Is there a list of these foodie news sources? 
If not, could you please list some :).
We just got some (actually a lot) of sushi from Tekka SF (https://www.tekkasf.com), the small mom-and-pop (more like grandpa and grandma) place on 6th and Balboa. It was closed for the first half of the pandemic but opened a few months ago.
Prior to the pandemic, just trying to get a seat was an ordeal in its own right, which typically included waiting in line for 1+ hour, and counting the number of people in front of you, vs capacity that night etc. Its a small cute place with solid fish, and reasonable prices.
Takeout was as good if not better. We got a bunch of appetizers (agedashi tofu and eggplant, soft shell crab and beef tatami). the fried items were still warm, and came out reasonably ok. Their sashimi platter was very generous and between the 4 of us, we did not finish even one of these platters. They’ve also include unagi-don with it, which I definitely love 
Ordering is easy, you place an order, and they text to confirm. Order was ready, at the scheduled time. We ordered 5 days in advance, and since it might have been a wed pickup that was enough time.
Definitely recommended Sushi lunch for us with the leftovers today!
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Pearl 6101, SF
Cocktail- Sticky Monkey - mezcal, Olbia vermouth bianco & rosso, gentian liqueur, pommeau du Normandie
Acme Bread and Butter
Chicory Caesar -crispy prosciutto, roasted garlic croutons, shaved parmesan
Handkerchief pasta - white bolognese, grana padano, black pepper, herbs
Mafaldine pasta - braised lamb ragu, pecorino, mint.
I really dig this restaurant. Cocktail was fantastic. The chicory said is my favorite in SF, anchovy forward lemony dressing with crispy prosciutto and bitter chicory is so well balanced but boldly flavored. Excellent acme bread. The pasta flavors were great but steamed a bit too much in the 20 minute car ride after pickup. Glad they are surviving. One of my favorite restaurant spaces, I hope they make it through all the shutdowns.
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Re: takeout hits. I think we’ll be on a ramen kick for a bit. Orenchi in RWC is pretty tasty and quick.
Re: thai. Late to the party here, but my general experience is people from greater DC and LA especially who are used to the thai they got there, are very dissatisfied with NorCal thai. My experience with Farmhouse Menlo Park was OK, but we got a dish that should be sweet, a pinapple curry special, but on reflection, it was too sweet. Down here on the peninsula there’s a few places on can pick a few good menu options from, but generally we don’t eat much thai anymore (there was one particular trip to LA where I remembered how good the tastes were in thailand and… yeah).
I don’t order pad thai around here, because it’s code for “lemon chicken”, it’s that dish that gets americanized, even though it’s a perfectly fine dish that can be the star of a menu, I just stopped ordering it - it’s too hard to get right and few care to anymore.
I could make a less-bad list of south-peninsula-thai, but… meh.
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Try the Isaan section of the menu. Avoid the pad thai lol.
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How does ramen hold up for take out. Do the noodles get mushy or do places typically package them separately from the broth?
Ramen: SEPARATE PACKAGES for the broth and the noodles! Dear god not the other. We also got takoyaki which is a sentimental favorite, I remember having them from the back of a pickup truck in Kobe, but honestly these weren’t great because they didn’t have enough tentacle bits (texture). Still, average takoyaki is better than no takoyaki.
Thanks for the reminder about ISSAN. We drove by it a week or so ago but I forgot it again.
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I really enjoyed the bun rieu I got from Sunset Slurps in SF so I’m adding it to the list although I’ve only had it once. Bun rieu is a Vietnamese noodle soup that in this case had a pork, crab, and tomato based broth with thin vermicelli noodles, pork cake, pork and crab meatballs, and tofu puffs aka soup sponges. Some fried shallots and green onion on top. It came with a bag that had shredded red cabbage, basil, and a lime wedge, which I squirted on top. Nice broth. Not super spicy though there were a few jalapeños to add a little heat. I haven’t had too many bowls of bun rieu to compare but this was a good one. They have bun bo hue on the menu as well.
I had the Sunrise combo which along with the bun rieu came with a single spring roll that had a piece of nem nuong - a cured Vietnamese pork sausage - inside, and also a cup of lime soda which was refreshing and only slightly sweet.
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A quick blurb, I had tried out Rich Table 's take out and it was… decent.
