Urban Stomach

Namu's Korean Tacos

Fusion. In the early to mid ’90s, I was all about fusion. When I wanted to impress Mrs. Stomach (then a new girlfriend), I took her to The House. “It’s in North Beach but they’re mixing up Chinese, Korean and California ingredients! Crazy!” When my relatives came to visit, I hoped for a dinner at Flying Saucer. “Please, stack my food as high as possible as that will make it more delicious.” When a friend owed me a meal for helping with a move, Cafe Kati was the spot. “What? They’re doing a Caterpillar Roll with a reduction sauce? I’m there!” But sometime during the late ’90s, my tastes, along with the tastes of many San Franciscans, began to change. Don’t get me wrong, despite my teasing, fusion could be delicious, as it was at the three aformentioned restaurants (and don’t forget that Cafe Kati and The House are still thriving). It just got tired. So as both the food gliteratti and my friends simultaneously started talking up Asian taco trucks and carts, I was hesitant to jump in line. I’m glad that I finally did.

A Trio Of Kung Fu Tacos

Found at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, Namu’s Korean tacos successfully push the limits of food gimmickry. Instead of a tortilla, Namu uses a sheet of toasted seaweed as its foundation. This brilliant innovation ensures the perfect crunch with every bite but without feeling like a midwestern school cafeteria hard-shell taco. Loaded on top are kalbi short ribs, seasoned rice and kimchee salsa. I am a kimchee lover so the salsa totally works for me but even dissenters of kimchee, no friends of mine, should be fine. It’s not crazy pungent. The total bite tastes like your favorite Korean BBQ but without the self- cooking, the frenzied crowds and the unwashable stench on your clothes that makes others think that you’ve been pulling bong hits all night. Take a plastic fork as the seaweed can only hold up for so long and you’ll want to scarf every last bit of the kalbi. Not that you’ve been pulling bong hits.

Kung Fu Taco

My friend Doug, a successful attorney who could be a professional chef, turned me on to Kung Fu Tacos. Kung Fu parks most weekdays in the lot of the now closed Jeanty at Jack’s on Sacramento St. downtown. Now, if a Chinese taco truck successfully doing strong Financial District business next to a shuttered, three-story French restaurant isn’t a sign of the times, what is? At noon on a recent weekday, the line was six-deep but moving rapidly. I chose three tacos: the Roast Duck, the BBQ Pork and the Mushu Veggie. As Doug had promised, the Roast Duck taco was basically Peking Duck in a tortilla. Make that really good Peking Duck in a tortilla. How can you go wrong with Peking Duck in a tortilla? Great stuff and my Kung Fu favorite. The Mushu Veggie tacos consisted of Shitake mushrooms, carrots and cabbage tossed with “Asian salsa”. I don’t know what Asian salsa is but I do know that the crunch of the veggies mixed with the heat of the salsa made for a yummy few bites. I’d actually eat this before the duck taco as I’d enjoy the sweetness of the duck after the heat of the veggies. Kind of like a duck dessert. I wasn’t as wild about the pork taco mainly because it tasted too similar to the duck but minus the lusciousness. I’d rather just order another duck.

So I don’t just “get” the Asian taco trend, I completely embrace it. My only quibble is the price. The tacos sound reasonable at $2-$3 each but they’re really small. It would take 4-5 of either Namu’s or Kung Fu’s tacos to fill up The Urban Stomach. Maybe 3-4 for a regular stomach. You do the math. Do Peking Duck and Kalbi replace Carnitas and Carne Asada as my favorite taco fillings? No way! I’m a traditionalist. But they’re still damn tasty. And a little fusion every decade or so never hurt anyone.

