One Thousand Supports Ike's Place to Open at SF State

Just after 5:30PM on Tuesday, Ike Shehadeh, owner of the famed Ike's Place, put out a major message to the world, he wants to open a location at San Francisco State University. It was a big surprise to me and my fellow colleagues on the campus.

It's not just the shock that Ike wants to open up on the campus, but the huge support of people wanting Ike and his famous dirty sauce to be there.

Someone created a Facebook page titled: "Bring Ike's Place to SFSU" and I thought it was cool to sign up since there was about 20 of my friends who "liked" the idea. Less than 12 hours later, over 250 also clicked on the "like" button in support. Nearly two days later, the fan page has over 1,000 supporters (at time of this posting, it's now 1,037).

Isn't it amazing? A guy whose luck was running out on his 16th Street location has been expanding his sandwich empire around the Peninsula, opening a location at Lime on Market, and now wants to be at my alma mater? I'm getting hungry!

Akit's Favorites at the Farmer's Markets

I'm steering away from the Muni and Clipper topics today to mention about my favorite foods at the farmer's markets I visit. If you have some of your own favorite farmer's market locations to chow down on some hot food and snacks, just leave me a comment.

Stonestown Farmer's Market
One of my favorite places to visit Sunday morning for a decent breakfast/brunch. They are open every Sunday from 9AM to 1PM and located in between Macy's and the movie theater.

• One of the best value items I like to spend on is the dumplings booth where fresh dumplings are cooked (pan fried) and stuffed with cabbage & pork, chive & pork, or a vegetarian mix. Can't beat the price either: $2 for three dumplings.
• Two vendors have been there the whole time since they opened, the Indian curry booth and the kettle corn booth. The curry booth has all kinds of curries and bakes their naans on-site; the kettle corn booth's smell of hot fresh popcorn just being made.
• Honorable mention: A newer vendor sells gumbo. It's a little expensive at $7 a bowl, but the signature gumbo full of fried chicken and sausage is delicious. Perfect for a cold day!
  

Associated Students Farmer's Market (SF State)
Much smaller than Stonestown's, but they have something I love, waffles! Thursdays from 10AM to 3PM.

• The Belgian waffle vendor is there every Thursday in his red trailer and they are delicious. There's only a few waffle vendors in the entire city, but the guy who runs this one at SF State makes the perfect waffle with toppings like whipped cream and Nutella. My co-workers thought I was crazy when I asked them if they wanted to get waffles with me (the price per waffle drops if you buy four or more), but once they took a bite, they loved it.

After typing this post, now I'm hungry!

Cucumber in your Sushi - Yes or No?

Here's a good question: Why do some Japanese sushi bars and restaurants include cucumber in their rolls while others don't?

I have experienced this situation many times at various restaurants. About 65% don't include cucumber (unless if you order a cucumber roll), but the other 36% do include it, including many vendors who sell sushi at SF State (SushiGo and Healthy Eats) and at Lucky's at Sloat where a part-time sushi chef makes rolls for take-out.

In my opinion, I don't like cucumber in my sushi rolls, and it's especially frustrating when the restaurant didn't tell you that on the menu. I don't want a crunch in my rolls, I want to taste the fake crab and avocado in my California roll! I'm part-Japanese, and I'm confused!

So... what do you think? Do you like having cucumber in your sushi?

Would you pay $1 for Water at a SF Restaurant?

It's the big $50,000, I meant $1 question... would you pay a restaurant $1 for a glass of water?

Maybe if you ate at the Millennium restaurant in San Francisco.

Michael Bauer of the SF Chronicle reports this particular restaurant charges a $1 fee for their water which is always free at any other San Francisco institution.

The restaurant claims they use a filtration system from the city's tap water line as a cost cutting measure due to the high priced of bottled water. They also mention that they do this surcharge because of the new San Francisco health plan law that requires employers to provide basic health coverage.

But really... FILTERED WATER? Is the restaurant owner just a total idiot? It is pointless to purchase a water filter for water in San Francisco. The Hetch Hetchy provides the best drinking water in the entire nation, and a local news station did a blind taste test with chilled water and people felt the municipal water tasted better than bottled.

