30075 Thu Jul 01 22:56:11 -0700 2004 27 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 128653 Hello All! I will be in the SF area traveling and am looking for any unique SF food to try (I am willing to go outside of the SF area too!). I definetly will be trying the mission burritos, but any suggestions on other foods would be much appreciated! Thanks! Thu Jul 01 22:56:11 -0700 2004 0 buttacup79 1 128663 Cracked dungeness crab Crab Louie Cioppino Sourdough bread Joe's special at Original Joe's Green goddess salad at the Palace hotel tomato beef curry chow mein ;-) Fri Jul 02 06:16:15 -0700 2004 128653 0 Sharuf 2 128678 Sharuf, you're having a senior moment again! Green Goddess is, of course, a dressing, not a salad. Link: http://www.sfvisitor.org/travelmedia/press.asp?rid=51 Fri Jul 02 11:55:58 -0700 2004 128663 0 Gary Soup 3 128777 What an informative website! .Porbably just a semantic quibble, but it's my understanding that "Green Goddess" can refer to the salad dressing alone and also to the salad under it. Sat Jul 03 06:29:19 -0700 2004 128678 0 Sharuf 4 128807 i believe Green Goddess is the name of the dressing. i have never heard of the salad being called green goddess.(or maybe it is somewhere else) Sat Jul 03 21:15:56 -0700 2004 128777 0 originaljoe 3 131003 Yes, normally only the dressing is called Green Goddess, but IIRC last month I had that very same salad at the Garden Court in the Palace Hotel and its designation on the menu was "Green Goddess Salad." It was excellent and I loved the flavor of the dressing. Mon Jul 26 11:05:02 -0700 2004 128678 0 sumimao 2 128696 A couple more items I would like to add to Sharuf's list. San Francisco-style hamburger still served at Original Joe's Sand Dabs as served at Tadich Grill or Sam's Hangtown Fry (I know that according to the legend it originated in what is now called Placerville. It is still a local specialty that one is not going to find in any other big city.) Andrew Fri Jul 02 13:21:54 -0700 2004 128663 0 Andrew 3 128792 I was just reading the corresponding thread on the LA Chowhound board, and sand dabs were one of the first "unique LA foods" mentioned. Sat Jul 03 14:45:36 -0700 2004 128696 0 Robert Lauriston 1 128668 This probably isn't what you are looking for, but: The fortune cookie was invented here by Makota Hagiwara who operated the Japanese Tea House concession still in Golden Gate Park. They still sell them there. Buffalo Stew at Tommy's Joynt Geary and Van Ness Organica (raw, vegan, food) 1224 9th St. Red's Java House (hotdogs on a sourdough roll) Embarcadero and Bryant Chez Panisse (birthplace of California Cuisine) Berkeley (on Shattuck) Boozehound: These cocktails were invented here. The Martini Occidental Grill 453 Pine St. Irish Coffee Buena Vista Cafe 2765 Hyde St. The Mimosa Jacks Restaurant 615 Sacramento St. also: Anchor Steam Brewery (somewhere in the Potrero Hill district) Do you know about Hof Braus? I don't know if they are a bay area thing, but a couple San Francisco ones still have a distinctive, "only in SF" feel. They are: Lefty O'Doul's (on Geary, near Union Square) *The original Lefty helped Joe DiMaggio get his career started and inside the place is a blown up photo ID of Joe's one time lady, none other than MM herself. And of course, Tommy's Joynt (you may see members of Metallica hanging out) Other things not particularly from SF, but sold (sometimes made) in SF and made nearby: Cowgirl Creamery cheese Ferry Building (Their Redhawk cheese has won all kinds of awards) Acme Bread also Ferry Bldg. Boudins Sourdough multiple locations OK, and you're going to think I'm weird, but you must try these: Front Room Pizza is a great SF place and has a Chinese barbeque pork pizza. Zante's pizza has the only Indian pizza I know of and have ever heard of. No one else in the bay area specializes in this unique dish, as far as I know. Fri Jul 02 10:38:30 -0700 2004 128653 0 kevin 2 128670 Kevin -- Nice list! I would also add the invention of the It's It Ice Cream Sandwich, often attributed to being invented in the 1930's at the legendary Playland at the Beach (1921-1972) amusement park at what is now Ocean Beach. It's basically an ice cream sandwich (vanilla, chocolate or coffee ice cream) made of two oatmeal cookies covered in chocolate. Various accounts have centered on