Feast The Guardian Guide to Bay Area Food and Drink // fall 2011
Feast // FALL 2011
California cuisine with daily departures to Asia.
Inspired Cuisine at Hotel Nikko San Francisco restaurantANZU.com | 222 Mason Street | 415.394.1100 SFBG.COM // Feast
dear friends, 'JSTU UJNF WJTJUPST $JUZ #Z UIF #BZ PME IBOET ± 4BO 'SBODJTDPµT HPU HSFBU GPPE GPS ZPV BMM PG ZPV "OE GPS TVQFSMBUJWF DBGFT CSVODIFT UP HFU ZPV VQ JO UIF NPSOJOH VOJRVF EJOOFST BOE TUFMMBS TQFDJBMUZ TUPSFT UIJT JTTVF PG 'FBTU XJMM TIPX ZPV UIF XBZ UP UBTUZ USFBTVSFT VOUPME 4UBZ IVOHSZ $BJUMJO editor // caitlin donohue art director // mirissa neff cover photographer // virginia miller
12 unique sf dining experiences page 6
10 cocktailing destinations page 20
6 great neighborhood cafes
7 cheap dates page 10
page 24
6 delectable specialty stores page 16
Feast //// FALL season Feast 2011 tktk
9 kick-ass brunches page 28
san francisco’s
Premier Jazz Club
P e r f e c t f o r y o u r h o l i d ay e v e n t Located in the historic Fillmore Jazz District 1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, California 94115 415-655-5600 Jim Walllace, Director of Private Events jim@yoshis.com
Japanese flavors and techniques experienced through local and sustainable ingredients; served in distinctive spaces for parties of all sizes: holiday events, elegant cocktail receptions, private group dinners, and intimate gatherings.
www.yoshis.com/sanfrancisco
Upcoming shows:
David Murray's Cuban Ensemble Nov 11-13 s s s s s s Tank Nov 18-20 Eddie Palmieri 75th Birthday Celebration Dec 1-4 s Canadian Brass Dec 16-17 Brian McKnight Dec 20-23 s Maceo Parker’s New Years Party Dec 29-Jan 1 Free Live Music in the Lounge: Wed-Sat 6:30pm-11pm. And every Wednesday, it’s Yoshi’s Wed Night Jazz Jam with Chris Amberger & Friends. 9:30pm-12am. SFBG.COM // Feast
12 unique SF dining experiences
sotto mare
What is the most San Franciscan meal? Kimchee fried rice out of a converted garage in the Sunset? All-youcan-eat Ethiopian food washed down by rounds of PBR? Maybe it’s eaten in a half-circle of food trucks, or by the dunes where Golden Gate Park meets the Pacific Ocean. More likely, it’s all of the above — so you’d better get started on your check list of these only-in-SF eateries. (Marke B. and Caitlin Donohue)
Toyose
You hear tales of a magical Korean restaurant located in a converted garage near Ocean Beach, barely marked by a strand of Christmas lights and a winking chicken with a bowtie and green hair. It’s true! The restaurant is open until 2 a.m. and is perfect for after-bar snacks: kimchee fried rice, calamari and beef bulgogi, heaps of noodles, crispy fried clucker, and jugs of thick, soju-infused cocktails. Full-on dinners are fantastic, too. You could lose yourself (and your party) in one of the huge, savory seafood casseroles or cauldrons of sizzling rice soup. And so affordable! No wonder it’s jam-packed with the young and hot. 3814 Noriega, SF. (415) 731-0232
Farmerbrown
True things bust a well-deserved hangover apart like a trip into the Tenderloin for a Farmerbrown soul brunch buffet. The space, with its sleek metal-andwood interior punctuated by evocatively hip pieces of African American-themed art with motifs from Obama to Mother Africa, invites lounging — just what you’ll need to truly give the buffet, with its renowned crispy fried chicken, spicy potatoes, and veggie gravy its due. Cuisine is Southern soul interpreted through the lens of California organic, a tasty accompaniment to brunch’s live soul cover bands and ample mimosa carafes. Come back for dinner so you can get down on veggie jambalaya, soft cornbread, and juicy artisan cocktails.
