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

Margherita Pie

When my family first moved to the Bay Area in 1981, pizza here flat out sucked. Dan Ledeux, one of my first friends in sixth grade, enthusiastically told me that Straw Hat and The Pizza Machine were “rad”. Even coming from Michigan, where the locals swear by Buddy’s horrific excuse of a pizza, Straw Hat and The Pizza Machine were dreadful. My parents hinted that I might break off my new friendship. Goodbye Dan Ledeux. In my family, suggesting a bad restaurant is about the worst offense there is. Talk about us behind our backs, swindle us out of our money, steal our possessions but please, for God’s sake, don’t you dare send a Hochman to a lousy restaurant. It won’t be forgotten. Ever.

Our move to the city in 1984 didn’t improve the pizza situation much. Other than Giorgio’s and Tommaso’s, San Francisco was a pizza wasteland (it’s no coincidence that both of these places are still thriving). But in 2005, things began to change quickly. Delfina Pizza and Picco, in Marin, both opened and were instant hits. The floodgates opened and we’re now overrun with really good pizza. Gialina, Pi Bar, A16, Pizzaiolo in Oakland…the list goes on and on. Just when I thought that the pizza craze had gone too far, along came Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in North Beach. I think that I’m falling in love.

The New Jersey Style Tomato Pie With 1/2 Sausage

Tony Gemignani’s pizza career has been well documented by the local food media. He and his brother have long owned a pizza place in Castro Valley and he was the first American to win the World Pizza Cup in Naples, Italy in 2007. However, I was skeptical when learning of his plans for a new pizza place in North Beach last year. Why? Gemignani planned to install four pizza ovens so that he could prepare four different styles of pizza. Uggh. This sounded like a recipe for disaster and a little gimicky as well. San Franciscans don’t dig gimmicks. Two recent visits have proven me totally wrong.

The first pizza that I tried was a 1/2 sausage New Jersey Tomato Pie under the “Classic American” section of the menu. It flat-out rocked. The crust was thin and crispy but not annoyingly so like some cracker crusts in town. It had some substance. Even on the sausage side, with a little extra grease, the crust held up well. The perfectly sweet tomato sauce was evenly spread on top of just the right amount of cheese. The outer crust, fluffy and crispy all at once, is worthy of being a snack unto itself. This “Classic American” pizza is meant to evoke orgasmic memories of East Coast pie palaces and it succeeds. If I smoked, I would have lit up a cigarette after scarfing this pizza and laid in a daze for an hour or so before passing out in pizza bliss.

Yes, there are three meatballs under that blanket of sauce and cheese.

The Margherita Pie from from the “Napoletana” section of the menu has the pedigree of an odds-on favorite at the Kentucky Derby. This is the pie that won the World Cup and only 73 are made each day. Ingredients include extra virgin olive oil from Campania, San Marzano tomatoes, Mozzarella Fior di Latte and “dough mixed by hand using San Felice flour then proofed in Neapolitan wood boxes”. While this pizza was also delicious, it ranks slightly behind the Tomato Pie for me. Why? I was taught from an early age by my New Yorker parents that a crisp crust is the proper crust . A true Napoletana pizza has a crust that is chewier rather than crispy as it spends only 90 seconds in a blistering hot, wood fired oven. Tony’s Margherita is exemplary of this style. The flavors are amazing but I simply prefer a crispier crust. Still great stuff.

I can’t finish this review without mentioning the meatballs. If you’ve ever salivated watching Tony Soprano eat meatballs, order these. For five dollars, this hefty order is a steal and not to be missed. Tony’s is an easy place to come either on a date or with friends and family. The vibe is festive and there’s a full bar with many beers on tap. On both of my visits, service was really friendly. Tony’s feels like a pizza place should. I didn’t even get to the Calzones, the Sicilian Style pies or the Strombolis but I’m already plotting my next visit.

Tony’s Pizza Napoletana
1570 Stockton St. (corner of Union)
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-835-9888
Website
Wednesday-Sunday: Noon-11:00 PM
No reservations
The Original Tomato Pie $15
Margherita Pie $18
Meatballs 3 for $5, 6 for $7

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

Roughly six years ago, I was up late one night frantically searching Chowhound (when Chowhound used to matter) for chicken wings. I was sure that there had to be something that I was missing. In college, wings were a staple of my umm, “balanced” diet. I once proudly ate 27 Mr. Spot’s jumbo wings in one sitting on a dare. How could San Francisco, with such a great diversity of food, be void of a decent wing joint? A place with cold beer on tap, maybe a few big screen tv’s with football on, and, most importantly, hot, greasy, messy wings by the basket with celery and processed blue cheese dressing on the side. Well I found that place…and it was called Hooters. At the Wharf.

