Chinatown love.

Chinatown in San Francisco has taken an enormous hit to its businesses due to xenophobia and general nervousness over the Coronavirus. It’s exhibited a disproportionate 80% decrease in businesses since January around Chinese New Year, their busiest time of year. I live next to Chinatown and I am constantly there running errands and taking my meals there. It would mean so much to these businesses if you would come out and support them as a community. I will continue to take all of my meals from Chinatown as much as possible and meet my friends there. I would be so grateful if you will try and support these businesses. This is not a San Francisco problem, but a global one. Please go support your local Chinese businesses because they can all really use your help during this extremely difficult time.

Thank you so much and please share this far and wide! And of course, stay calm and wash your hands.

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A post shared by Amy Yvonne Yu (@amyyvonneyu) on Mar 11, 2020 at 10:49am PDT

My friend Jen put all of these on Google Maps for you:
https//tinyurl.com/rvn2aej

Here are some of my recommendations for Chinatown San Francisco for you. I personally like randomly picking a place and checking it out. That is how I found most of these. Happy exploring and supporting Chinatown! Bring cash as some of these are cash only. 

• You can order Chinese delivery or take out.
• I frequent New Cafe Honolulu as my go to east/west cafe for noodles soups/congee/Hong Kong milk tea/lemon iced tea. 
• New Woey Loy Goey is my hole in the wall for rice plates and noodle dishes. 
• Z&Y for best Sichuan. 
• Great Eastern or Begoni for dim sum. 
• Golden Flower for Vietnamese. 
• New Lun Ting Cafe for rice plates: pork chop. 
• Chong Qing Xiao Mian is my go to for spicy beef brisket noodle soup and you can also get their soups non spicy. I like the non spicy wonton soup and you can add noodles. 
• Bund Shanghai for Shanghainese. 
• Michael Mina likes to sit at the bar for chicken wings at Capital. 
• Hong Kong Clay Pot if you are in the mood for clay pots.
• Li Po, Red’s Place, Buddha for drinks. 
• Bow Bow for karaoke and drinks. 
• Great to take your kids down Grant for fun things to buy (including 🧨) and there is Dragon Papa where they make dragon beard candy.
• There is also a Matcha Cafe Maiko now as well. 
• I typically get my milk tea from Boba Butt. 
• Yi Fang Tea has the very popular brown sugar boba.
• The egg tarts at Golden Gate Bakery are the best. 
• You can probably even actually get into my friend’s at Mister Jiu's now for a Michelin starred meal. Or you can grab bites at their bar or upstairs at their gorgeous Moongate Lounge along with proper cocktails. 
• Yuet Lee for late night eats: get the crab. R&G is great for seafood. 
• I even like going into Far East Cafe for their lobster with their funky chandeliers and Chinese paintings on the wall. 
• You can get all your Chinese produce and groceries at the stores along Stockton. 
• Juicy Fruit has the best exotic fruits.
• You can also get some great remade food for dinner at New Golden Daisy or New Moon on Stockton and Kam Po Kitchen on Powell.

Here is a few off my list for Oakland Chinatown. 

Here are a few of my staples: yang chow fried rice (bbq pork and shrimp), beef chow fun (I like getting it wet, which is with gravy, but you can get the dried version). I also love congee (rice porridge). And those eastern/western cafes I like getting congee or noodle soups with a milk tea or a lemon ice tea (my personal favorite). See anything there that you like other people are having, just order that. I do that a lot. Enjoy!

• Baby Cafe Hong Kong Bistro
• Tastee Steam Kitchen (hot pot)
• Gum Kuo
• Huangcheng Noodle House
• Imperial Soup
• Ruby King Bakery Cafe
• Ben's

2.26.2020. Californios. San Francisco. California.

I finally made it to Californios last night for dinner. Now I only have one more restaurant to check out on my "must" list for the Bay Area, which I am going for my birthday next month. So be on the look out for that one. This was my first Mexican fine dining experience and I was very excited for this meal and it absolutely lived up to my expectations, which as you are all well aware, is ridiculous to begin with. I was also excited to share this meal with my friend David. It was also David's send off for his much deserved retirement and moving away from California. A high end Mexican dinner seemed fitting for his next chapter and move. I loved the progression of the flavors. Each dish had a nice balance of textures and flavors using local ingredients with traditional Mexican ingredients to showcase its heritage. The progression of the dishes were nicely done as well.

