Now that summer is in full swing, I love spending my weekends wine tasting in Napa. My first stop before drinking commences is fueling up at Gott’s Roadside. The original is located off of the 29 in Saint Helena on the way to the wineries. However, they also have one in the heart of Napa, at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, and Palo Alto.
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Kitchen Story
Brunch is the most important meal on the weekends, and if you’re in San Francisco, it’s the only meal that matters on the weekend. Expect to wait at least over an hour at the latest trending brunch spot. Kitchen Story is no exception, but it’s worth the wait.
The french toast is two layers with marscapone cream in between, dipped in batter, fried, and topped with fresh fruit. This dish is decadent but not overwhelmingly sweet like most french toast. I wanted to finish it all, however I was sharing, so out of politeness, I refrained.
Don’t forget to order the millionaire bacon. It’s sweet, salty and spicy all in one bite.
The belly rancheros with slow cooked Kurobata pork belly, avocado, arugula, and Kimchi pico de gallo over corn tortillas were amazing! The Kimich pico de gallo was more like a green sauce than a pico de gallo, but the flavor burst put this dish over the top. Everything coated with this sauce tasted delicious and helped balance the sweetness of the pork belly. Dreaming of the sauce now!
The open face breakfast with a Wagyu patty, spinach, mushroom, white cheddar and two eggs sunny side up reminded me of loco moco. This dish wasn’t bad but the AMAZINGNESS of the other two plates made this one lackluster.
b. patisserie
b. patisserie reminds me of the bakeries you find in Paris. It’s minimalistic designs and delicious pastries will instantly transport you to Paris.
It’s signature pastry, the kouign amann (pronounced “queen amman”), is a sweet, buttery, flaky croissant. I suggest you go early to snag one of these before they run out!
The blueberry, peach, almond croissant isn’t your normal croissant. It’s more dense than flaky but the flavor is there. The peach brings out the sweetness of the blueberry but also helps balance it out.
The passion fruit bostock reminded me of a dense coffee cake.
Trouble Coffee Co
Trouble Coffee Co comes off like a hipster coffee joint because it sells $4 toast. However, it all started when Giulietta Carrelli opened up shop selling her personal comforts like coffee, toast, coconuts, and grapefruit juice to help keep stability in her schizophrenic life. The menu simply consists of the four items listed above but you better know how you like your coffee and toast because this place doesn’t have a defined menu. From the looks of it they seem to offer everything possible: espresso, drip coffee, chocolate toast, butter toast, etc.
I got my usual soy latte and was pleased. The infamous cinnamon butter toast was a child’s dream breakfast. Sugary, cinnamony, and crunchy. Next time, I’m will try the nutella toast.
Locations: 1545 Willow St, Oakland, CA 94607 (the Original)
4033 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122
1730 Yosemite Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124
Hard Knox Cafe
These days the Dog Patch neighborhood of San Francisco is looking to face lift everything, but one place that hasn’t changed in the past 16 years is Hard Knox Cafe. This inconspicuous restaurant, located across from Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous ice shop, serves up hearty Southern style comfort food. For $13, you can get a three piece fried chicken dish with two sides of your choice and corn bread. The fried chicken is meaty and perfectly crisp. The mac and cheese is the classical hearty and cheesy mac and cheese that everyone loves. My favorite was the corn bread. It was sweet and moist.
They also serve chicken and waffles and ribs of all sorts. I’m definitely going back to try those next.
If you’re in the Richmond district, look out for their second location.
Locations: 2526 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
2448 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94121
RN74
The Michael Mina restaurant group is offering a three course #outtolunch special for $29 at all three restaurants: Michael Mina, Pabu, and RN74. For those who haven’t tried it yet, I highly suggest you hurry and make your reservations soon since this deal ends on August 31.
