Advice you can taste. Adventure you can feel.

Stylin’ in the Mission

This post is for Sam from last night

Last night we stopped into Spruce for a nightcap and dessert, where we had perfectly mixed drinks, fluffy beignets, and lovely service, thanks to Melissa. Sitting next to us at Spruce was a new SF local, Sam the nutritionist, and her visiting parents. After a few laughs and tips about SF living, they asked what they should do tonight for a classy local SF style evening. So, Sam and parents, here is your experience…

Dine at Bar Tartine, where they take classic American fare, throw in a little French style, a pinch of SF flair, and lots of locally grown fresh ingredients to create unique, rustic, yet delicious food. They take something as simple as breakfast for dinner and make it fun, funky, fresh, and simply fantastic.

After dinner go to Beretta for classy cocktail. Yes Beretta is a restaurant, and their food is quite tasty, but their cocktails are why you go there. They actually start with good quality ingredients and take their time concocting your libation. Some of their more noteworthy cocktails are:

• The Acadian (with rye, sloe gin, lemon, honey, absinthe, rosemary) it is a fun balance of herb-y and sweet
• Dolores Park Swizzle (rum, lime, maraschino, absinthe, bitters) yes it is as stylish as the hipsters in Dolores park
• Londsdale (gin, apple, lemon, basil, honey)  or in other words, apple juice for adults.

If the drinks at Beretta have loosened you up enough you may want to finish off your evening with a little dancing and a few more drinks at Bruno’s or Medjool. Both have a cover and neither are as classy as Beretta or Bar Tartine, but they are probably two of the nicer places to shake your bootie in  the Mission neighborhood. Note, if you go to Medjool and it is a clear night, unlike tonight, make sure to check out their roof deck.

Weotta have a Mission experience!

Update: Here’s a sneak peek of the Weotta planning product, featuring this plan, that we’ve been working on for the last few months. It answers the question, “What are we going to do tonight?”

Click me for the real thing

Your Mission: Eat Cheap

San Francisco is a melting pot of diversity.  From Chinatown to North Beach to the Sunset, every ethnic group is well represented.  But one neighborhood, nestled north of the 101 freeway, bordering Caesar Chavez Boulevard to the left, San Jose Ave to the north, and the Duboce triangle to the east, is perfectly situated for an inexpensive evening out on any budget. If you haven’t guessed it, I am talking about the one and only Mission District.

Yes that’s right, for cheap eats, I’m impartial to the Mission’s numerous taquerias dotting Valencia, 16^th, and Mission Street.   With this being the Mission you’re likely to find a taqueria within a stone’s throw from wherever you may be standing.

For an inexpensive dining experience, start at one of my personal favorites, El Toro Tacqueria, located at the corner of 17^th and Valencia.  After recently undergoing remodeling this tacqueria serves up IMHO, one of the best bangs for the buck. First off, don’t be overwhelmed by the many selections on the board.  Yes, there is a lot to look at and decisions can be difficult, but be smart and if you don’t know what you want, step to the side… after all, the line moves fairly quickly. I love the smiling and courteous women behind the counter; they are a model of efficiency.  Henry Ford would be proud.   The women standing alongside the men manning the grill weave in and out of the food preparation stations with ease, like a synchronized swim team.   If you’re not careful you’ll miss the women lavish each order with copious amounts of beans, cheese, and salsa.  This assembly line approach to preparing food churns out plate after plate within minutes for an ever-growing line that often snakes out the door.

Horchata

For about $10 you’re rewarded with a flavorful and filling meal of freshly cooked and prepared ingredients.  My personal favorite, their steak and prawn super burrito.  Its gigantic nature may intimidate some but do what I do, starve yourself for about 5-6 hours and you’ll have no problem finishing off what I call a Godzilla-sized burrito.   Add a Horchata (creamy rice/milk drink) for a couple of more dollars and you’re looking at a steal of a meal for under $15.  And before I forget, they give you free chips that you can adorn with an impressive selection of salsas and hot sauces.

