Thursday, February 24, 2011

Home Sweet Home-The Richmond District


Why is the Inner Richmond one of the best neighborhoods to live in San Francisco? Because it is not the Mission, the Castro, or the Haight. Don’t get me wrong, these are all vibrant, interesting neighborhoods, but I’m sure you’ve heard the saying about not eating where you...well you know. 
What I’m trying to say is that the Mission, the Castro, and the Haight (as well as North Beach, SOMA, etc.) are all great places to visit but when it comes to choosing a place to live, do you really want to be surrounded by hoards of hipsters, tourists, or gutter-punks with pit bulls? Wouldn’t it be preferable to just visit these iconic SF neighborhoods when the mood strikes, and then go home when they inevitably become tiresome? And think about it, do you really want to deal with being spare-changed or having your picture snapped when you go for the morning paper, or venture out for that hangover-curing breakfast? Yeah, me neither.
The Inner Richmond has a reputation for being a mellow, community-oriented, family-friendly kind of place. While all of these descriptions are true, they only tell a part of the neighborhood’s story. The part that is left out is this area’s diversity, a mix of people and landscapes that make it hard for any one vibe to dominate. Yes it is true that many middle-class families call the district home, but so do college students, recent immigrants, trendy teenagers, old hippies, single techies, elderly couples and many, many others who defy easy categorization. 
Yes the Inner Richmond is peaceful, but it can also be exciting. Packed into a small square situated between Arguello Blvd. and Park Presidio, this hardworking neighborhood can morph from a calm green oasis into a bustling urban center in only a few short blocks. The neighborhood’s southern border is Golden Gate Park, a lush swath of greenery reportedly bigger than New York’s Central Park, and the perfect place for a picnic, a hike, or a visit to one of the two world class museums it houses: the DeYoung and the Academy of Sciences. The northern border of the neighborhood is only one block away from another park, which means that it is embraced on both sides by the calming presence of nature. This other park, named Mountain Lake, has a lovely pedestrian-only trail that curves around its namesake lake, a playground for the kiddies, and an off-lease dog run for the pups. 
Between the two parks lies both sleepy residential streets and busy shopping districts. Clement Street, also known as “the New Chinatown” or “Chinatown-lite” is a swarming buzz of bodies lured by the Asian groceries, spice shops, restaurants, and cheap housewares stores. Mixed in are several Irish pubs, an amazing independent bookstore, an art gallery that showcases local artists, a french restaurant that rivals any in the city, and several high-end boutiques down at the Arguello end. The dim sum on Clement beats anything you can get in tourist-laden Chinatown, and the array of Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Burmese, Malaysian, and Singaporean cuisines offers a more eclectic palate than can be found there as well. 
One block south from Clement is Geary St., the major artery that runs through this part of town and the place to catch the 38 Geary bus going either towards the beach or downtown. A variety of good eats can also be found on this street, as well as numerous coffee shops, a few gas stations, several convenience stores and produce markets, a medical marijuana dispensary, some laundromats and bars a plenty. Two blocks over on Balboa St. some additional amenities can be found, guaranteeing that the Inner Richmond resident never has to venture more than a few blocks for a bite to eat or a cold beer when the mood strikes.
Sounds almost perfect, right? Well like any other place the Inner Richmond does have its downsides, most notably the thick fog that reportedly blankets the neighborhood on a regular basis. Ask someone about the Richmond and the fog is probably the first thing to come up. More accurately it is the Outer Richmond and Sunset Districts that get the brunt of this the fog as it comes off the ocean, and often by the time this wave has reached Park Presidio it has thinned out considerably. But yes it can be foggy, although this is a small price to pay for all the other wonderful things that this neighborhood has to offer.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Cheap Eats-San Dong House


"Thump, thump, WHACK. Thump, thump, WHACK." Deliciousness has a sound, and you can experience it for yourself at the newly opened San Dong House located at 2nd Ave. and Geary St. The sound is the first thing you will notice upon entering this bare-bones Chinese restaurant, and comes from a guy in the kitchen preparing their already famous (at least in the Richmond District) hand-pulled noodles. 

If you have never had fresh noodles, hand-pulled to order, then you are in for a treat here. Dense and toothsome, the noodles at San Dong are worlds away from the dried variety, and even the fresh ones that are sold in packages. There is something about serving noodles minutes after pulling that takes them from "good" to "I can't get that meal out of my mind." You can't really go wrong with anything containing noodles at San Dong, and with 18 different types of noodle soups and stir-frys there are a lot of yummy options to choose from. 


In addition to anything noodle-related, another unique dish not to be missed is the beef roll which takes a naan-like piece of bread, slathers it in plum sauce, and rolls it up with cucumber and warm slices of beef. The dumplings, which they also sell frozen and in bulk, are best avoided as their preparation is uneven, arriving soggy on some occasions and overly dry on others. 
The service at San Dong tends to be slow and not very attentive, but this is a small price to pay for great food and enough of it to fill up even the most voracious of eaters for under $10.
San Dong House is located at 3741 Geary Street. For more information call (415) 668-5888.
Interested in eating well on the cheap? Check out my Cheap Eats Examiner page at www.examiner.com/sf-in-san-francisco/robyn-webster