Stephanie S.'s Profile

A year and a half hiatus ended for this little shop. I love restaurant people, nay, I love food people. Real food people. The ones who would never waste a second of their lives eating food that was not good, not delicious, not worth every bite. It means eating for yourself. Whatever that might be and however that might taste, you eat it because you know that food is life and every bite is worth loving.

The three lovely ladies at Mango cafe know and believe this. And you taste it in every simple sandwich and panini they make. Chipotle roast beef with tomato and onions and mustard...turkey Brie onion and some heavenly sauce...California chicken...it's all so impossible to imagine in a small shop that would barely catch your eye walking down Geary (if only because you become immediately distracted by the glass dildo store two doors down). But here it is, the exemplar of San Franciscans philosophy on food: it should taste good, it should be made well and it can come in any form from anyone.

Sure, it's just a sandwich shop. But really, that's all you need. SF, watch out, I'm here.

God punish the liars that say they can cut curly hair. May they go to hairdressing hell where they are forced to cut the hair of gorillas for the rest of their lives.

Fuck. I'm sure the girls here are perfect for cutting straight hair, punk hair, whatever you non-curly hair people want. The price is right and the girls are friendly. They are super funny. And you don't feel like you're in a haughty salon in Bev Hills.

But they aren't the best at cutting curly hair. Just like everyone else. Necessary tips for future curly girls:

1. If it's poofy when they hair dry it, they did it wrong. They will likely also do something else wrong...like cut it.

2.  If they defend other stylists you mention who have fucked up your hair before, and say maybe you did something, you should leave. They don't understand that curly hair is different, it is easy to fuck up, and it shouldn't be defended.

3. If they use a flat brush instead of a round brush to blow dry it...wrong.

4. If they cut it straight across...wrong.

5. If they tell you they don't like or don't have curly hair either...wrong!

Thanks for trying girls. It was a good shot.

great cheap chinese food and unlimited wine.

Went here months ago. You really have to go if you're just looking for cheap Chinese food. It's not gourmet, it's barely delivery quality, but it does the job and you won't regret coming if it is what you are in the mood for at the time.

Obviously the best part is the unlimited wine. It's clearly box or lower -- they wander around pouring it out of a carafe but again it's all about what you ask for.

esparragos blancos
churros con chocolate
tuna stuffed tomato, garlic, parsley

1999 Baron de Ona-Tempranillo-Rioja
much dryer smoky flavor

2008 Luberri-Seis-Tempranillo-Rioja Alavesa
sweet spicy flavor in the back

2007 Vina Sastre-Roble-Tempranillo-Ribera del Duero
favorite, spicy

Quiet quick wine bar. Not too many tables to go. Good place to stop if you're waiting for something/someone else. Probably wouldn't be a final destination point only because it just isn't big enough. The tapas are okay but I wouldn't waste the money. Wine is really where it's at here.

Disappointment is spelled Z-I-P F-U-S-I-O-N.

Got in the last night of their April Anniversary for the 14.95 all you can eat sushi bar special. Waitress tells us the cooks are too busy, come back in 30 minutes. This is after we call in to ask about a wait and they say no. Fine. I love Wurstkuche so we stop over there for a beer.

Come back 30 minutes later. The waitress has sat a group of 12 at the sushi bar. She realizes she told us to come back. She crams us three into a small corner at the end of the bar. I am not happy.

Another 15 minutes rolls around before they ask us what we want to drink. No explanation of how to order. What do I do? Finally, the waitress tells us to ask the chefs for food. Oh. Thanks for the heads up. All the while, the chefs are making orders and putting them in front of us for the waitresses to retrieve. I'm sorry, did I have service area written on my forehead as a seating preference? In the background, a frat from undoubtedly my school is screaming saki bomb and slamming on glass tables. Good f-ing job USC kids. That expensive education is taking you places.

The chefs turned out to be awesome. The food was really good. They were fast and they got things correct every time. They even gave us a complimentary sashimi salad that was delicious. Tried the in and out, the jalapeno tuna crunch or something like that name, avocado rolls, and the dragon roll.

The bill comes and it's 19.95 each. What happened to the special? Oh you only get the special if you order an alcoholic drink. Well thanks for telling me.

Long story short as Austin S would say: love the chefs, but everything else blows.

EDIT: To be fair, I was here another time once with a large party and we were seated in the patio. I think it was okay then, but I was too drunk to give a credible review :)

Quickie: No quickie. A good lady you always wait for.

Full: If I left my heart in San Francisco at Gregoire, I found a new and better one in Los Angeles at Grace. I've been waiting to go to the restaurant since I officially declared my food addiction in October 2008 (Thanks Yelp) and last Sunday my dream was finally fulfilled.

Not a single dream went unmatched. Grace felt like a symphony. And I was dancing. The orchestra was starting to tune its instruments, the flute plays a chord, the bass tunes the D string and the cymbals are starting to round out as the drummer takes his place. The conductor is still missing from the stage coated in black velvet dresses and satin black cummerbunds. The conductor (Neal Fraiser) arrives and there's silence...