25 Mason, SF. (415) 409-3276, www.farmerbrownsf.com
Sotto Mare
Best cioppino in the city? Them’s fightin’ words in San Francisco, where the thick, rich seafood stew originated. But we’re serious. The key — besides the incredible tang of the smoky tomato broth and flawlessly fresh crab and fish chunks, scallops, mussels, and shrimp loaded within — is the atmosphere. Run by beloved, no-nonsense North Beach legend Gigi Fiorucci (don’t squeeze that lemon wedge over your superbly grilled sand dabs or he’ll reprimand you), seafood haven Sotto Mare has a true family feel, a bustling business of diverse diners, and a haphazard décor that
Feast // fall 2011
guardian photo by ben hopfer
recalls San Francisco’s ramshackle maritime past. Did we mention the cioppino?
552 Green, SF. (415) 398-3181, www.sottomaresf.com
Mission Chinese Restaurant
A pop-up gourmet Chinese restaurant inside a Chinese restaurant. Believe it! Tucked inside the wonderfully kitschy Lung Shan in the Mission is a culinary gem recently named one of the best restaurants in America by the New York Times’ Mark Bittman. Thrice-cooked bacon, Mongolian string beans, tea-smoked eel, tingly lamb noodle soup (that really does make your tongue tingle) — these are some of the perfect concoctions chef Danny Bowien and his collaborator, Anthony Myint, have come up with. The crowd is hip, but not impossibly so, and the prices are divine for this quality.
2234 Mission, SF. (415) 863-2800, www.missionchinesefood.com
Off the Grid
Perhaps you’ve heard of the Bay Area’s infatuation with food carts. Nowhere is this mobile addiction more apparent than at Off the Grid, the traveling food court started by failed ramen hawker Matthew Cohen on the windy federal land (subject to less complicated permit laws, hence “off the grid”) of Fort Mason in 2010. Today, there are OtG gatherings every day of the week, from San Mateo to Marin County. Thousands make the pilgrimage to experience a kati roll from Kasa Indian Eatery, Thai tamarind organic tofu from Little Green Cyclo, and a Meyer lemon fruitsicle from Twirl and Dip’s icecream parlor — all in the same meal.
Various times and Bay Area locations. www.offthegridsf.com
Beach Chalet
Forget to bring your picnic basket to Ocean Beach on purpose so you can nose past the lobby’s 1930s Lucien Labaudt WPA murals and settle into a seat in CONTINUES ON PAGE >>
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SFBG.COM // Feast
12 unique sf dining experiences CONT>>
presidio social club
the basement of this historic building, perched on the seam where Golden Gate Park meets the dunes. The Beach Chalet houses a lively bar, vast fireplaces for when the fog rolls in, a spacious lawn for catered picnics when it doesn’t, and a menu of family-friendly favorites: fish ‘n’ chips, juicy burgers, grilled asparagus — and for the grown-ups, a line of housemade ales. Try the chocolate-y Fleishhaker stout to bolster yourself against the winds whipping off the waves.
1000 Great Highway, SF. (415) 386-8439, www.beachchalet.com
Zeitgeist
If you have an iota of interest in hipster San Francisco, you have already been to this iconic biker bar and are like — yawn — kind of over it. But to the first timer, Zeit is a wonderland. The daunting 48 beers on tap! The communal tables on the vast patio! The hooks whereon a rainbow of well-used bikes happily hang! The tumbling pink elephant mural and legendarily mucked-up bathrooms! Truly, there is not another bar like this. Our advice: order a surprisingly toothsome veggie burger and homefries from the kitchen (or wait for the inevitable appearance by the legendary ambulatory Tamale Lady), grab a bench, and introduce yourself to a stranger. 199 Valencia, SF. (415) 255-7505, www.zeitgeistsf.com
little Baobab
Though by night the chairs and tables are stacked to make room for dancers, by day this Senegalese restaurant offers a superlative space to enjoy a warm, distinctive meal. Standard dishes include flavorful mafes — tofu or chicken bathed in a peanut sauce with vegetables — grilled tilapia, and red curries. You’ll want to be sure to order a cocktail from the bar as the place takes pride in its mixology, combining spirits with traditional African juices of ginger, tamarind, and hibiscus. Bonus: if you get too stuffed to walk home, there’s ample opportunity to dance off the calories to live music or world DJs during the late-night get-downs.
