Good Taste is a menu for eating well in the Bay Area. This week, we visit the brand new Crustacean (195 Pine Street, San Francisco) and reflect on the An family’s legacy in the city.

For decades, I’ve heard about the trademarked Secret Kitchens at the former Polk Street location of Crustacean—the local favorite launched in 1991 by Helene An—and at Thanh Long, the Sunset District restaurant that started the An family’s long history of serving Vietnamese roast crab and garlic noodles.

That combo has made its way into the lexicon of San Francisco food classics, which includes such indispensible items as sourdough bread and cioppino. The crab and garlic noodles recipes are only known by the An family and its extended members (spouses included), and the dishes are cooked in secret kitchens wi

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