Sunday, May 27, 2012

Snackalicious at Two Sisters Bar and Books

Thanks to AB for introducing me to relative newcomer Two Sisters Bar and Books, a cozy little wine bar with ever so tasty snacks that's taken over the old Frjtz location in Hayes Valley.

According to the website, "Two Sisters Bar and Books was born on a train, as my sister and I traveled between Krakow and Warsaw. It was inspired by: an English language bookstore in Krakow; a quintessential coffeehouse in Vienna; a neighborhood bar in Paris; the young, urban, restaurant scene in Brooklyn; and our Northern California roots."

I like it. A lot.

The luscious deviled eggs had a nice pop with its accompaniment of lemon zest, cream, fried capers and black truffle. We liked them so much, we ordered another round.

I was also super happy with the“bar” mac n’ cheese which came bathed in an uber creamy and zesty mustard/ale/cheddar sauce and then topped with a whole lot of crispy salty pretzel bits. A definite go-to for when I'm hanging out or browsing the shops in my fave SF neighborhood.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Yummy Yummy is ... yes ... Yummy

Yummy Yummy Vietnamese Restaurant saved our Friday night when a bunch of us met up in the Inner Sunset to get down and dig in at next-door neighbor San Tung. But as we started poring over San Tung's menu and salivating with talk of the dry fried chicken wings, black bean noodles and the dry sautéed string beans, the lights went out. In the entire restaurant. Doh. We were SOL.

Temporarily, that is. Because, after ditching the defunct San Tung and walking around to a couple of other eateries, we finally landed at Yummy Yummy, which puts out an insanely addictive garlicky-chile basted whole crab, not to mention some really wicked good bowls of piping hot pho and bun.


My go-to bowl is #3—the pho tai, or beef noodle soup with rare steak.

But this night I decided I wanted to turn up the heat and chose #9—the bun bo hue, or spicy beef and pork noodle soup.  

#9 looks a lot spicier than it is, though the heat did keep building as I slurped on my noodles and guzzled down the succulent and savory chile-laden broth. No matter. A frosty mug of Tiger beer helped cool things down. 

Love Yummy Yummy. 

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Sunday Supper at Southpaw BBQ

It's a real shame I couldn't stomach the protein at Southpaw BBQ and Southern Cooking. Not because it wasn't any good, but because I'd picked up an awful bug a few days prior that had me sticking to a measly diet of rice, bread and more bread, and pretty much nothing else for days.

Fortunately, by the time we got to Southpaw, I was able to handle a bit of veg, so ordered up a green salad along with the super fresh and available-for-a-limited-time-only grilled ramps (aka wild leeks or spring onions) accompanied by a dollop of grits, pickled veg, and ... sigh ... more bread.
 
Of course, I couldn't help but sneak a tiny taste off of JP's plate, piled high as it was with big hunky pieces of sauce-laden, smoked and pulled pork shoulder. Unfortunately, the hush puppies were a bit leaden and doughy, though the vinegar-braised collard greens were mighty fine. DP wanted more of a ham hock flavor, but I was happy with its bright tangy profile. Definitely plan to go back when stomach is back in working order to judge for myself whether the ribs rank up there with my own rendition.