Hoodscope SF - San Francisco Lifestyle Blog

This Palm Tree Has a Penis

Gene — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:55:14 +0000

And that’s pretty much all there is to it.

As seen from the Brannan St. MUNI platform on the Embarcadero.

No related posts.

Pandamonium In Union Square!

Gene — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 19:34:21 +0000

There’s pandamonium going on by Union Square, but there’s no need to be alarmed because…

As seen on Geary off Union Square.

You Are All Sheep

Gene — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:00:40 +0000

As seen on the sidewalk at 2nd and Townsend in South Beach.

Someone out there thinks you’re all sheep working your 9-5 jobs, making a good salary, earning health benefits, and generally being a contributing member to society. His advice? Quit!

Which makes me think- do you work 8 hours a day simply because you are expected to? If you were suddenly forced to work a 4 hour day, you’d magically get the same amount of work done in half the time because of the sense of urgency and time constraint. If you were expected to work a 12 hour day, you would probably just fill that time with mindless time consuming tasks and still get the same amount of work done. Am I right or am I right?

Work smart, not hard!

C.R.E.A.M. x El Farolito

Gene — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:54:17 +0000

I’m sure Wu-Tang would enjoy a shrimp quesadilla super suiza from El Farolito. Who doesn’t!?

Story: Once upon a time a buddy and I went to El Farolito after work (our excuse was, “We missed our train, let’s go to El Farolito instead of waiting!”) and ordered two carne asada quesadilla super suizas, two horchatas and a basket of chips. When the total rang up, we presented plastic and the guy at the register said, “Cash only.” We didn’t have enough cash between the both of us and hung our heads and let our hearts sink into our guts. The wonderful, magical man behind the counter saw our expressions and said, “It’s cool, just pay me back next time.” We thanked him a million times and that was one of the best meals I’ve ever had at El Farolito. The next time I went there, I paid the (different) guy extra money and explained my story. He didn’t get it, but took the extra money anyway.

Sam’s Chowdermobile – Good Clam Chowder, Amazing Lobster Roll

Gene — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:55:39 +0000

Just stare at that for a while. Read on when you’re ready.

Sam’s Chowdermobile made its debut in San Francisco this 4th of July weekend in Golden Gate Park. Sam’s Chowder House is a seafood restaurant in Half Moon Bay that has received rave reviews for its simple seafood menu featuring fresh & local organic ingredients. They decided to take their seafood mobile, and the Chowdermobile was born. The Chowdermobile food truck is usually around San Mateo county, but the good folks decided to make the trip a bit north.

Sam’s Chowdermobile parked itself in Golden Gate Park in front of the Japanese Tea Garden (as seen in the background) and nearby the de Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences, so there were lots of tourists (and locals!) nearby waiting to try the famed lobster roll.

The clam chowder ($5) lives up to the truck’s namesake. The New England style clam chowder is made with little neck clams, Yukon gold potatoes, smoked bacon, and cream. The broth is light and flavorful with lots of clams. It would be nice if they offered it in a San Francisco sourdough breadbowl, though!

The calamari ($7) is a nice big order that gives you bang for your buck. It’s pretty standard, which means pretty good! I like the ratio of tentacles to rings (I prefer the tentacles and hate it when I order calamari and it’s all rings). The calamari is hand battered and fried to order, served with tartar sauce and cocktail sauce.

Check out more amazing food after the jump!

The 2 piece fish & chips ($9) is also hand battered and fried to order. The cod is hot and flaky when you get it, covered in a seasoned crisp. It’s served on a bed of Old Bay seasoned fries and cole slaw. The cole slaw isn’t anything to write home about. It’s a pretty big order, but for only $2 more you can get 3 pieces of fish.

The fries ($4) are great- who doesn’t like Old Bay seasoning!? They are cooked to a perfect crisp and tossed in a heavy coating of Old Bay. Although they come with an order of fish & chips, they are good as a standalone side and almost necessary with what comes next.

Sam’s Chowdermobile Lobster Roll. Holy shit. It’s fuckin’ hella lobster stuffed in bread. Good, juicy, plump, buttery Maine lobster stuffed to the max in soft, buttery bread. I hate celery but I loved it in this sandwich. It’s perfect. Seemed pricey at $15, but you get a shitload of lobster and that stuff doesn’t come cheap! You can order a “Shortie” sandwich for $10, but that’s like buying a discounted ticket to watch half a movie. This sandwich was even declared one of the “Top 5 Sandwiches in America” by NBC’s The Today Show.

