Da Beef
Neighborhood: SOMA
300 7th St
(at Folsom St)
San Francisco, CA 94103

Rated: ♣♣♣♣

This week, I had the pleasure of being selected for Jury Duty in SoMa.  Luckily, there are tons of great lunch spots in this area.  Being only 2 blocks away from SO, I already had the delicious Wings once this week (previous post here), however, I decided to try something new.  Walking over to some friends in the Civic Center area, I pass by quite a few interesting eateries and cafes that I wish I could stop by and try out.  One place was a little hot dog stand called Da Beef.  It’s located on the corner of 7th Street and Folsom at a Oil Change place called Oil Can Henry’s.  What drew me to this place was that they didn’t only have hot dogs with the normal toppings, they had Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian Beef, and a little something called Frito Pie (more on that later).

The food:

I had the Chicago-style Hot Dog and my 2 friends had the Italian Beef and the Beef-N-Cheese.

Chicago-style Hot Dog – For those of you not in the know (like me), Chicago-style hot dogs are hot dogs in a poppyseed bun with mustard, onions, pickles, relish, peppers, onions, and celery salt.  I personally found that there were way too many toppings on it, although it definitely tasted great.  I probably should have grabbed something else like a Chili-Cheese dog or their famous Italian Beef.

Italian Beef – I watched the magic hands in the cart craft the Italian Beef.  First, the roll is soaked in Da Jus, then after the roll is taken out of the Da Jus, more Da Jus get’s ladled on top.  The next layers was multiple slices Italian Beef then topped with peppers.  Oh, it looked sinfully good.

Beef-N-Cheese – The Beef-N-Cheese was the winner of the bunch.  It’s basically the same as the Italian Beef, except ooey-gooey nacho cheese is slathered right on top of the Italian beef slices.

Frito Pie – I don’t mean to be such a tease, but let me explain the Frito Pie.  Luckily, there was still one bag of Fritos at the stand.  The bag is cut open to reveal the basic ingredient within a sturdy vessel for some toppings.  Chili is poured right on top of the Frito chips, then smothered in the ooey-gooey nacho cheese sauce and topped with onions and peppers.  This is an awesome concept.  You can always buy Chili-Cheese Fritos at 7-11, but when can you have Fritos with real Chili and Cheese right on top?

Thank you Da Beef.  This was an awesome experience.

All-in-all, the Chicago Dog and Frito Pie cost be $6.  I was full and satisfied and a bit worried about my health. It was still really fun to try this out.

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Hamuras SaiminHamura’s Saimin Stand
2956 Kress St
Lihue, HI 96766

Rated: ♣♣♣♣♣

If I had to choose my last meal on earth, it would be a large shrimp special at Hamura’s saimin. Hamura’s Saimin is the reason why I go back to Kauai every other year.

What is saimin you might ask? Saimin is a soft wheat egg noodle much like ramen, but only 100 times better. It’s usually served in a light broth with fish cake, wontons, napa cabbage, spam and an egg.

The scene:

Hamura’s is a hole in the wall in a little alley on the island of Kauai. The restaurant is filled with a bunch of u-shaped counters with stools lined up on either side. Of the 10 years I’ve been coming to Hamura’s, I think the only cosmetic change at the restaurant was a new sign. You don’t take your time at Hamura’s. You sit, you eat, you go. They have lunch and dinner rushes, so get here early or you will be waiting.

The food:

Any of the saimins are outstanding. The broth is light, the noodles have a bite and the spam has the right hint of saltiness. I’d stay away from the wontons, if you’ve had a real wonton before. These weren’t that great. For dessert, get the Lilikoi (passion fruit) Chiffon Pie. That is my favorite pie ever! It’s nice and tart, and I’m a huge fan of anything with a meringue.

It’ll be another 2 years before I go back to Hamura’s. Le sigh….

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For you drinkers out there, check out this post from 7×7.

