House of Chen

Neighborhood: Castro
335 Noe Street
(between 16th St & 17th St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 861-6868

The very minimalist-feeling, brick-laden House of Chen has been a San Francisco institution for more than thirty years. And those three decades worth of experience shines in all of their well-crafted Chinese dishes. The atmosphere is inviting, the rich brick interior feels of old-world charm and the dark-painted ceiling, speckled with stars, ads a cute touch to this overall charismatic little restaurant.

The soups here are extraordinary, especially the vividly flavored Hot and Sour Soup. House of Chen’s offering of the popular Wonton Soup (or Wor Wonton for those who need added flair) is delicious, but there is something exceptional about the Sizzling Rice Soup with Chicken.

If you don’t float your boat in soup, try some of the delicious appetizers. The warm, cheesy, garlicky Crabmeat in Crispy Pastry Shell is absolutely delicious. An incredible and affordable meal could be as simple as a bowl of soup and these divine starters. The steamed Chinese Raviolis, minced pork and a veggie filling, are terrific as well. For those who want it all, order the assorted appetizer plate to satiate your curiosity as well as your appetite.

Main entrées are largely proportioned and quite affordable. The most special “specialty of the house” is definitely the Crispy Ginger Fish; lightly breaded fillet of cod in an exquisite ginger sauce is lovely over steamed rice. The Kung Boa Calamari is brilliant.

There is a large sampling of seafood on the menu, from Jade Scallops, sautéed scallops with tender greens to the Hunan Prawns, sautéed prawns with water chestnuts, Chinese truffle and a spicy sauce, to the simple but delicious Sweet and Sour Shrimp are all quite pleasing.

House of Chen’s award-winning Mongolian Beef is especially tasty, as well as their Beef with Eggplant. The chicken dishes are fantastic. Try the Tai-Chi Chicken, or if you feel like a nut, give the Cashew Chicken a taste. Their delicious Mu Shu Pork is a celebrated entrée and the Shredded Pork with Green Peppers in Black Bean Sauce can’t be missed.

The noodle dishes, which surprisingly aren’t regarded as specialties of the house, are genuinely remarkable. House of Chen can transform such a routine dish as Chicken Chow Mein into an indisputably delicious platter of hearty noodles mingling with a generous portion of tender chicken, and delightful aromatics all dancing concurrently in a delightful sauce.

Oh and by the way, House of Chen delivers.

Habana

2080 Van Ness Avenue,
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.441.2822
www.habana1948.com

At Habana, enjoying the “Sabor de Cuba”; the flavor and romance of the Caribbean’s largest island, is like spending a brief lay-over in the rough brilliance of old 1940s Havana. There’s an air of faded glory about the splendid bar/restaurante. The warm rustic décor is peppered with glorious Spanish colonial architecture, much of which looks as if it is under restoration, aside from the vivid murals of gorgeous people, and beautiful animals. As if deliberately positioned under the sweltering Caribbean sun, lush plants add virtual shade to the sizzling dining rooms.

The exuberant friendliness of Habana’s personnel is what shines through however, from the wait staff to the bartenders running the swinging bar, of which is rumored to served over a thousand Mojitos a week. All the while adding to the encounter are the instantly recognizable sounds of Cuban music; Spanish guitars fused with intense rumba rhythms, zesty horns, drums, bongos, maracas and sultry voices.

Although the ambience and cordiality are superb, even better are executive chef Joseph Kohn’s dishes. Combining traditional Cuban flavors and Caribbean influences with modern techniques, Kohn’s cuisine is inventive, radiant and utterly delicious. The freshly made empanadas, Puerco; Bar-b-Que pork, Vegetal; roasted squash with goat cheese, and the decadent Pato; shredded duck with papaya-citrus mojo, are spectacular starters.

Other fabulous “Primeros” include the Picadillo; spicy chopped chicken with chayote and the Tierra-Mar; a fiery Cuban calamari; bay scallops, green beans and onions served with a vibrant chipotle remoulade.

The extraordinary main courses, or “Segundos” are seemingly under-priced at below twenty dollars an entree. The exceedingly fresh fish dishes; Salmon Al Mango Y Mostaza; salmon with spiced green beans, Halibut Fabada; pan-seared halibut with white beans and the Tuna Patacon; grilled tuna with maduros, black bean sauce and banana-lime salsa are astounding. However, the Enchilado De Camarones is the king of their seafood dishes; tiger prawns in a Cuban Creole sauce with saffron rice and mussles.

The Pencuga Agria or pan-roasted chicken breast with “angry orange” sauce is delicious as well as the Medallones De Cerdo; pork medallions with a smoked tomato coulis. The popular marinated skirt steak, or Ropa Nueva, is wonderful as well.

The desserts, created by Edgar Valenzuela, Coconut Flan, Roasted Pineapple Crisp, Meyer Lemon or Banana Tart and the decadent Fresca y Chocolate, should almost be enjoyed at the top of the meal, since it would be a crying shame if they were overlooked.

