419231 Mon Jul 09 06:07:13 -0700 2007 38 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2731370 I read this question on the Boston board. What places do you go to because of chowhound. I go to many places because of places I read about on chowhound. A few: Back-A-Yard, Menlo Park Thanh Thanh, Newark New China, Union City What are yours? Mon Jul 09 06:07:13 -0700 2007 10677 hhc 1 2731514 I was introduced to Everyday Beijing and Shanghai East, both in San Mateo, because of Chowhound. Mon Jul 09 07:03:18 -0700 2007 2731370 10722 Wendy_san 1 2732045 That's an interesting question, because "causation" can be interpreted a couple of ways. If you mean places I read about on chowhound and then made part of my regular food beat, I'd have trouble coming up with an answer. On the other hand, if you mean places that I was inspired to "discover" because of Chowhound, the number is too many to count. For example, even though I'd patronized taco trucks off and on over the years, I was inspired to go out and do a serious investigation of Oakland taco trucks by Melanie's taco truck reports from Santa Rosa. And then there's the third category, which is places I first tried specifically through Chowhound, i.e. at a chowdown (too many to list) or with dining companions I met through Chowhound (La Ciccia comes to mind). A couple of places I never would have tried if it weren't for Chowhound: Champa Garden Binh Minh Quan Mon Jul 09 09:26:46 -0700 2007 2731370 10159 Ruth Lafler 2 2732614 Another place I might not have walked into (or even noticed) without Chowhound is Shanghai (original location) in Oakland. At the time, it hadn't been open very long and there had only been a couple of passing comments on Chowhound, but the board was in the middle of the Great XLB Quest of 2002 and I was keeping an eye out for Shanghai restaurants. Now, of course, it's a board favorite. Also, I'm adding a link to La Ciccia, which I neglected to provide above. Mon Jul 09 11:27:14 -0700 2007 2732045 10159 Ruth Lafler 3 2733163 Kappa. Though it was eventually "discovered" by the local food critics, I found it through Chowhound about two years before the mainstream press reviewed it. Also Ino Sushi, which is not exactly in a high foot-traffic area, and Bodega Bistro. Mon Jul 09 13:30:20 -0700 2007 2732614 11277 Paul H 3 2742177 Both of these for me too, plus the Lime Tree. Wed Jul 11 23:58:32 -0700 2007 2732614 77441 bigwheel042 1 2732378 I think Chowhound is great for stretching geography & uncovering places as they open. Given that .... there are several places I likely would never have found w/o Chowhound: 1. Old Port Lobster Shack .... I mean how tempted are you to try a restaurant in a strip mall in the industrial/commercial part of RWC 2. Cafe Gibralter HMB ... No way you can "discover" this place by walking in -- it's not visible from the highway 3. Most of SushiMonster's list .... wow 4. I don't live in SF, so following that scene is tough .... CH has led me to Oola (great in the early days), Coco500, Incanto ..... Mon Jul 09 10:38:44 -0700 2007 2731370 11473 doc 1 2732635 The only restaurant that I an think of that's in my regular restaurant rotation because I read about it on this board is Lotus Garden, a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant in the outer Mission. We go there every couple of weeks and the food is always wonderful and Kathy, the owner, treats us well. Mon Jul 09 11:30:35 -0700 2007 2731370 10157 farmersdaughter 1 2732723 The two that come to mind are St. Francis Fountain on 24th Street for brunch and Delissio because it's so hidden on Market St. that I would probably have missed it. Another one that I just went to yesterday is Axis Cafe on 8th St. in SF. Mon Jul 09 11:50:01 -0700 2007 2731370 14374 Mari 2 2732735 There's now a second location of Delessio: Mon Jul 09 11:51:38 -0700 2007 2732723 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 2732866 China Village. I would have never bothered to try it, and now it's my personal crack. Mon Jul 09 12:29:31 -0700 2007 2731370 22335 SLRossi 2 2732914 Oh yeah, China Village! There are so many places on Solano I never would have tried it if not for Chowhound. Speaking of Solano, every time I drive by Montero's I remember the positive remarks about it on this board and remind myself to try it sometime (so far I've always had my dog with me). Mon Jul 09 12:40:20 -0700 2007 2732866 