It was love at first bite.

Sam’s Chowdermobile
www.samschowdermobile.com
Twitter: @chowdermobile

Beware of Rapist Near Castro MUNI Station

Gene — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 06:13:56 +0000

Some anonymous citizen took it upon themselves to warn the Castro of a “hot and dirty rapist” parading around town by the name of Shannon Brooks. I don’t know whether to be terrified or turned on if I ever meet this presumably hot and dirty girl.

As seen on a MetroPCS ad in the Castro MUNI station.

BEAT L.A.

Gene — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:19:31 +0000

Every single person that I saw walk past this sign smiled and nodded to themselves.

As seen in front of Nova Bar and Restaurant in SoMa.

Nova Bar and Restaurant
555 2nd St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 543-2282
www.novabar.com

How To Ask Me For San Francisco Restaurant Recommendations

Gene — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 05:04:45 +0000

One of the perks of being a San Francisco blogger is that others view me as an “expert” or their “go-to guy” for all things San Francisco, and I’m sure other bloggers would agree. I love sharing my knowledge of the city for those that genuinely want a good experience, and that’s pretty much the reason I started this blog. San Francisco is full of so many unique things to do, eat, see, hear, and experience, and that’s sort of the problem. There’s so many choices!

Most people ask me with good intentions, hoping to receive a good restaurant or bar recommendation, but what many people don’t seem to realize is that there is a shitload of restaurants and bars in San Francisco. Here’s a common conversation I have:

Friend: Hey what’s a good restaurant?
Me: What are you looking for?
Friend: Doesn’t matter. Anything good.
Me: *facepalm*

I could send you to Fleur de Lys or Gary Danko, since those places are good. They’ll also cost you half your paycheck. Or I could send you to Saigon Sandwich in the Tenderloin for a $3 banh mi and a run in with a crackhead. See what I mean?

In an effort to continue providing a good service to friends who ask, I’d like to lay down a few ground rules!

The Rules

Tell me what your budget is.
Tell me what types of cuisine you’re in the mood for.
Tell me what type of ambiance and crowd you’re looking for.
Tell me when you’re going, if it’s not right this second.
Tell me who you’re going with, i.e.- on a date, alone, with a group.
Tell me what your neighborhood preferences are. “Anywhere but the Marina” is acceptable.
Tell me any other details that you think would help.

Though these rules are applied to San Francisco restaurant recommendations, they can easily be applied to any other type, such as things to do or places to go. I don’t need every single piece of info. The key point to understand is that I need some sort of preference! The next time someone asks me for “a good restaurant,” I’m sending them to some expensive, gaudy tourist trap at Pier 39. Rainforest Cafe, anyone?

Hapa Ramen: Old School Dish With New School Treatment

Gene — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 06:16:51 +0000

It seems like there’s always a new bowl of ramen to try, but none has received the amount of hype and press that Richie Nakano (aka @linecook) has received for his bowl of noodles and broth. Formerly a cook at Nopa, Richie struck out on his own to start Hapa Ramen, a pseudo pop up ramen shop you can find at the Ferry Building Farmers Market. Richie pairs locally sourced, organic ingredients with modern cooking techniques to present a new twist on the classic dish.

The menu is nice and simple, focusing on the ingredients instead of offering endless options that only give customers ordering anxiety. However, you do have some choices when it comes to building your perfect bowl of ramen.

The Hapa Ramen Menu

I ordered the Basic Bowl with slow cooked pork and added fried chicken and a sous vide (slow cooked) egg. The pork bone broth is fairly mild, an even balance between a rich pork stock and a light dashi stock. I prefer a more rich and fatty broth, but it was still very good. The fried chicken was juicy, and it also held its crispness pretty well despite being in broth. The slow cooked egg was amazing! The runny egg added some nice flavor to the textured hand-made noodles. Just when I thought it couldn’t get much better than the egg, I tried the slow cooked pork. Wow. Thick slices of fatty, salty, tender pork that seriously melt in your mouth. I’d go so far as to say it’s the best pork I’ve had in ramen. Granted, I’m no ramen connoisseur, but I know what I like and what I don’t like, and Richie’s pork is my favorite.

