Squeat Mungry

If you visit San Francisco, I hope you'll stop in at the Mario Botta-designed San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA -- full disclosure: I'm a member). If you do, have lunch at the cafe. The food is surprisingly good -- head and shoulders above what it was at the old location in the War Memorial Veteran's Building. Also check out the view at the cafe at the Palace of the Legion of Honor Museum and its Garden Terrace overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The food in this cafe is quite competent, though nothing stellar. The fairly new Asian Art Museum, housed in the re-architected former Main Library, has an open-air cafe offering a wide variety of fare from Bento boxes to rice bowls and sushi. The Asian also features a Japanese Tea Room which was created in Japan, disassembled and shipped, then reassembled in the Asian's Japanese Galleries on the second floor, complete with a traditional mizuya (kitchen). The museum offers a bi-monthly introduction to chanoyu, the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Cheers, Squeat

I thought condiments were used to REDUCE risk. Oh. Condiments. Never mind. Yeah, I like hot sauce, too!

Wow. Looking back I can't believe no one has mentioned the Mission District, the heart of San Francisco's Latino community, for some reason largely ignored by tourists. Formerly an Irish/Italian and later largely German neighborhood, today about 50% of the Mission's residents are of hispanic origin -- either immigrants themselves from Central and South America, or descendants of a large wave of immigrants from Latin America (mainly Mexico) in the 50s and 60s. Taquerias and 'Mexican' groceries abound, as do 'Tapas' restaurants, Columbian restaurants, Peruvian, etc. The Mission is 'foodie' heaven. My favorite taqueria is La Taqueria -- their al pastor is amazing, but if you want carnitas go to La Cumbre. Visit the Mission Market at Mission and 22nd. Their meat department is fantastic. Limon has wonderful Peruvian food. Lots of restaurants, bookstores, galleries on Valencia. Walk down 24th Street for all kinds of Latin American food and shops. Cheers, Squeat Edit oh oops I now see absonot has covered the Mission!

Ha! That's the hotel I stayed at last time I was there. Definitely recommend the bar -- it's a hoot. I'm jealous 'cuz I can't make it! Have one for me, Squeat

I love Lucca and second the recommendation, but feel compelled to mention that if you're interested in San Francisco's Italian-American community and food, you're going to want to spend some time walking around in North Beach. Be sure to check out Molinari's delicatessen. For baked goods visit Danilo Bakery, Stella Pasticceria and Liguria. Grab a panino or meatball sandwich at Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store. If you're a coffee drinker, treat yourself to a pound of Graffeo's. A. Cavalli & Co. is mainly an Italian newsstand and bookstore, but they also have an interesting selection of imported Italian kitchenware. Little City Meats has some wonderful sausages. Great gelato at Gelato Classico. Cheers, Squeat Edit to add: San Francisco's Arabic population (largely Palestinian) is not nearly as concentrated into a single neighborhood. (In fact, many of our corner "mom-and-pop" groceries are run by them throughout the city.) There is a halal butcher in the Tenderloin that you might want to take a look at: Salama Halal Meat on Geary. Queen of Sheba grocery on Sutter also has halal meat and other mediterranean/Middle Eastern goods.

shocker, this is good news. Thanks! Now if I can only finagle a weekday morning to get over there... Squeat Edit: Most sentences require subjects.

For the record, I am not necessarily "rubbed the wrong way" by the approach, I just would have liked to have known about it before I spent 30 minutes in line waiting for non-existant bread. The only sign I saw visible from the outside was the very inconspicuous "Out of the Oven -- 3:30" one which I guess I had trouble interpreting correctly before my morning coffee. For all I know I really am the only one stupid and inobservant enough to have made this mistake. Their website makes it clear that there is no bread on Monday or Tuesday -- it does not mention what time bread becomes available on the other days. Anyway, now I know. If I want fresh bread in the morning, I will go to Acme. If I want fresh bread at 3:30 pm, I may go back to Tartine. For what it's worth, aside from that croissant, I've never had anything from Tartine that I didn't think was absolutely top quality. Cheers, Squeat

Glad to give you a chuckle, Pim! I just wanted to add that, once I had thrown the offending croissant away, the day took a decided turn for the better, and the BLT's were awesome on the sourdough bread at my friend's house! (The lettuce was fantastic, too, plucked a la minute from her garden.) Squeat

Yeah, Red's is great fun. Been there for practically ever, and while breakfast there is just dandy, ya gotta go back sometime for a burger and a beer for the true Red's Java House experience! Squeat

Thanks for the sympathies, everyone -- and for letting me vent! I did feel really dumb, though. Squeat

