Rico's in North Beach & the quick dinner dilemma

[Mr. S]

I have just landed in a place that seems like North Beach, but I am told that it’s technically Russian Hill. Sometimes I even think I live in Chinatown. But anyhow, Rico's happens to be the closest restaurant of any kind to where I live.

About one month ago, I first went to Rico’s and ordered a carnitas burrito because I had heard that one of the major differences between LA and SF Mexican food was the taco vs. burrito. I sat and with my burrito and I enjoyed the carnitas inside, but the tortilla wasn’t homemade and I didn’t like all of the filler in there. The carnitas, although not crispy on the outside, were tender, well seasoned and juicy. And I’m not sure, but I think it was 8 bucks.

Tonight, after walking (past il Pollaio, last night’s takeout - wonderful dinner – grilled half chicken, made my own sides) home from work, I decided to give Rico’s a second shot. I stuck with the carnitas, due to a lingering bad taste from the carne asada last week in the Financial District. When the carnitas taco came, it was a quite loaded with lettuce, cheese and tomato on top of two large corn tortillas. Again, the carnitas inside were good just like before. The tortillas did not taste or feel fresh, nor were particularly hot. I thought again that the fillings were overwhelming, the meat stood on its own. I did like their rice, which is something I usually don’t get or notice. Maybe I was just cold and the rice was piping hot.

I have heard that the Mission is the place to go, but does anybody know of somewhere local to find some good tacos? I know better than to kick off an LA vs. SF taco war, but I would like to find something nearby. Anything worth checking out that is NON-taco would be appreciated as well.

I have been to:
Rico’s
Pellegrini
An Indian place that has a sports bar inside and sells T-shirts from the back?
II Pollaio

Thanks!

[Xiao Yang]

A couple of blocks from Ricos towards the Wharf (at Mason and Francisco) is Taqueria San Jose #3, no longer connected to the other branches, but as good or better a taco or burrito than Ricos and definitely cheaper. Zorro's tacos (Columbus near Broadway) aren't bad, though I haven't tried the burritos.

A few other random suggestions:

l'Osteria del Forno on Columbus
Caffe Puccini (great pasta along with your Macchiato)
Rogue Brewery Pub (for a Kobe cheeseburger and a pint)
Chick-n-Noodle-Do (good pho etc on Vallejo between Stockton and Powell)
Golden Boy on Green Street for a Pizza slice

There is no official designation for Russian Hill, its more a realtor thing. "Russian Hill" is toney, but "North Beach" has more soul. I live pretty much dead center in what the Russian Hill Neighbors Association calls "Russian Hill" but I insist on calling it "North Beach", beatnik manqué rhat I am.

And oh yeah, that "Indian" place is probably Kennedy's Irish Pub and Curry House -- OK if you look at as a bar with food.

[Lori SF]

Taqueria Zorros - just don't get any guacamole near anything, its a horrible green spread of something.

[cartersurf]

Chick-n-Noodle-Do is gone, but the vietnamese place in there now is pretty good and really cheap for what you get. BBQ pork and grilled prawns over rice w/ a salad for under 7 bucks!!!

[Lori SF]

Not the best neighborhood for a decent burrito. Slightly better off going to the San Buena Taco Truck over on Pacific/Sansome. The tacos are pretty underwelming, but a carnitas burrito for 6.00 will be much better than Rico's.

You might like Nick's Crispy Tacos on Broadway at Polk.

El Gran Taco- On Broadway near Kearny had some pretty good fish tacos. I have not been for a while so cannot say what they are like today..but I think they only have them on Thurs. or Friday? Cheap enough to try.

[rworange]

How did you like Pellegrini?

Nick's is a good suggestion as is going through the tunnel to explore some of the options on Polk.

Freddie's sandwiches on 300 Francisco make a nice basic, inexpensive Italian sandwich.

Samba Rooms, a new Brazilian place, will deliver Brazilian food, pizza and Italian food to that area. Haven't tried the Italian/pizza yet
http://www.chow.com/places/18825

I keep meaning to try out Curly's so that might be interesting to check out
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/369872

I've read Palermo Deli occasionally does a good roast chicken (take-out) but haven't tried it yet.

Mo's Grill gets lots of positive mentions for burgers.