I found those porcini mushroom doughnuts to be delicious, basically savory fried dough boys. Only problem is that I had them in a takeout box with the moisture trapping them inside 
So sorta damp and a bit cold by the time I popped them in the mouth. The cheese sauce gave an extra oomph to it though!
Tried their douglas fir levain with house cultured butter and thought it was pretty neat. There’s a slight hint of douglas fir but it had a good sour note. Butter was good though with that thick slice of toast!
Lastly I tried their frozen dry aged beef wontons (nee dumplings). Surprisingly they didn’t provide optimal cooking instructions. Nor did they respond to email, social media, or phone calls over a week period. I don’t know what happens if you need to cancel your reservations but a pox upon them for their lame communication standards.
I cooked it around 8 minutes in simmering water and thought they were… mmm… interesting. The dry-aged beef gave funky notes with a hint of sour which is definitely different. I think I’m too use to having pork and chives dumplings which don’t have the funky notes. The hot chilli oil wasn’t actually too spicy. Gave a little hint of spice and went well with the dumplings.
I dunno, I’ll hold off on giving any significant pros or cons but I definitely would like to try their actual sit down experience. I just despise their lack of communications and hope that its due to covid but past reviews iterate that they just suck in that department so eh.
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Oh… uh… the bread and donuts were great lol
Hmph. Rich Table cooking dumplings? I guess my question is, why would Rich Table dapple in dumplings when there are dumpling joints all over town?
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Hahaha I was just intrigued with their use of dry aged beef and was curious how that taste. It… was interesting. I think I like my dry aged beef seared. The funk in the dumpling threw me off.
The dumpling has been on the menu since at least last year - they are incredibly rich and dense, though. They lean more towards eastern European than East Asian style.
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Rakiraki Ramen, Mission St. SF
San Diego mini chain with 4 locations in SD and one in SF.
This is their “Red Edition”. I’m not a Ramen geek but this was good, nice rich milk broth but not too salty, al dente noodles, nicely cooked egg, tender chashu.
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Four Star Seafood is selling vacuum sealed frozen BBQ from Cochon Volant up in Sonoma. Preparation for it just simmering it in the bag for 15-20 min. I’ve been surprisingly pleased with it - it’s pretty smoky and a lot better than I expected for frozen BBQ when I ordered it on a whim. I don’t know if I’d necessarily take it over ordering “fresh” BBQ from some local place, but I like having frozen BBQ that I can keep around and have ready at a moment’s notice.
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I had some dumplings from Dumpling Home tonight. Dumpling Home opened in Hayes Valley last November and is open for delivery and takeout. I don’t know if they are currently doing outdoor dining. I got the shengjian bao (which are called “juicy pork bao” on the menu) and the numb and spicy xiao long bao. Both were excellent. The SJB were I think the best I’ve had in SF, delivery or not. Very juicy inside, with the crunchy browning on the pleats reaching up almost halfway up one side. The “numb and spicy” XLB were also great. Really good texture in the wrapper and lots of soup inside. The filling was like a regular XLB but had some chili oil and some Sichuan peppercorn numbing flavor. Only some minor leaks from delivery.
Try the SJB!
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I didn’t think to take pics, but we got takeout from Rivoli for our anniversary dinner last night and it was great. We shared three dishes. First the mushroom fritters. They looked a little messy, with capers all over the place, but were delicious as always. We weren’t sure how the cardboard container would work for the seafood stew, but it was fine and sooo good. Realized we hadn’t had mussels in a year. Then we had the duck confit, one leg, but fine for friends to share. I don’t know what they do to the polenta, I suspect it’s not terribly healthful, but it tastes amazing. We kept the boxes in the oven on low and it was fine. 84.13 including tax but not tip; we had our own champagne.
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Burmese Kitchen (@ 2nd and Geary in the inner richmond of SF) continues to be my (and my +1’s) favorite. Though the samosa soup at Pagan is better, imo, the non-soup and non-noodle dishes at BK are solid winners every time. Huge fan of the pork with pickled mango, the golden tofu salad, the ginger salad, the stewed pumpkin (w/ or w/o shrimp), the beef biryani, the eggplant, and the mohinga (though it’s quality can vary across visits). Moderately priced (for SF) and very high quality.
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