Buta no Ie

A big thank you to my cousins Jeff, Kelvin, Lillian and her hubby Rick for taking the time to show me around San Francisco in the evenings.

After the fold are quick recaps of some of the other restaurants that I had a chance to eat at while I was down in SF. It’s unfortunate that I have no photos to accompany the reviews. That’s what happens when you run over your camera and the crappy ISO800 disposable is only good for taking shots in the day.

Asa Sushi

A mom & pop operation on Chestnut Street that has a large selection of imaginative maki (sushi rolls). I had their Firecracker roll, prawn tempura with spicey sauce on the inside and ahi tuna on the outside, and a couple of pieces of uni (sea urchin roe) nigiri. Delicious albeit pricey when compared to Vancouver.

Izzy’s Steak and Chops

A good ole fashion chop house just off of Chestnut Street in the Marina district. I ordered the filet mignon au poivre with their specialty scallop potatoes and creamed spinach. The meat was not the best eva’, but it was pretty darn good and quite a steal at just $26USD for a 10oz filet and sides. I would go back for the sides alone.

Pacific Catch

Also on Chestnut Street, a popular little establishment that serves West Coast seafood at a budget price. The giant japanese rice bowls and island tacos seem to be the favourites. I was all sushi’d out by the time I finally ate there and chose the fish and yam chips. I should’ve tried the tacos instead.

Plouf

A trendy French seafood bistro on lively the Belden Place alley in the Financial District. I had the sea bass with baby octopus in a lobster broth. Too bad it didn’t taste as good as the menu description. It was pretty bland and pedestrian.

Cousin Jeff had the stuffed trout and his order was true to description; an entire trout, head, tail and all, stuffed with black rice pilaf. I had a bite, actually a sizable chunk of the tail, and it was much tastier than what I had. I really liked the raisin vignaigrette the trout was finished with.

Steps of Rome Caffe

As part of his San Fran by night tour package, cousin Young Kel took me to the Steps of Rome Caffe for dessert. It’s quite the lively place, the waiters were chair dancing with a girl celebrating her birthday when we walked in. Had their famous tiramisu and have no complaints about it.

What I DO have complaints about are:

• The stench coming from their washrooms. Oh god, I wanted to puke when a got a waft of it. We had to move tables to get as far away from the putrid smell as possible.
• Besides the tiramisu, all their other desserts are pre-packaged frozen items.
• The music was way too loud, you basically have to yell to speak to the person across the table. This isn’t a club or dance hall, it’s a cafe and I want to enjoy my coffee and cake instead of having my ears bleed.