Plus... tap water costs literally pennies a glass and the restaurant is literally taking a 700 to 1,000% markup on their "filtered water." What if I wanted non-filtered water? Would they still tack on the $1 surcharge? The answer from management: Either pay $1 for the filtered stuff or get NOTHING.

What a bunch of assholes!

You go to any restaurant and ask for water with your meal. No $1 surcharge there! Will people even eat at Millennium's? It's like going on an airplane and getting all the surcharges tacked on.

What is this? Some kind of frickin protest thought-up by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association against the San Francisco health plan law? You don't charge MONEY for TAP WATER! Filter my ass.

If a restaurant is financially hurting from the health plan policy, then there are two options:

1. Raise the menu prices by 50 cents (assuming that a patron orders two menu items).
2. GET OUT OF SAN FRANCISCO.

What's next A CORKAGE FEE FOR BOTTLED WATER?

Akit's Choices for San Francisco Food

Here at Akit's Complaint Department, you might notice that some of my postings are not actually complaints, but at least some positive reviews on things like when the Dirty Harry DVD collection came out and it was quite affordable at Costco.

I thought that I would give a list and details about my favorite places to chow down in San Francisco and some places just a little away from the city limits.

1. Seal Rock Inn - It's on Pt. Lobos and 48th Avenue (end of the line for the 38L Geary Limited) and I really love their breakfast specials for $6.25 with decent portions (available Monday-Friday until 11AM, except holidays). I prefer the choice of breakfast meat with eggs, hash browns, and toast; but they also have french toast and pancakes as a substitute for hash browns and toast. I also like their half pound burger and their turkey burger with fries.
   
2. Kitaro Japanese Restaurant (Geary and 21st Avenue) - I have to say for the low price you pay for their boneless fried chicken dinner, you sure get a huge amount of chicken pieces. Also, get a 15% off coupon on the register receipt at the Safeway on LaPlaya. Big warning: they don't use Japanese rice that is fluffier and slightly sticky.
   
3. Sanmi (Geary, one block east of Mel's Drive In) - The price is a little higher for this Japanese restaurant, but you get it in high quality and freshness. Their sesame fried teriyaki chicken has this amazing crispy crust that is to die for. Also if you are lucky to try the fresh caught fish for sashimi, oh my, it melts like butter.
4. City Eats Dining Center (SFSU) - I have to give kudos for a residence hall dining center because of the large variety of items for all three squares of the day. If you love salads, this is the place; pizza and grilled varieties too. Even vegans will love the choices. SFSU students, faculty, and staff are welcome to dine by paying cash and recieving a discount (bring your campus ID). $6.50 for lunch is not a bad deal when that amount can get you a deluxe burrito and soda at the student center.
5. Costco El Camino Real - I'd stick with the hot churros and polish dogs... good for the price. Stay clear of that pizza, I've never seen something that greasy before.
6. Kam's (Balboa) - I rememeber eating there as a kid and although their cook has changed, their chow mein and "gourmet chicken" is still the same old favorite I loved.
7. John Campbell's Irish Bakery (Geary between 20th and 21st) - Such delicious big chocolate chip scones. Buy five and they are only a buck each. Their tea cookies are also very tasty too.
8. Irving Cafe and Deli (Irving between 22nd and 23rd) - My favorite place for a Vietnamese sandwich. The fresh bread (warmed and toasted too), fresh made mayo, and their BBQ pork makes it a killer sandwich. The imperial rolls are crispy and freshly cooked. A BBQ pork sandwich for under $5 is a good bargain, plus add some tasty pate too.
9. Safeway Deli - Why would I go to a supermarket deli, especially Safeway's? Their Hollywood Cobb sandwich is why. I can care less about the bread, but more about the ingredients they use. For $5.49, it comes with a thick boneless chicken patty, thick slices of smoked bacon, crumbled blue cheese (that really gives the kick), lettuce, tomato, and ranch dressing. Buy seven sandwiches and get a freebie sandwich (you don't have to buy seven at once, but use your Safeway card).
10. Ono Hawaiian BBQ (Lakeshore Plaza, Sloat Blvd.) - The SFSU campus police sure likes eating there, and I totally agree. Their mini meals are priced well and provides plenty of food for a good lunch. Chicken katsu is tasty (the katsu sauce sucks, ask for teriyaki sauce), their BBQ chicken is not bad, their curry with BBQ chicken is better, and the short ribs are the best. Quick tip: If you don't want macaroni salad and cabbage, just say "all rice" and you'll get two scoops and a thin layer of rice on the bottom. For a lite snack, ask for a spam musubi that comes out with two big pieces with fresh grilled spam and hot steaming rice.
11. Tuttimelon (next door to Irving Street Cafe) - That yogurt sensation is hitting the streets around here. For a late night dessert, this fat free option is not that bad. Try the mango flavor frozen yogurt with some of those mini mochi balls.
    

