San Francisco - Alison Bing [121]
415-567-8603; 612 O’Farrell St; 11am-10pm; 2, 3, 4, 27,38
Only one thing could induce relatively sane San Franciscans to brave merciless fluorescent lighting and risky business propositions in the gritty Tenderloin: succulent tandoori chicken with a grill’s kiss of seared smokiness. Of all the linoleum-floored Pakistani tandoori joints this side of Geary, Lahore Karahi wins the loyalty of theater-goers and streetwalkers alike for consistency, cleanliness and cheerful cheapness.
SAIGON SANDWICH SHOP Map Vietnamese $
415-474-5698; 560 Larkin St; 6:30am-5:30pm; 5, 19, 31
Consider it frontier justice for the indecisive: order your $3 to $3.50 banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) when the ladies of the Saigon call you, or you’ll get skipped. Act fast, and you’ll be rewarded with a baguette piled high with your choice of roast pork, chicken, pâté, meatballs and/or tofu, plus pickled carrots, cilantro, jalapeño and thinly sliced onion.
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CHINATOWN
Ordering off the menu is overrated in Chinatown, where the best dishes are pushed past your table on a dim sum cart or listed in Chinese. Don’t be shy about pointing at a promising dish on a neighboring table or ordering a mysterious dumpling on aroma alone. Try out the dim sum places and noodle joints along Stockton St, and wander along side streets off Grant Ave to find basement eateries where starving artists can afford to order in bulk, just like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and the Beats did. But it’s worth splashing out on local delicacies too – a feast in the Hong Kong indie-film atmosphere of Jai Yun, House of Nanking or Yuet Lee could be the highlight of your trip.
JAI YUN Map Shanghai-Style Chinese $$$
415-981-7438; www.menuscan.com/jaiyun; 680 Clay St; 6:30-9:30pm by reservation only; 30; California, Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde
‘Hello? When? How many? $55, $65, $75 per person? OK, see you!’ That’s how the reservation system works at Jai Yun, where chef Nei serves 15- to 20-course Shanghai-style market-fresh feasts by reservation only. There’s no menu, since the chef creates the bill of fare based on what’s fresh that day – but fingers crossed, your menu will include tender abalone that drifts across the tongue like a San Francisco fog, housemade rice noodles with cured pancetta, and seemingly lowly yet truly opulent mung beans with sesame oil. Never mind that the restaurant has more mirrors than a Bruce Lee movie and Christmas tinsel wrapped around dining-room surveillance cameras – the sophisticated, fascinating flavors will leave you smugly assured in your impeccable taste. One caution is the limited wine selection: bring your own pinot and pay $20 corkage.
YUET LEE Map Chinese, Seafood $$
415-982-6020; 1300 Stockton St; 11am-3am Wed-Mon; 1, 9, 15, 30, 45; Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde;
With a radioactive green paint job and merciless fluorescent lighting, this so-hideous-it’s-cool seafood diner isn’t for first dates, but for drinking buddies and committed couples who have nothing to hide and are willing to share outstanding batter-dipped salt-and-pepper calamari and tender roast duck.
HOUSE OF NANKING Map Shanghai-Style Chinese $$
415-421-1429; 919 Kearny St; 11am-10pm Mon-Fri, noon-10pm Sat, noon-9pm Sun; 15
Meekly suggest an interest in seafood, nothing deep-fried, perhaps some greens, and your no-nonsense server nods, snatches the menu and, within minutes, returns with meltaway scallops, fragrant sautéed pea shoots, minced squab lettuce cups, and a tea ball that blossoms in hot water. For bright, clean flavors at a price you’d expect to pay for food half this good, you can put up with bossy service, a strict cash-only policy and the inevitable wait for a table.
CITY VIEW Map Dim Sum $
415-398-2838; 662 Commercial St; 11am-2:30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2:30pm Sat & Sun; 1, 10, 15, 30; California
Dim sum aficionados used to cramped quarters and surly service are wowed by impeccable shrimp and leek dumplings, tangy, tender asparagus and crisp Peking duck, all dished up from carts with a flourish in a spacious, sunny room.