RN74 - San Francisco

RN74
301 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94199
Neighborhood: SOMA

Rated: ♣♣♣♣♣

A part of my job allows me to plan extravagant cocktail events around the country. Sweet deal, eh? Well, my last event was held in San Francisco and I was lucky enough to have it at RN74, Michael Mina’s 2010 James Beard-nominated restaurant. Food and service were great. A few minor hiccups, but overall a great party.

The scene:

RN74 is situated at the bottom of the Millennium Apartments in the FiDi. The restaurant attracts a beautiful businessy crowd, someplace I’d never have a chance to go on my own. Our party was set by the lounge area on the right-side of the restaurant. We didn’t get a private bar, but we did have 1 waitress collecting orders and a server pouring $100 bottles of wine.

Service was great. A tad-bit understaffed, though. Pre-event planning was awkward. The events manager couldn’t give me an estimate as to how much our party would cost. I was on a strict budget for our party of 60 (which later turned out to 80), and the events manager kept insisting a few trays of cheese, smoked fish and these little veggie and meat cups would be enough. But, we ended up ordering a load of extra food, about $7k worth.

What impressed me was their car service. After the event, I stood outside the restaurant waiting for a cab. The valet asked if I needed a ride and offered their town-car and said it would be the same price as a cab. When I got into the car, I asked how much would it roughly be to get to my home since I only had a few dollars on me. The driver insisted I could pay anything I wanted! I couldn’t believe it! Anything, really? Wow, this event really gave me a taste of life of the rich and famous.

The food:

We had a ton of food at our party, so I’ll only point out the most memorable.

Maitake Mushroom Tempura - My absolute FAVORITE! I literally had 2 whole servings of this dish. The mushrooms were lightly fried and salted and the meat was tender and fluffy.

Potato Ravioli - These raviolis were stuffed with creamy mashed potatoes! What more can I say?

Hangar Steak - This steak is like butter. Not the best steak in the world, but it was mouth watering.

Smoked Fish - The assortment of smoked fish was impressive. A little overwhelming since the platter was so huge. All the fish eventually tasted the same.

Cocktail - Pimm’s 74 - I’m by no-means a drinker, and I was handed this drink by a co-worker. The Pimm’s 74 is RN74’s specialty cocktail drink consisting of house-made “Pimm’s No. 1,” ginger beer, campari and prosecco. As garnish, a slice of orange and cucumber. It was much like a fruity champagne, but incredibly strong. I set the cup down after my 2nd sip.

The one thing I regret not ordering is dessert. It’ll have to be a really big special occasion before I come here again.

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Emmy's Spaghetti Shack - San Francisco

Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack
18 Virginia Ave
(between Coleridge St & Mission St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Bernal Heights

Rated: ♣

During the entire month of May, I’ve been on a pasta binge. (I definitely need to begin my workout routine.) I’ve heard a lot of Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack over the last few years and I’ve been wanting to try it out. Verdict? Uber-hipster vibe with mediocre food.

The scene:

Located in the heart of the gritty Bernal Heights district, Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack packs a house full of young urban hipsters. It’s like a really dark dive bar that serves pasta. If you’re covered in tattoos with big hair and high heels, you’d fit in. If you don’t, this place reminds you of how terribly uncool you really are.

Strike one - service was bad. I was standing at the front door for about 15 minutes before I became impatient and walked up to a server to tell her I wanted a table. She took my name on a notepad and told me the wait would be a half hour. Mind you the restaurant is the size of my bedroom. Tables were full, but there was no one else waiting to be seated. Five minutes after she took my name, a table opened up and she sat us down.

The food:

The first thing they served us was dry, cold focaccia bread. That’s strike two. K and I got the spaghetti with meatballs ($12.95) and the oreccietti with peas and spinach in a light lemon cream sauce ($16.50). The pasta was unsatisfactory and completely overpriced - strike 3.

Spaghetti with Meatballs - As much as I wanted to like this spaghetti, I have to say my dad makes it better. The sauce was thick and tangy. A little dry and way too chunky for my liking. The meatballs were different, not bad. Huge meatballs loaded with tons of herbs and capers.

Oreccietti with peas and spinach in a light lemon cream sauce - It sounded way better than it actually was. The sauce and al dente pasta were good, but it was completely ruined with the old , HARD peas. The peas weren’t fresh! Completely dissapointing.

It makes me wonder why this place has 4 stars on Yelp. Have these people never had good pasta before? I assume it’s because of the urban ambiance…

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Primavera - San Francisco

Primavera TamalesPrimavera
1 Ferry Plaza
Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
San Francisco, CA 94101
Neighborhood: Embarcadero

Rated: ♣♣♣♣

The Ferry Building Farmers’ Market can get overwhelming. Luckily, most of the food stands also come on Tuesdays or Thursdays, but it really takes a while for you to try food from every stand. On my last visit to the Saturday Farmers’ Market, I decided to try Primavera. Expensive, but great tasting tamales.

