Review: Sol Food

Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine
732 4th St
San Rafael, CA 94901
(415) 451-4765

There aren’t many places that I feel are truly worth the drive or wait, but Sol Food is definitely one of them. After another grueling day of labs and lectures, Sol Food was a wonderful treat. And thank God for Nicole who introduced me to this place. Cruising down I-580 across the Richmond bridge in her cute TSX with the setting sun hitting the waves of the peninsula. Fabulous way to end the day.

We arrived and I was immediately charmed by the casual and friendly aura surrounding the little street corner restaurant. The restaurant was decorated with large pots of palm and fern and other foliage. The walls were covered in warm, almost rustic or folk-ish paintings. Scattered around the dining room were unassuming wooden tables and chairs where patrons sat together with strangers to enjoy the meal. While I was taking in these surroundings, Nicole was already plowing through the menu and boy, it does need plowing! The choices were all too mouth watering for a new-bee like myself, so thank goodness Nicole was able to guide me through it quickly. We placed our order at the counter, and resorted to sharing a table with another couple. And it WASN’T awkward at all! The atmosphere of Sol Food encourages intermingling and sitting amongst strangers. It is very friendly. At the table, we were greeted by a large candle, and green plantains served as table decor. Food was served fairly quickly, but I was honestly too absorbed in conversation and still too in awe of the place to notice the time.

The first dish to arrive were Nicole’s Maduros or sweet fried yellow plantains. Very good and pretty much dripping in oil, but who can say no to sweet fried plantains? Out also came our JAR of what I will temporarily call carbonated limeade. This is not unique to Puerto Rican cuisine, I don’t think, because I often order it at Vietnamese restaurants too (soda chanh). It is just club soda, lots of sugar and lemon or lime juice. Very refreshing and it complemented the rest of our summer-y dishes well.

Nicole also ordered Ensalada de Camarones, a dish of pan-fried garlic prawns served with an avocado over a bed of organic greens dressed in a house-special lemon and garlic vinaigrette. I loved the prawns! They were nice, plump, succulent and well seasoned. Very nice texture and flavors to contrast the tangy salad. I was not fond of the house-special vinaigrette as it was too tangy/sour for my palate, but it must be a hit with other customers because Sol Food actually sells the vinaigrette by the jar as well.

I ordered the Wednesday special, Pollo Con Arroz, rice and chicken served with savory fried plantains, an organic side salad and house vinaigrette and a fresh avocado. And all I can say is, to die for! The plate was huge, and the colors were so beautiful! Dark greens, golden amber crisp plantains, browned chicken and even the dark charred marks. A feast for the eyes! And the flavors – delicious! The rice did not overpower the chicken, as I was expecting it too. It was mellow enough to let the chicken take center stage. The savory plantains were also a nice touch, and very different from the sweet maduros Nicole had ordered. These were flattened and seasoned with garlic salt then fried I believe. Nicole’s still retained the plantain shape. And it wasn’t until my plate that I understood the need for a lemon garlic vinaigrette. It is tangy and cuts through the other deep fried items, and a clear contrast to the otherwise only savory dish. It lightens up the plate and is great with the salad after a few bits of the rice and chicken. I am also not usually a fan of avocado, but the creamy, buttery richness paired soo well with the rest of the flavors on the dish. Super good.

And did I mention that the prices are VERY affordable? All this food for under $25, if I remember correctly. And I even had enough to box some for lunch the next day. The distance makes it a bit unaccessible without a car, but if you happen to be heading home from, lets say, Pt. Reyes, or find yourself in the North Bay, then it is definitely worth a drive over. And as a cherry on top, Nicole drove me back to Point Richmond where I recovered from food coma by devouring a Korean honeydew popsicle while watching the Cal men’s basketball game and being abused by a monster-size massage chair. A perfect end to what otherwise would have been another boring Wednesday.

