Jackson & Lincoln

This past week my good friend Mike Corsini was in town from Hong Kong. This kid is globally renowned for his awe-inspring ability to shovel food down the hatch. 11 egg breakfast anyone? San Francisco isn't known as the cheapest of cities, so surely trying to fill the bottomless pit that is Corsini's gut would put a sizable dent in the pocketbook. Or not?

Here at globaleats it's not enough to just eat well. Eating deliciously for blue collar prices is one of the most satisfying activities out there. Flavor is flavor (Corsini quote) but at the end of the day it's more gratifying to know you've done the same with $5 that others are doing for $18. I decided to make it interesting and see how much variety one could sample for less than $25. Prices include 8.5% sales tax, when applicable.

Meal #1

Baked 叉燒包 {chā shāo bāo} @ Lung Fung Bakery - 1823 Clement Street {@19th}

I'm a big fan of this little bakery in the Outer Richmond, where they toast up these 叉燒-stuffed buns for chess-playing, tip-sipping patrons as well as the random picture-snapping whitey or two. This bun has that fluffy interior and slightly crisp exterior we all seek out, and the pork inside balances sweet and savory with a touch of rice wine tang. Gristle free since '83 as well.

$1

Meal #2

Mì Vịt Tiềm @ Hải Ký Mì Gia - 707 Ellis St {@ Larkin}

Our second stop brought us west of Van Ness to Little Sài Gòn. One of the more popular bowls at this buzzing lunchtime dive are the braised duck leg noodles, for damn good reason. The duck is simmered in an aromatic 5-spice broth until it just begins to fall apart, and served atop chewy egg noodles. I order mine 'dry' so I can mix in just the right amount of broth, hoisin and chili oil.

$7.50

Meal #3

Bánh Mì Đặc Biệt @ Hoàng Đặt Coffee Shop - 930 Geary Street {@ Larkin}

This Bánh Mì is pure nostalgia for me, as this style sandwich was one of my go-tos back in the People's Republic. The bánh mì trend that hit the states 5 years or so ago brought about several variations of the classic Vietnamese sandwich, although at Hoàng Đặt they keep it classic- and that's plenty good enough for me. The Đặc Biệt ('special' or combo) is a mix of chả lụa (steamed pork paste), giò thủ (head cheese) and ba rội (sliced pork belly roll) with the standard sidekicks of mayo, pate, scallions, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro and sliced chilis. Nowhere near Cam Ranh status, but it'll do. The seasoned sandwich slanger from Sài Gòn scoops out the interior crumb to make room for the fillings as well as create a more appropriate stuffing to bread ratio. That means a lot to me.

$3.50

Meal #4

Tacos @ Taqueria Vallarta - 3033 24th Street {@ Treat}

The taco bar at Vallarta is without a doubt the main draw of this homey mexican restaurant in the Mission. It's what keeps me coming back again and again...and again. A dozen or so meats sit on a circular plancha, each with their own compartment, happily bubbling away in their own fat. The skilled taquero takes the tortillas and gives them a quick dip in the grasa before charring them on the griddle. He spoons your carne of choice (this time was suadero, barbacoa and tripitas) on the tortilla and then it's up to you to finish with cilantro, onions and salsa. Just like the pork bun at Lung Fung, I appreciate the consistent absence of those sinewy nasty bits. These style tacos might be a bit of an adjustment for those used to Papalote, but once you begin your love affair with Mexican street style tacos it's all but impossible to step back to grilled chicken and ground beef with shredded iceburg. You can call me a snob, but I'll be at the bar. Eating barbacoa.

$5.25 (3 Tacos)

Meal #5

Wild Boar Sausage @ Rosamunde - 2832 Mission Street {@ 24th}

The last stop on the tour brought us to ever-popular Rosamunde Sausage Grill. Sure we ran into more white devils here than the rest of our trip combined, but it felt right to conclude this multi-ethnic eating crawl with something as Amuricun as apple pie: Grilled meat...inside a white bun...served in a plastic basket. Pass the mustard! God bless this land of the free.

$7.05

Grand Total: $24.30

Boom.

Stay Tactful.

HoodScene (Excelsior)

 I've been told that the when the Mission District's young and chic hit the town (read: Mission) they usually draw their southern schmoozing border at Beretta for cocktails, only occasionally venturing south of Cesar Chavez for mac 'n cheese at Blue Plate. Those few intrepid city explorers who drive (or better yet, bicycle) south past Pupusa Peak will find a world to themselves. A world of $20 foot reflexology and $3 tapsilog plates. A world free of ironic mustaches and macchiato pretense. A world where Schwinn gears spin at liberty, free from the confinement of fixation. Yes, ya'll this is still San Francisco. It’s called the Excelsior. No reservations necessary.

