Ed "SF Travel Examiner" U.'s Profile

I had not been to Baja Taqueria in almost a decade, not since I used to live in the Piedmont Avenue area back in the day. The place still looks the same, which is not a bad thing, since they've been able to maintain the beachcomber look reasonably well over the years. But the one thing I forgot that I was immediately reminded of when I ate there was this simple fact - just order the fish tacos and don't bother with anything else. Sad to say it was true years ago, and it's still true now. A bout of amnesia, however, must have infected what was left of my mind when I came back last week since I carelessly ordered the $8.95 Two Taco Combo (see photo). Or schizophrenia perhaps.

As it turned out, one was a fresh fish taco, which they describe in the menu as a "San Felipe-style filet" placed on overlapping corn tortillas. It was slight but delicious as it was served with salsa fresca, sour cream, and shredded cabbage. The other taco was chicken (at least theoretically), and it was a dreadfully dry pile of poultry offset a bit by the same salsa fresca. The contrast between the two tacos was striking, and I felt like striking someone for that awful chicken. The rice and pinto beans were pure filler. There's definitely a reason I haven't been back here in ten years. It just ain't destination dining. It's for the undemanding locals who need an undemanding bite. Nothing more.

FOOD - 3 stars...a one-star chicken taco offset by a four-and-a-half-star fish taco, let's split the difference
AMBIANCE - 3 stars...still in good shape as a taco shack
SERVICE - 2 stars...they've lost that loving feeling
TOTAL - 3 stars...now you know what to order, you've been warned

Oh man, when did Guy Fieri become my official tastemaker? After all, he's responsible for a Texas-tease detour Jamie W. and I made to Kemah near Houston last year where we tried the armadillo eggs at T-Bone Tom's Steakhouse. No, they weren't real armadillo eggs... ain't such a thing. They were actually deep-fried pickled jalapeno peppers as big as golf balls and stuffed with a smoked spicy brisket (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). Those would definitely not be out of place at Broken Record, a dive whiskey bar with a surprise in the deep south of San Francisco on the way to Daly City. The surprise is that they serve some bitchin' comfort food in the back where they have an actual dining room. Did I really say "bitchin'"?

I got wind of the place on an episode of Triple-D where Mr. Spiky Hair Short Pants devoured some tempting creations like Oxtail Polenta and Duck Confit Potato Skins. Imagine my forlorn look when I saw neither dish on the chalkboard on Sunday evening. We had the audacity to go there during the 'Niners-Giants NFC title game where we found the bar packed and the back room sparsely populated much to our delight. Even without those temptations, there were several items that sounded satisfying enough for us. Jamie tried the $10 Crab & Prawn Sandwich, which combines a fried crab cake with crispy tiger prawns along with a splotch of avocado, chipotle mayo, and lettuce (see photo). It was solid truck-stop fare but not quite edgy enough for us.

I had the Lobster Mac n' Cheese, a steal at $7 since it was generously filled with lobster pieces. The spinach, corn and Swiss bechamel provided the right flavors and textures, but I wish it wasn't quite so milky (see photo). I prefer gooey when it comes to my mac n' cheese. The best dish, we agreed, was the $9 Pork Fries...yes, pork fries - waffle-cut fries slopped over with delicious pulled pork, a house nacho cheese sauce and a buffalo sauce. Chopped scallions were sprinkled on top to give the illusion that there may be something healthy on that plate (see photo). Didn't matter since it was hardcore tasty and even patriotic with an American flag on top. We were full and didn't even have any whiskey to wash it all down, just Diet Coke. Parking is a cinch in this 'hood, so we're definitely coming back for more decadence. Damn you, Fieri!

FOOD - 4 stars...grub with a fashion-forward twist that tangles the taste buds...well at least the pork fries do
AMBIANCE - 3 stars...let's see what the boys in the back room will have
SERVICE - 4 stars...very friendly and attentive back there
TOTAL - 4 stars.... work through the rowdies in the front and park yourself down for pork fries

Miss Scarlett, I don't know nuthin' 'bout Filipino food. Now I know who Manny Pacquiao is, and I think Imelda Marcos still has most of her shoes. But truth be told, my only experience with Filipino food was probably the lumpia I had at some company potluck years ago when I'm sure out of cultural ignorance, I kept calling them fried egg rolls. But quite by accident, I passed by the Senor Sisig truck on Minna near Second in SoMa and decided to give it a go in order to globalize my palate a bit more. Did it work? I guess it depends on how authentic you think the food is here. I only noticed later on their website that the purveyors refer to their fare as "Filipino fusion".