3388 19th St, SF. (415) 643-3558, www.bissapbaobab.com
Cha-Ya
Leave it to Zen monks to devise a vegan menu so enticing that your carnivorous mealmates will never miss their tuna sashimi or pork broth. Cha-Ya’s Japanese menu is vast, a diverse landscape of mushroom miso soups, vividly-colored sushi rolls, agedashi tofu, stacked vegetable tempura plates, and more. It will come as no surprise that the setting for such healthy fare at its Mission location is minimal — a welcome change from the bright lights and fancy boutiques that have cropped up along the Valencia Street corridor. This is not to say that your fellow clientele will make for dull eye candy while you plow through your hijiki, corn, and satsuma potato-stuffed eggplant — a bustling mix of elder alternative types and young datenighters lift their chopsticks here on the regular.
762 Valencia, SF. (415) 252-7825; 1686 Shattuck, Berk. (510) 981-1213
Gracias Madre
When raw, organic, touchy-feely Bay Area chain Cafe Gratitude announced its plans to open a Mexican res
Feast // fall 2011
guardian photo by rory mcnamara
taurant in the heart of the Mission, a mantra-phobic eyebrow or two was raised. But now, over a year into its existence, Gracias Madre has won a place in the hearts of culinary cynics. Gone is the staff of Gratitude’s New Agey tableside manner — and in its place you’ll find charming service, upscale Mexicana that misses lard and chicken not a whit, and inventive desserts (we dare you to find a creamier vegan flan — wait, write us if you do!) There is true San Franciscan inventiveness afoot here, from the grilled eggplant tacos to the spicy, pickled vegetables in the escabeche, a must-have side dish for your meal. 2211 Mission, SF. (415) 683-1346, www.gracias-madre.com
Presidio Social Club
With classic ‘40s decor and music, hosts and servers dressed according to period, and upscale twists on down-home classics like sloppy joes, mac ‘n’ cheese, and s’mores, this tribute to the USO is an ideal dining locale for those who remember the good old days — and those who just dress like they do. Make sure you don’t miss the mint smashed peas, a delightful alternative to mashed potatoes, or the cupcakes. None of this is country club fare, but it isn’t meant to be. It’s comfort food in a family friendly, gorgeous Presidio setting that brings the past to life.
Ruger Street, Building 563, Presidio, SF. (415) 885-1888, www. presidiosocialclub.com
Club Waziema
This is a dive bar. A dive bar with an Ethiopian menu. If that doesn’t get your foodie Spidey sense tingling, we’re at a loss for what will. Not only is Club Waziema covered in the velvet wallpaper that time forgot and located in the thick of Divisadero’s up-and-coming strip of small bars, shops, and restaurants, it also offers discerning, yet hungry gourmands the opportunity to dive into all-you-can-eat platters of African feed. With a plate of tangy injera bread at your side, you will be well-equipped to sample the wonders of stewed lentils and collard greens, spicy chicken dishes, and of course, reasonably priced well drinks.
543 Divisadero, SF. (415) 346-6641, www.clubwaziema.com
SFBG.COM // Feast
7 cheap dates
kitchenette GUArdIAN PhOTOS by mIrISSA NEff
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Looking for our restaurant review?
Try the obituaries. Live DJs. Holiday Parties. Happy Hour.
