The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards

This article is part of The Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards, which celebrate the Bay Area’s small businesses and local residents who have hustled and shown creativity throughout 2020. See all the award winners here.

We’ve all been through nine months of takeout ruling supreme. Ordering in meant you didn’t have to brave the grocery store, you didn’t have to cook, you could stay pantsless — all while supporting a local business. And we’re still very much in the era of takeout, with restaurants needing our dollars more than ever.

It’s always a tough decision when it comes time to order food. When you’re feeling indecisive, that’s where that special category of restaurants comes in — the ones you always crave and the ones that will never fail you.

But what is the most crave-worthy takeout in San Francisco? Bold Italic readers have spoken, and they chose Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine. Judging from the photos the restaurant submitted for this article, we’re so thrilled for what seems like a very fun and spirited team.

Chef Kasem Saengsawang (aka “Pop”) tells the Bold Italic: “My goal is to make sure people get enough spice.”

Sir, not only do we get spice when ordering here, we get what Farmhouse dubs “Thai new generation”: cuisine that pulls on traditional Thai dishes and ingredients (local and seasonal, of course) with a modern twist. This is the kind of Thai food that consistently makes Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list—and why it wins this category of the Bold Italic’s 2020 Awards.

The team opened their first sunny, refreshingly current space in SF’s Mission District in 2015. It was such a hit that Oakland, Menlo Park, and even PDX locations followed. Their colorful dishes are photo-ready and dominated by vibrant Thai flavors, from their popular curries to unique dishes like Kai Sam Ros: tamarind pineapple glazed chicken with water chestnuts, onion, cashew nuts, bell peppers, and bonito flakes served in a pineapple with blue rice (from butterfly pea flowers).

We caught up with managing director Boom Wanvisa to talk about their year. Read the Q&A below and check out the other nominees for Most Crave-Worthy Takeout in SF.

TBI: How have you managed to stay afloat this year?

Boom Wanvis: We have switched gears and focused more on takeout orders. Also, we have created promotions and new menu items to answer our customer needs. Our most successful one is a Little Lao Table Set that includes all the best dishes in one tray and feeds two to four people. We also just launched a Holiday Party Set for this festive season. Furthermore, we branched out and opened more locations in untapped areas, so it’s more accessible to our customers.

How are you holding up now, heading into another month of shelter in place?

Farmhouse Kitchen Menlo Park is the only location that is still open for outdoor dining. We are coming up with new plans every day. Recently, we launched a Farmhouse Kitchen app to offer takeout and delivery service.

What are your hopes for 2021?

We hope that the pandemic is over soon so all businesses can reopen.

How can people help support your business?

You can come visit us at Farmhouse Kitchen Menlo Park for outdoor dining or order takeout and delivery from Farmhouse Kitchen in San Francisco, Oakland, Menlo Park, and Portland through our Farmhouse Kitchen app and third-party delivery services.

Other nominees for the Most Crave-Worthy Takeout in San Francisco:

Hotbird

Hotbird, a Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich joint, gained a loyal following through its Off the Grid pop-up in recent years. It was supposed to open in a permanent location in March in the buzzed-about food hall at the base of the Twitter building but was delayed due to Covid-19-related construction issues.

The full food hall still isn’t ready, but Hotbird founders Aaron Nam and Caleb Longacre didn’t want to keep waiting, so they went ahead and opened in a temporary prep kitchen space within the same building, selling only their signature sandwich and Arnold Palmers.

Though the year wasn’t what they expected, business has been pretty good. “We’ve been doing Off the Grid for some time now, and people were waiting for us to open up again, so the turnout has been great,” CEO Nam told the Bold Italic. “We also have a great relationship with our landlord, who understands our situation and has worked with us in terms of rent. I don’t know how we would be doing this without either of these.”

Brenda’s French Soul Food/Brenda’s Meat & Three

Brenda’s French Soul Food (being our most destination and dine-in locale) was hardest hit and shut down for a few months. Brenda’s Meat & Three has been able to stay afloat with steady takeout and delivery cultivated since opening by virtue of it being a more neighborhood-centric restaurant. The Oakland location has been very steady since the shelter-in-place order. Between some good fortune in Oakland and a Paycheck Protection Program loan, they have been able to stay afloat and maintain close to 70% of jobs compared to before sheltering in place.

Please don’t vent on social media or leave ugly reviews, especially now. We’re all struggling and trying to do our best, we promise. Tip as much as you can.

The Spice Jar

This casual corner bistro at 23rd and Bryant streets offers Californian-Asian food that’s usually served in a homey, country-chic space. Since the pandemic, the restaurant has pivoted toward takeout and outdoor eating (when allowed). Don’t miss their fried rice and laksa noodles and other homestyle, pan-Asian comfort food from owner Ryuichi Hamada.

Pho Huynh Hiep 2 (Kevin’s Noodle House)

This family-run local chain serves delicious Vietnamese fare, including some of the most flavorful pho in the city. Also perfect for comforting takeout: beef stew, fresh spring rolls, fried chicken, and more. Reasonable prices make for a go-to takeout winner.

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