San Francisco & Dungeness Crab

[Gn2Dlnd]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Dungenour Crap

A French dish made entirely from what is found when a prisoner is freed from the bastille.

[Snowflake]

Just back, reluctantly, from San Francisco. The weather was unseasonably warm, 75 degrees most of the week, gorgeous sky, gorgeous city.

The bad news was, as usual, the wholesalers were fighting with the local fishermen over the price, so no dungenour crap for me this trip. Sure, I could have had the imported from Seattle and that would have been fine. But my first taste of the season has always been locally caught, fresh off the boats.

This did not mean I did not partake of some wonderful food while there, I did. Met some friends my last night in town at what I believe is a local chain, Fireside Grill in the Castro. While it was a chain, on a Friday night they did not chase out a party of 6 who needed to catch up on things and there are things to be said for a perfectly roast chicken. Imbibed a local bottle of fermented grape with the roasted fowl and declared it delicious. Roasted veggies are also to be had, everything was fresh and fine.

The big money was spent by paying a visit to the refurbished and remodeled Ferry Building and plaza. The city did a fabulous job! I did once work in a law firm that resided in the Ferry Bldg. of old, now the firm sucked, but the ability to open a window near my desk and feel and smell the bay air coming in was worth all the agony of working with the lousy attorney I did, for the 5 months I was there anyway! Okay, back to the Ferry Plaza...

The local Farmer's Market is stupendous and worth a visit, always. A local mecca for foodies, this has only improved in my absence. In the Ferry Building resides what has been voted to the top restaurant in SF, The Slanted Door. My friends know my love of Vietnamese food, so they thought this was a must stop for me and reservations were made well in advance of my trip. The Slanted Door is a very swanky place indeed. The bar looked great and the bartender looked able. I cannot comment on the drinks since I stuck with mineral water for the lunch. The decor was hip and swanky, the look very modern, the view of the Ferry Plaza and the beautiful SF bay, wonderful. The food was, as expected, delicious. We sampled the following, Imperial Roll and Vietnamese Crepe as appetizers. Both delicious and on par with what has beem had elsewhere. I cannot resist green papaya salad and did not here. It was tasty and piquant with a hint of pepper and the fired shallots always make this dish divine. My friend consumed a grapefruit and jicama salad (with red cabbage) and declared it to be awesome. For a entree, I am afraid, I am a person who has various dishes that are the test for the kitchen, if they can do it well, then they get my vote. In this case was the simple street fare of hanoi grilled pork over rice noodles. I could eat this dish 7 days a week and not get sick of it. Here it is called lemongrass pork and they did an admirable job, all of the produce, local and fresh, a good balance of the herbs and the salad and noodles. But, I have to say, even with the local produce pluses, this was no better than my local vietnamese place here, actually, the pork was under marinated, which was a suprise. My friend's dish of carmelized tiger prawns was, in a a word, spectacular. I was surprised she gave up a prawn for me to taste, I would not have been so generous! I give the place 4 stars anyway, all was blended into a lovely lunch. If you do go, be prepared, you ARE going to pay for the view, the Slanted Door is not cheap by any means, lunch for 2 without desert or wine was $100 including tip and validated parking.

This was longer than I expected, much more was done and more food consumed, but the best part of the trip was the bay breezes and the visits with old friends who are anxious to welcome me back, almosty as much as I am to make my way back.

Donna

[Snowflake]

Just back, reluctantly, from San Francisco. The weather was unseasonably warm, 75 degrees most of the week, gorgeous sky, gorgeous city.

The bad news was, as usual, the wholesalers were fighting with the local fishermen over the price, so no dungenour crap for me this trip. Sure, I could have had the imported from Seattle and that would have been fine. But my first taste of the season has always been locally caught, fresh off the boats.

This did not mean I did not partake of some wonderful food while there, I did. Met some friends my last night in town at what I believe is a local chain, Fireside Grill in the Castro. While it was a chain, on a Friday night they did not chase out a party of 6 who needed to catch up on things and there are things to be said for a perfectly roast chicken. Imbibed a local bottle of fermented grape with the roasted fowl and declared it delicious. Roasted veggies are also to be had, everything was fresh and fine.

The big money was spent by paying a visit to the refurbished and remodeled Ferry Building and plaza. The city did a fabulous job! I did once work in a law firm that resided in the Ferry Bldg. of old, now the firm sucked, but the ability to open a window near my desk and feel and smell the bay air coming in was worth all the agony of working with the lousy attorney I did, for the 5 months I was there anyway! Okay, back to the Ferry Plaza...

The local Farmer's Market is stupendous and worth a visit, always. A local mecca for foodies, this has only improved in my absence. In the Ferry Building resides what has been voted to the top restaurant in SF, The Slanted Door. My friends know my love of Vietnamese food, so they thought this was a must stop for me and reservations were made well in advance of my trip. The Slanted Door is a very swanky place indeed. The bar looked great and the bartender looked able. I cannot comment on the drinks since I stuck with mineral water for the lunch. The decor was hip and swanky, the look very modern, the view of the Ferry Plaza and the beautiful SF bay, wonderful. The food was, as expected, delicious. We sampled the following, Imperial Roll and Vietnamese Crepe as appetizers. Both delicious and on par with what has beem had elsewhere. I cannot resist green papaya salad and did not here. It was tasty and piquant with a hint of pepper and the fired shallots always make this dish divine. My friend consumed a grapefruit and jicama salad (with red cabbage) and declared it to be awesome. For a entree, I am afraid, I am a person who has various dishes that are the test for the kitchen, if they can do it well, then they get my vote. In this case was the simple street fare of hanoi grilled pork over rice noodles. I could eat this dish 7 days a week and not get sick of it. Here it is called lemongrass pork and they did an admirable job, all of the produce, local and fresh, a good balance of the herbs and the salad and noodles. But, I have to say, even with the local produce pluses, this was no better than my local vietnamese place here, actually, the pork was under marinated, which was a suprise. My friend's dish of carmelized tiger prawns was, in a a word, spectacular. I was surprised she gave up a prawn for me to taste, I would not have been so generous! I give the place 4 stars anyway, all was blended into a lovely lunch. If you do go, be prepared, you ARE going to pay for the view, the Slanted Door is not cheap by any means, lunch for 2 without desert or wine was $100 including tip and validated parking. In retrospect, I think the prix fixe would be a better option for lunch or dinner, for the same price, you'd have an option for a little more variety for a party of two.

This was longer than I expected, much more was done and more food consumed, but the best part of the trip was the bay breezes and the visits with old friends who are anxious to welcome me back, almosty as much as I am to make my way back.

Donna