Yali Pears at the Farmers’ Market

Here’s a treat for you. Last weekend at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market in San Francisco, I saw these beautiful pears at the KJ Orchards stand. This is a type of Asian pear. But while most people are familiar with the crunchy Asian pears from Japan, these have their roots in China and are known as yali.

I thought they looked really intriguing with those long, dark stems. Just like the Asian pears from Japan, the yali pears are really crunchy. But they’re not as watery as the Japanese pears. And they’re more fragrant, with almost a banana-like perfume and taste. This is the time for fruits like apples and pears, so next time you see these pears with the long stems, give them a try.

Oh yeah, BOO!

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In Line at Sprinkles Cupcakes

PALO ALTO
This past Saturday I went all the way down the Peninsula to check out what all the fuss was about over Sprinkles, the cupcake store from Beverly Hills with the Hollywood friends like Oprah, Tom Cruise and that actress from “Gossip Girl.”

Sprinkles opened its first Northern California outpost last month at the Stanford Shopping Center and supposedly has been attracting long lines. The line didn’t look that bad when I arrived, but here’s my blow-by-blow anyway:

12:42 p.m.—Here I am at the back of the line. What’s nice is that Sprinkles has a glass wall so you get to watch the people inside and start thinking about what you want to order as you wait. Hmm, mocha or lemon ginger?

12:47 p.m.—I reach the point right outside the door. There’s a sign that asks you to keep the door shut in order to “maintain the freshness” of the cupcakes inside. And they’re really serious about it. When I finally got inside, I kept hearing the girls behind the counter yell at people to keep the door closed.

12:48 p.m.—It only takes a minute before I was able to get inside and get a better look at the interiors, which has a really nice, open feel. There’s a bar with stools along the glass wall where people can sit and eat their cupcakes. At the far end is a whole display of Sprinkles items to purchase, including cupcake mixes and T-shirts. Talk about branding!

12:51 p.m.—After quickly looking over the cupcakes, Melissa behind the counter takes my order. I know her name because it’s on my receipt. I started to rattle off some cupcake flavors when Melissa tells me that not all cupcakes are available every day. To know which ones are available, I have to look for the ones with the dot next to them. Ugh, more studying. I end up making some snap decisions. I hope I ordered the right ones.

I walk by to the register and notice these cute little cupcakes. Turns out they’re for doggies. I know, right?

12:53 p.m.—The cashier calls my name and then I walk up to pay for the three cupcakes I ordered ($3.25 each). I pay $9.75 and am told to wait for my box to be beautifully wrapped and presented, but my box came just as I was getting my change. Here it is in this simple brown box.

So it really was only about a 10-minute wait to order and get my cupcakes; not as bad as other lines I’ve stood in for this blog. ;-)

I spent the rest of the day tasting the cupcakes. First up was the cinnamon sugar, which I ate at Sprinkles before I left. I liked the idea of cinnamon but the cupcake looked the smallest of the three I purchased. The taste? Oh man, it was sad. The cake itself was moist but kind of dough-ey, almost like a doughnut. It wasn’t super sweet, which is good because I don’t like really sweet things and I heard Sprinkles’ cupcakes were super sweet. The sad part was the icing, which was oddly dry, which gave the cinnamon-frosting almost a cardboard-like feel. Plus, that weird little Sprinkles dot on the top is hard like candy and not very tasty.

I walked around the mall and then walked along University Avenue to visit my favorite fro-yo shop, Red Mango, since they still haven’t opened an outlet closer to my home. I got a small cup of the green tea yogurt with watermelon toppings, and ate it along with the dark chocolate cupcake from Sprinkles.

The dark chocolate was Ah-MAZE-ing. It looked pretty simple, but the frosting was like a chocolate mousse, and again, not super sweet but balanced. The cake itself was moist and slightly crumbly, so it was messy eating this since the cupcake was topped with chocolate sprinkles as well. But a good kind of messy, if you know what I mean. (Sorry, Red Mango guys who had to clean up all the chocolate crumbs off of your spotless white table and floor!)

Finally near the end of the day I caught the Caltrains back to San Francisco and on my way back I ate my last Sprinkles cupcake, the strawberry. Yuuuuccck! I think I’ve discovered the cupcake that gave Sprinkles its super-sweet reputation. The strawberry frosting was like candy and achingly sweet. Even though it had a nice strawberry aroma, nothing about the cake tasted or looked like strawberry. Even worse was the fact that the cake had this odd beige color to it. You’d think a strawberry cupcake would look pink, but it was beige. And, oh yeah, it also had that stupid inedible candy dot on top. Not very appetizing and I actually couldn’t finish the cupcake.

As my train arrived in San Francisco, I got rid of my brown Sprinkles box, tossing away any remnants of my Sprinkles Saturday of cupcakes (and fro-yo). My only memories of the day are these pictures and the little cake belly that developed around my waist as I ate three cupcakes within two hours.

Sprinkles may have the brand-appeal and is definitely suited for the Stanford Shopping Center, but I don’t think it’s the best cupcakes around. With Kara’s Cupcakes also open at the nearby Town and Country Village, I doubt you’ll have to worry about any super long lines in the future at Sprinkles.

Sprinkles Cupcakes, 393 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto. PH: 650.323.9300. www.sprinklescupcakes.com

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Travel Dish: Bar Uriarte (Buenos Aires)

This is part of a series of reports recapping my recent trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Check back every Monday and Tuesday when I’ll be giving you a taste of my food adventures in this South American metropolitan city.

Italian Cuisine in a Club Atmosphere
Uriarte 1572 (between Honduras and Gorritti), Buenos Aires
Palermo Soho neighborhood
PH: 11/4834.6004
Reservations, major credit cards accepted (AR$6 cubierto or cover charge applies)
www.baruriarte.com.ar

BUENOS AIRES
The night scene in Buenos Aires is all about the clubs. So it’s no wonder that even the hip restaurants in this city are blaring with club music as they gear you up for the long night of partying ahead.

That’s what I discovered walking into Bar Uriarte, a popular restaurant by the same people behind the also-chic Sucre. Bar Uriarte is at the north end of the Palermo Soho neighborhood (formerly known as Palermo Viejo). And when you arrive, you see the kitchen front-and-center through the glass wall. You can watch the chefs busily making pasta or preparing that night’s orders. (I don’t know for sure if the woman up front was Executive Chef Julieta Oriolo.)

Eating late at night means many of the places are dimly lit — again, it’s the whole club feel. I was seated at a table near the entrance, which almost seemed like bar dining. (All I had for light was a tiny votive candle, so my apologies for the poorly photographed food.)

Along the long wooden bar was a lounge area in the center, where you can also order food. (While this area seemed fun and relaxing, I couldn’t understand how anyone ate in that setup. A low, cushioned banquette surrounded equally low tables, making it seem like you were dining at your friend’s coffee table in the living room.) In the back is the more formal dining area with a view of the wood-burning mud oven, which churns out thin crusted pizzas all night.

The décor had a hip but quirky appeal. On one wall were the written words of Julio Cortázar, one of Argentina’s most noted authors. The passage was “Instrucciones para sybia una escalera,” which after some researching on the Web, I think, means “instructions on using a ladder.”

