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cheaper eats - all food reviews all the time
Jun. 5th, 2008
06:01 pm - now with more pictures
Finally, I'm figuring out how to post more pictures.
Here are a few:
Laguna Honda Hospital staff cafeteria, SF, CA:
szechuan beef bowl every other wednesday:
make your own sandwich:
Rajjot in Sunnyvale, CA complete with new sign:
House of Prime Rib - king's cut - (warning: not cheaper eats), SF, CA:
Best chocolate milk in bay area grocery stores: Clover:
Best thing ever: Bokun Habanero, Japan:
Bob's Donuts art, SF, CA:
Passage To India buffet plate, Mountainview, CA:
May. 23rd, 2008
08:16 pm - Coffee/bakery/coffee
SHORTS:
Four Barrel Coffee
in an alley behind 375 Valencia, SF
Italian French Bakery
1501 Grant at Union, SF
Graffeo Coffee Company
735 Columbus near washingtown square, north beach, SF
The newest, hottest coffee place in SF isn't open yet. Four Barrel Coffee Roasters cafe will open on Valencia between 14th and 15th street sometime soon. Meanwhile, they're selling coffee out the back door in the alley behind the place! You go ring a bell and they come out from their carpentry work and make espresso drinks. Supposedly this place is the new home to one of the founder's of SF favorite, Ritual Coffee. Has Ritual gone downhill because he left or did he leave because it went downhill? Anyway, hopefully this place will be at least as good as Ritual used to be. Meanwhile before he roasts his own beans he's using Stumptown's Hairbender Blend which is about the best thing of all time. So I got an Americano and it was good.
I wandered into Italian French Bakery in North Beach today. They had a ton of different kinds of biscotti. I tried the anise version. Not bad. I felt like it was 1980.
In an attempt to get into the old school SF coffee scene, I finally made it to Graffeo. This place has been doing it since 1935. They only sell coffee beans - no drinks available. You have to make them yourself at your home or your restaurant. They make one single blend and that's it. It's available in dark roast, light roast, half and half dark/light, and decaf. I got half a pound of half and half. I got home and put it in the french press. That stuff is nuts! It foamed to high heaven. It almost bloomed out of the press pot! I've never seen anything like it. It's strong as hell and pretty crazy. I'm going to try it again in different proportions. I enjoyed it, though it wasn't exactly the smoothest cup I've had in a while. Maybe there was a chemical reaction in my mouth with the anise biscotti thing mixing with Graffeo coffee.
Feb. 18th, 2008
11:10 pm - pricehike!
Saigon Sandwich
560 Larkin @ Eddie
San Francisco, CA
Saigon Sandwiches in the Little Saigon section of SF's Tenderloin has always been my favorite Vietnamese sandwich shop. It's been coming up a lot lately - like the time I was there in line behind the drummer of Deerhoof. Well anyway on the always incredible Pantera message board there was a thread about an article in Esquire magazine that listed the best sandwiches in the country. The one listed for San Francisco was none other than Saigon Sandwiches. It's the place that used to have the best $2 lunch in San Francisco until it became the best $2.25 lunch, then later the best $2.50 lunch. They take orders for about 10 people in line at once and then make all the sandwiches before letting anyone pay for them. One time I was trying to go there between classes and my car door was destroyed by a passing bus. I didn't go back for a while, but I couldn't stay away long. Their toasted french bread, Asian roast pork, mayo, pickled carrots, cilantro, and thin sliced fresh jalapenos are the best combination. Wait, are there some sort of pickled onions or something like that on there too? Esquire is on the right track.
anyway, here's the news:
I haven't been there in a few months so I don't know how long ago this happened, but they raised the price another quarter. Now Saigon Sandwiches sells the best $2.75 lunch in town. No big deal. I'll keep going until they're $6, but don't tell them that.
Feb. 1st, 2008
09:53 pm - SF's latest coffee shops
Trouble Coffee
4033 Judah (at 46th Ave), San Francisco
Coffee Bar
not really at 1890 Bryant, but around the block on Florida and Mariposa, San Francisco
Blue Bottle
66 Mint (between mission and market near 5th St), San Francisco
So these are the latest hot coffee shops in San Francisco. I went to all three in two days. I got the same thing at every place, an americano (2 shots of espresso with a little hot water, to which I add half and half). They're all really good, but Blue Bottle can't be beat.
Trouble Coffee and Coffee bar do the same thing that Ritual does with the intentionally sketchy hand-stamped logo on the cups.
Trouble Coffee is way way out in the outer sunset near the beach and the 7-11 and the health food store. It's small and had a bunch of old records or magazines or something on the wall. The americano was good and sort of "bright" tasting if that makes any sense. It was down to earth and a friendly old man insisted on showing me his ID card.
