Katana-Ya: Ramen Noodles in Union Square

Posted on 6/11/2008 by grubgirl

Katana-Ya
430 Geary St
(at Mason St)
(415) 771-1280

If you’re craving good Japanese noodles (ramen) in San Francisco, this is the place to go. I’d heard about it from several Yelp reviews, but procrastinated due to parking aversion (since this is in the Theater District). I finally had an excuse to check it out after a friend hosted a “birthday that’s sort of, but not really, a political fundraiser” for her college resident assistant (RA).

I checked it out with the other L-names (Liz & Leslie). Liz O., intriguingly, had spent some gai-jin time in Japan many years back, and I looked to her tastebuds as the benchmark for this adventure.

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Posted in Japan, Meals from $5-15 per main course, Union Square | Leave a comment

Hard Knox Cafe (Dogpatch) – A Southern Perspective

Posted on 5/29/2008 by grubgirl

I wrote about my experience at Hard Knox Cafe last Fall. But I’m from California. Northern California, to boot. What the hell would I really know about true Soul (or Southern) food?

After some agreement with the Grumpy Glutton about the sad state of BBQ affairs in San Francisco, I visited the original Dogpatch Hard Knox digs for another round. This time I brought with me Missie L., a native from Kentucky, foodie, cook, and oh, at one point in her life she worked on the Kingsford Charcoal brand. (This means that she got to go to “conferences” that I would interpret more as “state fair barbecues.”) Yeah, keeping one’s finger on the pulse of the American barbecue diet is such a pain, but someone’s gotta do it, right?

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Posted in Dogpatch, Meals from $5-15 per main course, USA | Leave a comment

San Wang – Chinese Korean Food for Cheap

Posted on 5/20/2008 by grubgirl

San Wang
1682 Post Street
(between Buchanan St & Laguna St)
(415) 921-1453

I found this place looking for some non-Japanese food options near me and my buddy Sarah (who happens to live near Japantown). She was debuting (finally!) her new sweetie so we had to find a Grubgirl-appropriate venue so he could get what I was all about. (And I could see if he bristled at vinyl chairs.)

San Wang is a Chinese restaurant run by Koreans, so there are some dishes with a decidedly Korean flare.

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Posted in China, Korean, Meals from $5-15 per main course, Western Addition | Leave a comment

Leftovers for Lunch: Career Limiting Move?

Posted on 5/14/2008 by grubgirl

Studies have shown that dressing for success at the office helps create a good impression at work. But eating for success? An article at food site CHOW asks readers if eating leftovers at work creates a negative “upward mobility” impression.

Bringing leftovers in Tupperware is like wearing an old cardigan to work: There’s nothing wrong with it, but it doesn’t project power and success. What you eat can send a subliminal message about who you are, just as much as what you wear.

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Posted in Other Food Stuff | Leave a comment