The staff is friendly and courteous, and the people who served me were very comfortable speaking English. The crowd in this packed restaurant was a mix of tourists and what looked like porteños (the word for a native Argentine) out for a casual dinner.

The extensive menu (with English translation) included many familiar Italian specialties like charcuterie plates and ravioli, as well as Argentine specialties like grilled beef from the parrilla. Like I mentioned earlier, pizzas are made fresh from the wood-burning oven.

I started with the Baked Quail Bruschetta (AR$28 or $9.50), which were perfectly roasted quail pieces sitting on top of toasted baguettes. The tender quail meat was caramelized with a balsamic reduction, and I detected some sweet jam between the meat and toast. It was so good, I just grabbed the quail pieces by the little bones and just ate the meat off. (I really didn’t understand the concept of making it into a bruschetta; I would have loved the dish if it came out with the quail by itself.)

Side note: Bar Uriarte is one of the few modern restaurants in the city that offers wine by the glass. I had a 2003 premium Malbec that paired nicely with the quail.

For my main course, I was tempted by the duck confit risotto or grilled sweetbreads, but since this was early on during my trip, I felt I needed to try the famous Argentine beef. So I ordered the Entrana al grill marinada, or Ribeye Steak (AR$35 or $12), which came with mashed potatoes and whole roasted tomatoes (a common side at other restaurants I ate later in my trip).

The beef was nicely grilled and easy to eat, but I wouldn’t describe it as amazing. Like traditional Italian cuisine, all the dishes were slightly salty (with sea salt evidently used to season everything). I didn’t mine the extra salt flavoring, but if you’re sensitive to salt, this might not be the place for you.

I also ordered with my dinner the Arugula Salad with Roasted Pears (AR$29 or $10), which came at the same time as my ribeye. The salad was huge, with several large pieces of pears and a few strips of fresh prosciutto. It was a classic combination of arugula, pears, prosciutto and bits of goat cheese all balanced well and quite filling.

As the evening went on, I could see the DJ spinning records—oddly from one end of the bar instead of his own little station. A crowd started to form at the door as people waited for tables, and while the night was just starting for them, I was so full that I was ready for the quiet walk back to my hotel.


Single guy rating: 3.75 stars (Fun Food and Vibe)

Explanation of the single guy's rating system:
1 star = perfect for college students
2 stars = perfect for new diners
3 stars = perfect for foodies
4 stars = perfect for expense accounts
5 stars = perfect for any guy's dream dinner


Bueno … life in BA
There are several shopping malls in Buenos Aires, and the locals love to shop. One of the more popular malls was Alto Palermo, which was a 15-minute walk from the bed and breakfast I was staying in the Palermo neighborhood. The mall had a lot of European brands (and Starbucks, of course) and there are many, many perfume spritzers trying to sell colognes and perfumes. But I have to say, the malls didn’t seem to have a nice variety of shops, just mostly clothes. Nice place to kill some hours before dinner, though. :)

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Travel Dish: El Trapiche (Buenos Aires)

This is the first in a series recapping my recent trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Check back every Monday and Tuesday when I’ll be giving you a taste of my food adventures in this South American metropolitan city.

Me Want Meat
Paraguay 5099, Buenos Aires
Palermo Hollywood neighborhood
PH: 11/4772.7343
Reservations, major credit cards accepted

BUENOS AIRES
Argentina is known for its meat. Similar to Niman Ranch beef, the cows in Argentina are fed grass and live a pretty stress-free life, getting to roam the acres upon acres of open land that is Argentina.

So you can’t go wrong eating beef in Buenos Aires – they’re often very tender and very cheap. And the best place to find it is in a parrilla, which is basically a grilling restaurant just like a steakhouse back in the states.

Since I was staying in the Palermo neighborhood (considered the spot for some of the city’s best restaurants), I visited the nearby El Trapiche parrilla, which is in the area across the tracks known as Palermo Hollywood. (The Palermo neighborhood is subdivided into four smaller areas. The more popular areas are known as Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Soho because the Argentines like to be chic like Americans, apparently.)

Despite the fact that I ate on the early side, the restaurant was pretty filled with a mix of locals and tourists. Even though it’s highly recommended in the tourist guides, El Trapiche still had a very local feel with its simple décor, including burlap covered legs of jamon hanging from the roof. The room was brightly lit, making the white cloth-covered tables even more stark.

The multi-page menu (English included) is filled with a variety of meat dishes and Italian pastas. Argentines have a very deep connection to Italy. But what I discovered, after shifting through the pages and pages of dishes, is that a parrilla is not made for a solo diner.

For example, wine isn’t sold by the glass, just bottles. So I ended up ordering a half bottle of Malbec.

Then as I tried to order some dishes with my waiter, he kept looking at me like I’m some kind of weirdo and telling me that I’d be satisfied with just one order. See, what happened was I knew I wanted something from the parrilla, or grill. So I ordered the Bife de Lomo (sirloin steak) for AR$44 (or $15.25) but I wanted some salad to counterbalance all the meat I knew was ahead.

So I ordered the Caprese Salad (AR$31 or $10.75) because everything else sounded too big. But I also wanted to try their pumpkin squash pasta because it sounded really interesting. The waiter told me it was a big dish and that I wouldn’t be able to eat all the pasta. Then later on I wanted some plain rice because I’ve been eating meat all week and no real grain, so I had a craving for rice. But even that was considered too much and my waiter convinced me not to order it, even though I wanted just a side of white rice.

So after drinking my Malbec, my Caprese Salad arrived, looking actually quite big. The waiter served a bit of it for me to start, and it was nice and fresh. But it did feel filling, with its mozzarella cheese and olives, so I didn’t eat the entire salad, saving room for the beef.

When the meat arrived, it looked a bit lonely on the white plate by itself. Turns out, most people typically will order several dishes from the parrilla to share. A plate of the rabbit or maybe the matambre de cerdo or thinly grilled pork steak. I’ve seen some people at the other tables with a steak covered with French fries, but I’m not a fries person.

So I dug into the sirloin steak, prepared medium per my request. From the first bite, I knew this was something special. It was simply seasoned with salt and pepper, but the grilling was the key and the execution was masterful. Just the picture of the meat itself doesn’t give it justice, so maybe this will …

… the meat was so incredibly tender and juicy, just cutting into it was like cutting into the soft billows of butter. I’m not generally a meat eater back home, so to be honest I really didn’t have a point of comparison. But if meat back home was just like this, then maybe I might take up eating meat more often.

The waiter was right. After slowly eating my meat, taking time to appreciate each bite, I was nearly full and couldn’t really eat any more. I think that steak was maybe 1 lb. or a bit less, but it still seemed filling even though I was able to finish off the entire plate.

Sure I could have ordered the fruit-filled crepe for dessert, which is flambéed at your table, but I really couldn’t eat any more. The meat did satisfy me, and I was done for the night.

El Trapiche has a friendly staff, despite the fact that few of them speak English. They’re all very comfortable helping tourists (mostly telling them not to order something) and the meat is perfectly cooked in this quintessential Argentine experience.

