San Francisco - Mister Jiu's (Before Covid)

If you recall; back in January, before the "you-know-what-hit-the fan" the Missus and I took a trip to San Francisco over the long MLK Day weekend. We had enjoyed ourselves at the Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair...man, looking back at those photos kinda sends a shiver up my spine right now.....that's how ingrained all the Covid-19 precautions have become.

We decided to head back to the hotel for a short nap before heading out to dinner.

Heading down Kearny Street I saw this on top of the building near the corner of California Street.

Take a closer look.

I wondered what these shrouded, hooded, ghostly, Grim Reaper looking statues were. Well, after doing a quick search I found that these are the Corporate Goddess Sculptures, created by Muriel Castanis. As to what they are...from the Atlas Obscura post:

“They are empty, toga-draped forms from which the figures have been removed, rendering the sculptures as abstracted reinterpretations of the neoclassical masterworks of Lorado Taft and Augustus Saint Gaudens.”

Okay then.....

We got back to the room rested, took a short nap, when we awoke, the sun was setting.

After catching up on emails and other things we headed out for dinner.

I had read been reading about Mister Jiu's since the much anticipated restaurant opened in 2016. And the Cantonese (with other regional touches) based fare had garnered Mister Jiu's a Michelin Star. Both the Missus and I were interested; since the other Michelin Star Chinese Restaurant on the West Coast we've visited, Bistro Na's has become a favorite of the Missus. So I made reservations in advance for dinner.

We liked the décor, a very tasteful design, and we especially enjoyed our cocktails for this evening.

We didn't enjoy our lead Server, who was a bit snobby and very condescending, acting like he was doing us a favor by just waiting on us...….. I guess that just meant I needed another cocktail.

We decided on items that interested us; most of which were riffs on staples both the Missus and I enjoy and dishes that I had read about. It was to be a rather light dinner, since we weren't super hungry.

First up was a very basic, simple item....but one which is very important to the Missus. to the point that we make a version of it at home every year. The Fermented Cabbage.

This version, crowned with a touch of spice was quite good....a nice slightly funky fermented nose and taste. A light spice really cleaned things up and the cabbage was nice and crunchy. A well done basic dish.

I love jellied pork dishes, so I had to get the Chicken Feet Terrine, which was also quite good.

Loved the contrasting firm textures of the terrine; it was obviously crafted with skill. Nice mild savory flavors with a touch of sour. Very nice.

Since we enjoy our Liang Cai (cold dishes) we also went with the Chilled Beef Tendon, which unlike the previous two dishes was not quite to our taste.

The chili oil was on the weak end of the scale for us and while it looked quite spicy, it wasn't. There was a real lack of the complex flavors (suan, tian, ku, la, xian).

The Missus loves Her Turnip Cake (and has been grumbling that I don't make it much anymore), so She wanted to try the Crispy Scarlet Turnip Cakes.

This was another non-starter, mainly because, while the exterior was slightly crisp; the interior was quite dry and lacked a light pungency....it was definitely not our favorite. The sauce was much too acidic as well. Give me the version Sea Harbour anytime.

The Missus wanted something with rice; so we ordered the Mapo Doufu.

I gotta say; the rice was absolutely perfect; in texture and fragrance. The mapo doufu, not so much. It was really bland, with a greasy mouthfeel, and really lacking in the basic ma-la we were looking for. I was looking for that numbing-hot (of course my tendency is toward Chongqing in terms of Sichuan), a deep savory - fermented bean flavor, a hint of pungency, all of which seemed to be missing.

Oh well, I had another Cocktail which was another winnah'.

As our final dish, we chose the Sourdough Scallion Pancake. Man, this was very impressive; a definite riff on the typical Chinese Scallion Pancake....texturally, this was amazing; a slight crisp-crunchiness in the exterior that gave way to a airiness, with a bit of a slight chew. The pancake was fragrant, with a definite hint of sourdough and scallion. This was delicious and a nice way to end the meal.

And while Mister Jiu's is now doing takeout during the time of Covid-19; the Missus and I might return once all of this is over and we feel comfortable with travel again. Though it might just be sitting at the bar enjoying a few cocktails and small dishes....and definitely that Scallion Pancake.

Mister Jiu's
28 Waverly Place
San Francisco, CA 94108

You can read Faye's post on Mister Jiu's here.

We enjoyed strolling around Chinatown after our meal. Things were much more quiet, though still quite bright and colorful.

While passing Portsmouth Square we noticed a small group of Chinese Women getting their "exercise"......we decided to sit and watch; just us, two homeless guys and the women getting their groove on. This just reminded us of China and we walked back to our hotel with smiles on our faces.

 

Comments

[Faye]

That is crazy to look at your pic and imagine people out and about like that. I'm glad you were able to enjoy the meal here. It's unfortunate the server wasn't as welcoming. How come you ended with the Sourdough Scallion Pancake? My mom always taught me fried rice was usually at end of meal so it doesn't take up space in your stomach. So wondering if the scallion pancake was you and the Missus dessert !

[Kirk]

Yes, it was our dessert Faye.....and it did fill us up. Looking back at those photos; considering it was at the end of January does feel kind of weird.

[kat]

crowds tend to freak me out now...stay safe!

[Dereck]

That is hilarious. I have stayed at least 30 nights in that Hilton, and I have never noticed, or notably payed attention, to those figures.

That meal sounds super disappointing and R&G Lounge might have been better that evening.

[Kirk]

They kinda freak me out too these days Kat!

For some reason those sculptures got my attention Dereck. And I agree R&G would probably have been a better choice; but we wanted to try out Mister Jiu's. We'll probably go back for light eats and cocktails.

[Soo]

Looks like a great trip. I love San Francisco. I miss the delicious fortune cookies.

[Kirk]

We miss the variety of what's available Soo!

[James]

I was intrigued by Mister Jiu's since the profile of the owner on "Taste the Nation."

[Kirk]

The place is worth a try James. we'll probably go back; albiet for cocktails.

[Som Tommy]

How did this place compare to Bistro Na

[Kirk]

Well ST, that one is coming up....

[Jason]

On a non-related note, we stopped by Hawaiian Fresh Seafood yesterday for a poke assortment and really enjoyed it, thanks for the post on it earlier this week! Their fresh fish selection looked pretty good too.

[Kirk]

Glad you enjoyed HFS Jason. They are now a regular stop on our "rotation"...hmmm....I think I'll do an updated post on that. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the poke.