El Faro Mexican Food - South San Francisco

 435 El Camino Real, South San Francisco CA 94080
(650) 589-6288
Parking: parking lot
Hours: 8am-9pm Daily

Last Updated: March 24, 2024

While it's hard to do a review on one single item during one single visit, I was so pleased with my Happy Burrito from El Faro that I decided to post this review.  

I've been driving/walking by this place for over a decade and never stopped in until this day and while I didn't even set foot inside, their drive thru is so accessible and convenient, that I'm disappointed that I hadn't tried it before.  They've been around since 1961 after all.

- Happy Burrito - While this name isn't exactly common (unlike Super Burrito), I figured I would give it a true.  Who doesn't like lettuce and tomatoes with their super burrito (rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, and your choice of meat)? I chose to go with carnitas, my standard for a first try.  The burrito was filled with meat and the contents distributed well.  Blurry photo, but all was tasty and moist as it should be. Great. It even comes with a small bag of chips and two small containers of red salsa.  No complaints. While prices are climbing like everything else out there, they do offer their menu at cash prices and you can pay the extra 3+% for paying with credit.  I can't remember the exact price, but it was about $10+ before tax

So take it with a grain of salt considering the small sample size, but I would recommend El Faro and hope to be back soon to try out more of their menu.

Kuma Nori - Japanese, Burlingame

1861 El Camino Real, Burlingame CA 94010
(650) 689-5436
Parking: in strip mall parking lot

Hours: Tues-Sat 5pm-9:30pm, Closed Sun-Mon

Last Visited: February 17, 2024

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars 
Price: $$ to $$$$

From the owners of Morning Wood, now Diamond Head General Store, comes Kuma Nori.  I was walking through the shopping center and noticed the Japanese letters and stopped to look at the menu.  I wasn't planning on trying it until the Chow family mentioned how great the wagyudon is. Thanks to someone's thorough yelp review, I arrived at 4:20pm on a rainy Saturday and waited ten minutes for the iPad waitlist (on yelp) to be put outside, along with the A-frame sign containing the menu and the other sign saying BYOB since they don't have a liquor license yet.  From there, I returned to my vehicle, sheltered from the rain and wind.

 

About ten minutes before 5pm, I received my first text asking me to look at the menu since they're expecting large groups (aka 4 people) and then a little after, I received a second text - this one to get ready to be seated.  Your whole party must be present in order for you to be seated.  Note that if you have a need for a high chair, you should plan to count your baby/toddler as a member of your party since it's a small place (they managed to fit someone's baby, 5th wheel, onto the bench seating after a minor scolding about how that isn't a party of 4, but a party of 5).  Also note that even if you arrive early enough to be part of the first round of seating, they fill the restaurant about 1/3 of the way full to manage the kitchen.    

Once in the restaurant, the pop music blaring and modern decorations make it a fun and casual atmosphere, but tables are quite close together - it's actually hard to get into and out of the two person tables since one side is bench seating along the wall.  You're right next to your neighbor which is great for seeing what everyone else has ordered, but bad news if you're seeking a private experience.

I wanted to balance out my selection with one fried item, one meat with rice, and one other dish.  

- "Almost famous" fried chicken - The menu says that this boneless fried chicken has a spicy salt and vinegar rub, comes with nanban sauce, shredded cabbage, and 'ryowa' sauce.  Since I had gotten the Morning Wood spicy fried chicken and nearly collapsed from the aftermath of too much habanero and my system not tolerating the spicy sauce, I knew I wanted to try their fried chicken again, this time, without the spice.  Of the three dishes, this was by far the best one - juicy dark meat, crunchy batter, and finely shredded cabbage topped with a creamy sauce containing small pieces of egg white and sprinkled with green onions.  This was a perfect balance - fried goodness and a refreshing salad with creamy dressing.  I had to look up what nanban referred to and found that unlike karaage where you marinate and then fry, nanban chicken is just the opposite - it's usually fried and then dipped in sauce.  That's likely why there is a separate sauce here with red chili in it - so as to keep the batter crispy.  Even without the nanban sauce, it's quite tasty and the crunch lasted throughout the meal as we savored the last bite after trying other dishes and nearly finishing our dinner.  Solid four stars - if I were to go back, I would definitely get this again. It's easily shareable and very good.  $23