Single guy rating: 3.5 stars (Not for vegetarians)

Explanation of the single guy's rating system:
1 star = perfect for college students
2 stars = perfect for new diners
3 stars = perfect for foodies
4 stars = perfect for expense accounts
5 stars = perfect for any guy's dream dinner

Bueno … life in BA

Argentines love their dogs, so rumor has it that the best paid jobs in town is that of a dog-walker. During the days, you’ll see some dog walkers with more than a dozen dogs. One thing about a city with a lot of dogs is that there are a lot of mines on the sidewalks. So watch where you walk, because you never know when you’ll accidentally step on a gift from one of those pups.

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Squid on the Dinner Table

A few weeks ago, I read a San Francisco Chronicle article touting squid as a healthy and cheap alternative to fish. I never thought of cooking squid at home, although it is an item I love to order at restaurants. When I travel to places near the sea (like Barcelona), I love to order squid or calamari.

Many of the Americanized recipes feature squid in a salad or risotto. But when I thought about making squid this week, I recalled a stir-fry dish my mom would order at the Chinese restaurant. We’d often order pickled mustard greens with beef (a dish I replicated in my own recipe here), but sometimes my mom would grow tired of the dish even though us kids loved it, so she’ll end up asking the chef to make the dish with squid.

The key to cooking with squid, which is what I learned in that Chronicle article, is that you have to cook it fast (just 3 minutes) when you’re grilling it or cook it very long (more than an hour) if you’re stewing it. Since this was a stir-fry, I went the fast route. So you can imagine that this was a super fast dish to make for a weekday dinner, especially since the pickled mustard greens are already preserved and you don’t need to cook them very long or else you’ll lose the crunch. The squid turned out really nice and soft (I got them already cleaned from the fish counter at Piedmont Grocers near my home) but I have to say the package of pickled greens I bought were a bit salty. So it makes a difference which brand you try. I’m definitely going to cook squid again because it’s a quick and healthy meal to make. Enjoy!

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Stir-Fry Squid and Pickled Mustard Greens

Copyright 2008 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients
5-6 fresh squids, cleaned
1 package pickled mustard greens, diced
2 T sugar, or to taste
1 T Xiao Hsing wine or sherry
1 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T cornstarch
Salt for seasoning

Cut squid into slices and score them (with a knife, gently make cross cuts on the squid), which will help them curl into a nice tube. (Or you can cut them into circles.) Season with salt and set aside.

In a wok or large skillet over very high heat, add sesame oil. Once the oil is heated, add the squid and let cook for about 2 minutes (don’t stir too often to allow for some browning of the squid). Quickly add the mustard greens and stir fry with sugar, wine and soy sauce for another minute. Taste to see if you might need to add more sugar.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with a little bit of water to create a slurry. Then add to your wok a little at a time to create a glaze and some gravy for your dish. (How much depends on your preference. If you add too much, just add some broth or water to thin it out.)

Makes 2 servings. Serve with jasmine rice.

Pair with a glass of Riesling wine.

TIP: Some of the fancier fish markets will already have fresh squid that’s been cleaned, or if you by frozen squid and defrost them, the frozen versions are often cleaned already. If you get fresh squid that hasn’t been cleaned, you need to make sure you remove the ink sac inside.

IN A PICKLE: The pickled mustard greens are sold in most Asian grocery stores in either the preserved foods section or near the vegetables but in the prepackaged sections. Most of the mustard greens are from Thailand sold in vacuum-packed bags or jars. Each brand will be different, some more salty than pickled, other more sour. That’s why you need to balance it with the sugar when creating this dish.

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Food Paparazzi

It's been awhile since I've been to the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, so this morning with the sun shining bright, I ventured across the bay for some local sustainable shopping. Who else was there? Why, it's celebrity chef, cookbook author, "Iron Chef" competitor Elizabeth Falkner.

Falkner rose to fame specializing in desserts, with many of her creations satisfying the sweet tooth of patrons at her restaurant, Citizen Cake. Her cookbook, Demolition Desserts, is a bonanza of chocolate and more. But in the last few years she's focused on the savory as well, and earlier this year opened the widely anticipated Orson Restaurant in SOMA, a grand space that Falkner has used as a backdrop to her Iron Chef-like culinary creations. (The approach has received mixed reviews; some people loving the creativity while others feeling lost. I have to say, I have yet to visit her Orson Restaurants although I've been to Citizen Cake years ago and she does make a mean brownie.)

I spotted Falkner at one of the fruit stands that was overflowing with fall-time pears and apples. I think I saw in the plastic bag she was carrying some crab apples. Maybe for tonight's desserts at Orson?

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Mini Dish: The Sentinel

Gourmet Sandwiches for the FiDi Lunch Crowd
37 New Montgomery St. (at Stevenson), San Francisco
Financial District/SOMA
Open for weekday breakfast and lunch, 7:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
PH: 415.284.9960
No seating, credits cards accepted
www.thesentinelsf.com

I bookend my recent vacation with a free day in San Francisco so I could explore things I normally don’t get to see because I’m stuck at work in Oakland. On my return this week, I spent my last vacation day in the city checking out Denis Leary’s sandwich shop, The Sentinel.

I’m a fan of Chef Leary’s since I’ve had brunch and dinner at his tiny Union Square restaurant, Canteen. His use of fresh, seasonal ingredients created in an intimate setting convinced me that this is a man who believes in his craft, not his business. (Although, the following he’s garnered through his food probably helps business; so it’s win-win all around.)

Less than six months ago, he opened a sandwich shop in a small, former cigar storefront across the street from the Palace Hotel just south of Market Street. His idea was to create incredibly delicious sandwiches for a Financial District crowd who may have lots of sandwich options but none close to this. Now Chef Leary’s life is spent making sandwiches during the days at Sentinel and cooking dinner at nights at Canteen. This guy is just a ball of energy.

I arrived early to beat the crowd, and found out that The Sentinel serves breakfast and then closes to regroup for the lunch rush. You enter through the side door on Stevenson Street, but there were already two people there when I arrived as the door opened at 11:30 a.m. One guy in line behind me says he comes two to three times a week to grab lunch to take back to the office.

The menu features about six regular sandwiches that are offered through the season (things like corned beef, turkey meatloaf and roast beef), a daily soup and a daily special that’s typically a salad (on the day I visited it was a Rockfish Salad with marinated tomatoes).

I wanted to try something unusual, so I ordered the Smoked Trout Sandwich with fennel, apple and horseradish sauce ($8). I also ordered the soup of the day, which was a Roasted Acorn Squash Soup ($5).

Chef Leary and his crew have the lunch ordering system down like a fine-tuned machine. You place your order with Holly, the girl who everyone seems to know at the register, and then she places a colored post-it with your name next to Chef Leary. Each color corresponds with a particular sandwich.

Leary then makes each sandwich from scratch, with the help of three other sous chefs. In just those first few minutes of service, the chef was already moving lighting-fast making a long list of orders, many coming over the phone. (If you prepay, you go straight to the front of the line to pick up your sandwich when you arrive.)

I was impressed with the efficiency of how things ran, and I got my sandwich and soup after waiting maybe five minutes.

I ran off to find a place to sit (luckily the weather was beautiful to be outside) and opened my bag to unveil my sandwich. The smoke trout was flaked in between a crusty bun that was a bit tough to bite into. My sandwich was loaded with slices of fennel and apple, and pieces of mint leaves—all held together by the creamy horseradish sauce.

