Ha yeah that is true. Quite good. I’m not too sure either. I don’t quite remember but was it possibly a rent issue or a family thing?
I never really probed too much into it.
I don’t believe that’s right.
Sure, 8 a.m. Saturday? Yes, 15 minutes can you take you from the Outer Mission to North Beach.
But around 5-6 pm on a weekday, probably when the OP will be dining, you’d be lucky to make it from City Hall to the western edge of the Tenderloin in an Uber.
2 Likes
Is there any way to view this with all the photos showing where their ‘links’ are? There were things I couldn’t identify.
Click on the Dragon beaux link
True, traffic gets backed up at rush hour (and you might beat it by taking the subway), but regardless, people recommended restaurants all over town.
Boulette’s Larder in the SF Ferry Building (usually a zoo on weekends, but ok during the week) has a solid breakfast from 8am on. It’s a bit expensive at times, and the daily changing menu is a bit small, but the quality is pretty good and I’ve never been disappointed there. Friends who have visited also have consistently liked it. It’s sit-down, but quaint and casual. Frog Hollow Farm, literally across it, probably has some good stone fruits right now, maybe some Santa Rosa plums. Ok it’s not going to beat what you can get at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market, but I’ve had some good fruit there.
A recent menu
http://www.bouletteslarder.com/menus/breakfast.pdf
Also, if the menu that day doesn’t appeal to you, you can walk over to Sidekick cafe at Cowgirl Creamery about 100ft. away and get a cheese sandwich if you want something simple.
Plow, as others have mentioned is solid as well, and open from 7am. It’s near Portrero Hill; not sure if that’s close to where you’ll be.
1 Like
Don’t forget the lamb too.
1 Like
Having spent some quality time in SF but alas not since Nov 2014, I really enjoyed reading this topic. It’s heartening to see that so many of my old favourites are still making the grade. Cotogna for lunch is truly one of the best things in life, much more enjoyable than dinner, though the prices were the same. And La Ciccia sounds not to have changed much. It was all about the appetizers and pastas for me – sometimes you’d luck out on a great main. The flatbread left me cold. The hosts are delightful, no matter whether you are a noob, a regular (we dined there a couple of times with one), or a repeat customer. We had wonderful pastas at SPQR with a large group once but everything else was disappointing. I still dream of the porchetta sandwiches from Roli Roti, worth lining up for (and I rarely say that) though even better for breakfast, before the lines build!
I just read that Jai Yun is not currently serving and is moving or something. Too bad as our three lunches there were outstanding.
SFBA is where I found out about kouign amann and I have been obsessively seeking them out wherever I go since. Liked B Patisserie’s a lot but gave a slight edge to Starter back in the day. They are the only bakery that made non-plain versions that I have found that I craved, specifically the fruit ones and the elusive hazelnut version which is/was stellar (pass on the chocolate). Here’s a fun read on KA in SFBA Chowhound that gives at least one very recent shoutout to the KA at Arsicault as being most like the “real” Bretagne version if the OP goes there for croissants.
Both SF and Portland OR, the place that’s taken over our eating jaunts, have the peculiarity of Monday being a difficult day to find a good place to dine. First world problem, I know, but still a conundrum!
Also interesting to hear Salt and Straw touted as better than many of the ice cream places in SF. I find S&S’s flavour combos palate fatiguing, where I like them for a couple of tastes and then get, for want of a better word, bored. Experienced that feeling a bit at Humphry Slocombe as well with some of their more complicated flavours. SF struck me as being pretty crazy for ice cream with lots of options and folks eating this sweet treat even on cold days/nights with relish. I rather fancied the interesting flavours at Marco Polo, especially the “Asian” fruit ones.
Really homesick for the City right now!
2 Likes
I agree, grayelf!
Cotogna is great for lunch (but they now charge for their great foccacia). Sunday Supper is good, too, but largely it’s a lazy Friday lunch kind of place for me. They have their great porchetta for the table right now!
Agreed about La Ciccia - great pastas, mixed success with the mains (e.g. the lamb with saba and thyme?), but the hosts are always warm. I like SPQR’s pasta tasting menu for a sampling of non-traditional pastas, but haven’t found much else I liked there.