Sorry for the dark pictures as we got a more private corner, as it was about me catching up with David rather than the kitchen counter to be near the action. I hope that you will find yourself there to check it out for yourself!

Californios
3115 22nd St
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.757.0994

Californios is dedicated to the preservation, continuation, and elevation of Mexican cuisine. We be live unfollowing tradition and building upon it.

A Chilapita, a rare, regional dish from Guerrero. A Cascadia corn masa tart filled with fresh Pacific geoduck clam from Puget Sound, with pickled kumquats and a Fresno chile espuma

Purple Peruvian masa infladita, topped with sweet Hokkaido sea urchin and filled with Chile guajillo chileatole.

Bacalao, layered with confit potato coming from Little Organic Farms, olive oil and avocado mousse, Meyer lemon and pickled Serrano.

Berkshire pork taco prepared in the style of cochinita pibil with hoja santa crema., pickled onions and apple on a magic mana tortilla.

Quesadilla made from Oaxacan masa, from Tierra Vegetables Farm in Santa Rosa, California, filled with fermented peppers, sweet corn, hen of the woods mushrooms, mozzarella cheese from Point Reyes and huitlacoche mole.

Mindful Meats short rib street taco, with mole negro, shaved truffles and fermented spring onions on our house-fermented sourdough tortilla.

Hielo. A palate cleanser of Aztec Fuji apple sorbet and finished with key lime and fresh apple.

Banana tamale with chive salsa and crème fraîche. Finished with cold smoked Californios Reserve White Sturgeon caviar.

Kusshi oyster with gooseberry juice and fermented red pepper foam.

Ceviche of Pacific blue mackerel, with kiwis from Will Brokaw and winter basil.

Aguachile of caramelized onions, fresh and charred chicories, seaweed and fermented ramps.

Cedar-smoked and grilled sea bream in pipian and oro blanco, with charred little gem hearts and green apple.

A presentation of Devil's Gulch squab, from Nicasio, California. Squab asada with a sauce made from the bones and chile morita. Smoked squab broth with lemon thyme and huckleberry. Grilled wild yellow foot mushrooms and fermented red carrots. Fermented red ember pepper and fatality salsita.

Cigarette of Kenne goat cheese from Tamales Farmstead Creamery with satsuma mandarin, kumquat and sweet alyssum flowers.

Hickory king masa tostada, grapefruit curd, fresh grapefruit, Shan Lin Xi winter sprout gelée with hoja santa, tarragon and bronzed fennel.

Cherimoya, passion fruit, avocado and chickweed.

Momento Mori, chocolatl.
Milk chocolate bon bon with Marcona almond ganache.
Dark chocolate bon bon with California yuzu citrus.
Marshall's Farm liquid honey truffle with white chocolate, bee and fennel pollen.
Apple 'Oblea' with fresh dulce de leche.
A digestivo made of fresh young ginger juice, Lustau Royal vermouth, lime and pink lady apple.













First it rained truffles on my taco, then it rained caviar on my tamales.

2.6.2020. Leonardo Drew + Wayne Thiebaud. UC Davis. Davis. California.

So funny things tend to happen when I am around, and sometimes magic happens. This was one of those days. I was invited by the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis, my alma mater, to go up for a visit and see the art department (my major) and attend a lecture by sculptor Leonardo Drew and have dinner with him and Wayne Thiebaud. Since my work load lightened up a bit, I was able to pop up for the day. Boy was I glad I was able to do this.

For those of you that did not know, I am a conceptual sculptor with an Art Studio degree from UC Davis while studying under all the greats there. That's a part of why I'm so weird. You can see some of my work here:
http://amyyvonneyu.blogspot.com

It was great fun to meet up with my sculpture professor Lucy Puls to get a tour of the current art studio building and to have a catch up with her. Then we headed over to the Jan and Marian Manetti Shrem Museum that got built after I graduated before the Leonardo Drew lecture there. Then we went to dinner and this is where the magic happens. I procured a pencil for Leonardo (a reference to something Wayne Thiebaud said at the lecture during the Q&A) to Dra with. Leonardo informs me that he only draws with ballpoint pens as he does not like the idea of being able to use the eraser as that feels like a cheat. Then I gave Leonardo Drew and Wayne Thiebaud my Sharpies and this is what happened.

