We've been in San Francisco for the past seven months now, and I'm pleased to say that we have actually had some success in finding restaurants we like and even LOVE!
Our most recent adventures have been...
A meat cone.
We saw it on the food network and decided we'd just try it.
Weird, right?
Check out the meat hanging in the fridges!It was here at Boccalone, which is in the Ferry Building.
The meat cone was...meh.
But at least we can say we had one!
Another day we went back to the Ferry Building to try Gotts.The burgers were good but overpriced.
They're famous for a tuna burger, but it's raw in the middle so we chickened out.
Can you blame us?
I'd go back for the onion rings though, seriously.
The picture at the top of this post is inside Gotts. Isn't it cool? I'm not gonna lie I liked the atmosphere of the place.
*Make sure you read the writing on the soda cup. So San Francisco...
Our other recent adventure was an ice cream place that I'd been dying to try.Will we go back? Umm...no.
But how cute is the place? The red chairs. The overhang that just says "ice cream."
White lights and ice cream shoppe cuteness.
Too bad it isn't good.
We knew it was in the Mission district and the foodies say it's on a quiet corner, which we realized means that it's actually in kind of a sketchy place to go at night.
My favorite part was that their street sign was chained to a lamp post. Really. Chained.
Bad sign.
Jeff started getting skeptical about the location when we drove by residential buildings that had graffiti all over the front. But nothing sketchy happened. Thankfully.
The reason I'd wanted to try it was because they are supposed to be know for their weird and crazy flavors. And they are super crazy. We'd heard about Bi-rite when we first got here and I already posted about how we loved their interesting and delicious flavors, but I definitely think there is a limit to outlandish flavors. The two flavors I'd heard about at Humprey Slocumbe was their Secret Breakfast and their Prosciutto ice cream. When we got there, they didn't have the prosciutto ice cream, lame. I was desperately disappointed when the secret breakfast was bourbon flavor and cornflakes, bleck. So I tried some other flavors but they were intense! The balsamic caramel tastes way too much like vinegar, sick. The Harvey milk and Honey Grahams was delicious - just like milk and Teddy Grahams. But in my opinion, for $2.75 I'd hope that my ice cream would not be something I could easily and cheaply recreate at home, ha!
So sometimes being adventurous doesn't pay off. Obviously.
But...sometimes it does.
Recently, our friends asked us for places we'd recommend in SF. It made me think it'd be a good idea to compile a list. So...
Here is a list of our favorite places in SF so far:
1. Little Skillet - Go! Please, please, please go. Get their chicken and waffles. It sounds weird. But it is too good. And it's awesome fried chicken (and I've had some rockin' fried chicken in NC). It's in an alley way and their are no seats inside. You order and pick up your food at a window with rustic/distressed blue shutters. We eat on a loading dock in the alley. To me it's like the quintessential San Francisco experience. It's only open for lunch, so we've gone back several times. We first tried it with our friends Joey and Katie and their friend Brie and it has definitely been our best find! And it's pretty reasonably priced (under $20). Mmmmm...now I want it again.
2. Dynamo Donut - I've only gone once and I wish I could go back, but the donuts are pricey. It's more like a once in a blue moon kind of place, but I've dreamed about their Bacon Maple Apple donut since I've had it. It sounds strange, but it's like eating a donut with all the best breakfast flavors packed inside! Mmmm...the chocolate spice is good too (and it's fifty cents cheaper). Go during the day too. They run out of donuts fast. And it's super cute and trendy.
3. Bob's Donuts - This one is far away, but we've been twice. Once for a surprise birthday party Annalise threw for her husband Chris, who is a first year like Jeff at UCSF. I had an awesome cake donut that night. Then I found out that it was open 24 hrs and we had to go on a late late night donut run. It was worth it to try their Apple Fritter. And their donuts have awesome prices that you'll never regret paying. This one is fun cause it's a total hole in the wall.
4. Papalote - Go. For reals. And get their Super Carne Asada Burrito. It's life changing . Jeff and I both agreed that it is filled with the BEST steak we've had in our lives. You also get to get their famous roasted tomato salsa and chips, which are delicious. It's a small place too and under $20. And get the Super. I made the mistake not to order (I didn't read the sign...dope. What a mistake!) the Super Burrito because I thought it referred to the size of the burrito (doesn't a super burrito sound way too big to eat? When you think about it that way - gross, right?). Welp, it doesn't. It means cheese and sour cream and guac are on it. You need those in it or else it's too dry. (They beat Bobby Flay on the Food Network on Throwdown)
5. Tartine Bakery - It looks what I'd imagine a Paris bakery would. It's quaint and urban. Now I'm not trying to sound snooty tooty. I just know that SF has a lot of French influence and was modeled after European cities like Paris. San Francisco is actually called "The Paris of the West," which is why I think that's what they were going for when they built the place. I've been wanting to go back so badly! Who doesn't love bakeries?