Whatever it was, it didn't bowl me over, but I have to admit I had no idea what to order. I think I went to cautious and ordered the $8 Sisig with Steamed Rice (see photo). What is sisig, you may ask? Well, according to wikipedia, it refers to a method of preparing pork with a vinegar marinade that's then seasoned with salt, pepper and other spices. I'm not sure if that's how it was prepared because I wasn't tasting the sour flavor you would expect from such a mix. It honestly tasted a bit bland even with the addition of diced jalapenos. The side of achara was quite interesting as it is apparently pickled unripe papaya. All in all, I liked it but probably not enough to book a trip to Manila.

FOOD - 3 stars...Filipino fusion...whatever that means
AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...it's a truck for Manny's sake
SERVICE - 3 stars...it came quick enough but I didn't ask for the fried egg
TOTAL - 3 stars...now I need to try a real Filipino restaurant...when's the next BART train to Daly City?

Wow, they moved so stealthily I didn't even notice. I had been to the much more cavernous location that Fina Estampa (without the "La") had at Van Ness and Geary several times but didn't even notice it had subsequently closed. You could hardly tell a restaurant was there when it was open since it was hidden behind these huge doors with barely any windows. The new place is around the corner on Bush and much more conventional looking despite the Latin American decor. This is not the new-jack Peruvian food you would find at Destino or Piqueo's but the no-frills, home-style food you may find on some madrecita's dinner table in Lima.

It's run by the children of the original owner, and it's pretty obvious that their priority is maintaining the family recipes. Jamie W. and I met our good friends Jeremy and Nerissa there for a much overdue get-together a couple of Saturdays ago, and it was as still as a tomb on a rainy evening. That didn't stop us from eating muy bueno starting with the $6.50 Anticuchos, a couple of skewers of marinated beef hearts in Aji Panca sauce (see photo). They were more tender than you would expect from internal organs. As his entree, Jamie had the $12.95 Lomo Saltado, their signature dish with beef strips mixed with french fries, onions, tomatoes and special herbs (see photo).

The dish was classic Peruvian cuisine, really hearty and succulent. For me, I couldn't resist the $15.95 Paella Valenciana, no longer served in a skillet but on a plate with rice and sautéed shellfish mixed in a special saffron sauce with chicken and sausage thrown in for good measure (see photo). This was very satisfying and way too much for one sitting even for me. It actually reminds me of my dad's Hawaiian fried rice with a major splooge of Heinz ketchup. Downscale delicious even with all the clams, mussels and jumbo prawns. You will definitely not leave wanting a second meal. Just pay your check and leave with your doggie bag, or as they say in Peru, la bolsita del woof-woof.

FOOD - 4 stars...still as good and hearty as the food at the Van Ness location
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...the new place is nice but a bit on the generic side
SERVICE - 3.5 stars...thoughtful but didn't come check on us much once we were eating
TOTAL - 4 stars...like you have a Peruvian madre

Is this too-cute-for-school patisserie cafe run by American Girl? I think I am so out of the demographic for this place that I felt like Carrie White at the prom just after the bucket of pig's blood was doused on her. The staff and clientele are decidedly distaff - that's an old word meaning female, my children. Did I also mention how young everyone is in here? You would have thought I would have left, or I would have been taken out in a walker. But no, I stood there proud to be a curmudgeon looking for something sweet after a fiery chicken curry at nearby Tan's Cafe (in their last day of operation).

I found it, a $3.50 Lemon Tart with a dollop of whipped cream and three strategically placed blueberries on top. Isn't it pretty? (see photo) Yes, I took it and a cup of coffee to the tall red naugahyde seating area and ate it amid a giggling gaggle of girls who were all texting between nibbles of their own petite pastries. But there was one girl who was all alone at a cafe table. She had stringy hair and lumpy clothes, wore a pair of cat's-eyes glasses held together by tape, and no one would text her. She was eating the $7.95 Pulled Pork Sandwich and letting the barbecue sauce dribble from the corners of her mouth. Finally, someone I could relate to.

