Kin Khao - San Francisco, CA

I came to SF with a bunch of recs, but trying to eat here is hard. It's a food mecca for sure, but you have to wade through the sea of overpriced Michelin monarchs to find something affordable that doesn't require a 11:59 PM login for a reservation 3 months in advance. 

Kin Khao will give you that quality without the hassle at lunchtime, reasonably-priced, elevated Thai food that doesn't lose its colorful flavor profile despite the top-notch ingredients. 

The Som Tum Papaya Salad is a an underrated starter. The strips of papaya are julienned into perfect, even strips. The surface areas is spread with a mix of spicy chili that bites, cool lime to refresh, and a mildly funky fish sauce, all of which soak thoroughly into each shred. 

The Pretty Hot Wings have a little burn, but they're bearable even for a spice novice. The fish sauce sweetens the sriracha, the garlic adds some punch, and the hint of tamarind brings the acid. Add a Thai tea if you need to wash it down. 

Eat your vegetables. The Stir-Fried Choy Sum is light and white with garlic and barely soy for salinity. 

We will try the entrees. All the entrees. 

Khao Mun Gai, is a THainan chicken, juicy slices blanched and poached. I never did get the cult following behind this chicken, but with a perky sauce and a bed of addict-making rice in chicken fat, I can see where they're coming from. 

Yaowaraj Noodle is named after a Bangkok Chinatown street. It's a drunken noodle, stir-fried with chicken and egg. The XO sauce is the seasoning, and you can adjust the side of chili-soak to your level of desired pain.

The Khao Soi is my favorite. I love that deep, warm curry. The chicken is warm, the broth finish just a little sweet, balanced by pickled mustard greens, all clinging to ropy egg noodles. 

I didn't expect to be blown away by some noodles and wings, but I'm guessing Michelin didn't either. If this is lunch, I'll have to come back for dinner. 

Magnificent Casa Mono – NYC

This week’s theme is cross-country indulgence, and not the kind of indulgence you can buy from the pope. This week is about the over-the-top, the excessive, and the way too much. This is the week we gorge, and it all starts in NYC because no one can put it down like New York City and no one can serve it up like Casa Mono.

No one would consider the chewy, often-rubbery Pulpo an indulgence, but I guess anything becomes rich when it’s lightly fried. No one makes pulpo like the Spanish, even if its pronounciation sounds like it got smashed in a juicer. The pulpo is improved by the bitter bits of grapefruit pulpo, and shiny white slices of crunch give you a fabulous fixin’ of fennel.

I expected the Mussels to be the lighter app, but not when they’re doused in Spain’s equivalent of bacon. These mussels are ensconced by red droplets of oil emanating from the grainy pork. I prefer my mussels sweeter, but the cava adds a bitter edge so I can’t say I cared for the combination. My tastes aside, Casa Mono gets an A for this indulgent effort.

I generally order artichoke everywhere I go, but I’m in awe of the Artichoke at Casa Mono. Fresh mint and oil give the light-and-sour a deep mmm that digs deep down to the base of your tastebuds.

I heart pate, and I really heart the Duck Heart Pate that accompanies the blood-red-pinks of seared Duck Breast. The breast is juicy, and the pate is a smooth-melting grain.  Sorry skeptics, offal is just not as awful as it sounds.

I used to think that the farther you got from Union Square’s tricked out touristic taints, the better the food would get. On the continuum of Baohaus, to the iconic Momofuku, all the way down to the legendary Spotted Pig, this theory works, but Casa Mono holds firm on 18^th and Irving, turning my theory to dust.