The show lights come on, the stage is set, and the audience is waiting with bated breath. The violin starts up the first course with crab meat and snow peas, the percussion hit in with spinach & arugula salad, but the true star was the cello with her lobster thai soup, rich warm flavors that floated over your entire body. The piece is finished and the last note rings in the air. You can't believe you are here.

Only shortly after you are hit with the warm up piece comes the real master. Your heart is racing as the conductors arms start to sway, softly ringing in the winds, then the strings, then BANG. The gong goes off. Enter in Sautéed Wild Alaskan Salmon, Wild Boar, and the Grace Burger with truffle cheese.  It's your lucky day since the Grace burger is only available on Sundays, the  dry aged meat medium rare as the best way so the juice melts into the cheese and fleur de sel bun. You'll think the orchestra is only playing for you.

And when all the plates are empty and your heart is near tears, the room gets silent and cold. The conductor leaves the stage. How could it all be possibly over? How can you return to your drab life when you know this beauty exists and in such limited form?

But the orchestra hasn't left. And you can feel something in the pit of your stomach building. Hope. Your hands grip the cold metal railing and you wait. Something is coming. Your eyes open wide to the swift black coattails moving back across the stage. Alas, a new conductor (Mariah Swan) has arrived! And with the wave of her arm she brings in a caramel tequila milkshake, sticky toffee cake, and the creme de la creme: the salted caramel donut with brown butter popcorn ice cream. The caramel milkshake hits you like a shot of patron -- without the painful sting down your throat. Your tongue warms as with the sticky toffee cake's brûléed bananas and the sweet swirl of hazelnut gelato and toffee sauce. But pure beauty can only have one name, and that name is the salted caramel donut. A taste so pure, Fred the baker would wake up from his sleepy-eyed dream world.

Finally your eyes open again and the orchestra is leaving the stage. It wasn't a dream. This heaven really happened. And it all started with the wave of a baton...

Don't let the bill make you cry. You know it was worth it.

What a lovely surprise.

4:30 afternoon on a Sunday. Unusual traffic getting there but it turned out to be worth the trip. Store is a small mom and pop shop. You hit the ice cream immediately. Lots of great flavors -- saffron pistachio, orange blossom, saffron, and passion fruit.

Tried saffron and passionfruit. Loved saffron -- creamy, rich flavor. The passionfruit was milkier than I expected, not very fruity. Still good though. Good stop for grabbing a quick ice cream.

Quickie: Time to leave your grocery store and open your heart to the wonders of the market. We're over stable and obvious baby. Ready to kick up a notch.

Full: In about 140 days, I move to the Bay. The beautiful, the amazing, the Baytastic San Francisco Bay. And to be honest, I'm excited. Quite excited. Why? Because the Bay is filled with my favorite kind of restaurant, the marketplace.

You know what I mean. You're getting tired of those painful, unexciting trips to Ralphs. You stare at the poor food in giant unattractively wrapped packaging. The plastic cutting off the air supply of all those cheeses, and meats, and the terrible paper packages that contain smothered seasoning. It's heart breaking. You want to rescue the sets of powdered garlic from their plastic bags, you need to free yourself from processed artificial cheese, and frostbitten meat. You're so used to it all and you want to get out. You want to eat a snickers bar cupcake while you anxiously stare down the quiche. Oh Joan's, are you ready to rescue me?

Clean and white, you feel a little like heaven Joan. As soon as you walk in your eyes start to cheat on Ralphs. Stable, faithful Ralphs. She just doesn't satisfy you anymore. You're too attracted to everything else in the room. Easter chocolates straight in front, quail eggs and chocolate covered peeps. If you manage to make it past the Easter delights on the left, you'll be ready to scarf down the mushroom plates, the eggplant, the fried chicken. Maybe a bite or two of that delicious looking mac & cheese. You think you're finished and you wander over to the table on the other side to start eating. But you barely make it four feet before your eyes set themselves on apricot bars, chocolate marshmellow and vanilla raspberry cupcakes. Oh God. I melt thinking about them.

Two more steps forward and you hit the motherload. Salad dressings, soups. Is that crushed almond in the corner? Premade chicken pot pies and sorbets. You're going to give it all up for this. You feel your ears get warmer, your body starts to shake, you want it all.

Joan's is incredible. She's better than whoever you currently seeing: Ralphs, Vons, whoever. They pale in comparison. Joan's will get it done. She always does.

I have to agree with James P. here. Service is weak. Really weak. They make you feel like a total interloper. Like going rock climbing is not esoteric enough that you already feel awkward when you don't know what you are doing.

They won't let you use grigri belay devices (not even your own) which is quite unusual I'm told from a friend who used to compete. They're also pretty pricey ($24 for a day pass versus $16 at Hangar 18).

There's zero parking (by zero I mean two spots) because the gym is in the middle of an office plaza. Overall, not the place to go.

Ordered for delivery. This is the same Thai Trio in the UV -- but available for delivery and also has plenty of inside seating.

Tom Kah was super sour but delicious. I wish they labeled what everything was -- ordered for a big group so that was not easy. But aside from that everything else was great. Food was very good. They drove out on campus to deliver the food and helped me carry it back to our building since the building is not connected to a main road.

Would definitely order again. Maybe get some kind of curry or noodle dish...those were very tasty.