Tag: Polk Gulch | Winston Wanders

The Incredible Burmese at Rangoon Ruby has Finally Arrived on Polk

Post author:Winston
Post published:04.17.2015
Post category:Reviews
Post comments:2 Comments

I’m so excited, it’s finally here. I’ll keep this short, but the brand new location of my all-time favorite Silicon Valley restaurant Rangoon Ruby, has opened a sister location a block from my SF apartment. In a space that used to be a lackluster sushi spot called Sushi Rock, my beloved Palo Alto Burmese favorite has planted roots. From the moment Sushi Rock had shuttered, I was aware because the place is actually in directly eye line from my apartment window. I anxiously awaited something new and interesting to come and take over the space. And I was over-the-moon elated when I saw a Coming Soon banner indicating that it would be a location of the exact place I missed most after transitioning from Palo Alto to SF.

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Eating a Whole Dungeness Crab Head at Swan Oyster Depot

Post author:Winston
Post published:12.19.2014
Post category:Reviews
Post comments:0 Comments

A Hanukkah miracle has occurred. I walked by Swan Oyster Depot when I was going out for lunch AND THERE WAS NO LINE. That just doesn’t happen. I walked right up and grabbed a seat at the bar.

Now, it’s not often I write a post about just a single dish, and it’s even less often I write about a place twice, but everything is so freaking incredible at Swan Oyster Depot that I just had to. This time, there was just one dish on my mind – not something listed on the giant menu overhead – something I saw Anthony Bourdain eating on the San Francisco episode of The Layover – a dish simply called Crab Fat.

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Simply Spectacular Fresh Seafood at Swan Oyster Depot in Lower Nob Hill

Post author:Winston
Post published:10.08.2014
Post category:Reviews
Post comments:3 Comments

Ah yes, the world famous Swan Oyster Depot. This 100-year-old Lower Nob Hill institution is certainly one of the more famous San Francisco eateries and I’m lucky enough to live on the same block as this revered bastion of seafood. With a place so good, so close by you’d probably expect to find me there on a weekly basis, but there’s two things that constantly hold me back – open for lunch and there’s constantly tourists lined up out the door.

Literally every single time I’ve walked by this lunch-only hot spot – between their opening at 10:30 AM and their closing at 5:30 PM – there has been a substantial line to contend with. This is a very discouraging sight for someone like myself who absolutely refuses to wait in lines for anything, no matter how amazing the results may be.

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Authentic, Hidden Peruvian Cuisine at La Fina Estampa in the Polk Gulch

Post author:Winston
Post published:09.17.2014
Post category:Reviews
Post comments:0 Comments

Now that I’ve moved to San Francisco, I’ve got a whole host of restaurants to explore in my new neighborhood. There are plenty of obvious eye-catching eateries on the main Polk Street drag, but there was just something about that unremarkable and completely illegible awning that caught both of our eyes while walking down one the side streets. It was getting close to dinner time and we weren’t sure what we felt like having for dinner, so we decided to venture inside and try out this mysterious Latin American spot we knew absolutely nothing about.

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This Jew Loves the Pastrami at Miller’s East Coast in Nob Hill

Post author:Winston
Post published:09.03.2014
Post category:Reviews
Post comments:2 Comments

As a recently departed New York Jew on his way to San Francisco, one of my biggest concerns about the relocation was the ease of access to quality Jewish deli meat. I kid you not, I was really worried. I’m happy to report that this is no longer a concern for me as I’ve found Miller’s East Coast only a few blocks from my new San Francisco apartment and it is able to completely fill that gaping void in my life.

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