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  • theetruscan
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2008
    • 2270

    Isn't there one other good place, down near San Jose?
    Hobo: We all dress up. We all put on our armour before we walk out the door, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re trying to be someone else.

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    • Chinorlz
      Senior Member
      • Sep 2006
      • 6422

      Damn... Yeah everything I read online says you gotta go out of SF to get anything good. My only comparison would be the NYC haunts with Hide-Chan being my absolute favorite.

      Katana-ya, Izakaya-Sozai, Sawaii all have fairly good reviews.

      May not get a chance to drive out to Ramen Dojo unfortunately but thank you for the rec!
      www.AlbertHuangMD.com - Digital Portfolio Of Projects & Designs

      Merz (5/22/09):"i'm a firm believer that the ultimate prevailing logic in design is 'does shit look sick as fuck' "

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      • jippos
        Member
        • Mar 2007
        • 81

        Originally posted by theetruscan View Post
        Isn't there one other good place, down near San Jose?
        Yeah, Ramen Halu is probably the most famed of the south bay; very good, although the experience (and surrounding area, mostly) is certainly not worth the drive from SF. The City's not really a ramen place, for some reason, though there are several quite good izakaya.
        (Also in San Mateo is the well known Santa Ramen.)

        Come to think of it, SF isn't really a big sushi place, either, in my opinion (although I'm limiting myself now to sustainable fish, and haven't really been on the sushi prowl). For an infrequent sushi splurge, I find it best to cross the GG bridge and enjoy a sublime meal at Sushi Ran (which I'd whole-heartedly recommend).

        Comment

        • theetruscan
          Senior Member
          • Jan 2008
          • 2270

          My favorite bay area sushi and Japanese place (Kaygetsu, fucking incredible) closed, sadly.

          I've fallen back on Jinsho in Palo Alto.

          For an Izakaya style, the best I've found is oddly in Los Altos, called Sumika. Their fried chicken is unreal.

          Yeah, SF has some decent Japanese, but not much truly amazing Japanese. Probably the best in-town sushi is at Kyo-ya. Unfortunately, that is one STUFFY restaurant.
          Hobo: We all dress up. We all put on our armour before we walk out the door, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re trying to be someone else.

          Comment

          • genevieveryoko
            Senior Member
            • Sep 2009
            • 868

            Originally posted by Chinorlz View Post
            Been reading online a lot... what do locals consider the best ramen place for tonkotsu ramen in SF?
            my favorite ramen place is ramen underground on kearny st. i'm not sure if they have tonkotsu ramen, and they also don't have the best rating on yelp, but i think it's worth a visit.

            re: kyo-ya - it's depressing and expensive.
            http://genevievelarson.tumblr.com/

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            • theetruscan
              Senior Member
              • Jan 2008
              • 2270

              Originally posted by genevieveryoko View Post
              re: kyo-ya - it's depressing and expensive.
              Completely agreed, but where can I get better fish in town?

              Also, I have to laugh at AKA's comments about the mission still being dangerous. It's hard to get more gentrified without closing all the shops. But, if you want to be on edge, go for it.
              Hobo: We all dress up. We all put on our armour before we walk out the door, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re trying to be someone else.

              Comment

              • fncyths
                Senior Member
                • Apr 2010
                • 775

                I'm with Faust on Blue Bottle! That and Four Barrel are my go to spots.

                Funny about the mission being dangerous. I spent 3 months for a shoot in Mexico City tromping around at all hours of the night and felt totally fine. I get back to SF and I don't know what it is but the Bart station on 16th and Mission is fucking SKETCH! So yeah... i'm with AKA on that one as well. Gotta walk tough around those parts.

                My favorite brunch is a little french place in Cole Valley called Zazie.

                I love Cole Valley. There is this mystic hippie guy who has a shop tucked away behind some stores who I always visit when I'm in town. He's garbed in velvet robes and has the best stories. Oh, Sword and Rose is the name. Snag some palo santo or some nice copal from him. It's pretty over the top!
                Originally posted by Shucks
                it's like cocaine, only heavier. and legal.
                Originally posted by interest1
                I don't live in the past. But I do have a vacation home there.

                Comment

                • kompressorkev
                  Senior Member
                  • Dec 2006
                  • 685

                  I think the best ramen that i've tried in the bay area is Santouka in San Jose. I used to frequent Santouka in LA (Culver City and Torrance), and I think it's the best ramen i've had stateside, though admittedly i'm not a ramen connoisseur or anything. Katana-ya's alright (imo if Santouka is a 9+ on a scale of 10, Katana-ya's maybe a 6.5-7), but i didn't understand why there's always such a wait. I'll check out ramen underground next time. In San Mateo, Santa's pretty good, though i still think a notch or two below Santouka. Also, i think Ramen Dojo occupies the old Santa location.

