Night Market - Chinese, South San Francisco

2308 South Spruce Ave, South San Francisco CA 94080
(650) 634-8388
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am - 2:30pm
Parking: parking lot and street parking

Last Visited: June 25, 2017

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

Night Market opened a few months ago and is located next to Spruce café across the street from Hung To Restaurant.  The signage is discreet and if you didn't know what was there, it would be easy to pass it by without a second glance.  Winnie told me about it as she had heard good things.

Enter Night Market and it's a bit dark.  You'll see a small screen along with a menu holder.  On the right is an 'Order here' sign along with a tv screen above it showing today's specials.  Available today were items like cola chicken and pineapple buns (which come out of the oven every 30 minutes).  The menu is comprised of favorites, a choose your base and protein option, snacks, and drinks (tea, Asian soda, and fresh juice).

Folding tables are scattered throughout the space and surrounded by bright red and blue plastic stools.  The intent behind the design of the menu and environment is to mimic the night markets and hawker stands that are popular in many Asian countries where the food is the primary draw and the seating is purely functional, not beautiful.   The side brick wall has been painted with black chalkboard paint and individual bricks have been decorated with various drawings.  The rear wall serves as a projection screen for an Asian movie.  Along the walls are the stainless steel food carts with a space for you to peer at the various snacks and dishes in their pots.  There is also a drink station, which based on the mini wooden barrels present (typically used for sweet tofu), I would guess will also be a dessert station soon.

After you order, your number is called, sometimes several times depending on which station your order came from.  They have a tray at the main station so you can take your food back to your table easily and if you need help, they can also assist.  Condiments and silverware are found in the center of the room for you to serve yourself. 

- Curry Fish Balls (6 pieces) - These tender fish balls are cooked in a curry sauce and served three to a skewer.  Typical street food, these were very reminiscent of what you would find on the streets in Hong Kong.  Good. $2

- Night Market Hainan Chicken with rice - Generally, Hainan Chicken is almost as well known as its accompanying rice which is typically cooked with the broth used to cook the chicken, making the rice extremely flavorful.  Night Market does a great job with their Hainan chicken with rice.  The chicken is boneless and both are served with boiled cabbage (not bland because it too is cooked in the chicken broth).  A small serving of pickled vegetables (daikon radish and carrots), ginger and scallion sauce, and hot sauce are also served with the dish.  It's filling for a single serving, but could easily be shared. Great. $8

- Choose a base, choose a protein $8
Base: White rice, noodle salad, soup noodle, steamed buns (2 pieces)
Protein: Spicy tofu, fried tofu, Hainan chicken, satay beef brisket (+0.95), curry beef brisket (+0.95), roast pork belly, BBQ pork, pork chop

In Hong Kong, this has become a popular model for restaurants and often also includes choosing a sauce.  You can also add an additional protein for $3. 


- Satay Beef Brisket with Soup Noodles - From this menu of choices, I chose this combination.  The brisket was tender and well flavored.  The turnip was tender and cooked through, but the flavor from the sauce has not made it to the center of the turnip - it's almost as though the two were cooked separately.  Along with the brisket are tendons which were also tender.  The noodles and broth are served separately - the noodles were al dente and the broth was flavorful.  Two pieces of yau choy were served with it.  I would definitely get this again. $8.95

Desserts like pineapple buns and pudding cakes (more Hong Kong street food) are available.  The more you purchase, the better the price. 

Although the name is a bit of a misnomer right now since they're only open for lunch, the place is already quite popular and by the time I finished my lunch, the order line was almost back to the door.  It looks like there is some flexibility with seating as there are more tables not yet unfolded and there is also seating outside.  The food quality is on point and service, albeit minimal, is friendly.  I'll be back for sure and would recommend it to others.

Tartine Manufactory - American/California, San Francisco

595 Alabama St, San Francisco CA 94110
(415) 757-0007
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30am - 5pm, Sat-Sun 8am-5pm; Dinner Daily 5:30pm-10pm
http://www.tartinemanufactory.com/

Last Visited: May 28, 2017

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

Price: $$$ to $$$$

Tartine Manufactory was well marketed even before it opened up.  With the closing of Bar Tartine, along with its somewhat unusual (maybe too creative) menu, Tartine Manufactory offers a more reasonably priced alternative that more people can understand.  Originally open only for breakfast and lunch, the Manufactory has expanded its offerings to include dinner service. The spacious warehouse space is decorated simply with wood tables and chairs and white lantern lights reminiscent of balloons, creating an airy and light feel.

We arrived about half an hour before dinner started and easily got a table even though the reservation system was full.  Those whom came later without a reservation was seated at the bar.  Service was friendly, but there is still room for improvement as described below.

Our server asked if we had been to the Manufactory before and when we told her it was our first visit, she patiently explained how the menu is designed for sharing small plates family style and was happy to give guidance about our choices.  As we got there early, a fellow patron in line whom had visited several times gave us some recommendations - ribs, bone marrow, and prime rib.  He suggested we ask for the swordfish rare if we chose to get it and to avoid the chicken.  We listened to his suggestions and ordered a variety of dishes, ending with the special of the day - aged prime rib.