Fresca

Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
2114 Fillmore Street
(between California St & Sacramento St)
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 447-2668
www.frescasf.com

Owned and operated by the father and Son team of Julio and Jose Calvo-Perez, Fresca is “More than just Peruvian,” claims their motto. Like Peru, the restaurant is a rich multicultural crossroads where eastern and western techniques and flavors converge. Fresca glows with an overwhelming sense of pride as the Perez duo’s craft and culture is methodically represented in great detail. Not only do the dishes seem to come straight from Peru, the décor creates a wonderful representation of all that is unique to Latin America.

Since there has been a major influx of Neuvo-latin restaurants sprouting up in the city as of late, to keep up with this new impulse, Fresca has not only one, but two locales. The original restaurant being on West Portal, gave rise to the relatively new Pacific Heights spot on Fillmore. This location’s open kitchen gives light to a wonderful sense of camaraderie and passion. It’s great to see a young, friendly, cohesive staff working together to create an atmosphere of charm and open hospitality.

As Peru has a rich multicultural heritage its traditional cuisine is just as multi-layered. Dishes incorporating fish rule the fare. Traditional ceviches are bountiful. Fresca’s Ceviche Mixto, with calamari, scallops, shrimp, clams and rocoto spice is fiery and bold, a perfect contrast to the cool Ceviche de Ahicon Coco, Ahi tuna with ginger and jalapenos bathed in sweet coconut water.

Tiraditos, or Peruvian sashimi is another outstanding treat found on the menu. The spicy Tuna Tiradito, fresh tuna in a lively scallion vinaigrette is delicious. Unsurprisingly, given Peru’s rich mix of cultures there are other Eastern-inflected dishes including the delicious Arroz Chaufa or fried rice and the delectable Tequenos, or crab and cream cheese stuffed wontons served with a spicy aji amarillo dipping sauce.

The desserts are spectacular. The ripe Mango Cheese Cake is rich and creamy and set off by this wonderful mango sauce. Arros con Leche, warm rice pudding with coconut cream and canella, sprinkled with warm toasted coconut shavings is fabulous.

A great assortment of Latin beers and wine fill the menu, all compliment the remarkable side dishes extraordinarily. Take a seat at the bar overlooking that engaging fast-paced kitchen, grab a dark beer, order up some Bolitas de Yuca Frita, mouth-watering fried yucca rolls filled with queso fresco drizzled with a wonderful aji huacatay mayo sauce and watch this magnificent father and son pair do what they do best…entertain.

Cote Sud

Neighborhood: Castro
4238 18th St
(between Collingwood St & Diamond St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 255-6565

www.cotesudsf.com

Is fois gras really one of the culinary world’s greatest treasures? I can understand burying the stuff…but eating it? On purpose, even? So French cuisine is always mentioned in foodie circles as the ultimate and maybe Cote Sud is a perfect representation of the ultimate south of France faire. Or maybe I just don’t dig French food.

So the chef knew I was coming to write about the place in Gloss and upon my arrival had champagne at the ready. Wonderful…how can this turn bad, I thought to myself. The maitere’d asked in the thickest of French accents if we had any allergies or preferences…nah, I said…just surprise us. and surprise us they did.

Course one was, of course, snails. No matter how much I tried to convince myself that I was eating a really garlicky mushroom, I couldn’t choke down the heavenly-scented mollusk. I could still make-out it’s li’l shriveled antennae and all. if I was closer to the balcony I woulda spit it out on the sidewalk. Course two was scallops in a wonderfully light and buttery broth, with just a hint of sand. That’s right…sand. Bummer. Course three was the fois gras. What looked like a slab jelly-covered dog food is supposed to be fab fare? I took a bite of my cracker, smeared the fois gras on it, mashed up a li’l of the slab of fois gras moved it around the plate and feeling all 8-year-old again, patiently waited for the waiter’s reprimand. “What…uh, you, uh…no, uh…like-a-da fois gras,” he asked. I’m sure It’s wonderful fois gras, but I just don’t care for it, sowwy.

Did I mention how wonderful the French wines were? Oh and the bread. The fresh-baked bread was divine. It was too bad that we had to hollow it out and fill it with the veal sausages that were served next. Ugh, I just can’t bring myself to eat veal. I know, I know, wasting food is terrible and this all could have been avoided had I told the waiter that I didn’t really care for meat dishes…but hindsight is always 20/20.

Finally dessert came. I sighed with relief as I enjoyed the light sorbet which faintly tasted like a slightly melted lemon aide slushy toped with a sprig of mint. Wow, that wasn’t too bad, I made it through with only a few dirty looks from the waiter and a few from the other diners around us who were really annoyed by our preferential treatment. As I was in line for the bathroom…the chef said… “Just-a wait…you’z are going to love the main-a-course!” GULP…please don’t let it be frog legs…please don’t let it be frog legs..please don’t let…no, it wasn’t…it was LAMB! An excited dinner next to me leaned over and asked, “Is that the lamb…it looks delicious.” I wanted to just hand the dish over. I mean, why should lamb go to waste, ya know. Instead that lamb burned my outer thigh as it sat wrapped in a napkin, stuffed into my pocket, as I waited in the bathroom line again…to flush it down the toilet.

Aside from sandy scallops, I’m sure Cote Sud is wonderful, if you like meat dishes covered in butter and cream. But then again, you’d think French desserts are divine, right? Uh…no. The vanilla custard, although it contained no meat, was just so-so. Bummer…hey, did I mention the wine?