Each week, for the month of August, we'll be featuring a new hotlist of cheap eats.
Submit your comments or a picture of yourself eating at one of the restaurants (email a jpeg to cheapeats@7x7.com) and you'll be eligible to win dinner for four at the Slanted Door!
Pho Garden (Inner Richmond)
At this latest entrant into the pho wars of San Francisco, the menu skews toward traditional rather than ambitious or modern, which is just fine by us. You can count on the pho ga, which has a light, fragrant broth and generous shreds of chicken, and comes with a plate of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, lime wedges and chiles. You can also depend on fresh spring rolls, plump with shrimp, pork and vermicelli. Can't decide? The affable waiter will pull up a chair to discuss your order, expounding on the relative merits of lemongrass chicken with vermicelli and the Vietnamese crepe.
Must Order: This is a pho restaurant. Do the right thing. 2109 Clement St., 415-379-8677
Lahore Karahi (Tenderloin)
One of the many Pakistani joints in the 'Loin, this intimate spot differentiates itself with full table service and a dedicated owner—Guddu Zulsiqar—who runs his restaurant like a one-man band. The food he cooks from his Punjab homeland is solidly home style, and although the menu offers the usual curries and biryanis, it also has a few stars, such as a sizzling platter of tandoori fish, fragrant with a "secret spice" blend (he won't divulge it), tart with lemon and showered with cabbage, and the off-the-menu goat curry (available with advance notice). This is no curry in a hurry, so schedule in some extra time.
Must Order: An off-the-menu beef curry called nahari, typical of Zulsiqar's Punjab region. 612 O'Farrell St., 415-567-8603, lahorekarahirestaurant.com
Muracci's Japanese Curry & Grill (Union Square)
Imagine—a city filled with single-subject restaurants, each with a myopic focus on its particular specialty. (Or is that Tokyo?) At Muracci's, the thick, savory curry sauce—think a Japanese version of gravy—is it, served forth from a shoe-box space on Kearny Street. Muracci's curry has the appeal of something homemade, and you can try it paired with various meats or tofu, or poured over noodles. Yes, there are other items on the menu besides curry, but we'd advise against them. Why mess with success?
Must Order: Tonkatsu curry: A thin piece of fried, panko-breaded pork, served with curry sauce, rice and Japanese pickles. 307 Kearny St., 415-773-1101, muraccis.com
Nicaragua Restaurant (Mission)
If you've wearied of the taco, you'll be happy to discover Nicaragua Restaurant, a bare-bones, family-owned joint, where the simple, rustic food is prepared to order—heaping plates of carne deshilachada (shredded beef with a sweet, tomato-based sauce) sided by the trifecta of beans, rice and pickled cabbage; ceviche; and giant bowls of mild sopa de albondigas (meatball soup), accompanied by freshly made tortillas.
Must Order: Fried plantains, topped with deep-fried, salty Nicaraguan cheese. Brilliant. 3015 Mission St., 415-826-3672, nicaraguarestaurant.com
Pearl's Deluxe Burgers (TenderNob)
First off, SF needs no schooling from Marin on burgers. That said, the folks behind Pearl's Deluxe on lower Nob Hill have an impeccable grilling pedigree, having founded first Phyllis' in San Rafael and then Pearl's Phatburgers in Mill Valley. At this hole-in-the-wall (just a few tables and no atmo at all), the juicy Meyer Angus burgers come in two sizes—half-pound regulars, as well as quarter-pound "minis"—the sweet-potato fries are slender and comely, and you can substitute buffalo for beef for just $1.50.
Must Order: The Prized Pearl (with blue cheese, sautéed onions and bacon). 708 Post St., 415-409-6120
The Pizza Place on Noriega (Outer Sunset)
It's mostly surfers hanging out at the Pizza Place on Noriega, scarfing down slices, emptying pitchers of PBR and affably eyeing newcomers as they walk through the door. The joint, owned by childhood friends (and ex-Bostonians) Kevin Baryza and David Ashin, is way out on Noriega near the ocean, but we'll go the distance for iceberg salads with excellent homemade blue-cheese dressing and East Coast–style pies—especially the Rotten Robby, a winning combination of sausage, mushrooms, pesto, jalapeños, tomato sauce and cheese.
Must Order: The roasted cauliflower with chile flakes, black olives, orange zest and parsley. 3901 Noriega St., 415-759-5752, pizzaplacesf.com
Sai Jai Thai (Tenderloin)
Occasionally when we're out investigating a new restaurant, our mind wanders back to feasts we've had at Sai Jai Thai and we find ourselves wishing we were there instead, joyfully digging into spicy green-papaya salad, lush fish curries and positively addictive barbecued pork shoulder. Seated in the simple, pink Tenderloin dining room, an extra chair holding the surplus food that won't fit on the table, we're happy as can be.
Must Order: Though the barbecued pork shoulder is available in various permutations, we like it best sliced and served over the fried rice, studded with fluffy bits of egg. 771 O'Farrell St., 415-673-5774
Shanghai House (Outer Richmond)
Unassuming, fluorescent-lit and far from everything save for the Balboa Theatre, Shanghai House still warrants a trip. Ask for the "Chinese" menu in order to get the Shanghainese specialties, chief among them the small, tender xiao long bao (soup dumplings), the sweet-and-sour ribs luxuriating in a molasses-thick sauce and the rustic, chubby handmade noodles with chunks of carrot and cabbage. Come for dim sum and the restaurant will be predictably crowded, but the patient diner is rewarded with fresh-fried Chinese doughnuts.
Must Order: Vegetarian goose—tofu skins topped with rich mushroom sauce. 3641 Balboa St., 415-831-9288
Each week, for the month of August, we'll be featuring a new hotlist of cheap eats.
