I wrote about this place a month or so ago (see earlier post). The NYtimes is now saying it’s one of the three hot restaurants in the US. I really liked my food but I definitely don’t think I’d go that far! Bittman needs to spend some more time in SF doing research…I’ll be heading to his coast tomorrow to do some of my own research!

Ice cream series (post 1)

Fro-yo is great. Really, I mean that. There are days when I would honestly pick fro-yo over ice cream (and not because I was trying to be healthy or anything silly like that). Fro-yo is usually tangier, and lighter, and feels like what I want to eat in the middle of the afternoon as a pick-me-up. At the same time, there are other days and moods when all I want is ice cream. Full fat, rich, creamy, heavy ice cream. And when I’m in that mood, SF has so many great options to meet my needs.

My top 4 ice cream places in the bay are (in order of course)

1. Humphry Slocombe

2. Bi-rite

3. Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous

4. Ici

That ranking is actually harder for me to do than the coffee ranking. Yes, Humphry is my clear number 1, but after that it kind of gets jumbled. Bi-rite has a wide variety of fantastic flavors and a great location next to Dolores park. Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous has some of the most fun, unusual flavors and the best toppings. Ici is run by Mary Canales, who I worked for one summer and is one of the sweetest women in the world. In addition to Mary being so great, her ice cream is wonderfully seasonal, she makes the best ice cream bombes and baked alaskas ever, and I love what she added to the college asby area.

I will post photos and quick updates on all of my ice cream favs (especially as soon as the weather warms up!) - but first a few notes on bi-rite to get started:

- Go on colder days or weekdays. The line on a sunny weekend will easily stretch around the block and take 30 minutes to get through.

- If you are there on a sunny saturday, try the their soft serve. It’s sold out of a second window and the line is always SO much shorter.

- Yes the salted caramel is great, but it’s just too intense for me. If you’re going to buy it, make sure to get another scoop of something lighter and brighter to balance it out.

- Sundae toppings are always a good idea. I could eat their chocolate sauce by the jar.

- I don’t really have any suggestions for them, except maybe trying out new flavors more often. Their menu does seem pretty static.

Everyone has those days when you really don’t feel like leaving the house. Sometimes it’s rainy and you can blame it on the weather, other times you’re recouping from a big day/night, or maybe you just don’t feel to great. But sometimes there is no excuse except for feeling lazy. And there’s nothing wrong with being lazy everyone once in awhile.

When I want delivery, I’m usually craving pizza or chinese food. The trouble is my favorite pizza places don’t deliver and I’d been having an impossible time finding good chinese delivery. Luckily, I recently learned about Mission Chinese Food. It may not be the most traditional Chinese food and it may take over an hour to be delivered, but I am totally willing to deal with those sacrifices. I ordered the cold noodle salad with tofu skins and the salt cod fried rice. Both dishes were delicious - a great balance between interesting flavors, fresh ingredients, strong spices, and comforting carbs. 

My recommendation to you: Place your order and then have a snack to tide yourself over. The food will take forever to come, but it will be worth it in the end! I also ordered one thing for dinner and one thing for lunch the next day to meet the delivery minimum.

My recommendation to them: Maybe hire a few more delivery guys? Maybe open a second location? Maybe just keep doing what you’re doing because it seems to be working.

I think I’ve said pretty much all I want to say about the coffee wars in San Francisco. At least until a new place opens that I’m excited about. But I just want to make one quick note about Ritual Coffee.

I know Ritual was the bottom of my top 4 list and therefore doesn’t get to bring home a medal. However, what Ritual does get is one my favorite coffee locations ever - in the middle of the oasis named Flora Grubb. Flora Grubb is my escape in the city. Buying a ritual cappuccino (decaf!) and sitting amongst the palm trees is such a great way to de-stress. I love bringing people there or just wandering around alone. Today I introduced a friend to Flora and we both agreed that there is something about it that makes you leave feeling calm and happy. And, of course, super excited about your new cacti!

Sandwich Series (post 3)

I inherited a trait from my dad, where I really don’t feel like a meal is complete without a little meat or at least some type of protein. I love my veggies, but who can argue that a little panchetta doesn’t make brussel sprouts twenty times better? Still, in an effort to be healthy, I often try to eat vegetarian sandwiches.

For lunch today I decided to try a food cart called Kitchenette in Dogpatch. I’m not actually sure if food cart is the right description. I was surprised to find that Kitchenette is located basically in a garage in a big truck loading dock. After looking at the menu, I decided to order the braised fennel and the mushroom sandwich. I was handed the cold fennel salad and given a number to wait for my sandwich. The fennel was really disappointing (not cooked nearly long enough) and I started wondering whether I’d made a bad call on this lunch selection. However, the sandwich proved those doubts wrong. It was amazing - a big grilled portobello mushroom with cassis-onion confit and blue cheese fondue served on a soft bun. I didn’t miss meat at all. In fact, I would way prefer this over a burger!