My first year of existence was spent in the Excelsior, in a house on London Street. My grandmother has been living here for the majority of her life. When she was a youngin' the hood was mostly Irish and Italian, although these days the slew of Chinese B.B.Q. shops and Taquerias peppered along Mission are evidence of a much transformed ethnic demographic.

Sure, it’s foggy most of the year and dentures seem to outnumber residents under 30 by a sizable margin but this slower paced section of the city has it's definite charm.

I was cruising Excelsior's business strip (Mission Street) on a sunny Sunday afternoon when I spotted this unassuming store front beckoning me with tropical cuisine.

I took a quick peek at the menu - is this for real? Sure I wasn't expecting much but these pre-dot.com-bust prices had me giddy. Perhaps I've been living in San Francisco too long, a city that conditions the mind to believe $8 is a fair deal for a cup of juice. To think how far I’ve come since the days of haggling over a 15 cent overcharge on a Cafe sữa đá!

Nowhere on the menu is there the claim of grass fed hormone free beef, and attempting to calculate the profit margin could conjure up unsavory thoughts about product sourcing. Lets leave that to the haters. This patty satisfies. It’s charred sufficiently and seasoned well, two straightforward steps that other places charging 5x as much seem to screw up on the regular. No Acme bun. No humboldt fog. No daikon sprouts. No secret smug sauce. My $1.85 cheeseburger was dressed simply with the holy trinity of mayonnaise, ketchup and cheese product. That's how the Excelsior do.

Stay Humble.

HoodScene (Bayview)

This stop on HoodScene brings us to the sunny southeastern section of San Francisco, a neighborhood called Bayview / Hunter's Point.

Rewind about 70 years, when WWII brought thousands of blue collar workers down to this part of the city to work at the naval shipyards. From 1940 to 1950 the area's population quadrupled to 50,000. The African American population alone rose from 7 to 11,080. After the end of the war and subsequent closing of the shipyard, most of the folks who moved to the Bayview for work found themselves jobless.

Geographic isolation, racial segregation and toxicity left over from the shipyards all contributed to the marginalization of the Bayview and it's residents. Over the last few decades, this neighborhood has made news more for it's poverty, crime and drugs than anything else. Let's take a break from the blight and cook up some smiles.

Frisco Fried and Auntie April's are the two Chicken and Waffle players on 3rd street.  I felt it was my moral obligation as a global eater to officially and impartially sample each rendition and share my experience for all ya'll to read. Or you can just look at the pictures.  

Still with me?

Marinated and freshly dusted fried chicken @ Auntie April's. Supremely tender and moist, without any of the dark meat sogginess that occasionally causes problems with under-fried thighs. Hate that. Peep that perfectly browned and blistered 4mm crust.

Documenting the precise moment where sweet joins savory. The proper intermingling of hot sauce, butter and syrup is the first step to mastering the art of Chicken 'n Waffle consumption. You want vinegar laced spice and crunch in each bite. You want sweet grade B maple with that salty fried bird. I'm also firm believer that the square shaped nooks in Belgian waffles were made to hold as much butter drippings as possible- so fill said nooks accordingly. If you've been counting calories up to this point, then you've lost count.

A six block stroll south on 3rd street gets us to Frisco Fried, a decidedly new school spot decked out with orange walls, signed 49ers jerseys, multiple deep fryers and of course, a selection of jellyroll inducing soul food. The fried chicken here was indeed nice and crisp, although the tenderness and seasoning of the bird fell short to Auntie's. While perhaps playing second fiddle in the experience, it's important to give the waffle it's share of the spotlight. Both versions were the softer and fluffier type which I'm usually not crazy about, but my dining partner and I agreed the waffle at Frisco had a bit more excitement going on in that batter. Nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla?

 In the end I gotta give the nod to Auntie April's for her execution of fried chicken. It's really some of the best of its kind, served up in a casual, pay-at-the-counter neighborhood spot with absolutely decent pricing. I'll most definitely return to both eateries for further intensive research on the topic...as soon as I'm done digesting...

Stay Fowl.

HoodScene (Chinatown)

San Francisco is famous for it's plethora of pint-sized neighborhoods with big time character. For HoodScene I'll be exploring these 'hoods one by one and highlighting a local dish or neighborhood joint that I feel represents what global has always been about.  Flavor over hype. Substance over shtick. Old School over Ostentatious. Let's start in Chinatown on Stockton Street, particularly the area from California north to Broadway. While Grant street sees most of the tourists, Stockton is the undisputed main artery of Chinatown. Locals flood the sidewalks every morning jostling for bok choy, chestnuts and dried scallops. It's a lil' grimy, a bit overwhelming, but after cleaning the soot off your sneakers and regaining composure you can reward yourself with tasty treats for prices so low you'll swear you're still in Chongqing.

