Garibaldi

347 Presidio Ave. San Francisco
415.563.8841

We decided to take a friend to lunch to Garibaldi. It is well decorated with modern klismos chairs and black-and-white landscape photography on capuccino / taupe walls. Very comfortable.
Waiting staff were friendly and efficient. They knew we were here for a leisurely lunch, just a girls' day out. I ordered portobello mushroom sandwich ($10.95). Sliced portobello mushrooms were placed in between Italian bread, which was soaked in olive oil. They also put caramelized onions, except they were just browned and not caramelized. Roasted pepper, eggplants and roasted tomatoes were good, but they were overpowered by a large amount of goat cheese which was on the sour side. I would imagine they used American goat cheese, because it didn't have the mellow complexity of European version. The sandwich was accompanied by greens. I found the dressing too sour.
I tasted dungeness crab quesadillas with three salsas ($17.95). The delicate flavour of crab was given pungence by a touch of cilantro, and melted mozzarella cheese gave the whole dish a mild touch.
As the restaurant got more crowded, it got excessingly noisy, and we were having a hard time hearing each other. It is a nice space, food is ok, a bit too noisy. If I am in the area, I might stop by again, but I will not make a special trip to the place.

Daimo

Pierce St. Richmond

I was told they serve great shaolungbao here. Before I go to Shanghai, I have to try their famous snack food. I got there at 1:00; the restaurant was almost empty. Not a good sign. Should I go to Saigon Harbor or Asian Pearl next door? Well, I am on a mission to sample Daimo's shaolungbao so I took a seat.
Daimo is interesting; it doesn't have the dynamic energy of Saigon Harbor, nor does it offer elegance of Asian Pearl. It is clean, but no frill.
We ordered shaolungbao, crepe with BBQed pork, and chicken curry. Sweet and sour soup was served first, followed by our order. Soup was good.
Eight shaolungbao came, and they are BIG. They are not the delicate one-bite version I had in Saigon Harbor. The dough was soggy, too. The sauce that accompanied them was dark like soy sauce, it should be clear and red with gingers. They were not bad but not great.
Crepes were the best by far. Delicate crepes were filled with Chinese BBQed pork. We shouldn't have ordered chicken curry. That was way too much. Unlike other dim sum places, their portion of steamed food is large. Well, we make mistakes and learn.
Am I coming back here? Don't think so. It is not bad, but I would rather go to Saigon Harbor for their energy or Asian Pearl for an elegant meal.