1. Fillmore Cocktail Crawl: The Fillmore district, which is eager to remind locals of its swingin’, gentrified new look, is hosting a cocktail crawl next Tuesday, with four restaurants (Yoshi’s, Rasselas, Sheba Piano Lounge, and 1300 on Fillmore) each mixing their own DonQ rum cocktail and passing a few hors d’oeuvres. The price? Only $5, which all goes to the local charity Mo’ MAGIC, if you RSVP here. Space is limited, but if you’re turned away from the list, each venue will still have $6 cocktails and bar bites on offer during the crawl. (Tuesday, February 5, 6:30-9:30 pm, beginning at Yoshi’s, 1330 Fillmore St., Fillmore.)

2. Jippidy Happy Hour: The folks at Jippidy are dedicated to promoting their company through awesome happy hours– and we’re not about to stand in their way. Next Thursday, they’ll be offering up $2.50 beers, $4 vodka drinks and sake bombs, and half-off appetizers at Mas Sake. Not cheap enough? E-mail them here with a link to your Jippidy profile, and your first vodka drink is free. (Thursday, February 4, 6-8 pm, at Mas Sake, 2030 Lombard St., Marina.)

3. Tokyo Go Go Late-Night: Happy hour has long been a fixture in the early hours at this Mission sushi joint, but now they’re going late-night, too. All week long, the wee hours at Tokyo Go Go mean $3 Kirin and small hot sakes, as well as a good variety of $3.50 handrolls. We have a new favorite way to end a 16th St. bar crawl. (Early happy hour: Monday-Saturday, 5:30-7 pm, Sunday, 5-6:30 pm. Late happy hour: Sunday-Thursday, 9-11 pm, Friday and Saturday, 10 pm-1 am, at Tokyo Go Go, 3174 16th St., Mission.)

4. Drake Bar Buy One, Get One 28 Cents: The Sir Francis Drake hotel is celebrating its history with a double happy hour that’s split between its two bars. The early shift is at the Scala’s Bistro bar, the late shift at the Drake Bar, and at both bars, when you buy one drink at full price, the second is 28 cents (in honor of 1928, the year the hotel was founded). The cocktails aren’t cheap ($10-12), but beer is only $4, meaning you can enjoy two brews for a reasonable $2.14 apiece. (Daily, 3-5 pm at Scala’s Bistro Bar and 5-7 pm at Drake Bar, 450 Powell St., Union Square.

5. CAV Wine Bar Industry Mondays: While “industry nights” are technically meant to attract restaurant workers, bartenders, and other service-industry types who are working for the weekend, there’s no membership card, and even 9-to-5 wage slaves can attend. CAV has just introduced a great industry night, featuring $2 PBR and three types of $3 sliders: prime rib, BBQ pork, and BLT. It’s an easy way to feel like a captain of industry on an entry-level salary. (Mondays, 9 pm-12 am, at CAV Wine Bar and Kitchen, 1666 Market St., Upper Market.)

Source from 7×7.com.

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La Casa Ice CreamLa Casa Gelato
Neighbourhood: Strathcona
1033 Venables St
Vancouver, BC V6A 3R9

Rated: ♣♣♣♣

When I went to visit my Canadian friend in Vancouver a couple months ago, I made one request and that was to go to La Casa Gelato. My brother told me about this place and how it serves 218 ice cream flavors.

We spent about an hour in the ice cream shop trying their unique flavors such as Balsamic Vinegar, Apple Cheddar, Curry and Pear Gorgonzola Bleu Cheese. Yes, those were all ice cream flavors I just listed out. We even tried this interesting flavor called Akbar Mashty which is a saffron and raisin ice cream. I am curious to know who would actually pay money for the Akbar Mashty.

Being the indecisive person that I am, I was actually very satisfied with the flavor I chose. Apple Pie. YUM! Little tiny apple chunks and a graham cracker crust mixed into a creamy apple ice cream. My friend T got Lychee and K got Black Sesame. Both we equally as good.

Can’t wait until my next trip to Vancouver so I can try more!

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