Each week, critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan shares some of her favorite recent bites, the dishes and snacks and baked goods that didn’t find their way into a full review. But she’s on vacation this week, so here are editor Janelle Bitker’s highlights instead. Want the list a few days earlier? Sign up for the free newsletter, Bite Curious.
At the Rose Pizzeria team’s new Cafe Brusco in Berkeley, I have been trying to choose my favorite bagel sandwich. To be honest, I can’t decide. But I love how seasonal the place is, and highly recommend getting the Flirty Fig ($13), which is topped with jammy rounds of purple figs, before it’s too late.
There’s a new Indonesian stall on the second floor of Saluhall in downtown San Francisco called Sate & Soto. The name suggests an emphasis on skewers and soups (accurate), but there’s also a fun rendang sandwich ($15). The star is slow-cooked, juicy beef that smells like coconut milk and lemongrass, with the richness offset by herbs, pickled carrots and cucumber. (It’s also the first time I’ve ever encountered rice noodles in a sandwich.)
In Oakland’s Temescal, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to Korean food. But one of the newer, lesser-known spots, To the Moon, is very much worth checking out. The menu is divided by price, and if you flip to the $24.99 page, Cheese Buldak is at the top. Order it. This spicy, gochujang-heavy dish is also known as fire chicken, and here, a layer of melted cheese balances the heat. As more of a late night spot, Too the Moon’s banchan game is minimalist but strong, and your server will keep refilling the eggplant if you ask.