- Crab roll - Dungeness crab meat is put inside a butter obanyaki and served with frisee and a yuzu kosho hollandaise sauce.  So reading the Kuma Nori menu is an experience in itself as it's a guessing game if you don't know all of your Japanese foods well.  Once again, I wasn't sure what to expect and had to look up what obanyaki is.  If it sounds like takoyaki, it's in the same family.  It's like having a crab cake and not at the same time.  The tender crab meat is very moist and stuffed inside of this pancake batter which has been crisped in whatever device they are using in the kitchen.  What's weird is that they don't serve this with a knife and fork (unlike the chicken which came with a large steak knife and a fork).  This makes for a great appetizer.  The crab gives this dish a lot of richness and the creamy yuzu kosho sauce is a nice pairing, although it's not particularly strong. Yuzu koshu is a Japanese condiment made of fresh chilis, salt, and the juice and zest of yuzu (a citrus fruit).  However, I pretty much just tasted a very mild citrus and not much else.  The frisee is topped with tiny round rice crackers (bubu arare) which gave it a little crunch. This was ok to try, but personally, I like this type of pancake as a dessert with red bean instead of crab.  I would choose a crab cake over this dish, although the pancake was browned nicely and a touch crispy.  $32

- Wagyudon - The wagyudon is listed as market price based on the specific farm and cut.  Today's was from Hokkaido prefecture.  The menu lists this as house tare, shoyu cured egg yolk, steamed rice, and garlic. Some other things that come with this is pickled vegetables, microgreens, green onions, tiny round rice crackers (bubu arare), and fresh horseradish.  On the wall is a certificate of authenticity for the wagyu.  So this is going to sound like I'm a total snob, but after having Kobe beef in Japan where I had to cook it myself, I still remember the wonderful fattiness and how that complemented the slight smokiness from the grill.  Here, you can enjoy thin rare slices in the house tare, which is typically made with soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown sugar, vinegar, and aromatics.  The rice in the layer below contains furikake and the sauce is soaked into the rice making for a flavorful bite.  Let me break this down.  The meat is tender and fatty.  Nothing is overcooked even if you leave the lid on it for a bit (I was still eating the crab roll and let this sit a little).  Each bite feels luscious, creamy, and rich and occasionally, you'll get a crispy garlic chip which is a burst of flavor on its own.  However, some of the pieces of beef contained sinew. It was manageable, but still present.  I also longed for the wagyu to have that touch of smokiness from being cooked and that was missing.  It's more like eating a tartare which can also be good, but is not the same.  I'm sure cooking it would also be a tricky endeavor because then it could become tough and overcooked if you're not careful. This dish was just ok for me.  It's easily shareable if you want to try other things. $68

When it comes to service, the two servers were friendly, but considering that your bill has an automatic 18% gratuity, I expect a bit more service.  Menus are already on the table when you arrive.  Since I had already looked at the menu as instructed by the text and was ready to order, the wait seemed extra long.  They don't bring water unless you ask for it, so you're pretty much just waiting for everything. 

I heard the server telling the table behind us that the crab roll was a new menu item and asking about what they thought about it, but he didn't ask us.  While that server did come to remove a plate and checked on us once, nobody checked on us again until the end of the meal when they brought the bill and simultaneously asked if we wanted anything else.   

While it was a good place to try since we were celebrating a special occasion, the price tag for most dishes is pretty high.  The food is a variation of what you can get elsewhere; for example, the kuma katsudon is made with a rather large kurobuta pork rib loin, but even in the short period that the restaurant has been open (just a few months), the price tag for that has already gone up and is now $38.  

Other menu items include hambagu steak (hamburger steak), metaiko crab pasta, and the stupid tuna roll which is quite a popular offering.  

Overall, visiting Kuma Nori was an experience that you can't find locally, and I would definitely get the fried chicken again.  The other items were three stars for me.  If you plan to go, show up early to get on the waitlist. 

The Cake Queen & Coffee Bar - Bakery, South San Francisco

132 Brentwood Dr, South San Francisco CA 94080
(650) 593-CAKE
Hours: Wed-Thurs 7am-3:30pm, Fri 7am-5pm, Sat 8am-5pm, Sun 9am-2pm, Closed Mon-Tues
Parking: street parking, nearby public parking lot
https://www.bayareacakequeen.com/

Last Visited: December 8, 2023

Food: 3 star ube tres leches

Atmosphere: 3 stars

Price: $$

Service: 4 stars

I had been hearing about The Cake Queen for some time and was hoping to try their ube cupcakes to celebrate a special occasion.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any and when I asked when they usually have them, the nice lady at the counter said that there isn't a specific day of the week when they show up, but you can always order them - dozen minimum.