#-08'*4) 464)* #SZBOU 4U 4BO 'SBODJTDP 415.285.3848 www.blowfishsushi.com
10 Feast Feast //// FALL season 10 2011 tktk
hard
Photos by Heath Orc
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TTT QULHLPC @LJ SFBG.COM // Feast 11
7 CHeap dates CONT>>
Gaspare’s ²5IBUµT "NPSF³ QMBZT BVUPNBUJDBMMZ XIFO ZPV DMJDL UP UIJT SFTUBVSBOUµT XFCTJUF SFBTPO FOPVHI UP EBUF BU (BTQBSFµT 5IF VONJTUBLBCMZ *UBMJBO TQPU ± UIJOL DIFDLFSFE UBCMFDMPUIT BOE GBVY HSBQFWJOFT ± MPPLT KVTU MJLF B GJGUI HSBEFSµT DPODFQUJPO PG EBUF OJHIU SJHIU EPXO UP UIF QJ[[B DFOUFSFE NFOV 4IBSF B NFBU MBEFO #SVDFµT 4QFDJBM PS UIF IPVTF TQFDJBM B NFEMFZ PG GFUB NP[[BSFMMB SPBTU SFE QFQQFST BOE GSFTI UPNBUPFT " GSPOU MPCCZ DPSEPOFE CZ UIJDL WFMWFU DVSUBJOT QSPWJEFT VOTFUUMJOH DPOWFSTBUJPO TUBSUJOH WJTVBMT UIF SFQFBUFE VOFYQFDUFE HSPQJOH PG EJOFST USZJOH UP GJOE UIFJS XBZ JO 5546 Geary, SF. (415) 387-5025, www.gasparespizza.com
Haltun $IPPTJOH B CVSSJUP QMBDF JO UIJT UPXO DBO GFFM BLJO UP DIPPTJOH B ESZ DMFBOFS UIFSF BSF TP NBOZ POFT UIBU EP UIF KPC BOE TP GFX UIBUµMM GPME ZPVS UPSUJMMB PS EFMJDBUFT KVTU UIF XBZ ZPV MJLF "MTP GFX PCKFDUJWFMZ UFSSJCMF PQUJPOT FYJTU BOE UIF GJOBM DIPJDF JT PGUFO EFUFSNJOFE CZ ZPVS EFTJSF UP XBML POF CMPDL JOTUFBE PG UXP #VU )BMUVO )BMUVO JT POF PG UIF HPPE POFT BOE JT UVDLFE BXBZ GSPN UIF .JTTJPO 4USFFU NFMFF QFSGFDU GPS B RVJFU
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2948 21st St., SF. (415) 643-6411, www.haltunsf.com
Mandalay (MJOUJOH XJUI CBVCMFT BOE B MJHIU VQ QBMN USFF .BOEBMBZ GFFMT B MJUUMF MJLF B $ISJTUNBT UIFNFE BRVBSJVN UIF QFSGFDU TFUUJOH GPS B DP[Z XJO UFSUJNF EBUF &RVBMMZ BT [JOHZ BT UIF TQPUµT HSFFO BOE ZFMMPX QBJOU KPC JT JUT USBEJUJPOBM #VSNFTF GPPE TUVEEFE XJUI GSFTI NBOHP BOE GSJFE HBSMJD DIJQT "OE XIBU #VSNFTF SFTUBVSBOU JO 4BO 'SBODJTDP XPVME CF DPNQMFUF XJUIPVU UFB MFBG TBMBE NBEF UBCMFTJEF .BOEBMBZµT JT LJMMFS DFSUBJOMZ CVU UIF HJOHFS TBMBE CBTFE PO TJNJMBS JOHSFEJFOUT BOE XJUI UIF BEEFE QJRVBOU OBNF TBLF TQJDFT VQ BOZ FWFOJOH
4344 California, SF. (415) 386-3896, www.mandalaysf.com
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Taqueria
EL CASTILLITO BOTTOmLESS CHIpS & SALSA EvERY DAY!
BuY ONE BuRRITO, GET HALF OFF 2ND! *One coupon per customer. These locations only.