I really wanted to try the braised kale, so next time I’m going balls to the wall and ordering a veggie bowl with pork and chicken and a sous vide egg and more pork and another sous vide egg.

Hapa Ramen
www.haparamensf.com
www.twitter.com/haparamen
www.twitter.com/linecook

Clever Vandalism or Gay Viral Marketing?

Gene — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:32:33 +0000

Cock Tunnel: For Grown Ups Only! Has a nice ring to it. In fact, I bet this movie would do better at the box office if that was the real title.

The official movie tagline? “Boys will be boys…some longer than others.” LOL

As seen on 16th and Mission.

This Is Not a Meth Pipe

Gene — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:46:03 +0000

Whoever said “money can’t buy happiness” must have been a recovering meth head.

As seen on Market & Castro.

Into Hip Hop? Download KENO – Sleeping Giant for Free

Gene — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:26:56 +0000

My boy KENO just dropped his solo EP, Sleeping Giant. If you’re into good, classic sounding hip hop with dope beats (and none of that autotune shit) give his album a listen! You can download the EP for FREE here: http://www.divshare.com/download/11705951-e71

Did I mention it’s FREE?

He’s put a lot of work in this project over the last few months, working with lots of producers and emcees. As KENO himself says, “It may not be for everyone but theres at least one song for each individual I can promise that.”

If you still need more convincing, listen to the lead track on the album, entitled “Sleeping Giant.”

An intellectual, extraterrestrial
In sessions, I will X men like a Sentinel

Are you serious!?

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What are you waiting for? Support local music!

Super Duper Burger Tells You How Good Their Burgers Are

Gene — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 01:56:54 +0000

If you have trouble describing the burger you just ate at Super Duper Burger in the Castro, all you have to do is take a piss in their bathroom. Unfortunately, my reflection won’t be seen while you’re in the bathroom. Although that can be arranged.

If you haven’t been to Super Duper Burger yet, I’d suggest checking it out if you’re near the Castro. In my Super Duper Burger review, I said I liked it and it is on par with New York’s Shake Shack but doesn’t stack up to my beloved In-N-Out.

Also check out:
Super Duper Burger in the Castro
Bagdad Cafe in the Castro
Gelateria Naia in the Castro; All Natural Gelato
Hot Cookie in the Castro
Hoodscope’s Guide to Enjoying Sangria In San Francisco

Parada 22 in the Haight: Accessible Puerto Rican Food

Gene — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 01:18:19 +0000

Old San Juan Puerto Rico may not elicit images of pot smoking hippies and teenage runaways, but on one block in the Haight you can find yourself transported to the Caribbean. Located right next door to the ever popular Cha Cha Cha you’ll find Parada 22, the latest venture from serial restaurateur Alex Jackson (The Corner, Weird Fish, Black Sheep). He paired up with one of Cha Cha Cha’s guys and a Puerto Rican food consultant to help him craft his nuevo-Boricua (as I called it) menu.

Named after a street in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Parada 22 presents a simple menu that features some classic Puerto Rican dishes (while ignoring others). When you first walk in you’ll immediately find your eyes scanning the bright green walls adorned with photos of the old country and a giant glass pantry displaying various spices and canned goods. A few high tables and benches round out the small, bright space. It’s not meant to be a sit down restaurant, more of a grab and go or pop in and eat type of joint.

The menu is broken down into four main categories- rice plates, sandwiches, salads, and sides (including a couple desserts). The rice plates range from $8-13, with choices such as Pernil Asado (roasted leg of pork, $9.50), Biftec Encebollado (sauteed steak, $10.50), Camarones a la Criolla (sauteed shrimp, $11.50), Pollo Encebollado (sauteed chicken thighs, $9.50), and Trucha Frita (whole fried trout, $13). Each dish comes with rice, mixed greens, maduros (plantains), and your choice of red or white beans.

We liked the sauteed Pollo Encebollado, which was juicy and covered in sweet caramelized onions.

