Food review: Memphis sweet-smoked pork

Restaurant: Memphis Minnies (San Francisco)
Food description: Barbeque pork shoulder smoked for 14 hours, side of macaroni and cheese
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Braised pork shoulder

Restaurant: Incanto (San Francisco)
Food description: Braised pork shoulder with grilled watermelon, tarragon, and onion
Food rating: 6 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Food review: Shu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings)

Restaurant: Yank Sing (Stevenson St., San Francisco)
Food description: Steamed dumplings with shrimp and pork filling, hand-wrapped in fresh pasta skin (dim sum)
Food rating: 6.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

The shu mai at Yank Sing (Stevenson location only) is pretty standard. It's decent enough to order again, but nothing memorable. I really feel like the dim sum here is generally overpriced so please excuoooze me for sounding critical. On the bright side, the shu mai dumplings seemed fresh, not frozen, with a nice distinct sesame-pork flavor. The texture was well... dim-sum-y. You know, that weird mystery-meat lookin' medley of pork n shrimp that dim sum is notorious for. I don't really fancy my pork and shrimp sharing the same fork together, but there's enough garlic and other ingredients to distract me from this aspect. I think with enough sesame, garlic, and ginger, you can make anything taste proper. But for real, their shu mai was likable--the price tag less so--but I'd say go for it if you can get your company to sponsor it (otherwise you're on your own!).

Food review: Fried potstickers

Restaurant: Yank Sing (Stevenson St., San Francisco)
Food description: Northern Chinese style pan-fried dumplings with minced pork, napa cabbage, scallions, ginger, and sesame oil filling (dim sum)
Food rating: 6.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 2

These potstickers vary depending on the weather . When they come fresh from the kitchen, they're hot, crispy, and tasty. When they've been sitting on the cart for a while, they become soggy, cold, and lifeless. It's pretty drastic, I know. The flavor of the filling was your standard sesame-ginger-pork combo--nice but same ole. The texture and balance of ingredients was good--none of that lingering garlic aftertaste in your mouth. I also liked the not-too-thick skin of the dumpling which allowed it to crisp up all the way through (on a good day) and not feel too doughy in your mouth. Overall, they make good filler, but make sure they're hot off the press or you'll be disappointed.

Food review: BBQ pork ribs

Restaurant: Big Nate's Barbeque (San Francisco)
Food description: Barbeque pork ribs with medium spicy bbq sauce and 2 slices of wheat Wonder® bread
Food rating: 7 out of 10
Times ordered: 10+

Mmm, there's nothing like a good ole order of ribs to satisfy a girl. Ordering from Big Nate's used to be my Sunday ritual, especially when I was feelin lazy, they delivered right to my door (yep, that's my lovely kitchen counter in the shot). Of course I got sick of it after a while, and started going to Memphis Minnie's, which was a lot better, but further and no delivery. Got sick of that too, so here I am, back where I started, until the next best thing comes along. Since I've had these ribs quite a few times, assume that I know what I'm talking about. The sauce is too sweet for my taste, but has a nice little kick to it. You can order it mild, medium, or spicy-- I like the medium, which is just barely spicy but creeps up on you after awhile. I have to add loads of salt to counterbalance the sweetness of the sauce, which works I guess, but isn't ideal. I really don't like how the ribs are drowning in the sauce, and maybe it should be served on the side so I can actually taste the meat, ya know? Speaking of meat, the cut of the ribs are 1/2 spare ribs and 1/2 country ribs. Spare ribs are thin and have lean meat that comes right off the bone. Country ribs are awful, they're thick chunky cuts that are part meat, part fat, part cartilage, and part bone which you gotta try discern one thing from the next (aka a royal pain in the ass to eat). Plus, certain the edges of these cuts get all dried out and taste like beef jerky. On the other hand, the spare ribs are wonderful--tender with a deep smoky flavor and no trimming needed--I still just don't understand the country ribs. Why!!!! I've seen most bbq places do this, so I'm sure they're just being cheap or something. Anyway, I thought the slices of Wonder Bread were a nice touch of southern authenticity, and provided the break from all that spicy sweet sauce. So, if you're a fan of bbq and want something good, cheap, and authentic (and not picky about the cut), give these a try. I recommend Memphis Minnie's over Big Nate's in terms of quality, but Big Nate's is much cheaper and more convenient (and definitely gets the job done).

Food review: Wiener Schnitzel

Restaurant: Suppenkuche (San Francisco)
Food description: Breaded sauteed pork loin with roasted potatoes and green salad
Food rating: 7 out of 10
Times ordered: 3

Suppenkuche is a neighborhood favorite of mine, so I know to prepare myself for the instant food coma that happens within minutes of eating there (you've been warned). The wiener schnitzel is one of the heaviest dishes on the menu, but a great beginner dish for those new to German food. The pork tenderloin is pounded until very thin and tender, and then breaded and pan fried. Squeeze a a couple lemons on top and voila! Simple and yummy. The portions are huge, but save room for the roasted potatoes-they don't look like much, but they're very tasty. And forget the salad, I've never seen anyone eat that stuff here. Overall, I find the dish a tad dry and too oily, so I always recommend it's sister dish, the jägerschnitzel: same thing, only with mushroom gravy instead of lemon. It's definitely the better choice.