Fong "all night Fong" L.'s Profile

The Bambuddha Lounge has reincarnated into Chambers, clearly with a positive karmic balance.  The newly redesigned space is now completely worthy of the Phoenix Hotel's nickname as the Rock and Roll Hotel.  The decor drops a hit of sex on you as you walk in, and the food and drink rock you like a 2 hr set of Led Zeppelin.

The space is now lined with lush red curtains with prints of attractive people in enticing positions.  The walls are now all shelves of actual vinyl LPs, and even an old movie film projector.  And the vintage couch-like seating gives it all a comfortable living room/ loungy feel to it.  I got the feeling that Jim Morrison would approve of the new decor.

I came here soon after my friend told me that their burger was awesome.  He knows I'm a quest for the ultimate burger, so I had to try it.  Burger topped with PORK BELLY.  The reality lived up to the hype.

This is one of my top 5 burgers in the city, despite its relatively small size and the bun being slightly cold when I got it.  THAT'S HOW GOOD IT WAS.
once I slapped the bun top on, it became an impressive 6 inch tower of burger, but only about 3 inches in diameter.

I picked up the burger, took a breath, found my center, unhinged my jaw, and took a bite.  First thing was the bun--soft, but slightly cold (read:  a little bit stale tasting).  Then the smoked pork belly hit my tongue where the fat melted in a sinful caress with the smoky caramellized meat/fat crunch placating my inner caveman.  And then the burger itself--well seasoned, perfectly prepared medium-rare.  The lettuce and tomato were clean, cold, and crisp.  I was already on cloud nine with my beautiful companion, but this burger sent me straight to the moon.

The burger came with shoestring fries seasoned with fresh thyme (I love thyme) amongst other things, but thyme being one of my favorite herbs, I thoroughly enjoyed these fries.

While Nopa's burger is simple perfection, this burger... god damn, the smoked pork belly rocked my world harder than any piece of fried bacon could.

OK, had to get that out of the way.  The rest of the meal, dish by dish:
-Red Bell Pepper Soup.  Smoky, creamy, with chicken mousse on the bottom, and a runny poached egg on top, this soup was a perfect start to the meal, and really gets you ready for the burger with the smokiness.  This soup was genius.

-Tomato "tartare", burrata, tempura fried shiso and green onions, this was also an inspired dish, although it needed some more toast points to go with it.  I really enjoyed how the cold, juicy tomato chunks  complemented the creamy goopy burrata, and contrasted with the crunchy warm shiso and green onions.  And of course the toast points went well but needed more surface area.

-New York Strip.  There were so many ingredients to this dish there's no way I'll remember them all.  They cut the steak up for you (they ended up undercooking this steak to a full rare), served it on thinly sliced caramellized potatoes, and with this massive mix of vegetables on the side.  Luckily both of us prefer rare to medium, so this was fine.

We went on a tuesday night, but the place was rather busy, and our entrees didn't come until about an hour after the appetizers.  Between that, the undercooked steak, and the slightly cold bun, I think they're still working the kinks out of the service.  But that still won't stop me from coming back and having that amazing burger.

OK let's try an all adverb/adjective review:
Cheese bread:  better than espetus.  chewy, gummy, cheesy, perfect.
Crab and artichoke dip:  fresh, creamy rich, hearty, and delicious
Bacalao (er, I forget how the portuguese spell it) cod cakes.:  not so fresh, over salty, spicy, flavorful.
Skirt steak:  well marinated, well cooked, tasty overall
Veal ossobucco:  tender, well stewed, perfect marrow,.  TIP:  be sure to ask for some toasted bread (like they serve with the crab dip) to spread the marrow onto.  the marrow is the best part of an ossobucco, and the waiter complimented me saying I was the first customer that ever asked him for bread since the marrow is the best part.  don't knock it till you try it!  suck the marrow of life!  ok yeah, so I had to add some nouns and verbs there.   Had to gush a bit about the osso bucco.

Decent cocktails, if a little on the fruity/sweet side.

Overall, I'd rather go here than Espetus since it costs too much.  You pay about the same amount of money for some upscale brazilian/italian food prepared well.

OK, after many years coming here, I really need to update this review.  Jen set me on the path of the cocktail connoisseur (snob?) and I have to give props.  The crowds aren't nearly as douchey as they used to be (or they've matured, or I've gotten more douchey?) but it can still get pretty crowded here on a fri/sat night.

But the cocktails are still the bomb.  Not usually as intricate as the ones at 15 Romolo, but still finely crafted and delicious.

Over many years, Rye has become my default bar on Friday nights after work.  And between the bartenders' friendly demeanors and artful craft, I just can't stop coming back.  The cocktails are easily accessible, yet can be complicated or simple enough to satisfy my cocktail snobbery.  What do you expect?  I "grew up" on the drinks here.

