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Good Eats in North Beach and Chinatown

A few days ago I did a culinary tour with some good friends from high school and it was so much fun!  We started off in Chinatown at the Good Mong Kok Bakery on Stockton for a steamed pork bun.  They’re the best I’ve ever had!  Then after checking out at the fabulous veggie stalls it was on to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Co. on Ross Alley.  I swear I’ll never eat another fortune cookie if it’s not from GG.  They also make sesame and almond cookies that are the best!  It’s a kick to see them making the cookies right in front of you.  But if you want a pic it’ll cost you 50 cents!

After we went to Giordano Bros. on Columbus for a sandwich I’ve never seen anywhere else.  They grill the meat you want and then add cole slaw and french fries to the sandwich.  Sounds strange but it’s fantastic! Since we were grazing we split one sandwich between the four of us plus a beer which goes perfect with the sandwich!  Everyone wanted some pasta so we headed to the venerable U.S. Restaurant on Columbus and split a couple plates.  Definitely old time North Beach.  We had the pappardelle special of the day and some spaghetti.  Both were delicious!

Along the way we stopped at Molinari for Pastina pasta (for soup) which is hard to find.  And I wanted to buy Baci Perugina to make the incredible Baci brownies I learned to make from friend and fabulous chef, Viola Buitoni.  But it was SO crowded we decided to skip it. They need more help on Sundays!  Then we went to Stella Pastry for pastries to take home and of course some cannoli to eat there.  They’re best when they’re just made as the shell gets soft after an hour or so.  They’re amazing, and they’re also famous for their light and airy Sacripantina cakes as well!

Next I had to take them to Golden Boy Pizza on Green St., for me the best deep dish pizza in North Beach and my go to take out pizza. It’s funky, there’s only a counter to sit at and the music is really loud, but the pizza more than makes up for the lack of ambiance!  We got some to go then we headed down Columbus towards the Bay and I showed them a new place to buy and eat fresh pasta called The Italian Homemade Co.  I got some tortellini to go and cooked it at home and served it with a very simple sauce of butter and Reggiano Parmesan cheese because the tortellini are SO spectacular I didn’t want to mask them under a heavy sauce!  See the pic here on the blog…

We ended the day at XOX Truffles. A sign in the window says it’s been voted one of the 10 best artisan chocolatiers in the country. I believe it!  As we sat outside drinking a cafe macchiato which comes with a free truffle of your choice,  we talked about how lucky we are to live near the City by the Bay… Hallelujah!