Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
14
Kids' Guide to Dim Sum
For some reason, the whole communal aspect of dim sum seems t o make my
kids more adventurous. Waiters come with plates of food and everyone seated
decides whether or not t o go f or it. When a plat e is plac ed in the middle of
the table, you're all in on the fun of tr ying it together. Of course, it helps that
we've figured out what w e think our k ids will like and ha ve learned t o avoid
anything that c ould truly shock them. I' m passing this k nowledge on t o you
with a list of dim sum that most first-timers will definit ely enjoy. And if y ou
see fresh-steamed asparagus, snow pea shoots, or any other vegetables being
offered, order them as w ell. They are all ex cellent.
•
Har gau:
Shrimp dumplings encased in a transluc ent wrapper and st eamed
•
Siu mai:
Rectangles of pork and shrimp in a sheer noodle wrapper
•
Gau choi gau:
Chives, alone or with shrimp or scallops
•
Jun jui k au:
Rice pearl balls with seasoned g round pork and ric e
•
Law mai gai:
Stick y rice with bits of meat and mushr ooms wrapped in a
lotus leaf
•
Char siu bau:
Steamed pork buns—bits of barbecued meat in a dough y roll
•
Guk char siu ban:
Baked pork buns—bits of barbecued meat in a glaz
1
ed
roll
•
Chun guen:
Spring r olls—smaller, less cr owded versions of egg r olls
•
Gau ji:
Pot stickers—a thick , crescent-shaped dough filled with g round pork
cuisine, y ou can do no better than
Antica Trattoria
(2400 Polk St.;
&
415/
928-5797
). See p. 140.
•
Best Fish:
At
Great Eastern
(649 Jack-
son St.;
&
415/986-2500
) your dinner
gets plucked fr om the fish tanks in the
back of the dining r oom, so ther e's no
question the fish is fr esh. S ee p . 118.
The longtime favorite of city hall mo v-
ers and shakers,
Hayes S treet G rill
(320 Hayes St.;
&
415/863-5545
) uses
the Bay Area's finest pur veyors of fish,
meat, and produce and puts out bright,
simple plates of r ecognizable food. S ee
p. 132.
•
Best Mexican:
Mamacita
(2317 Chest-
nut S t.;
&
415/346-8494
) ser ves
ultra-fresh, flavorful Mexican specialties
and makes an ex cellent guacamole. S ee
p. 135. F or inexpensiv e M exican food
with a vie w, y ou could do no better
than
Mijita
(O ne Ferry B uilding, No.
44;
&
415/399-0814;
p. 161), created
by one of SF's most renowned chefs. See
p. 125. F or a humble but terrific bur-
rito, head do wn to the M ission to
La
Corneta Taqueria
(2731 M ission S t.;
&
415/643-7001
). See p. 147.
•
Best Ice Cream:
And the winner is . . .
Mitchell's
(688 San Jose Ave.;
&
415/
648-2300
) for cr eamy, luscious ice
creams in flav ors both ex otic (bab y
coconut, sw eet corn) and comfor ting
(Mexican chocolate, vanilla). See p. 147.
•
Best Afternoon Tea:
Treat the kids to a
special child-friendly tea menu at the
Fairmont H otel's Laur el Cour t
(950
Mason S t.;
&
415/772-5259
). S ee