10159 Ruth Lafler 2 2733183 China Village is definitely one for me also. as is Champa Garden. and a *whole lot* of places outside the bay area. Usually (though not always) it is the places outside my neighborhood, or places that I try while travelling, that I am led to by Chowhound....Neighborhood places I am more likely to try on my own....I was going to Lotus Garden (in its original location) before I had even heard of CH....ditto Passionfish in Pacific Grove (because I travel enough to Monterey that it is like a second neighborhood to me).. but the other great thing about CH is that even if it doesn't lead me to try a place for the first time, it gives me a sense of what to expect, how to decipher the menu, what I might want to order...etc.... Mon Jul 09 13:34:07 -0700 2007 2732866 10158 susancinsf 1 2733314 Arinell's Pizza in SF. Mon Jul 09 14:05:12 -0700 2007 2731370 11737 NoeMan 1 2733324 Champa Garden Mon Jul 09 14:08:01 -0700 2007 2731370 13962 Cheesy Oysters 1 2733368 One place this board turned me on to that I likely would have never found on my own is the Little Lucca Deli (El Camino Real, South SF). GREAT sandwiches and don't forget the garlic sauce! Mon Jul 09 14:21:33 -0700 2007 2731370 23776 DavidT 2 2741594 Little Lucca's is one of the main things I miss after moving to the East Bay. I LOVE that hot pepper stuff. Wed Jul 11 18:44:49 -0700 2007 2733368 17493 lintygmom 1 2733691 Also New China (aka China Tofu) was for 3 years while I was in EB. In SF = Oyaji and Shin Toe Bul Yi because they're both rather far out in the avenues and not somewhere within my normal path. A16 because I don't trust non-CH opinions on pizza crusts. And Aziza because it seems to be the board go-to for out of town recommendation. Mon Jul 09 16:04:06 -0700 2007 2731370 12891 vliang 1 2733979 The House, SF Back a Yard, Menlo Park Speederia, San Carlos New Kapadokia, Redwood City Shalizaar, San Mateo Kabab and Curries, Santa Clara Pie in the Sky, Berkeley El Pollo Supremo, San Mateo Annapoorna, San Mateo Tacubaya, Berkeley Naan N Curry, San Francisco Pastaria, Los Gatos Tamal, San Francisco (closed) Some of these I would have discovered on my own (Tacubaya, Naan N Curry), but my first visit was prompted by a Chowhound post. Mon Jul 09 17:34:26 -0700 2007 2731370 10992 katya 1 2734058 LOVED house of Nanking in Chinatown - excellent recommendation... LOVED Tartine Bakery - delicious, fresh and perfectamente' Did NOT enjoy Gold Mountain in Chinatown - dirty and dingy...waitstaff bringing dim sun did not explain WHAT each was fluently. Some dim sum not too tasty... overall Bad recc. from Chowhounders. Mon Jul 09 18:09:22 -0700 2007 2731370 18770 Sallieb190 2 2734196 If somebody asked for a nice clean dim sum place where they speak English, I don't think anyone would recommend Gold Mountain. Mon Jul 09 18:53:12 -0700 2007 2734058 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 2734558 ha, I've eaten in a bazillion dim sum places. I can think of plenty of excellent-to-good places, plenty of cheap good-to-decent places, plenty of clean places of varying quality and prices. But I can't think of a single place where EVERY server explains in fluent English EVERY item. But then I've never considered that to be a requirement for me - its a restaurant, not a classroom. I'd say the closest would be Yank Sing and Hong Kong Flower Lounge - who are pretty good about stating the name of the items and asking basic questions (vegetarian? pork? seafood?) but often enough I've gotten incorrect answers where the server has just said "Yes". Mon Jul 09 20:51:57 -0700 2007 2734196 10252 larochelle 4 2734674 Old Port Lobster Shack, Beard Papa , New Kapadokia - all in Redwood City. Mon Jul 09 21:39:03 -0700 2007 2734558 13294 vivian 4 2735568 At Yank Sing, they'll usually send over someone who speaks English if they can't understand or answer a question. Tue Jul 10 08:49:04 -0700 2007 2734558 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 2734638 I went to all these places on my last visit to SF--thanks to chowhound! Ame Zuni A16 Slanted Door Bar Crudo Chez Panisse Cafe Mon Jul 09 21:23:34 -0700 2007 2731370 15633 fdb 2 2735590 Those are all great places, but not the kind you'd learn about only on Chowhound. Tue Jul 10 08:53:44 -0700 2007 2734638 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 2735615 True. I learned about them from other resources, too, but