#51: Maccaronara with ricotta salata at A16

Met Bindi for a glass of wine at A16 on Saturday (walked over from the Final Final during a break in the tourney action) and ordered the maccaronara while I was there. Ordered the half portion, which was perfect for a mid-day meal.

This was really good. I had never had maccaronara before -- and I liked it. It was like a thick spaghetti and I liked it that they cooked it al dente. I'm guessing the "ricotta salata" part was the sh*t-ton of cheese on the top -- but I didn't think that ricotta came like this. This looked like mozzarella. I was so excited when this plate showed up. I mean, I put so much cheese on my pasta, but I do it AT HOME. To have somebody else do it for me was awesome.


The sauce was frigging amazing and as you can see ... I ate every last drop.



Sidenotes:
$9 half order/$16 full order

#54: Spiced-chocolate doughnut at Dynamo Donut with a Four Barrel coffee

Hughie and I went down to the Mission to check out Dynamo Donut and get the spiced-chocolate doughnut and a four barrel coffee.

This place is super cool. They use all sorts of inventive ingredients not typically found at your neighborhood donut shop (apricot, cardamom, chipotle, rosemary, thyme, rose water).

We were there to try just one doughnut and walked out of there with six ... FOR THE TWO OF US. Can you say fat-asses?

Hughie wanted to try the Caramel de Sel one and Vanilla Bean (my favorite ... it had orange zest in the cake part.) The other ones we got were: Chocolate Rosemary Almond, Meyer Lemon Huckleberry (which had a bright red berry glaze on it) and of course the Maple-Glazed Bacon Apple (um, yeah.)

Of all the doughnuts that they make (and there are many that are not on the website), it was the Chocolate-Spiced Doughnut that made 7x7's list. It is a chocolate doughnut with cinnamon, sugar and a chipotle dredge.

Like it -- don't love it.

It was good. The doughnut didn't taste cakey like a normal doughnut. It was super dense and super rich -- so much that I could only eat a couple bites of it. The chipotle went well with it, although at first I thought it was chili powder. Again, the doughnut was good -- but not rad.

Vanilla bean with orange zest. The perfect doughnut.

Maple-Glazed Bacon Apple.

The four barrel coffee was great. Much better than Starbucks -- but not as strong as Peet's. A perfect middle-ground coffee.

As you can see from the pictures, Hughie and I ate these in the car -- just like any two people ordering six doughnuts would. Shameful.

Sidenotes:

Donuts range from $2-$3.50. Chocolate-spiced doughnut was $2.50.

There are two other places on the list within two blocks of Dynamo Donut: La Torta Gorda and Humphry Slocombe.

#35: Salted-caramel ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery

"Do you Jacquie ... take salted-caramel ice cream ... to be your lawfully-wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward?"

"F**K YES."

Hey ... so .... remember when I was raving about Humphry Slocombe and their secret breakfast ice cream (bourbon & corn flakes)? And I basically said that it was the best ice cream I've ever had? Well, last night Bi-Rite Creamery stepped up and gave ol' Humphrey a run for his bourbon-soaked money. I'm not saying it was better than Humphry Slocombe -- but I'm not saying it was worse. We're going to call this one a tie. They're both very different -- but the same in that they both have unique flavors I've never had or dreamed of before, they both taste very fresh (like it was made 5 minutes ago) and they both totally deserve to be on 7x7's list of 100 Things to Eat and Drink in San Francisco Before You Die -- or as I'm hearing it called, "7x7's Big Eat 2010."

There was a line out the door about oh ... 20 people deep -- but it moved very fast. Let's keep in mind too that it was the warmest night of the year thus far. It's a cool atmosphere in there too with Mission hipsters doing their Mission hipster thing with their uber cool hair-dos and their I'm-not-trying-to-be-trendy-but-am-way-more-trendy-than-you fashion choices. (Oh Mission Hipsters ... you are so, SO cool ...) Old 'A Tribe Called Quest' music was blaring from the kitchen as flavors like coffee toffee and honey lavender got served up. Overall, it was FANTASTIC ice cream at a really cool place.

Sidenotes: $3.25 for a single (they give you two scoops with a single)
Paul got mint chip -- which tasted like normal mint chip and roasted banana which was f**king awesome.
Was so happy to get the pig taste out of my mouth. Oink.
30 down -- 70 to go!

#66: Pig parts at Incanto

Notice the little pig heads on the outside -- like gargoyles.

