Caroline I.'s Profile

the positive: cheap drinks and their soju cocktails are good.

the negative: lots and lots of annoying barely-legal college kids running around. just not my thing anymore - maybe i'm just old now. meh.

i would give them a one-star rating based on their coffee alone. their lattes are some of the worst i've ever had. either they have absolutely NO kick to it and taste like milk, or they burn the espresso really badly. ick.

but...their almond croissants are AMAZING!!!

ARRRRRRRR....pirate bar!!! smuggler's cove is not your average tiki bar. the cocktail list is impressive and LONG - so many to choose from! the bartenders all know what they're doing, and the drinks are finely created.

the puka punch is pretty epic, and the scorpion bowl and volcano are pretty impressive - and massive!

and beware - some of the drinks are deceptively strong! (i'm talking to you, puka punch!)

it does get a bit crowded in here and is hard to find seating in here, which is a problem if you order a fire-lit drink like the scorpion and volcano. but man, this place is awesome.

i had zero expectations when i arrived at don pistos (what is a mexican restaurant doing in the heart of north beach anyhow?), but i was pretty impressed by the time i left!

a group of us came here for dinner one night (one of my friends is trying to conquer the 7x7 list and the hamburgesa is on it). it was pretty empty when we got there, but it got steadily busier and busier as we ate our meal. we all ordered the hamburgesa, and two of us also got the carnitas tacos to share. it's all meant to be eaten tapas-style, but the hamburgesa is definitely more than enough to feed one. it was pretty awesome - it's a hamburger patty with bacon and onions,  topped with guacamole. deliciousness!!!! definitely deserving of the "things you must eat before you die" label.

the tacos were quite good as well. those are on the smaller side, and definitely designed to be eaten tapas-style. they also give you chips and salsa, and the salsa is awesome! it's not your average variety - it's a very refreshing green salsa.

servers are attentive and friendly and the prices are very reasonable! the restaurant has a cozy, classy feel - it's not your average mexican joint.

definitely coming back!

i accompanied my friend here on her quest to conquer the 7x7 list. one of the things on there is the burger at bar tartine, so that's what we ordered. it definitely was excellent!!! one of the better burgers i've had in my life. the meat was cooked perfectly, juicy, flavorful and sandwiched between a lovely tartine bread bun.

our waitress was pretty awesome as well. she must have thought we were crazy, but she was very sweet!

delicious!!!

the burgers are super juicy and flavorful, and the sweet potato fries are pretty bomb. they've got some unique offerings. i went with the BBQ though...the sauce was perfectly tangy.

the best part of my meal, though - salted caramel shake!!!!!

not crazy about the order-at-the-counter process because there was a confusion about my fries order, but oh well.

it's not katana-ya, and not the most amazing bowl of ramen you'll ever have, but it's still pretty good...especially for $6.50! and with no wait either.

fairly decent alternative to katana-ya when you don't want to wait outside for 20 minutes.

came here for happy hour with a friend after a particularly horrid monday at work. this girl needed a drink - BADLY!!! we both ordered a persephone's kiss to drink (pomegranate, triple sec and vodka, i think it was) - it was STRONG!! (which may be exactly what i needed at the time, lol). we ordered a couple of things to nibble on and loooooooooooved the patatas bravas! the aioli that came with it was amazing. the empanadas were tasty as well.

our waitress was quite sweet and helpful too.

sens definitely made my terrible monday a bit better.

my coworker and i were in the mood for tapas, so we ended up here one night. we both really enjoyed our experience here! we both ordered drinks - the cocktail selection here is pretty unique and diverse. i got the fresca fresca which had cachaca with strawberries, lime and cucumber. it was the perfect mix of fruity and refreshing - yum! my coworker went with the guava bellini which was quite delicious as well.

we ordered a ton of food - the croquetas (fried ham and cheese croquettes), llapingachos (potato pancakes, which are pronounced jah-pingachos), the churrasco (grilled beef, sunny-side up egg, spinach salad, rice and plantains), and the guava dessert empanadas. they also brought out a little bit of the habas fritas (fried fava beans), which were super tasty and made the perfect pre-meal snack while we were sipping on our cocktails and waiting for our food. my favorites were the llapingachos - you can't go wrong with the combination of potatoes and cheese - and the croquetas. the churrasco was also good, although a bit too well done for "medium, " but the plantains that came with them were delicious!!!

the service was awesome as well. the servers and the owner (i think?) were all very friendly and knowledgeable when we asked for recommendations and had questions about the menu.

the only disappointment were the guava empanadas. it was encrusted with sugar and salt, but it was WAY more salt than sugar - it was WAY too salty. yuck.

all in all, i quite enjoyed this place and will be back!

daiso on market - yay!!!

where else can you buy random crap that you don't *really* need but end up throwing in your basket because 1) it's cute, 2) it's cheap, 3) it's cool-looking, or 4) you *might* find a use for it...eventually?! and hell, you can even find some stuff that's useful and that you DO actually need!

seriously, you can find pretty much anything at daiso - stationery, baskets and plastic organizers, kitchen stuff, japanese snacks, even craft supplies and umbrellas!

it's a bit small, but it's bigger and less cramped than the j-town location (though they are expanding that one). cash only - probably the only other pitfall.