Dining about San Francisco

This past week I had some free time and was able to pop into some new recently opened spots as well as some of my San Francisco favorites that I don't spend enough time at.  The memorable stops were at the recently opened Poquito in the Dogpatch on 22nd.  I also dropped into Town Hall for a post work snack, grabbed breakfast at Il Cane Rosso and had a delicious lunch at Umi.

As the Tablehopper mentioned in her recent write-up of Poquito, the inside is a bit barren and still needs some work, but outside of that the menu was plentiful and the food was all reasonably priced -- no dish over $10.  We enjoyed some pantas bravas, the llapingachos - an Ecuadorian potato pancake with cheese and green onions, some chicken empanadas, red snapper fish tacos and my favorite the chorizo sliders.

                                                 Chorizo Sliders

                           Chicken Empandas with house made onion pickles

                                                     llapingachos

                                             Red Snapper fish tacos

I can't think of a San Francisco institution that delivers on high quality American comfort food better than Town Hall.  This San Francisco staple always serves up tasty oysters on the half shell, what I would argue is the best fried chicken in the city (sorry Tyler Florence, but you are a very close second!) and some delicious smoked St. Louis ribs and soul soothing jalapeno cornbread.

I was meeting a few friends at the bar and we grabbed a few starters, some oysters and beers.  I cannot come to Town Hall and not order their BBQ shrimp in Worcestershire sauce with garlic herb toast.  We also grabbed a couple orders of the tuna tartare with fried green tomatoes, garlic chips and Tabasco green  onion vinaigrette.  The one dish we tried that I had not yet encountered at Town Hall were the veal meatballs with a creamy smooth potato puree and green peppercorn sauce.  All three dishes were fantastic and I wouldn't hesitate to order any of the three again, but you cannot pass on the BBQ shrimp!!!

                                                      BBQ Shrimp

                                 Tuna Tartare with Fried Green Tomatoes

Early morning mid week I was walking Hunterman down on the Embarcadero and working up an appetite as we passed the Ferry Building.  As often as I have been to Il Cane Rosso to enjoy their pork or egg salad sandwich I hadn't ever taken a pass at their breakfast menu, I'm certainly glad I rectified that.

Weekday mornings at the Ferry Building are one of the few times you can avoid long lines and lots of tourists.  Hunter and I were able to commandeer a table outside and enjoy (yes we shared!!!) one of the better breakfast sandwiches I have had in a long time.  The olive oil egg sandwich came with crispy boccalone pancetta, aged provolone and sweet onion butter.  The brilliance of the sandwich was due to the over easy eggs which exploded as soon as you take your first bite into the sandwich, softening the bread and creating a simple dipping sauce through each bite of the sando.  They also serve Gus's grown up soda which I first discovered a Bouchon Bakery.  The last thing in the world I would call myself is a soda drinker, but Gus's is so refreshing with tasty flavors that I always have a hard time not ordering one (Meyer Lemon, Dry Valencia Orange and Dry Cranberry Lime are my favs).

I was able to get up to my stomping grounds on Potrero Hill for lunch at my favorite sushi spots in the city.  If you are nigiri lover and haven't been to Umi you are doing yourself a serious disservice.  Their focus on high quality sustainable fish and a diverse sake list make this one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area.  The nigiri sampler is always the standout at Umi, with a fresh, daily menu of anywhere between 6-11 pieces of nigiri.  Umi also does a wonderful job with their small plates, my favorites are the Beef Enoki & Asparagus Maki, the Katsu Asparagus Maki and the Grilled Butterfish.

This being lunch I wanted to try something unique to their lunch specials.  Speaking with Shamus, the owner and GM who is always in the house, he recommended the Katsu Don, which is a sizable hot dish of pork cutlet, onion and egg over rice.  Shamus mentioned that most Japanese businessmen in the area order this as their regular lunch staple when dining here, I was sold.  I also grabbed a couple pieces of nigiri, including the Sanma (a beautiful silver backed saury pike), the Ma-Saba (Japanese Mackerel) and a golden butterfish if I am not mistaken.  As always the nigiri were suberb, but the Katsu Don was a magnificently simple, warm hearty dish perfect for the fall chill that was hanging over San Francisco.

 From front to back - Sanma, Ma-Saba and Golden Butterfish

          Katsu Don

The trifecta, Echigo beer included!

Where are some other great spots I need to get out and try?  Any SF favs or new spots I should put on my list?