She recommended that I try the ube tres leches since this is one of their most popular offerings, noting that people create tiktoks about it. While this latter fact wasn't what sold me, since I enjoy ube, I would settle for this which wouldn't be that bad.  

- Ube Tres Leches - The cake is pre-packaged in a plastic box and topped with whipped cream and ube dust.  The cake is heavily soaked with the pretty purple milk (if it's like typical tres leches, it's condensed milk, evaporated milk, and regular milk).  I thought this was a rather large amount of milk - you can see from the photo that it's not just soaked, but pretty mc swimming in the milk.  At first bite, it's quite sweet and the ube flavor is not prominent.  As you continue with additional bites, the sweetness is not as prominent.  One unusual thing I noticed after the two separate sittings of eating this cake is that I felt extremely thirsty after this.  I wasn't sure if it's because of the sugar or something else, but I rarely have that response to sweets.  

It's a pretty purple and the cake is thoroughly soaked, but I probably wouldn't order this again.  Service is friendly, but maybe their other baked goods and desserts would be better to try.   

D Cafe - Chinese, Daly City

137 D St, Daly City CA 94014
(415) 347-7168
Parking: in the lot across the street after 3pm or other nearby parking lot
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-7pm

Last Visited: September 7, 2023

Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$  

D Cafe, located on D Street in Daly City near the Colma BART station, just opened up about a month ago.  We had called in a takeout order for what seemed to be their signature items, and while I was chatting with Winnie, who was working the front counter, she told me these are what they recommend as their best dishes.  

The cafe is newly remodeled and has three tables inside and one table on the outside.  The space is pretty small, but if you want to watch their big screen tv, they were showing some Chinese variety show on it.  They offer a variety of smoothies and boba milk teas, but you should know it's not specializing in these items.  Winnie offered me an original boba milk tea to try and I can confirm their tea is strong, but the boba, while ok, has a tendency to stick together making it a bit difficult to break up using the straw alone.  If I were to order the milk tea, I would get it plain without the boba.  One unique thing on their menu is the breakfast combos - you can get dishes like instant noodle soup with spam and egg or a congee with Hong Kong coffee or Hong Kong style milk tea included.  Add a dollar for iced versions of the drinks.  

- House Signature Hainanese Chicken over Rice - While the menu lists this as Hainanese chicken, compared to the authentic version, this doesn't quite hit the mark fully, but it's still a good poached chicken and the ginger sauce that accompanies the chicken is still pretty addictive - something has been added that makes you go back for more and it's a great accompaniment.  The chicken is a mixture of dark and white meat and poached until tender - you can see from the photo that there isn't any red in the bone and when you taste the meat, it's not overcooked in the slightest.  The skin is 'crisp' as it would be described by the Chinese word - what that means is that it has a bit of bounce/toothsomeness versus being too soft.  The rice is lightly seasoned and it comes with several stalks of cooked yau choy.  All of this is good, but typical Hainan chicken comes with chili sauce and cucumber garnishes, so it's close, but not quite.  Good nevertheless and worth trying. $14.95

- Braised Beef Stew & Lettuce Clay Pot - Between the two dishes, this was my favorite.  If you were expecting just chunks of beef stew, this might not be to your preference, but I appreciated the mix of tendons and stew pieces, all cooked until tender without being soggy or feeling like it was overcooked. Lettuce lined the bottom of the dish and the stew included celery and carrot slices.  It wasn't too salty and the vegetables added that little bit of freshness to contrast the richness of the sauce and meat.  Leftovers eaten the next day were equally good as day one.  I would definitely get this again and recommend it to others.   $17.95

I'm not sure which dish it came with, but I was also given a container of fuzzy melon soup that contained soy beans, a pork bone, and small pieces of carrot.  If you're accustomed to Cantonese style food, you'll appreciate the soup broth.

Considering that all of these dishes were well packed for the ride home and they give you sturdy forks and spoons, I feel comfortable getting takeout again and not worrying about the condition of the food not being up to snuff due to the travel time.  I expect to be back to try other dishes on their menu including comfort food favorites like wonton noodles, available with or without beef stew and dry-fried string beans.  

Prince's Hot Chicken - Southern, Nashville

5055 Broadway, Stall # 2268, Nashville CA 37203
Parking: paid parking lots and street parking
Hours: Sun-Thurs 10:30am-10pm, Fri-Sat 10:30am-Midnight

Last Visited: August 10, 2023

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ 

The origins of hot chicken are often attributed to the legend of Thornton Prince, a ladies' man that stepped out on his girlfriend one day and when she found out, she crafted her revenge.  The Sunday fried chicken dinner she was cooking would be doused with hot spice, and instead of the revenge she had hoped for, he wanted more.   

