OAKLAND Spotlight: Dorsey’s Locker

DORSEY’S LOCKER
5817 Shattuck Ave
(between 58th St & 59th St)
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 428-1935

Hey sister, go sister, where all my soul sisters?

The answer to that question is….not in San Francisco.

With the closing of the famed SF soul food spot, Powell’s Place, us San Franciscans are experiencing a dearth of good and inexpensive soul food in our dear city, and had to travel outside of SF to find anything noteworthy. One evening, as we had a miserable dinner at PF Chang’s, we asked our server, “Where do YOU go to eat when you’re not working?” His answer: Dorsey’s Locker. I gathered up a large group of hungry people and made them all drive to Oakland on a Sunday afternoon. Wanna see what we got to eat?

The seafood combination, yummy yummy sides, and the short ribs platter

They do all the classic soul food favorites: fried chicken, catfish, snapper, gumbo, short ribs, pork chops, liver & onions, …and the sides: collard greens, black eyed peas, rice with gravy, mashed potatoes, fries, yams, red beans, green beans, corn, and mac & cheese (only available on Fridays and Sundays). Service was spectacular and entertaining, the food came in copious amounts, and we all left extremely full and satisfied. I think that Dorsey’s is actually vastly better than Powell’s Place – even in their presentation of the food. (Sorry Powell’s…I loved you, but you have been replaced.) Think I’m exaggerating on how good the food was? My friend Joshua, who had the pork chops, cleaned his plate.

SF Spotlight: My Tofu House

My Tofu House
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
4627 Geary Blvd
(between 10th Ave & 11th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 750-1818

As you can see, I have not been cooking lately – not for lack of want, but more so because I simply haven’t had the time. So, for those of you who are not familiar with the wonder of Soon Du Bu Chige, I am presenting you with my current favorite Korean restaurant in San Francico – My Tofu House.

Located on a pretty mellow section of Geary Boulevard, My Tofu House is a favorite amongst locals, apparent by the waiting list that you will encounter during dinnertime. The menu is simple – no mile long list of unpronounceable dishes, rather, two pages in Korean with the English translation on the bottom. Though they make a pretty decent Bi Bim Bap and Bulgogi, their specialty is Soon Du Bu – tofu stew – offering at least nine different variations: original, seafood, dumpling, vegetable…I can’t remember all of them, but I have not had a bad one yet.

Once you order, they bring you an assortment of na mul, the various side dishes commonly served with Korean food: bean sprouts, several types of kim chi, a fried fish, and little dried baby fish. Next comes a big stone pot of steamed white rice. And finally, the piece de resistance – your tofu soup in a stone bowl, still bubbling. My personal favorite is the dumpling tofu stew – a rich, spicy broth with soft tofu, rice cakes, and meat filled dumplings. You can choose how spicy you want it – I prefer mine “spicy”, but for those of you who can’t stand the heat…try the “white” or “mild” version first.

Usually, when I go with friends, we order our soup as well as an additional order of bulgogi – it’s a ton of food, and often times the wait staff will offer you refills of any of the na mul that you want seconds on. And it’s fairly inexpensive – $10.00 for your soup, and the bulgogi runs about $17 for a pretty large portion. I always leave here full and nice and warm inside.

SF Spotlight: Palencia Restaurant (The Castro)

Palencia
3870 17th St
(between Noe St & Pond St)
San Francisco,CA 94114
(415) 522-1888

website

I entered Palencia with a touch of trepidation, mostly because Filipino food is not known for being “haute cuisine” and I was interested to see how they were going to pull it off. Much of the food I grew up eating, thanks to my mother (an amazing force in the kitchen), was absolutely delicious, but very simple. Vegetables and meat with a generous side of rice; vinegar, patis and bagoong as condiments. I wondered if this “Filipino Cuisine” was going to be some sort of fusion between traditional Filipino and American food, to cater to a broader audience.

Upon first glance at the menu, I immediately recognized every single dish as something my mom makes. The table was set with a fork and spoon at each place – any kid who grew up in a Filipino household will tell you, that is truly how we eat – no knives! Ukoy – a sort of tempura-like pancake of vegetables and shrimp, was something that I never really liked as a kid. Their version was smaller than what I’m used to, but packed more flavor than my mom’s (I know, blasphemous, right?). I actually liked this a lot. Next up, fresh lumpia – it was missing a few ingredients that I like (fried tofu, more veggies), but it was quite good. Soup course – we ordered the nilaga. It was really nice, with less fat than homemade, a rich beef broth, and vegetables cooked ‘al dente’. So far, so good. Then came the main dishes.

Daing na bangus – marinated milkfish – this was excellent. They smoked the fish, giving it a stronger and heartier flavor than usual (I am used to the fish just being marinated in vinegar and fried). The bistek was just okay – sweeter than I like it, it could have used more vinegar. The lechon kawali was good, but I’m not a big fan of fried pork skins, so I didn’t really care for it.

To end our meal, we ordered the halo-halo, which had really delicious chunks of leche flan, macapuno, jackfruit, red beans, and a scoop of mashed ube, topped with your choice of ice cream (we chose ube). It was perfect.