If you’re in the mood for some music head over to the Elbo Room, within view of El Toro.  The Elbo Room, a two level venue, boasts a downstairs bar that serves beer and mixed drinks with seating available in small wooden booths.  Upstairs, you have space to dance.  Watch out when you come here on a weeknight- you may catch yourself in the middle of a full-blown salsa invasion or a reggae influenced jam band.  Other nights you can catch a local band for free.  On certain nights you’ll be asked to pay a cover to go upstairs so be careful because that “inexpensive night” may turn costly with a $5-$15 cover charge and copious amounts of their strong, cheap drinks.

If you’re in the mood for a few cocktails, head over to one of the Mission’s many watering holes on Valencia Street like Blondie’s, where the crowds are often overflowing, or cross the street to Casanova’s, with seating in the far back.

Want a quiet location, off the beaten path, with strong mixed drinks and “eclectic artwork” hanging on the walls? Then head over to the Latin American Club on 22^nd, between Mission and Valencia streets.   Saddle up to the bar, admire the “artwork”, and be prepared to fork over about $6-$8 for a mixed drink using fairly top shelf alcohol like Ketel One.

If you want to see the city from a rooftop deck, head back over to Mission Street between 21^st and 22^nd to Medjool.  It’s a great place to start your night but not end one, so be careful when you decide to visit.  This restaurant transforms itself on the weekend to a sweaty, packed night club with young twenty-somethings gyrating their hips and grinding their bootys against a willing participant’s body.  Don’t come after 10 PM or you will be stuck with a $10-$15 cover. If you must come here on the weekend, come early around 6-7 PM, walk up to the 2^nd floor and head to the elevator.  Jump inside and take it straight to the roof deck.  Here you can admire the San Francisco skyline, order a drink from the bar (cash only), and get cozy on one of the lounge chairs while admiring the view of the Bay Bridge, Twin Peaks, and downtown.

Banana Split

If your night doesn’t involve cocktails and you want to indulge your sweet tooth, visit Mitchell’s, the Bay Area’s oldest family-owned and operated ice cream store. This ice cream parlor on the outer Mission is located at San Jose Avenue and 29^th Street.  WARNING:  The lines are ridiculous.  Once you’ve grabbed your ticket, and your number has been called, order one of the tropical flavors such as avocado, mango, papaya, or guava.  You’ll thank me as you inhale the creamy goodness off of a cone (waffle available) or from a cup.

So, Weotta head out to The Mission and dig through its treasure chest of jewels.  Look carefully and you’re sure to find something that you’ll like on any night of the week.

Springtime is Margarita Time

The much anticipated San Francisco springtime weather is upon us – let’s celebrate… ¡vamos a celebrarlo!

What better way to bask in the warmth of the sun than with an icy cold pitcher of margaritas and mouthwatering fresh ceviche! From the Mission to the Marina and the Financial District to SOMA, San Francisco is home to some of the best Mexican food north of the border.

The City’s Mexican food capital is the Mission district, so cha cha cha your way down to Valencia and 16th where you’ll find the always packed Puerto Alegre. Their carne asada nachos and steak quesadilla suiza don’t disappoint, especially if you were over-served when bar hopping across town the night before. You’ll never leave this mega-dive hungry, and after a pitcher of their ultra potent margaritas, you’ll be feeling no pain!

For those of you that like your Mexican food with a side of trendy, strut your stuff to the Marina for “the eat and be seen scene” at Mamacita’s on Chestnut Street. Dazzle your taste buds with the delectable ahi tacos or stick-to-your-ribs chicken enchiladas.

For a drinks only night, mingle at the eternally buzzing bar while sipping on fresh-squeezed pomegranate margaritas. After a long week, head out early for the 4pm Friday Happy Hour at Mexico DF Cocina and Cantina in the Financial District where you can drown your sorrows as you raise your margarita to yet another weak week on Wall Street.