OK, now I'm drooling. I'm getting a little hungry working on this blog at 3AM. Your favorite food places are welcome in my comment section. Maybe I'll visit some of your recommended places.

AT&T Park (SF Giants) - America's Ripoff Joint

I love AT&T Park (aka: Pacific Bell Park, Pac Bell Park, SBC Park, and Telephone Park) because it is a beautiful stadium to watch games. Even sitting at the upper deck gets you great views of the park, the views of the water and East Bay, and doesn't require you to use binoculars to view the game.

But have you noticed that we are getting really ripped off? Like real badly...

Here's a list of things I think is terrible about the ballpark:

• Outrageous prices on tickets. They offer three levels of prices:
• Cheapest tickets are for games on Monday-Thursday.
• "Weekend" tickets are for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games.
• "Premium" games are always against the Dodgers, New York teams, and some A's games.
• Then, the tickets for certain sections go for outrageous prices. Want the crappiest seats in the park? Go for the centerfield bleachers. Worst upper deck seats are the last five sections in left field. They sell for cheap, but who the hell can watch a game in those seats?
• The best seats, therefore the most expensive seats are in the "Lexus" dugout seats, equipped with padded seats, and you are so close to the home plate.
• Just how much for face value? It cost me about $125. This does not include any additional fees.
• The best seats for A's tickets is no more than $90. The cheapest seats for the A's is just $9! Come on AT&T Park.
  
• And how about those ticket fees? They try to nickel and dime you for every time you buy a ticket. If you purchase at a Giants Dougout location (except the ballpark location) or any tickets.com outlet, you get charged a 17% FEE. What the hell is this?
• The best time to buy tickets is when you visit the Dugout store at the ballpark or the advance ticket window. They have a much lower service fee.
• Here's an interesting fact, San Francisco Muni wanted to get a little more money to provide service to the ballpark. They wanted to propose an additional tax on game ticket fees. Hell no.
• To add insult to injury, Muni DOES NOT ACCEPT BART-TO-MUNI transfers when purchasing your ticket to return from the ballpark to BART. What little bitches! I get a 25 cent discount, and I WANT IT!
• And how about the food?
• These guys rip you off so badly. I can easily spend $25 at a ballpark for a half-assed meal. For that money, I can go across the street at Amici's and get myself a large New England Clam Pizza with a soda and possibly some pesto pasta!
• Why half-assed food? Here's something. I ordered a clam chowder in a bread bowl, and while the soup was OK, the damn bread was STALE! So dry, that the bread bowl soaked in soup was dry enough to make me cough for five minutes.
• And to add insult to injury...
• The Giants have now BANNED ALL OPEN BEVERAGES from entering the park, including bottles that have their seal broken.
• Their reply is that this is to prevent underage drinking.
• My answer: It is just another way to rip us off by making us fans purchase beverages that cost nearly three times its regular price at grocery stores and other places.
• Plus, I can't bring in my iced coffee drink from McDonald's

If the Giants wants to stop ripping us off with these outrageous prices, it's time for some changes.

