Jean K.'s Profile
Date
214 Sutter St
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 399-9992
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 399-9992
Fiona's Sweetshoppe
Categories:
Candy Stores,
Chocolatiers and Shops
Neighborhood: Union Square
I thought Miette's was the only old fashioned candy shop in town but now it turns out that Fiona's also serves the same niche but even more conveniently located downtown near my office. The selection of candies is not as broad but still pretty good. If you know me then you know that I'm after salty licorice and Fiona's does not disappoint with 3 different salty licorice from the Netherlands. Again, not the same great selection as Miette's but still pretty good. And it's only a 15 minute walk from work. They also have a great selection of English candy bars. I have my eye on the giant bar of Cadbury's fruit and nuts for $7.
721 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 538-3437
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 538-3437
Super Duper
Category:
Burgers
Neighborhoods: Union Square, SOMA
I guess Super Duper is horning in on In-N-Out territory - the cheap straightforward hamburger. On that front, I think they're doing a pretty good job. I like the burgers here more than In-N-Out. Yeah, they are twice the price but in reality that just means they're just a few dollars more. What you get for that is a good greasy burger. It's ground beef is kinda loosely put together into a patty then fried. Not sure what kind of meat they use but with that first bit burger juice just gushed out of the bottom requiring 4 paper towels to mop up, just to put it into context. Still, it's a good burger. Pace yourself though because you'll feel it later. And while you're there don't forget to order the fries. Very good skinny fries. I also liked the butter pickles they have on the counter (we certainly helped ourselves).
Be sure to be here before noon. When we came at 11:45 we got to stroll right up to the front. However, by 12:15 the lines was out the door onto the sidewalk.
Be sure to be here before noon. When we came at 11:45 we got to stroll right up to the front. However, by 12:15 the lines was out the door onto the sidewalk.
Mosto is one of those places that always brings to mind the question, why do they bother having waitstaff serving the tables if they aren't actually going to help you? At least it's not as bad as some places where they bark at you for going to get drinks at the bar. The waitress was very good about bringing us drink menus and taking our first orders. Afterwards we were only able to view her from a distance. Yes, only a distance of a few feet but that's what made it even worse. She was tantalizingly close yet just out of reach. And it was so loud it was hard to get a hold of her - no one really wants to shout down a waitress. To get around this issue people chose to order drinks at the bar or would eye-stalk her and then jump up and grab her as soon as she got close. Go to the bar. It's hard to have a conversation with someone when they are eye-stalking the waitress.
The other annoying thing was that the waitress we had did not believe in bringing change. Maybe she's used to a $5 tip on a $5 juice drink but that was not my intention. Yes, I realize I could have asked for change. But in the middle of catching up with friends, eye-stalking the table (thinking maybe she brought it and I just missed it) then eye-stalking the waitress who was never around it was half an hour before I got a chance then I felt like it was may be too late. So lesson learned. Leave exact change.
Other than the issues above, the place is nice. Definitely a step up from the usual Mission bar. I asked my friend, where did these people come here? Where are the hipsters? We came to the conclusion that after work Mosto draws the weekend/restaurant Mission crowd. Older hipsters, better dressed. Around 6 it's empty and easy to talk. By 7 the place will be packed and you'll have to shout.
The other annoying thing was that the waitress we had did not believe in bringing change. Maybe she's used to a $5 tip on a $5 juice drink but that was not my intention. Yes, I realize I could have asked for change. But in the middle of catching up with friends, eye-stalking the table (thinking maybe she brought it and I just missed it) then eye-stalking the waitress who was never around it was half an hour before I got a chance then I felt like it was may be too late. So lesson learned. Leave exact change.
Other than the issues above, the place is nice. Definitely a step up from the usual Mission bar. I asked my friend, where did these people come here? Where are the hipsters? We came to the conclusion that after work Mosto draws the weekend/restaurant Mission crowd. Older hipsters, better dressed. Around 6 it's empty and easy to talk. By 7 the place will be packed and you'll have to shout.
754 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 292-7089
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 292-7089
farm:table
Categories:
Coffee & Tea,
Breakfast & Brunch,
American (New)
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Only came here for coffee so I that's all I can comment on. The mocha is according to the board, made of 60% tcho chocolate. How could I pass it up? Good chocolate and coffee is one yummy mason jar glass.
