521 #A 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 543-2355
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon - Fri: 8:30am - 3pm, Sat: 8:30am - 2pm
Last Visited: December 8, 2012
Food: 2 to 3 stars ( could have been 4 stars - see details below)
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $ to $$
I first heard about HRD while watching Guy Fieri's television show - Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. HRD is known for serving breakfast and lunch with a blend of both American and Korean flare. Their tagline is: Good Eats. Nice Peeps. Grab a Seat.
A couple of the items featured on the show were the Kim Chee burrito and the Sloppy JoJo. These sounded quite yummy, but when I saw the menu for myself, there were just too many choices. And if Korean food isn't your thing, no worries - they have sandwiches and burgers on the menu too. For those that are adventurous, there are items like Japanese Curry Kimchee Loco Moco and Spicy Chicken Pineapple too.
When we walked up to the storefront, one of the owners and one of the employees were out front getting ready to take a break, and I give them four stars for service primarily for their greeting and then for their service once inside. The guys were super friendly, warm, and welcoming. By far, they gave the friendliest greeting I have ever received or a close second. They definitely lived up to their tagline.
Walk inside and it reminds you of a diner. There is seating facing the outside window and some tables in the back. The decor is super simple, but clean.
- Korean Pork Chop special - This isn't a regular menu item (at least not anymore). Two slabs of pork are marinated and cooked on the grill. The juicy meat is then topped with a fried egg and served with broccoli and white rice. The flavor of the pork was slightly sweet and salty. The cut is medium in thickness and each bite of meat was delightful. While the broccoli is plain, it works fine with the pork. The unfortunate part of the dish was the white rice. While abundant, it wasn't cooked through. I decided not to waste it and took it home - as I put it in the box, one could hear it dropping in to the to go box like raindrops. The meat is delicious though and the fried egg is a nice touch. $7.75
- Kim Chee Fried Rice with Fried Egg - Rice is cooked with shredded pork (think of carnitas), green onions, and kim chee. The dish is topped with a fried egg and more green onions. The flavor is well-seasoned. They make their own kim chee after all. The rice soaks up all of the kim chee juices and the hot sauce that tops the fried egg gives it extra spice. Once you break the egg, the yolk runs all over the rice, adding yet another flavor and texture to the dish. I really enjoyed this dish, but again, the rice was not completely cooked through. Since the dish was comprised of a lot of sauce, the rice managed to be a little softer, but still not quite enough. $7.75
Both of the dishes would have been a solid four stars if the rice had been cooked through. I'm fairly particular about my rice however - it's such a basic ingredient and foundational in both of these dishes that if it's not cooked through, there is no way to rescue it, so for that reason, I gave them a two to three star food rating. I still have faith that they can make a great dish with some more attention to detail since their flavor profiles are so good.
During this visit, I also heard that they're opening up another shop in the North Beach area. All the best to HRD - if their service is any indication of how they'll do in the new space, they'll be great.
91 Punahoa St, Hilo Hawaii 96720
Price: $
- Turnovers - Pork and Taro or Curry Beef - Available in two flavors, the turnover are reminiscent of a fresh version of a hot pocket. The pork and taro is a lot like pork and potato in texture with sweet onion to add flavor and texture. The curry beef is ground beef cooked with curry, much like Chinese curry beef turnovers. The outside is cooked until slightly crisp and golden brown. This is a great taste of comfort food - delicious. $2
