small slice of lemon tart. Not bad!

Service was excellent, prices were decent, and there’s a lot in the menu to choose from. I’d go back the next time I’m in town.

610 McClelland Dr
Windsor, CA 95492
(707) 838-3118

Rice Roll 飯糰

One of my favorite Shanghainese breakfast items is the rice roll, which I refer to as “fan tuan” (飯糰) in Chinese. It’s really hard to find good ones in SF because no place ever seems to make it such that all the ingredients being used are freshly cooked. Sometimes, the rice will be hard, or the Chinese donut inside (you tiao/油條) is soggy, but at Shanghai House, it’s all good! The rice is still moist and holds its shape well, the Chinese donut is hot and crispy, and its loaded with a lot of pork sung (肉鬆).

Shanghai House’s vegetarian goose (su e/素鹅) is also really good. Actually, it’s different here because it comes out freid and crispy. I’m used to eating it cold and moist, but fried and crispy was pleasant change. Overall, the food here is pretty good. A lot of people seem to like their soup dumplings (xiao long bao/小籠包), but I’ve had much better elsewhere.

3641 Balboa Street
(between 37th Ave & 38th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
(415) 831-9288

Fried Chicken Rice Burger

It’s been a while since I last posted anything about Sandbox Bakery, but I’m still a huge fan. I just had their fried chicken rice burger. It’s a play off of Japan’s fast food chain, MOS Burger, but better. (Well, it better be if it’s gonna be $6, right?) I didn’t get it fresh out of the fryer so it was already cold, but the chicken was still crispy and juicy. All the ingredients blended well together, especially with the rice buns (because that’s what we Asians like to eat).

833 Cortland Ave
(between Ellsworth St & Gates St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Bernal Heights
(415) 642-8580

Scamorza & Speck Pizza

Just gotta say, I’m lovin’ the pizza at Specchio. Everyone likes their pizza in their own way. Me? I like it really thin, really crispy, and with really good ingredients on top. I had their scamorza and speck pizza. Specchio changes their menu regularly, so something they have today might not be there next month, but I’m pretty sure they are consistent with their pizzas, at least. I’ll be sure to go back for more. It sure beats waiting in line at Delfina. Their roasted rabbit was also very tender, and their tiramisu – another must eat!

2331 Mission St
(between 19th St & 20th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 956-5528

Hoedeopbap

The hoedeopbap (spicy sashimi salad) is one of my favorite Korean dishes, so I always try to seek it out everywhere, especially since it’s not very common. Sudachi is one of the few places in San Francisco that offers it. I first had it a couple years ago when Sudachi first opened and I wasn’t wowed by it, but it’s gotten better. I ordered one to go and it came with a good amount of fish, and the rice is also well-prepared. They also offered a lot of chogochujang (a sweet and vinegared version of gochujang), maybe too much, but I used it all anyway because I like ‘em spicy. At Sudachi, the portion is smaller than at the other places I’ve had it at, but it’s better portioned for one person, plus it’s cheaper at only $12.50.

1217 Sutter St
(between Polk St & United States Highway 101)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 931-6951

I haven’t been to Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream in a while, so this time, they finally had a new flavor that I haven’t tried. It’s their cucumber ice milk ice cream. At first lick it was strange, but the more I ate it, the more I liked it. Now, it’s actually one of my favorites! Imagine drinking a cool glass of cucumber water, but in ice cream form. It’s not as sweet as the other flavors, which I liked because I was able to taste the cucumber more.

2790 Harrison St
(between 23rd St & 24th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 550-6971

I like Spork. It’s like a spruced up diner, like something right out LA, but in San Francisco so it’s not superficial at all. Just kidding. Anyway, I went there for brunch, and it was fun. The menu is small so it’s not too hard to decide what to order, and all the items are your standard brunch items with a twist. My favorites were their pastrami benedict, their toasted French bread pudding, and their in-side-out burger. See – nothing is quite normal, right? My one complaint is – where’s the spork?

1058 Valencia St
(between Hill St & 22nd St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 643-5000

Last time I tried the porchetta di testa at Boccalone. This time, I tried their coppa di testa, which translates to “cup of head”, and I liked it even better. From what they described, it’s basically the same as porchetta di testa – a deboned pig’s head, seasoned, tied, and cooked – but braised, so it has more flavor.

Click here to watch the video of how the pig’s head is done.

1 Ferry Bldg
San Francisco, CA 94111
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
(415) 433-6500

I’ve been going to Patisserie Philippe for years now and it’s still one of my favorite places for French macarons. Every place makes it differently – texture, size, filling, sweetness – and here they’re made not too sweet, crispy outer layer, chewy inside, and filled with buttercream. I’m usually into non-fruit flavors like tea flavors or pistachio, but I just had their passion fruit and it was a refreshing change. I also tried their chocolate mousse cake. It was rich and sweet – perfect for those with a huge sweet tooth.

655 Townsend St
(between 7th St & 8th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 558-8016