The place is TINY though. I'm not sure if I can stress this enough. I craned my neck wondering if there was a chance that the mirror was really a trick and there was more room in back. Nope. There's a communal table that seats a cozy 6 and then two tables out on the sidewalk that seat 3 each. That's it. Looks like a lot people get stuff to go here and that's what I recommend.
The place is TINY though. I'm not sure if I can stress this enough. I craned my neck wondering if there was a chance that the mirror was really a trick and there was more room in back. Nope. There's a communal table that seats a cozy 6 and then two tables out on the sidewalk that seat 3 each. That's it. Looks like a lot people get stuff to go here and that's what I recommend.
720 Howard St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 495-9800
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 495-9800
B Restaurant & Bar
Category:
American (New)
Neighborhood: SOMA
I will say that I actually never had a chance to experience B Bar in full. I recommended it as a good happy hour location to my colleagues but got caught up with work so couldn't leave until much later. I was only an hour late but by the time I showed up they were nowhere to be found. I wandered around and although I saw staff placed around the bar, there was no host to speak to. I had to go up to a member of the staff whose only responsibility I could surmise was guarding the end of the bar. My suspicions were confirmed, there were no basement rooms, my group was gone.
Turns out that they had gone to Jillians due to the poor service at B Bar. It was a big group and they weren't stupid, they called ahead to let the bar know they were coming and also pre-ordered drinks. Yet the bar staff was completely unprepared when they actually showed up. They were seated outside and after 45 minutes only received 3 drinks even though the bar was empty. Needless to say it was a very unhappy hour so they paid for their drinks and left.
I was pretty embarrassed since I recommended the bar in the first place but I won't be making that mistake again!
Turns out that they had gone to Jillians due to the poor service at B Bar. It was a big group and they weren't stupid, they called ahead to let the bar know they were coming and also pre-ordered drinks. Yet the bar staff was completely unprepared when they actually showed up. They were seated outside and after 45 minutes only received 3 drinks even though the bar was empty. Needless to say it was a very unhappy hour so they paid for their drinks and left.
I was pretty embarrassed since I recommended the bar in the first place but I won't be making that mistake again!
I personally love the dosa/south Inidan food trend. I only wish it would pick up steam. Why is everyone into pizza and burgers when doses are languishing on the sidelines?
Luckily for me Ruchi is not that far from work so I can get my fix whenever I want. I don't know how I've managed to miss this place which has been open for a few years. Went today for the first time for lunch. You order at the counter then find a seat. Don't be confused by the nice staff who may show you to a table and take drink orders. You still have to order at the counter. This is important or you may end up chatting at your table waiting for someone to take your order, wasting precious minutes when they could be cooking your food.
Maybe this isn't normally a big deal but when we showed up at 12:30 the place was mostly empty. Fifteen minutes later the tables were full and there was a line to order - all handled by only one cook in the kitchen. It was 1:10 by the time the first food came to our table and it took another 10 minutes for all 5 orders to come out.
So service speed is slow to say the least, but what about the food? It's authentically spicy - not turning down the heat for the Americans, or even if it's not crazy Indian spicy it's still pretty spicy - and pretty delish. I'd say at least on par with Dosa on Valencia St. The curry is very tasty as is the dose. I tried the...
* lamb curry thali - very good and spicy
* Pesarattu - very spicy, when they say green chilies they mean it
Stick to the South Indian food - a friend from Madras says any dosas or anything with coconut or tamarind (they helpfully mark house specialities on the menu). Don't order chicken tike masala and expect it to be outstanding.
I'm interested in coming back to try some more curries for lunch but will try to come early and get carry out.
4 stars for food, 2 stars for service
Luckily for me Ruchi is not that far from work so I can get my fix whenever I want. I don't know how I've managed to miss this place which has been open for a few years. Went today for the first time for lunch. You order at the counter then find a seat. Don't be confused by the nice staff who may show you to a table and take drink orders. You still have to order at the counter. This is important or you may end up chatting at your table waiting for someone to take your order, wasting precious minutes when they could be cooking your food.
Maybe this isn't normally a big deal but when we showed up at 12:30 the place was mostly empty. Fifteen minutes later the tables were full and there was a line to order - all handled by only one cook in the kitchen. It was 1:10 by the time the first food came to our table and it took another 10 minutes for all 5 orders to come out.
So service speed is slow to say the least, but what about the food? It's authentically spicy - not turning down the heat for the Americans, or even if it's not crazy Indian spicy it's still pretty spicy - and pretty delish. I'd say at least on par with Dosa on Valencia St. The curry is very tasty as is the dose. I tried the...
