Burmese Favorites

Burmese food has become very trendy cuisine in the last couple of years.  In my opinion, it is very similar to Indian food with the strong spices and the heavy curry in most dishes.  There are several popular Burmese restaurants in the bay area but here are my favorite spots:

1. Pagan Restaurant in the Outer Richmond district of SF
2. Mandalay Restaurant in the Inner Richmond district of SF
3. Mingalaba Restaurant in Burlingame

One of the most well known authentic dishes is the Tea Leaf Salad which consists of about 10 different ingredients with the main ingredient being grind up tea leaves.

An appetizer item that is very similar to the Indian roti bread is the Burmese crispy pancake with curry dipping sauce.

A very authentic popular noodle dish is the flat noodles with a coconut curry sauce.

A main entree that is very similar to the Indian curry is the Burmese style spicy beef curry.

A Little Neighborhood Gem

The Richmond in the Inner Richmond district of SF is truly an underrated restaurant.  A cute little semi fine dining restaurant in a quiet part of town run by a very friendly local couple...the husband is the chef while the wife is the host.  This place serves up very a modern fare and offers a quite extensive wine list at a very reasonable price.

We started with the whisky Braised Oxtail with Maine Diver Scallops on creamy polenta

Our main entrees included the Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with potato puree

Seared Hanger Steak on a pancetta, onion, potato & brie filled “brick dough” crepe

Braised Wild Pacific Seabass in a White Wine Tomato Sauce with braising greens

Seared Wild Pacific Cod with Sauteed Squid with garlic, lemon, and red cabbage

And we were given a complimentary dessert of home made chocolate fudge topped with lace cookies.

The new Tyler Florence dig

Wayfare Tavern in the heart of the SF FiDi is the latest "meet the celebrity chef" place to be!  Experienced my first meal here with some of my favorite peeps (you know who you are)...

They start you off with the yummy popovers.  If you've ever been to the rotunda at Neiman Marcus you'll know exactly what I'm talking about...light and flakey...full of fatty goodness!

Our entrees included the famous Organic Fried Chicken - buttermilk brine, roasted garlic, crispy woodherbs with a side of creamed corn.

 The Hang Town Fry (aka a dying man's last meal) - fluffy petaluma eggs, crispy oysters, smoked bacon, jack cheese, sausalito watercress & potato hash.

The Grilled Alaskan - creamy fava beans, boccalone pancetta, uni butter

Can't Get Enough Fried Chicken

Bake Sale Betty in Oakland is a cute little hole in the wall bakery known for their fried chicken sammies.  BIG and CRISPY!  Not just one but TWO full size mildly spicy chicken breasts topped with an olive oil coleslaw all inside a soft hoagie type roll...enough to serve two unless you want to pig out like but even then I was only able to take in 3/4 of one!  Only 8 buck.

And for to go...be sure to pick up one of their famous $25 apple pie...yes it's $25!  But just like everything else they have it's enough to serve a big party!

Fry that Chicken!

We've been on a hunt around town trying the best known fried chicken places!  So here we go in order of ranking (most favorite to least favorite)...

1. Town Hall in SOMA - A bit pricey side for fried chicken (3 pieces w/2 sides for $22) but this is by far the best tasting fried chicken we've had yet.  Tasty buttermilk batter and the breast is super moist!

 

2. Front Porch in Bernal Heights - A very casual fun spot which was an old garage converted into a resto. For the price ($33/bucket w/2 sides that serves 3 ppl), quality and quantity this is your top spot.  If you like the lightly battered with a lot of southern spices, this is your favorite fried chicken.

3.  Farmer Brown in the "TL" (tenderloin) - This is a casual fun place with a bar area good for groups.  The fried chicken is decent for a budget price ($16 for 3 small pieces and 2 sides).  Do note that the mini corn bread muffins they serve when you first sit down are super yummy! As for the red velvet cake that I've heard so many raving about...ummm not so much...I've definitely had better.

4.  1300 Filmore in the Filmore District - Another place a bit on the pricey side ($28 for 2 pieces w/2 sides).  This is a nicer establishment known for their southern style cooking as well as live jazz music.  We were not a fan of this fried chicken as it had a thicker batter and a strange seasoning on it.  One thing we were a fan of was the red pepper jelly served with the corn bread...imagine a sweetened vegetable!