The worst part about seeing a show at the ACT or other Union Square-area theater, other than an almost laughably bad Hedda Gabler, is the food. The options within short strolling distance are atrocious. The Fanch and I have gone down the checklist:
Max's, corner of Geary and Mason: They couldn't get a pastrami sandwich and chopped salad right. Hello? Jewish deli? Max? Pastrami?
King of Thai Noodle House: Barely edible.
The Israeli place across from the ACT: Out of business, thank G-d.
Lefty O'Doul's, Tad's Steaks, John's Grill: Do I look like I'm from Iowa?
The Westfield, downstairs: You say "upscale food court," I say "depressing high school cafeteria."
Michael Mina at the St. Francis: OK, we haven't tried it yet. Not exactly a place for a quick bite before a show.
Persimmon, a Middle Eastern place up the TenderNob hill: Feh.
We finally found a safe haven: Akiko's Sushi Bar up the hill on Mason. Small, cozy, run by two Chinese ladies. Or two ladies who speak Chinese to each other. The sushi is good, but what I love about it are the little salads. Roasted eggplant, crab-and-cucumber, seaweed...at least a dozen little plates that range from $3 to $11 are filling, tasty and creative. A few of those plus a special roll or two and it's a perfect preshow meal. We usually spend $45 to $60, not cheap, but worth it. But beware: the last couple times there's been a new waiter, a young guy with dark hair who bears the creepy combination of unctuousness and stupidity. In such a small place, he's unavoidable -- especially when he interrupts a conversation to express his interest in the topic at hand. Whoa. Big no-no. Fanch wants to call Akiko's and warn them that he's bad for business.
5 comments:
I feel like I've gotten some pretty good cheap eats from other King of Thai Noodle House locations. Is the one in the theater district appreciably worse?
Regarding your buttinsky waiter: It's time to Yelp, my friend.
what about Bar Crudo, next to the Tunnel Top and behind the Green Door? what about the bar beyond the front seating area in the Grand Cafe in the Hotel Monaco (past the wood-fired oven)?
there's always Escape from NY slices on Powell. (K took me to Blondies, and i will never go back.)
fwiw, i don't Yelp and don't have a deep appreciation for its reviews. how does writing "I'm having sex with their meatloaf right now" contribute anything?
if the ultimate arbiter of one's taste is yourself, how can going through hundreds of blurbs help you? won't commenting about some dork waiter sound like complaining?
anyway, sex with meatloaf is the fourth review down:
http://tinyurl.com/tvu7v
>Is the [KOTNH] in the theater district appreciably worse?
I'm more tolerant of it than Fanch, who said never again. I'm conglomerating our two opinions to reach some conclusions here. (Though we speak with one voice on Max's and Persimmon.)
Re. slices: a little too fa'foo for pre-theater. But it would work in a pinch.
Re. Crudo/Grand Cafe: great suggestions. We'll try them next.
never been to the Bar Crudo, but K and i love the Grand Cafe. (she still won't eat their steak tartare.)
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