The sandwich was refreshing and tasty from the first bite, with the horseradish overpowering the apples and fennel flavors. While I got bits of the texture of the smoked trout, I have to say I didn’t really taste any of the fish. Again, it was overpowered by the other ingredients. If this were an Iron Chef panel, I probably would say something like “everything is wonderful but I feel like the secret ingredient isn’t the star.”

Despite the fact that the trout got lost in the sandwich, I enjoyed it and appreciated the creativity Chef Leary put behind this sandwich.

With the squash soup, I knew I would be in for a treat because I’ve never tasted a bad soup at Canteen. And I was right, because the squash soup with its autumnal bright orange color and bits of squash pieces was as sophisticated and comforting as anything you’d find at a Michelin-star restaurant. The soup is served with sourdough buns that I used to slop up every bit of the rich goodness inside my recyclable container.

The Sentinel has created such a following and works under such an efficient system that I couldn’t help but chuckle in my head thinking I was standing in line for the Soup Nazi. But Chef Leary (sometimes quite serious-looking when he’s working) is far from a control freak barking out orders, but instead has created a personable little lunch stop where he regularly builds relationships between the food and his fans.

This is a mini review so no rating, but this is the kind of place that I would take a day off just to visit.

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Dish on Dining: Burma Superstar

A Culinary Star on Clement Street
309 Clement St. (between 4th and 5th Avenues), San Francisco
Richmond District
PH: 415.387.2147
Lunch daily, 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; dinner, Sun.-Thu., 5-9:30 p.m.; Fri. and Sat., 5:30-10 p.m.
No reservations, major credit cards accepted
www.burmasuperstar.com

A couple of weeks ago, I finally made it to Burma Superstar – the highly popular Burmese restaurant that has been attracting crowds to San Francisco’s Clement Street. I made plans with my friend Lisa to beat the crowds by having dinner at 5:30 p.m. But when I arrived, the tiny restaurant was almost full.

Ironically, Lisa was running late and that actually worked out well for us because by the time she arrived, several tables for two turned over and we didn’t have to wait at all for a table.

The unassuming exterior isn’t at all like the rich, tastefully decorated interior with dark wood furniture and colorful walls with accents of Southeast Asian ornaments. Like I said, it is pretty small, and what I found that to mean is a lot of noise. It was hard to catch up with Lisa, whom I haven’t seen for years.

We started dinner with one of the more popular dishes – the Tea Leaf Salad, made up of Burmese tea leaves, tomatoes, lettuce, dried shrimp, fried garlic, sunflower seeds, peanuts and split yellow peas. I’ve had tea salads at other restaurants and they often have a more herbal taste and look.

But at Burma Superstar, its version is definitely more like a westernized salad with the familiar green lettuce serving as a bold backdrop for the rest of the ingredients. It’s the grounded tea and dressing of fish sauce and lemon that give the salad a distinctive taste. It came to the table with all the ingredients beautifully presented separately, but I only got a photo of the final mixed salad because the server went ahead and tossed the salad at our table before I could stop him for a photo op.

In many of the Burmese or Malaysian restaurants I’ve eaten at, I’ve always ordered any dish that featured mango as an ingredient. So I convinced Lisa to order the Mango Chicken, which is made with a light chili and basil sauce. When the dish arrived, I marveled at how orange the mango chunks looked (some places use under-ripen mangoes that are more yellow) and their taste matched the color as they were sweet, blending nicely with the chicken breast. The dish was balanced and fresh, and was the star of the evening (as all mango dishes should be).

Our final entree was a curry because we both figured we should try one. We took the easy route by ordering the Burmese Style Curry with Lamb, which is Burma Superstar’s special curry. The dish itself came out looking very brown and kind of boring. While the lamb chunks were tender, both Lisa and I agreed that the curry wasn’t very spicy or distinctive in taste. It was a bit generic.

The restaurant’s young staff was very friendly and helpful and we didn’t feel rushed despite the fact that the crowd outside got larger as the night went on. While I did feel the food was tasty and the room charming, I didn’t necessarily feel it was above average compared to other Burmese spots like the nearby Mandalay Restaurant on California Street.

If you can deal with the crowds and the wait, then Burma Superstar should be on your list of restaurants to try. But if you’re craving good Burmese food, then places like Mandalay or Nan Yang in Oakland will probably satisfy you without the hype.

Single guy rating: 3 stars (Everyone's Burmese Secret)

Explanation of the single guy's rating system:
1 star = perfect for college students
2 stars = perfect for new diners
3 stars = perfect for foodies
4 stars = perfect for expense accounts
5 stars = perfect for any guy's dream dinner

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Postcard from Buenos Aires

I'm back home after 22 hours in either an airport or airplane. Ugh, dang United Airlines (they definitely are not the friendly skies any more). My trip to Buenos Aires now seem so far away. So I put together this short little video on one of my many plane rides as a reminder of my 10 days in this South American city.

And starting next week, I'll be posting full reports on the various eating adventures I've had at Buenos Aires. I'll be posting on Mondays and Tuesdays (the rest of the days I'll be doing my regular Bay Area reports because food never stops here). I know, I'm such a tease, but I need some time to recuperate and organize all my photos. But I think you'll like some of the places I've visited, especially my last lunch in Buenos Aires, which lasted four hours! (Ha, there I go, being a tease again.)

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My Vacation Cut Short by One Hour

BUENOS AIRES
Dang, I just found out that we have to set our clocks one hour ahead tonight. So really, as I'm writing this, it is nearly 2 a.m. Sunday when really it should only be 12:50. My body is now totally jacked up right before I head home. But I think I gain back the hours, don't I? I'm so confused.

So what did I do once I found out I lost an hour? I went to get a drink at the pool at my hotel. It's such a beautiful night in Buenos Aires. The last few nights have been around 50 degrees but tonight it feels like 60 degrees at night. So sitting at the pool under the stars drinking my Pisco Sour is my ultimate conclusion to a fulfilling vacation. (The Pisco Sour is the popular drink in Peru but most of South America as well; it involves egg white and hot sauce, YUM!) BTW, the picture above is not the Pisco Sour because I'm not going to carry my camera to the pool. The drink above is from dinner earlier tonight where I went to a very expensive restaurant and had a couple of specialized drink. I promise, I'll go into details very soon. ;-)

Buenos noches!

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What I Learned About Dining in Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES
So you know I've been eating my way through my vacation, which sadly comes to an end tomorrow. :( I thought I'd share with you what I've learned about dining out in the city.

BREAD IN A BASKET
It's like wheat prices aren't affecting Argentina because every where you go you always get a full basket of bread. And I'm not talking about a simple bowl with a few pieces of bread, I'm talking a real basket with a full array of bread, from buns to baguette toasts to bread sticks. They even bring this whole basket to solo diners, which I kind of think is a lot for one person.

Another thing that often accompanies the bread basket is some kind of tapenade or spread. The flavor varies from restaurant to restaurant, but I had some really yummy spreads, from traditional olive-based spreads to creamy garlicky ones.

SIMPLE SALADS
In a meat-eating country like Argentina, finding a good salad is a challenge. And the common dressing for salads always seem to be oil and vinegar. When you order a salad, the server will typically bring you a cruet of oil and vinegar or bottles containing these. Then you dress your own salad. While the oil and vinegar route is a clean and simple way to eat a salad, I did miss the variety of dressing we get back in the states.