Located in the Assembly Food Hall, Level 2 South, you'll find Prince's Hot Chicken amidst many choices of Nashville fare.  From the street level, this is a bit hidden, but once you navigate the space, it's not hard to locate the line of folks excited to enjoy the original hot chicken.  

After having a number of days of barbecue and other fried chicken dinners, I opted for a salad with mild chicken tenders. One thing you should know is that the Assembly Hall doesn't offer the full range of chicken dishes (like leg quarters or breast quarters) that Prince's Hot Chicken South offers, but you can still get wings and tenders.  This operation seems like they limited the menu purposely to address the crowds.

- Fried Chicken Salad - This came with two tenders (choose your own spicy level) and the salad contained spring mix, grated cheese, a few cucumber slices, and grape tomatoes. Choose your own dressing. It's a hearty portion and the greens are fresh.  The salad appears pre-packed and waits in the window while your chicken is being prepared.  The tenders are white meat and while juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, the amount of oil on the paper wrapping the tenders was a bit unappetizing.  The good thing is that the chicken is served separate from the salad.  Compared to another famous fried chicken spot, it seemed inferior, but okay.  $12

While it was fresh and tasted fine, I thought the mild was still a bit too mild, and I would choose medium heat next time.  Given the limited menu, I probably would head to Prince's Hot Chicken South so I could compare them against their competition better by ordering a friend leg quarter instead.  Service was okay, but nothing special - not extra friendly, but not bad either. 
Overall, it was just an okay experience.   

Hattie B's West - Nashville, Fried Chicken

5209 Charlotte Ave, Nashville TN 37209
(615) 576-3900
Parking: parking lot
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 11am-4pm
www.hattieb.com

Last Visited: August 11, 2023

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

When you look up Nashville hot chicken, Hattie B's is one of the first places to pop up. While they aren't the original, it's clear why this place stands out.  During my recent trip to Nashville, I started and ended my ten day adventure at Hattie B's because what better way to understand the local vibe than to go where the locals go?

Hattie B's Nashville West also was one of the most accessible locations when it comes to waiting in line.  During both visits, I only encountered a very short line, and after reading about their other spots, I'm glad I chose this one and didn't have to worry about the line out the door and around the corner.  If you don't want to wait, pickup is also available and you can order ahead.

Nashville hot chicken is typically attributed to Thornton Prince (I'll write a review on that chain next).  Typically served on a piece of white bread and pickles, hot chicken is essentially fried chicken that has been dipped in a hot sauce that ranges from no spice (also known as 'Southern' at Hattie B's) to blow your top off (aka 'Shut the Cluck Up!!!' - which is a trademarked statement).  Hattie B's has made a name for having good chicken and excellent side dishes.  Here, you can mix and match your preferences - bones versus no bones, dark versus white meat, wings, tenders, and a sandwich.  For the latter two, you can get it fried or grilled.  What you're not going to find is a plain green salad where you add chicken.  Instead, there is an assortment of sides including pimento mac & cheese, crinkle-cut fries, southern greens, baked beans, bacon & cheddar grits, red skin potato salad, creamy cole slaw, black eyed pea salad, and desserts, including peach cobbler, ice cream, and banana pudding.  You can also get their waffles, fried pickles, or dirty fries. 

Parking was a bit packed, but there were still spaces available in their lot, and when I arrived, the line was short. Order at the counter and then you're given a number to place at your table.  Drinks are self-serve.  When your food is ready, one of the staff brings it to you and takes away the number when your order is complete and the staff frequently checks the table to see what baskets can be removed.  It's a mix between fast-food and light service.  

- Large Dark - A small dark is one leg/thigh quarter, and a large dark is comprised of two.  The one on the left is Southern and the Medium one on the right can be seen glistening a bit from the dipping into the spiced oil.  Medium has a tiny bit of kick and is completely tolerable.  They even say that Hot!, the next level up is an 'everyday' heat level.  Bite into this chicken and it's got crunch from the thicker areas of batter and the meat is incredibly juicy even to the last bite.  I wish we had this quality of chicken at home at more places.  Crunchy pickle slices top the chicken.  Even during my second visit, this was still perfect and the chicken wasn't too fatty.  Included with the meal is two sides.  $9.50 Small/ +$4 Large

In general, sides varied from $3 to $3.50

- Pimento Mac & Cheese - You have to eat this one hot so you can enjoy the creamy texture and softness of each bite.  Once it gets cold, it's lost what made it special.  While it wasn't the best mac and cheese I've ever had, it was definitely good.  However, if you like your pasta more al dente, this will not meet your tastes.