Coffee Bar is more yuppie than just about any place I'd ever been. It's big, open, and modern. I think someone in front of me was getting a glass of champagne. There is a staircase that leads up to tables where rich young professionals can sip wine. This place was the opposite of down to earth. The americano was good - on par with Ritual since they started using their own beans.
I already talked about the new Blue Bottle in a previous post. If it's at the Ferry Building farmer's market, down the Linden alley, or at their new coffee shop, Blue Bottle makes the best americano. I don't know what their secret is. Maybe they slip in chocolate or La Victoria orange sauce or something.
Jan. 24th, 2008
12:06 am - SF coffee wars update
another post about coffee...
Blue Bottle Coffee has opened a new
coffee shop downtown. It's in that L-shaped alley between Market and
Mission off 5th St, by the Mezzanine. I think today was the first day
it was open.
It was crazy and crowded with yuppies. They have this insane looking
Kyoto light siphon thing which looks like a mad scientist lab of glass
balls full of coffee with light shining through them. I'm worried
about this being quite gimmicky. This is an actual shop with a few
pastries on the menu and tables and I think they serve toast(?).
The good news is they still make the best damn americano in the
universe.
Phils beans:
So I recently picked up some coffee beans from Philz on 24th. I chose my favorite, the Tesora blend. Though they made some good coffee at home, it didn't taste much like it does there. The beans were dark and very moist. In fact, upon grinding they looked like potting soil. Anyway I guess it's that combination of the secret dash of green mystery powder Phil adds, the "mechanical cream," the use of what looks like a milkshake blender to grind the beans, and the mint leaf that give the coffee at Philz that extra pizzazz. That's fine with me. That place is in a category of it's own. It's still special if I can't replicate it at home.
Barefoot Coffee at home.
So I had this exciting moment where I drank drip coffee at Barefoot in Santa Clara that really surprised me by how good it was. This was their Metropolis blend. I finally got around to buying my own bag of those beans and making them at home. I can't believe how delicious they are! Outstanding and highly recommended.
Jan. 13th, 2008
10:21 pm - shorts
It's been a while. Here are a bunch of short comments...
- Genova Delicatessen
5095 Telegraph, Oakland, CA
I'd heard about this place for a while. It lived up to the hype. Quality Italian deli sandwiches in between Little Lucca and Molinari, but closer to Molinari.
- Bakesale Betty
5098 Telegraph, Oakland, CA (across the street from Genova)
I can't remember if I've written about this before, but it's a favorite. Though I still haven't tried their famous chicken sandwich, their amazingly priced $1 cookies are outstanding. I just tried ginger cookie fresh out of the oven A++.
- Old Jerusalem
2976 Mission, San Francisco, CA
Affordable, good tasting, non-fast-food Middle Eastern food. The meal starts with an impressive amount of appetizers: tons of pita bread, olives, and dips. Good hummus, etc.
- Yaki Ichiban
5959 Shellmound, Emeryville, CA (in the Emeryville international food court)
The fun of the food court is wandering around deciding what kind of food to choose. I decided on a Japanese fast food counter in a narrow hallway. What I got was beef, noodles, and vegetables fried on a flat top. Not bad. Giant portions.
- Boulevard Cafe
2 Poncetta Drive, Daly City, CA (really on John Daly Blvd up the hill from westlake)
This used to be a Lyon's. I never in my life would have tried this place had my bosses not brought me here. It's sort of an upscale Dennys. The vegetarian sandwich I got wasn't bad at all - grilled red pepper and eggplant with fresh mozzarella. Very suburban family feel with an attempt at schmanciness. Not as cheap as it probably should be. I doubt I'd ever go back, but it would be a good place to bring grandparents or kids.
- Yamo
3406 18th St., San Francisco, CA
Definition of a "hole in the wall" with 8 stools up to the counter and no other seating. Best bargain in SF: damn tasty Burmese dinners for $5.25 each. That's not plus tax or any hidden fees. That's $5.25 out the door!
-Barefoot Coffee Roasters (REDEEMED!),
5237 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara, CA
I complained about this place before. I wound up back to give it another chance and was drinking a mediocre americano. Due to some sort of switch-up, my mom ended up drinking my coffee. I went in for a reduced price refill of drip coffee. To my surprise, it was the best drip coffee in an urn I've ever had. It was their Metropolis blend and I can't wait to buy the beans to make some at home myself.
