My last post talked about selected dining options near the Asian Art Museum. I have to say that the new menu at the Café Asia has some really delicious items. I love the Orange Glazed Duck Salad and the Shanghai Dumplings (in case the Shanghai exhibition makes you hungry for Chinese food), not to mentioned the Furikake french fries (they come with the salmon sandwich or as a side). If you are really hungry for some meat try the new Puxi sweet ribs.

If you want to try dining somewhere outside the Museum here are some more suggestions:

I was very excited about a new find that is in the most unlikely neighborhood. It is called Passion Café and is open for lunch and dinner. Located on Sixth St, just south of Market. It is an attractive bistro serving French specialties (tartines, onion soup, croque monsieur, quiche, boeuf bourguignon). For those in a rush, grab-and-go at the walk-in counter. There will be an expanded menu coming soon. On a nice day enjoy the roof-top terrace.

Passion Cafe roof garden

If you are willing to walk about 15 minutes north of the Museum, I adore A La Turca. Informal atmosphere, super delicious hummus, excellent pides (a long flat piece of dough, stuffed with various ingredients and then baked). They make their own bread on premises and if you are lucky you will get it right from the oven. A perfect companion is their Turkish tea.

I could eat Korean food every day. If you are brave enough to hike up through the Tenderloin you can find Dong Baek . They serve a decent Korean lunch at good prices. It is a sketchy walk , but I have been doing it for years and still live to talk about it. They have a lovely variety of Ban Chan and all the classic dishes such as Bibim Bap, Bulgogi, Jap Chae, Soon Dooboo.

If you want a fantastic deli sandwich just a block north of the Museum is Morty’s Delicatessen. Huge, fresh sandwiches (they have salads and soups too) including a killer reuben. They are passionate about using quality ingredients.

Figure 2 - Morty's Delicatessan (photo by Noreylee)

In the mood for some spicy Thai food? Another well kept secret nearby is Lers Ros Thai. Some say it is the best Thai food in San Francisco. I definitely recommend Som Tom Khai Khem (#14), green papaya salad with salted egg. Just a warning that the food is super spicy – if you ask for it mild you will get it less spicy. If you are in good health I might suggest Pad Kra Prow Moo Krob (#62), stir-fried pork belly with crispy rind and basil leaves.

If you are in a hurry, or just want to grab a snack break while touring the Museum you can run over to UN Plaza to La Estrellita Snack Bar (open Monday, Thursday and Friday only) near the BART escalator and check out the freshly made to order El Salvadorean Pupusas. Made to order with a variety of filling choices for only $2.50 each, they are a bargain.

Check out my future posts – when I will hit Hayes Valley…

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Eating near the Asian Art Museum – Part 3

Rear view of the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA)

The Asian has had loans from our permanent collection on view at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) since February 1992. At that time SAMA, which opened their doors in 1981 in the remodeled historic Lone Star Brewery complex, had a collection of Asian Art which they supplemented by borrowing additional pieces for display.

In May 2005 SAMA opened the new Lenora and Walter F. Brown Asian Art Wing, a 15,000 square foot suite of galleries.  Over the years,  SAMA has continued to build their Asian art collection which has have grown to include more than 1,500 works from China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam.  The collection spans nearly 6,000 years of history.

The Hindu deity Parvati, approx. 1200-1400. Southern India. Stone. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60S50+

Most of the loans from the Asian Art Museum were returned to San Francisco for the opening of the new Asian in 2003, but there are still five sculptures left on display in the SAMA permanent galleries. One of the sculptures is Chinese and the rest are South Asian and Southeast Asian.

My fellow registrars at SAMA

We recently revised the inspection trip to occur biennially. I enjoy visiting my colleagues at SAM and it is always interesting to see how the museum has evolved over the years.  This trip I was particularly pleased to discover the famous Riverwalk has been extended all the way to the museum.

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Asian Art in San Antonio

The exhibition, Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance, will open at the museum in February 2011. But like many of our exhibitions, years of work are needed to ensure that it is a spectacular success.

Many of the world’s best collections of Balinese artifacts are located in the Netherlands, at such prestigious museums as the Rijksmuseum and the Tropenmuseum, both in Amsterdam. This trip is what we consider to be an early inspection trip — our first chance to see in person many of the objects that Natasha has selected for the exhibition.

Curator Natasha Reichle and Senior Registrar Sharon Steckline measure objects for the exhibition Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance.

Deep in the bowels of Amsterdam’s museums we have been busy measuring, photographing, and studying these objects. By doing so we can evaluate their condition and consider how to best transport them safely to San Francisco, plan for any installation challenges, double-check dimensions and basic cataloging information, and of course get ourselves excited about the show.

Natasha and objects conservator Mark Fenn carefully assess the condition of each object.

We still have many days to go and more collections to visit. But everyone here has been so helpful in allowing us access to their objects, and for ensuring our smooth visit. And for feeding us well. This is definitely one trip worth making, and an exhibition worth waiting for.

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Sneak Peek: Bali in Amsterdam

Ananda Fuara salad and samosas. http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxkiesler/ / CC BY 2.0

Ananda Fuara vegetarian restaurant on Market St. is hardly a well kept secret and I certainly do not want to add to the peak lunchtime wait for a table, but if you have not tried the amazing “neatloaf” (yes it starts with an N) you are truly missing out.  Do not be put off by the fact that the restaurant is run by students of Sri Chimnoy – everyone working there is super professional.