2092 Mission St. @ 17th (415) 621-6971 370 Golden Gate Ave. @ Larkin (415) 292-7233 12 Feast //// FALL season 12 Feast 2011 tktk
Family owned and run since 1969 Banquet Room available for large parties up to 60 people. Full bar. Open for Christmas and New Years. Reservations accepted. 415-564-0401 | 800 Taraval St | goldmirrorrestaurant.com SFBG.COM // Feast 13
7 cheap dateS CONT>>
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601 Baker, SF. (415) 614-9411, 314 Church, SF. www.greenchilekitchen.com/chilepies
Shalimar
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958 Illinois, SF. (415) 555-1212, www.kitchenettesf.com
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1409 Polk, SF. (415) 776-4642. 532 Jones, SF. (415) 928-0333, www.shalimarsf.com
Kitchenette #BZTJEF ,JUDIFOFUUF QSPWJEFT UIF CSPLF MPWFTUSVDL 4BO 'SBODJTDBO XJUI B QBMBUBCMF WFSTJPO PG XBUFS GSPOU EJOJOH " UJOZ PQFSBUJPO UIBU FNQMPZT B
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“u.s. top ten insider’s spot” –
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Bay Guardian “Best of the Bay” 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 • open everyday •
2288 Mission st. @ 19th • 1003 Market st. @ 6th • 3211 Mission st. @ Valencia
(415) 252-9560
14 14 Feast Feast //// FALL season 2011 tktk
(415) 864-6773
(415) 550-1414
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688 San Jose Ave. @ 29th St. • San Francisco (415) 648-2300 • mitchellsicecream.com SFBG.COM // Feast 15
bi-rite market
6 delectable specialty stores 4PNFUJNFT XF XBOU UP FOKPZ DPNFTUJCMFT PO PVS PXO UFSNT 1JDOJDT EJOOFS XJUI GSJFOET HJGUT GPS GBSBXBZ SFMBUJWFT ± PS NBZCF ZPV KVTU DBOµU IBOEMF TOPPUZ XBJUFST BOZNPSF 5IFSF BSF QMFOUZ PG SFBTPOT XIZ JUµT HPPE UP LOPX BCPVU GPPE TUPSFT XJUI TUZMF QBOBDIF BOE BQMPNC )FSF BSF B GFX PG PVS GBWPSJUFT GSPN BSPVOE UIF DJUZ TQFDJBMJ[JOH JO BMM LJOET PG DVJTJOFT (Guardian Staff Writers)
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2884 24th St., SF. (415) 647-1500, www.lapalmasf.com
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2011 tktk 16 Feast Feast //// FALL season
THE OLD CLAM HOUSE
RECENTLY RESTORED
S.F.’S OLDEST RESTAURANT IN THE SAME LOCATION CELEBRATING 150 YEARS
299 BAYSHORE AT OAKDALE – 415-826-4880 SFBG.COM // Feast 17
6 deleCtABle speCiAlty stores CONT>>
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1745 Folsom, SF. (415) 863-0620, www.rainbow.coop
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1331 Ninth Ave., SF. (415) 566-3117, www.arizmendibakery.org
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547 Eighth St., Oakl. (510) 444-2841, www.africancaribbeanfoodmart.com
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SFBG.COM // Feast 19
10 cocktailing destinations
bourbon and branch
San Francisco (along with New York) was bringing back the classic, spirituous, and produce-driven recipes of the cocktail revival years before it hit the rest of the country. This city has long been a breeding ground for some of the world’s best bar talent, and many in those ranks have become global spirits brand ambassadors or manage bars with incredible spirits selections. One can learn a lot by pulling up to one of those bars and chatting with an expert bartender. Just don’t get too lost in the conversation — it’s also a great chance to have a damn fine cocktail. (Virginia Miller)
Alembic
Opened roughly five years ago, the Alembic exemplifies a great neighborhood bar — well, apart from its long waits for seating. Thanks to bar manager Daniel Hyatt, the bar has boasted an incredible American whiskey selection (bourbon, rye, white, and corn whiskeys) since it first opened. Sample unusual, small batch bourbon releases, try drinks made with ingredients picked straight out of the joint’s back garden. Order the now-classic Southern Exposure featuring gin and celery, a proper mint julep, vieux carre, or other New Orleans greats.
1725 Haight, SF. (415) 666-0822, www.alembicbar.com
15 Romolo
Cocktails achieve perfection at 15 Romolo, a turn-of-the-century bar with a North Beach alley vibe and a killer jukebox. Its karaoke “Gong Show” nights are legendary and though the spot’s sometimes packed, it’s reasonably laid back. The birthplace of some of our city’s best bartenders, 15 Romolo’s inventive (yet far from fussy) creations are among the best in the city.
15 Romolo, SF. (415) 398-1359, www.15romolo.com
Gitane
It doesn’t get sexier than this bar, located inside a tiny Spanish Moroccan restaurant with seductive tapestries and chandeliers. Bar manager Alex Smith crafts layered beauties, some featuring sherry, most highlighting unusual spirits in seamless, delicious cocktails. You’ll find it tucked away in an alley, only adding to the bar’s mystique.