                  I haven't found stellar sushi in SF proper, but i've kind of just given up and now wait for visits to LA. Sebo in Hayes Valley is very good, but not great/destination dining, very expensive by comparison and their selection is rather limited. Ino in Japantown has phenomenal ankimo, but the rest is "pretty good," knifework is mediocre, and he uses fake wasabi - a lot of it. Also eating at Ino can sometimes be very awkward because the restaurant is not just quiet but silent. That said if you order right you can have a satisfying meal. Kyo-ya is indeed very stuffy.

                  In the peninsula/south bay...only been once to Kaygetsu but it was excellent. I haven't been to Mitsunoba, the new restaurant which occupies that space now, but they seem to offer a similar kaiseki meal (and the desserts sound almost identical to what I had at Kaygetsu). My next kaiseki meal will be either be at Mistsunoba or Wakuriya in San Mateo. For sushi, some swear by Sawa in Sunnyvale but i'm not sure what to make of that place. The fish can be outstanding, but I get the feeling that the chef Steve is always trolling everyone with inside jokes ("what kind of fish is this? is it tasmanian ocean trout?" "no. this is salmon-not salmon.") It's kind of a weird place, quite expensive (they used to not have any menu or prices), and he just hacks out large plates of sashimi, though the fish and the homemade sauces are all quite delicious if you can stomach the antics.

                  Comment

                  • cuddly
                    Senior Member
                    • Sep 2007
                    • 393

                    orenchi ramen
                    Specialties: Authentic Japanese Ramen, Appetizers and Sake Established in 2010.


                    the best.imo

                    second is ramen dojo in san mateo.

                    Originally posted by theetruscan View Post
                    Isn't there one other good place, down near San Jose?

                    Comment

                    • fncyths
                      Senior Member
                      • Apr 2010
                      • 775

                      Originally posted by kompressorkev View Post
                      I haven't found stellar sushi in SF proper, but i've kind of just given up and now wait for visits to LA.
                      What are your spots in LA?
                      Originally posted by Shucks
                      it's like cocaine, only heavier. and legal.
                      Originally posted by interest1
                      I don't live in the past. But I do have a vacation home there.

                      Comment

                      • jippos
                        Member
                        • Mar 2007
                        • 81

                        The 16th St BART is very sketchy, but much of the Mission, esp. the Valencia/Guerrero corridor, Dolores Park (in spite of stabbings), etc. is safe enough, and certainly not worthy of worry. And as long as you’re not mistaken for a norteño or something, there shouldn’t be any problems. There’s a map floating around with gang territories overlayed with cupcake/pastry places, so there is definitely some gentrification going on.
                        Here it is: http://missionlocal.org/2011/03/gangs-and-cupcakes/

                        Comment

                        • jippos
                          Member
                          • Mar 2007
                          • 81

                          kompressorkev: I went to Santouka in Kyoto, and couldn't believe they were stateside as well. When I visit my parents in SJ, I'll have to stop in. Also, I've been meaning to try Wakuriya in San Mateo, just haven't gotten around to it.

                          genevieveryoko: I've been curious as I've walked past ramen underground on the way to the japanese curry place on kearny; I'll have to try it now....

                          Also, does anyone have any experience with kappa?

                          Comment

                          • fncyths
                            Senior Member
                            • Apr 2010
                            • 775

                            Thanks for the article. This quote is quite alarming:

                            "he’s been warned to be careful to not seem especially gay anywhere around the intersection of 24th and Mission."

                            WTF?!

                            Better keep your RO dress in the Castro District or else!
                            Originally posted by Shucks
                            it's like cocaine, only heavier. and legal.
                            Originally posted by interest1
                            I don't live in the past. But I do have a vacation home there.

                            Comment

                            • darkbydesign
                              Senior Member
                              • Sep 2010
                              • 817

                              ^^That's the stupidest quote on the planet.

                              You can be gay anywhere in San Francisco and no one gives a fuck. I think the last time gays were only welcome in Castro was like mid-80s. haha

                              Funny how 16th and Mission and 24th and Mission are referenced as "sketchy" here too. Both are like Disneyland, minus the piss on the streets and the homeless people who can't tell the difference between you and the tree you are walking by. If you want sketchy, go to Hunter's Point and if you want homophobic, go to Mississippi.

                              It's San Francisco people! I used to use both 16th and 24th & Mission MUNI stops anytime from noon to 3am over the past 5 years and never even saw anything alarming enough to take off my headphones........well, alarming meaning crime. There are plenty of "fun" street people in SF and many are alarming but not in a scary way.

                              Comment

                              • trentk
                                Senior Member
                                • Oct 2010
                                • 709

                                Does anyone know of a good leather tailor in SF? (I want to get a julius leather shortened a few inches). Thanks.
                                "He described this initial impetus as like discovering that they both were looking at the same intriguing specific tropical fish, with attempts to understand it leading to a huge ferocious formalism he characterizes as a shark that leapt out of the tank."

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