I ordered the linguini with smoked chicken and shiitake mushrooms in white sauce, and it was one of the richest and heartiest pastas I’ve had in a long time. The piping hot dish was cooked well, with a flavorful sauce mixed with tasty chicken and mushrooms. The portion was huge and the dinner was around $10, another rarity in the city. All the servers were friendly and attentive, and I really felt at home enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal. The next time I might opt to sit in the outdoor patio, which provides a great view of the Bay Bridge.

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I ordered The Special sandwich, which came with roasted pork, pork loaf, and pork pâté. Along with the perfectly crisp French bread, pickled carrots and daikon, plus sprigs of cilantro, this sandwich was the quintessential banh mi, as good and authentic as it gets, with no unnecessary bells and whistles that some of the more fusion banh mi places like to include. The most interesting part of the sandwich was the pork pâté, which had a tuna-like consistency and taste. Oh, and the Thai iced tea is one of the tastiest ones I’ve tried (warning: for sweet tooths only).

The best part? The banh mi was only $5.00, an unheard of price for a delicious fast casual lunch in the city. I’d definitely recommend checking this place out for some great eats!

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Their most popular baked good is the Rebel Within, which is precisely what I ordered. It’s an interesting concept that’s executed well – a savory muffin with asiago cheese, sausage, and green onion. But the coolest part? They somehow (seemingly magically) squeezed in a whole soft-cooked egg into the muffin! So at first glance, this muffin looks pretty normal, but a quick knife cut reveals the rebel within, a delicious runny egg, just how I like boiled eggs. Taste-wise, I was very impressed – lots of flavor, complemented well by the egg. My only gripe was that I was expecting the muffin to be warm, but that probably would’ve ruined the egg so I wasn’t too disappointed. At $7, it’s not cheap, but it’s definitely worth a try, plus I hear there are lots of other delicious baked goods and pastries, which I hope to discover when I return in the near future!

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We promptly ordered their xiao long baos (Shanghai steamed pork dumplings, aka XLB) and dry fried chicken wings, since we’d heard some good stuff about those dishes. Both dishes came pretty quickly, and I was overall very happy with the taste. The xiao long baos were flavorful, but not too soupy or pretty a la Ding Tai Fung. But that’s okay because taste is what’s important, and these passed my taste test! The pleasant surprise were the dry fried chicken wings. I’d tried so many times to eat at the famed San Tung (home of THE Chinese dry fried chicken wings), but these weren’t too bad and came without the ridiculous two-hour wait. Covered with sweet glaze, these wings could’ve used a bit more flavor beneath the skin, but were still crispy, tangy, and satisfying.

The cherry on top? Walking about twenty steps across the street after dinner for some boba milk tea dessert at Purple Kow!

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Usually if I’m feeling fish but not ready to commit to a huge sashimi/sushi meal, I’ll default with the Rainbow Roll as a great way to sample the restaurant’s fish. Now every sushi place makes these rolls, but it’s actually quite hard to make a quality Rainbow. The roll set before me at Ryoko’s was a work of art, with large cuts of fresh fish, chef’s choice. From tuna to yellowtail to salmon, every bit was as good as it was fresh – and it was a noticeable freshness! Loved the high-quality ingredients and left feeling satisfied and full. I’ll definitely be going back in the future whenever I’m craving fish!

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This taqueria gets brownie points for being located right next to the Balmy Street Murals – a popular alleyway of beautiful murals depicting the history of the neighborhood and Latin American countries’ historic struggles. I was starving when I entered and I immediately made a beeline to the back order counter. Later I realized I missed out on another cool feature – a $2 taco stand right at the entrance with your choice of meat. I ordered a carne asada “super” quesadilla with a regular flour tortilla (they also have the options of whole wheat, spinach, and tomato tortillas – pretty cool).

My order came with chips and I picked out the orange habanero sauce and a green chili sauce. The habanero sauce was actually very, very spicy, and so good until it got to the point where I couldn’t eat it anymore. The quesadilla was amazing as well. It’s what I would call a SF-style quesadilla, filled with tons of meat and other fresh ingredients, so much so that it looked like a flattened burrito. The carne asada was juicy and tender, and the entire meal was extremely satisfying, even with my mouth still burning from that habanero sauce!