PASTRY - 3 stars...awfully sweet stuff...stay away, Paula Deen.
AMBIANCE - 2.5 stars...oddly spacious and quite girly
SERVICE - 2.5 stars...did you say something, hun?
TOTAL - 3 stars...if you need something sweet and don't mind eatin' with the girls

I had one of the oddest sandwiches at Sammy's. It's their $7.99 House Special, a pita stuffed with hot pastrami, Swiss cheese and avocado wedges along with lettuce, tomatoes and red onions (see photo). It was a head-scratcher when I ordered it out of curiosity, but then I devoured it at work and thought it was unusually good. Maybe because the combination tasted decadently fattening for a lunchtime bite. I could barely manage to keep the ingredients from making a mess on the melamine surface of my desk.

The entire deli selection in the display case looked good, mostly Mediterranean fare from what I saw and very nicely presented. On the other side is quite a selection of wine, beer, spirits, and other beverages. In other words, if Armageddon happens while you're strolling on Second, I'd duck in here since you'd be set. Yes, this one is definitely a cut above most delis in the city, so I'll be back. Now I'm assuming Sammy refers to the owner, though I keep thinking the logo is a tribute to Sammy Sosa. Am I wrong? Somebody tell me.

FOOD - 4 stars...really creative, decadent sandwich...give me more
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...clean, well-organized...sadly no seating
SERVICE - 4 stars...friendly and fast
TOTAL - 4 stars...could become my go-to deli stop

Face it. There are only three reasons to go to Colma - Home Depot, Target, and a funeral. Pretty soon, a Target will open in the Metreon, and I'll have one less reason to go to Colma. But will Ono be able to fill that third slot now? Not likely, and after eating here, I should go back to Colma and shop for cemetery plots because the greasiness of Ono's food will surely expedite my demise. But greasy is part of the Hawaiian fast-food style, isn't it? And I think Ono is trying to be the Zippy's of the mainland, but it can't be because it's missing the saimin and the loco moco.

What da hey, brudda? Jamie W. and I came here after a shopping excursion to Target since it's conveniently in the same parking lot. We both went for the hefty $7.95 Plate Lunches where they still serve everything in an ecologically-challenging styrofoam container since they're outside of SF's jurisdiction. All the familiar sides were in there - two scoops of rice, one scoop of macaroni salad, and a whole lot of oily cabbage. Jamie had the Grilled Chicken Breast, while I went for the Kalbi Short Ribs (see photos). There was a lot of food in front of us, but we ate what we could and threw the rest away. Enough said.

FOOD - 2 stars...greasy Hawaiian fare big on portion
AMBIANCE - 2 stars...fast-food venue with a lot of orange
SERVICE - 2.5 stars...I ordered and picked up the order...not relevant here
TOTAL - 2 stars...somebody bring Zippy's stateside

Sounds so East Coast, doesn't it? And the name does comes from one of those villages along the Hudson in Westchester county. Well, la-di-freakin'-da. The tie-in comes from the two co-owners who hail from that hamlet, and their reno does have that East Coast tavern vibe about it. It's quite low-key for such an expansive place, taking up the spaces formerly occupied by the kebab place on Hayes and an Italian place I never tried on Gough. Jamie W. and I went during the middle of the week, and we found it a blessed relief from a lot of the dining scene in this city. Know what I mean?

When we came in, we were seated in a strange alcove where you can't help but listen to the conversation at the next table. Glad to know we all lead lives of quiet desperation. We really had no idea how big or small the plates were since we were there pretty early, so we three caution in the wind. First up was one of their "Smaller-ish Plates", the $12 Fried Pumpkin, actually kabocha squash cut in wedges, covered in a panko crust, placed in a goat cheese fondue, drizzled with cinnamon honey and finished with frisse (see photo).

