The Place:

Neither of us had really any idea of what Savannah would be like. A few friends had told us it was a great place with nice people, some good history, yada yada. We pictured maybe a few older buildings, some quaint shops, places to eat, and maybe a small riverfront.  What we experienced completely blew our expectations of what Savannah would be out of the water.  Most of our visit took place inSavannah’s Historic District.  The district is a grid set against the Savannah River, roughly 3 square miles in size.  It is the largest registered urban National Historic Landmark district in the United States and man is it something!  Within the district there are 22 squares spread evenly throughout the area.  These squares are not dinky little grass patches, but a full block of groomed grass, trees, hedges and accompanying benches (like the picture above).  Here you’ll find many people just relaxing and drinking it all in.

While we were there, the weather was hot, but not too uncomfortable.  The best was at night when things settled to a balmy upper 70′s.  Savannah is warm, but also incredibly green and rich.  It reminded us almost of Hawaii, where it seems that everywhere you look there seems to be fifteen different types of plants and trees fighting each other for your attention.  The Spanish moss is a calling card of Savannah, and it hangs from many a tree, sign, and building, adding a classic feeling to the whole town.

The buildings and architecture really impressed us.  We had pictured a few older buildings at the most, but were met with a great melding of well maintained old brick buildings, restored colonials, and newer buildings that share the same beautiful aesthetics of the old.  The entire district is much of the same.  Residential, business, and public buildings are all a mix of old and new, while still maintaining the colonial feel.  There are a lot of balconies, brick, wood, and ironwork seen everywhere you go, and it makes one feel like they’ve been transported to a fairy tale town.  We used AirBnb for our accommodations and stayed in a cute little house with an amazing women named Erin who provided many of our suggested stops.

The River:

The river is where the action is. It runs the length of the Historical District and is essentially the same as a beach boardwalk.  This is where you find some live music, booths, bars, crab shacks, stores, and anything else the wandering tourist needs.  Strolling along here with a drink in hand (oh, did we mention that in Savannah you are allowed to drink anywhere as long as you have a plastic cup!) and the sun shining on your face makes all your worldly cares just melt away.  We spent a good amount of time here, just watching the boats, people, and hustle and bustle go by while enjoying every second.

The Beach:

Savannah is about 20 minutes from the Atlantic and Tybee Island, a small beach town surrounded by water.  We spent about a half day out there catching some rays and wandering around in search of some food (which we naturally found).  We swam a bit in the ridiculously warm water and even got to spot some dolphins cruising by.

The People:

The niceness of the people in Savannah is almost suspect to a newcomer.  One keeps thinking “What is this person’s angle?  Why are they being so nice to me?  I need to be careful”.  That soon fades into “OH MY GOD, EVERYONE IS JUST REALLY NICE HERE!”.  Seriously, every single person, whether it be a stranger, bartender, gas station attendant, or policemen, was very nice to us and those around us.  This neighborly attitude is a big reason why this trip was one of our best ever and really helped put us in a great mindset.

(if that gentleman above looks familiar, it’s because he’s Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad!  We had dinner right next to him, we were both celebrating anniversaries, and were able to get a picture and his congratulations on our 3 year anniversary).

The Food:

Good lord the food (and drinks).  This place is slightly dangerous to your arteries and your liver.  Everywhere you turn there is some bar or restaurant flaunting fresh seafood, southern classics, and refreshing beverages to beat the heat.  Unfortunately, much of the food consists of frying, buttering, or generally packing in the flavor (read: unhealthiness).  Buuuuut, since this was vacation, we did not care one bit and embraced the battle against our health with loving arms.  Our first great food experience was a little cafe on Tybee Island.  The place was as un-special looking as it can get, but we entered undeterred.  We got the local fried grouper with cheese grits, slaw and hushpuppies, as well as a fried shrimp po’ boy.  Now these people know how to fry!  The fish was flavorful and perfectly crunchy.  The hushpuppies were soft and went well with the spicy mayo, and the po’ boy rivaled the one we had at Brenda’s .  This place really set the culinary side of the trip rolling right.

For another lunch, we visited the historic Nineteen Hundred Seventy Inn.  Their french dip was juicy and really hit the spot.  Here we got our first taste of the famous sweet tea that is so beloved in the South.  Light sweetness, and very refreshing on a hot day.  Our favorite part of this meal had to be the buttermilk biscuits with honey butter.  Good enough to make you slap your mama (but don’t, that’s not very nice).

