Instead of doing a single review, I thought I’d share some bites of some mighty delicious things/places I’ve discovered in San Francisco, CA recently.
First, anyone who knows me knows what a nut I am for sandwiches. Have you had a chance to try the sandwiches at Machine Coffee & Deli yet? The café/sandwich spot is just next to Show Dogs on Market, and it’s also from the Foreign Cinema team.
The meats by charcutier Peter Temkin are rocking—juicy and full of flavor—from his pastrami to roast beef to roast turkey. I love the Axle—which is almost like a gourmet version of a Philly cheesesteak—made with roast beef, provolone, spicy broccoli rabe, and onion jam, and they make a wicked version of a Reuben, the Drill Press.
What I am currently crushing on is the Crankshaft, a tuna melt with local albacore tuna that is lightly salted and then poached in olive oil until just cooked through. It rests for a day and is then studded with celery, capers, red onion, aioli, lemon, salt, dill, and hand-blended. It’s an insanely good tuna, just beyond, which is then topped with Shelburne cheddar to make one of the best tuna melts in the city. And it’s 10 dolla no holla. Best of all, you can now order delivery with GrubHub. Lunch is served! And Four Barrel Coffee too. 1024 Market St. at 6th St., 415-913-7370.
Another version of a sandwich I am digging is the Sunday night-only special of pork katsu and tofu buns at IZAKAYA YUZUKI. These tender housemade buns come with either katsu pork (fried in panko) with a feisty eggplant-miso-yuzu sauce, or their superlative housemade tofu that is fried up and oh so custardy inside. Just $11 for two—you will gobble these right up, trust. The sake pairings have also ramped up quite a bit with Yoshi (previously of Corkage) in the house.
Lastly, on a chilly and damp night a couple of weeks ago, I completely forgot Yummy Yummy in the Inner Sunset was closed on Tuesdays (wah waaah), and ended up having an impromptu dinner at nearby ~MANNA~ instead. The menu of home-style Korean dishes is cheap cheap cheap (nothing we ordered was more than $9), and totally delivered for the price—you even get six little banchan to start (delicious kimchi, broccoli, bean sprouts, and more).
We ordered a madly bubbling pot of soondubu jjigae (soft tofu soup) that totally hit the spot, followed by an on-point execution of bibimbap (with beef, vegetables, and a fried egg on top that you mix all together and then anoint with some housemade gochujang/hot sauce), and for my gluten-avoiding friend, we had the japchae (clear yam noodles with beef and vegetables—not the best I’ve had, but it still got eaten). For $30, we had quite the feast.
The staff is friendly (example: our server patiently waited for me to finish a loooong slurp/bite of a japchae noodle and shot me a quick grin before placing our bibimbap on the table). For a midweek bite that won’t break the bank and will warm you right up, here’s your spot. 845 Irving St. at 10th Avenue in San Francisco, 415-665-5969.
Photo: Izakaya Yuzuki
Marcia Gagliardi is a freelance food writer in San Francisco. She writes a weekly column, Foodie 411 for the SFCVB on their “Taste” site; a monthly gossip column, “The Tablehopper” for The Northside; and regular features for Edible San Francisco. Her first book came out in March 2010: The Tablehopper’s Guide to Dining and Drinking in San Francisco: Find the Right Spot for Every Occasion.
