Dim Sum in the city...

[deckape]

Will be in SF this Saturday and Sunday. Have settled on Sat. dinner at either Delfina or Incanto. However, I'm still trying to sort out a dim sum destination for lunch on Saturday. I'll be staying at the Omni and will have no car to get around in. Any suggestions for dim sum in a reasonable distance from 500 California St?

Any suggestions or advice concerning our Italian choices would also be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Robert Lauriston]

Yank Sing's also nearby if you want to go for the high end. Or you could BART to Millbrae:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/399986

Delfina and Incanto, either's a great choice. Here's a topic comparing the fine points of those and a couple of the other top Italian places:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/414285

[deckape]

I was hoping you'd drop in since I have reviewed so many of your excellent posts, Mr Lauriston. Thank you for the reply.

I'm crushed that La Ciccia is closed for our visit. I had heard about it in my circle down here in San Diego and was all wound up for it. Too bad.

[shortexact]

500 California Street is essentially spitting distance from Chinatown, so there are definitely options. There are lots of older discussions on dim sum, so you'll want to do a search of the board.

Here's a Chinatown thread to start:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/411454

[deckape]

Thank you for that...an aquaintance recommended Ton Kiang and Hong Kong Seafood on Noriega. Any feelings about those two recommendations?

[Ruth Lafler]

Uh oh. You brought up Ton Kiang -- probably the single most hotly debated restaurant on this board. Some of us think it's over-priced, over-hyped, and just plain mediocre. Other people think it's the best dim sum in the City. Do you really want to trek out to the Richmond District and stand in line to find out who's right? Hong Kong Seafood is an even bigger trek.

Why don't you head for Dol Ho in Chinatown -- the food is great, it's incredibly cheap, and the atmosphere is about as far from Ton Kiang as you can get. Here are a couple of recent threads:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/411245
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/378008

[deckape]

I'd gathered that Ton Kiang was a bit of a lightning rod, that's why I brought it up. Wanted to see what came of it.

Thank you for the Dol Ho reco and the wave-off on the trek, we're in it for a nice relaxing overnighter without the gotta-do pressure.

[shortexact]

Both places are really far from where you're staying, all the way at the other end of the city. They are both very transit-accessible, but you'd have to have a lot of patience for slow Muni lines. As Ruth mentioned, Ton Kiang is quite controversial.

I would agree Dol Ho would be a nice spot, and only a 7-8 block walk through Chinatown from 500 California. If you walk north on Grant Ave through this area, you'll get the tourist perspective on Chinatown, but I would recommend walking up Stockton instead, which is the "real" side of Chinatown. Or you could walk over on one street, and back down on the other street, to get the dual perspective (it's a fairly dramatic difference). Dol Ho is just off Pacific and Stockton.

-----
Dol Ho
808 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

[Ruth Lafler]

That's an excellent suggestion. If you walk back on Grant you can stop at Golden Gate Bakery for some of their famous egg custard tarts, and some of their less-famous but equally delicious coconut tarts and coconut macaroons.

-----
Golden Gate Bakery
1029 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

[deckape]

The wife's gonna love this suggestion.

[farmersdaughter]

And get a barbecued pork bun from Golden Gate Bakery as well.

[deckape]

Excellent, exact, thanks for the advice on the Stockton walk, sounds like just what we're looking for.