EAT: Beijing Restaurant

Beijing Restaurant
1801 Alemany Blvd
(between Ocean Ave & Ruth St)
San Francisco, CA 94112
(415) 333-8182

I can navigate a Chinese takeout menu fairly well. I stay away from things that look gruesome (chicken feet), gelatinous (jellyfish), or just make me feel bad (shark’s fin). Fried rice and cha siu pork are things that I grew up with, thanks to my family’s Chinese restaurant in San Diego. But that wasn’t what we were looking for when my friend Ed suggested we head to Beijing Restaurant. It was all about noodles and dumplings – two things that, when done well, are like a party in your mouth. Seriously.

 Yao Ming and the owners

Beijing Restaurant is located in the “Mission Terrace” area of San Francisco, on the corner of Alemany & Ocean, in a little red building adorned with lanterns. Kind of out of the way for those of us that live closer to downtown SF, but hey, Yao Ming makes a stop here when he’s in town, so it must be good, right? I came, armed with my artillery of Chinese food “experts” (aka three of my friends of Chinese heritage who like to eat). We sat down and began the ordering process. Be warned, this place takes a little longer than your average Americanized Chinese food place, so if you’re starving (like we were), have a piece of fruit beforehand or something.

First up was the Beef Pancake. I love this dish – crispy layers of fried something on the outside and yummy, flavorful beef in the middle. Served piping hot. Then, they brought out the Zha Jiang Mian – Beijing style noodles. These is a cold noodle dish with fresh, hand-pulled noodles, cucumber, sprouts, and this wonderful hoisin(ish) sauce with bits of meat in it, mixed together. I really loved the cucumber added to the dish, as it made it taste so fresh and perfect for the muggy weather we were having. A word of advice – use the sauce sparingly, as it’s quite salty on its own.


The dishes were coming one at a time, which worked well because it made you enjoy your food (eat slowly!) and there was no way in hell we were gonna fit all the food on our table with drinks and elbows. Our next “course” was the lamb dumplings. I don’t know how to explain it, but when someone does a dumpling correctly, it makes me so happy. Delicate balance of dumpling skin, meat, and sauce. Freshly boiled. Beautiful.

I insisted that we order a vegetable to offset some of the carbs, so the only greens of the evening were the Spinach with Garlic. Then came the Lion's Head meatballs - served in  four pieces.  So tender, so delicious.  And finally…our Flour Balls with Three Flavors. Almost like a cross between a noodle dish and a dumpling dish, I’d had a version of this at Old Mandarin Islamic (another fantastic Chinese restaurant).  I don't really know the the "Three Flavors" is, but I'm guessing, Chicken, Pork, and Seafood.  Just eat it.  It's delicious.

All I can say is, I was so content after our meal. I wasn’t stuffed either, nor did I have that overly-MSG’ed feeling I usually get when I eat Chinese food. I would definitely make the trip out here again – and you should too!

SF SPOTLIGHT: My Tofu House

My Tofu House
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
4627 Geary Blvd
(between 10th Ave & 11th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 750-1818




As you can see, I have not been cooking lately - not for lack of want, but more so because I simply haven't had the time. So, for those of you who are not familiar with the wonder of Soon Du Bu Chige, I am presenting you with my current favorite Korean restaurant in San Francico - My Tofu House.

Located on a pretty mellow section of Geary Boulevard, My Tofu House is a favorite amongst locals, apparent by the waiting list that you will encounter during dinnertime. The menu is simple - no mile long list of unpronounceable dishes, rather, two pages in Korean with the English translation on the bottom. Though they make a pretty decent Bi Bim Bap and Bulgogi, their specialty is Soon Du Bu - tofu stew - offering at least nine different variations: original, seafood, dumpling, vegetable...I can't remember all of them, but I have not had a bad one yet.

Once you order, they bring you an assortment of na mul, the various side dishes commonly served with Korean food: bean sprouts, several types of kim chi, a fried fish, and little dried baby fish. Next comes a big stone pot of steamed white rice. And finally, the piece de resistance - your tofu soup in a stone bowl, still bubbling. My personal favorite is the dumpling tofu stew - a rich, spicy broth with soft tofu, rice cakes, and meat filled dumplings. You can choose how spicy you want it - I prefer mine "spicy", but for those of you who can't stand the heat...try the "white" or "mild" version first.





Usually, when I go with friends, we order our soup as well as an additional order of bulgogi - it's a ton of food, and often times the wait staff will offer you refills of any of the na mul that you want seconds on. And it's fairly inexpensive - $10.00 for your soup, and the bulgogi runs about $17 for a pretty large portion. I always leave here full and nice and warm inside.

