Chubby Noodle and Catch Up

by Melissa

Well, well, well.  It's been entirely too long.  Undies eating has occurred, was even documented, but failed in the reporting execution.  Here's the 2011 catch up.  And a 2012 resolution to keep eating on the undie!


December, 2011

Where:
The Chubby Noodle
Pop up located within Amante
570 Green Street
San Francisco

Who:
Sunny, Tadd, George, Monique, Chris, Melissa

What:

Ramenlicious.

Tuna Poke
Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Kimchi Hotdog
Two kinds of fried chicken
Pork Belly Fried Rice
Red Miso Ramen
Korean Pork Tacos
Spicy Scallion Grits with poached egg
Beers all around.

Total Bill: $22.83 / person ($137 tax included, no tip) 

Undies Rating:

Food: 3.75 undies
Value: 3 undies
Overall: 3.375 undies (ok, maybe we need a finer scale to account for some nuances.  Will reconsider for 2012!)

Review:

Here's what we calculated.

So, I'll admit to not having any preconceived notion of what this was, and will admit to conceptually not fully understanding it even after eating there.  That said, I still enjoyed it.

The menu is small and I think we ate about 80% of it.  It's a popup in an Italian bar in North Beach, which is a neighborhood we rarely go to on account of the parking situation.  And true to it's reputation, we were all late - circling for parking or walking really far.  I digress . . .

Back to the food -- it's sort of pan-asian-fusion + southern all mixed together. And since I have this weird thing about wanting to understanding classification schemas, I get a little itchy when I can't find logical connections in the way things are classified.  Don't get me wrong -- I like fusion.  I actually have often thought that Southern food and Chinese food have a lot in common since they both share a deep love of a good fry.   Anyhow, I was a little, well, itchy, when looking at the menu.  But that said, I like tasty food regardless of what you call it.  So we jumped in and order a lot of the menu!

Korean Kalbi beef tacos.

This was a few weeks ago, but the standouts in my mind now as I write this were the grits.  The strangest combo of all in the classification schema.  Nicely cooked stone ground grits with just the right amount of bite to them.  They had some sort of spice to  them, soy sauce, and all topped with a poached egg and scallions.  It all added up to a rich, creamy, and umami-y dish!  In retrospect it reminded me of home -- when my mom eats eggs with soysauce for breakfast.


The ramen was also very lovely-- fresh noodles and a nice deep miso broth.

Chicken in a bucket.

The tacos were very tasty.  Instead of tortillas they used scallion pancake type breads. The pickles, spicy yogurt sauce and sirracha on the side made for a fine dish.

I don't remember too much about the fried chicken, but I know we finished it all.  I remember it being pretty good chicken, though Chris and I are tough chicken critics.


All in all, I'd go back there if I were in the neighborhood.  Fun to try all these pop ups um . .popping up everywhere.





-----
October, 2011


And for another quick recap of other Undies dining.  Back in October, Monique, George, Chris and I ventured out to one of my personal favorite restaurants: Old Mandarin.  Sunny and Tadd couldn't make it and Monique was going gluten free that day, so the undies crew was not at it's full potential.  Perhaps we'll try again another time.  But here are the basics:

Cold tofu and cilantro salad.

Where:
Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant
3132 Vicente St
(between 42nd Ave & 43rd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94116

Who:  Monique, George, Chris, Melissa




What:  I don't remember, but here are some pics.  Will need to consult the Dinner Manual.

They make great stuffed pancake things.

Total Bill: $23.50/person ($94.02 with tax)
 













----
January 2012

Extra-curricular Undies Eating

Chris and I had dinner at Limon Rotisserie last week.  We had a delightful meal at the bar:  1/2 a chicken with 2 sides, an order of ceviche, and 2 cocktails for $40 all in.  Not bad at all!

On to 2012.   More to come soon!