Close. It's 18th/Guerrero, and I second the recommendation. I really enjoyed Tartine when I was there a couple of weeks ago, although their croissants were a little on the burnt side. Seems like a common problem in this area. Tartine: A Cautionary Tale for the Very Stupid Imagine for a moment that you are as stupid as I am. Even though you are very, very stupid, you are looking forward to spending the day with your old friend at her house in the Mission. Talk has been had of BLT's for lunch. There will be good bacon from the butcher, and just-picked tomatoes from your friend's father's garden. It occurs to your extremely feeble brain that, since Tartine is on the way, and you have never tried their highly-praised country bread, it might actually be worth standing in what you know will be a very long line to pick up a loaf to enjoy with the tomatoes and bacon. You don't mind. You have your book. You join the queue that is out the door and around the corner. As you wait, you occasionally gaze up from your book to muse upon the sea of twenty-something wannabe hipsters from the Valencia corridor that surrounds you. You ponder the fact that those twenty-something wannabe hipsters from the Valencia corridor who are not waiting in this line are waiting in the equally ridiculous line at Boogaloo's. As you ponder, your eyes wander over to the sign in the window which, in very small print, after listing the tantalizing treats available for brunch, presents the announcement "Bread: Out of the Ovens -- 3:30 pm". Because you are an idiot, you find this announcement vague and puzzling and are not sure of its meaning, but you don't give it much thought. Because you are an imbecile and have double-checked Tartine's website to ascertain that bread is indeed available on Sundays (since you have heard it is not available every day) it does not occur to you that to anyone less stupid than you the crystal clear meaning of this announcement is "OUR BREAD IS NOT AVAILABLE BEFORE 3:30 PM ON ANY OF THE DAYS THAT WE BOTHER TO BAKE IT". Because of the profundity of your mental deficiency, it has never occurred to you that a bread bakery would not have bread available on a weekend morning when their website has assured you of the availability of bread on that weekend day and MADE NO MENTION of the fact that it is NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL 3:30 IN THE AFTERNOON. (Later, your friend will tell you that she has read that several bakeries have either adopted this policy or are considering it because people find it more convenient to buy bread after work than before. You have never heard of this, but even your imbecilic mind can understand this as a weekday policy, but because you are so very, very, very stupid you still cannot understand why this would be the case on weekends.) So, with the infinite patience that accompanies complete boobery, you have now stood on line for 30 minutes to be informed that there is of course no bread available. It is available at 3:30 on Sundays, and Saturdays as well, because who the hell would want freshly-baked bread on a weekend morning? What moron would expect a bakery to have such a thing? In fact, had you been even slightly less stupid, you may have forced your way around the line and marched up to squint at the small sign by the cash register where it clearly STATES that the bread is not AVAILABLE until 3:30 pm. They even use the word "AVAILABLE" on this sign near the cash register at the END of the very long line! Although the phrase "Out of the Ovens" on the sign in the window clearly conveys the same thing, at least to those of average mental ability. Because of the paucity of your mental acumen, you decide to at least get a croissant and a cup of coffee to go, so the half-hour will not have been a total waste. Again because you are an idiot you find it hard to figure out why the policy is to give those who purchase pastry and also want coffee (there is a separate line for coffee only) an empty cup at the cash register, requiring them to cut back through the pastry-waiting line not once but twice: once to wait in yet another line to fill their cup and once again to exit the bakery. You give up. You finally leave knowing that you do not have what it takes brainwise to shop at Tartine. You will stick with Acme, who for some unknown reason have fresh bread available in the mornings, even on weekends! Acme: the Bread of Morons!! On your way to your friends house at last, you discover that your croissant is BURNT ON THE BOTTOM AND DOUGHY IN THE MIDDLE. Idiot. Moral: Beware. An experience like this can totally ruin part of a weekend morning for the very stupid. Cheers, Squeat

Oh, but I did, albeit reluctantly.

What a disaster. See my other putative contributions.

Tana, I really don't know. I asked because I was curious. I was never bothered by the noise level in the old configuration, but I haven't been back to Delfina since they almost doubled the area of the dining room. And I hope you know I really was just goofing around with the Goldilocks comment. As it happens, I'm pretty sensitive to excessive noise in restaurants, myself. The original (Valencia Street) location of Slanted Door used to drive me crazy! Cheers, Squeat

Hmm... my mother always maintained that chewing gum made one look like a cow.

Tana, you crack me up! You're like the Goldilocks of acceptable noise levels! Any other good SF restaurants (besides Farallon) come in at "Mama Bear" status? I'm just kidding you, of course, but on a serious note, is your assessment of the noise at Delfina based on before or after they expanded the dining room (or both)? Cheers, Squeat Edit either for clarity or opacity. Plus, I'm an ultra-idiot for not remembering that it was Baby Bear's shit that was so cool for G!