-Farmers Market at The Grove,
6333 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA
I've only been here once. This was the best mall food court I've ever seen. This place knocked me out. I wandered around for so long before deciding what to eat. Everything looked very high quality. I had a great slice of NY pizza (sorry, don't know which place it was, but it was next to the donut place). I got to try Bob's Coffee and Donuts, which is often brought up because Bob's Donuts on Polk in SF is my favorite donut place in the world. Though it was no Bob's, Bob's was very good. The coffee in the styrofoam cup reminded me of what old men drank in the 70s. The Mediterranean food at Moishe's was superb, though not exactly cheap eats. I wish I had a job in that neighborhood so I could take my lunch break there every day for years.
- Pinkberry Yogurt
6333 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA
I'd heard about this place for a while. This is what led me to the Grove's Farmer's Market in the first place. It's incredibly hyped for a frozen yogurt place. It's very simple. The focus is plain yogurt with high quality toppings, though they do have one other flavor yogurt, green tea. My experience here was very positive. I got giant fresh blueberries on mine. Very fresh and flavorful. The yogurt actually tasted like real yogurt unlike most frozen yogurt. I liked it and hope they open one in SF someday. 
- Otaez/Otaez Alameda
3872 International Blvd, Oakland CA
1619 Webster, Alameda, CA
Otaez Mexican restaurant in the part of Oakland nicknamed the "dirty thirties" is my favorite restaurant discovery of 2007. It is a casual, sit-down, quality Mexican restaurant like they don’t' seem to have in SF. In SF it's either a taqueria, an embarrassing unauthentic overpriced yuppie type place like Tia Margaritas, Tommy's, or Chevy's for that matter or trendy places that are more famous for blended margaritas than food - La Rondalla, Puerto Allegre. Anyway, Otaez rules. Damn good dinner plates of chile verde, etc, with homemade tortillas and great chips and salsa. It's got that unpretentious atmosphere you might find at a place in Modesto. There is a taqueria take-out section in the adjacent room. Also, you can pay your utility bills at the counter. The only problem is that it closes too early. 9pm?!
I found out they have another location in Alameda that closes at 11pm. I was shocked to find that it had much more of a suburban Houston restaurant atmosphere - huge with decorations, and a large bar. The food seemed pretty much the same, which was encouraging. From what we could tell there was a ballroom or something upstairs.
other pretty good places:
-La Farine Bakery, Oakland
-Cole Coffee, Oakland
-Pho Clement, SF
-La Morena Taqueria, South San Francisco
other...
-don't get the burritos at Nick's Crispy Tacos, SF. They're not as good as the tacos.
-I heard the Hash House A-go-go was the best breakfast in San Diego. Though it wasn't bad, it was quantity over quality. The portions were enormous. The biscuits literally have a stick of rosemary sticking out the top to add hugeness to the plate.
-The "$6 Burger" at Carl's Jr. is in a predicament. They're approaching the real $6 price tag. The commercials say that the new portabello mushroom burger is "about 5 bucks." It's over $5 and getting dangerously close to $6.
-Though I love Blue Bottle Coffee with all my heart, the Bella Donovan blend beans I took home were a little plain for my taste. Next time I'll try Giant Steps. They still make the best americano ever.
-The puerco adobada at El Zocalo isn't so hot. Stick with the classics like papusas.
-Clover brand half and half is delicious. They don't seem to be selling the pint size at IGA ex-Cala foods anymore!
upcoming...
-Coffee Bar, SF. This place is supposed to be up there with the top coffee shops like Ritual and Blue Bottle. Could it really be that good using Mr. Espresso beans? I can't wait to find out.
-Vik's Chaat House, Berkeley. This place has good reviews and sounds like my kind of place. My boss highly recommends it. Can it live up to Rajjott in Sunnyvale??
-Philz coffee beans brewed at home. Today I made a trip across town to pick up a half pound of Tesora blend beans. It's great at the store, but can it be good at home? I'll find out tomorrow!
-Adaline Bakery, Oakland
???????
Oct. 23rd, 2007
11:33 pm - Celebrity Sightings in North Beach
Celebrity Sightings in North Beach
Tomasso's Pizza
1042 Kearny Street
San Francisco, California 94133
Tomasso's thin crust pizza is really good, though not the cheapest of eats. That have this historical pizza oven that cooks your pizza up just right in no time. Right now they're celebrating Mushroomfest with a special menu of mushroom items including the Quatro Funghi pizza that is pretty great.
But the real hit was when the group of people who sat down at the long table next to us included a familiar rock musician. It appeared to be the drummer of The Champs, or the Fucking Champs as they go by now for legal reasons - the "indie" instrumental metal band that at least used to be really good when they had the best guitarist around. He was with a dolled up hip girl and who we presumed to be her parents. Of course I instantly recognized him and had to convince the people I was with it was him. On the way out my friend sayd "Hey, Fucking Champs, right?!" which got a confirmation. Here's to hoping all goes well with the girl and her parents and/or whatever. At least we know their food was good.
