Blogs

As a huge fan of Korean cuisine in just about all of its myriad forms, I've been excited to check out the fiery, upscale Korean-Japanese hybrid creations dished out of the family-owned kitchen at Namu (439 Balboa at 6th Ave.) in the Inner Richmond, not least of all because I was curious to see how Korean food would play out in the more rarified air of 'fusion' so common these days to Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Can kimchee manage the jump from down-home staple to shi-shi accompaniment?

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The Mission's newest nod to upscale gastro-pubbiness, Monk's Kettle (3141 16th St) has provided a welcomed (to some) dash of sophistication to that crazy stretch of 16th Street between Guerrero and South Van Ness often referred to as the heart of the Mission. They certainly know their beer at Monk's Kettle. Pictured above is my personal favorite of the five or so draft brews I tried: Honey Bunny Blonde Ale out of Iron Springs Brewey. But do the hoity-toity munchies hold up as well as the beer?

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Everybody has their own favorite Vietnamese joint. Mine happens to be Sunflower Restaurant (3111 16th Street) in the Mission, partially because it's within walking distance and cheapish and partially because it's damn tasty. So what's their secret? As regulars know, most if not all of Sunflower's food is great, but there's one particular dish that's so consistently mouthwatering that it cannot be denied its rightful place in the pantheon of San Francisco's greatest hits: behold the Vietnamese Crepe (Banh Xeo).

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Korean barbecue is a many splendored thing -- there's a lot to see and taste during any given meal -- and while much has been made about the lack of really great Korean BBQ in San Francisco (as opposed to our neighbors across the bay and beyond), there are a handful very good places to get your grill on -- most of them concentrated in the Richmond District. Perhaps the most popular of these are the duo known as Brother's Restaurant (4128 Geary) and Brother's Restaurant II (4014 Geary).

Aside from the food itself, there are two primary perks of the Brothers restaurants: First, they're open until 2:00 a.m., an ungodly and almost unheard of hour to be serving food in San Francisco -- perfect for bartime noshing. Second: unlike many Korean BBQ places who've upgraded to in-table gas grills, the Brother's franchise still do it the old-fashioned way with genuine red-hot coals. Dangerous and tasty! So without further ado, let the food porn begin ...

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