Pagolac

655 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109

(415) 776-3234

Pagolac is known for their 7x7.com SF Big Eat List recommedation--7 Flavors of Beef, which is kind of like beef prepared seven different ways. The set meal is served with rice paper, side of herbs, vegetable and dipping sauce. The rice paper is used to wrap the beef and vegetables. The beef tasted great by itself as well as with the wrap. The set meal was also cheaper than I expected, just $16/ person, but must have two people.

Bo Tai Chanh - Thin Slices of Rare Beef Marinated in Lemon Juice and Chopped Mint & Peanuts

The first course was Bo Tai Chanh. The rice paper was not given yet since this dish meant to be an appetizer. The beef was very mushy and tender. The lemon juice gave it enough flavor such that it was not super sour. The mint made this a very refreshing dish.

Course two was Bo Nhung Dam, which is thin sliced rare beef meant to cook in a onion vinegar hot pot.

This was very interesting. I cooked beef in water or broth before, but vinegar? The vinegar cooked the beef very slowly so that the beef kept its tenderness. The vinegar did not make the beef sour either. This method of cooking is very light and tasty.

The next course is Bo Nuong Vi, which is marinated raw slices of beef cooked over a grill. The beef was given to you on a plate and a grill on the side. So you cook your own beef as you eat and wrap it in rice paper.

The beef is much tastier since it was grilled. Also, the oil on the grill added so much flavor, but it was too oily for me.

Bo La Lat - Grilled Beef Sausages Wrapped in Wild Pepper Leave in a Skewer, Bo Cuon Mo - Grilled Beef Wrapped Over Scallion on a Skewer, Bo Lui - Marianted BBQ Beef Skewer

This is beef flavor number four, five and six. These are too much for me. They are all grilled and cooked with tons of oil. The sausages were a bit over grilled so it was quite bitter. The sausage was quite fatty also.

The whole set ended with Chao Bo, which is Vietnamese porridge made with minced beef, green onion and cilantro. I forgot to take a picture of it since I really wanted something lighter to mellow out the grilled skewer. It was very tasty and a nice way to end the heavier dishes toward the end.

I think this was a nice one time experience but it was not something that I would travel all the way to the Tenderloin for again.