—Anh—

Review: Great China

Great China
2115 Kittredge St
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 843-7996

“It is a true saying that a man must eat a peck of salt with his friend before he knows him.” (Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote)

If that were the case, then I know Jessica Lu VERY well, as we ate (what seemed like) several pounds of salt at Great China on a Thursday evening not too long ago. And boy, was it good! Renowned for its Peking Duck, Great China is another Berkeley-hole-in-the-wall, and yet people from all over the Bay flock here for the delicious Peking Duck served NOT with steam buns, but paper thin rice wraps. Divine! Jessica, Em and the family came up to Berkeley for that very purpose – to satisfy the need for some tasty duck. This was the first time I had been out to a Chinese restaurant with them, and was pleasantly surprised when they ordered dishes left of the beaten path. Very refreshing, and very different from the claypots and salted crab my family loves so much. And as a preface, I am certainly going to mess up the names for all these dishes, but I hope the pictures will help.

When it comes to Chinese food, ambiance is no longer a criteria. I am looking for some amazing soul food (I am Asian after all), with plenty of bold and homey flavors that are soo comforting. And Great China did not disappoint. Our first dish was a cold stick cellophane noodle (it had the consistency of jello-agar) that had been tossed with different veggies in a wasabi and soy sauce dressing. There were also pieces of sea cucumber and abalone, I believe, in the dish. Very different, but very tasty. It was refreshingly light and not coated in oil like so many Chinese dishes, which is always a perk. It makes for a great appetizer, and the wasabi is just enough of a kick to get your taste buds ready for the rest of the meal.

Now for the most important dish – Peking Duck! Peking Duck is a dish of crispy duck skin typically eaten with steam buns, green onion and hoisin sauce. Also, there is usually duck meat on the platter, but the duck skin takes center stage here. What makes this Peking Duck spectacular is that the skin was so well prepared that there was not even a sliver of fat left on the skin. And from what I’ve heard, Great China’s duck is cooked and marinated for an extended period of time, resulting in an intensely savory flavor in the skin. Also unique is the paper thin wrappers, very different from the pancakes or steam buns. I would have liked the steam buns better, but those are also extra carbs I could probably save for something else…

Such as this crab meat and steam bun dish! This is another dish I have never eaten before, but am soo glad that I did! The waitress brought out a huge mountain of steaming crab meat on this heavy platter. Steam was still rising from the succulent meat, and yet embedded right at the apex of the crab meat dome was a pristine white egg. The waitress promptly set the dish down, cracked the raw egg onto the hot crab meat and thoroughly incorporated everything so the hot crab meat cooked the egg. Accompanying the dish were hot steamed buns. Jessica showed me how to eat it too – tear into the bun, stuff with crab meat, close bun, and eat. Delicious. Crab meat alone is amazing. But this is heaven on earth. And I have no idea how this was made, let alone what it’s called. If you happen to know, leave a comment, because I would love to order this again.

And as if I hadn’t had enough, we also had a sea cucumber dish. Yes, sea cucumber! I am fairly certain sea cucumber is not a typical, run of the mill item found in every Chinese kitchen, but somehow it managed to sneak into 2 dishes that night. This was a sautéed dish, complete with green onion and some sort of a garlic and oyster marinade I believe. If I am wrong, please correct me. I really think I should learn just enough Mandarin to order food. I am soo serious too. Currently, my Chinese lexicon includes things like, “Weisheme” and “Wo bu xi huan ni” and “Nei hao” and “Tai jen”. And I’m sure I butchered all the pinying but you know what I’m trying to say… well, Piggy does at least. And I realize that sea cucumber, though a delicacy, is not my favorite thing in the world. Don’t get me wrong, this dish was great, I’m just not a big fan of big squishy pieces of sea cucumber, especially because this is what it originally looked like (see right). See what I mean? It doesn’t look too appetizing does it? Looks slightly poisonous actually, but it’s a delicacy… It makes me wonder how our ancestors discovered that eating sea cucumber was okay… Maybe one of those trial and error things? I know not.

