SD Hound Needs Chinese Recs

[SDgirl]

Hello Fellow Chowhounds,
We'll be moving the dd into USF in August and were hoping you all could help us with recs for great Chinese near the campus. We're particularly interested in dim sum and noodles. I know there is a lot of discussion on Chinese in San Francisco, but we are not familiar at all with the city and haven't a clue as to where these places are in relation to the university. We are willing to drive. Thank you all for your help. Cheers! P.S. Any other great recs which are not Chinese would also be very welcome.

[ML8000]

The best dim sum in the Bay Area is Koi Palace, which is in Daly City, between SFO and SF. Expensive and super long waits.

Closer to USF is Ton Kiang, perhaps w/i 1.5 miles, same general area of town. It gets very good reviews.

[Xiao Yang]

Ton Kiang gets very mixed reviews. Sure it gets some great reviews, but almost an equal number of pans, and is too pricey for what it offers to recommend to someone on a student budget IMHO. It also is not the closest dim sum venue to USF by any stretch of the imagination; there are a number of them along Geary and Clement east of Ton Kiang, which is actually about three miles from USF.

[ML8000]

Okay, TK gets mixed review. Then toss out some other names on Geary and Clement.

BTW, frankly I think every popular Asian in SF restaurant gets mixed reviews if:

1) it goes over a certain price point
2) gets a positive review by the mainstream (kills the hipster I found it first buzz)
3) Asian people eat there (for not being "authentic" enough & too pricey)
4) non-Asian people eat there (for being too pricey & not nice enough)
5) thrill seeking hipster hole-in-the-wall eaters (screwing with expectations & being too nice).

Oh yeah and add in the highly subjective matter of taste and palette reference. Yes, I'm half joking...but kinda not.

[Xiao Yang]

Just from the top of my head, the Richmond has:

Golden River
Lucky Fortune
Golden Gate
Eastern Cafe
Mayflower
Ocean
House of Banquet
Lee Hou

All sit-downers, worth a shot, and all (except possibly Mayflower) less expensive than Ton Kiang. There are also a number of good take-away dim sum shops.

[ML8000]

Honesty, some of those get mixed reviews too...not that they're bad, more like you need to know specifics on what to order and what to avoid.

[Chandavkl]

You will be very close to the Richmond and Sunset districts of San Francisco, which have by far the best Chinese food within the city limits of San Francisco. When you arrive, just head on over to Geary Bl. or Clement St. and start working your way through the area.

[SDgirl]

Thank you both for the info. Ton Kiang is on the list, and what a bonus to discover that USF is so close the Asian food scene. We are so looking forward to exploring your city and eating our way through it.

[yimster]

SDgirl can you tell us what kind of Chinese you are interested in. In the Bay Area we are blessed with many regions of Chinese. A general statement of good Chinese is too wide.

If you are willing to drive you are in for a treat.

[SDgirl]

Sounds a lot like Italian. Unfortunately, I don't have as good an understanding of regional Chinese as I do regional Italian. To say I like it all would sound like I was hemming and hawing (which I am), but it's true. In my original post I focused on dim sum and noodles because they are my absolute favorite Chinese foodstuffs, but I can and will go for anything. We are willing to drive, and I love a good treat, so I'm excited to hear your suggestions. Cheers!

[yimster]

Here is one not listed already, Shan Dong (spelling may be wrong since I trying to remember the Chinese name this may indeed be the spelling of the Oakland on) on Irving between 11th and 12th. Has some great dishes.

Dry Braised Green Beans
Dumpling pick on of four for the combination you like
Dry Braised Chicken Wings (Wet)
Hot and Sour Soup.

[Xiao Yang]

The SF restaurant spells it "San Tung"

[Dave MP]

Even though it's not *as* close, I'd head down to Hong Kong Seafood S&T on Noriega for dim sum. It would take about 10 mins to drive there - they have excellent braised dishes like chicken feet and bean curd skin rolls, and it's reasonably priced and friendly.

[SDgirl]

Thank you everyone! I have enjoyed reading all of your posts and have written down all of your suggestions. Thank you, yimster, for the specific menu items. DH and I have four years to discover the food scene in SF and we are very much looking forward to the adventure.

[Calvinist]

You'll have fun and will develop your own favorites while you're here. For something a little different you might check out Spices I and II for a hotter style of Chinese cooking, and Burma Superstar for, yes, Burmese cusine.