Savannah is known for it’s pralines and other sweets, so we naturally had to stop and try some that had been fresh made.  A sugary bomb of deliciousness!

For our aforementioned anniversary dinner, we went the the Olde Pink House.  Built in 1771, the building got it’s name because the brick interior bled out to the white wood exterior, giving it a pink color.  It’s been a bank, home,  Civil War headquarters, and now one of Savannah’s best restaurants.  The interior is beautiful and the restaurant is broken up into 11 different rooms of varying sizes, each a different color.  Downstairs they have a piano bar lit by candles and old filament lightbulbs.  There are three stories, each room has it’s own feel, and each room is very quiet and romantic.  We had scallops cooked to perfection as well as lobster tail with mashed potatoes, and finished up with a flourless chocolate torte so dense and flavorful you would slap your father (again, don’t actually do this, it probably won’t end well).  The dinner was a heightened by sitting a few feet away from an actor from our favorite TV show (Breaking Bad) and the place was fantastic.

One of our final meals was at Mrs Wilkes Dining Room.  Tucked away in a residential neighborhood, Mrs Wilkes is a combination of a small hotel on top, and a dining room below.  They are only open on Monday-Friday from 11-2……That’s it.  You get a three hour window and since they do community dining with no reservations, you may not even get in.  The wait is regularly an hour long, and people will come from all over to try it out.  Even Obama made a point to eat there because the reputation is that good.  You are lumped into groups of ten and ushered in when one table leaves.  Food is already on the table when you arrive and the meal consists of a whopping 22 different dishes.  Our table of 10 maybe ate half of what was offered, so no need to worry about running out.  The dishes are: fried chicken, mashed potatoes (regular and sweet), brisket, creamed corn, collard greens, okra tomato stew, beef stew, biscuits, mac n’ cheese, cabbage, butter beans, black-eyed peas, rice, jambalaya, pickled beets, rice, gravy, coleslaw, sausage and rice, candied yams, and banana pudding.  Each one was possibly the best we’ve ever had of that specific dish (the chicken could start wars).  You really don’t need to eat anything else that day.  It’s a great way to meet some friendly strangers and eat some killer food.  Plus, it’s only $18 per person, so not too harsh on the wallet.

The Wedding:

First off, we need to voice our displeasure with the bride and groom.  Their wedding was so picturesque and amazing that they’ve set the bar waaayyyy too high for others and that’s not very nice.  We have, however, decided to forgive them, so we will press on.

As the driving force behind our travel to Savannah, the wedding and related festivities were the crown jewel of the trip.  The people were awesome.  We didn’t know everyone at first, but by the end, you wouldn’t be able to tell.  The first night we had a bbq with all the guests.  There were grilled local shrimp marinated in Old Bay, cheesy biscuits, watermelon and arugula salad and steak with bourbon bbq sauce.  Great food, cold beers, and lots of laughs.

For the wedding itself they had rented out one of the town squares.  They exchanged their vows under the Spanish moss with a fountain gurgling in the background and a lone violinist playing them through.  It was so nice it really felt like we were in a movie or dreaming.

After the ceremony we were ushered into the nearby Harper Fowlkes house, another historical treasure of Savannah which hosted many tours and special events.  We enjoyed some great hors d’ourvres and champagne as they took their wedding pictures.  The reception was held out back in the beautiful enclosed courtyard and accompanied by a three piece band.

Dinner was of course amazing, with more fried chicken that the Colonel himself couldn’t top.  Alongside that was more slaw, which was light and crisp, not the mayo bomb we usually see sitting in the deli counter.  There was an arugula and fennel salad with a nice tangy dressing.  The beautiful couple was insistent that everyone eat and drink more and we accepted the challenge with gusto.  To top it off, the wedding cake was one of the best red velvets we had ever had.

After dinner and cake we went out and hit the town with the wedding crew, adding yet another rambunctious and fun night to the trip, and a great way to end a perfect wedding.

The Verdict:

We surrender Savannah, you win.  We left a little piece of our hearts in Savannah, one that we will be heading back to reclaim somewhere down the road.  The sites, the people, the food and the atmosphere just pick you up and carry you away when you’re there.  We highly recommend this trip to anyone.  Had we not been invited to the wedding, there is a VERY good chance we would have never gone.  Instead, we were able to log a great chapter in our life, and for that we are thankful.

Dig In,

A & K

(And now some more pictures!)