* lamb curry thali - very good and spicy
* Pesarattu - very spicy, when they say green chilies they mean it
Stick to the South Indian food - a friend from Madras says any dosas or anything with coconut or tamarind (they helpfully mark house specialities on the menu). Don't order chicken tike masala and expect it to be outstanding.
I'm interested in coming back to try some more curries for lunch but will try to come early and get carry out.
4 stars for food, 2 stars for service
1494 California St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 202-8521
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 202-8521
Olea
Categories:
American (New),
Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Okay, I know the owner but that's not why I come here. We're friends in that ex-colleague who get along and run into each other every 6 months kind of way. I don't get any special treatment or get comped any food when eating here. So even though my friend has been telling me to try the brunch here for ages - and I mean ages, like 3 years - I admit I'm lazy when it comes to brunch. I don't like getting up early on the weekend and if I have to to get dressed to gout to eat before noon I prefer it to be close to home. So if it makes me a bad friend, sue me.
In those 3 years I've managed to befriend someone who lives in Nob Hill, so naturally when he suggested brunch (yes, men do sometimes suggest brunch) Olea was the first thing that popped into my head. After much debate over whether brunch should be closer to breakfast or lunch, we settled on 10:30 AM. Good thing I didn't get my way because it put us at the top of the waitlist when we arrived. The restaurant was already full and as we loitered not eh sidewalk outside more people kept showing up and putting their names down. Apparently Olea is the place the go for brunch and I'm the last person to figure this out.
When we sat down it was apparent that the brunch item to order was eggs. Any egg item if you into savory brunches. Between us we were tempted by and ordered all three egg options: eggs baked in cazuela, flat omelette and standard stuffed omelette. I was only able to try the eggs in cazuela and flat omelette.
* large carafe of blue bottle coffee - enough for 3 people plus another round
* eggs baked in cazuela (with ground pork, bacon, kale, cannelini beans, tortilla chips) - comes with homemade hot sauce which is super hot but goes so well with this dish if you can stand the heat, great combination of flavors and textures, I love tortilla chips in soups and stews so maybe I'm partial
* flat omelette (with andouille sausage bits, chinese long beans, oaxaca cheese) - I actually liked this even more than the cazuela dish, the sausage and long beans were super tasty
I would definitely recommend Olea for brunch. They do a great job of mixing up standard brunch items with unusual ingredients to make something new and even tastier. Why have plain eggs for brunch when you can have eggs Olea style?
In those 3 years I've managed to befriend someone who lives in Nob Hill, so naturally when he suggested brunch (yes, men do sometimes suggest brunch) Olea was the first thing that popped into my head. After much debate over whether brunch should be closer to breakfast or lunch, we settled on 10:30 AM. Good thing I didn't get my way because it put us at the top of the waitlist when we arrived. The restaurant was already full and as we loitered not eh sidewalk outside more people kept showing up and putting their names down. Apparently Olea is the place the go for brunch and I'm the last person to figure this out.
When we sat down it was apparent that the brunch item to order was eggs. Any egg item if you into savory brunches. Between us we were tempted by and ordered all three egg options: eggs baked in cazuela, flat omelette and standard stuffed omelette. I was only able to try the eggs in cazuela and flat omelette.
* large carafe of blue bottle coffee - enough for 3 people plus another round
* eggs baked in cazuela (with ground pork, bacon, kale, cannelini beans, tortilla chips) - comes with homemade hot sauce which is super hot but goes so well with this dish if you can stand the heat, great combination of flavors and textures, I love tortilla chips in soups and stews so maybe I'm partial
* flat omelette (with andouille sausage bits, chinese long beans, oaxaca cheese) - I actually liked this even more than the cazuela dish, the sausage and long beans were super tasty
I would definitely recommend Olea for brunch. They do a great job of mixing up standard brunch items with unusual ingredients to make something new and even tastier. Why have plain eggs for brunch when you can have eggs Olea style?
1 Previous Review:
-
11/14/2007
I was initially a little nervous about eating here. Not that I had heard anything bad, in fact nothing but rave reviews. But rather that my friend Glen B owns this restaurant (along with chef Gabe) and what if I didn't like it? What would I write in my review? That would be really awkward.
Thankfully, the dilemma is now all a moot point because I had such an enjoyable time. The menu is composed of local organic items and is different every week. This is the type of food I try to make at home and it's good to see a restaurant do the same thing (only much much better of course).
