Comfort food in the Bay: The best fried chicken at San Tung, Puerto Rican at Sol Food, and ice cream at Humphry Slocombe

I visited the Bay area last year to host a fun, interactive dinner on behalf of the Guide Dogs for the Blind. During my trip, I got to walk with a guide dog and play with the puppies—catch my GDB adventures in Blind Life episode 9.As always, my not-so-secret agenda with all travels is to EAT. Because the GDB is located in San Raffael, a township to where I’ve never been, I was looking forward to trying something new. The hubs and I asked our favorite food friend from SF for recommendations, and his suggestion did not disappoint.

Sol Food

Sol Food, we learned, was a local favorite for Puerto Rican cuisine. The hubs and I dropped in late evening, and the place was crowded. We ordered at the counter: one Bistec sandwich and one pollo al horno.The Bistec sandwich consisted of chopped steak and sautéed onions, avocado, Swiss cheese, and a healthy spread of garlic mayo. The pollo al horno was a plate with baked free-range chicken thighs, rice, your choice of pink or black beans (we picked pink), and your choice of fries or plantains (we got garlic plantains).The sandwich was awesome although a bit messy to eat—my pet peeve are foods that fall apart during consumption—and while the baked chicken and pink beans of the pollo al horno were just mediocre, I enjoyed the rice and especially the plantains, which were reminiscent of mofongo, a native fried and mashed plantain dish.The menu here contains a wide variety from breakfast to soups to platters, so you could ostensibly walk in every day at every hour and try something different. If I lived here, this would be my go-to place for comida puertorriqueña deliciosa.Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine901 Lincoln Ave.San Rafael, CA 94901415-451-4765

San Tung

I hit up this place almost every time I’m in SF. They’ve got some of the best chajiangmian—Chinese-style black bean noodles—and fried chicken. You can get both of these dishes dry or wet; I prefer the wet black bean noodles and the dry fried chicken. Their dumplings are pretty good too.San Tung often has a lengthy wait, but we discovered the less crowded teahouse next door has an adjoining kitchen and, thus, can serve some (if not all) of the same dishes.Service is fast, as with many Chinese restaurants, so aside from the possible wait, you can be in and out and on the way to your next food destination. (No joke: the first time I ate at San Tung, it was a pre-dinner “snack” before our reservations at The French Laundry. Talk about polar opposites, but what the two have in common is good food.)San Tung Chinese Restaurant1031 Irving St.San Francisco, CA 94122(Between 12th Ave. And 11th Ave. in Inner Sunset)415-242-0828

Humphry Slocombe

Our SF food friend loves Humphry Slocombe so much, he catered their ice cream at his wedding.We stopped by the Ferry Building location after our oysters on the half shell at nearby Hog Island. You should chase your briny bivalves with some sweet creams, ya know?I wanted to sample every flavor, but I ended up with the “secret breakfast” on a cone (pictured at top), a bourbon and corn flake concoction that satisfied both the grown-up and kid in me.So far in SF, I’ve had Bi-Rite Creamery, Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous, and Humphry Slocombe. In fact, it’s all these delicious SF ice creams that had inspired me years ago to one day open my own creamery (it will happen). Which in SF is your favorite?Humphrey Slocombe Ice CreamMission location:2798 Harrison St.San Francisco, CA 94110(Between 24th St. & 23rd St.)415-550-6971Embarcadero location:Ferry Plaza Farmers Market1 Ferry Bldg.San Francisco, CA 94111415-550-6971