THEY LOVE THEIR VINO
Wine, of course, is a mainstay for dinner (and lunch and afternoon meals). In local, traditional restaurants, it's unheard of to order wine by the glass. In fact, they won't even offer wine by the glass. You have to order a bottle. Luckily, the restaurants will often offer half bottles, which is good for about two glasses of wine. (The more modern restaurants do offer wine by the glass now.)

COVER CHARGE
The tax for everything you buy in Buenos Aires (including hotel rates) is 21 percent. Oftentimes for meals, this is already included in the price listed on the menu. But one thing that isn't always clear is what's known as "cubierto." Some restaurants will charge this on your bill and some will not. Cubierto loosely translates to "cover charge" or "table service." I've been to a couple of restaurants that charged me 6 pesos (about $2), and I'm not sure if it's because I was a solo diner taking up a table or if they charged everyone a cubierto. I know for sure there wasn't a show or musical act. Like I said, not everyone charges this. But if you see this on your bill, don't be surprised.

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Travel Food Gallery: Mercados in Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES
Walking around this city, you'll often see these little fruits and vegetables markets, or mercados. They remind me a lot of the green grocers in New York, and not just because most of them seem to be run by Asians.

What's interesting is they display their fruits in a crate box slanted up. Sometimes before the store opens, you'll see the boxes wrapped up with plastic wrap. I still haven't really figured out the hours of the neighborhood mercado. They seem to open early in the morning then close down for lunch, then open up right before dinner time when people are going home and grabbing some fresh vegetables for dinners.

Most of the fruits and vegetables here don't seem very exotic, unlike the mercados in Spain that had all these amazing, exotic looking fruits. In Buenos Aires, it's mostly oranges, apples, bananas and artichokes. Then I remembered that the climate is very similar to Chile and we see a lot of these same fruits from Chile in our markets in the United States. So blame it on the American tastes! Ha, just kidding. Maybe it's the climate.

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Moving Day: Adios Palermo, Hola San Telmo

BUENOS AIRES
This is a non-food post, but I thought maybe you might want to know where I'm staying during my trip just in case you're inspired to visit Buenos Aires.

For the first part of my trip, I've been at a bed-and-breakfast called La Otra Orilla in the Palermo Viejo neighborhood. The photo above is a view of the garden and behind those white French doors is the dining room where we get breakfast every morning. (The breakfast is very continental, nothing Argentinian, so basically cold cereal, fruit salad, cold cuts with toast and yogurt.)

La Otra was opened by a mother and daughter, but I've only seen the daughter running the place. All the other attendants are young, almost like college students, and they're all very friendly and speak English really well. This place is mentioned in several guidebooks, and I decided to stay here because it was cheap. I got the smallest room called the Lino for only $85 a night (FYI: there's a 21 percent hotel tax that's added when you checkout and the tax is often not quoted in the base price).

The Lino room was old and didn't have a phone, but that was OK because I didn't need to call anyone. It's also by the street and next to the reception area, so you get a lot of street noise as people walk by outside and inside. If you consider La Otra, then ask for the other rooms, which are larger (and of course pricier). It's in a quiet neighborhood, but within walking distance of Palermo Soho, where I found several of the restaurants that came highly recommended.

Today, I switched over to my new hotel, The Axel Hotel in the San Telmo neighborhood. The weekends are so popular in October that La Otra was booked up this weekend, so I couldn't book a continuous stay. But that actually worked out for the better because it gives me a chance to explore another neighborhood. San Telmo is the Bohemian neighborhood that's a bit gritty but the latest in attracting boutique shops and new restaurants. It's also the area for an extremely popular Sunday outdoor antiques fair and market.

So here's my new bed. OK, I have a confession. The Axel Hotel was the inspiration for my trip to Buenos Aires. (You all thought it was the meat, huh?) I stayed at the Axel in Barcelona when I traveled there in 2004. I loved the hotel so much that when they emailed me and announced they were going to open a new hotel in Buenos Aires, the seed was planted.

The Axel is a gay-oriented hotel, although they welcome anyone. So that means they're fashion-forward and hip. It would be considered a boutique hotel, although the high prices make it seem more like a luxury hotel. Since I only needed a hotel for the weekend because I fly home Sunday, I was able to find a weekend special at the Axel where I pay for two nights and get the third night free. (The price averages out to about $148 a night for the City Room, which is the smallest and faces the street, again, more street noise.)

One thing the Axel has that La Otra didn't is a spa, so that means a pool and deck to lay out, which is what I really need right now after days of walking and walking and exploring the city. I need some me time to just relax. I mean, this is a vacation. One of the unique design of the Axel in Buenos Aires is the indoor pool on the fifth floor (there's only 5 floors). The roof is the bottom of the pool, so when you look up from the bottom floors, you see people swimming. Well, no one was swimming when I took this picture, but I was just up there earlier swimming for people to see. :) OK, time to chill because it's another four hours before dinner.

La Otra Orilla, Julian Alvarex 1779, Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires. PH: (54) 11-4863-7426. www.laotraorilla.com.ar

The Axel Hotel, Venezuela 649, San Telmo, Buenos Aires. PH: (54) 11-4393-1975. www.axelhotels.com

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BA Preview: Vegetarians ... Avert Your Eyes!

BUENOS AIRES
It took me four days to mentally prepare myself for it, but last night I went to my first Argentinian parilla.

A parilla is like a steakhouse back in the states, and they specialize in grilling huge pieces of meat. Don't get me wrong; I have been eating meat dishes pretty much every day that I've arrived. But the meat at a parilla takes on a grander stage. Above is a simply grilled lomo or sirloin steak. I feel like the photo doesn't give it justice to how exactly huge and thick it was when it arrived.

The parilla was La Trapiche in the Palermo Hollywood neighborhood, and I'll post a more compete report when I get back. For now, please wipe your drool and go back to your regular size hamburgers! ;-)

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Hook Me Up: Tazz Soho (Buenos Aires)

BUENOS AIRES
Happy Columbus Day from Buenos Aires! It's also an official holiday here as well, although I haven't really done the research to understand why Christopher Columbus is honored in this South American country. But I'm sure he "discovered" here, too.

Today has been really low-key because after days of sunny spring weather we're experiencing some light rain and overcast skies. And despite most stores and restaurants being open, the streets have been really quiet and it does feel like a Sunday. So I decided to just hang around doing nothing. But then I got bored so I packed up my laptop and went searching for wi-fi.

I've found that in Buenos Aires, wi-fi is widely available at certain bars. Sure, they're also available at cafes, but also bars. So I decided to see what that experience would be like, which is how I ended up here at Tazz Soho Entertainment Bar in Palermo Soho, a touristy, ritzy area that's just a few blocks from the bed and breakfast I'm staying at.

