KATE'S KITCHEN...KILLING A SOUTHERN CLASSIC

It's a pleasant Sunday and the SO and I are meeting up with his cousins who are in town to grab a little brunch because, well, it's San Francisco. They are staying near Lower Haight so we decided to hit up Kate's Kitchen, an institution in town. Being a Sunday morning the wait wasn't too terribly bad, about 20 minutes, before we got seated. I had done a little gorging the night before so I wasn't terribly hungry and perused the menu to find a light mid-morning snack instead. I decided to go with the hushpuppies-described as six balls of deep fried cornmeal served with pooh butter (that's honey butter for the unenlightened).

PRETTY PLEASE BAKESHOP..ONE OUT OF TWO AIN'T BAD

It's a brilliant Saturday in San Francisco, the SO is out sailing so what do I do? I go out trolling for new bakeries to find the perfect cupcake or some other icing covered deliciousness to sate my genetic sugary cravings. And so it was that I found myself in the Richmond district and stumbled upon Pretty Please Bakeshop.

THE CORNER STORE...IT'S BRUNCH...ALREADY

The Corner Store opened to much fanfare about a month or so ago and like most new places that get a lot of press and are new dinners there have been a crowded affair. So it was that I decided to give it a try for brunch instead. Usually places that just open don't fall into the brunch thing (which is really a requirement if you are going to be a restaurant in San Francisco) but it is up and running there and I figure it won't be so boisterous.

GIOIA PIZZA...IT'S MORE THAN JUST THE PIZZA SILLY

A Berkeley stalwart since 2004 Gioia Pizza has been packing in crowds in the East Bay. Fortunately for us they've made their way into San Francisco and opened up a location way down Polk Street past Broadway. I can't remember what used to be in this space--was it a hair salon? Either way they've totally re-done the space in a style that is reminiscent of several other places in town like Paragon, Marlowe and Corner Store--just to name a few. Lots of wood and white tile with a chalkboard of menu items.

LET'S EAT GRILL STOP...UNTRADITIONAL FRIED CHICKEN

Another day and I find myself again at the SOMA StreatFood Park because, well, I really like this casual truck food plaza. After a stroll around to see what's cooking I picked Let's Eat Grill Stop (they don't have a website yet).

FRESH ROLL...TRUTH IN ADVERTISING

I'm continuing my journey through the new eateries at the recently remodeled Metreon--though really I'm just killing time till the new Target opens but at least this time I'm not wasting my taste buds on mediocre fair.  My spot of choice on this particular day is Fresh Roll. The concept is similar to a place I recently visited called Spice Kit. Basically you choose a meat then decide if you want it as a rice wrap roll, a bahn mi or on noodles.