Bacon Bacon Truck - San Francisco

Rated: ♣♣♣

I’m about to share with you something so disgustingly delicious, my heart is still hating me for the torture I put it through.

My coworkers and I trekked over to The Truck Stop (in an alley on Mission St. between Fremont and First) to try the newly popular Bacon Bacon truck. Apparently everyone else in the Financial District had the same idea because at about 11:45, there was already an hour wait in line! If you plan to try Bacon Bacon, I encourage you to get there when it opens to cut the wait time. They also run out of food as the day goes on, so the earlier the better.

Once I ordered, I had to wait another 30 minutes before I got my food. These guys seriously need an actual store front to handle the traffic. I ordered the Belly sandwich and a piece of chocolate covered bacon for dessert. The sandwich is a slab of crispy pork belly, a fried egg, arugula and caper aioli on a brioche bun. I feel like they only threw arugula in there to taunt me for eating a sandwich that’s 90% pure fat. Like, “Hey, you’re about to eat a 3,000 calorie sandwich, but it’s okay because there are some greens in it.” When I took my first bite into the sandwich, the yolk immediately popped and ran down my hand. The croissant-like roll paired with the crispy and juicy chunks of pork belly was like an explosion of amazingness in my mouth. I’m glad I savored every bite because there’s no way I can put my body through this again.

The chocolate covered bacon was interesting. They took a very thick slice of bacon, toasted it up and coated it in chocolate and toffee bits. Who knew chocolate and bacon made for a tasty combination?

I was also able to try some of the bacon bouquet (yes, it’s a bouquet of bacon) and the spicy belly fries. The bacon itself has got to be the best bacon I’ve ever had. So thick and crispy with the right amount of saltiness. It also appeared to be deep fried. The spicy belly fries packed a lot of heat, but I didn’t care for them all too much. They were topped with loose shredded pork (which tasted like Hawaiian kalua pork) that seemed separated from the fries. Like, you couldn’t eat the fries and toppings in one bite. you’d have to eat the plain fries first, then the shredded pork.

I’ll admit that the Belly sandwich is one of my top ranked sandwiches next to Roli Roti’s porchetta sandwich. But because of the fat content, I don’t think I’ll be coming back here again. It just doesn’t seem worth it with the wait time. I guess it’s one of those places you have to try once.

Bacon Bacon truck
LocationL varies

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I Met Alice Waters!

Alice Waters is kind of a big deal in the Bay Area food scene. You may know her from her world famous restaurant, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley. I’ve never been able to try it out, but many famous Bay Area restaurants have birthed out of our kitchen such as Foreign Cinema, Bakesale Betty’s and Ici. And several weeks ago, I was lucky enough to meet her during the Chez Panisse 40th Anniversary Event on Maiden Lane in downtown SF.

In addition to celebrating 40 years, she was promoting her organization, The Edible Schoolyard, which aims to educate students on eating “real food.” Waters is a real advocate of cooking with locally grown food and she demonstrates that at Chez Panisse. I support her cause 100%, and you can learn more about it here.

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Saiwaii Ramen - San Francisco

Sawaii Ramen Tonkatsu

Rated: ♣♣♣

Ramen joints are anywhere and everywhere these days like here, here, here and here. It’s just one of those comfort foods that you can’t get enough of. While itching for some ramen one evening, I went with a friend to try Saiwaii Ramen, which took over the old SO’s location on Irving. I was moderately impressed with the restaurant, and would definitely come back if I wanted some quick ramen for dinner.

Unlike the very popular Izakaya Sozai, we were seated almost immediately. They had some interesting ramen choices on their menu like the Spicy Garlic Tonkatsu Ramen and the Special Ramen with Chicken Kara-age AND pigs feet. I decided to be adventurous (kidding) and try the Tonkatsu Ramen. And then I experienced something that I never thought would happen… I had way too many noodles! The ratio of noodles and broth was completely off. Though I was excited at my ginormous portion, I didn’t have enough broth to go with each bite. The ramen had the usual fixings - bamboo shoots, spinach, seaweed, char-siu, and wood ear fungus. The ramen was fairly plain and basic. You can order additional toppings such as pork belly, egg, corn - each at a price. The broth was creamy and flavorful, but I’d say it’s lighter than other ramen places. Noticeably absent from their assortment of condiments was grated garlic. Too bad because I love adding that stuff into my ramen.

I wouldn’t say Saiwaii had the best ramen I’ve ever had. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing either. I think it’s sufficient to settle a ramen craving. The broth is flavorful, noodles are at a good consistency and portions are large. At $7.95 a bowl, I was stuffed without having to order any side dishes. If you’re in the mood for ramen and can’t get into Izakaya Sozai (also on Irving), try this place out.

Saiwaii Ramen
2240 Irving
(between 23rd Ave & 24th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
Neighborhood: Outer Sunset

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Fondue Cowboy - San Francisco

Rated: ♣♣♣

Friday night, I moseyed on down to the Fondue Cowboy for a spaghetti western and… melted cheese? Whoever came up with the combination of fondue and cowboys is obviously crazy, but they know how to serve up a mean cheese.

Though you may consider this restaurant a gimmick, you’d be surprised at how trendy the restaurant is. If you could ignore the western flick playing behind the bar and the giant painting of Clint Eastwood’s face on the wall, this could be your typical after work happy hour spot. I actually don’t think they went far enough with the whole cowboy theme. I picked this place off of Open Table because of its name. So, I was expecting to be served a piping hot pot of cheese by a waiter in leather chaps and a Bolo tie. Instead, I got a male hipster in tight jeans.

Between 3 people, we shared one fondue with an added meat plate. I can’t remember the name of the fondue we ordered, but I believe it had gruyere, mushrooms, white wine and roasted garlic. We were slightly concerned about our diets, so we made sure we ordered the fondue with mushrooms in it. The cheese was so thick and rich, I’m glad we only ordered one. The accoutrements were plentiful - cubed pieces of bread, some crispy garlic bread, broccoli, roasted potatoes, mini pickles, olives, grapes and apples. The cured meat plate that we ordered in addition consisted of prosciutto, salami, sweet melon and other cured meats. All this food was dunked in the creamy gruyere and devoured.

I was thoroughly satisfied with the fondue at this place. After scraping the pot clean of any leftover droplets of cheese, we were way too full for chocolate fondue for dessert. That’s one thing I realized… when I go out for fondue, it’ll either be savory or sweet. There’s no freaking way I could eat both in one meal. My heart might kill me for it. All-in-all, the restaurant is fun and casual and I wouldn’t mind coming back for more.

Fondue Cowboy
1052 Folsom St
(between Russ St & Sherman St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: SOMA

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