San Francisco - Alison Bing [125]
ROSE’S CAFé Map Californian $$
415-775-2200; www.rosescafesf.com; 2298 Union St; 7am-10pm Mon-Thu, 8am-10pm Fri & Sat, 8am-9:30pm Sun; 22, 41, 45;
Follow your salads and housemade soups with rich organic polenta with gorgonzola and thyme, then linger over your espresso or grenadine-and-vanilla Monk’s Blend tea. Shop if you must, but return to this corner cafe from 4pm to 6pm for half-price wine by the glass.
GREENS Map Vegetarian, Californian $$
415-771-6222; www.greensrestaurant.com; Fort Mason Center, Bldg A; restaurant lunch Tue-Sat, dinner Mon-Sat, brunch Sun; take-out 8am-8pm Mon-Thu, 8am-5pm Fri & Sat, 9am-4pm Sun; 22, 28, 30;
Career carnivores won’t realize there’s no meat in the hearty black bean chili with crème fraîche and pickled jalapeños, or that roasted eggplant panino (sandwich), packed with hearty flavor from ingredients mostly grown on a Zen farm in Marin. On sunny days, get yours to go so you can enjoy it on a wharfside bench, but if you’re planning a sit-down weekend dinner or Sunday brunch you’ll need reservations.
BLUE BARN GOURMET Map Sandwiches, Salads $
415-441-3232; www.bluebarngourmet.com; 2105 Chestnut St; 11am-8:30pm Sun-Thu, to 7pm Fri & Sat; 22, 28, 30, 43, 76, 91
Toss aside thoughts of ordinary salads. Here for $8.50 you can build a mighty mound of organic produce from Sonoma’s Oak Hill Farm, topped with your choice of six fixings: artisan cheeses, caramelized Copra onions, heirloom tomatoes, candied pecans, pomegranate seeds, even Meyer grilled sirloin. For a hot meal, try the toasted panini oozing with Manchego cheese, fig jam and chorizo.
WARMING HUT Map Cafe, Sandwiches $
415-561-3040; 983 Marine Dr; 9am-5pm; 29
Wetsuited windsurfers and Crissy Field kite fliers thaw out with fair-trade coffee, organic pastries and organic hot dogs at the Warming Hut, while browsing an excellent selection of field guides and sampling honey made by Presidio honeybees. This eco-shack below the Golden Gate Bridge has walls ingeniously insulated with recycled denim and a heartwarming concept: all purchases fund Crissy Field’s ongoing conversion from US Army air strip to wildlife preserve.
LA BOULANGE Map Sandwiches, Bakery $
415-440-4450; www.baybread.com; 1909 Union St; 7am-6pm; 22, 41, 45, 47, 49, 76;
Even the most die-hard boutique trawler needs to refuel sometime, and La Boulange offers caffeine and house-baked carbo-loading in the middle of the Union St strip. La Combo is a $7 lunchtime deal to justify your next Union St boutique purchase: half a tartine (open-faced sandwich) with soup or salad, plus all the Nutella and pickled cornichons (gherkins) you desire from the condiment bar.
REAL FOOD Map Groceries $
415-567-6900; www.realfoodco.com; 3060 Fillmore St; 8am-9pm; 22, 41, 45
Pacing the acres of deli counter packed with appealing foods prepared in-house and sandwiches in the making doesn’t make choosing any easier, but may eventually qualify as a gastronomic Olympic sport. Go with respectable nigiri sushi, freshly roasted eggplant and tomato salad, free-range herb turkey on focaccia, organic gingerbread and fair-trade coffee, and on less windy days, grab a seat on the front patio. If you like what you taste, sign up for a cooking class here – see the website for details.
KARA’S CUPCAKES Map Bakery, Dessert $
415-563-2253; www.karascupcakes.com; 3249 Scott St; 10am-8pm Mon-Sat, to 6pm Sun; 22, 28, 30, 43, 76, 91
Stand back and watch Proustian nostalgia wash over fully grown adults as they bite into the carrot cake with cream-cheese frosting, or babble excitedly about magician birthday parties over the chocolate-marshmallow. While the flavors seem simple, they are meticulously calculated for maximum glee.
Return