Comstock has some great old-school spirit-based cocktails.  I had my first Blood and Sand here, and it has since become one of my favorite old-school cocktails, since it's one of the few made from Scotch.

They also make a damn fine sazerac and vesper (stirred, not shaken).
I can't get enough of the revival of the original cocktail craft and the new mixology.

They also have some great food to go with your drink.  Most notably, some delicious housemade pickles, and a bone marrow pot pie.  BONE MARROW POT PIE.  One may have heard of sucking the marrow of life from Walt Whitman... but Comstock has extracted the marrow for you and baked it into a rich and hearty pot pie.  They just make it too easy to enjoy life :).

YAAWWWWPPPP

Went to the yelp event last night, which was really more like a test meal than a normal yelp event.
They had us taste all 5 of their grilled cheese sammich+soup combos, which were all quite well paired.

The grilled cheese sandwiches were all near perfect--good fresh bread, well caramelized and buttery, with just the right amount of cheese inside, with almost full coverage (some of the edges were lacking some cheese).

Item-by-item review:
The Classic:  Cheddar cheese on potato bread with a tomato basil soup.  This was spot on.  Cheddar went perfectly with the tomato basil.  The tomato basil soup itself was a thick but not creamy soup.  At home when I make grilled cheese I usually pair it with tomato basil bisques I get at the supermarket, but those are actually too creamy to pair with a grilled cheese because you want that slightly acidic edge to it to cut through the cheese.  This was exactly that.  This was my favorite... until I had the Mission.

The Wild Thing:  Gruyere on white with wild mushroom soup.  I love gruyere--that slightly earthier, nuttier relative of swiss cheese.  This one was so gooey, it reminded me of my mom's muenster cheese   sandwiches.  I don't eat (most) mushrooms, so I can't comment on the mushroom soup pairing.

The Italian Job:  Fontina and Provolone on garlic bread with a sausage and pepper soup.  This was quite tasty and flavorful, however, I would have to say that the sort of "stinky/smoky" flavor of the provolone was completely overpowered by the garlic and the soup.  The garlic, soup, and the overall textures were good though, so I'd still give it a thumbs up.  But I would really like to taste more of the provolone--one of my favorite cheeses.

The Amsterdam:  Smoked Gouda on eight-grain bread and bean soup.  Nicely made, and the bread was much softer/chewier than I expected of an 8-grain bread.  Gouda is not a very stringy/gooey cheese so don't expect that.  Do expect the delicious smokiness to go well with the cumin-y bean soup.  reminded me of dipping grilled cheese in a chile con carne (which would be a great addition to the menu ;D.  or maybe quesadilla)

The Mission:  Jalapeno Jack on sourdough with a sweet corn soup.  This became my favorite sandwich there.  By itself, the sandwich was the only one to have a kick to it, what with the slight sourness of the bread, combined with the fresh jalapeno kick and the jack cheese to tie it all together.  Then you dipped it into the sweet corn soup, and it reminded me of a sweet tamale with cheese, with a much better texture expereince.  This was so frickin good.

Smores Melt:  for dessert, they had the genius idea of making grilled sandwiches with chocolate and marshmallows melted inside.  Sooo goood.... but I would only say that it needed more marshmallows to make it more chewy/gooey, and for the flavor break from the hot chocolate meltiness.

Chocolate Chip Cookies:  Pretty good straight up chocolate chip cookies.  Needed a bit more caramelization though to make them more crispy on the outside.  they just flopped over and broke off when you picked one up.

This place is great!  I would say the $9 price tag is a bit high considering what it is though (bread, cheese, soup).  I can get a first class, fully loaded meat sandwich up the street at the Sentinel for 8.50 (inc tax).  A stew with a fresh baked piece of bread a bit further up at Golden West also for 8.50 (inc tax).

But I'd still come back when I have that grilled cheese craving.  There's something magical about grilled cheese sandwiches that just reminds you of home and your mom's kitchen.

5-star drinks.  5-star atmosphere and decor.  3-star  food.
The drinks here are heavenly like their name.  Finely crafted cocktails with great ingredients.  The honey-rum drink with a custom chiseled ice cylinder is no longer on the menu it seems (perhaps because they got tired of carving the ice) but it will always stay in my mind as a testament to Heaven's Dog's dedication to the art and craft of fine cocktails.  I have never had a bad cocktail, and even if my guest does not like the drink I buy them, they make another for free.

Seriously high quality cocktails with matching service.  And the environment is quite stylish while comfortable at the same time.  High ceilings with swoopy lines.  lots of warm red colors, and oil paintings of dogs on the wall.  I had my birthday party here last year (2010).  They were very accommodating and we had a great time.  

but... the food is just not very good.  Heaven's Dog is supposed to be opened by the same people as the Slanted Door, yet they don't get fundamental asian/chinese noodles/dishes right.

The xiaolongbao (shanghai dumplings) are mediocre, with barely any soup, and thick skin.  B-

The pan roasted shrimp was... meh.  too sweet a sauce, too much money for what it was.