Gelateria Naia
520 Columbus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
For dessert, hit up Naia for gelato, which isn't exactly cheap eats either. It was good as always - I recommend the green tea and chocolate covered cherry flavors.
On the way out we spotted SF mayor Gavin Newsom and former SF mayor, Willie Brown posing for a photo on the sidewalk. My friend loudly yelled "Hey, it's Metallica!!" It was pretty great.
Bottom Line: San Francisco celebrities hang out in north beach on Tuesday nights.
Jul. 24th, 2007
10:54 pm - Southern California: Zankou Chicken and America's #1 Barista
Zankou Chicken
1296 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
A couple years ago I was planning a trip to Southern California and did some quick internet research to find some good cheap places to eat. I read something about a Mediterranean fast food chain called Zankou Chicken. During that trip I did enjoy food from such favorites as The Apple Pan and Cha Cha Cha, but I never made it to ZC. This past New Year's holiday I was driving around LA and noticed a Zankou Chicken but didn't stop there. Finally about a week ago, the right moment came up while checking out Southern California internship locations. I was in Pasadena and it was lunch time so I went to Zankou Chicken. Maybe I was just really hungry or lucked out and went when the stars were particularly aligned. This place was outstanding. Located across the street from Aaardvark’s vintage clothing store, Pasadena’s Zankou Chicken location had such non-Bay Area features as a gigantic dining room, generous free samples of about 4 menu items, a hallway leading to the back/restroom as large as a restaurant in itself, and a weird black wall of vinyl strips separating the kitchen from the dining room. A large map of Los Angeles on the wall indicated several ZC locations.
The food was much better than expected. The ¼ white meat chicken plate ($5.98) came with incredible portions of chopped tomato, pickled something (beets? radishes?), hummus, pita bread and a curious plastic container of a white sauce/spread which turned out to be their garlic sauce. I didn’t know what I could possibly do with so much tomato and pickled vegetables until I started combining it with the garlic sauce. The chicken was juicy and flavorful. Everything was fresh. The tri-tip shawerma ($4.59) was pretty outstanding itself. Wrapped in foil, this pita sandwich seemed unfortunately small compared to the huge box containing the chicken plate. Upon consumption, there was no problem with the size. They had stuffed so much fresh grilled garlic beef into the thing, it was solid goodness. We just sat there kind of shocked eating for such a long time working to finish it all. The table next to us had some serious eaters. I saw some guy get a giant combination plate that appeared to contain just about everything on the menu piled sky high.
This was one of the best lunches I’d had in a while. It made me wonder what we have in San Francisco that would be comparable. I thought about Good Frickin’ Chicken on Mission. My friends and I like that place, but compared to Zankou Chicken, it cowers in terms of flavor, quantity, and price. Can’t someone open a ZC location here in the Richmond District??
Coffee Klatch
806 A, Arrow Highway
San Dimas, CA
Reading about serious coffee shops, you’ll come upon mention of barista competitions. Espresso machine operators are given a time limit to produce a certain number of specific drinks plus their own specialty. The first I had heard of this was when I had read about how great Café Organica near Panhandle Park in SF was. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about so I headed out there to find a note on the door saying it was closed so the guy who ran the place could train for the barista championships. Later I checked to see how he did in the California regional competition. It turned out he didn’t do so well. He was beat by a couple of the baristas of SF’s Ritual Coffee Roasters. Strangely the number one barista was a girl from a coffee shop in San Dimas in Southern California. She went on to beat all the hot shots in the Pacific Northwest in the national competitions. San Dimas? The only place I had ever heard of the town was in the movie Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
Last week I was in the Pasadena area so I took the opportunity to make the short drive to San Dimas to try Coffee Klatch, home of America’s #1 barista. To my surprise it was in a suburban shopping center between a Hollywood Video and a Dress Barn. Again, to my surprise, it appeared much like Turlock’s House of Java. It could have been any coffee shop in middle America. The store was decorated in red, white and blue for Independence Day. Large signs hung on the wall proclaiming that it was the location of the country’s #1 barista. A cop was there, a mom and her kid, and one bored guy with a laptop. It wasn’t very crowded. The teenage girls working there seemed friendly but I don't think the champion was working that afternoon. The coffee menu board listed lots of silly mochas such as the queasy-sweet “banana split” mocha my friend tried. I ordered my standard espresso drink, one that shouldn’t cause nearly as much confusion and variation as it does – the “small double Americano with extra room.” (just two shots of espresso in a little bit of hot water to which I add some half and half) They flubbed the “extra room” detail as many coffee shops often do. (I don’t like it so diluted. I’m not drinking coffee because I’m thirsty) The Americano with a little bit of room at the top of the cup for cream came in a cup with a long thing written on the side of it bragging about the #1 barista. The crema formed at the surface of the coffee did have the unusual tiger-striped pattern I’d read about. It was ok. It had a subtly different nutty flavor than what I’m used to. I liked it but it was so mild, I couldn’t focus on it. This could have been excellent had it not had so much water mixed with it. It wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t close to the best I’ve had. So we sat there, kind of confused watching as a couple middle aged men came in and ordered coffee from the sorority type girls working behind the counter. I thought about the hard core coffee shops in San Francisco like Ritual where the baristas look like artists and the hipsters and yuppies line up out the door. I think all those people would be pretty shocked to see the home of Heather Perry, the one who beat them all.
