San Francisco’s Chinatown is really alive this time of year, bustling with energy and awash in bright red colors. Maybe because of the spectacular weather we’ve been having (sun, sun and more sun) and perhaps it’s because we’re ushering in the Year of the Dragon, but Chinatown seems more vibrant than ever.
The climax of all the festivities will be, of course, the annual Chinese New Year’s parade, this year scheduled for Saturday evening, Feb. 11.
Two especially wonderful restaurants – if you like spicy food – are: The Potsticker on charming Waverly Place and Z&Y in the middle of one of the best blocks for eating in Chinatown, Jackson Street between Grant and Kearny.
You may have walked by The Potsticker over the years and dismissed it as a tourist spot. But last year it was taken over by new management (with staff from Z&Y). Head for the house specials such as filet of sole and any of the “Hot and Numbing Spice Pots,” which you can ask to be prepared less fiery. The delectable and not-hot smoked tea duck is excellent.
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| Z&Y’s fiery “explosive” chicken |
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| The Potsticker’s smoked tea duck |
Z&Y restaurant also specializes in hot Szechuan fare. Try the kung pao bean curd with soft homemade tofu sprinkled with peanuts and onions. The signature dish is Chicken with Explosive Chile Pepper, an eye-catching plate that has diners digging through mounds of chile peppers to get to crisp juicy morsels of chicken (which are, amazingly, not very spicy). I loved the Tan Tan noodles, silky homemade noddles tossed with minced pork and vegetables. But there’s so much more on the menu to explore.
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Laura Del Rosso started blogging when her book, Great Escapes: Northern California, was published. She writes about her most recent wanderings, day trips and weekend getaways, including San Francisco’s vibrant neighborhoods, Gold Rush-era towns, mountain and coastal areas and vineyard-covered valleys.
