Sorry I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, but as I suspected, I was caught in a conference room meeting with stale coffee and sandwiches. Mind you, I was completely wrong about the vittles being of the foul, pre-wrapped variety. Instead, hearty Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches were on-hand - deliciously vinegary tart with sweet roasted, rich pork and an array of crunchy vegetables. Yum!
And, the night before, I did land in enough time to meander around the Mission District before joining a colleague at Luna Park (dining room pictured above). My great foodie find pre-dinner: the Bombay Ice Cream Parlor on Valencia between 16th & 17th. It's the BOMB. A humble establishment, with an adjacent Indian clothing store in full view of the ice cream bar, its wares are undeniably enticing. Fig ice cream. Rose. Saffron. And my pick - Cardamom-Rose.
A small cone was the perfect amuse bouche before Luna Park's whimsical riff on California cuisine. The appetizers were definitely the highlights of the meal: Warm Goat Cheese Fondue with Grilled Bread and Sliced Apples and Marinated Hawaiian Tuna "Poke" with Fried Wonton Chips. The latter dish was a massive "meatball" of tuna tartare in an Asian vinaigrette with wonton crisps for dipping. Addictive stuff.
Clearly I wasn't alone in my feelings. The dish was gone right quick and it seemed that other tables in the boisterous room were gobbling up the chow as well...If the service had been - well, a little more service-oriented - I would have to say it would be worth a repeat visit. But under the circumstances, "Poke" or no, I think the big "get" in the Mission district is that Indian ice cream. Did I mention that it's the BOMB?
Must run. But, promise more details soon.
Good as it was, I would venture a guess that your ice cream is more "the bomb" than theirs!!!
Posted by: Stacy | July 25, 2004 at 12:08 AM
Yay for icey creams! I got some little carpal tunnel while you were out having fun. That's what I was doing. Bleh.
Posted by: Dr. Biggles | July 26, 2004 at 08:10 PM
when i was visiting SF in april, i had rose-saffron ice cream from the bombay ice creamery. do you know if there's anyplace similar in NYC? i feel like there must be, i just don't know where to begin to look. (so far google has yielded the pakistan tea house, on church street, but their variety seems to be limited to mango, saffron, pistachio, or fig. which is exciting, but not as exciting as i'd hoped.) (google also led me to your page, in case you're wondering who the hell i am and how the hell i got here.)
Posted by: Heather | August 05, 2004 at 11:42 AM