The sandwich selection includes Biftec ($9), Berenjena (grilled marinated eggplant $8), Pollo, and the Classic Cubano ($9). All sandwiches are served on a French baguette with mixed greens and tomato. The salads are less adventurous, consisting of simple mixed greens with your choice of meat and dressings.

We went with the Classic Cubano, a traditional Cuban pressed sandwich made with roasted pork, sweet ham, pickles, mustard, and Swiss cheese. I found it to be a bit dry, with not enough pork fat and gooey cheese keeping it all together. The ingredients used were good, but it felt like a collection of ingredients rather than one cohesive sandwich. Better Cuban sandwiches can be had elsewhere.

The Cha Cha Cha connection is immediately noticeable when you have their sangria, because it is Cha Cha Cha’s sangria from next door. They also have a unique beer selection crafted by the crew over at The Monk’s Kettle.

Parada 22 isn’t perfect, and if you’re looking for authentic Puerto Rican food, you may be left a bit disappointed. The dishes draw influence from classic Puerto Rican dishes, but they are cleaned up a bit to appeal to a wider palate (which probably doesn’t include pot smoking hippies and teenage runaways-they’re easier to please).

Parada 22
1805 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 750-1111
www.parada22.com

Also check out:
Cha Cha Cha Tapas Restaurant and Bar in the Haight and Mission
Kezar Pub & Restaurant in the Haight
Place Pigalle Bar in Hayes Valley
Super Duper Burger in the Castro
Playground Restaurant, Bar, and Karaoke in Japantown
Red Crawfish – Where the Far East Meets the Deep South
The Front Porch in the Mission

Spotted: The Only Case of Grilled Cheese Ambivalence in San Francisco

Gene — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 01:09:23 +0000

A rooster would eat it, a zebra would eat it, but a rooster-zebra can’t make up its mind. Must be a side effect of crossbreeding.

Painting by Matt Forderer: “Rooster Zebra Contemplating Grilled-Cheese Sandwich,” as seen at The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen in South Park.

Spotted this random and disturbing photo at The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen. Original post on SFoodie.

Also check out some of my other SFoodie articles:
Ocean Taqueria: Customizable Goodness as Big as a Human Limb
Big Nate Serves Up So-So ‘Cue, But at Least You Don’t Have to Leave the Couch on Weekends
Axis Café is Just Like Your Living Room. Only a Hell of a Lot Nicer
The Bread Basket, Your DC Hookup for Filipino Pan de Sal and Ensaymada
Sweet Beat: Italian Gelato (in Some Very Un-Italian Flavors) at Marco Polo
Golden Island Cafe: Hong Kong-Style Sago Sweets in the Outer Sunset
John’s Snack and Deli, the FiDi’s Original Mom-Style Taco Fusion

SF Street Art: Egg Beater Head

Gene — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 08:17:21 +0000

As seen on 18th & Capp in the Mission. Anyone know anything about this guy or seen it thrown up anywhere around the city? Flickr user KayVee.Inc spotted one pasted near Rainbow Grocery:

Also check out my photo page for random shots I’ve taken around town!

One Wall, So Many Emotions

Gene — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 07:28:16 +0000

I feel the same way, sometimes.

As seen on Post between Larkin and Hyde in the Tenderloin.

Also check out:
FUCK THINGS!
Ghetto Blaster
He Will Save Us From MUNI’s Problems
Love Letter to Alcohol
SF Street Art: MOM

Photos & Recap: Cochon 555 San Francisco

Gene — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 08:48:36 +0000

This past Sunday marked the San Francisco edition of the Cochon 555 heritage breed pig competition, and I got a behind-the-scenes pass to enjoy the highly regarded event. The friendly competition pits 5 local chefs, winemakers, and heritage breed pigs (hence the 555 moniker) against each other in a snout-to-tail cookoff to raise awareness of preserving the existence of heritage breed pigs.

Heritage breed pigs come from bloodlines hundreds of years old, and are known for their high quality and better tasting meat as a result of their natural growth in open pastures. Because they require more time, care, and ultimately more money to raise, heritage breed pigs are not suitable for commercial farming practices, thus endangering them.

So, what can we do to preserve these amazing animals? Eat them! Yes, by purchasing heritage breed pigs and eating them (and you want to eat them!), you are effectively sustaining the demand and market for farmers to continue raising the species.

