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Saigon Grill Owners Face 400 Criminal Charges

I’ve written before about Manhattan’s Saigon Grill on Chowhound. I’ve never quite gotten over their dish called goi banh cuon that I’ve ordered many, many times—a dish I’ve never managed to find elsewhere.

Then I heard two years ago that delivery staff were picketing Saigon Grill due to unfair business practices, and that all of my old friends had mixed feelings about eating there due to the controversy. So when, earlier this year, a federal district court ruled that the restaurant had stolen money from its staff and paid sub-sub minimum wages of around $2 an hour, I was bummed but not too surprised. How had the tiny takeout restaurant managed to expand the way it had in 10 short years, from hole in the wall to three enormous prime real estate locations, while still maintaining relatively low menu prices?

But I had no idea that the owners were going to be arrested by Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo on 400 criminal charges, leading to these mugshots in the New York Times. According to the article:

“Mr. Cuomo’s office said that the Ngets were each charged with 151 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, 45 counts of tampering with physical evidence, and 46 counts of offering a false instrument for filing. All are class E felonies, which carry a sentence of up to four years in prison.”

Goodbye Saigon Grill! As much as I’ll miss the #82 goi banh cuon, it sounds like I won’t be eating there again for the foreseeable future.

Posted by Meredith Arthur | 0 comments
Tagged with: restaurants and bars, saigon grill, manhattan, new york times, arrest, nget, vietnamese food

Quality Crabs at Low Prices

Now that Dungeness crab season is back, where’s the best place to buy them? Prices seemed to shoot up for Thanksgiving, but now they’re “coming down like oil,” as Chowhound CYL commented.

When it comes to cheap shellfish, Chinese markets are always a good bet. In SF Chinatown, Liang’s Food (formerly New Sang Sang Market) had a stunning deal December 2, feisty local Dungeness for $2.79 a pound, says Xiao Yang. Lucky Seafood on 8th Street in Oakland Chinatown had both local and Washington state Dungeness, fat and sweet, at $6.99 a pound before Thanksgiving, and $5-$6 after.

Elsewhere on the Bay, many hounds head to their local 99 Ranch. The new Mountain View branch is now open, although prices are higher than at its Cupertino counterpart, CYL notes: $4.99 a pound versus $2.99 as of December 3. Ranch 99 stores are each independently owned, so these discrepancies are common. Quality varies too, with subpar specimens spotted in Foster City.

Of course, it’s also a good idea to head where the boats are, and for once Fisherman’s Wharf is a houndish choice. Alioto-Lazio recently had fresh and lively crabs for $5.50. It closes early, and should by no means be confused with the adjacent, totally unrelated Alioto’s #9 Resaurant. Alioto-Lazio has free parking only while shopping, right in front of its door.

Up north, G&G Supermarkets have crabs caught from their own boats in Bodega Bay. On November 25, they were $4.99 a pound and sold out fast in Santa Rosa.

Liang’s Food [Chinatown]
1145 Stockton Street, San Francisco
415-433-0403

Lucky Seafood Market #1 [East Bay]
1201 E. 12th Street, Oakland
510-436-6068

Lucky Seafood Market #2 [East Bay]
378 8th Street, Oakland
888-870-8238

99 Ranch [Peninsula]
1350 Grant Road, Mountain View
650-966-8899

99 Ranch [South Bay]
10983 N. Wolfe Road, Cupertino
408-343-3699

Alioto-Lazio [Fisherman’s Wharf]
440 Jefferson Street, San Francisco
415-673-5868

G&G Supermarket [Sonoma]
1211 W. College Avenue, Santa Rosa
707-546-6877

G&G Supermarket [Sonoma]
701 Sonoma Mountain Parkway, Petaluma
707-765-1198

Board Link: Dungeness crab $/lb at your local stores?

Posted by Cicely Wedgeworth | 0 comments
Tagged with: san francisco bay area, crab, dungeness, liang's food, lucky seafood market, g&g; supermarket, ranch 99

Chinese Muffins, Food of Champions

The humble Taste Good Beijing Cuisine in Milpitas is an outpost of excellent Northern Chinese food, says teaforbed. “One thing that Taste Good Beijing does better than anything I’ve had outside of Xi’an, China? Rou jia muo, or meat-stuffed Chinese muffins.”

The flattened shape is more like an English muffin, split and stuffed with stewed pork flavored with plenty of cumin, cilantro, and spicy pepper. One of these babies, at just $2.95, is enough to stuff you for lunch—no wonder these were supposedly the preferred road food of dynastic armies.

You can also buy a bag of frozen dumplings to cook at home. With chewy wrappers and generous filling, they’re “definitely the handiwork of someone who knows how Beijingers make dumplings.” Cash only.

Taste Good Beijing Cuisine [East Bay]
76 S. Abel Street, Milpitas
408-262-9439

Board Link: Taste Good Beijing Cuisine - Milpitas

Posted by Cicely Wedgeworth | 1 comment
Tagged with: san francisco bay area, taste good, beijing, dumplings, rou jia muo, muffins

Penzeys Pungent Spices

Spices specialist Penzeys has finally opened a store in the Bay Area. There’s a great variety of high-quality spices and dried herbs, and house-blended seasonings at the Menlo Park store. Hounds recommend the cinnamon, smoked paprika, vanilla, and saffron. The boxed assortments are excellent host gifts, too, says foodielass.

Penzeys Spices [Peninsula]
771 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park
650-853-1785

Board Link: Penzeys!

Posted by Cicely Wedgeworth | 1 comment
Tagged with: san francisco bay area, penzeys, spices