Fussy? A bit. And the kabocha was just too firm and flavorless to satisfy. While butternut squash may have been deemed more predictable, it would have made the dish. Then we went right into our game plan for the entrees - one large, one small, no exception. For the large, we ordered the $35 Chicken Scarpariello ("Shoemaker Chicken"), a cut-up roasted half-chicken mixed with chunks of Italian sausage, sweet peppers and wedges of cottage-fried potatoes (see photo). It was a massive pile of food worthy of a Westchester County community potluck and quite delicious in its plain-spoken way.

For the small plate, we had the $22 Pork, a sliced roasted country pork chop with garlic, herbs and braised baby escarole (see photo). This was my favorite of the dishes and equally unadorned. The pork was tender and just seasoned enough. The portion for a small plate appeared generous to me and could satisfy two people in a pinch. To finish off our meal, we didn't have dessert but a $6 side of Roasted Brussel Sprouts (see photo). There was nothing creative about the execution, but man, they were good after all that protein. Oh, and there were free refills on our Diet Cokes.

FOOD - 4 stars...solid East Coast, meat-and-potatoes food nicely presented
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...a low-key tavern-like atmosphere
SERVICE - 3.5 stars...attentive enough
TOTAL - 4 stars...definitely worth a repeat visit to order the right portions

I believe as the dirt-poor Joads left the Oklahoma Dust Bowl in John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" for the golden opportunities they thought they could find in California - they probably would have stopped at Yogorino in their broken-down truck, spent their last cents on a small cup, and speaking for the family, Tom Joad would have said... "What the hell? You only have one flavor! Let's go pick some cotton in Modesto, Ma!" Well, at least that's what my inner voice said as the ebullient server kept going on about how great and nutritious the frozen yogurt is here. I kept hoping she had secret spigots somewhere full of chemically-infused dyes, but no such luck...just one plain, tart flavor. Was it worth building a shop around one flavor?

The answer is a resounding "meh". It kinda reminds of the Scotch Tape Boutique on the first season of SNL. Gilda Radner had a store where all she and Fred Willard sold was Scotch tape. It wasn't a success. But at least this place has toppings, lots and lots of neatly arranged toppings that the server controls with hand-slapped precision. No self-serve here. I ordered a $4.50 cup, which is a small, and honestly can't remember what topping I ordered (see photo). It looked a bit like coffee crunch, but it didn't taste like that. It comes in an attractive blue cup that looks like it has a trick bottom because the bottom comes midway up the cup (see photo). That seems sneaky, doesn't it? No matter. A small cup was more than enough for me. Wonder if Yocup is open?

FROYO - 2 stars...an unmemorable froyo that begs for toppings
AMBIANCE - 3 stars...quite clean and minimal
SERVICE - 3 stars...good for her that she could be bubbly about one flavor
TOTAL - 2 stars...I think I may have to join the Joads at the migrant camp

When you've been in SoMa as long as I have, you can appreciate the Mayberry neighborhood vibe of West Portal. Jamie W. and I sometimes take MUNI and stroll here to find our inner Andy Taylor and Barney Fife. Our usual go-to place is Manor Coffee Shop since we're drawn to the pink ladies and the hefty portions, but we recently discovered this competitive greasy spoon across the street. Instead of retro toys and knick-knacks, the Village Grill appears proud of their decorative plate collection. It's as small as Manor in here and just as busy on Sunday morning with their specialty, the $11.95 Traditional Irish Breakfast, served in great quantities. We ended up sitting at the counter, so we had quite a view of the grill in action.

Both of us bypassed the Irish bacon, pudding and soda bread in favor of more predictable fare. Jamie ordered the $9.25 "2-2-2" Special - two pancakes, two eggs and two bacon with a glass of milk, and he was quite pleased with the results (see photos). He is a Midwesterner after all. I looked up on the small whiteboard and was lured by the $10.25 Joe's Special, one of the heftiest interpretations of this diner standby with a mountain of scrambled eggs mixed with ground beef, spinach, mushrooms and onions and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. It came with their spicy home fries (see photo). This is no-frills eating quite well executed. I think Aunt Bee would be pleased.

FOOD - 4 stars...solid diner fare with hefty portions
AMBIANCE - 3 stars...old-fashioned diner with quite a bit of kitsch
SERVICE - 4 stars...pretty speedy with my coffee mug never empty
TOTAL - 4 stars...the pink ladies have some competition