The other dishes that night included fillers like chow mein, which isn’t unique in the least, but Great China does a good job with the basics, making it a well rounded restaurant, covering both the specials and fundamentals. The only thing I have to complain is that they really want you to enjoy the food, so time between the dishes is spaced out, so you can truly savor the dish and I suppose each other’s company? Personally, I want to devour my Chinese food – that’s how I can truly appreciate it. But Great China IS GREAT, and you should definitely stop by for any of the above dishes. It’s amazing. So next time you’re on Kittredge, give a hollar and maybe we can split a duck – or two…

San Francisco: A Walking Food Tour

Oh frabjuous day, callooh, callay!
She chortled in her joy!

This is how I feel when I am around Olivia – absolutely at ease being absolutely ridiculous. Making ghastly animal sounds while walking through the “quiet-in-the-tunnel” tunnel on Stockton; Frolicking along the Embarcardero and getting lost; Eating tons of candy and bread and stuffing our faces and bellies with food; Obviously, I love my roommate! And since we have limited time together, we have decided to spend as much crazy time together as possible before Piggy is deported to Beijing and me to land of the Aussies. So, here, we present to you our walking food tour of San Francisco.

Time: 5 hours
Start: Powell Station on Market & Powell
Stops: Chinatown, Little Italy, Ghiradelli Square, Fisherman’s Warf, Pier 39
End: Embarcardero Station on Market & Embarcardero

From Market, we set on the least rigorous course toward Chinatown – one without hills and easy on flats-cladded-heels, which offer minimal protection from anything, but always manage to look adorable with everything. I digress. Chinatown is a quick 5 minute walk (or CableCar) ride from Union Square, and an amazing place for great food. We arrived a little late, and most of the little shops and bakeries were closing down, but we did manage to grab a few buns and rolls to munch on for our continued journey. If you are looking for souvenirs, good PMT, bootlegged DVDs, cheap baked yum-yums, and other Asian artifacts, then Chinatown is your mecca. It is definitely worth a visit, and walking down Stockton or Grant gives you a decent immersion in Chinatown life.

Once you hit Columbus, you’ve arrived in Italy as well as the city’s greatest street for cheap, raunchy entertainment. Columbus is a glitzy Las Vegas-like street that divides Italy and China, complete with bright neon signs, huge banners and billboards (use your imagination), tons of people late into the night. But getting past all this, you enter the polite and very quaint Italian neighborhood, with both sides of the street lined with top Italian restaurants. And the best part? As protocol, they ALWAYS serve good bread. The food is loaded with savory Italian flavors, especially garlic (The Stinking Rose Restaurant). The maitre d’s are VERY friendly (and touchy), and more often than not, a little buzzed from all the Chianti they drink. This picture on the right is the nightlife – restaurants filled with couples, seated right on the sidewalk (with outdoor heaters!) overlooking the busy street of Columbus Avenue. It has a huge couple-vibe, and a great place to take your other half, like my Piggy! Yes, someoneiknow should be jealous. We recommend Figaros, known for its gnocchi, or Rose Pistola for the grill. Good stuff. For a complete list, check out the SF Gate for more restaurants.

Z. Cioccolato
474 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA. 94133
Phone: 415-395-9116

Real food is all well and good, but Olivia and I actually had a goal in mind. We needed to stop by Z. Cioccolato, “The sweetest spot in North Beach.” And indeed, it was sweet! Delicious fudge, barrels of salt-water taffy, tons of truffles and chocolates of any kind or brand, gummy candies by the pound, and always a fresh pot of caramel corn popping away behind the counter. Now, this really is the sweet life. I am only going to complain about one thing, and that is – they did not have caramel apples! But they did have caramel apple taffy, and I think I am being nit-picky at this point. But talk about amazing! There was an assortment of seasonal candies (Easter eggs, bunnies, lambs, you name it!), plenty of gourmet chocolates (both Valrhona and Scharffen Berger in stock), truffles and chocolate pieces behind the glass counter, and of course tons of taffy of all flavors. Conventional candy is also sold by the pound, but why eat the ordinary, when you can experience the EXTRAordinary. Don’t even ask how much we spent combined. I think Olivia probably got one of every gummy candy they sold, but soo worth it! They have so many! Butterfinger, Butterscotch, Cookies and Cream, Raspberry Chocolate and Pumpkin Spice, just to name a few! If I had a faster metabolism and a thicker wallet, I would definitely want to try all the amaretto and coffee liqueur fudge combinations, uhm yuum! There are always free samples so come on in and have a try!

