Today, May 28th, was one of my BEST culinary experiences over my last four years in the bay (aka get ready to read an extra long, but riveting review). Read on...
Ferry Building Farmer's Market A+
This beautiful Saturday morning started off with a trip to the Ferry Building (1 Embarcadero) Farmer's Market. With excellent company in tow- "foodie" Jane and roommate Joyce- we perused a few jewelry and useless knick-knack stands and headed to the FOOD. Fresh organic produce, homemade cheeses, bread dipping oils- we sampled them ALL. I succumbed to the pluots (half apricots- half plumbs) and bought 5 for a mere $1.80! We went from stand to stand sampling as much as we could- heck it was a gourmet and organic costco, so gotta take advantage. I just really really enjoyed seeing all of the yuppie San Franciscans with perfect dogs and tourists milling around the stands. I aspire to be a yuppie one day. Ha, jk.
Why didn't I discover this treasure of a farmer's market say... 4 years ago!!! It was absolutely gorgeous today- with the stands in front of the building and in the back, closer to the water in view of the Bay Bridge. This place is awesome to visit as many Saturdays as you can!!!
After perusing the outdoor stands, we headed inside to check out the vendors that are there everyday- mini restaurants and gourmet food vendors- everything from caviar, to macaroons, to gelato, acme bread co., more dipping oil, and souvenir/novelty shops. We were on our way to...
Slanted Door A
So seductive... I finally made it over to Slanted Door- after hearing great reviews from a boss and a few friends. This Vietnamese/pan-Asian restaurant allowed Jane, Joyce and I to channel our Sex and the City sentiments. Afraid that we were going to be told to come back in an hour (like the hostess had told the couple in front of me), to my surprise, balla Melissa and her friends were seated IMMEDIATELY. The waiter asked: "Were you suprised? (insert smile)" Heck yeah.. anyways, that's how we do.
With the pier and bay bridge in view (floor to ceiling windows), the trendy black/gray/white interior decor set the scene. Think semi-pretentious. After perusing the menu for a few minutes, I decided on the neman ranch steak over lettuce, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, vermicelli noodles and other veggies ($10.50). My lovely companions ordered a flank steak salad and a grilled pork over greens dish. I figured that most Vietnamese dishes consist of the same staple ingredients, just in different combinations. Nevertheless, my dish was incredibly fresh and the cubed steak was delightfully tender and marinated with a hint of sweet soy. I enjoyed the crispness of the lettuce offset by the warm, tender, juicy cuts of meat.
My friends enjoyed their dishes as well and we left room for a little crème brulee at the end. All the vanilla bean had sunk to the bottom of the crème brulee, that was about an average quality. As different servers brought out our drinks/entrees/dessert, I began to notice how attractive all the servers were and the awesome part was HOW they delivered each item with a hint of seduction. “Enjoy…” (insert seductive look here). It was hilarious and made me enjoy my food that much more.
Slanted door has decent prices for lunch ($10-$12/entrée) but their dinner menu increases by about $5 per item. Check it out there, you won’t regret it. Yay for Asian Fusion, right Lydia?!
Our next stop for the day was Thanh Long in the Sunset District.
Thanh Long A-
Heard of the opulent and trendy Crustacean restaurant in Beverly Hills, well the folks at Thanh Long (4101 Judah Street) are the original owners and creators of that namesake. Along with my pals Katrina and Cheryl, we decided to live it up for my last night in San Francisco and give in to the roasted dungenous crab and buttery garlic noodles that have made Thanh Long famous.
Despite having reservations for 8:30 on a Saturday evening, we were told to wait an extra 30 minutes or so before being seated (BOO…), but I guess the business attests to how much their crab is in demand. The very unassuming and humble outside of this corner restaurant contradicts the white linen clothed tables and elegant décor of this two-story restaurant. Once seated we opted to start with the spring rolls ($6) and ordered TWO dungenous crabs- one roasted and the other one drunken (marinated with herbs an chardonnay, hence the drunkenness) at $33.95 a pop. And of course we ordered the garlic butter noodles ($12). Yes, a pretty penny for the meal, but it was worth it.
The two dungenous crabs provided an abundant amount of meat, flavored with a lot of butter, garlic and herbs. To be honest the only thing differentiating the two crabs was the hint of chardonnay in the drunken crab. I preferred the chardonnay. The garlic butter noodles- basically chowmein stripped to its bare. They could have been served a bit warmer, but they lived up to expectation nonetheless and proved a perfect accompaniment to the crabs. Amongst three hungry girls, we were able to finish all of the crab and all of the noodles.
Go on an empty stomach, tighten your provided plastic bibs and check out Thanh Long, and find out if citysearch’s 8.9 rating of the place is warranted or not. I implore you!