The Place:

This post definitely shouldn’t be judged by its pictures.  Both the place and the dish appear wholly unremarkable, though we were pretty content after everything was said and done.  Muracci’s is tucked into a small, narrow space in the Financial District, and like a lot of the places we visit, wouldn’t stand out of a lineup of five.  There are about eight stools and one tiny table crammed in, and the counter / kitchen takes up the rest of the space.  Having passed by before we’d seen that there is often a line, so we went around 1:30pm and didn’t have to wait long.

The Dish:

We haven’t had a lot of experience with Japanese curries (we’ve had none).  We know our way around Thai, Indian, Malaysian, and most other Southeast Asian ones, but this was new to us.  The Katsu Curry consists of a breaded and fried pork cutlet on top of a bed of rice which is smothered with a brown vegetable curry sauce (and a side of pickled radish).  The curry sauce is cooked at Murraci’s using a homemade vegetable stock, a variety of herbs and spices, and about 20 hours of cooking time.  To be honest, this dish looked kinda terrible, like something you would see in the display window of a cheap japanese restaurant.  Maybe it was the styrofoam box, maybe the color of the curry, or maybe it was the lack of garnish, but it just didn’t look great.  Upon our first bite we realized we were terribly mistaken and this dish was legit.  The star was the curry sauce.  It had this very deep, rich flavor to it.  It was meaty, and just had a lot of spice flavors layered in.  The cutlet was fried perfectly.  It was light, crunchy, but not too oily.  You had a good sauce and good meat, the only other thing you need is something to sop it up, and the rice was perfect for that.

The Decision:

Another winner.  The curry is none too expensive, it’s filling, and has a great flavor to it.  Though the place is small and humble, we found out that it’s run by a husband and wife team who are dedicated to a quality product.  Other than the fact that there may often be a line, there are many reasons to check this dish out.  We say go get your Japanese curry on!

A & K

The Place:

We’re pretty sure that when we were waiting for our table outside of Brenda’s that we spotted an undercover law enforcement official hidden on the top of a building, taking pictures of what we can only assume were drug related suspects / activity.  Now, this could all be in our heads and not true (but it totally is, because this is our blog and we say so), but this is the kind of thinking that the area around Brenda’s generates in a person.  Now even though the area may be a little sketch, the restaurant itself is quite nice.  In fact the first time we went in Mayor Ed Lee was eating as well.  While there’s been a wait each time we’ve gone (last weekend was about an hour for lunch), service moves pretty quickly.  The restaurant has a very simple design, using the building’s exposed walls and open ceiling to it

s benefit.  The walls are sparsely decorated, yet have a casual style that makes one feel comfortable.

The Dish:

For those of you unfamiliar with a po’ boy, it is a submarine sandwich from Louisiana.  Po’ boys come on french bread, usually with roast beef or fried seafood, and some mix of classic sandwich fixings in addition to a “gravy”.  Brenda’s follows the classic recipe pretty closely except for a chipotle rémoulade that comes on top.  In addition to the po’ boy we got some sausage and okra gumbo as well as their beignet sampler plate (one plain, one chocolate, one granny smith and one crawfish).  The sandwich is a decent size, has fried shrimp, tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, the chipotle rémoulade and toasted french bread.  Pretty straightforward but damn good.  As we were enjoying this dish we were trying to figure out exactly which flavors were standing out to us and causing us to like this dish, but really couldn’t put our finger on it.  We decided that it’s just a great sandwich made up of great ingredients.  The bread has a crispy crust and a fluffy inside, the shrimp is fried but not too greasy, the chipotle rémoulade doesn’t overpower and the tomato and iceberg provide a good crunch and freshness.  Wham bam, thank you ma’am.

The Verdict:

Definitely yes.  Though they don’t take reservations and the wait may be a little long sometimes, everything else about this place hits a proverbial home run.  The servers are nice, casual, but know how to do their job quickly.  Food doesn’t take too long to come out, which is a huge plus when a restaurant usually has a long wait.  Above all, the food is fantastic.  You don’t find too much soul food on the West Coast, and the ones we’ve had haven’t even been close in comparison.  It’s unpretentiously good and none too expensive.  The gumbo we had was spicy and smokey, the po’ boy left us wanting more, but the item that stood out the most was the crawfish beignet.  Where sweet beignets are topped with spoonfuls of powdered sugar, the crawfish was topped with something like smoked paprika and chili powder and stuffed with a spicy crawfish concoction that blew our socks off.  This place is worth the wait, worth a trip and worth a lot more of your attention than this post.

