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Asqew Grill: Sticking Good Food in Your Neighborhood
By Jason Kuan
Arts Editor
One of the things I like most about San Francisco is all the little neighborhoods.
With each neighborhood, there is a variety of interesting shops, boutiques and,
of course, restaurants. The Castro is definitely no exception. Admittedly, I
have not ventured to that part of town as often as I would like despite being
surprisingly close to campus: less than a 10-minute ride on the N-Judah plus
a leisurely five-minute walk. Today I had a chance to explore the Castro and
celebrate the end of finals, trying a great restaurant with a few friends.
Asqew Grill is a local franchise of restaurants with locations in Emeryville,
the Marina, Haight Ashbury (on 1607 Haight St. at Clayton) and the Castro. The
unique name is a reference to the skewers, which are the core of the menu. Servings
come as a half order (one skewer for $5.75 to $6.75) or a regular order (two
skewers for $8.50 to $9.75). My friend Essbee thought one skewer was the perfect
portion for lunch. The skewers are divided into four main categories: chicken,
meat, seafood and vegetarian. As part of your order, your skewer is served atop
one of five "starches" or one of eight salads.
Tired from the week of grueling finals, we turned our attention to the task
at hand. Not only were there a wide variety of skewers, starches and salads,
there were also plenty of sides and soups to choose from. After we finally decided,
it was only a few minutes before our meals were served. My friends Essbee and
Smiles had ordered the ragin' hot buffalo-grilled chicken with roma tomatoes
and red onions. Smiles thought it was "very enjoyable, a great choice
for those who like spicy foods." At first, Essbee was hesitant about having
the cilantro jasmine rice as her starch, but "went with the recommendation
and was very pleased with the combination." My buddy Prima, who describes
herself as "very picky when it comes to food," thought the Cajun
chicken, with roma tomatoes, red onions and blackened spices, was "very
light yet filling. The flavor was excellent with the right amount of spices."
My pal Lucky also picked up something from the chicken menu. Her Texas BBQ chicken,
with red onions and corn on the cob grilled on the skewer, was so delicious
she was inspired to write a poem about it:I found it hard to make a choice
Between the ahi and the barbeque chicken.
I chose the chicken and found it quite moist.
So, so good, it was finger lickin'.
The corn on the cob was the perfect side,
And the mashed potatoes really hit the spot.
I will tell you now that it's all worth the Muni ride.
I'm sure you'll like it a lot lot lot.
My friend Booty was in the mood for something from the seafood section. She
went with the Cajun swordfish, which was "juicy but could use a little
more kick." Rather than choose a starch as her side, she decided on the
spinach salad. In her words, "the plain walnuts, which were just plain
walnuts, would have been better if they were candied. The dried cranberries
added a nice balance to salad, though, tasting good and adding some nice
color too. For the most part, it was relatively good." This was a
ringing endorsement coming from someone who hates most San Francisco restaurants.
As for me, I had the mango lime swordfish on a bed of jasmine cilantro rice.
The three fresh, firm pieces of fish, together with the ample serving of rice,
were plentiful enough to satiate me. The chunks of mango, caps of mushroom and
lime salsa were delicious enough to impress me. The whole order may have been
a better size for me, as I did not have breakfast earlier that day. Nevertheless,
I was completely satisfied with my meal.
Asqew Grill offers a simple, relatively healthy meal for an inexpensive price.
The friendly staff are an interesting bunch, giving their honest recommendations
and making sure everyone is enjoying their meals. Perhaps it was the great weather
outside. Maybe it was because we had just finished finals. Most likely, it was
the great company, coupled with tasty food, that made it an overall excellent
meal.
Asqew Grill
3583 16th St. (at Market St.)
San Francisco
626-3040
Jason Kuan is a second-year pharmacy student.
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