6 Claude, SF. (415) 788-6686, www.gitanerestaurant.com
Bourbon and Branch
This was one of the first US bars to spark the neospeakeasy trends: reservations only, no cell phones, etc. Even if you’re over the gimmick, when you see 20
Feast // fall 2011
guardian photo by virginia miller
password-required dives sprouting up across the country remember that B and B has been doing it for years — and doing it well. Reservations ensure a seat in a gorgeous, seductively dim multi-room space where you can drink immaculate cocktails in peace. Reserve a spot at bar-within-a-bar Wilson and Wilson, a romantic retreat where three-course cocktail menus and drinks made of house ingredients like coconut marmalade and tobacco tincture are de rigueur.
501 Jones, SF. (415) 346-1735, www.bourbonandbranch.com
Comstock Saloon
End a long night at this mellow, classy stopover reminiscent of Barbary Coast days. A restored turn-of-the-century space, it’s replete with an antique mahogany bar, Victorian furniture, 1916 rotating ceiling fans, and a wood-burning stove. Enjoy expertly-made classic cocktails while jazz musicians play from the upstairs balcony.
155 Columbus, SF. (415) 617-0071, www.comstocksaloon.com
Jasper’s Corner Tap
Jasper’s covers many bases — it’s a comfortable, open-all-day downtown destination with beers, wines, and food to please gourmands of all stripes. For cocktailers, this casual tavern is no less of a destination. The talent hails from many of the city’s best bars and is helmed by bar manager Kevin Diedrich (formerly of Burritt Room). Cocktails utilize Guinness, gin, even recall classic soda fountain drinks. Try the Soda Jerk — you won’t be sorry.
401 Taylor, SF. (415) 777-7979, www.jasperscornertap.com
CONTINUES ON PAGE 22 >>
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10 CoCktailing Destinations CONT>>
Harry Dentonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s starligHt room *U XBTOµU VOUJM SFDFOUMZ POF DPVME DBMM UIJT CBS B DPDLUBJMJBO IBWFO 5IPVHI JUµT MBVODIFE TPNF PG PVS DPVOUSZµT HSFBU CBSUFOEFST PWFS QBTU EFDBEFT SFDFOU SFWBNQT PG EnDPS BOE NFOV IBWF ZJFMEFE B TVQFSJPS ESJOLJOH MPVOHF XJUI B WJFX $JUZ MJHIUT BOE CBZ WJTUBT BSF UIF CBDLESPQ GPS FMFHBOU CVU VOGVTTZ DPDLUBJMT BU UIF IBOET PG CBS NBOBHFS +PFM 5FJUFMCBVN 450 Powell, SF. (415) 395-8595, www.harrydenton.com
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3121 16th St., SF. (415) 252-7740
For further fine cocktailing, check out Michael Mina, Heavenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dog, Beretta, Bar Agricole, Rickhouse, Rye, Mister Lewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Win Win Bar, Spruce, Prospect, Slanted Door, Cantina, Quince, Pisco Latin Lounge, La Mar Cebicheria, Locanda, Clock Bar, and Aziza
Hotel Utah Saloon - 500 4th Street (415) 546-6400 â&#x20AC;¢ hotelutah.com 22 Feast 2011 tktk 22 Feast //// FALL season
SFBG.COM // Feast 23
bean bag cafe
guardian photo by matthew reamer