- Warm Bread & seaweed butter  - The bread was great - lots of holes in the bread and a crusty outside.  It was served warm with fluffy seaweed butter which is essentially butter with nori mixed in.  The seaweed butter could use more salt and didn't have enough seaweed for my taste, but there was no salt on the table.  I would suggest buying the country loaf for double the price and you'll get a lot more slices. Okay to skip this one. $5

- Halibut Ceviche - Rayna recommended this dish.  Lime and cilantro are used to prepare the halibut.  Although the menu said there were chili's, the flavor was extremely mild.  The tender ceviche is topped with greens, a dollop of avocado based sauce, and chopped quicos (think corn nuts, but without the frying).   On the side were two young, tender, red lettuce cups. The serving style was less like a regular ceviche and more like a salad with a very refreshing lime dressing.  The quicos give the dish the needed texture difference by adding crunch. Good flavor, but more impressive than the taste is the artistic presentation of the dish with its greens (even though some of the greens had some browning at the bottom of the stem).   $17

- Pork Ribs - Five pork ribs are braised in an sauce that has some Asian seasonings (I thought of hoisin sauce when I had my first bite).  It's served with a pumpkin seed salsa (pepitos blended fine with olive oil and some herbs) and a thick,  savory yogurt.  A small serving of sliced pickled rhubarb accompany the plate.  The meat from these ribs fell off the bone and the sauce is just a little thick to evenly coat the meat.  Very good - must try.  If you have a salad or other appetizer, this could easily be a main dish for small eaters. $18

- Prime Rib - Our last entree was the 21 day dry aged wood roasted prime rib served with fried potatoes, horseradish, and jus.  This serves two if you are enjoying other dishes.  When you ask for medium rare, you'll definitely get a medium rare steak here. While the crust of the prime rib has developed a bark quality and is quite salty, the center is tender.  I have to admit that the aging was not as noticeable on this particular prime rib.  The star of this dish is actually the fried potatoes that are served on the side.  Garlic, rosemary, and cheese are used to season well-fried whole small yukon gold potatoes until they are a dark brown.  Inside the potatoes, the texture is creamy and rich - if I could, I would just get the potatoes!  Prime rib is good, but the potatoes are wonderful. $45
Several dessert options are available including an affogato, ice cream, chocolate tart, and lemon posset.  We opted for the popular gateau basque.

- Warm Apricot Gateau Basque  - Served with a scoop of toasted almond ice cream and topped with raspberry compote.  It's a moist cake with apricot and custard in the center.  The crust is lightly sugared and crunchy.  While it was good, I may have had too high of expectations just because it's Tartine.  Good balance of flavor, but the ice cream could be creamier.  The nuts in the ice cream were still crunchy, so it held up well to the freezing process. $10

The Manufactory has  a surcharge for employee benefits.  All in all, it was a good experience, and while I would go again, next time I would go for lunch/brunch instead to try more pastries or the porchetta.

Where the Manufactory failed me was with my order of a Country Loaf ($9.50) to take home.  For that, I dropped them a star for service.  When I came in, I asked my hostess about how to go about ordering a loaf and she said she would set one aside for me.  When my server took our order, I let her know I had asked the hostess about the loaf and she assured me that she would bring it over at the end of the meal.  When my leftovers were packaged before dessert, the boxes arrived without a loaf, so I thought perhaps the loaf would come when my check arrived.  After dessert, still no loaf, but when the bill came, I was clearly charged for it.  As I was leaving, I asked the hostess near the door if I picked up my loaf then, and she said she would be happy to get me one.  Then she asked whether or not I had paid for it - so disappointing considering how they seemed so good about attention to detail (refilling water, cleaning the table, giving me the right leftover boxes).  

In any case, I recommend that everyone busy a loaf to take home - I was so inspired by the experience that I made my own toast - Chinese roast pork with arugula topped with shaved parmigiano reggiano and a goat cheese with fresh peaches drizzled with honey.  I also sought out smashed potato recipes with the goal of remaking those potatoes and came close.

Overall, it was a positive experience even if the place was very full at the end of the day and I had to keep asking about my bread, but the pork ribs and potatoes are amazing.

Screamin Mimi's - Ice cream, Sebastopol

6902 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol CA 95472
(707) 823-5902
Parking: street parking
Hours: Open daily from 11am to 10pm; open until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays
http://www.screaminmimisicecream.com/

Last Visited: December 30, 2016


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

Voted #4 Best ice cream in the United States by USA Today and best ice cream in Sonoma County since 1995, this is a great place to stop in if you're in the area.

While it's not the very best ice cream I've ever had, I love the charm of Screamin' Mimi's and their variety of ice cream and sorbet, plus it's good to support local businesses.  When I'm up here, I always stop in no matter the weather or how close I am to my next meal.  The Christmas decorations are showing in this photo and you can see the colorful decor inside the shop. The ice cream cones, tables, and chairs are painted by a local artist.

Unlike other ice cream shops which offer ice cream by the scoop, at Screamin' Mimi's you pay by weight.

Shown in the photo here are:
- Peach coconut sorbet - The peach flavor came out more than the coconut, but it was still refreshing.

- Orange cardamom cream sorbet - This was wonderful!  The cardamom came across so well and the orange was light - I might try to make this one at home the next time I get out my ice cream maker.

Items like fudge, caramel, whipped cream, and waffle cones are made in house.  Other menu items include floats, shakes, and options from the espresso bar.

Service is friendly too, so stop in and try their multitude of flavors.