But I also found San Tung, the venerable Chinese place on Irving and 11th. I didn’t even know that such a thing as Chinese style chicken wings existed but the Chowhound raves were so numerous, I had to trot out to the Inner Sunset for a taste. The Chowhounders were right. These wings, while completely different than my Mr. Spot’s memories, were a revelation. However, San Tung was nearly impossible to get into, especially with young kids who weren’t going to put up with a 45 minute wait for a table (ok, me). More Chowhound research ensued and the result was SO, a small place further down Irving at around 23rd. SO was owned by James, the son of the San Tung owners, and he smartly created a menu with San Tung’s greatest hits including the potstickers, the black bean sauce noodles and, yes, the wings. SO became a regular part of my Chinese food rotation until, one day around three years ago, there was a “CLOSED” sign in the window and, much to my disappointment, they never reopened.

So (no pun intended), I’m up late again surfing food sites a few weeks ago (some things haven’t changed in six years) when I notice that #3 on the “hot” restaurants on Yelp is a place called SO. “No Way!” , I thought to myself. Then, I saw the SOMA address and figured that this was a total coincidence. Maybe SO was yet another locavore, organic blah, blah, blah. But I clicked anyway and started reading Yelpers’ thoughts. Every single review mentioned chicken wings. Most reviews mentioned potstickers. SO was reopen! Five minutes away from our house!

Wanting to try a variety of dishes, I asked my cousins to join us for dinner this past Friday night. While the decor was a little bit nicer than the old Irving St. location, not much else had changed. To my memory, the menu was nearly identical with a variety of fried items, noodles, potstickers, and fried rice. I’m beyond happy to report that everything tasted exactly as I remembered it, maybe even better. Let’s start with the star of the show, the wings. SO’s wings are very lightly fried, to a point that you get a glassy crunch, and then tossed with a simple combination of roasted red pepper, garlic, and ginger soy sauce. The results are both stunning and addictive. If there weren’t six other hungry diners with me, I would have easily polished the whole order myself.

While the wings are my “essential order” at SO, the potstickers are also not to be missed. There’s no secret ingredient or anything unusual about them but rarely in San Francisco have I had potstickers this well executed. Well browned pillows of dough hug a perfectly balanced mixture of ground pork and ginger. Hint: Order the potstickers early as they tend to take longer than then other dishes to arrive at the table, a result of proper pan frying in the kitchen. Other winners included the SO Black Bean Sauce Noodles, a spicy mix of house made noodles, pork, and scrambled eggs and the Dried Sauteed String Beans, cooked with super fresh beans and a little bit on the garlicky side.

If you can’t tell by now, my excitement about the relaunch of SO is boiling over. It’s the perfect place for a quick dinner or to stop by on the way home from work for takeout. Prices are very reasonable with no dishes on the current menu costing more than $7.50. Including my two young daughters and two teenage boys, seven of us ate for $63 after tax and tip. So are these the best wings in San Francisco? Right now, I’d say a big yes.

SO
1010 Bryant St. (b/t 8th and 9th)
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-552-7676
Monday-Saturday, 11AM-9PM
Website

Is there such a thing as a curry high? After my first experience tonight with the Magic Curry Kart, I’d say yes and, three hours later at 1:30 AM, I still haven’t come down. Some background: During the past year, San Francisco has seen an explosion in food carts, especially in the Mission District. Most of these carts are run by one or two people who post their whereabouts on Twitter and/or their own blog. Brian Kimball, who operates the Magic Curry Kart, helped to start the street food trend when, hoping to make a little extra money, he started making curry in front of his apartment using a makeshift cooking setup. As word of an almost mythical “curry guy” spread, the crowds gathered quickly.

Cut to one year later. The Magic Curry Kart has evolved into a two burner, two rice cooker mobile machine. I was thrilled to learn from Brian’s tweets that the cart would be on 16th near Mission as I was getting off at the 16th St. BART station on my way home from the Warriors game (where the food sucks by the way). At 10:45, Brian had just finished setting up the cart and asked me to put my name on a list indicating what type of curry I’d like. Tonight’s choice was simple: Chicken red curry or Vegetable red curry. I opted for the chicken and was rewarded with a bowl of perfectly spiced, expertly cooked curry. Unlike the stringy pieces commonly found at Thai restaurants, the chicken was cut into small chunks The vegetables snapped perfectly in my mouth. The Kart’s curry is on the creamier side, how I like it, and the rice becomes well coated so that you still get many forkfuls of flavor after the chicken and vegetables are gone. Brian described the curry as being “medium spicy” yet for the first few bites, I wasn’t feeling it. Then, the heat slowly settled in on my tongue and remained at a perfect level for the remainder of the bowl. I love spicy food but not to the point that all other flavors are drowned out. Magic Curry nailed it.

As I’m beginning to delve into the street food scene, I’m curious to find out if the quality is there or if it’s the novelty that’s attracting the crowds. I have to admit that there was something cool about standing outside in the Mission District on a crisp night while eating from a cart that only some people even know exists. However, the Magic Curry Kart’s curry would make this stomach happy anywhere, anytime. For you early birds, the cart is often out in the afternoon and early evening. Follow the cart on Twitter and check it out.

Magic Curry Kart
$6 for a bowl of curry with rice
Check Twitter for times and locations
www.twitter.com/magiccurrykart
www.magiccurrykart.com