Playland at the Beach amusement park where one of the attractions featured baby elephants who wore numbers that would slide down slippery chutes, and patrons could bet on which one would land at the bottom first. The owner of the ice cream stand nearby, busy at the time, shouted out to a friend inquiring as to who had one the most recent race, and the answer was "It's It"! Apparently, "It" was the name of one of the baby elephants in those races... You can usually find these tasty treats most commonly at out of the way mom and pop liquor and convenience stores. They're still being made today at their factory in Burlingame. Sorry, no factory tours available. Fri Jul 02 11:14:46 -0700 2004 128668 0 wedgeheadjunkie 2 128673 Nice list, but I think you are buying into a couple of dubious claims. The fortune cookie predates the Japanese Tea Garden and was more likely invented by a restaurateur in LA. The Martini was reputed to be invented in Martinez, hence the name. Irish Coffee was "discovered" at Shannon Airport in Dublin, Ireland (well documented). Red's Java Cafe, BTW, is most famous for its cheeseburger and (long-necked) Bud special. You can't say you've dined at Red's if you don't order that. You're also disqualified if you consume it anywhere on the premises other than on one of the concrete slabs in front, sitting betweet two seagull poop stains, IMHO. :-) To your weird pizza list, I'd add Peking Duck Pizza at Washington Bakery (on Washington St. in Chinatown) though I can't be sure they still have it. Fri Jul 02 11:43:34 -0700 2004 128668 0 Gary Soup 3 128675 Selectively stolen from a variety of sources... The original inspiration for fortune cookies may date back to the 13th Century, when Chinese soldiers slipped rice paper messages into mooncakes to help coordinate their defense against Mongolian invaders. And yet, for all of the mystery and seemingly exotic allure, fortune cookies are strictly an invention of the Untied States. The fortune cookie, like chop suey, is a U.S. invention that is often thought to be from another country. While SF is the the self-proclaimed "Fortune Cookie Capital of the World" Canton-native David Jung of Los Angeles, a baker and restauranteur, began making cookies with thin slips of paper inside sometime around 1920. Jung founded the Hong Kong Noodle Company, which was producing more than 3,000 cookies an hour in the 1920s. The delicate cookies were actually the brainchild of Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese designer who first debuted them at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition. In 1983 a court ruled in favor of the San Francisco claim. Fri Jul 02 11:53:24 -0700 2004 128673 0 Ruth Laughlin 4 128679 That "court" was presided over by (slightly) biased Justice Harry Low, as I recall. I think the LA folks were denied a change of venue. They may be working on a motion for a retrail. Link: http://www.zpub.com/sf50/sf/m2001d.htm#814 Fri Jul 02 12:08:28 -0700 2004 128675 0 Gary Soup 5 128682 LA and you can make whatever spurious claims you want. The facts are that: 1) Makoto Hagiwara introduced cookies bearing thank-you notes at his Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park and served them at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition, San Francisco's world's fair. 2) David Jung, founder of Los Angeles' Hong Kong Noodle Co., claimed to have invented the cookies in 1918 as an encouraging treat for the post-World War I unemployed who gathered in the street. Last time I checked 1915 is before 1918. So even by Jung's own testimony, he loses. Fri Jul 02 12:28:56 -0700 2004 128679 0 Suzie 6 128698 Then why don't the Japanese keep them to themselves? I wasn't trying to make points for SF, just trying to pin the blame for this atrocity on Los Angelenos, but I guess the Japanese will do. Fri Jul 02 13:27:23 -0700 2004 128682 0 Gary Soup 6 128709 You foodies are great! I love the banter! Keep the insanity going! Fri Jul 02 14:41:27 -0700 2004 128682 0 yn 7 128716 Since when is a fortune cookie food? Fri Jul 02 15:25:36 -0700 2004 128709 0 Gary Soup 8 128761 Since I can get a big bag of seconds for three bucks. They are grest with coffee (wishing it was beer) while watching the Giants beat the A's. It just flour, egg, sugar and water. What is not to like. The