Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pauline Frommer Recommends . . .
$-$$ House of Nanking
55
(919 Kearney St., at Columbus;
%
415/
421-1429; daily 11am-10pm; MC, V).
As Jason said at the top, everyone
has his favorite Chinatown haunt, and you're most likely to find me here,
when I'm in town. Shanghai is the origin of the cuisine and my particular
magnet on the menu is the exquisite peanut sauce, a not-at-all-gloopy,
slightly fiery smear that elevates the dishes that feature it, like the crispy
tofu ($7.95) and the fried shrimp cakes ($4.95) onto another gastronomic
plane (no, really). In fact, when I'm alone, I'll stop by and make an entire
meal out of that shrimp-cake appetizer and leave satisfied. When I'm with
friends, I let owner Peter Fang do the ordering; he inevitably includes
something with his famed peanut sauce, as well as whatever's freshest
from the market.
$$-$$$ Sanraku Japanese Restaurant
5
(704 Sutter St., at Taylor St.;
%
415/771-0803; www.sanraku.com; Mon-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 4-10pm;
AE, DC, MC, V).
Pairing the words
cheap
and
sushi
together in a sentence
usually scares diners. But at this little haven of blond woods and hanging
scrolls, the fish is super fresh, the rice well molded, and the prices surpris-
ingly low; $4.50 to $6.50 for most regular rolls, up to $12 for glitzier spe-
cials; try the fab $9.50 lunch special of several courses. What I especially
like about the sushi bar here is that it's a community gathering place and
many of the diners hang out each day. Sit down alone and you're sure to
be quickly swept up in a conversation as you dine.
Willie “Woo Woo” Wong Playground). The dim sum here, though, is excellent—
shrimp dumplings, turnip cakes, pork buns, and so on, plus a selection of
Americanized Chinese like sweet-and-sour chicken. The place bills itself as the
oldest dim-sum house in town, which is tough to verify, but the kitchen has been
in operation since 1920—the orange-and-lime dining area has obviously been
attended to since then. You'll find it difficult to spend more than $12—most
dishes are $5 and under. Dim-sum service halts at 9pm, but dessert goes on until
after midnight.
$-$$
For a filling dim-sum feast, Chinese locals know to pop in at
Dol Ho
5
(808 Pacific Ave., at Stockton;
%
415/392
-
2828; Thurs-Tues 7am-5pm; cash
only),
a hole in the wall that's virtually unknown among outsiders. As the cart
slides by, point to what you want, and indulge. Don't think you've seen all there
is after the first cart, because different food types (fried vs. rice-based vs. steamed)
are loaded onto different carts. The decor has all the charm of the lobby of a no-
star hotel, with four sad chandeliers hanging dismally over the proceedings, but I
can't complain I'm not getting my money's worth when I can come out of a place
having slurped down eight shu mai and shrimp-and-vegetable dumplings, with a