Dig In,

A & K

The Place:

Ahh, the Ferry Building on a sunny day.  One of the best San Francisco-y places to go when the weather’s great.  There are a few dishes that are located in the Ferry Building so we’ve been there a few times.  Hog Island Oyster Co.  has a restaurant space instead of one of the smaller booths at the building (though they do have a small stand which is where we went).  Inside you can sit at a few different counters while you watch the cooks shucking oysters, clams and preparing a variety of other fresh seafood.  They also have an outdoor patio which is great on pretty days and the atmosphere is pretty relaxed.  One great thing about Hog Island is that they actually own their oyster farm up in Tomales Bay, which is about 40 miles north of SF.  It’s about as close to a true farm to table experience as you can get, and you know that these little suckers are fresh.

The Dish:

Oysters seem to be somewhat of a polarizing food.  People either rave about them, making groaning noises as they slurp them down, or they hate them, cringing at any mention of the slimy bivalves.  Yes there are some people in between, but the majority seem to take one of the extremes.  We occupy the former group, and when it comes to oysters, our eyes light up with delight.  The oysters we had at Hog Island were very tasty and quite fresh, though this post is more about our love of oysters in general.  There’s just something about the clean saltiness that comes from a good oyster.  It makes one think of the deep ocean and it’s a flavor that isn’t found in many other foods.  Oysters are also great with a variety of toppings.  At Hog Island we opted for a little lemon juice and a dollop of cocktail sauce with horseradish, though we also love some hot sauce or a vinegar mignonette.  Lastly, oysters always come out with great presentation.  A rack of shucked oysters on a bed of ice with sauces and those little forks is just….well, it’s just sexy (don’t judge us).

The Verdict:

If you love oysters like us, there’s no doubt that this place is for you.  If you haven’t ever given an oyster a chance, we highly suggest you at least try one (and why not do it at Hog Island?).  We’re always surprised by the amount of people that end up becoming as obsessed as we are.  If you still don’t like oysters, try some barbequed with melted garlic butter, and if that doesn’t work……we give up.

Dig In,

A & K

The Dish: As you might be able to see by the picture (sorry for the quality, it’s a bit dark in the restaurant), the Little Star is a deep dish style pizza.  Deep dish pizzas, for those who are unfortunately unaware, have a few excellent differences from a classic California piece of pizza.  First is the crust, which is buttery, crispy and based with cornmeal.  Second is the depth of these pies, which can be anywhere from 1-2 inches thick of pure toppings and thick crust.  The Little Star is comprised of spinach blended with ricotta, feta, mushrooms, onions, garlic and mozzarella.  We decided to add some pepperoni because we just can’t resist salty nitrates in circle form.  The pizza takes about 25-30 minutes to make, but the staff will warn you of this at the door in case you want to put in your order while you wait.  When it shows up you can’t help but salivate.  The top is covered with crushed tomatoes that have that deep red color from cooking for half an hour.  You can see the spinach running through the tomatoes like veins and the crust glistens in the candle light.  When you take a slice out, the cheese becomes very apparent as it strings out almost as long as your arm.  We added some chili flakes and we were ready to dig in (knife and fork necessary).  We gotta say, while this pizza is good, it’s not amazing.  It’s not that there’s a bad taste.  In fact, everything tastes good.  It’s just that there’s nothing that really pops.  The ricotta and feta are a nice touch, adding some nice creaminess to it.  We both identified the tomatoes as the weak link in our opinion.  They seem to lack that crisp acidity that comes with high quality tomatoes and was what we had expected.  Having said that, it was pretty great as far as leftovers go, so we’re not complaining too much.

The Verdict: Overall we probably choose Delfina’s Margherita over this pizza, but it was still not a bad way to spend a meal.  We’re interested to try some of their other deep dish pies (they also have thin crust options as well) and the amount of positive reviews they have mean that they’re doing plenty right.  In a city full of great pizza, we still think that Little Star deserves a shot.

Dig In,

A & K

They are all over.  They are San Francisco’s version of New York’s dirty water hotdog stands, but with more character.  These cobbled together carts, looking like one part camping stove and one part pushcart, usually come out at night.  Most of them popup in the Mission, but we’ve seen them all over.  For obvious reasons they post up near the bars and wait for inebriated customers to flock like drunk cattle, and oh do they flock.  We’ve been caught by their siren’s song a few times.  I mean, how good does a bacon wrapped hotdog sound with all the fixings after you’ve had a few drinks!  Though these carts don’t look like they even know what a health inspection is, the smell that comes off them will turn a vegetarian’s head.  So last Friday night on our way to happy hour for a friend’s birthday, we spotted a cart outside the bar, and we knew that would be our last stop before home.  The cart we went to was actually a lot nicer than most (i.e. it wasn’t just a pushcart with a propane heated cookie sheet on top) and the lady was a crackup.  She asked each question with a long drawn out style that was pretty great.  ”You want ketchuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup?  Mustarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd?  Maaaaaaaayyyyoooooooo?  Ooooooooooookkkkkkkkkk!”.  Just priceless.

