Food For Thought

An open air restaurant that I only agreed to go to as an alternative to a very nice and very full Dim Sum place next door, Harmony Vegetarian offers poor attempts to convince carnophiles that imitation meat can still be delicious. Atmosphere: At midday, the lighting is glorious. The entire restaurant doesn’t require lights because of the light penetration. The air seems clear, but starts to get stuffy after a bit, since the windows in the front face the barely-setting sun. Our table was set in a corner. No seriously, a space big enough for our table was cut out of the wall. Space was limited. Claustrophobics beware. The tables were covered with nice laminated lace. I have no idea the word, but it looked intricate and was waterproof. The servers were attentive and helpful, especially when a clumsier member of my group spilled their entire cup of water. Traffic inside was minimal, which made it quite peaceful. It was directly after church though, and an extended family of ~...

A local eatery in San Francisco’s Chinatown whose layer of grime conceals authentic Chinese dim sum. The familial love among the workers is a bond felt by anyone entering the establishment, and the display of just cooked food in their platters invites even those wary of its graffiti and rough charm. Seating: Nonexistent. The only table available was taken up by freshly made dumplings, and the store advertises its to-go nature on the front window, so no surprise. Decor: Definitely Asian. There were bamboo plants growing in a pot near the back, and various other plants on shelves around the room. However, the steam pot segments lying around the room gave the place a rustic appeal, where ethical cooking methods and ingredient purity were important. Beyond that, there were no decorations, implying that the owners themselves enjoyed the decorations that were up. Actual Food: With a ~30 item menu, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the quantity of choices, some in barely passable E...