Michael E.'s Profile

As I was ordering my malt, I half expected Biff Tannen to walk in and pick a fight with me.

They did an excellent job of recreating an old soda fountain environment, with all the old stools, meticulous tile floor, old wood counters and music of the era playing over the speakers. I even wanted to shoo the woman on her laptop out the door to get a more authentic experience. Man, all kinds of real ice cream in the counter as you walk in, and you're tempted for sure... But you just get pulled in to the back as you can see the soda jerk flaunting skills comparable to some of the highest end mixologists in the city. And you're not disappointed by the experience or the concoction.

I ordered a 'Too Good to Be True' and my date ordered 'My Girlfriend's Girlfriend'. Hers was more in line with a refreshing Italian Soda, but mine was a malt loaded with butterscotch syrup, molasses, TWO raw egs, ice, heavy cream and a myraid of other little flavors pulled from the bottles on the bar. A wonderfully rich indulgence that is as close to a too good to be true malt. I was surprised I drank it so fast, actually.

I have heard their sundaes are something to behold as well, so I may have to hit the gym first a few times before I attempt that on my return.

I have big thighs. I am not ashamed of this, it is a simple fact of life. However, it makes buying/owning jeans problematic. Big thighs + walking a lot = big fat holes in my jeans. Every single pair of jeans I've ever owned has blown out in the crotchal region. Expensive jeans that are perfect everywhere else but with giant, worn out rips on the inner thigh. I tried patching a really expensive pair that I loved and it looked ridiculous, so I hid them in a storage bin, hoping one day I'd figure it out. And then I found out about Denim Therapy. For two years these jeans waited to be repaired, so I pulled them out and shipped them to New York.

After a couple weeks I received my jeans and I was ecstatic. They mimicked the stitching in my Diesels and, unless you were closely examining my crotch (bad joke in there somewhere, sorry), there is really no way to tell that they were patched. For about $60 I saved my favorite pair of jeans and I'm guessing they'll go out of style before they wear out this time, with such amazing reinforcement stitching.

I am told that this is the healthiest lunch in San Francisco. At least that's what I'm told by a big fan of Urban Picnic. I have to admit, it's hard to disagree.

As the years trudge on and my waistline gets a bit wider, I've been trying to seek out these healthy lunch spots. I'm on a regimen of salad only lunches for the most part these days, and they certainly deliver. As a creature of habit I tend to lean on the Apple-a-Day salad with blue cheese and apple slices. The quinoa salad was pretty tasty the last I checked, as is their bahn mi, which I believe their version is made with the health conscious in mind. Their service is super fast, especially if you get in under the lunch rush like I did today. My only complaint is you sort of get bottle necked at the fun scrawled, but hard to read menus in line. So you dance with other customers in a game of 'oh, go ahead, I'm still deciding.'

Small price to pay if it will help me look less rotund, right?

Brunch can end up being a bit of a rough and tumble event, especially on Sundays. First you have to fight for a spot with everyone having the same idea. And chances are you're going to wake up late and hungover and the prospect of waiting in line somewhere for an hour with only coffee to sustain your stomach that's working on tearing itself apart. That just sounds like a brutal endeavor to put yourself through. And if you're in a relationship, the hunger can make you both snippy with one another, which is always a fun added bonus. I'm not trying to be a downer here, I'm just presenting the facts of what brunch can turn into. Which is why I am a serious repeat customer at Nob Hill Grille.

One of the best, most underrated brunch spots around. Very rarely is the wait over 30 minutes, especially if it's just two or three of you. The place is a bit small, so it's better suited for two tops. You can sit at the bar and watch some random sport like bowling while you eat some of the most delicious vanilla brioche French Toast you can smell as soon as you walk in. Or, these days I always go back to the build your own omlette/scramble with home fries to have a less syrupy, and more savory breakfast. The place is cozy, the environment is young and fun and nobody's stressed. It's sort of hard to feel anything but relaxed with the sunlight pouring in the windows up on Nob Hill.

I have to admit I haven't tried dinner here yet, which, judging by the other reviews is a grave mistake on my part. The Grille is just such a wonderful, feel-good go-to spot for me in the early afternoon of the weekends these days, I haven't given dinner a chance.

Whoa, Varnish is back and it's looking shiny as ever. This was one of my favorite galleries in the Financial District, and it closed down awhile ago. Yet one more place to clear my head as a gallery goer during lunch hour or after work disappeared. But the new Varnish has emerged in the small little alleyway by Yank Sing on Jessie St. They have an amazing, newly remodeled space with unique wooden doors and light pouring in their huge windows. They're only open by appointment right now, but they already have their typical set of funky, contemporary pieces on display. They no longer have a beer and wine bar, but the rumor is that their catered events  will help with some bites and libations. They'll also be available for private events.

