Sweet Maple

in

Just a block from the hustle and bustle of Fillmore street, Sweet Maple makes an excellent addition to your Saturday/Sunday brunch rotation. The free coffee in the foyer helps temper the long wait ahead of you, and once seated, the service is friendly and efficient. The menu is extensive, offering gigantic pancakes, hearty scrambles, and deep fried french toast. But the main attraction here is the millionaire bacon—which is more like thinly sliced pork chops glazed in brown sugar. It takes bacon to a new dimension—the z-axis, to be exact. The wait can be a bit tedious for sure—but when the colorful plate of bacon-chops, potatoes, and fluffy scrambled eggs arrived, it made it all worthwhile.  

• Sweet Maple 2101 Sutter St (between Steiner St & Pierce St) (415) 655-9169 •

Crazy Crab'z

in

Long retired as the Giant's mascot, The Crazy Crab now serves up sandwiches in the shack behind the scoreboard at AT&T Park—crab sandwiches, to be exact. Which is pretty morbid when you start to think about it. But if I could make $15.50 a sandwich, and have people lining up in droves for the toasted, buttery, crabby goodness, I'd turn on my own kind too, I suppose. The line might be look a bit daunting but it moves along steadily, so don't be deterred. After finishing my delicious sandwich, I almost wanted to get back in line for another. Now who's the crazy one?

"Forget the homer...We want Crazy Crab'z!"

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder

in

When discussing Chicago pizza, it's usually the deep dish that gets all the press. But the thing is, there are so many other choices the city offers. One of the more interesting selections is the pizza pot pie from Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder. That's right, a pizza pot pie.

Upon arriving at your table, it doesn't really resemble anything like a pizza.

But then your server deftly flips the doughy shape over and carefully removes the pot.

And behold! Here is your pizza pot pie. Made from scratch with triple-raised Sicilian bread-type dough; a homemade sauce consisting of olive oil, fresh garlic onions, green peppers, whole plum tomatoes and a blend of cheeses; sausage made from prime boston butts (?) and giant mushrooms. Depicted above is the half-pounder. There is also an unthinkable one-pound pot pie on the menu. And I thought restaurant's name was a mouthful.

Japan

in

I'm finally getting around to posting about my visit to Japan last October. Having never been there before, I really didn't know what to expect, but eagerly anticipated the adventure. I had, however, two slight concerns: #1— that I would get lost a lot, and #2—as an historically non adventurous eater—I would have a difficult time finding meals. Well, I'm happy to report only one of the fears came true. And that wasn't so bad, because the good people of Japan were very nice in helping me find my way again.

Kyoto—I wish I made better note of the location these restaurants. Off Shijo Dori, this place served up some very filling ramen. It took me forever to get halfway through, while the salarymen next to me slurped theirs down in minutes. I couldn't finish the bowl—but it was amazing.

Arashiyama — Looked like chicken. Smelled like fish. Tasted like pork. I'm still not sure what this was, but I sure ate it. And for 350 Yen not bad!

I think okonomiyaki is the most fun meals I've had. It's interactive, social, and if you don't like it, it's probably your own damned fault. It's also the closest thing I've done to cooking.

You'll never go thirsty in Japan. There's a vending machine of some kind every twenty feet ready to dispense a coke or a pocari sweat—my favorite.

Ginza—More Ramen! So good. I think I had chicken this time.

Tokyo— Taiyaki: A waffle filled with red bean, or in this case, custard. Once again, wish I made note of where I got this. Maybe somebody out there knows? Next time I will have have to be more diligent about the details. It's a great excuse to go back. I now know eating won't be a problem—in fact it'll be an absolute delight. I'll still get lost, probably. One issue at a time.

The salarymen are sleepy. Maybe they had too much ramen?

Mojo Bicycle Cafe

in

If I were to tell you there exists a cafe where you can sip your coffee or Hitachino White Ale on an outdoor parklet while waiting for your bicycle to be fixed, and enjoy a meal from a pop-up cafe, you must think you've died and gone to hipster heaven. Well the rumors of your demise are greatly exaggerated, my skinny jeaned friend. Welcome to the Mojo Bicycle Cafe. The delightfully named Rice Paper Scissors (aforementioned pop-up cafe) was providing Banh Mi Sandwiches Thursday night for the hungry patrons. Depicted above is their very delicious Pork Belly sandwich.

Beast and the Hare

in

This brunch had been on my short list for some time. I had enjoyed their dinner immensely, and looked forward to trying out their morning fare. I finally made it down to Beast and the Hare this past Sunday and was not disappointed. You'll be met by a friendly staff in a relaxed atmosphere with no pretensions. Vacillating between the eggs benedict and the duck hash, my server recommended the duck hash—without hesitating. I was glad my choice, ahem, migrated towards the duck—it was delicious!

Nopa

in

Olive oil poached albacore at Nopa. (Wait a second—Is the olive oil poached? Or is it the albacore? And isn't poaching illegal?) Ok, back to the meal..this colorful dish is listed on the appetizer section of the menu, but it sure seemed like a full meal to me, as I was sufficiently satisfied after finishing it. The egg was a nice compliment, too. I highly recommended it, but from what I understand, the albacore is a fleeting seasonal fish, and only makes an appearance on the menu when available. In this case, it made an appearance on the wine menu—or at least the back of it. Kind of wish I kept this one, looking back on it. But I'm sure the poachers took good care of it. (smiley emoticon here)

Cinnamon Rolls

in

My grandmother would make these delicious rolls for special family dinners. One of the best things about them was that they were served with dinner. You did not have to wait until dessert to sink your teeth into these cinnamony delights. She would eventually teach my brother how to make them so– lucky for us all–we are still able to enjoy the rolls to this day.

Hog and Rocks

in

You know, I don't even like oysters and I love this place. Hog and Rocks is a ham and oyster bar located in the Mission. Super friendly staff, nice atmosphere, and great cocktails. I went more of the hog route, figuratively and literally. I shared some meatballs, fries, and hush puppies with friends, and ordered the Two Timer for myself. Delicious. I would love to come back for their brunch.

The Two Timer: Ground beef and country ham, american cheese, iceberg lettuce, avocado, frisco sauce, acme bun. I put some of the potato chips on the burger