Continuing our trek down Columbus brings us to several SF tourist stops, including Washington Square and St. Peter & Paul’s Church. Columbus Avenue takes you through North Beach and directly to Embarcadero where you have the choice of taking a left to Ghiradelli or right to Fisherman’s Wharf. So of course, Olivia and I did both. Ghiradelli Square is a small (duh) square of little restaurants and shops. Each year, Ghiradelli hosts a chocolate festival, which I hope to go to this year. I believe it is being held in early September, but details later. Of course this is THE place to get your chocolate fix and supply of Ghiradelli. I am a big fan of their cocoa mixes (White mocha!), and as always, samples are amazing.

Backtracking a bit, we ended up in front of Hooters, and we were intrigued. NO, not by Hooters, but by the man in the both next to Hooters. He was a street artist, famous for those prettily designed name posters. I had 3 made, one for myself, Nhi and someoneiknow. Soo pretty! And very fast! And did I mention cheap?

Continuing on Embarcadero leads us through another FOOD region of SF (though really, where isn’t it a food region?), filled with seafood restaurants and plenty of candy stores to give anyone a toothache. Arriving, we were greeted by the smells/fumes/fragrances/odors of fresh seafood stalls, steaming clam chowder, and sourdough. Delicious! We took a trip around to look at all the seafood stalls, but never forgetting our ultimate goal – Chocolate Raisin Bread from Boudin Bakery right on Fisherman’s Wharf. Yum!

Boudin Bakery
160 Jefferson St.
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-928-1849

There is close to nothing more satisfying than ripping into a beautiful loaf of bread. Sink those pearly whites into a virginal loaf of Chocolate Raisin Bread, and you’re floating on cloud nine. Delicious! Boudin is a SF landmark, famous for its sourdough, clam chowder bread bowls, and specialty breads in thte shape of alligators, crabs, etc. So of course, Olivia is in love. Bear shaped sourdough, how could you not fall in love? Olivia usually orders two loaves of Chocolate Raisin Bread – one to eat while in the city, and another loaf for the Bart trip home. This is why she is Ms. Piggy. And despite our pit stops in Chinatown and Little Italy, we were ready to take on even more food.

We split the half sandwich and half bread bowl soup combo, for under $8. Olivia ordered the chicken salad sandwich, and we shared the clam chowder bowl – it was a Lenten Friday afterall… But I’m not complaining. Also, we were parched after the long walk through SF, so it was conveniently fabulous that there were taps for water around the cafe. We sat outside in the patio area, cozy by the fireplace and outdoor heaters, a very couple-y thing to do, and soo much fun! Yes, I think Jeff and someoneiknow should be REALLY jealous at this point. Anyway, we devoured the food, and even had time to dive into the rye and chocolate loaves we had bought in addition to our meal. The food was delicious (as expected), surprisingly budget friendly – although if you tried the Bistro Boudin, that’s a whole other story. But honestly, its basically the same food, just with real service and a couple of Andrew Jacksons (Benjamins?) thrown in. But after ripping apart the bread bowl and sopping up all the soup, my tummy was groaning in pain, and I was not ready for the long walk down Embarcadero to go home. Alas, I needed motivation… in the form of burning enough calories to justify eating more!

But all in all, this was a trip not wasted. Delicious food, worth the walk and the coold. And even though I missed a friend’s b-day dinner for this SF trip (I’m deeply sorry, but I tried to make it up, maybe, chopstickboy?), I would not have traded anything for another Piggy-date with Olivia. Good food, good times, good company. C’est la vie! Or how life should be anyway…

—Anh—