I received a personal tour this afternoon and can't wait until they are up and running in full force again. So, to be fair, I'll hold onto one star until I get the 'open to the public' experience. I have a feeling they'll earn it pretty quick.

I really need to stop moving. Seriously, since going on hiatus and coming back to the city, my semi-permanence in any one apartment is starting to wear on me. That said, I found a great new pad and really didn't want to move myself this time. I made a last minute decision to hire movers and landed on these guys. They fit me into their schedule despite my lack of planning and gave me an up front estimate and let me know when the guys would be showing up.

The crew, Conrad and Arif, showed up exactly on time, swooped into my box-filled apartment and started packing my stuff in the truck like they had memorized the contents of my apartment. Most of my stuff was packed, but the loose ends that weren't they took care of with an efficiency and effectiveness I've never seen. They wrapped everything up carefully and didn't damage a thing. The whole process took pretty much the amount of time they told me with 10 or 15 minutes to spare.

I've recommended City Movers to a couple friends who were moving at the same time I was and they had the exact same experience. Nice, honest fellas, the whole lot of 'em. Makes moving not such a daunting task, but let's hope I don't have to do it again for awhile.

My face just exploded eating their Rueben's Cousin. I have not tasted better sauerkraut in my life. I guarantee you they have some old guy named Klaus in lederhosen chained out back stirring up his secret family recepe, knee-deep in cabbage. The sandwich was the size of my forearm and the corned beef was sliced and diced perfectly into little pieces. And despite the fact that it's pouring rain today, my sandwich was still hot and dry. Definitely worth the wait and the price.

Seriously, I'm sitting here picking every possible stray clump of sauerkraut out of the sammie wrapper and my keyboard to eat. What's wrong with me?

Reuben. Green Bay Packer football. In proximity to bar. Um, awesome.

Also, the woman behind the counter said, "I'm going to guess which bar you're at. Kilowatt? Nope. Delerium? Nope. Elixir?" Nice. Three guesses = $3 tip.

Oh, and free Boston Baked Beans. And the Packers won. Everyone won today.

Most passerby's will probably raise their nose at a corporation invading the wonderful boutique laden Valencia street. Well, for those people, I hope you have a booger in your nostril so other pedestrians can laugh at you. This is not just a Levi's store with the requisite clothing, although you can buy some of their latest fashion releases, which is convenient.

However, in line with their new marketing campaign, 'We Are All Workers,' Levi's has set up a full on print production house in this building. As a designer, it's like crack to me. They have an old school letterpress, silkscreen areas, computers to help design, movable type strewn everywhere and a cool little rubber stamp station for the artist looking for a bit more simplicity.

They hold workshops and talks and you can sign up and actually go create art in the store. Words cannot express what an amazing concept I find this to be. Levi's jeans were invented for the hard working people, here in San Francisco, in fact, in the 1870s. And this store is reliving that concept. Brilliant marketing, in my opinion.

This gritty little gem iis one of the coolest concept stores I've seen since 826 Valencia. I even got to meet Stefan Sagmeister (design geek alert) and talk with him briefly at a workshop earlier this month.

Seriously, just go peek in the window if anything to see all the people in aprons tediously printing away. Or go in and see all the posters on the wall, the glass box filled with hundreds of Levi's jean buttons, then take a clothespin on your way out as a keepsake.

Great brand of jeans, amazing marketing and concept and all around cool hangout for people who don't mind getting their hands a little dirty. Hey, you're in the Mission, your hands probably already are anyway.

Someone once told me, "Oh hey, I ran into Michael. He was at this sandwich shop. Oh hey, I ran into Michael he was at this other sandwich shop." It's funny that people run into me in sandwich shops more than bars, but I do love my sammie.

Well, my new favorite is King Foot, which I'm guessing is a name blending of Bigfoot and King Kong. I mean, they'll make you a big sub, and that's a clever name. I'm very critical of sandwiches, and while Ike's is unstoppable and Mr. Pickle's is hands down my favorite (pesto!) this is a good go-to for something delicious. Their bread is always fresh and they have shaved lettuce, which, in my opinion, is a must have for a perfect deli style sub. The mustard they use is delicious and the veggies are always fresh and never disappoint.

The best part, however, is looking at the weird ephemera on the walls while you wait. They have screen shots from 'Dances With Wolves', San Francisco photos, Elivis and not one, but two photos of gumball machines with hard boiled eggs in them. I'm sorry, what now? That, and their t-shirt logo is rad. And the t-shirts are orange. Oh, and the ram horns above the counter with sunglasses. And speakers that rival half the bars in this city. What is with this place, I have no clue. But it's a good sandwich and popping in here always makes me smile.