One of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the nation. It's a struggle at times.

Fruits and veggies for about half of what you'd pay in other places. Bring your elbow pads.



I told you it's cheap.



Sitting at 1041 Stockton street is New Golden Daisy. A little shop serving up an assortment of noodles, Cantonese-style roasted meats, and most notably- crispy chicken WANGS.



These aren't your typical jumbo, glistening sports bar wings doused in B.B.Q. sauce with a side of ranch. Naw. We're going Asian style with a subtle ginger marination and crisp cornstarch coating. Emphasis on crisp cause many spots won't fry the long wings enough to eradicate F.S.S. (Floppy Skin Syndrome). New Golden Daisy does. Many folks might be turned off by the lukewarm temperature at which these wings are held. Sure, the sanitary conditions might not be top notch in this part of town but you'll be scarfing them down quick enough to avoid any intestinal issues. That really doesn't make much sense but just have a go and try these wings. At around $3.50/lb you'll have money left over for a bottle or two of Maalox.

Stay Nostalgic.

The Kid's Alive

Just been on a global hiatus.


This don't mean I ain't partaking in some noteworthy grub session up in the [chilly!] city of San Francisco- even if I'm not taking my SLR with me as much as I should.



Witness Ragazza, a new pizzeria up the street from my spot. Chef/Owner Sharon Ardiana also handles Gialina in Glen Park.


Amatriciana w/ tomato, pancetta, chilies, pecorino and an eggie {$16} and on the right we've got preserved lemon, truffled pecorino and arugula {$15}. Overall a couple of very good pies {I'd put it a tad beneath Pizzaiolo in Oakland}. If you're at the Saturday morning Alemany Farmer's market [ California's first farmer's market established August 12, 1943 ]- pick up some fresh produce for an honest price and seek out Copper Top Ovens. Tom there cooks up a mascarpone, fig and honey creation in his portable brick oven. Get on that.

And get on this:

The cheeseburger from 4505 meats.

Peep Preparation Game.

You ain't hungry? The only problem is actually getting your hands on one. They set up a stall in front of the ferry building on Thursday & Saturday mornings- and invariably sell out right quiCK.

Anyways this grass-fedder is off the hinges. One of those dishes that lives up to the hype. Like Chairman Bao's pork belly bun. A Tender+Crispy pork belly slab alongside pickled daikon. Worth the line.

Some other food trucks are capitalizing on the food truck craze and shelling out sup-par, over priced eats. I gots beef with Senor Sisig's pork tacos. I was excited for Sisig cause I haven't grubbed on the sizzling pork cheek & ear mash-up since 16 in the 'pines circa '09.

First off, Senor Sisig's rendition ain't even sisig. Not even close. It's chunks of pork shoulder with a dusting of generic spices.

'Ohh it's got chilis in it. Must be Asian!'

Please, child.

Second off the tortilla was undercharred- borderline raw style. Third off that Mexi-pino wrap will cost you 3 bucks. Not impressive. Neither was Seoul on Wheels with their bulgogi tacos. Same deal. Lettuce leaves up in there. Really? Over it. Southern Sandwich Co. was dece' bbq from a truck- although I can't say I expect much from SF Q. $2 bucks for a tiny scoop of 'slaw had me boiling over like a pot of Penang-style Laksa. Well, not quite but as my dining partner put it: 'If this food was served up in a non-hyped setting like a food court down in the Excelsior it wouldn't raise an eyebrow.' Wurdage spoken.

O.G. Mexican food has been underwhelming in San Francisco as well. Usual suspects like La Taqueria, El Farolito, El Tonayense {truck}, Taqueria La Cumbre, El Gallo Giro {truck} and La Palma Mexicatessen have all been in the 3.5/5 star range- nothing I'd run back for. I had a lot more luck on my first Annual International Blvd. taco truck crawl across the bay in Oak-Town.


Four of us shucked and jived our way through the hood and grubbed on some tender and fragrant south-of-the-border delights. Best of the bunch came from:



Tacos Guadalajara { 44th / International} - Crisp Carnitas and Al Pastor. Yes, please.


Tacos El Gordo { 42nd / International } - Suadero [brisket/rib cut] and spicy Al Pastor {There's a spit}.

Taqueria Sinaloa (22nd/International) is also worthy of a BART trip. I'll have to make it out east again very soon.

As for a dessert to finish of this update:


These {excellent & unexpected} popover-like sugar donuts were actually the star of the meal at Shanghai Dumpling King (34th/Balboa)- even though we went there for the Xiǎo Lóng Bāo. I'm spoiled I guess. China Happened.

I think I've done my share of shout out / call outs for the day. Next time we'll discuss home-cooked varietals. Posts may have disappeared for a bit but the eatin' just.don't.stop.

Stay near the Bay.