My recommendation to them: Relocate to somewhere with more foot traffic. The off the grid events or a food stand at the ferry plaza would probably be a lot more profitable for you.

My recommendation to you: While they are still located in Dogpatch, make the trek! As long as you order correctly, it’s definitely worth the adventure to the random location.

I’m not usually a spontaneous person. In fact, planning is one of my favorite activities. I find that vacations are always too short (no matter how long they are), but I think you can extend the fun of trips by spending months before planning. Last week I took a very last minute trip to London. Last minute as in I decided I was going and bought my ticket four hours before going to the airport. Clearly there was no time to extend the trip with planning. It all happened and ended so quickly that it kinda feels like I dreamed it. But it was real and I loved it. A much needed escape to another city by the water!

 I didn’t take any photos (except for the chorizo sandwich in my previous post), but here are my notes in case you are heading to London town soon:

Kiku Sushi: Really good sushi place in Mayfair. My dining companion and I had been to Japan together two years ago. This restaurant made us feel like we were right back there: the servers didn’t speak much english, the food took forever to come, the design was very simple and minimalist, and the maguro melted in your mouth. I definitely recommend the sashimi over the rolls.

Inn the Park: Day two in London I somehow forgot to eat. Seriously, it was 3pm, I’d been up since 9am, and I had only eaten a brownie. Luckily I remembered this cafe in St. James park. Although it was kind of misty, I still sat on the deck to enjoy my bean salad, pastry, and tea while admiring the daffodils. The food is pretty simple here but it’s good if you need a quick snack.

Busaba Thai: Casual Thai restaurant next to the Westfield shopping center conceived by Alan Yau (of Hakkasan fame). Compared to the restaurants we have in malls here, I was pretty impressed. It was a nice ambiance with lots of communal tables and attentive servers. I was also happy to eat something with some spice.

The Table: This place reminded me of home - fresh, local, organic food simply prepared. What a nice way to start a semi-sunny morning! I had an egg sandwich served on baguette with sausage. I probably shouldn’t have finished the whole thing, but it was too good to stop. I wish I’d had time to go back for lunch.

Dover Street Market: This is one of my favorite places in London. It’s a really high end store (e.g. Chanel, Lanvin, YSL) but the building looks like a warehouse. There are also some really weird displays and random things around such as life size chess pieces. On the top floor there is a cute cafe that serves light lunch items. I had a goat cheese quiche with green salad which was delicious and a great pot of ginger tea. I would totally recommend this place to anyone for a casual afternoon tea.

Borough Market: I went to the Borough market on a trip to London a few years back, and now I never go to London without stopping here. I enjoy going to market days, even though it is totally insane and packed with people, but there are advantages to going on non-market days. This trip I really wanted to have one of the famous chorizo sandwiches, so I went on a non-market day to avoid the line. I also made a stop at Neals Farm Yard for some cheese (my second favorite cheese store in the world after the Cheeseboard in berkeley) and Monmouth for a coffee.

Terrior: Great French wine bar. If I lived in London, I think I would go here a lot. Well at least I would want to go here a lot and would spend time trying to find people to go with me. We completely over ordered, but I was glad to get to try so many dishes. The fois gras is HUGE so make sure you really love fois gras before you order it. I think the quail was my favorite dish of the night. The place had a really good vibe - it would be perfect for a date, catching up with friends, or to bring a parent - it would work for almost every occasion!

Baker & Spice: Another one of my standbyes. I feel really comfortable and at home in the Pimlico neighborhood. It’s one of my favorite places to wander around - plus with Baker & Spice, Poilane, and Daylesford Organic, there are plenty of yummy spots to grab a meal or a snack. I ordered a nicely spiced eggplant salad and some simple green beans. I was in desperate need of veggies! It’s also a great place for breakfast. Then I wandered down the block and picked up a few butter cookies from Poilane.

Polpetto: This spot was the highlight of my trip. For some reason I was really stressed about picking the perfect restaurant for my last night in London. Picking restaurants is something I love to do, but it can take me a lot of time. Before settling on a place for dinner I spent hours online and made four different reservations. Ultimately, I decided to go with this 12 table, no-reservation restaurant above a bar in SoHo. It was perfect. Exactly what I was looking for. Cool vibe, great wines, and terrific food. The menu is Italian small plates and we had a selection of brushetta, swordfish crudo, squid, meatballs, and ox cheek. The brushetta was the best I’ve ever had, the ox cheek melted in my mouth, and the swordfish was fresh and bright. The squid was the only thing that wasn’t absolutely amazing (it was too soft). Overall, I couldn’t have been happier with my selection.

