JO ANN'S CAFE IN SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO....SEE? I DO EAT OUTSIDE THE CITY!

It's a big wide world of food out there and occasionally I do get outside of the city to run errands or hit up the random (full-sized) Target or you know, a mall. When I do, I try to find one of those out of the way off the beaten path kind of places that locals know, and others totally miss. On one particular joint down South San Francisco way, I stumbled across a small place in a kind of semi-strip mall of other business. It's called Jo Ann's Cafe and as the sun sparkled across it's entrance, I thought, this must be the place for me to eat on this day. The rays of light were like a sign! (or bad camera lighting) But really helpful, considering we missed it and drove past this place once before circling back around. (Take note--the strip of shops it's in is pretty nondescript.)

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS TO CONSUME.....PLUS RETURN OF COOKIE TIME!

I realize I am late to the bakery party, but it's not like I hadn't heard of Mr. Holmes Bakehouse. I mean how could one not with it's neon famous sign and cruffins abounding on social media. Still, I hadn't made it over to the Tenderloin to try them out because, well, really, I have no good reason. Though I did find myself in their hood one afternoon and decided to stroll by. This time of day however, is not the time to go as they were pretty much out of everything, literally. Except for a savory thing and this cookie, my choice seemed made. Like I'm going to pass up a cookie! Chocolate chip with sprinkles of sea salt. That is the de rigueur cookie of the moment. As is any thing with sea salt. It's actually a pretty decent size in width and thickness for only $1.75 or was it $2? Either way, a relative bargain against some places in this town. Plus, it was a great cookie, even have probably sat there since that morning. It had a nice crispy outside and the inside was still soft with layers of chocolate between the dough which afforded a bit of chocolate in every bite. Being a salty sweet fan in general the addition of the salt flakes on top just make it better to me. These things are probably amaze balls fresh out of the oven all warm and gooey. Still, as is, it is a winner and I'll rank it in the top 3 of cookies in San Francisco for flavor, size, proportionate chocolate and of course, cost. If they can take the most basic of cookies and make it taste this good I can only imagine what will be in store when I'm able to get my lazy a** up early enough to get over to the Tenderloin and buy an array of yummy baked goods. And really, how often do you hear anyone (me!) say something like that?

• Fusion food, KQED has finally figured out it's a thing in the Bay Area. 
• Because you know you wanna know about it (plus it's in my hood) EaterSF has some pics and stuff on that new Taco Bell concept with booze.
• It lives! It lives! La Boulange rises from the ashes like a food Phoenix.
• With all the hot weather recently, The Infatuation folks decided to eat at every SF ice cream place--in one day. Ummm...how does one get that job? 
• Because we never have enough social media in our lives, let's add a few food Instagram accounts to our ever burgeoning list. 
• It's more mid-Market food madness. Now comes word on a food co-working space.
• Hoodline goes inside Triptych's fusion of art and food.
• Chef shuffles continue to abound around town. Seems there is talent to go around and round. 
• Betelnut in the Marina-ish area is closing after 20 years. That whole lease thing and such. Though space won't be empty for long. 
• See, as one place closes another opens in the Marina as Dorian makes it's debut.
• From barbecue joint to fancy oyster bar. Ugh, bring back the meat.
• And finishing off with even more chef shuffles around and round town.  

FOOD TRUCK QUICK BITE: BACON BACON AGAIN AGAIN

A couple years ago I hit up Bacon Bacon's storefront shop to see if the bacon was all it was crisped up to be. I did, however, come away a bit disappointed it wasn't better than I was hoping for. Maybe I put too much pressure on the food under the guise that "everything is better with bacon." Sadly, that is not always the case and because of this, I'd generally just steered clear of the food truck version. Then one day I decided, well, why not try them. They lasted this long, they must be doing something well, right?

TRA VIGNE IN ST. HELENA....ACCEPTABLY TOURIST FRIENDLY

When you want to show out of town guests a fun time, a trip to Napa is always worth the one hour jaunt north. For folks not from here, it has many of the well known name brand wineries that people like and few unknowns to explore and taste. If you are spending the day, it's usually best to stop and eat somewhere in order to soak up all that wine your tasting and sober up a bit before hitting more wineries or heading back to the city. There are a fair number of places along the road through St. Helena, Napa, Calistoga, etc. They range from popular and expensive, to trendy and expensive to just opened and still a little expensive. Such is the nature of Napa Valley. To say that me and the SO have been to Napa many times, is an understatement. Though, strangely enough, we don't often do a sit down restaurant for food when we go. We hit up places like Dean & DeLuca (yes a little pricey too) and just grab and go. This time around we had some relatives in tow and decided to hit up a popular place the SO really likes and one that I've heard about, but never tried, Tra Vigne. It originally became well known due to it's initial association with Michael Chiarello, though he's no longer involved these days. It seemed like a good idea to go all Italian and wine and we were able to secure reservations in advance (always recommended).