Cheers,
Melissa
Ferry Building Farmer's Market A+
This beautiful Saturday morning started off with a trip to the Ferry Building (1 Embarcadero) Farmer's Market. With excellent company in tow- "foodie" Jane and roommate Joyce- we perused a few jewelry and useless knick-knack stands and headed to the FOOD. Fresh organic produce, homemade cheeses, bread dipping oils- we sampled them ALL. I succumbed to the pluots (half apricots- half plumbs) and bought 5 for a mere $1.80! We went from stand to stand sampling as much as we could- heck it was a gourmet and organic costco, so gotta take advantage. I just really really enjoyed seeing all of the yuppie San Franciscans with perfect dogs and tourists milling around the stands. I aspire to be a yuppie one day. Ha, jk.
Why didn't I discover this treasure of a farmer's market say... 4 years ago!!! It was absolutely gorgeous today- with the stands in front of the building and in the back, closer to the water in view of the Bay Bridge. This place is awesome to visit as many Saturdays as you can!!!
After perusing the outdoor stands, we headed inside to check out the vendors that are there everyday- mini restaurants and gourmet food vendors- everything from caviar, to macaroons, to gelato, acme bread co., more dipping oil, and souvenir/novelty shops. We were on our way to...
Slanted Door A
So seductive... I finally made it over to Slanted Door- after hearing great reviews from a boss and a few friends. This Vietnamese/pan-Asian restaurant allowed Jane, Joyce and I to channel our Sex and the City sentiments. Afraid that we were going to be told to come back in an hour (like the hostess had told the couple in front of me), to my surprise, balla Melissa and her friends were seated IMMEDIATELY. The waiter asked: "Were you suprised? (insert smile)" Heck yeah.. anyways, that's how we do.
With the pier and bay bridge in view (floor to ceiling windows), the trendy black/gray/white interior decor set the scene. Think semi-pretentious. After perusing the menu for a few minutes, I decided on the neman ranch steak over lettuce, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, vermicelli noodles and other veggies ($10.50). My lovely companions ordered a flank steak salad and a grilled pork over greens dish. I figured that most Vietnamese dishes consist of the same staple ingredients, just in different combinations. Nevertheless, my dish was incredibly fresh and the cubed steak was delightfully tender and marinated with a hint of sweet soy. I enjoyed the crispness of the lettuce offset by the warm, tender, juicy cuts of meat.
My friends enjoyed their dishes as well and we left room for a little crème brulee at the end. All the vanilla bean had sunk to the bottom of the crème brulee, that was about an average quality. As different servers brought out our drinks/entrees/dessert, I began to notice how attractive all the servers were and the awesome part was HOW they delivered each item with a hint of seduction. “Enjoy…” (insert seductive look here). It was hilarious and made me enjoy my food that much more.
Slanted door has decent prices for lunch ($10-$12/entrée) but their dinner menu increases by about $5 per item. Check it out there, you won’t regret it. Yay for Asian Fusion, right Lydia?!
Our next stop for the day was Thanh Long in the Sunset District.
Thanh Long A-
Heard of the opulent and trendy Crustacean restaurant in Beverly Hills, well the folks at Thanh Long (4101 Judah Street) are the original owners and creators of that namesake. Along with my pals Katrina and Cheryl, we decided to live it up for my last night in San Francisco and give in to the roasted dungenous crab and buttery garlic noodles that have made Thanh Long famous.
Despite having reservations for 8:30 on a Saturday evening, we were told to wait an extra 30 minutes or so before being seated (BOO…), but I guess the business attests to how much their crab is in demand. The very unassuming and humble outside of this corner restaurant contradicts the white linen clothed tables and elegant décor of this two-story restaurant. Once seated we opted to start with the spring rolls ($6) and ordered TWO dungenous crabs- one roasted and the other one drunken (marinated with herbs an chardonnay, hence the drunkenness) at $33.95 a pop. And of course we ordered the garlic butter noodles ($12). Yes, a pretty penny for the meal, but it was worth it.
The two dungenous crabs provided an abundant amount of meat, flavored with a lot of butter, garlic and herbs. To be honest the only thing differentiating the two crabs was the hint of chardonnay in the drunken crab. I preferred the chardonnay. The garlic butter noodles- basically chowmein stripped to its bare. They could have been served a bit warmer, but they lived up to expectation nonetheless and proved a perfect accompaniment to the crabs. Amongst three hungry girls, we were able to finish all of the crab and all of the noodles.
Go on an empty stomach, tighten your provided plastic bibs and check out Thanh Long, and find out if citysearch’s 8.9 rating of the place is warranted or not. I implore you!
Cheers,
Melissa
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