It can be tough to decide where to dine out in a metropolitan area like the Bay that’s filled to the brim with excellent eats. Dining Reports are just one way to get the word out on the restaurants I’m eating at, but the Best Dishes column is where I break
down the singular dishes that stood out, were maybe inadvertently left out of a report, or just haven’t (yet) found their way into coverage — until now. This month’s selections feature dumplings, pastries, and a low-key banh mi from the East Bay.
Mini potstickers at Mini Potstickers
Do you remember your first soup dumpling? I sure do. I also remember the day I first tried Mini Potstickers. You see, soup dumpling lovers level up when they taste their first sheng jian bao: essentially a dumpling in a thicker, leavened wrapper that’s pan-griddled ‘til crispy on the bottom. Sheng jian bao fans reach enlightenment when they discover that the best way to consume this symphony of textures and mouthfuls of flavor is in mini form. Simply put, it’s a better eating experience when you can pop the whole thing into your mouth and feel the elastic wrapper burst, yielding to a boatload of liquified pork stock that makes the corners of your mouth stick together. As far as I know, this Outer Sunset shop is the only place in the city making them this way, which isn’t all that surprising; folding these top-knot dumplings is a labor of love, imagine doing so when they’re the size of a silver dollar. Mini Potstickers, 2045 Irving St, San Francisco
— Nat Belkov, deputy brand director of Eater
Tomato jam and cream cheese pinwheel at Blooms End
I wrote about the summer scaries the other week and savoring the last bits of summer, and I managed to follow through with plans to make it to Tomato Days at Blooms End (the bakery’s tomato-themed weekend). While I do like to peruse the pastries inside the wagon, my plans necessitated a preorder, in which I did an early pickup of this five-pack of treats (and a surprise pint of cherry tomatoes from Tenfold Farmstand). I whisked the box away to a meetup with friends, where we meticulously cut up each pastry to sample across the selections. The box featured both sweet and savory bites, but I found myself really liking the most is the tomato jam and cream cheese pinwheel. Tomato jam is underrated in my estimation, and to have that against cream cheese and flaky croissant dough really made the whole item sing. We were all wowed at the use of tomatoes across each item, so who knows — maybe this friend group will have a new summer pastry tradition, for as long as baker Mary Denham keeps up the annual tomato bake. Blooms End, 5300 Red Hill Road, Petaluma — Dianne de Guzman, Eater SF editor
Breakfast banh mi at Banh Mi Ba Le
If I’m in El Cerrito and in need of a quick fix for lunch, one of the places I tend to head to is Banh Mi Ba Le. A cash-only Vietnamese spot in a tiny strip mall, Banh Mi Ba Le is the spot for (as you may have guessed) banh mis. The go-to is the #1, a ham and head cheese number, but in re-scouring reviews on a recent visit, I was intrigued by the idea of going simpler with an off-menu egg and pate banh mi. I asked at the counter if they still make it, and indeed they do, and I was rewarded with soft scrambled egg inside a crunchy baguette, a smear of pate on the bread, pickled carrots and daikon, crisp cucumber, and heat from slices of jalapeño. It is my ideal of a breakfast sandwich, because generally vegetables don’t figure into American breakfasts at all, which is a deep, solemn tragedy. (I’m sorry, potatoes don’t count.) If you drop in, don’t stop at the menu; be sure to check the chip selection and the fridges for bun cha, papaya salad, desserts, and drinks. Banh Mi Ba Le, 10174 San Pablo Ave, El Cerrito — DdG