A couple days later I was in San Jose so I thought I’d try this new place downtown called Emocha that uses Blue Bottle beans. That’s another story all together, but whoever that guy was he made an Americano that put Coffee Klatch’s to shame.
Jun. 6th, 2007
01:16 am - quick updates
some recent food comments...
-Baguette Express (668 Larkin, SF)
this place makes really good vietnamese sandwiches. Most are only $2.50. The Subway-style photos are funny. Still it couldn't quite top Saigon Sandwiches down the block. (so sue me)
-Gelato Milano (2170 Shattuck, Berkeley)
I couldnt help but recognize that there was about a 15% air gap along the side of my gelato cup. They didn't really pack in nearly as much as could fit. It tasted pretty good, but in terms of value I'll just walk to Joe's Ice Cream(5351 Geary, SF) (so sue me)
-Blue Bottle Coffee again (315 Linden, SF)
soon after my mishap in Santa Clara, I returned to Blue Bottle for what might just be the best americano in the world
-China Village (1335 Solano, Albany)
I hadn't been here in over three years. When I figured out what I got last time, #108 Szechwan Style Spicy Boiled Beef, I ordered it again. It was every bit as good as I remembered - one of the spiciest craziest tastiest dishes I've ever had.
-Emmy's Spaghetti Shack (mission @ virginia, SF)
This qualifies as cheap if you just order the plain spaghetti, which is pretty darn good.
-Dottie's True Blue Cafe (522 Jones, SF)
this place deserves a 5-page write-up. I don't generally eat breakfast so I have very little experience, but I'd say I liked this breakfast more than any other. I never imagined myself eating a fritatta, but I did it and it couldn't have been better. It's not that cheap and sometimes you have to wait a while, but I'll sum it up like this: Dottie's True Blue Cafe has the best toast I've ever had and that's just the tip of the iceburg.
-City Cafe (223 Broadway, King City)
There is kind of a mystery going on about this place in rural King City, CA. Supposedly it's being sold, but perhaps the new people will continue with the classic recipes. This place truly has the ambiance it probably had 40 years ago with no exaggeration. They are almost always out of chile rellenos, but they had them the other day and of course it was pretty good. Casual, simple, satisfying, affordable mexican dinner plates in what my dad referred to as a "vintage" atmosphere.
Jun. 3rd, 2007
02:03 pm - La Victoria Petition
normally I wouldn't say anything, but...
I just looked on the website of Taqueria La Victoria in San Jose (140 E. San Carlos near SJSU), and they said they need our help. They need people to sign the petition so they can stay open after 2am.
This is the place with the insane addictive Orange Sauce and the outstanding people watching late at night.
If you can't go there late, what's the point?
If you're in the neighborhood, sign their petition. I'll give you a garbage pail kid card or something.
May. 31st, 2007
01:24 am - oops at Barefoot Coffee Roasters
Barefoot Coffee Roasters
"Serious Coffee Happy People"
5237 Stevens Creek Blvd
Santa Clara, CA
What happened??
I've been hearing about this place for a while. It's even been compared to some of San Francisco's very best. I was so glad I got the opportunity to stop by while passing through the area.
Holy smokes did they ever drop the ball on my cafe americano. It was on the level of the coffee place at the student union of my school where they dont really know what they're doing.
I have a very regular order. It can best be described as exactly what Blue Bottle gives you when you order an Americano without specifying. Small, not much water, double espresso shot, usually resulting in a thick layer of the "crema" - the foamy stuff that rises to the top of espresso.
Anyway, Barefoot Coffee Roasters is in a strip mall in suburban Santa Clara. It seemed pretty happening - they had a full blown coffee roaster roaring in the back. They had bags of their own beans. Their coffee menu had detailed descriptions of the large variety of drinks they prepare including some interesting options like your own custom french press full, the barista's choice ($4), "cold brewed" iced coffee, etc. Anyway, I could see the cup they were going to give me for the americano sitting there full of water - it was HUGE - like if you got a soft drink at a fast food restaurant. It must have been a 20 oz cup. I can't even imagine how diluted the coffee would have been mixed with that much water. I asked them to put it into a smaller cup which they did, but didnt make the adjustment for the "extra room" requested. I saw them pour in what looked like a single shot (I ordered a double). I watched as it just kind of sadly plopped into the water and just got kind of murky. Nothing really went to the top. It's as though someone just had some strong drip coffee that they diluted with water. So this is where I add some milk, but I had to ask for it and I poured it from a large carton.
