Beijing Buffet - South San Francisco, CA

This is what you get when you stay at hotels near the airports, this instance Four Points by Sheraton, SFO. All I have to say is: What is it with Chinese buffets that make us go there and as soon as we enter and fill up that first plate we realize the big mistake we just made. So bad and probably so unhealthy, both on nutrients and hygiene.

This place could have seated about 500 people, it was huge but still only about 3 tables were occupied. A senior couple, a couple out on a date and a family with small children. I figured if the elderly couple and the small children would survive this I would too.

One last thing: How do these places stay in business????

Overall Rating: N/A
Food Rating: N/A
Cost: $$

Address: not provided but if you stay at the Four Points by Sheraton, SFO, just look across the main road and you won't miss it.

Colibri Mexican Bistro - San Francisco, CA

Another day, another lunch......I had planned on going to a place called Asia de Cuba at the Clifton Hotel but unfortunately they were setting up for some event and the restaurant was very loud and very empty. I started walking back to my hotel and saw this Mexican restaurant and the menu in the window looked intriguing; not the standard Mexican menu you are used to consuming. The only items that were "typical" were the Guacamole, Chicken Relleno, Quesadilla and Carne Asada. The staff was friendly and very calm even as the place was filling up.

I ordered a water and the traditional Chicken Mole. I was tempted to order the guacamole but it was $10, very large and I did not feel like spending $30 in total on lunch. When my water arrived I was also served some mini tortillas, instead of the traditional chips, with three different salsas; spicy chile poblano, a mango and a tomatillo salsa. The mini tortillas were home made and excellent, both in taste and texture. The chicken mole was also very delicious, moist and juicy, served with succulent mole sauce and dirty rice. Overall a very well balanced and hearty meal focusing on the traditional central Mexican cuisine.

This is the place to go for the one who wants a different flair of Mexican food than what you normally would see. If traditional is not what you are looking for, there are plenty of tacquerias around the same neighborhood for you to enjoy.

Overall Rating: 4
Food Rating: 4
Cost: $$

438 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
http://colibrimexicanbistro.com/mylink.php?id=3669

Ike's Place - San Francisco, CA

Ike's Place....the second place I have now eaten at that has been showcased on Man vs. Food. Not the easiest place to get to if you are staying downtown San Francisco as it is located in Mission but a place that you need to go to at least once. I drove my rental but you can probably take a cab or even the train down Mission Ave.

By the way, from now on I will include a picture if possible with my posts.

I found a parking spot for my car a couple of blocks away and walked swiftly to the shop as I was both hungry and excited. As I approached the "hole in the wall" restaurant I noticed that the manager was standing outside with the whole cash register taking the orders and I quickly understood why since "the hole in the wall" was really a hole in the wall and consisted of the kitchen and the two fridges with sodas. There were two Ikea patio tables outside with seating for about 8 people, on a good day, next to 3 trash cans part of the recycling program; one can for garbage, one can for compostables and one for recyclables. Nice touch as every effort counts on this planet.

He asked me if this was my first time and proceeded to hand me the menu with 100+ sandwich combinations. The best way to approach your choice is to tell him what you feel like eating, construct your own or the way I approached it; What is the craziest you have on the menu? Of course his answer was; The craziest thing on the menu is not on the menu....it is what we call the Kryptonite. The Kryptonite consists of Ham, Turkey, Pastrami, Roast Beef, Salami, Bacon, Jalapeno Poppers, Onion Rings, Mozzarella Sticks, Lettuce, Onions, Tomatoes, Dirty Sauce, Pickles, Peppers on a loaf of bread. The type of bread is usually decided upon after they see what they have in the perfect size. I believe I got french bread. It was enourmous but surprisingly tasty. Some bites where salty meat with some lettuce, another gave you a jalapeno popper, a third gave you some turkey, bacon, Mozza stick and dirty sauce. I gave it my all and left only with a couple of bites left to eat. It can easily be shared between two people.

They have happy hour between Mon-Thur 4PM-7PM which means free soda and chips.

Excellent place with great sandwiches, awesome quality ingridients, fresh vibe and in a cool neighborhood. Must try!