6 great neighborhood cafes 0VS CPIFNJBO QBTU BOE MBQUPQ MPDLFE QSFTFOU IBWF KPJOFE GPSDFT UP DSFBUF B UISJWJOH DVMUVSF PG DPGGFFTIPQ JO 4BO 'SBODJTDP 4UFFS ZPVS XFBSZ IPPGT UP POF PG UIFTF HSFBU CVTJOFTTFT XIFSF ZPV DBO UBLF B TFBU XJUI B TDPOF DSBDL PQFO ZPVS .BD ± PS KVTU MVYVSJBUF JO UIF QSFTFODF PG PUIFST XIP DPVMEOµU GPDVT BNJE UIF NFTT PG UIFJS BQBSU NFOUT UIJT NPSOJOH (Guardian Staff Writers)
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2298 Market, SF. (415) 621-8572, www.cafeflore.com
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Taqueria Vallarta $1TACO HAPPY HOUR! 2-6PM NEW VEGETARIAN MENU
VISIT HERE FOR MORE GREAT DEALS! 3033 24th (at Treat) 4697 Mission (at Ocean) 2022 Mission (at 16th) 415.452.8037
/BBO / $VSSZ
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SFBG.COM // Feast 25
6 great neighBorhood cafes CONT>>
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1396 La Playa, SF. (415) 665-5282, www.javabeachcafe.com
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835 Geary, SF. (415) 440-2165
farLeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s *G ZPVµSF MPPLJOH GPS BO BSDIFUZQBM ²UIJT JT XIFSF BMM UIPTF NPWJFT TFU JO 4BO 'SBODJTDP OFJHICPSIPPET XFSF GJMNFE ³ FYQFSJFODF ZPVµMM XBOU UP IFBE UP 1PUSFSP )JMM (SBC B DVQ GSPN UIF MBJECBDL CJLF DPPM LJET BU 'BSMFZµT NBSWFM BU UIF GBTDJOBUJOH EJPSBNBT PDDVQZJOH JUT GSPOU XJOEPXT UIFO QFSDI PVUTJEF QFSIBQT XJUI B MPWJOHMZ IBOENBEF TBOEXJDI GSPN OFYU EPPS )B[FMµT IBOET EPXO UIF DVUFTU TBOEXJDI TIPQ JO UIF DJUZ BOE UBLF JO UIF DIJMM OFJHICPSIPPE WJCF *G ZPV QPQ BDSPTT UIF TUSFFU BGUFSXBSET GPS UIF TXFFQJOH DJUZ WJFXT BOE B CFFS XJUI UIF SFHVMBST BU #MPPNT 4BMPPO XF XPOµU NJOE 1315 18th St., SF. (415) 648-1545, www.farleyscoffee.com
tosca 8IFO JUµT DIJMMZ PVUTJEF OPUIJOH XBSNT ZPVS JOTJEFT MJLF IPU DIPDPMBUF XJUI TXFFU CSBOEZ JO B GBODZ HMBTT /PSUI #FBDIµT PQFSB MPWJOH 5PTDB XJUI SFE WJOZM CPPUIT BOE FYRVJTJUF JNQPTJOH DBSWFE XPPE CBS XJMM CF ZPVS CFBDPO JO B ESFBSZ TUPSN 5IF CBS LFFQT UIF TJ[[MJOH IPU DIPDPMBUF MJOFE VQ BXBJUJOH SFRVFTU "OE JG ZPV OFFE UP TUFBEZ UIF BMDPIPM SVOOJOH UISPVHI ZPVS EFMJDBUF TZTUFN UIF MPWFMZ IPNFNBEF DIFFTZ OJCCMFT BOE PUIFS BTTPSUFE TOBDLT DPNF PVU 1MVT UIFSFµT CFFO OVNFSPVT 4FBO 1FOO TJHIUJOHT #SBWP
242 Columbus, SF. (415) 986-9651, www.toscasf.com
The best table in the city might just be the one in your kitchen.
Happiness delivered.
Local Restaurants 26 Feast 2011 tktk 26 Feast //// FALL season
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SFBG.COM // Feast 27
outerlands
9 kick-ass brunches We here at the Guardian don’t survive on green buds and printer ink alone. We eat real food. Sometimes! But we do get up late and hungover. While we often forgo fancy brunch — unless we save our pennies for the amazing eggs-meet-legs “Sunday’s a Drag” buffet at Harry Denton’s (www.harrydenton.com) or dim sum nirvana at Yank Sing (www.yanksing.com) or Ton Kiang (www.tonkiang.net) — we’ll sure as shootin’ shell out for thrifty chilaquiles and bloody marys, especially the way the Bay makes ‘em. Here are some of our dearest bleary-eyed, late-morning tummy fillers. (Marke B.)