I shared a grilled shrimp on riso venero (3 shrimp on a bed of black rice). It looked simple but was really tasty. The shrimp were nicely grilled to get that flavor but not overdone. The riso venero were a suprise I'd never tried before.
Then had the duck breast with potato and kale "salad" and yellow beans as the main course. The duck was sliced into bite size pieces already (a real plus if you've ever tried to saw through a duck breast on a nice date) with the fat still attached. I love fat! Of course I also got to sample hubby's steak and a lot of his parsnip (??) chips.
At first, when I saw these dishes (appetizers and entrees) I did think , as a lot of other reviewers did, that they seemed rather small. But I underestimated the impact of the food. The meat was so good and so rich and filling I didn't need any more than was provided.
Dessert. All I can say is cheesecake. It's three layers of goodiness. Nice and light, not heavy like a lot of cheesecakes. Only the top layer is traditional cheesecake but then they take a torch to it so it's crispy like a creme brulee. I'm a sucker for the creme brulee topping.
This is a great place to come for a relaxing evening with real food. This is not a place to come and wolf down food, but rather a place to eat a real meal with actual conversation. We were there for over two hours and never felt rushed. The dishes came out at a good pace. I left feeling happy and satisfied.
Total for 4 people including one shared bottle of wine, two shared appetizers, four entrees, three desserts, and two coffees was $160 (+ tip). Not bad for a great night out with friends.
Note: Just to be clear, Glen B did not bribe me to eat here with special amuse bouche, discounts, or anything - very disappointing :-).
Bike Parking: street signs on the corner of Hyde and California St.
88 Hardie Pl
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 989-2222
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 989-2222
Galette 88
Category:
Creperies
Neighborhood: Financial District
For this of you unfamiliar with galettes, like if you never got a chance to visit Ti Couz, or if you think that real galettes/crepes are like what they serve at Crepevine, let me enlighten you. Think of a galette as proportionally more like a quesadilla rather than a burrito. The emphasis is as much on the wrapper as on the filling. If you are more of have to eat an entire 1 lb burrito to have a satisfying lunch type of guy, then you will not find a galette filling.
That said, Galette 88 does a mighty fine version of galette. It's served more open faced than wrapped, buy they have genuine griddles and use buckwheat flour. The toppings are pretty rich and do a great job with the combinations. I tried the Lumberjack ( (potatoes, ham, mushroom, cheese) and Meathead (sausage, bacon, caramelized onions, cheese). They were all very filling despite how they might appear. I wasn't able to even finish a whole galette and hubby skipped his usual afternoon snack afterwards.
The space itself is very modern. Large open room with high ceilings. Very urban industrial chick with cool hanging birch logs creating a little forest in the back corner. The big front windows allow you to watch the office drones across the alley (including a lovely view of a plastic derriere). Could make a great place to hang out in the middle of the afternoon with a yummy galette, glass of cider and a good book.
That said, Galette 88 does a mighty fine version of galette. It's served more open faced than wrapped, buy they have genuine griddles and use buckwheat flour. The toppings are pretty rich and do a great job with the combinations. I tried the Lumberjack ( (potatoes, ham, mushroom, cheese) and Meathead (sausage, bacon, caramelized onions, cheese). They were all very filling despite how they might appear. I wasn't able to even finish a whole galette and hubby skipped his usual afternoon snack afterwards.
The space itself is very modern. Large open room with high ceilings. Very urban industrial chick with cool hanging birch logs creating a little forest in the back corner. The big front windows allow you to watch the office drones across the alley (including a lovely view of a plastic derriere). Could make a great place to hang out in the middle of the afternoon with a yummy galette, glass of cider and a good book.
I've been to House of Nanking before and liked it (yes, it was late and we were drunk). So was hoping to recreate some of that magic at Fang. Unfortunately the magic didn't happen, in fact it was like the anti-magic and it's made me rethink my experience at House of Nanking and attribute most of that to the alcohol and very little to the food.
First, my expectations were something more along the lines of the Charles Phan enterprises. I'm okay with Americanized food. Does it matter as long as it's good? However, Fang is more like a dive restaurant which just happens to use good silverware and dishes but has retained many of the bad habits of a dive restaurant. Like uncaring staff. Like sloppy presentation with goop dripping down the side of the bowl. Like servers dropping food when trying to serve it onto our plates.