Definitely a great place to try some high-quality and authentic Mexican food. Also a great opportunity to experience the history of this neighborhood and maybe even check out the murals during an after-dinner stroll.

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There are quite a few similarities between the two shops. Both began in 2006 from rich culinary traditions (Bi-Rite Market since the 40s and Chez Panisse) and offer delicious, rich, and flavorful ice cream. Both aren’t afraid to experiment with different flavors. And perhaps most similarly, both see huge fanfare and long lines at almost all times of the day and allow people to go through the time-tested ritual of sampling ice cream flavors.

Yet there are still some marked differences. For one the flavors at Ici tend to be much more out there, whereas Bi-Rite sticks to variations of beloved classics. And because Bi-Rite sticks with the same selection of ice cream for longer periods of time, waiting in line isn’t as painful as it can be for Ici (that moment when you’re two away and the people in front are trying 5 different flavors…). Oh, and another downer is that Bi-Rite has normal cones, not the amazing crepe cones with chocolate nougat that Ici offers.

Still, the bottom line is that Bi-Rite offers amazing ice cream and is located in an amazingly festive area (Dolores Park, Mission Dolores, tons of restaurants and bars nearby). I’ve tried the coffee toffee, cookies n cream, and ricanelas (cinnamon with snickerdoodle) ice cream, and they’ve all exceeded my expectations for what good ice cream should be! I forget to mention some bonus plusses for Bi-Rite – their regular size gives you two smaller scoops so you can pick different flavors for your cone. And if you’re not feeling the long lines there’s always the no-line soft serve ice cream window with different flavors each day of the week! Great small batch ice cream shop with high quality and tasty flavors – you can’t go wrong giving it a go!

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The pizza parlor itself was pretty low-key, located in one of the Embarcadero Centers close to the Bay Bridge and the water. A friend and I ordered a medium pizza of the same name, their signature Orgasmica with pepperoni, salami, sausage, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers. The trifecta of meat really hit the spot, with the salami adding some distinct flavor and the onions and peppers complementing the oily goodness extremely well. No free-range, locally-sourced, and/or organic offerings here, just good old-fashioned tasty pizza.

It’s a bit on the pricey side, but they don’t skimp on ingredients or taste, so it’s definitely money well spent in a chill location with co-workers and friends. Plus they have TVs and draft beer that are sure to be a hit during the big game days!

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From the Kraken to the Drunken Master to the Madd Phoenix, the names were as creative as the pictures looked delicious. All of a sudden, a menu item caught my eye, and I knew it was meant to be. The Falkor – that’s right, named after the luckdragon in the movie classic The Neverending Story – was an insane combination of panko-crusted fried chicken, pepper jack cheese, hickory smoked bacon, asian slaw, and a jumbo fried egg. The chicken was crispy and tender, and all the ingredients combined into flavor nirvana. It was one of the best sandwiches I’ve enjoyed in a while, and I was glad I decided to try this food truck out.

So the next time you’re feeling a bit adventurous and close to some food trucks, keep an eye out for Adam’s!

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We ordered a feast fit for the kings. From fresh clam chowder to baked oysters to grilled cheese, the selection was as tasty as it was varied. I want to highlight the clam chowder, because it’s one of the most special ones I’ve tried, by far. Gone was the usual creamy New England-style chowder – this one was filled to the brim with actual clams (in their shells!) and topped off with a light yet still slightly-creamy concoction of perfection. The baked oysters were also rich and flavorful, and I definitely preferred them over the raw ones I’ve tried in the past. But if raw oyster’s your thing, there are plenty offered here – even a happy hour with half-off oysters!

A quick glance at the menu shows seven varieties of oysters, fresh from California, Washington, Alaska, and Rhode Island, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of their full menu selection. I’d definitely recommend this place for oyster (and seafood) lovers.

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