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Last night after dinner I gave Wayne Thiebaud and @leonardodrewstudio Sharpies. This is what happened. You will want the sound on to hear Leonardo’s infectious laugh. Considering that I was trying to get them both arrested (true story), this was an amicable outcome. This signed piece is now a donation to the Shrem Museum. Could have been my retirement... Strange things tend to happen when I get off the couch. My Sharpies sure get around.

A post shared by Amy Yvonne Yu (@amyyvonneyu) on Feb 7, 2020 at 8:00am PST

This is the final signed piece, which is now my donation to the Shrem Museum instead of my retirement fund.

1.25.2020. Will Calhoun + Zig Zag Power Trio. Rintaro + SF Jazz. San Francisco. California.

My friend Will Calhoun (Living Colour) was in town playing with his Zig Zag Power Trio. When he called me up to see if I can grab a bite, I knew I had to take him to Rintaro. In case you have not yet noticed, having lunch at Rintaro is one of my favorites in SF, and it never disappoints. However, the highlight is always the proper catch ups. And Will and I get right into it. Nothing is sacred.

Rintaro
82 14th St
San Francisco, CA 94103











The most beautiful chirashi bowl.




Then I got to see Will play with his Zig Zag Power Trio that night at SF Jazz. I love visiting friends!

1.16.2020. Sonoratown + Park's BBQ. Los Angeles. California.

My team was excited to eat with me on this production. Clearly, I had to make a reservation at Park's BBQ for dinner on a night we did not have a long shoot day. To balance that dinner, we had some light tacos at Sonoratown since that is in DTLA. We ordered all their tacos (cooked in the mesquite wood fire with grilled green onions) and they were amazing in handmade flour tortillas.

Sonoratown
208 E 8th St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
213.628.3710




For our dinner highlight, Park's BBQ. I made that reservation a month ago when we knew the shoot dates and my team wanted to go eat with me. So the expectations were rather high. Despite that, they now understand why I am a bit obsessed with this restaurant. It's so much more fun with a big group too! Not to mention our amazing conversations that night. Just wow.

Park's BBQ
955 S Vermont Ave G
Los Angeles, CA 90006
213.380.1717

1.13.2020-1.18.2020. Ace Hotel Downtown LA. Los Angeles. California.

I had a big shoot right off the bat in 2020 for an entire week in LA. I ended up staying at The Ace Downtown LA since the company I am freelancing at had a rate there and 2 of the days we were in DTLA. Hilariously, I first ended up in a room next to the party room (room with a balcony) and there was an award ceremony at the theatre next door on the first night. Since I called front desk to ask if they were checking out the next day as I am there for work, the manager decided to move me to a different room as I was there the entire week and there were more events happening there that week and more parties were going too take place in the room next door. Low and behold, they upgraded me to a suite. I was feeling it and I took nightly baths. That you for your exceptional customer service Ace DTLA!

Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles
929 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90015
213.623.3233

A few of my favorite animes.

Since I did a list of my favorite foreign films, I felt that I needed to also make a list of my very favorite animes. Anyone that knows me well knows I am an avid anime watcher. If it came down to giving up Netflix or my Crunchyroll membership, I don't think I can do without my Crunchyroll. I like watching these in Japanese, as I prefer watching all things it in original form (casting and language) and that is also how I practice and learn more Japanese.

Movies

Ghost in the Shell. Mamoru Oshii.
I debated including this in my favorite foreign films of all time, as Ghost in the Shell transcends anime and is definitely in my top movies of all time. I recently rewatched it and the camera work, UI and animation are still ground breaking. This was made in the 1995. This movie affected film making and UI of many tech products in more ways than you realize.



Your Name. Makoto Shinkai.
Makoto Shinkai has quickly become one of my favorite directors. I have seen most, if not all, of his films. Your Name was on my top movie list of 2016. The nuances of how he portrays every day life and its complexities is superb. Not to mention that his animation is just plain gorgeous, especially his backgrounds. I also really enjoyed his series She and Her Cat, which you can watch on Crunchyroll. I just saw Weathering With You at The Roxie last night and it is another stunner.



