Monday, December 19, 2016

"Nice Buns" she said

Any of you who know San Francisco know we have some very interesting people in this town. And if you know the city, you know the Tenderloin packs a lot of "personality" into a shrinking neighborhood.

So if I told you I was eating in the Tenderloin and someone said to me "nice buns", you'd imagine I was speaking to a prostitute of some sex(gay, straight, trans). And I would say "Thank you, I work out" and then run before they tried to get their claws in me.

But in this case, the buns in question weren't of the gluteous maximus variety, but rather the Taiwanese street food variety.

Everyone knows about the now not so trendy Food Truck scene. It has been thriving in San Francisco for many years. And one of the stars of the scene has been The Chairman. This truck specializes Taiwanese stuffed buns, and always has long lines of people wanting to dig in.

But they now have a Brick and Mortar location, which has become the norm for successful food trucks. And it was at this small spot in the Tenderloin that I came on a Friday night for a quick bite.

The Chairman specializes in 2 types of buns, Baked and Steamed. The difference comes down to size. Baked buns are basically burger sized and are the larger of the 2. Steamed buns are about street taco sized. So if you are hungry, the Baked buns are the way to go. I tend to prefer the baked buns in terms of the flavor of the bun itself, while the ingredients inside remain the same.

Being a brick and mortar location, they have a bit of an expanded menu. So while I have had all their meaty buns in the past(cause I don't do vegetarian when given the option), I had never had their 2x Fried Chicken Wings.

The wings come in 2 sizes, 4 and 6 wings. Which doesn't sound like a lot, except when they told me that each wing is the full wing, with both the single boned drum and double boned wing. They come in a slightly sweet sticky sauce, which was very tasty, and made better with sriracha. However, when someone tells me a wing is 2x fried, I expect something a bit more crispy in nature, and these were not really crispy at all. I'm a sucker for good fried wings, and unless the location is Korean, I think these days you are out of luck. That said, the wings were meaty and a good value considering the size of the portion.

On this occasion I also grabbed a steamed bun to compliment my wings. I had the pork belly, their most popular choice. I've said before I'm over pork belly, so I went against myself on this. But in small volume like this, I think it's a nice treat. And paired with tumeric pickled radishes, a great combo of flavor.

My friend had the braised pork on a baked bun with sprouts. Side by side, his looked like a complete meal on a bun. The baked bun just looks tastier, with the shiny coated exterior of the bun, contrasted with the boring white of the steamed bun.

So if you are hitting the Chairman for a quick bite(which is convenient since it is close to Great American Music Hall and Mitchell Brothers), I recommend getting a baked bun with pork not of the belly variety. You can't go wrong with the choice.

And they will hopefully have beer soon to help quench your thirst.

So slap those buns and enjoy!

Monday, December 5, 2016

Fat Boy Friday

Ah Friday's, the last day of the week. You've been working hard, and now for a hard earned lazy lunch. I think I started Fat Boy Fridays at my last job. We happened to work next door to a Super Duper Burger in San Francisco. Which aside from great burgers, has free french fries with every beer at happy hour. There aren't many better ways to end a week that that.

But I now in San Mateo now, and there is no Super Duper outside my office. Actually there isn't much of anything. Just 1 restaurant called Apple Fritter. Yes, there is a Specialtys down the street but I hate that place. And in the other direction is a shopping mall with Asian restaurants. Most of which leave a lot to be desired.

But I went to Yelp to learn more about the Fritter. Now I know Yelp is evil, coercing companies to pay to remove bad reviews that could damage their business. Very mafia like but without Al Pacino in the starring role. However, when any establishment has over 400 reviews and 4 stars, there is no amount of coniving that Yelp can do to effect that, So I went to the reviews. And they were very enthusiastic about the burgers and breakfasts!

So I asked some people in the office, and sadly no one had actually eaten there. Ok maybe 1 or 2. But in an office of over 30 people, no one had eaten at the closest place to them. I was mystified and had to learn more. And learn I have.

To date I think I have eaten at the Fritter 5 times. Every time I have gotten a burger. Sometimes with chips, sometimes with fries, and sometimes with a custard shake. All are great.

Let's start with the most important part, the burger. This is one of those places that has standard burgers, and then the wacky burgers with different toppings, including a burger on a donut. I love those things! And anyplace that is willing to put it on their menu shares my fat guy in a skinny body mentality, or they are just fat and prone to heart attacks. Either way...