A bit of a walk over to Van Ness is one of the local Indian chains, Naan N Curry, if you are short of time they have a lunch buffet.  I prefer to order off the menu and go with a group so you can have a real feast.

Another place where you will have to line up to get in is the cozy Brenda’s French Soul Food on Polk St. Here you will find traditional French and Creole soul food such as a tasty shrimp po’boy or some delectable beignets – worth the wait!

Does the Emerald Cities exhibition put you in the mood for Burmese food?  Just a couple blocks up Larkin St. is  Burmese Kitchen, be sure to order the tea leaf salad and/or the samusa soup.

Speaking of soup,  Hai Ky Mi Gia,  is Vietnamese/Chinese noodles at its best. Not a lot of atmosphere, but authentic.  The braised duck leg noodle soup is yummy.

If you want some quick Mexican food the Los Compadres taco truck is parked at Polk and Hayes. The carnitas taco is delicious (lunch only M-F) .

Showdogs is new to Market St. (near Taylor and Sixth streets – be warned you will get an eyeful walking over),  across from the Golden Gate Theater. The menu of a dozen or so hot dogs and sausages cull the best from Bay Area producers.

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Eating near the Asian Art Museum – Part 2

First, the Asian Art Museum has its own Café Asia and the food is delicious. The line moves quickly so you can get right back to the galleries, resource room, North Court or Samsung Hall activities — and of course the gift shop — in no time. If it is a sunny day you are in luck because you can sit outside on the terrace –– one of the very few al fresco dining options in the neighborhood.

Cafe Asia's delicious Chinese Chicken Salad

If  you are done for the day or Cafe Asia is busy, there are a number of nearby eateries that are pretty tasty — too many to list in one post. However, the Asian Art Museum is located just outside San Francisco’s official Little Saigon so the selection of Vietnamese food is particularly impressive. Here are some nearby places to try this cuisine:

If you need a quick meal to go do not miss the Saigon Sandwich shop at 560 Larkin (at Eddy). Don’t be put off by the line out the door. These sandwich pros take orders for a dozen people at a time and make the sandwiches in efficient batches, and they never forget whose sandwich belongs to who. I go for the roast pork, but there is also roast chicken, pate, tofu, and various combinations to be had. You can take your banh mi (and a can of mango or coconut juice) back to the Museum and grab one of the outside benches.

Sing Sing sandwich shop 309 Hyde Street (between Eddy St & Ellis St), is another nearby banh mi option (perfect with an iced coffee). You can try and grab one of the 4 tables inside. I have not actually tried this place yet, but it has good buzz.

For a sit down Vietnamese dinner after a day at the museum, try Pagolac at 655 Larkin St (between Ellis St & Willow St) . The 7 course beef is ridiculous; the menu has many veggie dishes as well.

My absolute favorite place for a group lunch is Bodega Bistro at 607 Larkin (at Eddy). The green papaya salad is da bomb, garlic noodles and tiger prawns make a great combo, and the “shaking beef” (bo luc lac) is to die for. This restaurant can be crowded at lunch time so try and get there before noon. The atmosphere at dinner evolves into a white tablecloth affair. Unlike Pagolac, there are not a lot of vegetarian options here.

On a cold and foggy San Francisco summer day, head to Turtle Tower at 631 Larkin St (between Eddy St & Ellis St).  Some say TT has the best pho in SF –– pho for breakfast anyone? One of our recent distinguished visitors from Japan went to TT every day during his visit with a mission to try all the different pho variatons.  He loved every one of them.

If the line is too long at TT another nearby pho option is Pho 2000 at 637 Larkin (near Eddy).

Look for more chow tips for our museum visitors in future posts.

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Eating near the Asian Art Museum

And here is a glimpse of the condition checking chaos:

Next we will be off to Nanjing and finally Shanghai to deliver, unpack, and condition check the remaining objects. Almost done!

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Unpacking in the Forbidden City

The last leg of this journey started in Chicago at O’Hare airport where I oversaw the loading of 25 crates of objects onto a plane bound for Beijing. The crates had come to Chicago from their last exhibition venue in St. Louis.

A mere 13 1/2 hours later I was busy watching those same crates transfer to a cargo warehouse where they were loaded  onto two trucks headed for the Forbidden City. This is the first stop for the objects, some of which will continue on to Shanghai and Nanjing.

It is hot and smoggy in Beijing, a sharp contrast to my previous winter trip. This is the third year in a row that I have made this same three city tour. I first came in 2007 to inspect the objects and plan their transportation, and returned in 2008 to  oversee packing and to accompany the crates to the United States. Each time there is something new to discover.

Like how did they figure out a way to keeep a huge square in the center of the hotel bathroom mirror from fogging up? Does everyone working at the Palace Museum need to wear face masks? (The answer is yes). I saw a new restaurant that I did not see last year: Subway sandwiches.

I’m sure that I will discover more changes over the coming weeks, as I say a fond goodbye to Power and Glory.

This is a post from: the blog of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Visit us at www.asianart.org.

Ming returns home