6. Saigon Sandwich - Jeff and I love to go here for lunch. We get two Vietnamese pork sandwiches and it is only $6! Seriously! You can't sit down in there (it's a hole in the wall too), so we take it and eat on the steps of City Hall in front of the big grassy plaza there downtown. Whenever we go we always say we feel so urban...even though we're so not :)
7. Turtle Tower - I got their Pho ga (because it's what they're famous for) and it was amazing. I was shocked because I'd had Pho (pronounced like the sound of this letter - "F") at a place in Santa Cruz that was on Guy Fieri's Triple D. But it was gross. It was so sick I told Jeff the next time someone offered me Pho I'd say, "Pho-getta about it." It was like trash in a bowl seriously. But this Pho was delicious. It was like a yummy chicken soup. They have awesome egg rolls here and Jeff got pork here that was to die for. And I've decided I love Vietnamese pickled carrots. They are so sweet and yummy! This place was under $20 and is small and is in Little Saigon (close to Saigon Sandwich).
8. Sentinal Sandwich - When we went we heard it was a $6 sandwich, but it's actually $9. We didn't regret getting it because it's actually the best sandwich I've had in my life I think, but we haven't been back. I can't even describe the yummy-ness of this corned beef deliciousness. When you're feeling like a big spender, maybe go here :) It's a lunch place too.
9. Brenda's French Soul Food - Jeff surprised me and took me for V-day at lunchtime. I'd wanted to go and try their famous shrimp po-boy since forever. And I finally got it. It was really good. I love fried shrimp and this is Louisiana/Creole style shrimp and let me just say...it's awesome! They are about to expand so it's small and there is a wait and it's a lunch place - PS Jeff didn't like his burger so maybe don't get that (shocker: Jeff got a burger, ha ha).
10. Nopalito - This is a cool place. Seriously. It's authentic Mexican style food. Jeff said it was all the food they had in Guatemala, but instead of being third world style, it was a gourmet version of the food. We loved the fish tacos (I don't even like fish tacos) and the carnitas are soo good. It's pork that's been cooked for like forever and a day and it's the most tender meat I've had. Mmmm...
11. Roadside BBQ - Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT CAROLINA BBQ! And they got their Carolina BBQ sauce all wrong. But...it's on this dense bun that has the texture of an English muffin and somehow that bun with the pulled pork makes all the difference. It is spicy BBQ though.
12. Zazie's - I love their eggs benedict and gingerbread pancakes. It's got a cool atmosphere too. They are supposed to have an awesome back patio, but when I went, I didn't sit there because it was too cold. I've heard rumors about the hot chocolate, so when I go back, I want to try it.
13. Bi-rite creamery, Mitchell's Ice Cream, and Anthony's cookies - I love the roasted banana and the snickerdoodle ice cream at Bi-rite. Mitchell's ice cream is super rich and creamy (the creamiest I've had), so I like to share a banana split with Jeff. They have crazy tropical flavors and they get all their fruit from the Philippines. So it's kind of fun. Jeff likes Mitchell's A LOT. Anthony's cookies are pretty normal cookies except for their cookies and cream cookie. We only went once, so it's nothing either of us crave to have again but it's a cool treat to have since I've never tasted a cookie like it before. It tastes like cookies and cream ice cream.
14. La Oaxaqueña - has great banana leaf tamales with yummy mole, but we went back just to get the hot chocolate. It's "so legend - wait for it" ... oh just go get it. I can't even describe it. I don't even like hot chocolate very much and I love this stuff! It even comes in a cute silver pitcher and they poor it in your mugs. And it's frothy and foamy! I totally want to try to make my hot chocolate at home foamy now...
*We also got a bacon wrapped hot dog at a stand outside this restaurant (when we just went for the hot chocolate). We shared it so we didn't feel disgusting, but it's goooood in a disgusting heart artery clogging way ha ha ha! Those Latinos in the Mission think of everything! What great idea right? Bacon around a hot dog!
15. San Tung's - This is awesome Chinese food. It tastes better than Panda! We never thought we'd see the day...We get their Sweet and Sour Beef and their Dry fried chicken wings (they are famous for these). When we went with Jeff's parents, we made the mistake of getting the wrong wings. Get the dry-fried ones...yummm!
These are our favorites. There are tons of other places I'm sure that people could go. Jeff is not a gourmet foodie person (not that I am) and he'd recommend any of these. (Well maybe not Brenda's because he didn't like their burger and he's not a huge fan of shrimp)
If you come to SF, we'd love to show you where any of these places are...
and really we'd love to go back to any of these restaurants again!
When we find more favorites, I'll post them.
I'm not big into going to fancy, expensive, gourmet restaurants...
but I LOVE small, quaint, urban cafe-type places.
They feel like places young (cheap) people should be eating when they go out.
Anyone in SF or that has visited SF have recommendations to share?