Or, just say hit me with your best shot at Tres Agaves Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Lounge in SOMA where the seasoned aficionado can sip on some of the finest tequilas available. The uninitiated can get in on the fun too with a tequila cocktail or a perfect margarita poured with 100% agave tequila. Follow by devouring their delicious guacamole before heading over to watch the Giants game.

Weotta  have a Margarita or three… ! Arriba!

Sweet Tooth SF

S-U-G-A-R, Weotta love sugar… our bodies need it, our taste buds crave it and some of us can’t get enough of it. Lucky for us, San Francisco offers a lot of fantastic ways to get it… top-notch ice cream parlors, nationally acclaimed bakeries, and purely sinful chocolatiers… we have it all.

Where to start? How about breakfast at Tartine? This bakery has a line from the minute it opens to the minute it closes, and rightfully so… they just do a fantastic job on basically everything. For breakfast, try their delightful double pain au chocalat or the subtly sweet, yet perfectly flaky frangipane croissant. And for those of you with the need something a little sweeter get one of their creamy éclairs… it really is no wonder this little gem won a James Beard award.

Ok, now that you are on your first sugar high of the day take a nice stroll through the Castro and up the Haight to Cole Valley. Nestled in the heart of Cole Valley you will find your next stop, Boulange de Cole Valley. By the time you get there you should be about ready for your second rush of the day and excited for a little something sweet to get you going. How about a canele? This pastry is really something you must experience.  For those of you who have been to the south of France you know what I mean, and to find it in SF is really quite a treat. O yes, you should get a few of their delicate almond macaroons as well. These colorful, petite, tasty sandwiches of butter cream are just the thing to keep you buzzing through your afternoon.

At this point you are probably bouncing off the walls, but what day of sweets would be complete without every kid’s favorite, ice cream? Some of our favorite places are Mitchell’s in the Mission and Bi-rite Creamery next to Dolores Park. Both quite different… At Mitchell’s you get the down home, old-school feeling we all crave from our childhoods… you will seriously feel like you are a kid again.  But since you are an adult, you should try one of their more mature flavors like Kahlua mocha cream and rum raisin. Bi-rite, on-the-other-hand, screams San Francisco foodie nouveau with artisanal flavors like salted caramel, balsamic strawberry and lavender… all produced from the finest of cows, of course. O ya, they have homemade ice cream sandwiches… now there is unforgettable for you… get one!

What day of sweet indulgence would be complete without chocolate? So, to complete your day get a mellow cup of sipping chocolate at Bittersweet Café on Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights. Now, sipping chocolate shouldn’t be confused with hot cocoa… very different stuff. Sipping chocolate is way richer, decadent, and really warms the soul. If you have never tried it before get Bittersweet’s signature drink, the Bittersweet; it is basically melted bittersweet chocolate… can you say sinful satisfaction?

There you have it, a taste of SF’s sweetest sensations… Weotta get our sweet tooth on… one more thing… don’t forget to brush your teeth.

Bilingual on a Budget

Laid off? No worries, could be so much worse. Remember, we do live in one of the best places on earth. Weotta take advantage of our newfound time! Once you file for unemployment, it’s time to put those New Year’s resolutions into action, time to reinvent yourself! Weotta… …Learn a new language. Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve probably realized the wave of the future is not America-centric. What better way to expand your mind, as well as your resume, than to learn another tongue.

Spanish opens up your job prospects to not only the USA but to 15+ other countries in Europe, Central, and South America… a big bonus is that most of them have gorgeous weather, and are within spitting distance to a gorgeous white sand beach. For the perizosas a.k.a. sloths among us, Spanish podcasts are free and abundant. By far, the best and mas rapido way to learn a new language is to be surrounded with native speakers. If you’re not bringing in a paycheck, chances are you’ll be eating lots of burritos, so what better way to practicar tu espanol than in the Mission or Excelsior districts. And if you don’t think you can swing the new direct AeroMexico route from SFO to Mexico City, take the Dublin/Pleasanton BART to the Fruitvale station and stroll along International Boulevard, where taco trucks abound. Government money not enough for you to live on? Join the ranks waiting tables. Most kitchens in America are filled with Spanish speakers… not only can you practice your new love of Spanish with the line cooks and dishwashers but you can earn a few pennies along the way.