1. Barry Bonds is gone, he was the star attraction, and now you are selling games with about 9,000 seats still available (this happened at last Friday's game). Also, the team is doing terrible. Reduce prices on admission tickets. Eliminate the SRO (standing room only) and use those prices to offer the hardest seats to sell (upper deck left field).
   
2. Lower food prices. It should not cost $4.00 for a Churro (Costco is only $1), and no little hot dog costs $4.50.
3. Cut back on some of these bogus "park safety" rules. Open bottles are OK, as long as it is not beer or liquor. Why not have the staff sniff the liquid? Alcohol has an obvious smell.
4. If you love watching them on TV, write to KNTV (aka NBC 11, the second worst local TV station in San Francisco) and tell them to give it back to KTVU, the ULTIMATE KING OF BASEBALL AND NEWS.
5. It is time to follow other major league parks and offer ALL YOU CAN EAT plans. Our neighbors, the Oakland A's have nosebleed top deck seats with all you can eat food and drink, like hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn, sodas, and ice cream. All for the starting price of $35 a ticket. AT&T Park management should use the upper deck left field seats (crappiest in park), and use them for all you can eat plans for a fair price. You'll get a great attendance boost, and with a good choice of food, will be extremely popular.

Well, there's my thoughts. Thanks for reading. If you have any comments on this, please post them on my blog site at: http://www.akit.org/2008/05/at-park-sf-giants-americas-ripoff-joint.html

Tons of Free Stuff on your Birthday - A Guide

I find when my birthday comes around, a lot of places do some great things to attract you to their business to give you free things.

Here's a list of places I know about that gives you free things.

• Hard Rock Cafe - You need to get membership through the "All Access" program for about $25. When you first buy your membership, you get $20 in food/gift credit on your card, you also get free gifts, and you get "front of the line" seating when the restaurant is busy (in some popular places, it means saving almost 30 minutes). The membership card pays for itself during the week of your birthday when they deposit $10 on your account and the funds last up to three weeks past your birthday. Since the membership fee is a one time fee of $25, using the card for one year pays dividends. To get membership, just go to your local Hard Rock and purchase it at the store. BIG TIP: THEY DON'T E-MAIL YOU ABOUT THIS BIRTHDAY OFFER ANYMORE. BUT NOW THAT I TOLD YOU, WHY NOT GET MEMBERSHIP?
  
• Eat there on your birthday and also get a free dessert!
  
• Go to the one in SAN FRANCISCO. Show your AAA card at the California Welcome Center at Pier 39 and get two hours of free parking too! The Cafe also offers 1 hour before 6PM and 2 hours free after 6.
  
• http://www.hardrock.com
• Learn about membership here: http://www.hardrock.com/all-access/default2.asp
  

• Red Robin restaurants - By joining Red Robin's e-club, you get monthly e-mails about their new burgers and other stuff. However, a week before your birthday, they give you a printable coupon to visit their restaurant and get yourself ANY gourmet burger of your choice for FREE. They don't really care what burger you get, so go for the most expensive one. I asked them to add bacon on it and told them I would pay the extra charge, but instead, they comped me.
• Also, if you visit them on your birthday, they give you a free dessert.
  
• http://www.redrobin.com
• Register for the club here: http://apps.fishbowl.com/a/redrobin/join/agegate.asp
  

• Baskin Robbins ice cream - Their birthday club used to be for kids, but is now expanded to any person. You can register on their website and you get a coupon the week of your birthday for a free scoop of ice cream of your choice. The coupon is good from the week of your birthday until one week after your birthday.
• Register for the free ice cream program here: http://www.baskinrobbins.com/BDayClub/RegisterInfo1.aspx
  

• Chevy's and Olive Garden - Both of these restaurants give you a free dessert and a happy birthday chant from the staff when you eat their on your birthday.
• http://www.chevys.com
• http://www.olivegarden.com

• Todai Japanese Seafood Buffet - (NOTE: Not a nationwide chain restaurant. Mostly found on west coast, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and in some Asian countries) I really enjoy Todai's variety of Japanese food, including all the sushi you can chomp on. If it's your birthday, bring a couple of paying guests with you and your meal is FREE. Lunch or dinner, they don't care, but rumor has it that they give out lobster tails for dinner to all guests.
  