Submit your comments or a picture of yourself eating at one of the restaurants (email a jpeg to cheapeats@7x7.com) and you'll be eligible to win dinner for four at the Slanted Door!
Pho Garden (Inner Richmond)
At this latest entrant into the pho wars of San Francisco, the menu skews toward traditional rather than ambitious or modern, which is just fine by us. You can count on the pho ga, which has a light, fragrant broth and generous shreds of chicken, and comes with a plate of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, lime wedges and chiles. You can also depend on fresh spring rolls, plump with shrimp, pork and vermicelli. Can't decide? The affable waiter will pull up a chair to discuss your order, expounding on the relative merits of lemongrass chicken with vermicelli and the Vietnamese crepe.
Must Order: This is a pho restaurant. Do the right thing. 2109 Clement St., 415-379-8677
Lahore Karahi (Tenderloin)
One of the many Pakistani joints in the 'Loin, this intimate spot differentiates itself with full table service and a dedicated owner—Guddu Zulsiqar—who runs his restaurant like a one-man band. The food he cooks from his Punjab homeland is solidly home style, and although the menu offers the usual curries and biryanis, it also has a few stars, such as a sizzling platter of tandoori fish, fragrant with a "secret spice" blend (he won't divulge it), tart with lemon and showered with cabbage, and the off-the-menu goat curry (available with advance notice). This is no curry in a hurry, so schedule in some extra time.
Must Order: An off-the-menu beef curry called nahari, typical of Zulsiqar's Punjab region. 612 O'Farrell St., 415-567-8603, lahorekarahirestaurant.com
Muracci's Japanese Curry & Grill (Union Square)
Imagine—a city filled with single-subject restaurants, each with a myopic focus on its particular specialty. (Or is that Tokyo?) At Muracci's, the thick, savory curry sauce—think a Japanese version of gravy—is it, served forth from a shoe-box space on Kearny Street. Muracci's curry has the appeal of something homemade, and you can try it paired with various meats or tofu, or poured over noodles. Yes, there are other items on the menu besides curry, but we'd advise against them. Why mess with success?
Must Order: Tonkatsu curry: A thin piece of fried, panko-breaded pork, served with curry sauce, rice and Japanese pickles. 307 Kearny St., 415-773-1101, muraccis.com
Nicaragua Restaurant (Mission)
If you've wearied of the taco, you'll be happy to discover Nicaragua Restaurant, a bare-bones, family-owned joint, where the simple, rustic food is prepared to order—heaping plates of carne deshilachada (shredded beef with a sweet, tomato-based sauce) sided by the trifecta of beans, rice and pickled cabbage; ceviche; and giant bowls of mild sopa de albondigas (meatball soup), accompanied by freshly made tortillas.
Must Order: Fried plantains, topped with deep-fried, salty Nicaraguan cheese. Brilliant. 3015 Mission St., 415-826-3672, nicaraguarestaurant.com
Pearl's Deluxe Burgers (TenderNob)
First off, SF needs no schooling from Marin on burgers. That said, the folks behind Pearl's Deluxe on lower Nob Hill have an impeccable grilling pedigree, having founded first Phyllis' in San Rafael and then Pearl's Phatburgers in Mill Valley. At this hole-in-the-wall (just a few tables and no atmo at all), the juicy Meyer Angus burgers come in two sizes—half-pound regulars, as well as quarter-pound "minis"—the sweet-potato fries are slender and comely, and you can substitute buffalo for beef for just $1.50.
Must Order: The Prized Pearl (with blue cheese, sautéed onions and bacon). 708 Post St., 415-409-6120
The Pizza Place on Noriega (Outer Sunset)
It's mostly surfers hanging out at the Pizza Place on Noriega, scarfing down slices, emptying pitchers of PBR and affably eyeing newcomers as they walk through the door. The joint, owned by childhood friends (and ex-Bostonians) Kevin Baryza and David Ashin, is way out on Noriega near the ocean, but we'll go the distance for iceberg salads with excellent homemade blue-cheese dressing and East Coast–style pies—especially the Rotten Robby, a winning combination of sausage, mushrooms, pesto, jalapeños, tomato sauce and cheese.
Must Order: The roasted cauliflower with chile flakes, black olives, orange zest and parsley. 3901 Noriega St., 415-759-5752, pizzaplacesf.com
Sai Jai Thai (Tenderloin)
Occasionally when we're out investigating a new restaurant, our mind wanders back to feasts we've had at Sai Jai Thai and we find ourselves wishing we were there instead, joyfully digging into spicy green-papaya salad, lush fish curries and positively addictive barbecued pork shoulder. Seated in the simple, pink Tenderloin dining room, an extra chair holding the surplus food that won't fit on the table, we're happy as can be.
Must Order: Though the barbecued pork shoulder is available in various permutations, we like it best sliced and served over the fried rice, studded with fluffy bits of egg. 771 O'Farrell St., 415-673-5774
Shanghai House (Outer Richmond)
Unassuming, fluorescent-lit and far from everything save for the Balboa Theatre, Shanghai House still warrants a trip. Ask for the "Chinese" menu in order to get the Shanghainese specialties, chief among them the small, tender xiao long bao (soup dumplings), the sweet-and-sour ribs luxuriating in a molasses-thick sauce and the rustic, chubby handmade noodles with chunks of carrot and cabbage. Come for dim sum and the restaurant will be predictably crowded, but the patient diner is rewarded with fresh-fried Chinese doughnuts.
Must Order: Vegetarian goose—tofu skins topped with rich mushroom sauce. 3641 Balboa St., 415-831-9288
 email page
|
print page 
|