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS TO CONSUME...AND YES, ANOTHER CINNAMON ROLL

Peet's is my go to coffee/tea shop when I wanna HEARTY iced black tea unsweet. It's a slightly bitter dark brown caffeine kick in the rear when you really need it. They also have a relatively decent selection of pastries that I've perused over the years. I am a big fan of their gingerbread loaf. Whether by choice or just lack of awareness, I never really knew they offered a cinnamon roll. Even though by looking at it you can tell it doesn't have my requisite cream cheese icing, I still decided to get one and give it a try. Baked goods in coffee shops can sometimes be hit or miss due to the fact they get deliveries early in the morning, thus if you hit the place up in the late afternoon, items have been sitting out for awhile. This can lead to things that are not all the moist, drying out even further. Such was the case with this particular roll. If ever an item could use a little heat and some butter, this was definitely it. Maybe if it have the cream cheese instead of the sugared icing, I might have been willing to look a little past it, but sadly, I could not. It does have a nice swirl of cinnamon throughout so you do get the flavor, but not the flaky softness of what the roll really should be. Of course, there is always the distinct possibility that I could get one that tasted fresher, by arriving when they open and getting the first ones they put out. As much as I like a cinnamon roll, even I can't get up that early, ever. Maybe if you are getting a hot chocolate or even a coffee and you want to dip and eat, this could work. As a stand alone enjoy and eat roll, I'm gonna have to take a pass. I'm okay with that though, they've still got the gingerbread loaf as a fall back, along with that tea and a pumpkin bread loaf that also ain't too bad. Thus my hefty dessert sweet tooth will be fine without it. 

• Yes, October is only weeks away, so why not start planning your Oktoberfest now with this handy guide from SFEater.
• Chef moves, more and more chef moves.
• Say goodbye to popular sandwich pop-up Pal's Take Away, at in San Francisco, he's moving across the bay to Oakland. A little to far to go for a sandwich, no matter how good it is. 
• Dat Spot takes over the old Chez Maman location in Potrero Hill. Same owners but new concept of rotisserie something or other.  
• After a parting of ways between head chef and owner, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse announces new pastry chef and an upcoming fall menu of new treats, plus old favorites. 
• Bi-Rite Market is turning 75! And celebrating this week with a birthday party for themselves.
• See, you can eat cheaply in San Francisco at these $1 spots 7x7 recommends. Though there are a lot of oysters on here. 
• Hoodline has a wrap up of some SOMA dining news including a new pizza slice place that I'm sure will try to win over baseball fans instead of people who actually live in the hood. 
• Not content with Super Duper, Delarosa, Starbelly, etc., Adriano Paganini is opening yet another place. This time in Hayes Valley. 
• Munchery continues to skirt zoning rules in the city to the consternation of it's neighbors.
• It's called Farmigo and it's in Bernal Heights and has something to do with food, I think. 
• Okay, so the Giants aren't going to make the play-offs this year, I mean it's not an even numbered one after all. But they do have some home games left for which you can get cheap tix and Around the Foghorn is rounding up their 10 best food options at the park. 

BAR TARTINE IN THE MISSION....PART TWO STILL EATING

**WITH NEW OWNERS COMES NEW NAMES! SOON THIS WILL BE CALLED "CRESCENT"...I'M SURE THERE'S SIGNIFICANCE SOMEWHERE**

After a brief respite I'm back to finish off Bar Tartine. Our parade of plates is continuing and while they are shareable, I'll note that the portion sizes are really more tapas style with regular sized entree prices on a few. That's why sometimes it can be like a minefield of what to get, what not to get and not getting too much while still making sure you are trying a variety of the offerings. Yeah, enough to make ones head spin. Usually that's when it is good to have two or more people with you to try stuff and consequently, help split the bill. So on we go.

BAR TARTINE IN THE MISSION...PART ONE..YES AGAIN I ATE A LOT

**UPDATE: WITH NEW OWNERS COMES TIME FOR A NEW NAME! IN A FEW MONTHS THIS WILL TRANSITION TO "CRESCENT"..THEY SAID IT JUST FELT RIGHT***

Bar Tartine is one of those places that seemed to hit the ground running, garnering favorable notices from the get go. Originally an offshoot of Tartine, it broke away and has become it's own creation with unique dishes of Eastern European flare, made from local products. I had seen it's rise in popularity, but for whatever myriad of reasons, had never really made my way over to try them out. I'm not a restaurant bandwagon jumper-oner and was just kind of eh, someday. I usually like things to settle down and have places get in the groove with all the kinks worked out. Plus, if they can last 5 or so years like they have, then they might stick around a bit and be worth trying. I met up with Ms. O and her BF and we journeyed to hipster land (The Mission) to see if all the fuss lived up to all the hype.