Overall Rating: 5
Food Rating: 5
Cost $$

3506 16th St
(between Prosper St & Sanchez St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
http://www.ilikeikesplace.com/meats.html

The Chill Cafe - San Francisco, CA

Once again it is funny how one comes about a place to eat at and then how you actually make the decision of entering and eating there. This place called The Chill Cafe is not eye popping when you walk by but it did have a nice plaque on the sidewalk showing one of its Vietnamese-style sandwiches. The picture looked very inviting and it was a streetfood I have always wanted to try. I just finished a client meeting and my trusted client is always up for something new, he loves sandwiches, so this place seemed like a lay-up. He had never heard of it which made it even more interesting because now I am taking a native of San Francisco somewhere they have never been, major pressure to deliver......

At first sight of the menu you only see coffee, smoothies, yoghurt and crepes but then in one spot on the chalkboard menu you see 4 sandwiches; Chicken w/ Lemongrass, Ham and pate, Tofu w/ Lemongrass and the new one; Roasted Pork. We both opted for the Roasted Pork and a glass of water. The sandwich came in a warm sourdough sub with a carrot/coleslaw, fresh sliced jalapenos, lettuce and a spicy dressing.

What a sandwich this was.....one of those moments that unless I knew it wasn't good for me I would order a second. It was warm, crispy, savory, moist, salty, spicy, sweet, sour........it was like a Thai beef salas served on a bun. I felt like I was eating my favorite Thai type flavors for lunch in a sandwich.

Absolutely a place to visit for a quick and cheap lunch that is not traditional fat and calorie packed like typical fast food. I didn't have any of the Frozen yoghurts but they looked really good and they speak highly of them as they do not only come in a ton of cretive variations with various toppings but also they are natural, non fat, and contain live and active cultures. They also have some tasty looking Crepes that i have to try next time.

Thumbs up all the way!

Overall Rating: 5
Food Rating: 5
Cost: $

125 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
http://thechillcafe.com/dessert/san-francisco/chill-menu-sf/

R & G Lounge - San Francisco, CA

The name of this restaurant doesn't really scream Chinese food but the neighborhood does. It is located in Chinatown, San Francisco, on the classic Kearny Street nestled amongst many other Chinese restaurants, everything from high-end to low-end take out joints. Sure I walked by some lost souls such as Burger, Mediterranean and Sandwich places but I guess that comes with any local neighborhood and it makes it that more entertaining when walking around.

The restaurant has a nice look to it with a modern bar on the main floor and the seating area downstairs. I was directed downstairs and seated immediately. The place was packed which is always a good sign and I got the table next to the water tank with their live crabs which weren’t bad as I at least got some company at my one-top table.

They serve you complimentary tea and which was a nice touch especially since the tea was good and even though I had no plans on ordering tea it hit the spot. I ordered the egg rolls and the R & G Special Beef (Secret Sauce), Stir-fried top choice sliced beef marinated with chef's special sauce. The egg rolls were good and the “special beef” even better. It had a nice sweetness to it as it still kept its savory and salty integrity that you look for in beef. The beef was very tender and sort of melted in your mouth. The beef accompanied by some Sambal Olek and steamed white rice balanced out the dish and it became a complete meal. It was a really good meal and one of many other dishes I would have liked to try from the expansive menu of what we would consider non-traditional Chinese restaurant menu items. Looking around at other tables and the inviting dishes really had me contemplating ordering something else but that will have to wait until the next visit.

Come here if you want a more authentic choice of Chinese dishes and do not come here if you want Sweet & Sour Chicken, Sesame Chicken, General Tso's Chicken or Chop Suey. This restaurant is a true recommendation for a great place to eat Chinese food. Only negative with R & G Lounge are the prices as they are at the higher end of what you expect to spend at a Chinese restaurant.

I will leave you with my final epiphany regarding Chinese food. Chinese food is not to be eaten alone, you need to make it a family affair. I say this for two reasons:

1. Chinese food by itself is quite savory and heavy on flavor, i.e. ordering only one dish can make it seem quite dull towards the end of your dish as it sort of takes over your palette and belly.
2. If eaten with a family or a larger group you can enjoy the possibility of ordering from all over the menu mixing and matching flavors, scents, types of meat and texture and SHARE. Now you can switch from one flavor element to another and one texture to another when you want to. It will also be easier on your wallet when putting your total dining experience into perspective, i.e. I am not talking about it being easier on your wallet in absolute terms.

Overall Rating: 4
Food Rating: 5
Cost: $$

631 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
http://www.rnglounge.com/menu.pdf