The salt-pepper squid has a weird texture, like the batter was too gooey and undercooked.  the batter was also soaked in oil.  kinda seemed like it wasn't fried hot enough.  the squid itself was rubbery.  They do this dish better for less than $10 at almost any cantonese restaurant in SF.

So... go eat at custom burger first.  or cancun.

NOPA is one of the best restaurants in SF.  Period.  And on top of that, it also makes one of my top 5 favorite burgers in the city.

I've had the good fortune to be seated at the "bar" that overlooks the kitchen, right next to Chef Laurence Jossel expediting all the dishes.  On top of having great skills, he also put up with my buddy and my attempts at witty banter, laughing and joking along with us.  Laurence is awesome.

he told us about Peggy Sue, the hot, smoky texan grill (yes grill) located right smack in the middle of the kitchen, with the dozens of rotisserie chickens spinning through it, and the (at the time) girl cook manning it.  You could see the green leafy herbs stuffed inside the chicken skin as they spun around.  As someone who does a lot of his own grililng and roasting, I have to say, that is a real pain the butt to do, and is a great sign of the level of commitment Laurence has to his art.  Everything I've had from Peggy Sue has been fantastic.

The burger here was simply perfect.  There is no massive list of toppings:  standard toppings are bacon and cheese (of choice).  You may be able to ask for other things, but I really didn't need anything else.  I believe the bun was a toasted brioche, and unlike most other brioche buns in the city, theirs was actually warm and soft.  The burger was a good size--maybe 1/3 lb, and juicy, cooked perfectly.  I believe it was grass fed beef.

I almost always get the flatbread (read:  pizza-like thing) which is all made by a single cook (pizzaiolo?) standing in front of the woodfired oven.  with the awesome "bar" seat we had a front row view of all the action with the flatbread.  While it wasn't exactly a new york pizzeria show, it was still fun to watch him work.

Food aside, the cocktails here are on par with the best in the city as well.  So I usually pass the long wait times with a cocktail, and I plan for it.  So instead of going to a bar, and then hitting to a restaurant, I'd just go to NOPA and drink at their bar while waiting for a table.

If you haven't already, you need to go to NOPA.  it is a new San Francisco Institution.

One of my top 5 burgers in the city.
This place specializes in abundance, and is probably the messiest of my favorites in SF.  I had to wash my forearms thoroughly after eating one burger.

The bun was soft, warm, and well toasted, but even that layer of caramelization  could not keep back the pineapple, gooey cheese, and grilled onions on my burger, and a lot of it fell out with a few bites.  so I  had to reconstruct it as I ate, but it was so frickin satisfying and juicy.  
The meat was cooked to order, juicy, and flavorful.

Service was fast, attentive, and they are open late for post-bar noshing.

This place really understands how to make food that goes great with beer and whiskey.   I've only been here for the K&L whiskey tastings, and everything went good with our booze of choice each day.

The Burger:  good sized patty with flavorful, juicy meat, cooked perfectly to order (I asked for rare, and it actually was rare), with griddle toasted brioche bun that was still warm and delicious.  Great homemade pickles to go with it, and some tasty "tikka masala" fries.  simply fantastic.

Scotch eggs:  a hard boiled egg breaded and fried to order... really tasty.  I've had bland ones elsewhere because I didn't realize how awesome they make it here.  Not sure what they do--they probably brine the eggs to permeate some flavor through.

Charcuterie plate:  They have so many different choices here I can't remember them all.  But they have a wide selection of game meats including rabbit, venison, boar, and whatever else they may have that day.  And  they have a super tasty duck liver terrine (very filling and very generously portioned) served in a little glass jar.  

Fish n chips:  Hard to go wrong with this classic given the quality of the kitchen staff.  Perfectly beer battered and fried cod (I believe... it was a flaky white fish) with perfect fries.

Oxtail fries:  This was like a poutine, but way better.  Fries with melted cheese on top and shredded soupy braised oxtail on top of that.  The kitchen really hit this one out of the park.

Everything went great with whiskey and with beer.  The terrine was especially good with whiskey.

heaven = beer + burger :)

One of my top 5 burger joints in the city, Custom burger lets you choose between beef, lamb, and turkey meats and all sorts of toppings, including my favorite:  fried egg.

I can't remember all of the options (there are a lot) but you really can't go wrong with their fresh ingredients and absolutely made-to-order burgers.  Their sides are also really well done and freshly made (fried pickles, fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, all really good).

You can get a beer from the bar next door and bring it into the burger area, or you can also bring the burger into the bar next door.

Among my top 5 burger joints, only Custom Burger and Nopa will let you have a beer with your burger.

I sincerely can't say anything bad about this place.  They get everything right.  Toasted soft bun.  Fresh cooked to order, thick, juicy burger.  And most of the toppings you could want (no roasted beets though :\)