Spirited Away. My Neighbor Totoro. Hayao Miyazaki.
Miyazaki is a classic and master and most people's entryway into anime. I think my first one of his may be Spirited Away, then I made my way down the entire Studio Ghibli catalogue. I own a few of his movies and I enjoy rewatching them from time to time, especially with children.





Hotarubi No Mori. Takahiro Omori.
This is a short and only 44 minutes and I watched this on Crunchyroll. A girl gets lost in the forest and gets rescued by a spirit. They begin a friendship. Then the plot thickens...



Grave of the Fireflies. Isao Takahata.
This WWII orphan story may be one of the saddest and powerful animes I have seen. It gives you a glimpse into the aftermaths of Japan after WWII on its people. This is an extremely haunting movie.



A Silent Voice. Naoko Yamada.
This is one of those slice of life animes that is extremely relevant and poignant. It's about a bully and a deaf girl in his class and his interactions with her when he gets older in making amends. Another powerful story.



Ninja Scroll. Yoshiaki Kawajiri.
Anyone that knows me well would know about my twisted sense of humor and that I can lean toward the dark side as much as the light for things of beauty. There is something very beautiful about the animation of Ninja Scroll, so much that I watched this daily in college for a year. I was so happy that this animation studio also ended up doing 2 of the Animatrix stories.



Series

Paradise Kiss. Nana.
I love the illustrations of Ai Yazawa from these mangas (I own all of Nana). The anime of both lives up to my expectations. In fact, I own the box set of Paradise Kiss (very hard to find). I love fashion, Vivienne Westwood, punk rock and anime. I also own the soundtrack of Nana.





Food Wars. Shokugeki no Soma.
This is a crowd favorite right now. How do you sexualize food and still make it a very charming story with real recipes? Of course the Japanese figured it out! Then I went to a party with mostly chefs and was telling Hiro Sone about this show as I think he would love it and he tells me he actually went to Totsuki. Go figure!!!



Yona of the Dawn.
I really love this manga too and I am still reading it. Action. Adventure. Unrequited love. Betrayal. Dragons. Kind of...



Skip Beat!
I love Kyoko and her misadventures. I am following the manga religiously. It's just so charming and funny.



Chiharafuru.
I had no idea what karuta was until I watched this show. I can almost even speaking in these 100 poems. ALMOST.



Ouran High School Host Club.
This is the most ridiculous premise: a high school girl, who looks like a boy, accidentally breaks a really expensive vase at the club of a rich high school. The boys mistake her as a boy and she then becomes a member of a high school host club to pay off all the debt owed for the vase. Trust me, it's hilarious.



Samurai Champoo.
Yes, yes, I've seen Cowboy Bebop, but I still prefer Samurai Champoo.



Demon Slayer.
A boy becomes a demon slayer as he wants to avenge his family who got wiped out by them. His sister got turned into a demon but is traveling with him during his quest.



Psycho Pass.
By the same studio that did Ghost in the Shell. This is a super dark anime. Season 2 is even more gruesome and I do not recommend that one. Season one poses some very interesting philosophical and ethical questions...



Your Lie In April.
This is a beautifully charming (and sad) story. Definitely one of the more emotional ones. Just watch it.



Kids on the Slope.
Love the soundtrack. Love the story. I really like these slice of life animes in case you haven't noticed.

A few of my favorite foreign films.

Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.
-Bong Joon Ho



In honor of Bong Joon Ho's beautiful movie Parasite and his Golden Globe win, here is a list of some of my very favorite foreign films. Perhaps it will inspire you to see more if you have not seen them already. Enjoy!

Side note: I would advise against watching Hollywood remakes of foreign films or the Hollywood version of foreign directors. As they are typically at best mediocre and does not even come close to its original.

Old Boy. Park Chan-Wook.
Quite possibly one of the best revenge films I have ever seen. I also really enjoy his other movies as well.



In the Mood for Love. The Grandmaster. Wong Kar-Wai.
Wong Kar-Wai is on my list of favorite directors of all time. I would recommend In the Mood for Love and The Grandmaster.





Hero. Zhang Yimou.
Hero may be one of the most beautiful kung fu films ever made. But The Grandmaster is close behind...



Remember what I said above regarding Hollywood remakes? Pay attention to the next 3.

