My Boogaloo Conversion

Friends, I once hated Boogaloo's. And for good reason. At one time, the food was not so good. In fact, I had a pancake experience that left me so ill that I vowed not to return.
And I didn't. Until, like, 8 years later.
Guess what?? They are soooo much better! Sure, the wait can be longish, but it's doable, and you have Ritual right across the street to fix your coffee jones. Sit down, order, and quick as a bunny, food arrives. I tried the Nicky's polenta, a huge vegan plate with truly satisfying corn mush (crispy outside, softy inside), black beans, ranchero sauce, pickled cabbage and a generous mound of sauteed veggies. JP enjoyed his scrambies, hash browns, sausage and biscuit. We also shared a lemon cornmeal pancake, and the bad memory was wiped away. This flapjack rocked!
So yeah, I shall now be joining the parade of tired hipsters on Sunday. Boo hoo. And if you're looking for me, I'm the one not wearing oversize sunglasses, skinny jeans and flats.

Osha Nosh-a

Lunch bargains: great, sometimes, but it can be an iffy prospect. I can definitely recommend Osha's, though. For $10.95, you get a cup of very good soup (Tom Yum), choice of appetizer (I had fresh spring rolls, which were funny little tubes, long rather than fat, with a nice sweetish dipping sauce), and entree (mine was tofu with veggies in garlic sauce). Oh and a big mound of jasmine rice. The restaurant's pretty and not too crowded; service is quite good. And my veggie stir fry was no boring mix; the chunks of bright orange kabocha squash made me oh-so-happy. Healthy, filling, and you may have leftovers. Leftover Thai food: better by far than waiting for hours at a street food fest. Just my two cents.

Go Little Vegan Cart!

OK, there is no vegan cart yet. But there should be. A couple named Josh and Erin brought their wares to Pop's Bar on 24th Street today, and shared free vegan bbq with the hungry hordes. Josh baked the rosemary focaccia buns (awesome!), made the bbq sauce and cabbage slaw, and used soy curls - which he says are only available in Portland - as the protein. Kimster and I sat in the bar, munching our sandwiches and enjoying the friendly vibe. Now let's hope the kids get a cart and start selling their vegan goodies for reals. I know a whole lotta people who would support the cause. Let's not let Portland kick our asses on this front too, folks!

Take Heart

We sat at the wine bar on nice, heavy wood stools. The $9 glass of red I tried, Cheverny Rouge, was excellent sipped from a Mason jar. Heart is groovy, this is true, with its hipster vibe and art-covered walls, but I liked everything about it. And ohhh, the food. We had a plate of pickles, cucumber and green beans and spicy peppers, all tasting home-made. My friend and I could not get over the creamily delicious raw scallops with preserved lemon and arugula...sex on a plate! And the parchment-baked halibut with leeks, carrots, bok choy, freshly-torn herbs and lemongrass just melted on the tongue. Wish there'd been rice to sop up the fish-sauced broth, but hey, we did get to top things off with a rich Neal's Yard bleu, accompanied by warm crusty bread and honey. And special props to whoever writes the absolutely unhelpful but hilarious wine descriptions: If Mel Gibson sold this wine, we’d still buy it.

Girlie Grub

Today we had a Girlie Brunch. Me and Kimster. I cleaned the house like a Tasmanian she-devil yesterday; today we just enjoyed the company, food and drink.
So much to eat! A few of the highlights: Laura's homemade yogurt, plum jam, scones and hibiscus soda; Karol's husband's intensely flavorful pesto; Michelle's stewed okra and tomatoes; Jann's box of Frog Hollow peaches, accompanied by Susan's BiRite 'screams (vanilla, creme fraiche and lavender); Elise's vegan blueberry-nectarine cobbler; Pam's fruit salad, brimming with peaches and mango...and so, so much more. Thanks, ladies. Raising another mimosa to all of you.

Spaghettissimo

There is no better spaghetti than Delfina's. None. You should also order the large size; the small is just torturing yourself. It comes in a tangle, perfectly al dente. The sauce has just the right mix of olive oil, tomato and bits of fresh basil. A hint of chile pepper, too. And your waiter will grind some Reggiano over the plate if you so desire (which you do). Miguel and I both said, at about the same time, "This is some amazing spaghetti". A desert island food...a last meal for a condemned prisoner kind of food. Add in some airy, crusty Tartine bread, warm Castelvetrano olives and maybe a salad and you're a lucky spag-hag. If that's not an expression, it is now.

Lazy Vegetarian

Yes, I am lazy. And while I do eat eggs, tofu and fishies, I sometimes feel like I'm low on protein. What to do? More specifically, what to do if you don't feel much like working hard for your dinner? Well, you can go to Rainbow (or other well-stocked grocery stores) and get yourself a package of Turtle Island Foods' Marinated Tempeh. Yep, these are the folks who brought us Tofurky; they seem to know that us lazy non-meat-eaters need options that are going to actually taste better than their cardboard packaging. I can tell you that the lemon pepper tempeh strips I chose were quite flavorful, and easy as pie to 'make': heat a bit of olive oil in a pan, add five or six strips, cook for two minutes per side to get them all golden and toasty, then eat...Plain, in a sandwich, on a bed of rice, whatever. There are several other flavors, too...sesame garlic sounds pretty tasty. I think I've found another way to avoid cooking, and that makes me a happy slacker.

Impeccable Taste

There's a new kid on the block at Ferry Building's Thursday market: Taste Catering. Yep, along with pizza and kimchee fried rice and hand-made ramen - just to name a few options - you can now grab a pretty compostable plate of food that looks and tastes incredible. My friends had a high-falutin' grilled cheese sammy with a shot of tomato soup, while I had three fat stuffed grape leaves and a salad. The dolmas were filled with rice that had the tang of high-quality vinegar; the salad consisted of heirloom tomato, cucumber, olives and feta. Mouthful o' summertime, even in the freezing SF fog. Great food, original and not too fancy, satisfying as the best food tends to be. Go now, before people realize how good it tastes.

Mark Your Calendar

Beretta, our local watering hole/crazy-popular restaurant, has nightly specials. On Tuesday, that special is cioppino. I'm telling you, if you love you some fish stew, get your Tuesday plans in order. This stuff is great.
Kimster and I managed to nab a two-top, despite the crowds, due to the early hour. We both sipped the Agricole Mule, one of my favorite rum concoctions, and shared a starter of broccolini and peperoncini with garlic and plenty of olive oil. For pizza - which is kind of a must here - we had the simple but lovely margherita. And then, the cioppino arrived, thoughtfully divided into two bowls: white fish (halibut?), clams, squid, shrimp in a tomato broth with vegetables and an oval of bread for sopping. Each piece of fish was perfectly cooked, and the broth was deeply flavorful. So...wishing for fish? Mission for fish.

Props to the Vegans

Gotta give a shout-out to the vegan peeps who organized Saturday's vegan bake sale, held on Valencia St. (at Mission Bikes). They raised over $2K to help Rocket Dog Rescue and the Housing Rights Committee of SF. AND the goodies were awesome. The lovely Elise contributed sesame butter-chocolate chip cookies and her world-renowned banana bread (again with the chocolate chips, woman!). There were so many treats, they needed a bunch more tables...cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, rice krispie treats, muffins, brownies, pudding...even jars of pickled fruits and veggies. Such good food for such good causes. Thanks Laura, Elise and all the other wonderful people who gave all of us a real sweet feeling.