The Dish:

Pretty much all the carts do the dog in the same way.  They are wrapped in bacon and heated on a flat top grill along side sliced white onions.  You get the dog in the bun and topped with the sauteed onions.  After that, the rest of the toppings are usually self served and up to your discretion.  The toppings usually include mustard, ketchup, mayo, jalepenos, relish and sriracha.  We went for everything but the mayo and dove right into this dripping mess.  This thing tastes pretty damn good.  If you like hotdogs even remotely, then you will like this dish.  We could try and break this thing down with detailed descriptions, but the bottom line is that it’s a hotdog……that’s been wrapped in bacon.  ’Nuff said.

The Verdict:

We’re going to use an analogy that’s kind of a stretch for this, but these hotdogs are kind of like going to Vegas.  While you’re there it’s awesome, everything is great, and you’re having the time of your life.  When you get back to wonder what just happened and why you did all those things.  It’s kinda like that.  In the moment you really enjoy this hotdog that is perfectly accompanying your buzz.  The next day you wonder what possessed you to put something like that into your body, especially from a food vendor that is illegal in the eyes of the city, and you may have some intestinal issues to boot.  The net outcome is that you should do this regardless of the negatives since it’s a quintessential San Francisco experience.  Plus, your intoxicated self will thank you a lot (though your next-morning self might curse you).

Dig In,

A & K

The Place:

Arinell fits the mold of most pizza places that specialize in takeout.  It’s small, with most of the space actually behind the counter where the ovens and fridges are.  It’s cash only and the signage is hand written or crudely drawn.  The workers are sullen looking, covered in flour and probably ridiculously stoned.  They move with that dragging shuffle that comes from having to deal with drunken people late into the night for little money.  Having said all this, we don’t personally think this is a negative.  This is just what you get when you go get takeout pizza, and really the only thing that matters is the pizza itself.  There is a heavy metal / punk rock theme to the employees (and the music) though, and it adds a little bit of fun atmosphere to the joint.

The Dish:

Though Arinell isn’t the type of place that gives you lofty expectations,  it does have a decent piece of pizza.  We’ve heard that a lot of New York pizza fans enjoy Arinell and feel it’s the closest thing to home in SF.  The crust has a good crunch to it and is almost flakey.  They cook it just right so there’s a little bit of char as well.  The cheese isn’t too thick or too thin, and there’s no threat of it all sliding off in one piece like some gooey blanket.  The tomato sauce has a nice hint of oregano that’s not usually found in take-away pizza shops.  Lastly, though there is grease, this slice isn’t going to require fifteen napkins to eat like some we’ve experienced.

The Verdict:

Hey, not too shabby.  I mean, the slice won’t blow your mind, but it’s cheap, it’s quick and it tastes good.  The staff is surly, but that didn’t really bother us.  They stay open late which is always nice when you’re looking to soak up some alcohol after going out.  It being cash only is one knock against it, but all in all, not a bad deal.

Dig In,

A & K

It was a Friday night and we felt a hankerin’ for some Mexican food.  We named off the typical places around our neighborhood which are mostly just taquerias, but Kristina had the urge for a classic Mexican sit-down meal.  One of those restaurants where there are booths, colorful homemade artwork and chips and salsa that threaten to ruin your appetite.  Luckily the list had the perfect place for us, Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in the Sunset District.

Tommy’s is very well known for one thing, and that one thing is tequila.  They boast over 300 different bottles, all of which are 100% agave (a good sign for quality.  Most cheap or crappy tequila you come across won’t be 100% agave).  On top of that they have Julio Bermejo.  Julio, whose parents opened Tommy’s in 1965, has the esteemed title of the ONLY Tequila ambassador to the US from the state of Jalisco in Mexico.  This means that the state of Jalisco decided that Julio, and ONLY Julio was qualified to represent and pass knowledge about their tequila to the US.  Not too shabby.

