A Quick Review of The NEW Hon's Wun Tun House on Washington St.

A while back, I lamented the death of Washington Bakery and Restaurant, but the spot was too good to stay unoccupied, and in August, the place reopened as the flagship location of Hon's Wun Tun House, which previously occupied a smaller store 648 Kearny. Now, the new location is "Soft Opening", but it is serving a full menu, more than just wonton and noodle soup. In fact, when I went in over the weekend, there was a waiting list!

I ordered beef stew with wonton noodle soup, and it's pretty good. The portion is a bit less than the equivalent priced bowl of pho in restaurants a block away (Golden Star, Golden King, etc.) but it is pretty good. Nothing really bad to stay about it other than the wait.

Give it a try at least.

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Dragon Gate and its Surprising History

You can't come to SF Chinatown and leave out Dragon Gate, aka the Chinatown Gate, at the corner of Bush and Grant. But do you know its history? Chinatown Gate, aka Dragon Gate, San Francisco Dragon Gate (aka Chinatown Gate, aka Dragon's Gate) was designed by Clayton Lee and others in 1967 in response to a mayoral competition, and his was the winning entry. Originally two gates were proposed, but the other gate leading to Barbary Coast was dropped due to lack of funds, and cost overrun. The gate itself was designed after a Chinese "pailou 牌樓" or "paifang 牌坊", which were the "gates" that marked separate fang 坊, or "ward" within a city. However, later it evolved into a purely decorative element. As with tradition, the gate faces South, and is composed of a large gate with two smaller side gates. The gate has a lot of its materials donated by Taiwan (Republic of China) including artisanal tiles, roofing, and the two guardian lions. Despite...

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The Hidden Chinatown of San Francisco

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