Tazz Soho looked really cool from the outside. And it is smack dab in the middle of the hip neighborhood (that tries to be New York by calling itself Soho even though there's no Houston Street around). Then I walked in and while there's a full bar, it really is more a Dave & Busters because upstairs is the entertainment section with billiards and games. So combined with the pulsating club music are kids screaming and video games sound abound. What fun. ;-)

Here's a view of the bar. BTW, I didn't mention that I'm blogging this live at 6:48 p.m. Buenos Aires time. Yes, this is considered the afternoon for the portenos (locals) because they're not really going to have dinner until after 10 p.m. So they're just hanging out having snacks and drinking wine. I'm actually the only one taking advantage of the wi-fi access and am the only one with a laptop. They must be thinking: strange American with his odd hours for wi-fi surfing.

So since I'm at a bar, I decided to get a glass of red wine, or Malbec, but ironically they only sell it by the bottle. At least, that's what my waitress told me. But then again, she doesn't really speak English so I had to try to talk to her in broken Spanish and the universal tourist sign language. She eventually said she'll give me wine by the cup, but I wasn't sure how much she was going to charge me for it, so I just got a mojito.

I also got the Tazz special dessert, which is pictured above. I wasn't expecting much, but it was really good. It's a warm chocolate cake with two scoops of dulce de leche ice cream and a sprinkling of nuts. I liked how the cake was fresh and warm and the ice cream was wonderful.

It does seem a bit weird working on a laptop at a bar, but this is the only way I can think of killing time until dinner in another four hours. I still really don't know what Argentinians are doing at this time since they're neither eating nor sleeping. Time for another mojito!

Tazz Soho Entertainment Bar
Location: Armenia 1744, Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires
Food: Sandwiches, salads, pizzas, pasta, desserts
Coffee: Yes, with Bailey's and more
Wi-Fi: Yes, free, no password necessary
Outlets: None
Restrooms: Yes
Seating: Lots in the front lounge area and in back on the first floor.
Cleanliness: Average

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Ode to an Empanada

BUENOS AIRES

Oh empanada
You are more than nada
You're filled with beef,
eggs, olives, and raisins
Sometimes spinach,
cheese or corn.

You seem easy to make
Until I start to fold you
Then your edges break.
But does it really matter?
When I hungrily eat you
with a glass of Malbec?
Baked or fried, I
prefer you baked.
Oh empanada

I was so inspired after taking a cooking class in the home of an Argentinian woman named Teresita who lives outside of Buenos Aires. It's fun to find a cooking class while traveling. You get to meet people through the common language of food.

The above empanadas were the ones we made this morning. I'll be posting a more complete report when I get back. Until then, I wanted you to meet my new best friend, Tiny, who is the family dog. She's some kind of hound, I think German? But she's so lovable. She was totally attached to me, but that may be because I fed her half of an empanada.

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Helado ... the Afternoon Meal

BUENOS AIRES
I'm still getting used to the eating schedule here. And I just found out that Argentinians are the only Latin country that doesn't follow the siesta custom. WTF? Anywho, Argentinians eat lunch around 1 and 2 p.m., and then they don't eat again until 10 or 11 p.m. when they head to a restaurant for dinner.

They might get a snack in the afternoon, and I found that the best snack is helado, the Buenos Aires' ice cream that traces its history to the Italian gelato. They're very similar in consistency, with that elasticity that makes it creamy but slick. But Argentinians believe theirs is better.

This afternoon I got my first cup of helado from Freddo, one of the popular helado chains found at the various tourist spots. Freddo's flavors are broken into categories: Crema, Chocolate, Dulce de Leche, fruits and a "light" category. I ended up getting a cup for 12 pesos (about $4.15) with two flavors: Sabayon Italiano and a fruit flavor called Maracuya.

I thought the sabayon would be like the French custard, but it's actually an alcohol-soaked ice cream. That's right, they spike their ice creams! This Italiano version has a rum flavor with raisins and nuts (it's the big scoop on the top). It was a really unique tasting experience, and I may get another one for happy hour!

Under it you see a bit of the maracuya fruit. I didn't know what it was but I thought it sounded mysterious. So being adventurous when traveling, I decided to just risk it. I liked it but couldn't figure out what fruit it was. It seems really close in taste to passion fruit. (Hey, I just checked Wikipedia, and I was correct! It is a kind of passion fruit. I'm good.)

What was that? You want me to test the other heladorias in town to see which is the best? All right, if you insist. ;-)

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BA Preview: My Lunch With Evita

BUENOS AIRES
After 17 hours on a plane (2 of those hours just sitting on the tarmac at Washington/Dulles), I finally made it to Buenos Aires, fresh in springtime with the sun out and the air still cool and crisp.

My first stop was the Museo Evita, the museum dedicated to the "spiritual leader" of Argentina, Eva Peron. I mostly ended up here because the museum is just a few blocks from the B&B that I'm staying at. Also because I don't plan on visiting Peron's mausoleum (people rave about the architecture, but grave sites still creep me out).

The tiny museum has a cafe and bar on the side, and that's where I had a late lunch. Above is just a preview of my experience. I'll write more when I get back home. So this is just a taste of what's to come from BA.

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Eating With Alligators, Penguins and Butterflies

I'm in total tourist mode, but when I woke up this morning there were still 48 hours before my trip to Buenos Aires. So I packed up my camera and caught the BART into San Francisco to visit the 1-week-old California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.

The new academy is the hottest ticket in town. It's gotten so much press since it opened on Sept. 27 that everyone wants to check it out. I thought, hey, it's Monday, a weekday, and I arrived somewhat early at 11 a.m., so who else would be there other than maybe a few school kids? Boy was I wrong. There were already several lines snaking out from the entrance.

Luckily, I only had to stand in line for 20 minutes to get a ticket and then to get into the actual academy.

TIP: Buy your tickets online in advance and then you can print them out on computer kiosks on the sidewalk in front of the California Academy of Sciences. And if you didn't order your ticket online, you can still buy them from these kiosks, which seem to move faster than the regular ticket line.

Admission is a steep $24.95 for non-member adults (children under 6 gets in free!) but it is sooo worth it. For your ticket, you're actually visiting three major attractions: the Morrison planetarium (featuring the movie The Fragile Planet narrated by Sigourney Weaver), an aquarium that takes up the entire lower level, and a three-level rainforest.

But this is a food blog, so I'm going to focus a bit about the eating options at the Academy. When you walk in, the first thing you see is the open courtyard where people are resting and snacking in an open-air environment.


You have to be prepared for a lot of standing in lines, at least during these early days. So here's a long line for the coffee cart and snack stand in the courtyard.

Most of the food options are at the first-floor Academy Cafe, which received a lot of attention because it was organized by local culinary favorite Charlie Phan of The Slanted Door.

Phan devised the cafeteria layout into sections focused on a style of cooking. So that means sections called "Steamed" or "Sizzle (Fried)." But you also have sections that's self-explanatory like "Salads" and "Noodles." But there's also stands like "The Taco Man." It's really something for everyone. And yes, you can expect a major wait in lines to pay (not necessarily to get your food) during the lunch hour. Now, here's some food porn...

Mmmm, dessert.
A worker puts together fresh Vietnamese Imperial shrimp rolls.

Steamed buns.
Pasta from the Noodles stand. Oh, the Chronicle wrote a column about how kids like pasta with just plain butter and why can't the Academy Cafe offer that. You know what? I saw pasta with butter offered today when I went. Kids are happy again.