I coughed upon the first sip. It was inexplicably salty! It was the saltiest coffee I've ever had. It tasted salty throughout the entire cup. What was that?
This place gives every indication that their coffee is incredible, but what I drank today just wasn't even good. It was not cheap either. $2.25 for that americano.
I'm completely willing to give them another chance and I know I will eventually. Maybe their other stuff is especially good and they just fail at americanos. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the quality of the SF places they have been compared to. It just occured to me that they just didnt really understand the americano at all as a drink.
I got the buy 10 get one free card, but oddly enough it's a plastic card with a magnetic strip like a credit card.
The cashier was great.
The barista wasn't.
I want to like this place. What the hell?
And by the way I also went to Rajjott for lunch in Sunnyvale. $5.35 for an outstanding gigantic lunch of chicken tikka masala and saag paneer. Still one of my favorites ever.
May. 24th, 2007
01:55 am - Doritos spoiler
Watch out!
The new limited edition Doritos X-13D flavor experiment tortilla chips taste like cheeseburgers with ketchup, mustard, and pickles.
I'm serious!
May. 23rd, 2007
07:10 pm - coffee update
Somehow I've managed to have incredible fortune lately with coffee.
-My housemate went to Portland and brought back some Hairbender Blend from Stumptown. (the winner of the bunch - it bent my hair)
-My friend visited from Japan and brought some high quality Japanese coffee I can't pronounce.
-My friends went to Italy and brought back some Caffe 14 Luglio.
-I was driving on Valencia St. in SF about a week and a half ago and some drunk people were standing in the middle of the road. A guy came up to my car and said "Hey - free coffee!" and handed me a half pound of organic fair trade Sumatra Mandheling coffee beans from none other than Ritual Coffee Roasters, one of the city's best. They were having a birthday or anniversary party or something there.
-Just today my housemate brought in a pound of coffee his coworker gave him that he just picked up on a trip to Chicago. It's from Intelligentsia, this place I read has the best coffee in Chicago and was wanting to try!
In other news, my roommate broke the glass carafe that goes with the household Krups coffee maker. This was actually a good thing because it led to discovering a French press in the house. There's no going back after using that thing.
Yes. This is going to be the best summer since 98 and coffee will play a huge role.
01:11 am - Ice Cream
In an effort to get in the spirit of what is hoped to be the best summer since 98, it's time to talk about some san francisco ice cream...
Bi-Rite Creamery
3692 18th St @ Delores
San Francisco, CA
This block of 18th Street is pretty intense for good food. Tartine Bakery, Delfina, Bi-Rite market, and Bi-Rite Creamery are all on the same block?!?
I'd been hearing about this handmade ice cream at this place for a while. I was a bit hesitant when I heard they make a sundae that involves chocolate ice cream with olive oil and sea salt on it. Then somebody told me they make a Ritual Coffee flavor, so I had to go over there. I first went on a really hot saturday - the line was almost all the way to Delores Park. I was hot and delirious and somehow ordered lemon flavored ice cream. Lemon?? The more I ate, the more I liked it. It was nothing like I'd expected - very creamy and nothing like a fruit sorbet. I tried a chocolate chai ice cream that had a good flavor and unusual texture. The next time I went I got butter pecan which was also good. This ice cream has much small batch hand made character. I hope to try them all eventually. I got the "buy 10, get one free" card.
This place seems to be in that recent category of SF places like Ritual Coffee, Tartine Bakery, and possibly Little Star Pizza to an extent of extremely high quality food somehow tied to almost a fixed gear track bike city hipness. For example, the ice cream flavors appear to be written on the glass refrigerator case with a black marker. It's pretty hard to read from a distance - but it's hip or something. This is a turn-on or turn-off for some. My only concern is that these place keep the quality of food as high as it is now. If they do, I'll keep coming back.
Joe's Ice Cream
5351 Geary Blvd @ 18th Ave
San Francisco, CA
On the other side of town from Bi-Rite, in my neighborhood exists an ice cream shop uninterested in being stylish. Joe's is pretty outstanding in it's own way. I showed up today and was disappointed they were out of their top-notch green tea ice cream. The lady working there made a major effort to scrape out all they had left from their tub for me and combined it with any other flavor of my choice, which for some reason was rocky road. The combination was delicious. The ice cream here is especially creamy. This place advertises specials on their walls for combos of hot dog/milkshake/soup and things like that, but the thing that demands attention is their "Joe's It" obviously inspired by the famous It's It ice cream sandwich. The Joe's It consists of a large round scoop of ice cream between two cookies and dipped in chocolate. They have vanilla Joe's Its on hand but if you want another flavor, you need to give them 24-hours notice. Someday I'm going to remember to order a green tea Joe's It.