fortune cookie factory on Ross Alley between Jackson and Washington. Mrs. Yimster someday I will have to learn there is something called a address. But with a address in Mrs. Yimster still has me do the driving and finding the places on my own. Fri Jul 02 22:17:40 -0700 2004 128716 0 yimster 4 128724 I want to know who first start the trend of adding "in bed" to the end of the fortune. As in "You will find great happiness." + "in bed" or "You will make a great fortune with your skills" + "in bed". Fri Jul 02 16:48:42 -0700 2004 128675 0 Pssst 4 128727 An interesting digression, but please let's get back to San Francisco-specific food, everyone. This can be continued on the General Topics board. Thanks. Fri Jul 02 16:58:32 -0700 2004 128675 2 The Chowhound Team 3 128684 Thanks Gary. I stand corrected about the Irish Coffee. I should've stated that the first arrival of Irish Coffee in America is commemorated at the Buena Vista Cafe and they even have a plaque dating to 1952. The commonly held belief about the martini was that it was concocted in the 1860s by bartender Jerry Thomas at the Occidental Hotel for passengers who needed one for the ferry ride over to Martinez. So yes, it was named after Martinez, but originated here. I will try the cheeseburger, but is it really a SF unique thing? I don't know, but certainly the hotdogs on sourdough are. I guess if you count that, you should also try the cheeseburgers at the All-Star Donuts on Harrison and 5th, which at 3 AM is also a uniquely SF experience. By the way, someone told me it was this All-Star Donuts that Dan White ate his last twinkie before you know what happened. I think this is dubious, but has anyone else heard of this? Fri Jul 02 12:38:56 -0700 2004 128673 0 kevin 4 128725 Not sure. But below is an interesting story that explains the Twinkie Defense story and how the myth was created. Link: http://www.snopes.com/legal/twinkie.htm Fri Jul 02 16:54:51 -0700 2004 128684 0 Pssst 4 128783 The Jerry Thomas story of the Martini tends to be more believable (he was, after all, the genius of cocktails), but the town of Martinez still has a plaque next to an ugly strip-mall on which it is claimed there was a saloon on the spot where the Martini was invented. It's a debate that will probably never be resolved... In any event, the current version of the Occidental has absolutely nothing to do with the actual Occidental Hotel bar that Jerry Thomas presided over, and their Martinis, in keeping a disturbing trend, are so large that they become warm before you are through drinking them. It's getting hard to find good Martinis these days (small enough to stay ice cold to the very end) because of exaggerated size of today's cocktail glasses... Since I'm in a curmudgeonly myth-debunking mode, I don't think the All Stars chain existed when Dan White ate his last Twinkie. All Stars started popping up around town in the late '80s/early '90s, taking over the venerable Hunt's chain, among others. Sat Jul 03 13:06:58 -0700 2004 128684 0 Zach Georgopoulos 2 128690 I don't think Zante invented Indian pizza. The first I heard of was in Arcata, of all places, which is what gave me the idea to start pestering the Zante guys to combine their two menus. Fri Jul 02 13:07:19 -0700 2004 128668 0 Robert Lauriston 3 128693 Forgot to add, that even if they did invent it, Indian pizza's now common in New York. Fri Jul 02 13:08:36 -0700 2004 128690 0 Robert Lauriston 4 128823 As a New York City resident, I can say that I've never seen or heard mention of (including on Chowhpound's NY boards) anything resembling the description of Zante's Indian pizza here. Sun Jul 04 17:40:40 -0700 2004 128693 0 Caitlin McGrath 5 128827 I read an article about Indian pizza in New York not too long ago, unfortunately can't find it. Apparently they're in Indian neighborhoods (Queens?) and most of the customers are Indian. There's one chain called Singh's Pizza. Sun Jul 04 19:29:42 -0700 2004 128823 0 Robert Lauriston 1 128676 Mitchell's Ice Cream: macapuno and buko (try these Filipino flavors first) http://www.mitchellsicecream.com/ Mitchell's Ice Cream 688 San Jose Avenue (Guerrero Street) at the corner of 29th Street (415) 648-2300 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 pm. 7 days a week Fri Jul 02 11:54:00 -0700 2004 128653 0 rssfromsf