We start this food tour in Little Saigon where we will enjoy Vietnamese food but then we venture into the Tendernob to try food from every corner of the globe on this most international of San Francisco food tours.
This whole area is undergoing major transition and soon might eclipse the Mission District as the foodie capital of the city. Everything is here, everything you expect, and much you don't.
Little Saigon is home to San Francisco's Vietnamese population and some of the city's best places to find delicious and exotic Southeast Asian food. Vietnamese cuisine features a combination of 5 fundamental taste elements. These flavors make up the meal: spicy (metal), sour (wood), bitter (fire), salty (water) and sweet (Earth). Each dish has a distinctive flavor made from combining these elements. Common ingredients include: Asian fish sauce, shrimp paste,soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables. Vietnamese recipes utilize lemongrass, ginger, mint, Vietnamese mint, long coriander, Saigon cinnamon, bird's eye chili, lime and basil leaves. Traditional Vietnamese cooking is greatly admired for its fresh ingredients, minimal use of oil, and reliance on herbs and vegetables. With the balance between fresh herbs and meats and a selective use of spices to reach a fine taste, Vietnamese food is considered one of the healthiest cuisines worldwide. Vietnamese cuisine is finally getting the acclaim it so rightly deserves.
The Tendernob is the area between Nob Hill proper and Little Saigon, but until fairly recently, it was just considered the Tenderloin. Because of it's location, this is a neighborhood of great contrasts. Immigrants from far-flung parts of the globe, the moneyed class from up the on Nob Hill, and a fairly recent influx of art students from the SF Art Institute, have produced a variety of eateries for any pallette around the clock.
I've lived in The Mission District since 1981 and love to show off the neighborhood and this wonderful city whenever I get the chance. Having worked in the restaurant industry for 20+ years, I consider myself an avid foodie. 3 years ago, I was working at a Union Square hotel, and soon I began to notice that visitors to this magical city of ours would be herded onto a ridiculous bus tour one day, then the next day would take the cable car to fisherman's wharf and Pier 39 and think that they had seen San Francisco. Then one day a customer asked me what there was to do in San Francisco after Fisherman"s Wharf, later the same day, I was asked by another hotel guest, if the reason that everyone in SF was so fit looking because there were not enough Dunkin' Donuts to be found, and btw- would I show them the way to Bubba Gumps for some good food. My friends and I decided to start a tour company that day. We started Explore SF to show our guests the same San Francisco experience that we would share with our own family and friends. We pride ourselves on giving the best and most authentic tours that can be found. We now have the best walking tours, running tours, food tours, drinking tours, and progressive dinner tours Full profile ⋅ Leave a Review
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