All posts tagged comfort food

Jake’s On Market

by Nicole Dobarro on June 7, 2012 in Food Review, Local frontal1

The Castro has got a new late night spot with a killer menu for those long nights that you just need some good comfort food. And you can’t beat prices that don’t break the wallet. Jake’s On Market made its debut, replacing the old school joint, 2233. But this change has brought a great new restaurant for any occasion. Jake’s On Market offers wide choices in an ambiance everyone will enjoy.

Me and my boyfriend were excited to try both their brunch and late night menus once they were released. You could say Jake’s brunch menu is pretty traditional but it still has those dishes that are often overlooked by other, yet necessary. Jake’s takes things back to basics. For brunch we started with the Half Moon Bay Brussels Sprouts salad. This salad amazed me! It was absolutely perfectly done! I’m a huge fan of brussels sprouts but I’ve never had them shaved. It was tossed in a light vinaigrette, Hobbs bacon and topped with a creamy poached egg. I highly recommend this. It’s one of those dishes I can’t stop thinking about. For our mains we the Huevos Rancheros and slow-cooked Corned Beef Hash. Both were great! My corned beef has was served topped with a poached egg and country gravy. This hash was definitely hearty and full of flavor. I especially enjoyed the home style potatoes. As for the Huevos Rancheros, they were great and original. It was presented in a layered tostada form. It came topped with guacamole, sour cream, cheese and salsa. The best part was the chorizo which is made in house! Overall my favorite part of their brunch is that it’s pretty healthy. Though we did have some pretty hearty dishes, nothing was overly greasy. For being in such an awesome location, Jake’s should be your next stop for brunch!

I couldn’t stay away and went back to try their new late night menu called “10 After 10.” Everything on this menu is $10 after 10 p.m. How awesome is that?! The menu consists of starters, pizzas and sliders. Sounds like exactly what I need after a night in the Castro. Me and the boyfriend fought over who would have the mac-n-cheese because we were in need of some comfort food on a rainy night. We also went for the Rock Shrimp Pesto pizza and the BBQ pork sliders. First of all, I must say I was extremely impressed with the great dish selection they had. Lots of times restaurants only let you choose from 5 items. But not at Jake’s! I got to have everything I wanted at awesome prices. The mac-n-cheese was exactly what we needed, and it had bacon! It was so perfectly creamy I could eat it for the rest of my life. This is a must-have! The shrimp pesto pizza was also pretty heavenly. I usually judge pizza on the quality of its crust and I was satisfied! It had just the right amount of crunch that went great with the shrimp pesto pizza. I’ll be back to try the other ten-buck pizzas Jake’s has. Lastly, we picked the pulled BBQ pork sliders. There’s also the choice of meatball sliders and Angus beef sliders. You get three sliders per order with a choice of french fries or sweet potato tots! I love tots! I get pretty excited when they’re an option. The pulled pork was tossed in a really yummy barbecue and topped with cole slaw and cheddar cheese. I wished the cheddar cheese was a little more gooey, but it was nonetheless very tasty!

Jake’s On Market is definitely the spot to check out when you need a hearty meal in a relaxed and cozy ambiance. It’s great for the family or just a night out with the girls (or guys!). They’ve also got a great wine selection and some fun dessert cocktails that are definitely worth a try! Jake’s staff is top notch and makes you feel right at home. They are very efficient so don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Ramen Doraku

by Nicole Dobarro on November 28, 2011 in Dining, Local, Opinion DSC_0265

Ramen Doraku
1042 Taraval St
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 592-8801

The seasons are changing and it’s starting to get chilly! So what sounds better than piping hot ramen on a foggy Bay day for under 10 bucks? I had a serious craving for some comfort food and found my way to a relatively new ramen joint on Taraval Street. Ramen Doraku is the place to go for some quick, satisfying Japanese ramen. It’s hard to miss the the giant red torii, or gate with dozens of wooden pallets inscribed with Japanese characters that actually reads their menu!

When we arrived, as usual I begin reading the quick tips and reviews from Yelp on my phone. From the looks of it, the place wasn’t bad at all! And the best part? I was tipped off to check-in and show it to our server for a FREE appetizer. Now I was really excited. We were all starving and already knew what we wanted, so our friendly waiter took our orders immediately. Then we got out food immediately! We waited for a little more than five minutes and our food was already at the table!

First we got our yummy free appetizer. It was my favorite, Takoyaki! Takoyaki are like Japanese style bit-sized corndogs, but instead of a hot dog center, its a tender piece of tako, or octopus. It was served crunchy on the outside like it’s supposed to be, topped with tonkatsu sauce, mayo and bonito. For being free, definitely get it. I ordered the Chasu ramen since I love all things pork. It came with tons of tender pork slices, ton of veggies and tons of noodles! What I’m trying to say is that you get your moneys worth. The portions are great. And the ramen toppings are of great variety. There bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, green onions, roasted seaweed and an awesome tea soft-boiled egg. Besides the broth, I’d have to say the egg is what makes the dish, so don’t skip out on it. As for the pork broth I really liked it. You can really taste the pork, but at the same time it’s not too overwhelming. It’s done just right. My friends got the Doraku ramen and the Butter ramen. Both looked equally as tasty. However I did try the Butter ramen. It was amazing! But it definitely tastes like butter, so if buttery-ness isn’t your thing, I don’t recommend it.

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If ramen isn’t your thing, they’ve got even more options! They’ve got some awesome appetizers, none of which are over four bucks. And they have a few donburi’s on the menu, rice bowls. I almost went for both ramen and a donburi because I didn’t want to choose. Ramen Doraku is open late until 9:30 p.m. during the week and 10:30 p.m. on weekends. They have great food, so the next time you’re in the area skip KFC down the street and get some real food in your tummy!