After the Wedding. Susanne Bier.
This may be my all time favorite movie. I love the way Susanne Bier tells these very emotional stories. I also enjoy the rest of her movies as they are all very powerful.



Secret in Their Eyes. Juan José Campanella.
I saw this shortly after After the Wedding and was blown away by both films.



Let the Right One In. Tomas Alfredson.
Such a beautiful film with perfect casting.



The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. Niels Arden Oplev. Yes, David Fincher remade it and he had a much bigger budget. Doesn't make it better however. He had perhaps a better opening sequence and much more polished art direction.



Amélie. Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
While I own Amélie, I also enjoyed the rest of Jeunet's collection: Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, etc.



Ran. Dreams. Akira Kurosawa.
I love how Kurosawa does these epic period Japanese dramas inspired by Shakespeare. I've seen most of his films and they are all very poetic, as you would imagine from a master such as himself.





Amores Perros. Alejandro González Iñárritu.
This was my first Iñárritu film. It's so incredibly beautiful that I went down a rabbit hole of all his films.



Y Tu Mamá También. Roma. Alfonso Cuarón.
I remember shortly after watched Amores Perros I went down the Gael García Bernal rabbit hole as well and watched Y Tu Mamá También. Those 2 movies can really break your heart because they were so emotional. I started watching Roma at home one night and stopped a few minutes in, as it was playing on the big screen in 70mm (how it was shot) at the Castro theatre. I would highly recommend that if you ever get the chance.

12.25.2019. Sir and Star. Olema. California.

This Christmas I was supposed to spend it with Lauren in Santa Fe, but due to circumstances beyond her control, we decided to celebrate her heath here in the Bay Area instead with Deb. Lauren had the brilliant idea of making a reservation for Christmas lunch at Sir and Star. Hilariously, I have tried to dine at Sir and Star a few times when I am up North but they have been closed each time.

What I really loved about this meal aside from its minimalist rustic decor (all the way to the loo) was the very reasonable portions with the great food. They even had a very reasonably priced wine list as well if you are budget conscious. I can see this being a new annual tradition of mine.

Sir and Star
10000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
Olema, CA 94950
415.663.1034

dinner rolls, rustic rye bread
butter scented with sage, sweetened with our honey
and a spread of devilishly housemate ham

a soup of bolinas butternut squash
etched with a syrup of inverness apples
lavished with curls of crisped leeks

wild and tame mushrooms
chanterelles and local gold: the grand porcini
tumbling over a cheese soufflé's of point reyes toma

wild arugula draped over carpaccio of dates
from the desert plot of a bolinas farmer
crowned with a confetti of pomegranate
served alongside a streak of our yogurt

a tiny tim christmas turkey
with thyme scented sourdough stuffing
laced with sausage of devil's gulch heritage pig
with a mash of marin potatoes, the gift of gravy
and a chutney of wild plums from the point

ice cream of coastal buffalo milk
filling pastry puffs dipped in deep chocolate
finished with a flurry of almond toffee



































Then we walked around Inverness after lunch and drove back before it started pouring again.

12.14.2019. Ladytron. The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall. Berkeley, California.

My friend Reuben came into town with his band Ladytron as it was the last show of their tour with the new album. Naturally I got off the couch to see him in the East Bay and to catch up after the show. Fun fact: there was only 1 bar open until 2AM in Berkeley. Sacrilege. But perhaps that is why they are such smarties over there...

The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall
2036 University Ave
Berkeley, CA 94704

11.24.2019 + 12.30.2019. Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup. San Francisco. California.

Daeho is a new Korean favorite comfort of mine. So far, I have been to it twice in 2 months. It took me a bit to try it out due to the long lines there and they do not take reservations. I like going a bit earlier than they open for lunch and get in there right when they open for the first seating. The first time we got the galbi jjim (braised beef prime rib) with oxtail and the second time we got the galbi jjim as they were sold out of the ox tail already. I added vegetables both times as everything is a la carte. The quality of the meat is very high, much like Park's BBQ so the price point is a little higher than your average, but well worth it. You can choose your spice level from 1-4. I typically go between 1-2, and 2 has a nice kick in the flavor. I would say this is better for a group due to the large family style portions. 

Daeho Kalbijjim & Beef Soup
1620 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94115