The experience itself was satisfying – purely Filipino dishes (no fusion) using finer ingredients, and presented on banana leaves. The sounds of Filipino folk music floated gently through the small dining room, reminding me of my childhood days learning how to dance Filipino Folk Dances from my mom…the capiz lanterns….the large sepia-toned family photo at the back of the restaurant….people at the bar drinking San Miguel beers…Palencia captured a lot of the essence of the Philippines, while elevating the food to a fine dining experience.

My only complaint is that Filipino food is usually served in huge, inexpensive portions, and Palencia is not cheap by any means. I probably wouldn’t go running back anytime soon, but I was thinking of taking my great-aunts here sometime, for Merienda, just to give them a “fancy” version of food from their homeland.

SF BAY AREA Spotlight: Ad Hoc (Yountville)

Ad Hoc
476 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599
(707) 944-2487

Open for dinner Thursday through Monday, $45 prix fixe menu (not including wine).
Beginning September 18, 2007, open daily

The Ad Hoc staff listens as Chef Dave Cruz goes over the evening’s menu.
Photo courtesy of John Lee Pictures, http://www.johnleepictures.com

(Original visit: June 6, 2007)

And to think I almost said, “Count me out!” when my friend Grace invited me out to dinner at Ad Hoc.

Anything with Thomas Keller’s name attached to it pretty much guarantees good food. I learned this from my (I think he might be gay) ex-boyfriend – his family is a big fan of The French Laundry and some of the biggest food snobs you will ever meet. You’ve heard of the Laundry and of Bouchon, perhaps you’ve heard of Per Se (in NYC). Led by Executive Chef Dave Cruz, this small restaurant is another hit for Keller with its down-home yet sophisticated take on comfort food.

Interestingly, this restaurant was meant to be temporary (to be open only six months or so), as Keller intended on opening up a place that served burgers and wine. As Ad Hoc became increasingly popular, it was decided that it would become a permanent fixture on Washington Street (next to Bouchon and The French Laundry) and the burger place would open elsewhere. (I’ve heard rumors that this place will be opening in Santa Rosa soon.)

Back to Ad Hoc.

Walking in, it feels like you are having dinner at a friend’s house – except your friend owns a classy, cleverly-lit, hardwood floored home in Wine Country with a giant dining room. The tables have large panels of silver on them that reflect the lighting onto the ceiling – it makes for an interesting shadow dance while people are reaching for food and moving their glasses around. (Tres artsy, no?) Everyone seems to be engrossed in conversation and nonchalantly sipping wine, a must have in this part of town. Wine list – not too long, with some great choices from all over the world AND from local Napa/Sonoma wineries. Tip: If your waiter suggests a wine pairing, if you have the funds, GO FOR IT. I had my first wine pairing epiphany here at Ad Hoc – more about that later.

Ad Hoc does the prix fixe thing – no muss, no fuss, no hemming and hawing over what you’ll be having for dinner. And it’s family style, so going in a group is great. Plus, if you run out of your main course, they will gladly serve you a second helping. The first night we dined, we started with hearts of romaine salad topped with pickled onions, walnuts, and slices of apple with a Roquefort dressing. It was not only delicious, but pretty too – the dressing was to die for. Next came the main course – fried chicken with green bean casserole and potatoes. The fried chicken was not greasy – it was juicy and flavorful (brined to perfection); the green beans were cooked al dente (not mushy like your run-of-the-mill green bean casserole); the potatoes were just right and seasoned with roasted garlic (yum!). Then came the cheese course – a very sharp Wisconsin cheddar served with sliced peach (or maybe it was nectarine) and orange blossom honey. And to top it all off…strawberry shortcake for dessert – a light and airy version of a timeless classic.

The friend who invited Grace and I to dinner spends a lot of time here – so when we walked in, it felt like we were VIPs. We got amazing service from our server, Nessim, and the rest of the Ad Hoc crew (it’s the kind of service that flows with no interruption, you barely notice as your plates are switched out or your glasses are refilled). They were super attentive, professional, and even put up with our raucous group with a smile. The manager from Bouchon and even the great Thomas Keller himself stopped in this evening. I didn’t even notice that our dinner took nearly four hours – we were having such a great time being pampered by the waitstaff that we could have stayed all night.

A month after my initial visit, I made reservations for eight at Ad Hoc for my birthday. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better than last time, we made another trip to Ad Hoc for my birthday last night, and had “Mar y Montana” – a delicious dish made with poussin (that’s young chicken for those of you who don’t know) and white shrimp. This time, I wasn’t paying as much attention to the names of the courses, I just remember it was another sublime experience. Our server, Peter, recommended a wine for our cheese course that transitioned nicely into our dessert course, where we had a Mascarpone Mousse. And this is where I had my wine pairing ephiphany – the wine made the mousse taste like a smooth, rich chocolate. I’d never experienced wine pairing in action – where the wine brings out a flavor in the food, but this time, the entire table had that experience at the same time. It was amazing.

Go to Ad Hoc. Bring friends. Take your time eating and enjoy every single course, spring for some wine, and thank your servers before you go. It’s worth every penny.