SF BAY AREA Spotlight: Ad Hoc (Yountville)

Ad Hoc
476 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599
(707) 944-2487

Open for dinner Thursday through Monday, $45 prix fixe menu (not including wine).
Beginning September 18, 2007, open daily


The Ad Hoc crew listens as Chef Dave Cruz goes over the evening's menu.
Photo courtesy of John Lee Pictures, http://www.johnleepictures.com



Original visit: June 6, 2007

And to think I almost said, "Count me out!" when my friend Grace invited me out to dinner at Ad Hoc.

Anything with Thomas Keller's name attached to it pretty much guarantees good food. I learned this from my (I think he might be gay) ex-boyfriend - his family is a big fan of The French Laundry and some of the biggest food snobs you will ever meet. You've heard of the Laundry and of Bouchon, perhaps you've heard of Per Se (in NYC). Led by Executive Chef Dave Cruz,....this small restaurant is another hit for Keller with its down-home yet sophisticated take on comfort food.

Interestingly, this restaurant was meant to be temporary (to be open only six months or so), as Keller intended on opening up a place that served burgers and wine. As Ad Hoc became increasingly popular, it was decided that it would become a permanent fixture on Washington Street (next to Bouchon and The French Laundry) and the burger place would open elsewhere. (I've heard rumors that this place will be opening in Santa Rosa soon.)

Back to Ad Hoc.

Walking in, it feels like you are having dinner at a friend's house - except your friend owns a classy, cleverly-lit, hardwood floored home in Wine Country with a giant dining room. The tables have large panels of silver on them that reflect the lighting onto the ceiling - it makes for an interesting shadow dance while people are reaching for food and moving their glasses around. (Tres artsy, no?) Everyone seems to be engrossed in conversation and nonchalantly sipping wine, a must have in this part of town. Wine list - not too long, with some great choices from all over the world AND from local Napa/Sonoma wineries. Tip: If your waiter suggests a wine pairing, if you have the funds, GO FOR IT. I had my first wine pairing epiphany here at Ad Hoc - more about that later.

Ad Hoc does the prix fixe thing - no muss, no fuss, no hemming and hawing over what you'll be having for dinner. And it's family style, so going in a group is great. Plus, if you run out of your main course, they will gladly serve you a second helping. The first night we dined, we started with hearts of romaine salad topped with pickled onions, walnuts, and slices of apple with a Roquefort dressing. It was not only delicious, but pretty too - the dressing was to die for. Next came the main course - fried chicken with green bean casserole and potatoes. The fried chicken was not greasy - it was juicy and flavorful (brined to perfection); the green beans were cooked al dente (not mushy like your run-of-the-mill green bean casserole); the potatoes were just right and seasoned with roasted garlic (yum!). Then came the cheese course - a very sharp Wisconsin cheddar served with sliced peach (or maybe it was nectarine) and orange blossom honey. And to top it all off...strawberry shortcake for dessert - a light and airy version of a timeless classic.

The friend who invited Grace and I to dinner spends a lot of time here - so when we walked in, it felt like we were VIPs. We got amazing service from our server, Nessim, and the rest of the Ad Hoc crew (it's the kind of service that flows with no interruption, you barely notice as your plates are switched out or your glasses are refilled). They were super attentive, professional, and even put up with our raucous group with a smile. The manager from Bouchon and even the great Thomas Keller himself stopped in this evening. I didn't even notice that our dinner took nearly four hours - we were having such a great time being pampered by the waitstaff that we could have stayed all night.

A month after my initial visit, I made reservations for eight at Ad Hoc for my birthday. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better than last time, we made another trip to Ad Hoc for my birthday last night, and had "Mar y Montana" - a delicious dish made with poussin (that's young chicken for those of you who don't know) and white shrimp. This time, I wasn't paying as much attention to the names of the courses, I just remember it was another sublime experience. Our server, Peter, recommended a wine for our cheese course that transitioned nicely into our dessert course, where we had a Mascarpone Mousse. And this is where I had my wine pairing ephiphany - the wine made the mousse taste like a smooth, rich chocolate. I'd never experienced wine pairing in action - where the wine brings out a flavor in the food, but this time, the entire table had that experience at the same time. It was amazing.

Go to Ad Hoc. Bring friends. Take your time eating and enjoy every single course, spring for some wine, and thank your servers before you go. It's worth every penny.