And that is exactly what I did.

Cochon 555 SF was held at The Fairmont in Nob Hill

Dave the Butcher doing a demo before the main event

This little pig got butchered

Hog Island was there shuckin'

The main room before the festivities began...

...and during. Packed house!

Heritage breed pig, three ways

Hit the jump for more great photos from Cochon 555, not the least of which is a perfectly roasted lechon!

Excellent wine to wash down all the pork

Not an uncommon sight

Chicharrón from Delfina

Pig pros were on hand

Here I am representing hard for Ladies Who Lunch Catering & Events!

The guys from Namu nervously overlooking the judges table

Pistachio brittle and bacon marshmallows

Lechon! Crispy skin, succulent fat, and juicy meat!

Dave the Butcher carving the lechon

Is there anything better than lechon skin?

Pork overload

Bacon and chocolate carmelized popcorn from Xocolatl de David

Congratulations to all the competitors- Delfina, Flour+Water, Bi-Rite, Namu, and especially to Staffan Terje and his crew from Perbacco for winning Cochon 555 San Francisco! They will be heading to Aspen, Colorado for the Food & Wine Classic to compete against other winners at the Grand Cochon Finale.

More info:
Dave the Butcher
Perbacco
Delfina
Flour+Water
Bi-Rite
Namu
Xocolatl de David

Also check out:
San Francisco Carnaval 2010 Recap and Photos
Hoodscope’s Guide to Enjoying Sangria In San Francisco
Papalote Mexican Grill takes on Iron Chef Bobby Flay in Food Network’s Burrito Throwdown
Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations in San Francisco Episode Recap
The Mc10:35, San Francisco’s Latest Cult-Status Secret Menu Item from McDonald’s
The Definitive Guide to Enjoying Oysters on the Cheap in San Francisco

Ghetto Blaster

Gene — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:11:51 +0000

Kids these days. Instead of carrying a huge ghetto blaster on their shoulder to blast some hard beats for a crowd around a flattened cardboard box, they just play tinny sounding crap on their cellphone for a crowd on Muni.

As seen on Florida and 17th, on my way to Coffee Bar.

If you want to see some classic ghetto blasters on display, Double Dutch has a whole wall covered in them.

Also check out:
FUCK THINGS!
He Will Save Us From MUNI’s Problems
Love Letter to Alcohol
SF Street Art: MOM

FUCK THINGS!

Gene — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 07:35:02 +0000

Sometimes the answer to life’s problems are sitting right there in front of us. In my case, on a parking meter on 16th in front of the Roxie.

Also check out:
He Will Save Us From MUNI’s Problems
Love Letter to Alcohol
SF Street Art: MOM

San Francisco Carnaval 2010 Recap and Photos

Gene — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:07:30 +0000

This year marked my first trip to Carnaval, and it all started spontaneously. I was still in bed on Sunday around noon and I just thought, “Fuck it, I’m gonna go check out Carnaval!”

My first observation was how well organized it was. They have fences and signs funneling the masses through specific streets, and led them through lines to get into the street festival area on Harrison. After being scanned with a metal detector, I was let into the festivities.

Wow, there were a lot of people. Mostly families and children, but there was no shortage of hipsters, hoodlums, and hoochies. Lining the streets were vendors selling everything from sunglasses to art to spinal consultations. Placed every other block or so were huge stages with live music and dancing. The samba dancers were beautiful and hypnotizing with their hips that seemed to shake independent of the rest of their body.

A quick gaze into the smoke-filled air and I was reminded what I wanted to do most.

The combination of warm weather, live music, scantily clad samba dancers, and good food made for a pleasant Sunday afternoon. Just another reason why I love San Francisco- there’s always a fun street festival to go to any time of the year!

One interesting observation I had was the beer garden, which seemed to be fairly tame and organized. Though there still were a ton of people drinking in the streets, it felt like it was relatively under control. Probably because…

…rule obeying beer drinkers were fenced in like animals.

Kevin from Uptown Almanac poses an interesting question, Is Carnaval the New Bay to Breakers? He presents some irrefutable evidence:

1. The streets are already closed to slow moving people and floats
2. The streets are already filled with semi-naked boys and girls
3. The streets are already filled with people dressed in funny costumes
4. There are “mad roof parties”
5. There are “mad stoop parties”
6. The Mission is already covered in garbage and piss
7. The parade ends very close to Dolores park, which is already full of garbage and piss

Who knows, maybe if they let people out of their drinking cage things would be more interesting.