Not a restaurants but in that area I like Little City Meats, Molinaris fresh Italian sausages (not a fan of the sandwiches), Liguria's foccacia, XOX truffles, Graffeo coffe, Danilo's Italian bread,

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Ricos Fine Mexican Restaurant
943 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

[Xiao Yang]

I think Mr. S is talking about places close to home, and there are a lot of options to be explored in Chinatown which are closer than Polk Gulch (and the walk through the tunnel is not pleasant, even with a gas mask AND ear plugs). There have been very mixed reviews on Nicks, and I for one am not a fan of tacos "dorados" if that's what the "crispy" means in Nick's case.

I'm curious about Pelligrini myself. Someone must like it, because it always seems jam-packed.

[Lori SF]

I mentioned Nicks Tacos because its about the only edible taco near. That Italian East Coast boy sells somewhere between 500-1000 tacos a day, someone must like them. Yes, I would not recommend walking through the tunnel, although riding a tandum bike on Halloween during Critical Mass without cars was super fun!

[rworange]

No, it the case of Nick's it means a soft taco holding a thin taco which holds the filling. Not fried with filling inside like a dorado. There is the option of crispy or not.
http://sanfrancisco.menupages.com/scr...

Not so mixed on Nick's but it is more SOCAL than Mexican. Almost always positive for those looking for the fish taco fix and still rates four stars overall out of over 500 reviews elsewhere.

It was the only taco place nearer than the Mission ... the next nearest being Pancho Villa at the Ferry Building and Rick Bayless's Frontera Fresca in Macy's.

There's a bus through the tunnel or the cable car that will drop you about a block away. And that cable car also runs right by 1550 Hyde.

[Xiao Yang]

We've already fingered Rico's, Zorro's, Taqueria San Jose, El Gran Taco and a Taco Truck (though probably not around at dinner time). There's at least one still going at FishWharf (around Mason and Jefferson) even though the one with the Yucatecan specialties is gone. That's at least six within easy walking distance for Mr. S to check out, all presumingly selling more conventional tacos than Nick's.

The only bus through the Broadway tunnel is the 30X, which only runs in the peak hour in the peak direction, and has no stops in North Beach.

[Lori SF]

I have not been to Pelligrini.

I like Palermo for sandwiches and lunch meats.. I am not a fan of Molinaris sandwiches either.
I have a guilty weakness fro Sordini, not the best Italian food but they have some Italian American Family style dishes that are very comforting and I adore the restaurant and staff.
Ideale- is good, prices are good
Rose Pistola- inconsistent and expensive, I do lunch there occasionally
The House was good, have not been for a long time.
Caffe Puccini is pretty good
Da Flora- I have like over the years

[xanadude]

Yah, that area is suboptimal for mexican food. The Pancho Villa next to the ferry building may be worth trying.

[sugartoof]

You would probably have a tough time finding Mexican food in any city's Little Italy.

The upside is you're really central to a lot of other eating destinations like the Marina, the Mission, and SOMA, plus a bunch of pockets in between, and you'll find you can never feel deprived of great Mexican food in SF even if it's not in walking distance.

[Lori SF]

What about Cafe Prague for a easy dinner? I have not been there since I worked over there and really do not know how it is today. I do remember they offered some good soups, sandwiches, coffee.

[Xiao Yang]

It has a handful of Czech and Hungarian dinner specialties but nobody has really raved about the mains and they're probably not worth the $mid-teen prices. Even the sandwiches are $10+, though they have "organic" plastered all over the menu. It's a great place for a quiet cuppa and a pastry, though, and drips with atmosphere.

http://www.menupages.com/partnermenu....

[Sallie]

Hi, glad to see you found a neighborhood!

I'll depart from the Italian-Mexican a bit and mention these two:

Burgermeister at Columbus and...Mason? Taylor? Good burgers made from high-quality ingredients (Niman Ranch beef), big enough to share. No-frills counter service. Onion rings, milkshakes, chili cheese fries...

Since you mentioned Indian, Tandoori Mahal (Kearny and Columbus) is good and consistent for take-out. They also have a buffet which I have not tried. I like their chicken korma pretty well and they give you enough sauce so that you can freeze the leftover and use it with your own chicken for a quick dinner down the line.

[rworange]

link

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Burgermeister
759 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Tandoori Mahal
941 Kearny Street, San Francisco, CA 94133