So Joe's is a pretty down to earth local place that just happens to have ice cream good enough to compete with the big shots like Mitchell's.
Mar. 19th, 2007
12:09 am - Otaez
Otaez Mexicatessen
3872 International Blvd.
Oakland, CA
This past saturday was St. Patrick's Day. I headed out to the Fruitvale area of Oakland to get some good cheap Mexican food.
We found Otaez. This place is divided into two distinct halves. One side appeared to be a sit-down restaurant with menus and waiters and stuff. The other half is the taqueria which grills meat and makes really affordable tacos, quesadillas, tortas, and burritos. The two are joined by a narrow hall type area that appears to contain convenience store type beverage refrigerators as well as a margarita bar.
I went to the taqueria side and got two tacos: 1 carne asada and one al pastor. There is a salsa bar, that included a heated cauldron of beans which I've never seen before. Anyway, the tacos were $1.25 each. They were small, but damn good - especially the asada taco.
Why the hell can't this place be in my neighborhood? I'd go there all the time.
In my neighborhood we have Tommy's Mexican Restaurant - "The Premier Tequila Bar on Earth" where I ate a mediocre meal for $14.
Nope. Otaez is way better.
We spent some time at La Torta Loca eating large flat sopes, but nothing can begin to compete with Tacos Jessica sopes from Modesto.
They had an impressive assortment of weapons mounted behind the counter and a tip jar that involved a statue of a howling wolf that eats the money you drop in.
Aug. 22nd, 2006
03:45 am - good coffee
Ritual Coffee Roasters
1026 Valencia (between 21st and 22nd st)
SF, CA
Blue Bottle Coffee
315 Linden @ Gough
SF, CA
Lately I've been drinking a lot of coffee.
There are two place in San Francisco that can't be beat - Ritual and Blue Bottle.
I usually get the Americano and add a little bit of milk.
I'm no coffee pro. I can't compete with the legions who have been to a thousand coffee shops and have been drinking coffee for 30+ years. I only started drinking coffee about a year ago when I had an 8am class a couple times a week.
Here in the outer Richmond district there are plenty of coffee shops, but none of them are too exciting: Royal Grounds, Za Zen, Mono, Javacat, Royal Grounds, Starbucks, etc, Royal Grounds, etc. I find myself driving all the way to 23rd and Valencia regularly.
I've read the reviews for Ritual on Yelp. Most of the complaints are based on the number of Mac laptop computers are on the tables or the hair/clothing styles of the customers. They can't really say anything too bad about the coffee though because it's so good.
Ritual is a very hip stylized place in that Noe Valley facing part of the Mission District and Blue Bottle is basically a counter built into a wall down an alley in Hayes Valley. They have something in common. If I order that Americano, I'll take a look at it and it almost looks like hot cocoa. The color and texture of "crema" (or whatever coffee experts call it) at the surface of the coffee has something completely different going on. The flavor is rich and not bitter.
The caffeine has a distinctly different feel. It isn't a crash and burn burst of energy. It just makes me feel good and alert for a long time.
Blue Bottle roasts their beans in Oakland and strives for them to be to you within 48 hours of roasting - so they're very fresh.
Ritual uses the highly esteemed Stumptown brand of coffee beans made in small batches in Portland.
I wish I could make that kind of coffee myself, but it would probably take a $23423 Italian espresso machine and years of barista training.
Luckily these 2 places always have long lines so they should be sticking around for a while.
other honorable mentions in the SF coffee search:
Tassili Caffe - financial district/SOMA
Peets - all over town
Lo Cubano - Laurel Heights
Javaholics - inner Richmond
Del Sole - inner richmond
Trieste - north beach
Jun. 28th, 2006
01:30 am - 24 Hour Cala club card questions
Cala Foods
27th and Geary Blvd.
SF, CA
Many of the Cala Foods grocery stores in San Francisco have recently closed down, such as the one at the end of Haight St. and the one at 5th and Geary.
Every once and a while I'll walk over to the one at Geary and 27th in the middle of the night as it's open 24 hours a day. I've asked for a Cala club card and they told me that since the fate of Cala stores is sketchy, they dont have any club cards so they scan a photocopy of a card they keep behind the counter.
A few nights ago I went and as usual asked for them to scan their club card because I dont have one. To my surprise, they issued me a new Ralph's Club card. A woman working there said it was essential that I fill out the paperwork because a box of those cards costs $500. I signed my name as Joey Ramone and put my phone number as 111-111-1111.