Second the rec for Delfina, as well. Get the rabbit if it's on the menu. Edit just to reiterate and make it clear to grubguy that, with a few exceptions like Slanted Door above (which I personally do NOT second), we have long ago abandoned any idea of waterfront dining in our recommendations.

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Food Section -- July 28, 2004 Carol Ness takes a look at the various specialty garlics showing up in area farmers markets. She discusses a few of the many varieties, and gives a list of growers you can buy from directly. She reveals the best way to roast garlic, and gives recipes for Garlic & Potato Farmer's Lunch and Fish With Fried Garlic Vinaigrette. Lynne Char Bennett describes the best techniques for making summer sorbets. Recipes included for Mango, Ginger & Lemongrass Sorbet, Hibiscus-Mint Sorbet, Kiwi-Ginger Sorbet, Ruby Grapefruit-Rosemary Sorbet, and Watermelon, Cinnamon & Star Anise Sorbet. GraceAnn Walden has the Inside Scoop: After 25 years North Beach's Basta Pasta has been sold and will morph into not one but two Thai restaurants. Will Ed Moose sell Moose's or not? And, very sadly for yours truly, Caffe Malvina on Washington Square, after a 35-year run, has fallen victim to rising rents. All this and more. What's New? Housemade mozzarella the rage in restaurants. Citrus the rage in olive oils. A new chip for the Mission -- potato! Figs are in the markets. Taster's Choice: Safeway brand is best for tonic water. Scott Rostal looks at all the garlic gadgets you could imagine, and more. The Working Cook (Tara Duggan) offers a Summer Pasta Salad that started off as improv, and Cornmeal-Crusted Salmon Sandwiches. Diane Teitelbaum has wine pairings. Cheers, Squeat

Well, as far as paying more for milk in the Bay Area, I'm willing to believe it, though few have chimed in with prices from other areas. We pay more for so many things, though, that it's not hard to believe. As far as much lower prices being available at local groceries than at large chains, that doesn't seem to be true for my particular neighborhood. (Though I forgot to check the Mexican and Asian groceries -- I'll try to do that this weekend sometime.) Don't know about other neighborhoods, though. In my "research" the biggest discrepancy was within Safeway itself, where you could pay either $2.65 or $6.29 for a gallon of milk! (Although if you wanted a gallon of organic from Bi-Rite, you would have to pay $8.00, because you would have to buy 2 1/2-gallons.) Cheers, Squeat

While I haven't had a romantic dinner there, I have had some excellent Italian food at Acquerello (some of the best pasta to be had in town), and the room is quite charming and less austere than it looks in that photo. Squeat

Further fascinating finds in the field of milk prices: Bi-Rite (Local Independent): Clover Whole Milk: $4.59 gallon Straus Organic WM: $3.99 1/2 gallon Golden Produce (Local Independent): Clover Whole Milk: $2.39 1/2 gallon Clover Organic WM: $3.59 1/2 gallon Safeway (Safeway):* Safeway Lucerne Whole Milk $2.39 1/2 gallon Horizon Organic WM $3.99 1/2 gallon Safeway Select Org WM $3.39 1/2 gallon George's Market (Corner Liquor Store): Berkeley Farms Whole Milk $2.85 quart * I went back to Safeway's website to get 1/2 gallon prices for purposes of comparison, but I didn't physically go back to Bi-Rite because by the time I realized I'd need 1/2 gallon prices, I figured I had already spent enough time running around looking at milk prices on a Friday evening when I should be at home drinking a cocktail! So, there you have it. I don't see huge differences for the most part. Not sure what any of it proves except that you're stupid if you buy milk at a liquor store. Cheers, Squeat

I think it's all in the camera angle. The photographer must be standing in the front corner of the restaurant to the left of the door. Certainly most seated diners (especially those in the front part of the dining room) can see neither Bay nor Bridge. Edit to add: Also, the room itself is so spectacular it's hard to look out the windows!

To wit.

At least you guys didn't have to live through eight years of da Mayor! Cheers, Squeat (former DC dweller)

I don't think you'll be disappointed at Boulevard. Nancy Oakes' kitchen has been turning out consistently tasty food there for years, and the building and dining room are beautiful, the staff attentive and professional. I don't think of it as a 'view' restaurant, though I suppose you might be able to see the Bay Bridge from a few of the tables. Not particularly romantic, though. But it's also a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge, which is of course beautiful. For romantic, [sigh] I suppose I will mention Quince again, but if it becomes too much more popular I'll never get back in there!! Charming, intimate (read small) dining room, delicious Franco-Italo food in the Waters-Bertolli tradition, and superb service. Also, I've never been, but I've heard from several sources that Venticello on Nob Hill is quite a romantic spot with at least competent Northern Italian, and I even heard you can get a view of the Bay from the downstairs tables. Cheers, and a have a great honeymoon! Squeat