The scene:

I checked out their Yelp page and it seems like they switched up their menu quite often. I appreciate that because it shows they put real thought into their food and they keep their food fresh.

The food:

I got the 2 tamale plate for $9.50 and a pineapple cucumber aguas fresca.

2 tamale combo (pork and mushroom/spinach/cheese) - Both were moist and tasty. Good ratio of masa to filling. I’m a masa lover, so I could care less about the filling. However, the filling in both these tamales were delicious. Even though I love my meats, I always somehow prefer the vegetarian option over the meat. In my opinion, the mushroom and cheese tamale was better. The mushrooms were buttery and there was just enough cheese in the filling. The beans served with the tamales are thick, creamy and fresh. I could tell these beans were made in house rather than from a can. Muy perfecto.

Pineapple Cucumber Aguas Fresca - I am not a cucumber fan, but ordered the drink since it sounded really interesting. It was amazing. I never had anything like it before. It had some kind of tea base mixed with the juices of a pineapple and a cucumber. Occasionally, you’d run into chunks of the ingredients which added a little texture. Perfect drink for a hot day.

I’m thinking about coming back here next Tuesday to see what special tamales they’ll have on their menu. I read they sometimes serve a butternut squash tamale. I HAVE to try that if I ever see it on the menu.

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Park Chow - San Francisco

Park Chow
1240 9th Ave
(between Irving St & Lincoln Way)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
(415) 665-9912

Rated: ♣♣♣♣♣

I’ve been coming to Park Chow ever since I was a kid. The hook? Warm ginger bread cake with pumpkin ice cream and caramel sauce. First opened in 1997, it’s a good sign the Asian-Italian-American fusion restaurant is still packed after 13 years.

The scene:

The restaurant has a very home-y feel to it. The tip - request to sit upstairs by the fireplace. It’s very romantic and a great space for small parties. I usually have my holiday dinner with my friends in that part of the restaurant. The restaurant is dim and cozy, mostly because of the space heaters and the fireplaces.

The food:

I cycle between a handful of dishes - garden pasta, Smiling Noodles, Thai Style Noodles or the Eggplant Parmesan. All very delicious. K also likes to get the Short Ribs with Polenta - this, too, is outstanding.

Farfalle w/peas, asparagus, tomato, cream - What’s great about Park Chow is that they sell half orders. I wasn’t too hungry so I opted for the mini order which only cost me $7.50. Although it had cream sauce, the pasta was very light. Peas and asparagus were fresh, as expected. Old peas are no bueno.

Smiling Noodles of Chicken & Prawn w/bok choy, mushrooms, curry, black beans - Such a Park Chow classic. This pasta dish has been here for as long as I can remember and it’s still a hit. They use a linguine pasta and place it in a broth-like sauce. It’s tangy, mildly spicy and refreshing. The best part? Dipping your bread in the broth.

Warm Gingerbread w/Pumpkin Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce - I’m sorry I don’t have a photo of this yet. Last time I came here, I was just way too full to get dessert. Trust me, I’m regretting that. Anyway, the ginger bread is amazing. So fresh, you can tell it’s homemade. The crust of the cake it a little crunchy, but the center is soft and airy. It’s strong in ginger flavor, but it’s completely balanced with the mild pumpkin ice cream and caramel sauce. You have to order this if you visit.

I have a few tips when you eat here. Call ahead to put your name on the waiting list. Park Chow has never taken reservations, but you can call 20 minutes ahead of time to put your name down… especially since the restaurant is always crowded. I also recommend their breakfast menu. They make a bomb salmon benedict. Have that with a glass of their fresh squeezed, and very tart, lemonade and you’re set to have a wonderful rest of the day.

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Mijita - San Francisco

Mijita
1 Ferry Building #44
San Francisco, CA 94111
Neighborhood: Embarcadero

Rated: ♣

Mijita is terribly expensive for street-style Mexican food. K pointed at my $9 2-taco order and said, “I get those for $1.50 each at Taco’s Peralta in San Mateo.” Knowing that made it difficult to enjoy my meal.

The scene:

Mijita is situated in the back of the Ferry Building and gets quite crowded during lunch time. Wait staff is friendly, especially when I found a hair in my fish taco once and they replaced it and gave me a flan for free.

The food:

Pretty bad. I don’t even understand why this place is crowded. You can walk over to one of the taco trucks near by and get better Mexican food for half the price.

Fish tacos - I had this on a seperate occasion, so I don’t have a photo. I was a little turned off by it after I found the hair. Once you’ve had Nick’s, no other fish taco comes close.

Carnita’s tacos - Since I’m a picky eater, I ordered 2 tacos minus the salsa. When I got my order, I was surprised to find only meat and a tortilla wrapped in foil with no cabbage. It looked pretty unappetizing, so I asked for hot sauce. With the sauce, the taste wasn’t too bad. Meat was pretty dry and the tortillas kept cracking. Totally not worth my $9.

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