Golden Era tonight...!

I'm interested to see what Mel thinks. Generally, I like this place, but sometimes the service takes forever and it doesn't feel so healthy for vegi food. The menus have cartoons of animals that thank you for not eating them, though, which is charming.

Playing catch-up on a couple places... Saul's Restaurant & Deli (A-) and Minh's Garden (A-)

Minh's Garden Vietnamese Cuisine (A-)



A favorite of Melissa's and mine (if I may be so bold as to type for the both of us...And feel free to comment below, Mel) for Vietnamese is Minh's Garden on Clement and 4th Ave. It's cheap cheap, but the food is consistent and fresh. They have pretty good veggie options and also chicken-eater options. I like the chicken Pho and the whole snapper with pineapple and tomato. This place needs customers. People should eat here more often. It's been here for a long time and I'd hate to see it close. Yelp page here.


Saul's (Berkeley) (A-)

Last weekend I ate here with Gabe for the 2nd time. He had another place in mind, but I was secretly hoping we'd end up here. The place he wanted to go to, Venus, was closed for the 4th of July holiday weekend.

One of the main things I like about visiting LA or NY are the Jewish delis there. That said, I am not an expert on Jewish deli food. Especially because I've only had it in bits here and there. But I really like this place. It's not the cheapest, but it's clean and the people are nice and everything looks good and the things I've tried are totally yummy. And they give you lots of pickles! I like the old menus and records on the wall, too.

My only complaint was that it was really hard to pay when we were ready to leave, even though it wasn't that busy.

They do have mixed reviews on yelp. Most of the harsher ones from folks who have lived in more Jewrific cities like Chicago, LA, NY...And say Saul's isn't as good as some of the places there.
They do have a nice website, though.

Crepes A Go-Go on 11th Street (B)

Usually about once a week the cast of "Pearls Over Shanghai" or "Hot Greeks" (which just closed last weekend) visits this place after a show.* It's yummy and cheap. The ingredients are fresh. I usually get the chicken crepe (with bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, w/or w/out cheese), or the one with eggplant (feta, peppers, a bunch of veggies), or my new favorite, which I had last night, the Turkey, cheese and pineapple.

* FYI-I'm on a limited gluten and sugar diet, but once a week a crepe is okay.

Crepes A Go-GO Yelp page is here

Another crepe place that I enjoy, but haven't been to in a while is right by my house. Genki Crepes on Clement Street, which I'm sure I'll review at some point.

A crepe place where I did not have a good experience and will never be back to is Creperie Saint Germain at 1st and Howard. A few months ago I went there and then I wrote a yelp review. It is below:

Creperie Saint Germain (F)

546 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94105

I went here expecting "buckwheat crepes," which is what they advertise. I have to limit my intake of gluten due to health reasons, so this sounded great. Buckwheat doesn't have gluten.

I ordered my crepe... I wanted a chicken crepe. I was told that the chicken is mixed with mushrooms and it's really good so I should just try it. I say okay, though I think most of the time mushrooms are kind of gross. Mushrooms inseparable from chicken: strike 1

I get my crepe. It's hot on the outside and ICE COLD on the inside. I'm talking, like, the chicken and mushroom mixture is still frozen in some parts. Totally gross! Also, the "chicken" is like mince meat. It's all chopped up really tiny and there were big chunks of fat, too (which I thought maybe the mushrooms were mixed with to camouflage). Out of desperation and hunger I ate a portion of my crepe anyway. Bad quality and not fresh: strike 2 & 3.

At about 1/3 of the way through my crepey disappointment, I hear the woman in the cart talking to the couple after me who ask about the buckwheat batter..."Oh, it's a mixture of buckwheat and regular wheat flour." Oh, that's nice to know: strike 4.

Skip this place if you can and go to Crepes a Go Go on 11th. They use regular wheat flour, but their crepes are actually good and fresh.

Mission Creek Cafe (D)

I always find myself here because (pros):

free wi-fi, lots of outlets & it's usually pretty quiet, so it's a good place to get work done...& sometimes they bake their own cookies, which are pretty good.

Why I hate finding myself here (cons):

Clearly unhappy employees and unpleasant bosses; grouchy and ugly signs all over the walls; "out of order" sign on the restroom, though it isn't; dirty, dirty, dirty (bad food safety habits and gross grimy old cushions on the "eclectic" furniture); nothing here is very delicious, except those cookies.

It's at Valencia & 21st. here's the yelp page.

Radio Habana Social Club (B)

This is a place that I love.--though, honestly, I have to say that even though the food isn't bad, it isn't excellent, either. They serve tamales with rice and beans with a salad, or samosas...A few other things. The entrees are small-portioned, and they recently raised the prices on the meals from around $7.50 to $9.50, which makes going here for dinner barely worth it.

The sangria and deserts are really good, though. If you like kitsch (and I do!), it's all over the walls, kind of like my room, but much worse (/better?). The folks that own this place are super cool, too. This was an excellent place to take my new friend, Brenda, because she has a thing for Cuban men and the art covering the walls tied in great with her reminiscence about her time in Greenwich Village or when she was in France performing for Salvador Dali.

Anyway, as I said, I love this place, but it isn't for everyone. Take a step inside sometime and see if you feel like sticking around, or if you feel like screaming and ripping everything off the walls. If you do stay get the sangria or rice pudding and you'll be so happy!

They're open 7:30 till midnight all week, but closed on Tuesday and Sunday.
Located at 1109 Valencia St (between 22nd St & 23rd St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 824-7659
Yelp page here.

Jitlada Thai Cuisine (A-) & Welcome!

Last night Mel and I ate at Jitlada Thai Cuisine. As we awaited our feast, we talked about previous places we've eaten, good and bad--some we can't even remember if we liked or not! We fantasized about being food critics. It prompted us to start our own food blog.
Anyway, here's the address and link to the yelp page for Jitlada Thai...

(1826 Buchanan Street
Suite B
(between Bush St & Sutter St)
San Francisco, CA 94115)

I think we were both pretty impressed. I said I'd give it an A-, but the more I look back on it, I'm leaning more toward an A, which is just crazy. First thing we noticed was how Mel's Thai iced tea was more delicious than normal. I was hungry, Mel was famished. When the vegetarian "summer" roles came, we were extremely impressed by their freshness...Usually when some non-fried roll comes to the table, the rice wrapping is all gummy and chewy and kind of dry--not in this case. It made us happy.

Both dinner entrées came with crispy basil on top and presentation was really great. We ordered our food spicy (as opposed to med or mild) and the level was good. We spent about $45 for 2 entrees, 2 Thai teas, 1 appetizer and tip.

The restaurant is immaculate and it's kind of hidden which is why I think they have to try harder than some other Thai places in the city.

We didn't get desert, opting for Fraiche, but we left happy. Definitely coming back.

The only cons I have are: closed on Mondays and the stuffy stiffs that were our neighbors.