All would be forgiven if the food was good but it's simply not. The peking buns with duck came with the duck in big chunks instead of thinly sliced chunks. This made it impossible to eat without getting gristle stuck in teeth. I had to discreetly pick a piece out and my dining companion had to excuse himself to go to the bathroom to do the same. Ugh. Not a great start. The meat was combined in the bun with a very odd pickle - instead of a green onions and hoisin they use a kimchi like pickle. It was very jarring and unpleasant. For my main course I ordered braised pork spare ribs. They were dry and covered with a brown sauce. Brown sauce all over the ribs - all 5 of them the length of my thumb. And all over the old rice, which was actually okay since the rice was so bleh it needed the sauce for me to eat any of it. Old dry rice. Ugh.
What a waste of a business lunch opportunity! Never again!
First, my expectations were something more along the lines of the Charles Phan enterprises. I'm okay with Americanized food. Does it matter as long as it's good? However, Fang is more like a dive restaurant which just happens to use good silverware and dishes but has retained many of the bad habits of a dive restaurant. Like uncaring staff. Like sloppy presentation with goop dripping down the side of the bowl. Like servers dropping food when trying to serve it onto our plates.
All would be forgiven if the food was good but it's simply not. The peking buns with duck came with the duck in big chunks instead of thinly sliced chunks. This made it impossible to eat without getting gristle stuck in teeth. I had to discreetly pick a piece out and my dining companion had to excuse himself to go to the bathroom to do the same. Ugh. Not a great start. The meat was combined in the bun with a very odd pickle - instead of a green onions and hoisin they use a kimchi like pickle. It was very jarring and unpleasant. For my main course I ordered braised pork spare ribs. They were dry and covered with a brown sauce. Brown sauce all over the ribs - all 5 of them the length of my thumb. And all over the old rice, which was actually okay since the rice was so bleh it needed the sauce for me to eat any of it. Old dry rice. Ugh.
What a waste of a business lunch opportunity! Never again!
8 Claude Ln
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 362-1988
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 362-1988
Claudine
Categories:
American (New),
French
Neighborhood: Union Square
Though Claudine is related to Cafe Claude, the food is completely different. Whereas Cafe Claude is classic French bistro, Claudine is all contemporary Californian set in a a very cool urban space that makes you think you've wandered into some modern European movie set where beautiful people sip wine over a delicious lunch while debating the state of the EU. In fact, you could insert yourself exactly into that scene except for the drinking during lunch part if you have to go back to work (shh... don't tell anyone). The dining room is upstairs so you can surreptitiously spy on everyone walking by on Bush St. And if you're lucky a film crew will come by during lunch and you can end up on TV, contributing to the movie set effect.
The food is very good. This is the second time I've noticed lamb belly on a menu and I had to get it. I love lamb and what could be better than rich lamb belly? It's like pork belly but without that thick layer of fat and of course it tastes like lamb. Goes great with their belgian style beer. And don't forget to get dessert. Their smores puts all others to shame. A think layer of graham cracker crumbs followed by a chocolate granache and topped with home-made melted marshmallow topping. So good I hesitate to recommend sharing but it's super rich and filling.
The food is all euro-sized so don't be expecting to stuff yourself. Recommended for a nice lunch or ladies who lunch and not those looking for the most food they can get for $5 (you know who you are).
The food is very good. This is the second time I've noticed lamb belly on a menu and I had to get it. I love lamb and what could be better than rich lamb belly? It's like pork belly but without that thick layer of fat and of course it tastes like lamb. Goes great with their belgian style beer. And don't forget to get dessert. Their smores puts all others to shame. A think layer of graham cracker crumbs followed by a chocolate granache and topped with home-made melted marshmallow topping. So good I hesitate to recommend sharing but it's super rich and filling.
The food is all euro-sized so don't be expecting to stuff yourself. Recommended for a nice lunch or ladies who lunch and not those looking for the most food they can get for $5 (you know who you are).
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Location
San Francisco, CA
Yelping SinceNovember 2006
Things I Lovegood food, good cooking, good company
My HometownMidland, Michigan
Why You Should Read My Reviews"I have a deep dislike of eating--and paying for--badly prepared food." - DL
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadThe Good Soldiers (David Finkel)
My First ConcertR.E.M.
My Favorite MovieKhadak
My Last Meal On Earthhomemade potstickers
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I love combos - cheese pizza flavor.
Most Recent DiscoveryMeetup
Current Crushbike camping