Ljótur H.'s Profile

The quest for a knitting shop in SF continues...

The place is tiny but has a lot of interesting-looking yarn, and apparently they're all eco-groovy, so I'm giving them the 3 stars just for that.

I needed some needles, though.  Their selection isn't great.  They couldn't be bothered to stop talking about cats long enough to ask if I needed anything, they avoided eye contact, and I'm not into interrupting, so I decided to take my business elsewhere.  Too bad, could use a shop nearby, and I really wanted to like them.

I love how quickly things move in this city.  Servers & cooks & even customers seem to be right on top of it all the time.  It was the same here.  Plus, they're really friendly and the hot chocolate is fantastic.  Everyone makes hot cocoa, but City Bakery gets it right.  The cups seemed a little small to me, but even splitting it with a friend it was plenty.  They are really rich!  I usually hate marshmallows, but theirs are good.  The other desserts look ridiculous as well.  I hope to make myself happily ill on them soon.

They're all very nice, and fast, and I like that it's been there for over 120 years.  It's pretty cool, too, that they give you a little meat sample as they fix your sandwich.  
That being said, I just went for an egg cream. I was told I have to have one while in New York.  It was good, but not $4 good.  I didn't see any vegetarian sandwich options, but I wasn't looking *too* hard.

They were really nice, and the place was clean, and it's convenient, but that's where my compliments end.  I really wanted to like this place.  I know it's a chain of highway diners, and I should've known better when I saw the gift store, but I can't help thinking they're kitschy-cute & I want to support something that started up in Mt. Shasta.  But ugh, no.  Never again.  

The vegetarian options were breakfast or an $8 Gardenburger.  It just kills me to pay $8 for them when I can get a pack for less than that.  So, I got a Belgian waffle.  Berries & whipped cream for $1.50 extra?  I wasn't going to, but the waitress informed me that they had blackberries.  Awesome!  I figured they would be warmed-up frozen blackberries & whipped cream from a spray can, but my wildest dreams couldn't prepare me for JELLY with big, brown, disgusting-looking blackberries.  I think jelly is repulsive & even gagged a few times while digging it out of my waffle.  If you want to offer jelly for the toast, that's great, probably a healthier option than the fake maple syrup, but you should tell people it's JELLY, not call it berries.  Gross.  
My boyfriend got some biscuits & gravy that he said were, as yelp puts it, "Meh."  

No, Black Bear, next time I'll just pick up some trail mix at the nearest grocery store.  Too bad, I wanted to like you.

My first experience with Apotheca was buying my then-boyfriend a gift certificate for the Champissage head massage.  He hates massages, but he always liked a good head scratch.  He loved Kirsten & if he wasn't a broke student he would have taken up massage w/her regularly.  I figured if she can earn the trust of someone who can't stand being touched, she & her troupe are worth a shot.  SO glad Yelp pointed me their way.

I've now had massages from Kirsten, Sari, & Eri.  They are all incredibly friendly and competent.  I've always preferred to have female doctors and massage therapists, but I couldn't get Kirsten or Sari one time so I went for Eri.  He is fantastic!  I've seen him many times now, and I could not recommend him enough.  He can really dig into spots between shoulder blades that other masseuses have shied away from.  Of course he never uses more pressure than you can handle, so if you're into the light massages, he is your man as well.

I honestly don't think spending a couple minutes in the hallway (don't go upstairs if you're really early, get some See's Candy) is any more awkward than sitting in a waiting room with a snooty receptionist & a bunch of other clients, so their set-up doesn't bother me at all.

This place is touch & go.  I always like the pakora, which amazingly is not something I can say about all Indian restaurants (how do you mess up fried food?), but the rest you can never predict.  I need to start asking about who happens to be cooking on any particular day, maybe that will help.  I used to get take out from here every other week or so, then three times in a row it was just awful.  One time I'm pretty sure they used like Chef Boyardee tomato sauce & it was obviously frozen green beans, peas & carrots for the Navratan Korma.  It was horrid.  My boyfriend talked me into going here again because it's so close, and it was pretty decent, but then again three times in a row it was nasty.  He's finally accepted defeat, and we probably won't go here unless we're really desperate.  They're very friendly, and I want to like them, but they need to be more consistent.  Also, naan & rice are EXTRA, aren't they usually included with entrees, or is this a new trend?  It gets to be pricey, and it's not worth it.

The macrons alone are enough to go back.  And the sables, and English toffee, and madelines... The place is adorable & they have all kinds of fun little candies that you remember from childhood, and always new things to check out as well.  The ladies are always very friendly.  Any time I'm in the neighborhood (or a nearby one), I have to swing by.  A little pricey, but it's good ingredients made with magic & love worth it!

Cafe 101 at SFSU gets their baked goods from here, and they are AWFUL. I'm giving them 2 stars because...maybe the food is better AT the place?

Carrot Muffin: I like cloves, but this has so much that my mouth is numb. I'm serious. It's also overly-chewy.
Bran muffin: RAISINS! So many! Also a bad texture.
Pumpkin muffin: used to be great, but now I can't believe that they ever sell. They don't even look appetizing, they're obviously way too dry.
Apple muffin: goop with apple goop on top.
Scones: boring, overly dry, awful.

I was pleasantly surprised. I liked their simple crust, and I liked that the personal pizza was made to order. I wanted pesto sauce - not pesto on top of my tomato sauce, but pesto as sauce, and that's what I got. I guess I was the first to request zucchini, so when the guy brought it out to me he told me he wasn't 100% sure about it, but if I didn't like it he'd give it another go. Personal pizzas took about 7 minutes to bake up. Friendly staff, a decent pie, reasonable price, near my home. YAY.

I saw Dr. Scott a couple times, once I went in for something quick & didn't need to see her at all, once I used their after-hours service. Dr. Scott never made me feel uncomfortable. She does joke around, but I never felt like she was poking fun at me, just trying to lighten the mood. I thought she was very personable and competent. Not that it matters now, because she's gone off to Kaiser in the East Bay :(
The practice has been good for me, though. The after-hours doc called me within an hour or so and was very helpful, even though it sounded like he was at a dinner party or something. The office staff and back office people are friendly & efficient. I was able to get in for a same-day appointment once. I'll stay on with them, though I haven't met my new doc.