- Coleslaw - classic coleslaw with a light mayonnaise-based sauce.  Cabbage was fresh and not too sweet. Good. I ordered it during my second visit too.

- Southern greens - Their greens contain pork and is clearly labelled to indicate that it's not a vegetarian dish.  It wasn't too salty or mushy.  Just right and ordered it a second time.

- Red skin potato salad - During my second visit, I tried this for the first time - see picture below.  Large chunks of potato are covered in a lightly creamy, not runny, mayonnaise-based dressing.  Just the right balance without being too salty.

- Waffles - Two small waffles are served with whipped honey butter and breakfast syrup.  The waffles are extra crispy and topped with powdered sugar.  I liked how the texture was crispy and this would have been a fine dessert instead of a side. 

- Banana pudding - I had read reviews saying to be sure to leave room for dessert.  Banana pudding is typically vanilla pudding with sliced bananas topped with nilla wafers, but this one was kind of mushy.  The nilla wafers in the pudding had gotten soggy and the ratio of cookie to pudding seemed to be too high.  There was an abundance of banana so you definitely get a strong banana flavor, but of all the dishes I tried, this was my least favorite and I wouldn't recommend it. It's the cup with two spoons in the photo above. $4 

 

I liked the friendly staff, but learned during my second visit that you can order your chicken with sauces which was not presented as an option during my first visit.  Maybe the person at the register thought I had been there before, but during my second visit, I was clearly given the option to select a sauce.  You might not need it anyway because the chicken is so juicy, but it's still nice to have the option.  During my second visit, I opted for Southern and was still happy with my choice.  Hattie B's is consistent and their West location is less busy, at least in my recent experience.  The music blares pretty loudly, so it can be hard to hear if you're having a conversation, but overall, I was pleased with my experience and would recommend it for others to try. 

Stonemill Matcha - Japanese Cafe, San Francisco

 561 Valencia St, San Francisco CA 94110
(415) 796-3876
Parking: street parking
Hours: 10am-3pm Wed-Sun, Closed Mon-Tues
https://www.stonemillmatcha.com

Last Visited: June 4, 2023

Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: N/A
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$

I've been wanting to go to Stonemill Matcha for some time because I really like good matcha and they have a matcha cream pie that I read about in an article that was offering a copycat recipe.  Since I ran across the recipe during Covid and tried to make it, but things went a bit awry, I was waiting for an opportunity to check out the cafe, and on this day, I finally made it.

The line outside the door shows the popularity of the place.  Whether it's waiting for your party to all arrive before entering, or the constant hustle and bustle of take out orders, it seems like a rarity not to find a line.  They've anticipated your arrival, even creating a gap in the line for those walking on the sidewalk in front of the shop.  The menu offers light Japanese fare like a pork katsu sando, korroke (potato croquette), or chicken katsu curry to name a few. There are also sides like miso soup and tsukemono (Japanese pickles) available.  Coming to a place with matcha in the name makes getting matcha items a no-brainer, and for me, I had to get the pie that eluded me. 

- Matcha Cream Pie - Described as silky matcha custard, fluffy citrus cream, and flakey pie crust, if any of those things sound good, you surely won't be disappointed.  Is it life changing? Not quite, but it is very good.  The custard has a strong matcha flavor that isn't too sweet. The citrus cream is the best part though; the pairing of the orange zest and citrus flavoring with the matcha gives a lightness that I enjoyed with each bite - it's a delight for your palate.  The pie crust is flakey and golden brown; it holds up well.  The dusting of matcha on the cream makes for a nice presentation - my photo doesn't quite do it justice since this was after a ride in the car.  Nevertheless, it was very good.  $7.50

- Matcha Latte - Matcha, milk, and cane sugar.  Even with ice, the matcha flavor stayed strong throughout the time I enjoyed the drink.  It's smooth and not too grassy.  The price reflects the quality I suppose.  Good.  $6

While I would get these both again, for me, it's not so great that it's worth driving a long distance for.  If you're in the Mission, it's worth a try.  You might purchase some of the matcha products to make drinks at home yourself and that would be a more sustainable long term solution if you develop a matcha habit. 

Service is not particularly friendly or standout.   What is noticeable is that despite these being fairly easy items to fulfill from an order perspective, the wait time was at least 15 minutes if not more; you may want to order ahead if you know you're going to be in the area.  Even those who ordered ahead still had a little wait, but you can approach the window for pick up without waiting in the order line.