If you want to avoid the crowds at the cafe, then spend the money to have lunch at the Moss Room, the academy restaurant put together by another local culinary fav Loretta Keller of Coco500. There's two ways down to the restaurant: 1) next door to the Academy Cafe there's an entrance where you go down an elevator like heading to a private club, or 2) from the Cafe you walk down the stairs along the live moss wall...


The restaurant actually looks smaller than I imagined, but it was elegant and calm, unlike the chaos upstairs in the cafe. So that's where I found myself for lunch, enjoying a nice glass of champagne and checking out Keller's menu of local, sustainable fish and stuff (chicken, lamb, etc. and lots of stuff for kids like spaghetti).

I started with this Monterey Squid appetizer ($11). The squid was great, but there were too many chickpeas and they were over salted.

For my entree I got the Grilled California Yellowtail with lentils and French leeks ($21), which was a bit overcooked. Yellowtail is so wonderful raw that I hoped the grilling was more a searing, but the fish meat was cooked through and a bit dry. Overall, I thought the food wasn't executed that well although the menu sounded interesting. It might be the kitchen finding their way and trying to deal with the crowds (everyone did seem like they were still trying to figure out things) but service was friendly.

So that's the food. Now, I'm just going to throw a few of my favorite pics from the day. There were tons of them, but this just gives a taste of what you can expect when visiting.

The albino alligator is finally back home. He did not move one bit the whole time.

The aquarium featured coral reefs from the Philippines, which apparently has the most diverse coral reefs in the world. Who knew?


My favorite things: amazing jelly fish that was like a floating flower.

The amazing rainforest display filled with plants, butterflies, birds, and ...

...these real live frogs. They were the size of a quarter.


The living roof upstairs, with Sutro Tower in the background.

The penguins moved so fast when they were in the water.

California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Check Web site for hours and the free days.

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Jumbo Pomegranates at Temescal Farmers' Market

They're starting to pop up at farmers' market now and, boy, are some of them huge. I'm talking about pomegranates, which is one of the few fruits still grown in people's backyard despite how much POM wants to mass produce it. But because of POM, most people know by now that pomegranates are a great source of antioxidants, which help you fight off colds and stuff. I just love their color. These were organic pomegranates from the Central Valley at this farmer at the Sunday Temescal Farmers' Market. I hope they're still around in a couple of weeks when I get back home from my vacation!

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Dish on Dining: Turtle Tower

A Local Favorite Serving Up Steaming Bowls of Pho
631 Larkin St. (at Willow), San Francisco
Civic Center/Tenderloin
PH: 415.409.3333
Open Mon., Wed.–Sun., 8:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
No reservations, cash only

One weekend after spending a day at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, I wandered the Tenderloin neighborhood in search of pho, the Vietnamese soup noodles. That’s when I walked by Turtle Tower and its crowd of people standing outside waiting for a seat to taste the widely talked about Northern-style pho.

Turtle Tower has grown so popular that it attracts a mixed crowd of local Vietnamese families, young Asians and those who read about the restaurant on Yelp. There was a long list of names on the clipboard hanging in the front, but since I’m the Single Guy and was by myself, the host sent me to the back.

I was a bit confused and started walking toward the kitchen when he told me to walk around outside. So I walked out and went around the Willow Street alley and found the second entrance to Turtle Tower, almost like a banquet hall with round tables filled with patrons.

I was directed to sit at the round table in the back, sharing it with other couples and singles. This is like bar seating but without the alcohol.

I looked over the menu, and Turtle Tower emphasizes that its cuisine is from North Vietnam around Hanoi, as opposed to the more familiar Saigon/Southern style cuisine.

Wanting to try something different, I ordered the wine-braised beef pho ($6.95). My large bowl came with a slight wine tint and a tiny side of slice jalapeno peppers and lime.

Pure Northern style pho does not come with the side plate of bean sprouts, basil leaves and lime. True to that theory, Turtle Tower only begrudgingly provides a tiny bit of jalapeno and lime. Nothing else.

Another distinguishing factor in Turtle Tower’s pho compared to others I’ve tried here and in Vietnam is that the rice noodles are more milky in color, more soft in texture, and more wide in size. They’re very similar to Chinese flat rice noodles. If this is the type of rice noodles you like, then you’ll be happy with the pho at Turtle Tower.

But I’m more a fan of the thinner, slightly translucent and a bit al dente rice noodles I’ve had at other places. It’s a matter of personal taste, really.

Other than the noodles, the meat itself was tender and had a distinctive red wine taste. It really tasted like beef stew cubes. They were good, but not amazing. The flavor was one-dimensional, mainly red wine.

I returned a second time to test the famous pho ga (or chicken noodle soup). This time I sat in the front, which was still crowded despite arriving in the late afternoon.

The pho ga ($5.75, small) was topped with clean strips of chicken breast and I could tell the broth was clear and light. The broth, which glistened with the tiny pearls of fat, was satisfying and I can see how it would be good when you have a cold or otherwise under the weather. Still, I didn’t consider it life-changing like how some people have talked about it. I do give Turtle Tower points for freshness, though.

I also decided to try one of my standard dishes, grilled pork over rice ($6.95). I love the taste of thinly sliced marinated pork that’s been nicely grilled. The plate that arrived looked disappointing because the pork pieces looked a bit small and dry. When I bit into them, I was right. The only thing that saved the meat was me pouring the accompanying sauce of sugar, fish sauce and chilies.

I find Turtle Tower to be similar to other Vietnamese restaurants in San Francisco and Oakland’s Chinatown, but it’s more crowded because of the unusual word-of-mouth it’s received. But since I’m not a fan of its wide, rice noodles, I’m content with getting my pho near my home in Oakland. Turtle Tower definitely uses fresh ingredients and the broth is light and clear, but is it really worth all the hassle waiting for a table? I don’t think so.

Single guy rating: 2.5 stars (for Northern pho purists)

Explanation of the single guy's rating system:
1 star = perfect for college students
2 stars = perfect for new diners
3 stars = perfect for foodies
4 stars = perfect for expense accounts
5 stars = perfect for any guy's dream dinner

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Doughnuts for Adults at Dynamo

Doughnuts are really a childhood thing for me. More specifically, cinnamon powdered doughnuts or any jelly doughnut from Dunkin’ Donuts. I used to love getting them when shopping with my mom. But as an adult, I rarely crave them. Maybe because I’m not a coffee drinker, and apparently the two go hand-in-hand.

But when I heard there was a place in San Francisco’s Mission District selling gourmet doughnuts for adults, I had to check it out. It just seemed like the logical next step to the cupcake craze.

Dynamo Donut & Coffee opened this summer in the far reaches of the Mission District. (I’m talking several blocks from the 24th Street BART station.) Last Saturday, I got off the BART and hoofed it along 24th Street, passing several coffee shops and taquerias, until I hit the quaint little Dynamo hut, with a line already forming. (I was thinking of doing one of my how-much-time-in-the-line posts but I was in line only for about seven minutes, so that’s cool.)

There were two people working inside the hut. I don’t know if one of the ladies were Sara Spearin, the woman who created Dynamo. But both were pretty efficient as they went through everyone’s order in line. While Dynamo is known for its doughnuts, it seemed like most people were in line for coffee. Dynamo serves Stumptown Coffee and has a very shiny and big espresso machine.

