1-22-09 Thursday (Wonton Soup Nazi)

I generally like to write the blog entries on the same day while things are fresh. I'm very tired at the moment and am having trouble focusing on what we did yesterday.



Got it! We stopped at a Radio Shack to get an adaptor we need for the speakers. A few miles away, another stop to Home Depot was in order for some Allen Wrenches. Jim needs one to adjust the bike so the handle bars stay firm and also to adjust the seat.



Jim spoke with the body shop and all the parts are in. We've booked an extended stay hotel in Sacramento and will arrive there this Sunday. We both enjoyed San Francisco a lot and feel there's still plenty more to see so we'll come back here before going to Los Angeles.



We squeezed some more sight seeing in today. A drive to San Francisco with a plan in hand! Our first stop was the San Francisco Railway Museum. This cute, little, free museum was packed with information. It gave a great history of the Cable cars, Street cars and Trolley Buses. We bought "50 Adventures on Foot: City Walks - San Francisco". It's like a tourguide in a box. It contains 50 large flash cards that provide a map on one side and a narrative of the walk on the other side.

On the way back to the Jeep, we took our time walking through the Embarcadero Center. A large shopping, dining, and hotel area complete with this giant, nifty fountain.

A short drive later, we're at the San Francisco Maritime Museum. Oh, even with our eternal love of museums, we decided to skip the interior crap (based on the disappointing Seattle Maritime Museum) and head for the docks to see a couple of ships. Our National Parks pass gave us free entry. Free was good as this was not worth the fee to me. 2 ships were available to tour. The first, 1895 schooner C. A. Thayer was rich in history but weak on views. We could stand on the deck and that was it. That was fun. NOT! The second ship, 1890 steam ferryboat Eureka, was interesting. I think we enjoyed looking into the on board newspaper stand and reading some REALLY old newspaper front pages, more than the ship itself.

Back to the Jeep and another short drive to the "Full House" house. This was the home used in the credits of that TV show. I hardly watched this show and when I have seen it, I wondered how it lasted as long as it did. Nonetheless, here it is:

Jim said a website indicated the red doors from the show are now on a home to the right of it.

Another short drive and we went for a drink. Mind you it was only 5pm. At least it was Happy Hour at the Eagle Tavern. The place was pretty empty. We finished our drinks and then walked up Folsum street for several blocks. I'll say "interesting neighborhood" and leave it at that.



Time for dinner. Jim was recently reacquainted with a High School friend through Facebook. He had suggested "House of Nanking" for dinner. I enjoyed the food, the service and atmosphere sucked. Jim thought the food was "OK". (Jim's standard reaction). Alright, now for the in depth happenings here. So we get to this little hole in the wall, and the place is busy. In the distance are 2 women, sitting at one 2-top table with another 2-top table next to it. The hostess or whatever, has them move (while they are eating!) against the wall, pulls the now vacant table away 4 inches and sets down silverware for us. I apologize to the women for the "intrusion". They were also visiting from out of town and had gotten recommendations. One had commented on the abrupt/rude service but said the food was delicious. I don't care if I sound racist, 90% of my visits to Chinese restaurants have been run by rude, abrupt Chinese people. Perhaps it's rude in our culture but not theirs? I witnessed their staff cramming patrons in, reaching across tables to get to others, and impatient about people not instantly knowing what they want to order. Looking at the expressions of the patrons, I could tell who was used to it at Nanking's and who wasn't. A waiter served a table while totally leaning in front of 2 women chatting. He blocked their eyesight of one another to serve a table next to them! Unreal. The waiter did this about 4 times and the women never batted an eye.

See the table distance above? By the way, the plate on the left (the women's table) is the beef with crispy rice that I also ordered because it smelled and looked good.

Let's talk about how they serve the food. It seems maybe more family style. Although we ordered an appetizer and 2 entrees, the entrees were brought out about 15 minutes apart! We did have an empty plate each and so we ate as it came out. It's a good thing we both ordered things that one another would like. We'd have been eating out of sync. I watched other tables carefully and saw the same thing happen. A large bowl of rice for the table, and a plate of food was brought out as it was done. The good thing about the food was it's uniqueness. With a limited menu, you weren't going to find the typical American-Chinese dishes. These seemed much more unique and perhaps even authentic.

Today, I read several reviews about this place. It's almost a landmark, but has VERY mixed reviews. Humorous in ways. Each review has a pro and con section. I laughed when I read "pro: leaving this place, con: entering this place". Another review described it as the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld.



I could go on and on, and apparently I have so I'll tell you what we had. Appetizer was dumplings with peanut sauce. Yum! 1st entree which is what Jim ordered was pork stuffed mushrooms. The veggies in this were cold and crisp and we think it may have been raw squash. It was good, and the sauce mixed in was tasty. Very unique. The entree I ordered was beef in crispy rice. The crispy rice mixed with the sauce, beef, and white rice was a tasty experience.



After all that, we came home, watched "100 Million BC". That movie, lost us just under 2 hours of our lives that we'll never get back. Bad acting, dumb plot, and low budget special effects made this a poor ending to our evening.