Chorizo sandwich from the Borough Market…mmmm. No line made it even better!

Sandwich Series (post 2)

For my second sandwich, I decided to try something new. I’ve always loved Fatted Calf for their meats and sausages, but I’d never gotten around to ordering a sandwich from their relatively new store on Fell Street.

When I arrived at about 2:30pm there were still 3 sandwiches for me to pick from: meat loaf, lamb, and pork pastrami. While I’d heard great things about the meat loaf (it’s on 7x7’s top 100 things to eat in SF list), both the meat loaf and the lamb sounded way too heavy for lunch. After settling on the pork pastrami, I took my sandwich to the little park at Hayes and Octavia.

Overall the sandwich was good. Yes, just good. I really enjoyed the super thinly sliced pork “pastrami”. I think fatted calf was trying to let the pork shine without putting too much else on the sandwich, but it ended up being pretty bland. One of the great things about pork IMO is how well it can go with condiments- chutneys, cheeses, etc. I think this sandwich would have been so much better with a slice of melted havarti or gruyere. While I’m on the melted cheese thing, fatted calf should definitely offer to warm your sandwiches up. They have this huge retail space- there is definitely room for a little toaster oven! Overall I’d give it a B but I’m willing to do a return taste test next time I’m in the area.

Sandwich Series (post 1)

With the exception of breakfast sandwiches and really lazy dinners, the sandwich is clearly a lunch time food. And seriously, is there anything better for lunch than a really, really good sandwich? I would argue definitely not. From vegetarian sandwiches to pulled pork sandwiches, I love them all. There are a few important things that a sandwich needs to get right: 1) really good bread, 2) appropriate ratios of bread, meat, cheese, spreads, etc., and 3) a good balance of flavors (eg something citrusy and bright to balance out a heavy meat).

The first sandwich in my mini series is Bakesale Betty’s fried chicken sandwich. Bakesale Betty’s has great baked goods (as one may expect from the name) but it’s really all about the fried chicken. They also sell other sandwiches that are perfectly good, but don’t be tempted. Again, it’s all about the fried chicken.

Bakesale Betty’s has two locations in Oakland and they both seem to have lines all day long everyday. I personally prefer the Temescal location since it has scream ice cream right next door and more room for the ironing boards that people use as tables. You won’t be disappointed at either location though as long as you get there before the fried chicken sandwiches sell out.

I’m sure I’m getting a bit repetitive, but I can’t say enough good things about the fried chicken. Often fried chicken is not my favorite thing because it gets soggy and feels too greasy/heavy. Bakesale Betty’s manages to perfectly fry up all white meat chicken breasts and keep them crispy even after covering them with slaw. The slaw, with its jalapeños, citrus, and crunch, also does a beautiful job of balancing out the fried chicken. You somehow almost feel healthy eating the sandwich- clearly it’s not low calorie, but it’s such good food that I know it must be good for me in someway.

My recommendation to them: open a location in SF!

My recommendation to you: run, don’t walk, and then prepare to slow down and wait in line. And remember what to order!

P.s. It’s a toss up whether a molasses cookie from Betty’s or a seasonal scream sorbet is a better compliment to this sandwich. I would probably vote for the fruit sorbet because there is something about fried chicken and fruit that makes it feel like summer no matter what season it is.

Back to the battle of Bay Area 3^rd wave coffee roasters: In every battle you have to pick favorites. Or at least I like to pick favorites. I have a top 4 list for pretty much everything in my life: coffee, restaurants, travel locations, friends, etc. If I didn’t know what coffee roaster was my first, second, and third favorite, how would I know where to get my cappuccinos? Here is my current ranking of coffee roasters:

1. Four Barrel
2. Blue Bottle
3. Sightglass
4. Ritual

Four Barrel takes the gold metal for a number of reasons. Most importantly, their espresso beans have received high marks from my dad, I love their cappuccinos, and they have my favorite retail space. Blue Bottle is definitely a close second, but they only have one shop with seating and they’ve started to get a little big (they even opened a location in Brooklyn!). 

My trip to Four Barrel on Thursday confirmed its top billing. Despite the fact that I forgot that I had switched to only decaf three months ago and ordered a regular cappuccino which gave me a migraine-like head ache for the rest of the day, I really enjoyed my visit. Everything is in the details – the beautiful wood benches, the huge roaster in the back of the room, the light fixtures that I wish I’d found when decorating my apartment, and the animal heads (?!) above the bean display. You can’t help but feel cool drinking a cappuccino at the counter and watching the Missionites pass by on Valencia Street.  Add in one of my top 4 best friends to talk with and you have one of my top 4 ways to spend a morning.

What I bought/ate/ordered today:

Four Barrel

• soy cappucino

P.s. The coffee wars are so big in the Bay there is even a video about it (really funny imo):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMqutKBS5iE