Does this mean that the Cala is turning into a Ralphs? Does Ralphs own Cala? Can I use my Cala/Ralphs card at Ralphs locations? How many of those damn cards are in a box?
Apr. 28th, 2006
10:18 pm - Bittersweet
Bittersweet - The Chocolate Cafe
2123 Fillmore @ California
San Francisco, CA
Rumors started getting back to me a few months ago about a place on Fillmore that was kind of like a coffee shop, but instead sold a bunch of different kinds of hot cocoa. I found myself wandering around that neighborhood tonight and I found it. There were several types of hot cocoa - classic, spicy, kids, chai, mocha, white chocolate, etc. Upon the recommendation of the guy working there, I tried their signature bittersweet variety. Holy shmokes! It was basically like drinking liquid chocolate. I eat a lot of dark chocolate and this was still very intense for me. It contained no dairy and as it cooled, it coagulated into lumps of chocolate! It was like nothing I've ever had to drink. Very rich, not too sweet, delicious for sure. The little cup was $3.25, but I'm still working on it now and it's been an hour and a half since I got it.
The store also sold a variety of high end chocolate bars divided into a milk, dark, and surprises. The surprises section had unusual varieties like chile pepper chocolate. I picked up a few Michael Cluizel squares from France, but haven't tried them yet. They did not have the new African or Jamaican Sharffen Berger bars that I'm looking for though (at least I didnt see them).
They also sell coffee drinks made with Blue Bottle beans.
Apr. 16th, 2006
11:18 pm - Altena surprise
Taqueria Altena
3346 Mission St (near 29th st)
san francisco, CA
There is a Taqueria Altena across from the rock venue, 12 Galaxies in SF on Mission at 22nd. Sometimes if I'm seeing a show there, I'll cross over and get a burrito. I'm usually pleasantly surprised by their extremely creamy super burritos. The communal salsa that just sits on the table all day is a turn off though.
Anyway, a couple weeks ago I was a few blocks further south on mission when I passed a different Altena and decided to stop in for a late night burrito. Holy shmokes. It was way better than expected. It was a grilled chicken regular burrito with avocado. It was plain, simple, and familiar, but somehow top notch. Everything tasted fresh and had a lot of flavor. I've been there twice since and both times it was exceptional. I got the chile verde plate a couple days ago and today got another one of those chicken burritos. So basically, it wasn't a one-time fluke.
Here's the important question - though it has the same name, is there any relation between these two tauqerias altena? The one at 29th is much better than the one at 22nd.
Feb. 10th, 2006
10:40 am - SF Del Taco Burrito Drop
Del Taco
711 Market @ 3rd
San Francisco, CA downtown
In downtown SF in that area kind of in between the financial district office buildings and that Powell St/Union Square shopping area there is a block that contains two familiar suburban fixtures right next to each other - 7-11 and as far as I know it, the only SF Del Taco.
I used to go to Del Taco sometimes when I lived in the Modesto area. Though it is disgusting, it's better than Taco Bell, and every time I eat a Chicken Big Fat Taco with 3 packets of Del Scorcho hot sauce, it's like I'm hearing a joke that stays funny every time I hear it. It has a certain appeal - some sort of reference to the mythical concept of 1980s California I formed in my mind when I was much younger, living in a different state, and watching too much cable tv.
A couple days ago I had to pick up a friend on that very block. I decided to go all the way. I went into Del Taco and ordered a 1/2 pound bean and cheese burrito with extra green sauce and a chicken big fat taco (my friend ordered the chili cheese fries). Then I stopped by 7-11 and got a Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper Slurpee. The slurpee was pretty good, but the Del Taco food wasn't up to central valley Del Taco standards. They put extra cheese instead of extra green sauce in the burrito. It was wasn't as fun of an idea as I had thought.
So we left and had band practice and a few hours later (around 11pm) I got to thinking that I was still hungry so I had the crazy idea to go back to Del Taco. So I went back and ordered a spicy chicken burrito for $1.99. While waiting we admired the large white neon cactus sign positioned flat against the ceiling.
So I get the burrito - then I'm standing on the sidewalk outside of 7-11 waiting for my friend and I feel something slip. The burrito had slipped out of its paper wrapper and landed on the brick sidewalk on Market St. We just looked at it laying there bare and uneaten. I laughed and my friend kept asking "what happened? what happened?" I just said "it slipped."
I went back into the store and told the Del Taco manager and employees what happened and showed them the slightly dirty uneaten burrito. They said it wasn't their problem and there was nothing they could do about it. So I threw it in the garbage. I realized that I wasn't that hungry anyway. Maybe I was better off not eating it.
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