Also check out:
Bay to Breakers 2010 Recap and Photos
Hoodscope’s Guide to Enjoying Sangria In San Francisco
The Definitive Guide to Enjoying Oysters on the Cheap in San Francisco
The Ultimate SoMa Happy Hour Gameplan
The Official Hoodscope List of Free San Francisco Museum Days

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen in SoMa

Gene — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:14:58 +0000

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen is a new restaurant in the South Park area of SoMa, led by 6-time Grilled Cheese Invitational Champion Heidi Gibson. With so much hype surrounding the opening of The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, we were excited to see if the sandwiches lived up to their expectations.

The menu is fairly simple, featuring 7 variations of grilled cheese and accompanied by a couple salads, deli sides, and desserts. Unfortunately for us, they sold out of many of them before we made it to the front of the long line. I’m sure once the initial hype dies down, their operations will be fully dialed and sandwiches won’t be running out. I hope they figure this out soon, though, because they sold out of “The Mousetrap.” This matters because “The Mousetrap” is made with four different types of cheese, and every sandwich is obviously made with cheese. How does the one made with only cheese sell out? Anyway, here’s what we had.

The Little Green Salad ($3) is served with croutons and a champagne vinaigrette. Pretty standard, nothing special here. They do offer bigger and fancier Stella’s Cobb ($9) and Tilly’s Veggie ($8) salads, too.

Smoky Tomato Soup ($4) served with creme fraiche and croutons. The soup is smooth and creamy, and is the perfect sidekick to one of their grilled cheese sandwiches. Also notice the Cutie clementines that come with every sandwich. Nice touch!

Jalapeño Popper ($9) with chèvre, Monterey jack, applewood-smoked bacon, and apricot-jalapeño relish. This was the one sandwich on the menu that immediately grabbed my attention, due to the “jalapeño” in its name. I was deceived! With a name like “Jalapeño Popper” you would expect some heat, or at least a little jalapeño flavor, but it was severely lacking in that department. The apricot-jalapeño relish was all sweet and no heat. Overall the sandwich was good, but I was distracted by the lack of actual jalapeños.

Turkey Havarti ($9) with havarti, Willie Bird smoked turkey, ancho chili jam, arugula, and pickled red onions. This was my favorite sandwich! It was well balanced and the ingredients complemented each other nicely. The havarti was creamy and the turkey was moist. Best of all, the ancho chili jam didn’t overpower the whole thing, like the way the apricot-jalapeño relish made itself known in the Jalapeño Popper.

While the Turkey Havarti was my favorite, the Feta Tomato ($7) was the definite sleeper. It seemed to be the least ordered sandwich, but it packed a lot of flavor! Made with feta, Monterey jack, roasted tomatoes, garlic butter, and tapenade (pureed olive spread). The standout of the sandwich was the tapenade, which added a bold layer of flavor contrasted by the acidity of the tomatoes.

For dessert we had a chocolate chip cookie ($1.50), Killer butterscotch pecan brownie ($2.50), and bread pudding ($6). The cookie was meh (but free because they ran out of the Mushroom Gruyère right when we got to the register- props for the service!), the bread pudding wasn’t too sweet, and the brownie could have replaced my sandwiche completely and I would have been happy.

To wash everything down they serve beer and wine, but the real stars are the housemade sodas ($3). Flavors rotate regularly, but we got to try vanilla gingermint and spiced pomegranate. Both were good; not too sweet and lightly carbonated.

My only gripe (and it’s a pretty big one) is that the sandwiches feel overpriced. They’re fairly small, and at close to $10 it’s hard to justify. The location alone is enough to warrant a premium, but from a consumer standpoint, I’d like to get a little more sandwich for my dollar. I could have easily eaten two; one of my buddies actually did and was still hungry after.

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen still has a few kinks to work out, but those will be fixed in time. The potential is huge, especially with their prime location next to AT&T Park and directly across the street from 21st Amendment. As of today they are only open for lunch from 11am-3pm Monday-Friday, but will soon be opening up evening and weekend hours. You can follow them on Twitter at @TheAmericanSF.

