Bucatini alla Carbonara at 54 Mint

Restaurant: 54 Mint (San Francisco)
Food description: Durum grain pasta with pork cheek, egg, and parmesan
Food rating: 9 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

This is my new favorite pasta dish, hands down. Yes, I'm aware of the current love affair we all have with the pasta at Incanto, but the bucatini alla carbonara from Mint 54 has completely blown me away. It's one of the tastiest pasta dishes I've had in ages and screams perfection, a carbonara finally done right: tasty bits of pork cheek lardons-style with a touch of smokiness, that stays delightfully crispy until the last bite. Bucatini cooked perfectly al dente coated with a thick eggy-creamy-parmesany carbonara that binds everything together without being overly creamy while refreshingly salty (though some might disagree)--all in a perfectly sized portion. To make things even sweeter, everything else about my dining experience was almost equally impressive, from perfectly crafted focaccia, octopus carpaccio, homemade limonata, and chocolate cake to impeccable service. Ok, so I was slightly unimpressed with the gnocchi, but then again anything would suck next to the bucatini. I predict 54 Mint will go really far, and far exceeded my experience at their sister restaurant Il Buco in NYC. Nicely done, 54 Mint, see you again! See all photos

Food review: Char siu bao (steamed bbq pork buns)

Restaurant: Canton Seafood & Dim Sum Restaurant (San Francisco)
Food description: Fluffy steamed bun filled with sweet Chinese barbeque pork (dim sum)
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 5

Unless it's dessert, I normally try to avoid dishes that lean toward the sweet side. However, the steamed pork buns at Canton Seafood & Dim Sum are ridiculously good, so I've made an exception. My friends had to force me to eat it the first time, but trust me, now I'm a believer! The pork buns and the shrimp dumplings are the best dim sum items at this place. First off, the texture of the bun is extremely soft and fluffy like a pillow, perfectly cooked and never soggy. There's enough bun to tame the sweetness of the bbq pork filling. We tried the bbq pork dish by itself and it was way too sweet on it's own. I put a dab of soy sauce on every bite to add a little salt into the mix, but it doesn't really need it. I'm not sure if this helps the rating but they're also really fun to eat, they're so soft and squishy. I'm definitely not a pork bun expert, but they're pretty damn good at this restaurant and something you check out.

Food review: BBQ pork (dim sum)

Restaurant: Canton Seafood & Dim Sum Restaurant (San Francisco)
Food description: Chinese BBQ pork slices, with a sweet sauce
Food rating: 5.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

The funny thing is, it looked awesome! However, looks were deceiving. This bbq pork was too sweet, too fatty, and the non-fatty bits were just not tender. I've had good Chinese bbq pork and this was adequate but just not up to par for dim sum. I wouldn't order this again.