Namu
Ferry Plaza Outdoor Farmers Market
Thursday (in front): 10:00 AM-2:00 PM, Saturday (in back) 8:00 AM-2:00 PM
Follow on Twitter: @namusf
Korean Taco $3 or 2 for $5
Tacos also available at Namu Restaurant
439 Balboa Street (at 6th Ave.)
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-386-8332

Kung Fu Tacos
Follow on Twitter: @kungfutacos
Website
Usually on Sacramento between Kearny and Montgomery, Monday-Friday between 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM
Peking Duck Taco $3, BBQ Duck Taco $3, Mushu Veggie Taco $2

When I think of the corner store sandwich, I envision a turkey or maybe a roast beef sandwich on a semi-stale, hard Italian roll with bland, rubbery cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo or mustard. The guy behind the counter isn’t really that into making sandwiches and also serves as the cashier and is also probably the owner of the store. Boring sandwiches. Boring life. Recently though, mainly in the Mission District, there has been a complete reinvention of the corner store sandwich and its place on our palates. The bread is fresh. The ingredients more flavorful. The sandwich maker is enthusiastic. Exciting sandwiches. Exciting Life.

The Korean Steak Sandwich at Rhea's

Rhea’s Market and Deli had been on my omnipresent mental list of places to check out for some time but then faded from memory. However, when Jonathan Kauffman, the SF Weekly’s excellent new restaurant critic, recently proclaimed Rhea’s Korean Steak Sandwich to be “one of the best Korean fusion snacks in the city”, I was beyond intrigued. The first thing that I noticed during my lunchtime visit last week was the attention to detail going on behind the sandwich counter. There were three guys making sandwiches with one, presumably the owner, checking each sandwich for proper ingredient distribution and style. Two sandwiches, having failed inspection, were reopened for a quick addition of onions or a hit of hot sauce. Wow. Rhea’s menu lists the Korean Steak Sandwich’s ingredients as: “Marinated rib-eye in soy sauce, garlic, ginger, honey & spices served on an Acme organic roll, choice of cheese, chili garlic sauce, house pickled red onions & jalapenos, grilled onions, fresh red onions, iceberg lettuce and garlic aioli.” When reading this, I thought that this sandwich could be divine or it could be a total mess. I’m happy to report that it was divine! All good sandwiches start with good bread and this was no exception. The Acme roll was very fresh with a nice crunch to the crust yet an easy chew. I liked how the bread sopped up the delicious marinade juices, creating an extra level of flavor. Each bite was like a “best of” Korean barbecue flavors festival going on in my mouth. The attention to detail behind the counter paid off as every bite had an even spread of ingredients, a rare feat. Minor points off for one piece of gristle but otherwise, this is a pretty unique and fantastic sandwich.

The Chicken Milanese Torta at That's It

I was embarrassed to learn about the tortas at That’s It Market from the San Francisco episode of Tony Bourdain’s show, “No Reservations”. When Bourdain was munching on his torta on-screen, Mrs. Stomach shot me a look letting me know that I had let her down. How didn’t I know about this place until last summer? While That’s It looks like a typical corner store on the outside, inside they have a small counter that can seat six towards the back. Behind the counter stands Alicia, my Torta Queen, who is solely responsible for these masterpieces. While Rhea’s sandwich is a gourmet spin on a Korean classic (I’m guessing that Acme doesn’t have a bakery in Seoul), That’s It’s tortas are about as down-home as you can get. As per the menu board, the tortas are made “estilo DF”, meaning in the style typical of food stands and carts in Mexico City. Much like Rhea’s, the bread here is the engine that drives the sandwich. A quick turn on the griddle gives the roll a super light crisp and a faint buttery flavor. This is then stuffed, and I mean stuffed, with your choice of meat (I suggest the chicken milanese or the chorizo and egg), refried beans, queso fresco, avocado, onion and tomato. The end result is a sandwich that tastes like a lighter but more flavorful burrito. These tortas can easily feed two for lunch and maybe even dinner depending on your appetites. For $6.50! I’m now a regular making up for lost time.

Rhea’s Market and Deli
800 Valencia St. (at the corner of 19th St.)
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-282-5255
Deli counter open M-TH: 11:30 AM-7PM, F-SUN: 11:30 AM-8PM, Closed every 2nd Monday
Korean Steak Sandwich $8.75

That’s It Market
2699 Mission St. (at the corner of 23rd St.)
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-285-9883
Mon.-Sun.: 11AM-11:30 PM
Chicken Milanese Torta or Chorizo and Egg Torta: $6.50