OZONE..AN AFFORDABLE LUNCH IN SOMA! SHOCKING!

Lunch in this town can be a minefield of $10 sandwiches, $12 salads or ye' old fast food. Finding something filling and moderately healthy that won't break the wallet can be a challenge. Particularly in the SOMA neighborhood which is full of tech offices and such. Sure there are tasty places to try, but many are on the pricey side for lunch options. Every now and then you stumble across a place that's only been in your peripheral scope of "I should try that someday." One place is Ozone, sort of a Thai restaurant slash sports bar hybrid with a giant outdoor patio that fills up with Giants fans on game days.

YOUR WEEKLY DIGESTION OF FOOD NEWS TO CONSUME...AND SAFEWAY CINNAMON ROLL REVISIT

Oh Safeway, what have you wrought? A few years back I recounted my sad love affair with the cinnamon rolls from the Church and Market Safeway in particular. The one Safeway I'm near never even carried or made them. And like time and the seasons, seems they have seen fit to make changes to my beloved and go with the bigger is better route. It started a couple months ago that these baby's head size cinnamon rolls came into being and the other ones seemed to mysteriously disappear. I resisted the urge to try this new size as I was saddened that they pandered to baseball fans and America's obsession with supersizing. One evening I found myself at the Potrero Hill Safeway and in a moment of weakness and indecision, I bought one to see if they were any different than my normal sized delights. Like an obsessive, I probably took longer than necessary in selecting the one that I thought felt heaviest and looked like it had the most icing. All this of course under the bemused rolled eyes of the SO, who left me there to ponder my choice while they completed the shopping list.Are they any good? Basic answer--sort of. Simce these are bigger and thus thicker in the middle it will take longer to bake, making the outside more a dark golden brown instead of the standard yellowish golden brown. This extra baking can lead to a little dryness along the outer edges as well. Taste wise, it is the same, a plus, meaning they haven't altered the recipe. Same goes for the cream cheese icing, it still has that lovely small tang of lemon and creamy texture that is both thick and fluffy at the same time. The biggest issue becomes having enough icing on these mammoth things to cover up the inherent dryness you would encounter while consuming.  Because it is so big, while I could gluttonously eat this in one sitting, I didn't quite that much of a sugar shock and was able to actually stretch it over 4 servings/days. I will say, heating these up briefly in the microwave does help somewhat (as does a little butter--DON'T EVEN ASK!) but just like 20 seconds, otherwise the icing will turn to liquid. Final thought--it's not terrible, but it is just a bit much and slightly over cooked. Plus as I've seen at several locations, many have more of a light coat of icing as opposed to enough to offset any baking issues (see photo below). If you can see the roll below the icing, it's not enough! And if your are parsing it over several days, it runs the risk of getting stale as fresh baked goods are want to do. While I'm bummed my regular size has gone to baked goods heaven, it's probably for the best considering what a calorie and sugar bomb it is. These days, stuff like this just settles around the mid-section which can be costly. I'm already spending enough money on food in this town, I don't want to have to get a whole new wardrobe too! 

• After moving to their new Castro location just 2 years ago, Pesce has decided to call it quits. That's at least 4 places at this location that have closed. Is it cursed?
• Seems Alice Waters is getting some national medal honor thingymabob.
• The folks that brought you Sens will now bring you Barcha! Same theme, additional location.
• Oakland's having an EatReal Festival. Though with the usual line-up of food suspects it's not real different than other festivals.
• And while we are on the East Bay, here's some more news that Off The Grid will be in Fremont of all places.
• While we are traveling outside the city, may as well hit up wine country for their month long harvest bender. 
• Now you can get a drink in a coconut in the Mission and some other stuff too.
• KQED let's you in on their favorite falafel places in the Bay Area, just because.
• And not to be outdone, Thrillist lines up their favorite pork bun places in town. So there!
• And SFEaters best fried chicken dishes in the city! Bam! drop the mic!
• As long as I'm on a roll, let's go way outside San Francisco to LA! Land of plastic and sunshine where Charles Phan will grace them with their own Slanted Door. P.S.--that doesn't mean the one here will be any easier to get into. 
• Even with folks out of town there are still odd things to do like the sort of food and bicycle race around the city.
• Slider Bar in the Castro is re-concepting into organic sandwiches and salads? Really?

 

BENTO....THEY COME IN A BOX

Food start-ups have become as prevalent in the Bay Area as, well, start-ups in general. Every time I turn around there seems to be a new food delivery system promising--quickest, local chefs, bestest, easiest, organic, whatever to try and get noticed in an ever burgeoning and crowded market. Being into food like I am, I'm always up to try them out and see if they can live up to their hype. Though I try to keep my expectations in check and eyebrow raised to all their prodigious pronouncements. Bento (it's really only an app) is one that started several months ago and has expanded rapidly. The idea was intriguing enough that I decided to try them out several times to see how things went.