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The Skinny combs the neighborhood to find the best eats for the best prices. |
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| Thai: This hole in the
wall doubles as a one-man show. Owner/chef/server Tao-Hue serves up all-veggie
versions of Thai standards, including a mean yellow curry - spicy and
rich, with chewy purple rice and random fruits thrown in for variety.
Other standouts include the spring rolls, wrapped in lettuce and rice
paper with the peanut sauce rolled right in, the spicy green papaya salad
and the awesome pad khi mao. Everything is $8.95. BYOB. |
Cuban/eclectic: The menu at this tiny, schizophrenically decorated hole in the wall includes delicious niblets ranging from Indian samosas to tamales to an Italian frittata to albondigas (all for under $8), with big, tasty goblets of sangria for $4.50. And, depending on how her love life is going, your lovely server and hostess, Shawn, may have made the desserts from scratch. Come early and grab one of their four or five little tables, cuz this place fills up fast.
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Panaderia: La Reyna 3114 24th St. @ Shotwell Wandering in and finding pan de huevo, fluffy and fresh from the oven, was a great start! Next were their delicious empanadas; we tried apple and pumpkin - each had perfectly spiced filling that wasn't overly sweet - and both were pleasingly light and flaky. Add to that a soft and fresh pan de muerto, just in time for Day of the Dead. And you can't beat six fresh pastries for $3.75.
Sandwiches/salads: Atlas has been serving up healthy, delicious and original cafe cuisine for about eight years. Our favorite items include the Atlas salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, figs and kalamata olives; the tuna salad - a perfectly simple mix of chunk tuna, coconut and black olives - served over greens with cashews, tomatoes, apples and toasted nori, with a zingy tamarind vinaigrette; the yam and portobello mushroom sandwiches; the no-cheese pizza, with tomato pesto, baked tofu, roasted yams, baked beets and portobello mushrooms; and the sinfully good apple and goat cheese pizza (to name a few). Save room for one of their moist and gooey pumpkin cheesecake muffins. |
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Yum Yum is great
Chinese food, minus the grease and the MSG. Along with the standards,
a huge selection of delicious seafood dishes, some great tofu and faux-meat
choices for your veggie friends, and more than reasonable prices make
this our neighborhood pick. Recommended: kung pao tofu, walnut prawns
and Yum Yum delicatessen. |
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| Casual but intimate, Panchita's 3 serves delicious food for very reasonable prices (our favorite combination!). The pupusas are great (and all under $3), but save room for treats like their fresh spinach salad, delectable crabmeat enchiladas, and prawns in green mole sauce, which included the biggest prawn we'd ever seen.
Formerly the
overpriced Watergate (more at home in Nob Hill), this romantic spot features
a very affordable $19.95 prix-fixe menu that includes three delicious
courses. Highly recommended: Almond-crusted sauteed sole with baby bok
choy and fingerling potatoes, the seafood pasta, the scallops, the grilled
rib eye with asparagus, fries and bordelaise sauce; and ALL the desserts.
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Vietnamese: This place gets packed at lunch, but there's never a wait at dinnertime. The inside dining room is nice, but they've added heaters and lots of plants to their beautiful covered patio, giving it a tropical jungle feel. They serve a huge selection of Vietnamese and Thai food, with highlights including fresh spring rolls with shrimp (6 pcs for $5.25), vats of soup like Bun Bo Hue (vermicelli in spicy lemongrass chicken broth with tender slices of rare beef, basil, lemon and bean sprouts) for $5.75, and they're especially good at BBQ; try the Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong (BBQ chicken or pork over cold vermicelli noodles, shredded lettuce, cucumber, carrot, mint, cilantro and an egg roll - $6.75), which is more than enough for two to share.
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Vegan: |
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