Rather than review each burger I've had I will touch on the basics, namely the burger and traditional accompaniments. First off the patty. I hate these places that griddle a thin patty and call it gourmet. If you can't cook a burger with some thickness and still leave some pink, so aren't trying. These guys griddle there relatively thick burgers in butter I'm pretty sure, cause they crisp up real good, but still retain some pink in the middle. That's all I expect from a burger like this, and it is super tasty. And if you add cheese, it isn't some skimpy piece, but a mass of cheese. My burger on Friday had massive amounts of cheese escaping the sides, and not dripping like some thin piece of cheese, but holding together because it was such a thick slice. And the bacon is cooked just right, not limp, not crisp, right in between.

Now you can add different cheeses, and mushrooms and all sorts of other stuff, and trust me, all the combos are great! And they have other fun burgers like the Luther(on a donut!), Wild Thang(with onion rings), Hawaii BBQ.

Chips vs fries is your next decisions. The chips are fresh made in house and come out how. Super crispy and delicious, and seasoned well, they are outstanding. The fries are long and thin, though not quite McDs thin, but just as good if not better. Because they are a little fatter, they still retain the feeling of actual potato on the inside.

This place also makes mean shakes. But they are made out of frozen custard, not ice cream. Choice of blends include M&Ms, oreos, Butterfingers and much more. The nice lady who makes them even came to our table after we ordered them on Friday to ask us a couple of clarifying questions on how we wanted them and offered her opinion. She's the best!

Of course, they make fresh donuts daily, and also make a mean breakfast as well. Lines out the door to order are the norm here. And being in San Mateo means lots of sun, so try to snag one of the outdoor tables if you can.

If they had better coffee, this place would be a dream, but at least they have beer! So if you find yourself in San Mateo, god help you. But if you are hungry, hit Apple Fritter! You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Friday, December 2, 2016

We're coming back in 2017!

Happy December 2016! Which means Thanksgiving is over, and I'm working off the extra pounds, which is very tough in a walking boot, grrr.

And Thanksgiving means being home with the family, and my parents asking why I haven't been writing more, especially as I eat so much fast casual food which is great for reviewing. Of course, I somehow magically didn't eat anything fast casual while in the city.

But I'm back in San Francisco, the mecca of fast casual. And when I looked at my email this morning and saw the receipt from Square for dinner and boom, we're back!

So what did I have for dinner you ask? With 2 colleagues from work, we wandered our way into the SOMA Food Truck depot. For those who don't know, this is a permanent location in San Francisco where there is always 6-10 different food trucks parked. They also have tons of seating, outdoors and covered, plus beer and wine and games. I've watched the Super Bowl and Presidential Debates here, and it is quite the scene.

But last night I happened upon a new truck, which is always fun. This one specialized in Filipino food. Now SF is definitely light on this cuisine, though if you head to Daly City or Fremont, it is available in abundance. But when you see a cuisine in s food truck, you know it won't be like anything you find in the traditional restaurants.

So we decided to give the Sarap Shop a whirl. And we were not disappointed.

You can choose to have you meal on rice with pickled veggies, in a wrap with french fries inside(how very Pittsburgh) or as a salad. I think we all know as a hot blooded American, we chose the wrap option.

I chose the breaded BBQ chicken, and my colleague had the pork belly. Side note on pork belly, I'm pretty over it. Just give me some roasted pork or braised pork, hold the fat, or throw on some bacon. Maybe that's because I've had some much fatty pork belly recently that wasn't great that I can't stomach a whole plate of it.

But back to the food. Let's start with the bread. They used a thick wrap, not tortilla or pita style. So it had that soft fluffy interior after being slightly grilled on the outside. Inside we'll start with the chicken. Breaded, Fried and lightly tossed in their BBQ sauce, and there was a lot of it in the sandwich So much that when a big piece fell out, I kept eating because there wasn't room to put it back in. I love it when places don't skimp on the meat.

Also in the sandwich were french fries. Crispy, thin and golden, McDs style, they add that nice texture into the sandwich in the beginning. Of course, it is a big sandwich, filled with their version of cole slaw, which has some great tang, so after some time the fries get soggy and lost inside. But still, who doesn't love fries in their sandwich(or burrito).

The pork belly sandwich delivered as well. The meat wasn't too fatty, a bit crisp from frying, and coated in delicious adobo sauce. And having made adobo myself, it's easy to get wrong, and these guys get it right.

Of course these guys aren't there every night. Usually in their spot in an Udon shop which I am also a fan of. But if you feel like stalking a very good sandwich with Filipino flavor, you can't go wrong here.

And coming up soon, my review of Apple Fritter in San Mateo. Think super greasy burgers! Yes!