confirmed with help from Chowhound. Tue Jul 10 08:58:10 -0700 2007 2735590 15633 fdb 1 2734822 Joy Restaurant in Foster City. Best Taiwanese food I've had in SF/Peninsula so far. Mon Jul 09 23:12:32 -0700 2007 2731370 77809 gemster 1 2735581 Bodega Bistro. Tue Jul 10 08:52:09 -0700 2007 2731370 15835 Husky 1 2735629 It's hard to tell which ones were solely because of being on CH, but I do have a few notable examples. My favorite CH find was the Shrimp Truck Lady in Koloa on Kauai. I was with a carload of hungry snorkelers, and I saw the truck and yelled, "pull over!" It was wonderful, and everyone was in awe that I knew about the place. I became the hero of the week for that one. I would also say that my affinity for Tu Lan, The Taco truck on Harrison, and Lotus garden all had seeds on these boards. Tue Jul 10 09:00:52 -0700 2007 2731370 11191 foodiegrl 1 2739625 I plan all my Bay Area trips around Chowhound. Last month it was Chef Wai and Everyday Beijing in San Mateo, Dim Sum King in Daly City and Classic Sichuan in Millbrae. In May it was Shanghai Flavor Shop in Sunnyvale, Golden Mountain in Hayward and Imperial Garden in the Portola district. Working on next month's trip right now. Wed Jul 11 10:09:11 -0700 2007 2731370 10131 Chandavkl 2 2741806 Gracies BBQ in Vallejo Wed Jul 11 20:09:20 -0700 2007 2739625 13579 Sitka 2 2742083 how was Dim Sum King in Daly City? Did u like it? Wed Jul 11 22:11:07 -0700 2007 2739625 10677 hhc 3 2743003 Dim Sum King was quite good. I still can't get over walking into an authentic Chinese restaurant at night and be given a small size dinner menu plus a dim sum order sheet. I mean requests for night time dim sum is something we ridicule on Chowhound. Dim Sum King had some really interesting items on their menu. The two that I can remember were the chopped shrimp ball adorned with kernels of sweet corn (as opposed to grains of sticky rice, which you may have seen elsewhere) and cheung fun (rice noodle roll) filled with fish paste. Thu Jul 12 09:03:26 -0700 2007 2742083 10131 Chandavkl 4 2744987 thanks for the heads up on the two items. Both sound good to me! Thu Jul 12 17:56:56 -0700 2007 2743003 10677 hhc 1 2742153 Champa Garden & Everyday Beijing have already been mentioned. I'd add Sancho's Taqueria in Redwood City to the list. Absurdly good carnitas burrito in a residential location far from any major thoroughfare. Wed Jul 11 23:21:00 -0700 2007 2731370 11011 Eugene Park 1 2745613 Although I'd had more than a few taco truck tacos before CH, the level of taco truck insanity here turned it from an occasional curiosity to a full-on, thrice-weekly staple. And even though my favorite (the pair at 22nd and Int.) gets booed out every time I mention it here, I probably wouldn't have noticed it at all without the hound pioneers. Other places I would have missed: Nellies, Indus Village Lanesplitter on San Pablo That nondescript chinese place at University and McGee Cityside: L'Osteria del Forno (missed that one for *years*) Thu Jul 12 23:05:12 -0700 2007 2731370 25310 Chuckles the Clone 2 2745637 From Chowhound only, probably Gregoire and Crixa (semi-regular haunts), and Perbacco (one of the bigger Chow disappointments, because expectations were so high). Also, the guy who used to smoke meat in El Cerrito. If I think hard there may be a few more, but nothing memorable one way or another. I think pretty much everything else I'd also heard or seen from other sources. Thu Jul 12 23:26:03 -0700 2007 2745613 13471 lmnopm 1 2748432 Nice topic! I found Koryo BBQ on Telegraph in Oakland because of Chowhound. Korean BBQ with coals on the table, real "burled driftwood" tables, really impatient servers, an enormous amount of special tasty salty sweet fishy cabbagy Korean sides with your meal, and a very interesting Korean "wine" that makes me slur... I take the family there at least once a month. The meat has been marinating in a spicy Korean BBQ sauces. You plop the meat on the hot grill on your table. When it's oh-so-carmalized, you place the smoky meat in lettuce leaves, adorn them with some of the 47 different types of sides, wrap it up like a taco, take a sip of your "wine", and have bite after bite of pure heaven. This has turned into one of our favorite family places. Just don't go expecting an atmosphere or service. It's all about the food and the.... "wine". Fri Jul 13 18:34:57 -0700 2007 2731370 27282 Johnny E