Yes, Jai Yun is currently not in service. B. Patisserie has a good KA but I like their passionfruit bostock (great for afternoon tea at home), and yes on Arsicault.
Also agreed on Salt and Straw - it was so sweet I couldn’t finish it. I probably ordered wrong, but their ice cream veers quite fatiguing for me.
Not a lot of new places have caught my interest. I tend to stick to the same places.
A sample itinerary that I recommend to some friends who visit for a 3.5-day weekend (it depends where they’re coming from and their preferences, of course, but…):
Thursday:
- Zuni for lunch - split a Caesar, roast chicken, and some blanc de blancs. Since it’s open throughout the afternoon, the hours are flexible for when they arrive.
- La Ciccia for dinner - don’t miss the fregola with tomato-sea urchin and tuna heart sauce.
Friday:
- Swan Oyster Depot for an early brunch - arrive at 9:45am, eat at 10:30am. It’s not the best in California, but it has local charm. or Hog Island Oyster Co.
- Cotogna for a later, lazy lunch to share pastas and porchetta if they have it (otherwise maybe a pizza). If that sounds too heavy, split a pizza from either Tony’s Pizza Napoletana (by North Beach/Little Italy) or Una Pizza Napoletana (SOMA)
- walk through Chinatown, sample teas at Red Blossom Tea Company
- dinner at Bellota for Spanish, or if you want French bistro, Monsieur Benjamin (polished) or L’Ardoise (more neighborhoody)
- drinks at PCH or Benjamin Cooper, etc.
Saturday:
- Boulette’s Larder for breakfast, followed by snacking at Frog Hollow Farm and/or Cowgirl Creamery, maybe even a bang bang at Hog Island Oyster Co. Or, Plow.
- after a big brunch one may not need a proper lunch. But grabbing some charcuterie and fixings from Fatted Calf Charcuterie if walking around Hayes Valley is fine for a proper picnic if you want to DIY - grab wine from Arlequin a block away). Trou Normand if you want to sit down somewhere for charcuterie and cocktails, maybe even hop over to SF MOMA or walk downtown.
- Saison or Californios for a tasting menu dinner, depending on budget and preference; or Mourad for the Moroccan family meal specifically. Or if it’s casual, just grab a Bastilla from Cafe Zitouna before going out/concert/event.
- a mission burrito is a late-night option.
Sunday:
- Arsicault for an early croissant
- Dragon Beaux for dim sum or 4505 Meats for some brisket
- fly/drive home
2 Likes
There’s a table for three at Cotogna that we always asked for if we were blessed with being joined by a local Hound (still think of my food friends in SFBA as such, sorry!). Right at the end, great view of the room and such fun to think of a three top! Also quieter – Cotogna can be loud, but less so generally at lunch, which is one of the reasons I like it better at that time.
Passionfruit is my passion (groan); I’m currently obsessed with a p-fruit tart from a local bakery in Vancouver called Cadeaux. If you like bostocks and find yourself in Portland, try the ones at Coquine, one of my favourite restaurants for many things.
OT but is there a DM function on FTC?
click on user name, click on the blue “message” icon
Thanks BradFord. I tried that but it seemed to come out as a new post. I am NOT a sophisticated user, and the link robert posted… whoa, I didn’t understand anything there. Am I supposed to be using something called Discourse?
Hi @grayelf,
It looks like the same format as starting a new Thread, but in fact you’ll notice it says “start a new message” (as in private message). Enjoy.
1 Like
The software behind this site is Discourse, so you are using it. meta.discourse.org is their tech support forum.
2 Likes
A16
Alfred’s
Alta
Baonecci
Barbacco
Cockscomb
Cotogna
Hawker Fare
Monsieur Benjamin
Perbacco
Plaj
Trou Normand
Wayfare
1 Like
I think this is what the kids call ‘REKT’
(/
Maybe I should have said good, new place to dine. Been to six, not interested in the others but thanks!
I’ve largely given up on new places in SF. Even if they’re not overpriced and the food isn’t ill-conceived or badly executed they’ll probably go out of business anyway.
Hi @ipsedixit @PorkyBelly @BradFord @robert and all,
If you had a choice between Lazy Bear, Quince and La Ciccia, which would you recommend?
My focus would be on great food that I can’t normally get in L.A.
Thanks!