At RN74, the out to lunch options are:
- Appetizer- Butter Lettuce Salad or Sweet Corn Soup
- Main- Pork Schnitzel or Traditional Bouillabaise
- Dessert- Valhorna Chocolate Bouchon
The sweet corn soup was not as sweet as stated. The soup was sweet while the corn bits were sour. It was marinated in a vinegar-like flavor.
Everything about the pork schnitzel was perfect: the thinness, the breadcrumb layer, and the flavor bomb it left on taste buds. On top of the schnitzel was a light salad, roasted pecans, and pommes anna (Anna pototoes) topped with an apricot mustard.
When they took our order, the waiter asked if we would like the dessert to go. I loved that they offered this option, considering how difficult it is to enjoy your lunch in an hour time slot, I definitely wanted to savor my dessert. The Valhorna chocolate bouchon reminded me of a crumbly cookie brownie.
Now go taste Michael Mina’s work for a fraction of the price before it’s too late.
KoJa Kitchen
Move out of the way ramen burger, rice patty burgers are in town. Koja Kitchen features a fusion of Korean and Japanese rice patty burgers. My favorites are the marinated kalbi (short rib), which is pictured above, or bulgolgi (brisket) sandwiches. The rice patties keep you full, and it keeps its shape throughout your enjoyment.
Normally sold in a food truck parked at the Truck Stop in the alley between Mission and First, they now have a brick and mortar shop in Berkeley. You can also pre order online for the Berkeley location. Below is a map of all their locations.
Swan Oyster Depot
Swan Oyster Depot was established in its present location over 100 years ago in 1912 by four Danish brothers. They delivered fresh seafood throughout San Francisco using a horse drawn carriage. In 1946, they sold the business to the Sancimino and LaRocca family. Over time, the Sancimino children took over, and today they continue to run the business along with delivering fresh seafood throughout the city. Today the shop looks just like it did in the past. A long narrow seafood bar that seats only 18 with an antiquated register adding to its charm.
The oyster combo comes with oysters from around the world but I wasn’t able to catch the names. They were all very fresh and delicious, as acclaimed. My favorite were the small oysters due to their sweetness.
Got their clam chowder bowl and crab cocktail. I would pass on the clam chowder. It was full of clam flavor but lacked body. I tend to like my clam chowder to be thick and filled with clams. The crab cocktail was delightful. Com’on it’s a bowl of shelled crab meat!
You can taste the freshness in the sashimi plate. It comes with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, halibut and scallops. My favorite were the sweet scallops.
Tip: Go early for there’s an hour long wait for a seat. Bring cash and lots of it. For two people, this meal can run up to ~$100.
Knead Patisserie
Located in the Mission, Knead Patisserie is home to the Pomme D’Amour. It’s a custard filled puff pastry topped with sugar and then torched to the crunchiness of a creme brûlée. Yelp reviewers rave it as “better than sex.” I find it to be a heavenly snack that hits the sweet tooth.
Behind the Pomme D’Amour is an almond twist. It is light and flaky. Pairs perfectly with your morning cup of joe or tea.
If you’re looking for Knead Patisserie, it’s located inside Local Eatery. Keep in mind, it’s only open in the morning and afternoons. I like to grab a coffee from Philz next door and then head over to Knead Patisserie for a bite.
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is home to the cruffin (croissant muffin). However, on this day they were sold out.
Above are (top to bottom): negroni doughnut x2, chocolate doughnut x2, salted caramel doughnut x2, amelie amann, and chocolate croissant.
The negroni doughnut is filled with Campari jelly and negroni custard. The pipette is filled with negroni syrup. Unaware of what negroni is, I took a big bite and was left with a bitter aftertaste. After some research, I learned negroni is gin, vermouth, and Campari. Not a big fan of this alcoholic doughnut.
The salted caramel doughnut was as delicious as it sounds. The doughnut texture is light and fluffy.
I loved the amelie amann. It reminded me of a flaky puff pastry with a creme brûlée top. It would pair perfectly with your morning coffee.
YUMTRAVELS 