Orinda's Baan Thai is light on spice, heavy on flavor
The not-too-spicy starter meang kum ($7.25) features roasted coconut, peanuts and shrimp wrapped in pieces of romaine and served with a ginger sauce. A gentle green curry enhances delicate flavors in...
View ArticleVenga Empanadas: Argentine-style turnovers in S.F.
Venga Empanadas offers a little variety with its house-made Argentine-style empanadas as well as soups and salads to go or to eat in its small cafe or outdoor tables. The specials are a pretty good...
View ArticleHot Sauce and Panko, S.F.: Chicken wings, heat and more
With a dozen varieties of the handheld chicken pieces at any given time, not to mention a couple of seriously decadent sandwiches, this place is worth a visit. Order a small batch ($6.49 for at least...
View ArticleBasa Seafood Express in S.F.: Terrific fresh fish
There are so many delicious noshing opportunities on 24th Street between Mission Street and Potrero Avenue that it's easy to miss something special. A small kitchen turns out a variety of ocean-kissed...
View ArticleQ's Halal Chicken, Alameda: Good kabobs, great prices
The restaurant was previously a kabob shop, which was open a few years with multiple changes in ownership, before Q Samad and his father, Sam, who is also the head chef, took it over and began...
View ArticleNapa BBQ joint Smoakville pigs out on ribs, pulled pork
Each piece of meat is hand-rubbed with more than 20 spices, mopped with Pabst Blue Ribbon and apple cider vinegar, glazed with his own bourbon barbecue sauce and roasted over barrel staves. Hidden...
View ArticleLos Shucos Latin Hot Dogs: Fab street eats in the Mission
[...] these aren't standard ballpark franks; these are Guatemalan street hot dogs, served on soft, freshly baked bread, topped with fresh ingredients and, in most cases, slathered with copious amounts...
View ArticleBargain Bite: Ran Kanom Thai Noodle, San Pablo
In 2011, Ekchit opened the first Ran Kanom, a Thai snack shop selling hard-to-find prepared dishes, in Richmond's Pacific East Mall, and two months ago followed that up with this second venture....
View ArticleMediterranean Kebab, Burlingame: Pioneer still among best
Mediterranean wrap places seem to be on every other block these days, but one of the pioneers - and still one of the best I've tasted - is this nine-year veteran of Burlingame Avenue. Kofte ($11.95)...
View ArticleSpices!: Chinese standards aplenty, but the specialties shine
The menu at Spices! has plenty of Chinese standards, but it's worth seeking out specialty dishes like twice-cooked Chinese bacon (i.e., pork belly), tangled up with chile oil and black bean sauce,...
View ArticleVelo Rouge Cafe in S.F.: Breakfast, pizzas with panache
As an Inner Richmond neighbor of Velo Rouge Cafe, it's easy to feel as if the quirky little spot belongs to the hood. But there's enough going on to lure customers from farther afield. Kids are drawn...
View ArticleRestaurant review: Sue's Kitchen in El Sobrante
Nam kao ($6.95) is a generous salad of deep-fried rice balls and cubes of som moo, a cured, slightly sour, house-made pork sausage that is served with mint and cilantro and lettuce leaves for...
View ArticleAtlas Cafe, S.F.: Great food with a comfy coffeehouse vibe
The cafe, which opened in 1996, maintains a mellow and slightly quirky mid-'90s coffeehouse vibe that's ever-so-slightly reminiscent of Central Perk, the fictional coffeehouse from the iconic sitcom...
View ArticleSouvla, S.F.: Greek meats, eats and sweets in Hayes Valley
Free-range chickens, rolled pork shoulders and herb-flecked legs of lamb slowly rotate in a glass-walled rotisserie, bubbling and browning in that come-hither way. Roast chicken, the tenderest of the...
View ArticleGourmet & More: Market, fromagerie has nice patio
If you're looking for a place to watch the rest of the World Cup, a tiny French market and fromagerie may not be the first spot you think of. Yet Gourmet & More in Hayes Valley is televising the...
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