502067 Sun Mar 23 18:41:28 -0700 2008 6 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 3520591 I hope it's not out of place to post this here, but I wanted to thank the chowhounds of SF who took some of us from the Popular Culture Association conference on a tour of Chinatown. Also, the list of restaurants was great. I went to The Butler & The Chef Bistro the next day for lunch and had the best boeuf bourguignon of my life (and to contextualize that statement, I go to Paris at least once a year so I am familiar with the dish). My biggest regret: that the conference organizers put you on the second day of the conference, thereby limiting my chowhound-informed choices. The good news is that I'm now a newly registered chowhound and will travel in ignorance no more. p.s. The chocosnob in me was thrilled to find a Richart only blocks from the hotel. My recommendations for anyone who likes their chocolate a bit on the avant-garde side (and who will pay through the nose to eat tomato basil or curry chocolate): get the "Un jardin en fête" sampler or the "Epicés" collection. Sun Mar 23 18:41:29 -0700 2008 177331 chocosnob 1 3521952 I think I can speak for my fellow hounds in saying you are welcome and I am sure we enjoyed as much you did. The one you need to thank is Dave the host. He was able to move the time from late in the day to a noon time start. The orginal time had the panel ending at about 6PM where would have made the walk impossible. Hope you will enjoy Chowhound as much as we do. Mon Mar 24 09:16:14 -0700 2008 3520591 10686 yimster 1 3522539 You're very welcome! It was a lot of fun to meet people and carry our passion for talking about food from the electronic world to the real world. Glad the recs worked for you, too. I hope you also made it to Cocoabella in the Westfield Center (half a block from your hotel), which has an amazing selection of chocolates from both North American and European chocolatiers. I'd actually never been there until I went there for a break/light meal between PCA sessions. Mon Mar 24 11:31:19 -0700 2008 3520591 10159 Ruth Lafler 2 3523552 Sadly, I did not make it to Cocoabella, but I'll be sure to go there next time I'm in town. Mon Mar 24 15:37:27 -0700 2008 3522539 177331 chocosnob 1 3524739 The SF hounds are remarkable folks, and I'm glad you had a chance to hear them talk. DaveMP may be young, but he has taste! His recommendation of Pagan turned out to be a winner for my group. Next year, the PCA is in New Orleans. Maybe we can set up a food tour there, too. Mon Mar 24 23:56:20 -0700 2008 3520591 10031 Dave Feldman 2 3525214 Thanks Dave :) I'm glad you enjoyed Pagan and I'm glad to hear they're doing well. I will hopefully get out there again sometime soon. Yimster, what are the names of the places we went in Chinatown? I thought the custard buns we had were very good, as was the chicken (in this case I think being freshly-fried made a big difference). It was nice seeing the other hounds and meeting people who were attending the conference -as Ruth says, it was nice making the connection between electronic world and real world. Thanks again to Dave for organizing this - hopefully it can happen more in the future! Dave MP Tue Mar 25 07:23:49 -0700 2008 3524739 21930 Dave MP 3 3535065 Sorry I missed you question until I reread your post. Gourmet BBQ Delight is the wing place, while Napoleon is the bakery. Both on Stockton between Jackson and Washington. This quick walk just starching the surface. Every time I go to Chinatown I find new treats and feel sad at what is lost. Never status quo in Chinatown. Thu Mar 27 17:51:45 -0700 2008 3525214 10686 yimster