Subsisting in San Francisco grants access to the best Asian cuisine in the USA as well as exposure to plentiful Mandarin speakers. Why wouldn’t you want to be able to communicate with the world’s next big superpower? City College of San Francisco holds cheap language class or try the well-recommended Chinese Cultural Center. Jonesing for an adventure? Take BART over to authentic (and way less touristy) Oakland Chinatown midday where you can sit elbow to elbow and drink cha at Legendary Palace, or the hole in the wall Yo-Ho’s, for a bona fide dim sum experience for around $5/person (possibly even less if you share with your other unemployed friends). Can’t move off the couch? Devote an hour a day to podcasts – ChinesePod is free and is a good place to start.

Eager to speak a different tongue and bored of the non-stop SF rain? If you have the smallest reserve of cash and a sublet for your room, the world is on sale – flights haven’t been this cheap since post-9/11. For the Spanish entrepreneur, Cancun, Cabo, even Costa Rica are hovering around $300 or under. For Chinese, head to Beijing, Shanghai, or Taipei for around $700. SFO has endless flights to Asia and plenty of demand – Chinese New Year just finished; it really is the time for a deal! And the exchange rate isn’t too shabby either.

On the flip side, there are billions of people on this planet who want to learn English. Astoundingly, many of them desire the “American” accent, because it’s totally way more hella cool than that proper British tongue yo. Teaching certification is often not necessary. Check out Dave’s ESL Café for hundreds of jobs. Often the organization will cover the cost of an overseas flight and work visa.

Weotta learn something new!

The Post-Thanksgiving Lull… What To Do???

Thanksgiving, what a blur; four days of eating, drinking and family time that just flies by every year. Right now we are all feeling at least 10 pounds heavier, perhaps a little jet lagged and hardly ready to get back to the daily grind. It is time we exercise, eat healthier and have a few drinks to reward ourselves before we do it all over again in a few weeks.

So Weotta go running, play some tennis, get on the b-ball court, or at least hit the gym once or twice. Eat fresh fruits for breakfast, salads for lunch and lean meats/fish for dinner. At the very least layoff the sugar; I know many of us need the rush of a Snickers or the boost of a Coke to get us through the day but try going for an apple or a cup of black tea instead.

Running and a light bite in the Marina: Park at Crissy Field and go for a jog or do some sprints along Marina green. It is the place to see and be seen with lots of good looking guys/gals working out in the latest fashion and great views of the bay and the Golden Gate – talk about motivation to get in shape. Afterwards head over to Plutos (Chestnut @ Scott) for a tasty big salad- one of the best cheap eats places in the Bay.

Tennis and basketball in the Mission: Yes, Dolores Park (Dolores @18^th) maybe the hipster hangout these days, but it is home to some pretty nice tennis courts and basketball hoops that are lite until 10:00pm. So grab a friend or two and get to it. Afterwards stop by Bi-Rite Market (18^th betweenDolores & Guerrero) for some gourmet fresh flavors- try the yam sandwich.

Pumping iron at Mission Cliffs: For those that enjoy the gym how about Mission Cliffs (Harrison @ 19^th) where you can not only pump iron but try your hand at some climbing as well. Climbing really is the total body workout, but you won’t notice until the day after because it is quite the mental challenge. Afterwards walk over to Café Gratitude (Harrison @ 20^th) for some cleansing, fresh vegetarian goodness – try the sushi bowl.

Eat well, exercise, and have fun doing it… Weotta be healthy!