There’s no indoor seating, although I’ve read that they’re renovating the space behind the hut to turn it into a café, with a kitchen where they can bake the doughnuts on the premises. While I was in line, I did see some construction tarp up in the backroom and they looked far from finished. For now, seating is just this eclectic collection of chairs on the sidewalk.

Dynamo has a regular rotation of flavors but only four are served each day. So if you have a favorite, it might not be available on the day you visit. One of the doughnuts I’d heard about and thought would be interesting to try was the Maple Bacon Donut. Unfortunately, it wasn’t served on the day I was there.

Here are the doughnuts on display at the front window under glass. The four available on this day was Banana de Luce, Chocolate Star Anise, Vanilla, and Ginger-Orange. I ordered one of each, ‘natch.

Here’s a close-up of my box of doughnuts. They sell for $2.50 each, but with four I only paid $9 because I think there’s a “frequent flier”-type of thing going on. I decided to try two on the spot. Um, which one first? How about …

… the Ginger-Orange. Actually, I wasn’t sure what this was but was tempted by the glaze. Once I bit into it, I could sense the subtle sweetness of the orange with the slight ginger zing, so I knew this was the Ginger-Orange. The doughnut itself was very soft and not at all like a cake. It was definitely more airy and light. While I enjoyed it, I felt the glaze could have been more crystallized. Instead it seemed slightly gloopy.

Next I went for the filled doughnut, which was the Banana de Leche. The light and airy texture of the doughnut really reminded me of malasadas back home in Hawaii. (You island folks know what I’m talkin’ about.) But it was malasadas with a sweet filling, but not obviously sweet, which is good because I don’t have a sweet tooth. I could taste the chunks of fresh banana in the filling with the light caramel flavor. This was my favorite of all the doughnuts, and the sugar rush from the two I ate gave me the energy I needed as I headed off to a warehouse jeans sale in the city.

When I got home, I tried the other two doughnuts. The Chocolate Star Anise was slightly odd. It had the texture of chocolate and looked like a brownie, but didn’t taste chocolate-ly. It was almost like they used unsweetened chocolate on this day. And I really didn’t get a star anise flavor. The Vanilla Donut was just OK, nothing unusual or amazing.

Dynamo Donuts is an intriguing idea in a food city like San Francisco, but I feel it fails to reach its potential as demonstrated by the ones I tried. Except for the Banana de Leche, I don’t think I would go back for the others. For the price, I’d rather get a cupcake. Still, if you’re in the neighborhood, you might want to check it out. The lines seem to say that some people like these adult-inspired doughnuts with their coffee.

Dynamo Donuts & Coffee, 2760 24th Street (between Hampshire and York Streets), San Francisco. PH: 415.920.1978. Open Tues.–Sat., 7 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. www.dynamosf.com

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Seven Days and Counting—Vacation 2008

Hey guys, in one week I’ll be heading out of town on my first foreign trip since my visit to Vietnam in January 2007. I had to get a new passport because my old one was nearly expired, so I’ll get to make my first imprint on a spanking new one.

Can you guess where I’m going? The picture above is supposed to give you a hint, and it was actually taken by an Associated Press photographer in that city. I’m also planning to take my laptop with me, so we’ll see how the internet connection is where I’m going. (In Vietnam, it was crazy slow.)

Another hint is that I chose this place because the dollar is still stronger, so I’ll be able to dine again on a lot of cheap food. Let’s just hope the U.S. economy doesn’t tank while I’m away.

Answer to where I'm headed can be found in the comments section.

Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.

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Get Out and Check Out a Food Event

Like I said above, I’ll be out of town for most of October. I’ll be posting from where I’m going [fingers-crossed], but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy many of the great Bay Area food events that are happening while I’m gone.

So instead of me taking you to these events with my posts, it’s time for you to take up the challenge and visit these food events for yourself. Here are a few I probably would have gone to if I were in town:

Oct. 1–31: Eat Local SF. Slow Food took up the Labor Day weekend, but Eat Local SF is dominating the entire month of October. There will be a variety of events to highlight local, sustainable food products, defined as those grown within a 150 mile radius. A list of participating restaurants will highlight locally grown items on their menus, and several special events and cooking demonstrations will take place at locales like Bloomingdales, La Cocina Kitchen and The Commonwealth Club. For more details, check out the group’s Web site.

Oct. 7 (Tuesday): McCormick & Kuleto’s 15th Annual Shuck & Swallow Challenge and Benefit. Hmmm, oysters. This is the season. And you can watch people compete in this shucking challenge that benefits the Marine Mammal Center in Marin. Competition takes place at the restaurant at Ghiradelli Square (900 North Point) in San Francisco, starting at 5 p.m. But there’s also an oyster and wine pairing from 6 to 8 p.m. Viewing of the competition is free and the oyster-and-wine pairing costs $30 per ticket with proceeds helping those cute sea lions and such. For more information call 415.929.1730.

Oct. 8 (Wednesday): City Bites at Macy’s. This is the third in a series of local food events at the San Francisco Macy’s in Union Square. On this night, it’s all about two new restaurants—Miss Pearl’s Jam House at Oakland’s Jack London Square and Midi in the Galleria Park Hotel. Chefs Joey Altman of Miss Pearl’s Jam and Michelle Mah of Midi will be demonstrating some recipes and offering tastings for $10. The money benefits the Glide Ensemble Gospel Choir in the city. Event starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Cellar. For more information, go to www.macys.com and search for store events in San Francisco.

Oct. 8 (Wednesday): Wines on Wine at The Fifth Floor. This high-end restaurant’s master sommelier, Emily Wines (oh, now I get the title), offers this first in a series of wine classes at the recently revamped restaurant at the Hotel Palador near Union Square/SOMA. This first one focuses on wine and cheese and will cost $45. (Most of the other classes, all on Wednesday nights throughout the fall, will be $35.) Call 415.348.1555 to reserve a spot because space is limited. You can check out the entire series on its Web site.

Oct. 10 (Friday): Second Annual WhiskyFest San Francisco. Put on by Malt Advocate magazine, this is the second year of this tasting event where everyone jams into a ballroom and drinks really good whisky. Talk about a party. Tickets to this event at the San Francisco Marriott is pretty steep ($110 for general admission) but you’ll taste whisky from around the world. If you don’t go to this event, there are several smaller whisky-related events at local bars like Absinthe in the week leading up to the WhiskyFest. Learn more at Malt Advocate’s Web site.

Oct. 10–12 (Fri.–Sun.): Asian Food Beyond Borders. This is a symposium put on for the first time by the Asian Culinary Forum at the San Francisco Ferry Building. Speakers will focus on the contributions of Asian communities to the culinary world. For more information, check out the group’s Web site. (Hurry, because some events have already sold out.)

Oct. 11 (Saturday): Crush Party ‘08 at V.Sattui Winery. This venerable St. Helena winery is hosting its annual dinner to celebrate the fall harvest and crush (actually, several events take place in Napa during this busy time of year). The dinner from 6:15 to 9:30 p.m. at the winery will include pizza, pasta and grill stations. I’m sure you’ll also get a chance to taste some freshly crushed grapes. Cost is $75 and generally sells out. For more information, go to the winery’s event page.

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