• http://www.todai.com

• Moonstar Upscale Seafood Buffet - (NOTE: There are only two locations - San Francisco and Daly City) this buffet is king in the San Francisco Bay Area with tons of Asian food goodies to go around. Their requirements for a free meal is kinda stiff, but if you can bring along with you six or more paying customers, your meal is free. You also receive a birthday cake and a photo of you (maybe eating crab?).
• Read more about their special offers at: http://www.moonstarbuffet.com/special.html

Well folks, that's the list of things you can surely fill your stomach with. If you have any tips, feel free to drop a line in the comments section!

Restaurants and San Francisco Universal Healthcare

I really think the City and County of San Francisco needs to keep the "universal healthcare" plan, as paying for medical insurance can at least be about $150 to $250 a month for most healthy adults through an HMO program.

Most employees who work in grocery stores, or just gain a simple wage without any benefits really need something to maintain their health. How would you like the fact that if someone was sick and contagious, and could not go to the doctor or SF General Hospital, would you eat the food at the restaurant?

And we look at the Golden Gate Restaurant Association protesting this universal healthcare idea! They claim it will ruin businesses and many will fold due to this. With the money that the OWNERS (not employees) make, the owners can sure pay for their own health insurance, but does not want to give the hourly employees who is the backbone of the establishment basic healthcare needs. Like I just mentioned earlier, would you like some TB or Influenza in your dinner tonight?

So here's how some restaurants are trying to protest it: They put right on their menu that they will add an additional 15% surcharge to the bill. Sure, the association is pissed off and wants to protest this way, but how about the customers that go in there? I feel if they look at this notice, they would get right out of their chair at the establishment and walk across the street to the fast food joint serving the same fried chicken you were going to pay 15% more (and possibly an extra 5 bucks for the "special" "free range" shit).

Instead of moaning and groaning, and putting it to a lawsuit with expensive lawyers (which I assume the association members share the cost, thus each restaurant spends even more expenses), just do it the easy way!

Here's my solution: Just raise the price of the meals to cover the healthcare coverage the City of San Francisco requires. 15% added to a $7 meal is only $8.05.

OR WHY NOT JUST MAKE THE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION DO A GROUP MEDICAL INSURANCE PLAN? Hell, many large corporations and government agencies do this! You might get a cheaper rate than the 15%.

The other alternative to not being ripped off is: Go eat and shop in Daly City! They don't require the insurance rule, and their sales tax rate is 0.25% less than San Francisco's 8.5%. PLUS, YOU CAN GET PLASTIC BAGS AND STYROFOAM TAKE OUT BOXES! (Thanks Supervisor Ross for a odd balled law, where I can still get styrofoam and plastic bags at my local San Francisco "Smart & Final."

A Wild 4 Days in Vegas

Las Vegas, home to gambling, tons of hotel rooms, comped alcoholic drinks, and cheap priced food.

So, I fly in on Father's day with a comped hotel room at Bally's as long as my father played in the slot tournament. Basically, I only paid the airfare of about $188, but it would be cheaper if I flew on a Monday, but oh well.

So on the first night we arrive, I had to treat my dad to a good meal, so we go to our favorite BBQ restaurant in town at the Ellis Island Brewery and Casino, just behind Bally's. For just under $10, you get a whole rack of ribs coated with BBQ sauce with all the fixins'. A full rack of tender ribs for dinner is yummy! Plus, their home made root beer is one of the best in town.

On other days, I also chomped on a $1.25 huge hot dog, a one pound slice of prime rib (whoa, $35 bucks), and other snacks here and there.

I also paid for a Las Vegas Monorail day pass that is on sale for the entire summer for $8 and I stopped at multiple casinos to join their club programs that track your play. So by the end of my vacation, I got seven new cards, to add to my existing eight for a grand total of 15 cards. Oomph, it started getting heavy.