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen
1 South Park
San Francisco, CA 94107
www.theamericansf.com

Also check out:
Anchor & Hope Seafood Restaurant in SoMa
B Restaurant & Bar in SoMa
Brenda’s French Soul Food Review; Best Southern Brunch in San Francisco
DaDa Bar and Art Gallery in SOMA
Curry Without Worry in Civic Center
Big Mouth Burgers in the Mission
Super Duper Burger in the Castro

He Will Save Us From MUNI's Problems

Gene — Thu, 27 May 2010 07:04:18 +0000

I saw this guy right when I boarded the K-line at Van Ness and I knew I had to sit by him.

Me: So, is there a convention or something going on?
Muni Man: (chuckles) Nah, today’s my day off.

We proceeded to talk about the cool costumes he saw at WonderCon, whether or not he was inspired by the movie Kick-Ass (he wasn’t), and the upcoming Superhero Street Fair. It’s somewhat humbling to know that even superheroes ride public transportation.

Also check out:
Photo: Love Letter to Alcohol
Photo: SF Street Art: MOM
Photo: Asian Moustache
Photo: Evening Shot of the San Francisco Skyline from Coit Tower

Anchor & Hope Seafood Restaurant in SoMa

Anne — Wed, 26 May 2010 07:37:21 +0000

Anchor & Hope is a seafood restaurant located in SoMa on Minna and 2nd. It’s the 3rd SoMa restaurant brought to you by the owners of Salt House and Town Hall. The brick building that houses Anchor & Hope has a unique history, dating back 100 years as a mechanic’s warehouse. The ambiance is very East Coast formal meets West Coast casual, with New England inspired food. Basically, it looks like it belongs in SoMa with its brick walls and exposed ceiling.

Anchor & Hope’s Chef De Cuisine Sarah Schafer is a Boston native, so she definitely knows a thing or two about good seafood. However, her training in the French technique brings her dishes a notch above the standard crab shack. Anchor & Hope has an array of seafood dishes and a raw bar that rotates daily. I had the pleasure of trying 3 of their delicious appetizers.

First was the Ahi Tuna Poke (sorry for the blurry pic!). It was prepared in the traditional way, with small cubes of ahi tuna sashimi tossed in a soy-sesame mixture, green onions and sesame seeds. But it also had cucumber mixed in it, which was a nice cooling contrast to the special hot sauce they served on the side. A classic example of, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

Next up was the acclaimed “Angels on Horseback,” smoked bacon wrapped oysters, served with a remoulade sauce. Need I say more? This combo screams delicious. The oysters were tender and the bacon salty and crisp, and the slightly tart sauce complemented the dish well. Gene had the pleasure of trying these as well on his visit to Anchor & Hope last year, and loved them.

Last but not least was the Warm Sea Urchin in the shell, Dungenous Crab, and Pureed Potatoes. Having never had sea urchin before, I was a bit nervous to try it, but I’m really glad I did. It tasted like butter with a hint of sea salt, and it had a texture similar to pate. The big chunks of dungenous crab complemented it quite well, and the potato puree balanced it all out. It was heaven in a bowl, or rather, a shell.

I didn’t try any of the entrees while I was at Anchor & Hope, but I have to say the appetizers are standouts on the menu. So share a few appetizers and have a drink or two. With an extensive beer and wine menu like theirs, you’re sure to find the perfect pairing.

-Anne

Anchor & Hope
83 Minna St
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 501-9100
www.anchorandhopesf.com

Also check out:
Red Crawfish – Where the Far East Meets the Deep South
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Love Letter to Alcohol

Gene — Sun, 23 May 2010 22:56:43 +0000

Dear Alcohol,

I don’t even know where to start. I was just walking down Clement Street with a massive hangover, which you gave me, when I ran into Dirty Trix. Imagine my surprise when I found out you’ve been getting around. You told me I was special, that I was the only one. Well fuck you, you fucking whore.

-Gene

P.S. – I’m so sorry I went off on you like that. You have no idea how much you mean to me. No one else makes me feel the way you do. I can’t wait to see you again.

Dirty Trix Saloon
408 Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 387-1400
www.dirtytrix.com

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