phil h.'s Profile

One of the hottest new ventures in town, Mission Bowling Center fills a void that's been missing in this part of town - a great place for food, drinks and entertainment. The scene is hip but not pretentious, the staff friendly despite being swamped since day 1, and I can definitely picture myself drinking one too many cocktails on the patio on a warm afternoon.

I've been to MBC three times so far...once to bowl, once for drinks and a third time for brunch and have yet to be disappointed. Some highlights: the fried chicken and waffles (whereas the chicken is INSIDE the waffle - genius!), the blackened salmon and, of course, the Mission Burger. Not in the mood for a (well made) $10 cocktail? Belly up to the bar for a $3 PBR and some great people watching. $15 Mission Burger too rich for your blood? Come at happy hour when it's only $10.

All that being said, it begs the question: is Mission Bowling Center a bowling alley with kick ass food or an awesome restaurant with a side of bowling? I'm not quite sure but I think I'll have to keep coming back until I figure it out.

As much as I want you to read this review, you need to do me a favorite first and open up another window and make a reservation at State Bird Provisions. Go ahead, I'll wait. Trust me, it's a good idea to do so now while there are still reservations to be had...if my dinner last night is any indication, a seat at SBP will be a hot ticket in no time.

While being listed under tapas, the cuisine at State Bird Provisions is more like Hipster Dim Sum (Hip Sum?) You have the option of ordering off a set menu as well as picking items off trays and/or a cart being wheeled around the dining room by a friendly, knowledgeable staff. We ended up trying at least 10 different items and left stuffed to the gills. Highlights included duck neck dumplings, beef cheek salad with a bone marrow dressing, homemade potato chips with trout roe, duck prosciutto, pickled veggies with beef tongue, duck rillette with the most amazing financiers and pork belly & clams w/ kimchi stew.

Yes, I listed a lot of highlights but truth be told, everything was fantastic. Actually, the one item I wasn't over the top excited about was the fried quail - it was good but I was glad we ordered the half portion, the hip sum items proved to be the stars. Oh, we also had some great desserts, definitely leave room! (and at prices ranging from $2-$6, it's easy to order a few to split)

State Bird Provisions may be my new favorite restaurant in San Francisco (sorry, Frances) It's easy to create your own 10-12 course tasting menu without breaking the bank, and the atmosphere is incredibly hip and laid back for the quality of the food being produced. Good stuff, I'll be back soon!

Hey there...I need a stack of washers to help fill the gap on this door knob here. What? You can cut it down for me for $3? Sweet!

How about a bunch of rubber bands to fix this thingamabob? Oh wait, you have a 25 cent rubber gasket that'll fit perfect? Dude!!

Keys? Cutting board? Compost bin? Dish soap? Aisles 1, 3, 4 and 6.

The crew at Cole Hardware have helped me out more times than I care to admit, always with a smile on their faces and a treat for my dog. Plus I usually walk out spending way less than I planned. Sounds like a win win to me!

The Brooklyn Inn is my kind of joint. It toes the line between dive and swank just right, the bartenders (especially Joe) know how to make a drink and there's even a pool table in the back in case you want to impress your date.

Now if only there was a way to transport this place to San Francisco...

Miller High Life might be the champagne of beers but there's no way in hell it should cost $4 a bottle, especially at a place as divey as the Dogpatch Saloon.

For years I had heard about the Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern. To me it had become the stuff of legend, almost taking on mythic proportions, like a unicorn or the g-spot. After finally wrapping my mouth around one (the burger, silly) I can honestly say that this was the best damn burger I've ever had.

Part of the problem with getting the Black Label Burger is actually getting into Minetta Tavern. As luck would have it, on my most recent visit to NY Minetta had just started serving lunch during the week and the word must not have been out yet as the bar was empty at 2pm on a Friday. We bellied up to the bar and were in the capable hands of our bartender Cam,  who made us a number of perfectly executed cocktails while regaling us with New York stories.

The burger arrives and was perfection on a bun. Ordered medium rare and it was cooked a true medium rare, pink on the inside and a nice charr on the outside. No cheese needed, just some caramelized onions and a huge stack of hot, crunchy fries.

If you're a burger fiend you need to try the Black Label Burger. At $26 it's one of the priciest burgers that I've had but it was worth every penny. My suggestion: belly up to the bar during lunch, ask Cam to make your favorite cocktail, and prepare for a full on burgergasm.

Drinks are 2 for 1 at happy hour, and happy hour runs from noon - 8pm!

10 Degrees was the perfect spot to get a group together for happy hour and once we were nice and buzzed from the cheap drinks we were able to stumble over to Crif Dogs for some drunken tots and dogs. Good stuff.

My second visit to Barcade wasn't as enjoyable as my first. I always scoff at people who say that a bartender ignore them but the bartender literally served everyone on either side of me for a good 20 minutes before I got a beer. Plus on a Saturday night the place was packed with dudes and the line for Galaga was five deep.

I still love the beer selection and all the vintage arcade games but if I do go back to Barcade it will be during the week for happy hour so I know I'll get a beer and play some games without waiting an eternity.

I would like to hug the inventor of the pretzel croissant. Best damn idea ever.

I was in New York for 6 days and had coffee from Café Pedlar 4 of those days. The staff were always friendly with me, the latte (using Stumptown beans) always perfect and the olive oil cake from Frankies Spuntino was to die for.

Grab a book and head over to Café Pedlar for a great place to waste away your afternoon.