Here's the list of cards I have:
Total Rewards (Harrahs Resorts: Paris, Bally's, Caesars, Harrahs, Rio, etc.)
The A-List (Planet Hollywood/Aladdin)
MGM Mirage Players Club
Wynn
Casino Royale
Club Sahara
Las Vegas Hilton
The One Club (Circus Circus and Slots-A-Fun)
Club Coast (Coast Casinos)
Ultimate Rewards (Stratosphere)
Player's Club (California Hotel)
Bill's Gamblin' Hall
Imperial Palace
Venetian
Ellis Island

Although I got my butt whipped in gambling I did have some fun adventures:
$15 in free play money at Sahara. I fried it immediately and took back $46.00
$10 in free play money at Wynn. Used it and took back $5 (thanks Steve Wynn for money for a few hot dogs)
Sweating to death in the heat.
Suffering with an air conditioner in my hotel room that would not go below 70 degrees.
Some random joe and his wife giving my dad and I free monorail passes for the rest of the day.
Eating the best ribs in town.
Had to get away from those guys trying to sell you a "good time."

Oh well, I guess I'll save up again and go back some other day. But maybe not in the summer again.

CBS News - Controversial Racial Comment

CBS News is hiding the fact that they made a controversial racial comment on their news program in regards to their story titled: "A Critical Study on Chinese Food" dated on March 21, 2007.

The comment mentioned near the end of the news segment is when the reporter was sitting with other "health experts" and one mentioned that omitting certain ingredients from the Chinese food items that are high in sodium and fat would be beneficial.

The female reporter jokingly mentioned that restaurant cooks would "spit" in their food for omitting certain ingredients. The reporter and her guests laughed at the comment.

"Why is this controversial? I believe that her comment is malicious by using the stereotype that all Chinese restaurants are dirty and therefore employees will "spit" in your food. Also to note, the CW channel in New York was under controversy by the folks of AsianWeek for controversial comments by claiming that rodents are the meat product in the New Food King restaurant. Read the AsianWeek article here.

CBS is trying to cover-up this problem by hiding their videos online from public view.

On YouTube: The video is now locked down for invite only.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XelwHIfurk
Description of video: "A consumer watchdog group released a report on Chinese food, claiming that some dishes are packed with an enormous amount of calories and sodium. Sharyn Alfonsi has more details. (CBSNews.com)"

Also, it was deleted off the CBS website:
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2594824n?source=search_video

CBS then tries to cover-up their mess-up by making new stories about the Chinese food unhealthy problem. Their technique, get a female reporter into a "healthier" Chinese take-out establishment and use Teri Okita who has an Asian American background to fix their problem.

Oh yeah, the original reporter is white and the guests weren't Asian (not to be racist or anything like that, but I think you should be aware of that).

I've spoke with some of my fellow Ethnic Studies grad students, and they think it's not offensive, but I think others would disagree. Also, why would CBS cover-up this problem by trying to erase the videos? Why is it still on Youtube (CBS has an agreement with Youtube to publish their news reports and other TV show vids), but only for invites? And you would think, well the news story has been there for a week, they must delete them. Actually not true, the CBS video area on Youtube holds videos from over two months ago! The story was posted just a week ago. See their vid archive here: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=CBS

Why is the video link still on CBSnews.com? Take a look at the search results on their website here, do you see that the story marked "March 23, 2007" is outright blank (versus the others that have a text summary), with a clickable dash ("-") link that goes to a dead video?

A lot of questions, but no answers.

Let's summarize my rants:
You make me sick. Just another TV program on my personal banned list: KRON news, and now CBS News.

UPDATE:
Here's the actual words the reporter said:
Sharyn Alfonsi: "And if you special order and say sauce on the side, they are not going to spit in your food."
Male health expert: Exactly... absolutely, [female health expert chuckling] that would save some work for them.
Female health expert: [chuckling]
Sharyn Alfonsi: And could stop you from getting a Buddha belly, Sharyn Alfonsi, CBS News, New York."

If you want to HEAR the clip, contact me with your e-mail in the comments section of this blog.