Josh N.'s Profile

Shhhh. Rate this place lower so the lines will be shorter.  Starting to see Marina folks edge into this spot.  Not having anything against the fine neighbors to the north, but for once can't we just enjoy a good spot without it showing up on the trend radar?

Good? Everything on the menu.  Especially the baked mussels, spicy scallop roll and (something not on the menu) the Alaskan crab hand roll.

Bad?  The wait.  Really people, if you aren't prepared to wait 2 hours for good food, this is not the place for you.

PS:
Al loves you. That is all.

I grew up in the south, where fried chicken was a weekly dinner item and jambalaya recipe differences can cause fist-fights -- so I was very excited to try out FP with some friends on a Saturday night.

First impressions?

Score one for the crowd and drinks at this Bernal Heights joint.  It's hard to find a good restaurant scene when 9 o'clock rolls around in SF, but tucked away on 29th street is this lively gem.

Score another point for the sides.  A little on the small side for Southern standards, but the baked mac& cheese, fried okra, collared greens and corn 'bread' works.  I dare say, with the local ingredients here, it can give a bunch of places in Louisiana a run for the money.

Unfortunately, the main courses failed.  Popeye's has better fried chicken, which isn't saying much.  I miss good ol' Southern buttermilk fried chicken, where the meat sticks to the skin and all that flavor in the fat mixed with the spices makes your belly remember the meal for months.  The fried chicken here was ok, but not worth the $20.  The po boy was a 'wet' one -- perhaps it originated from a part of the South that I'm not used to. It was a good sandwich -- just not a New Orleans po boy.  It was more like stir fried shrimp slathered onto a loaf of bread.

My biggest pet peeve?  The gumbo.  I tasted salt.  I really wanted to like the gumbo, but this one lacked the subtlety of good (or even average) gumbo.  Not enough rice, no zing and some shriveled sausage medallions.  It was watery, and I don't know what the roux consisted of, but it sure wasn't anything I recognized.

The desserts were a saving grace -- but they can't really mess up root beer floats and bread pudding -- especially when they got your ice cream down the block from Mitchell's.

A definite missed opportunity for the Bay.  Want to pay something crazy for Southern food? Go to http://southwest.com.

We ordered:
1) The Octopus salad; very ceviche like, fresh, and the best thing on the menu.  The octopus could be more fresh and less chewy, but overall, the citrus, salt and sweet-savory dressing were excellent.
2) The pork fillet: a southern French dish that was so-so.  It was a little under-seasoned and less than notable.
3) The seafood bouillabaisse: average.  The prawns had a great smoky velvety taste, the cod was fresh and the mussels were as they should be.  Another good but not great dish.
4) The molten chocolate cake.  I'm surprised that for a city the size of San Francisco, we don't have more places offering this dish.  La Provence wins on this menu item.  An eggy, creamy, fluffy outer layer with warm rich oozing chocolate on the inside.  Served with a side of vanilla sauce.  Great dessert.

Total bill with tip: $75

Overall, decent food from another region of France besides the usual bistro fare -- but with Garcon down the street, not sure if I'm tempted to try this again.

Ok, the 2 lbs bowl of pho is a gimmick. It may attract the Man vs Food types who get into a testosterone orgasm over "OMG it's a contest I get to show off my manhood by pigging out" -- more power to them.   The saving grace is if you do want to go apeshit on a gi-normous bowl of beef noodles, it might as well taste good.

First good sign: the staff is Vietnamese.

Second good sign: the menu is limited and doesn't try to do so much, with pho combos covering 1/3 of the items.

The broth is clear, and the lack of MSG doesn't detract from the flavors.  (Did you hear that Pho Tan Hoa?)  The meat is sliced well, and on the whole fresh.  Two quibbles however: the noodles were a bit broken and not really al dente and the garnishes were on the thrifty side.  I can understand the lack of meat -- it is higher quality than other joints, but to skimp on the side herbs is a pretty simple thing to fix.

All in all, a welcomed addition to the city's pho population.  If I'm north of Golden Gate Park and have a craving, this is my top choice.

Sometimes, when I'm in a Murakami-esque mood, I just want to sit down at a big oak table, have a cold beer, listen to some nice jazz, poke my brain and dive into some izakaya style munchies.  For a city with a Japantown, San Francisco doesn't have much to offer in the way of Japanese bar food.  Great sushi spots can be found tucked away in those special alleys, but Japanese comfort food is few and far between.

But head out far west, where California Street ends, and you'll find a spot that Murakami would enjoy.  Tucked on the edge of Outer Richmond's Chinatown, Oyaji delivers the goods when it counts.  Come here for the kushiyaki and chase after that perfect ramen bowl elsewhere.  (Cannot believe that SF still doesn't have a decent ramen spot.)

Full review on my site.

The first rule of a good pho place is that somewhere in the name should be the word, pho. The second rule is that along with the bowl of soup, there should be lots -- huge, plentiful and overflowing -- accompaniments of fresh herbs, bean sprouts and condiments.

Pho Tan Hoa followed both rules and, on days when its meat supply is fresh, can compete as the best pho joint in the San Francisco area.  There are better places in San Jose, but if you want to stay in SF, this is the place to go.  Just steer clear of the crackheads in the Tenderloin.

Full review on my site.