S&T Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant - San Francisco

This is one of those restaurants where you'll see the local Chinese folks hanging out in. During the weekends, this place is packed with families having dim sum lunch. When you go during the week, you'll see the more the the retired folks and the restaurant is a lot quieter. They don't push carts in here, they have the paper and pencil method. So if you don't speak or read Chinese, you can still eat here. The English names of some of the dim sum items were a bit confusing but I just asked the waiter in Chinese and it was all good. On the walls inside the restaurant, they show photos of Hong Kong celebrities who have dined in their restaurant. Those photos were one of the reason why I went back to eat there a second time. But their food is good and the dim sum is pretty big. The prices are a bit high but if you're coming here with the family, someone else is probably going to end up stealing the bill from you and paying.

2578 Noriega St
(between 32nd Ave & 33rd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 665-8338

Shrimp Dumplings (Ha Gau)

Salted Egg Custard Buns (Lau Sa Bao)

Shanghai Style Buns (Xaio Long Bao)

Green Onion Pancakes

Bell Peppers w/ Fishcake

Portuguese Tart

Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream - San Francisco

I know it's cold in SF but that doesn't mean you can't eat ice cream. This is a gelato shop with a Chinese name that got translated into English. They have a lot of different flavors of gelato here. If you want to be daring, get the durian gelato. My friend got one of the flavors that was in the same freezer as the durian and I swear, it smelled like she was having the durian gelato. They have tables and chairs inside and the noise level is low so you can hang out in there. If you're in the neighborhood, you should definitely stop by for a treat.

1447 Taraval St
(between 24th Ave & 25th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 731-2833

Red Bean & Green Tea

Ozone Thai Restaurant - San Francisco

I never liked Thai food until I ate here. When I was attending college in the city, someone in the dorm gathered up a bunch of us and took us here for dinner. The restaurant is in the Tenderlion area but if you have 4 or more in your group, walking down here is safe.

The restaurant is on the 2nd floor of the building. The stairs are off to the side and they can be a bit hard to find if you're walking from Sutter Street. The inside of the restaurant is a little grungy and the lighting is dim but the furniture and light fixtures are pretty cool. The prices here are very reasonable and their food is delicious. My favorite item on the menu is the garlic and pepper pork. There's no restaurant in SF or on Oahu that makes it like them. I never forgot the taste of it and whenever I visit SF now, I try to stop by for dinner.

1160 Polk St
(between Sutter St & Post St)
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 440-9663

Vegetarian Egg Rolls

Garlic & Pepper Pork

Pad See Ew

Sticky Rice w/ Mango

The Stinking Rose - San Francisco

This month, I'm traveling 2,000+ miles west and hitting up food spots in San Francisco.

My first stop is The Stinking Rose in North Beach. This place is known for having tons of garlic in their dishes. For some dishes, the more garlic, the better but for others, they over do it and the garlic burns your mouth. For the complimentary bread, they give you the garlic spread on the side, if you put too much on the bread, it will burn you and the rest of your dinner will not be fun. So take it easy on the garlic spread. The food here is good, the portions are decent and it's reasonably priced. I highly recommend trying it since this is a one-of-a kind place.

For more information about The Stinking Rose, visit www.thestinkingrose.com.

325 Columbus Ave
(between Vallejo St & Broadway St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 781-7673

Bread w/ Garlic Spread (complimentary)

Garlic Spinach Fontina Fondue

Garlic Steamed Clams

Fourty Clove Garlic Chicken

Salmon w/ Lemon Butter Garlic Caper Sauce & Green Onions