The Dish:

Simplicity can be such a beautiful thing, and this margarita exemplifies that sentiment.  Tequila, fresh lime, agave nectar and salt.  That’s it.  That’s all that goes into this beverage and that’s all it needs.  This margarita tastes exactly like you want every margarita to taste like whether you’re on the beach in Mexico, in your backyard bbq, or grabbing dinner with your significant other.  The taste is fresh and the citrus, tequila and sweetness are in perfect harmony.  We think the key is using agave nectar instead of triple sec.  Often margaritas have that too sweet taste due to an overuse of triple sec or even pre-made margarita mix (a sin to margaritas everywhere).  Not too much else you can say about this drink other than yes, it’s good.

The Verdict:

This place is fantastic and if you want sit-down mexican food, you want to go to Tommy’s.  Oh, did we mention this place has possibly the best margarita we’ve ever had?  Bottom line, the margarita rocks, the food is great and the atmosphere is fun and lively.

Dig In,

A & K

The Place:

Dim Sum is a great type of meal for lunch during the work week.  Food is always present, easily accessible and the service is quick. For this reason and its downtown location, Yank Sing hustles and bustles for lunch.  They have two locations as well as a banquet and catering location, so one knows that they have their fans and have had some success.  Though the location we went to is hidden down a small side street in SOMA, the restaurant has a nice large dining room with a covered and heated patio.  Servers are constantly pushing around carts filled with steamed dumplings, sauteed vegetables and plethora of other dim sum staples.

We were seated quickly and had bbq pork buns in front of us within 30 seconds of our butts hitting the chair.  One minor quarrel we did have was having servers constantly interrupt us to describe the dish they were carrying and asking us if we wanted any.  We do understand that such is the nature of dim sum, however we felt they could have dialed it back a little bit.  Having said that, the place was great for the most part.

The Dish:

We came in flying blind, having no idea what a sesame ball was or consists of.  We both kind of assumed it would be some savory treat with sesame being the prime flavor, but as we glanced at the menu we found it was a dessert.  We saved a little room and as the dessert cart wheeled around we spotted only one plate left of the sesame balls and quickly scooped it up, score!  However, our enthusiasm for our good luck was short lived when we actually tasted the dish.  The plate consists of four rice flour balls stuffed with a sweet bean puree, covered in sesame seeds and then lightly fried.  Chewy would be an understatement for these little things and the bean puree didn’t quite click for us, as we felt it lacked enough sweetness make it a true dessert and had a slight nutty and cloying flavor.  We both like sesame as a flavor (sesame chicken, sesame candies, we even have sesame oil at home), but it just wasn’t enough to overcome the discomfort of chewing for an hour.  We did talk to a few friends after who love the balls, so we may be alone in our dislike.  Also we realize that those flavors are not something that we normally come across and could be an acquired taste.

The Verdict:

To be honest, the meal was a bit underwhelming.  We weren’t too hungry, so our meal consisted of pork and shrimp dumplings, honey glazed pork buns, sauteed and chilled broccoli with oyster sauce and sesame balls.  The dumplings were good,  nothing amazing, but very solid.  The pork buns stuck to your teeth like glue and took a few minutes of diligent scraping to get them off.  The broccoli was chilled, something we didn’t know to expect when we snagged them, and though we found later they were labeled as such, it was a little off-putting and bland.  You know our thoughts on the sesame balls, so all and all, we would say that Yank Sing is definitely not a “must” from the list.  We felt that Ton Kiang was better, cheaper and more authentic (though farther away) and are sure there are other dim sum places that are better.

Dig In,

A & K

We recently were contacted by 7×7 magazine for a feature on an upcoming blog post of theirs.  The article was about a few different SF blogs that were also eating their way through the Big Eat List like we are.  We’re proud to be mentioned and want to thank 7×7 for the love!

Click here is the full article

Here is our portion of the post:

“Alex and Kristina are relatively new to SF, and to get to know our fabulous city they decided to eat their way through the 2011 Big Eat, reviewing our picks as they go. 

Number of dishes tackled so far: 50 

Favorite item yet: 

“The Hamburguesa at Don Pistos. This was a very tough decision that involved much hand wringing, cursing and tears. We were torn between the Tuna tostada from Tacolicious and the Tonkatsu ramen at Izakaya Sozai as well, but the hamburguesa just packs this unique, meaty flavor explosion that we’ve never encountered before. We’re also huge fans of Don Pistos as a whole, so we’d have to go with that.”

Dish they would nominate for next year:

“The Tea Leaf Salad at Burma Superstar. This is another dish that stands out for the unique flavor and great texture balance. Excellent example of a dish being greater than the sum of its (many) parts.”

Thanks again 7×7 and loyal readers!

Dig In,

A & K