Bashful Bull Too
There are days when you wake up with a bladder full of Jameson’s and a fervent wish to sink into a salty, unglamorous world of egg and cheese. These are the mornings when bottomless mimosas and goat cheese frittatas sound like fightin’ words. Easy tiger, I got you — just slump into a booth at Bashful Bull Too, the most standard of Outer Sunset diners. There’s no live jazz band, no “scene” at all — just you and your greasy calories. Get down on their cheap plates of hash browns and bacon, or better yet, a burger. Slabs of ground beef are acceptable fare when, after all, you’re having breakfast at 2 p.m. (Caitlin Donohue)
3600 Taraval, SF. (415) 759-8112
Outerlands
With giant slabs of homemade bread, an offering of organic egg delicacies, and foamy full glasses of alcoholinfused juices, Outerlands is the Sunday morning hangover cure to end all others. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a more attractive spot for brunch. With its OuterOuter-Outer Sunset location (hence the name), the salty beach air engulfs you as you wait in a very long line, on cozy wooden tree benches. The rustic urban setting inside belies a restaurant far more high priced than the reality. Most meals are under $10. For the quintessential bruncher, order poached eggs and braised chard with corn grits; for the breezy novice, try the cherry tomato and stone fruit salad. Just make sure to add a side of thick toast with sweet jam. (Emily Savage)
4001 Judah, SF. (415) 661-6140, www.outerlandssf.com
Chloe’s Cafe
Let’s face it, one aspect of brunch — at least on a Sunday — is the wait. Chloe’s is no exception. The res28
Feast // fall 2011
guardian photo by virginia miller
taurant’s rep and tiny size mean that while weekdays are fine, on the weekend you will be waiting in a (loose) line. The upside is that Chloe’s is on a quiet corner of Church Street, so on a sunlit day, you’ll get fresh air and nothing noisier or more imposing than the peoplewatching pleasure of the J-Church sliding by. Once inside, indulge your sweet tooth: two highlights of the low-key menu are french toast made with croissants (served with strawberries and powdered sugar) and banana walnut pancakes, a Chloe’s specialty. Chloe’s offers some pleasant, simple variations on scrambled eggs, and the fresh fruit and white rosemary toast to compliment them. This may be Noe Valley, but the coffee is Twin Peaks good. (Johnny Ray Huston)
1399 Church, SF. (415) 648-4116
Homemade Cafe
It’s Saturday morning-slipping-toward-noon, and there are few reasons to expend the effort to pick your fuzzball head up off the pillow it dropped onto in the after-party wee hours. Curled in your cocoon, there is but one comforting thought: breakfast! Few places can revive the soul and satisfy the belly as proficiently as Homemade Café. You’d be wise to choose the spinach, mushroom, and feta omelet. Sweet or spicy is a tough choice, though, since there are spectacularly fluffy blueberry pancakes to be had as well. It’s crucial that you remember this magical phrase: “Upgrade to Home-Fry Heaven.” They’ll arrive smothered in cheese, salsa, sour cream, and a choice of guacamole or pesto. You will feel alive again — at least until naptime. (Rebecca Bowe)
2454 Sacramento, Berk. (510) 845-1940 www.homemade-cafe.com
Lime
I love Lime. Not just because it offers a pretty good assortment of belly-filling foodstuffs on Sunday mornings or the hip and lively atmosphere — but because of the bottomless mimosas and bloody marys. Now, I could try to compare Lime’s eggs benedict to others I’ve eaten, but why bother? There are bottomless fucking mimosas and bloody marys, people! Who cares about the food when I can get stupid drunk with my friends at 11 a.m.? In fact, I can’t recall a time when we weren’t asked to leave, albeit very nicely by the wait staff. Just be careful, those drinks will knock you on your ass and give you a hangover by 4 p.m. Guaranteed. (Ben Hopfer)
2247 Market, SF. 415.621.5256, www.lime-sf.com
CONTINUES ON PAGE 30 >>
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Lynn and Luâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s EscapadE cafE
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4012 Broadway, Oakl. (510) 547-7600. www.mamasroyalcafeoakland.com
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TaquERia Los coyoTEs
MaMaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s RoyaL cafE
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3353 Grand Ave, Oakl. 510-835-5705
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30 Feast 2011 tktk // FALL 30 Feast // season
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3036 16th St., SF. (415) 861-3708. www.taquerialoscoyotes.com
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941 Cole Street, SF. (415) 564-5332, www.zaziesf.com
SFBG.COM // Feast 31
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