One of the more vague items on the 7x7 list, "Pig Parts", was a little scary to me. I mean, I know from The Next Iron Chef that Chris Cosentino is famous for using every part of the animal (from the rooter to the tooter!) -- but because Incanto tweaks their menu daily, I wasn't sure what I was going to get. I wasn't sure if "Pig Parts" was on the menu and you just got a plate of random s**t -- or if you just had to pick whatever random pig part was on the menu that night. Well, "Pig Parts" is not a menu item, it means that I got to pick from whatever random parts were being used.
I figured I was probably going to be stuck trying the "trotters" (aka: pigs feet) because they were in a few different menu items -- and let's face it -- a pig has 4 of 'em so they have more to use. For some reason, I also thought there's a chance I might have to eat a pig's ear -- but I think I was only psyching myself out. I was pretty stoked that pig snout was on the menu last night and that it was a starter, not an entree. (Wait a second ... stoked for pig snout?!)

We also ordered pork belly as a starter, which was served with a pickled walnut relish. It was good -- but it wasn't great -- and I could not get past how fatty it was. I ate the fatty part because ... well ... the whole thing was mostly fat ... and I thought that's what you were supposed to do. When in Rome.

The pig snout was served with potatoes and morels (little mushrooms?) and was cut up in little bits. THANK THE LORD it didn't come as the whole nose ... I would have died. The pig snout had a good flavor but it was SO oily. The texture was like that of ... say ... really overcooked sausage? Like it was a little tough and pretty chewy ... I guess they fried the s**t out of it. The oily part came in as soon as you bit-down. It was like squeezing a mini-sponge and oil coming out ... but into my mouth. Blech. Ugh. I am f**king grossing myself out describing this right now. Barf. Let's change the subject.

I ate frigging pig snout.

For an entree, I had the handkerchief pasta and rustic pork ragu. Good, not great. I've had pork ragu before that was more flavorful. I think they don't want to over-season the meat -- so that the flavor of the meat can speak for itself. The ragu tasted like pork and pork only -- and well ... I wanted some garlic, etc. But the pasta was fresh and fantastic.


Paul's was flipping awesome. He got the paccheri with sausage, potato, braising greens & poached egg. Lots of flavor (the broth alone was a star) and the sausage was DELISH.


Overall, I wasn't wowed by Incanto -- which is a little sad because I wanted to be. I wouldn't recommend it -- unless you are a big-time carnivore, who loves culinary adventures. I will say this ... the bread was terrific (caraway seeded breadsticks, focaccia and another artisan-y bread served with a very tasty olive tapenade), the wines (all Italian) were fantastic and the service was out of this world.

Sidenotes:
$12 for the pig snout
$16 for the handkerchief pasta with pork ragu
Chris Cosentino was there and was very present. I kept staring at him in the kitchen. That dude was on the line working the whole time -- and laughing the whole time. Pretty cool.
My Dad loved adventurous food and always made me try things I didn't want to: rabbit, venison, chicken liver pate' -- and even made Hughie try 'Rocky Mountain Oysters' (bull's balls). I think he would've loved this place and would be very proud of me for trying pig snout!

#14: Beef brisket sandwich at Il Cane Rosso

What a lucky girl I am! The last two 7x7 food experiences have been sandwiches that I get to RAVE about!

This time it was the 'Prather Ranch Beef Brisket' sandwich from Il Cane Rosso and well ... it's up there in the ranks, people. It is prepared, "al pizzaiolo with parmigiano and basil" and as far as I could tell the "al pizzaiolo" part means that it has some sort of tomato-based sauce on the bread. When you combine that with the basil and parm, it ends up tasting like a beef pizza sandwich and it's just about the most juicy, mouth-watering, flavorful sandwich I've ever had. In fact, I liked it more than the porchetta sandwich from Roli Roti. The trick with this one is that it's not on the menu everyday, so I've had to keep my eye out on their website (which they update daily ... RAD) to see when they're serving it again. In my opinion, they should serve it everyday -- but I'm guessing the legwork that goes into slow cooking that beef for so long must require too much time to have everyday. Anyway, I am highly recommending this to you guys. I've never had anything quite like this sandwich -- and I completely agree that it should be one of the 100 things to eat in San Francisco before you die! Let's just hope I don't eat so many that I do die.

Sidenotes:
$9 (a little on the spendy side for a sandwich -- but I'm not going to say it's not worth it.)
I split this sandwich with Paul for lunch, and as you can see from the picture, we got baked beans too. Not your traditional baked beans with that really smoky flavor. More mild with a very strong taste of rosemary. Really good though.
Il Cane Rosso is IN the Ferry Building like Hog Island Oyster Co., not outside at one of the stands on Thursdays/Saturdays.

#85: Pulled-pork sandwich at Roadside BBQ

Dudes ... I was SO looking forward to this one. I love everything about BBQ: lots of meat options, numerous sauce options and tons of sides (especially mac n' cheese). But it was the pulled pork sandwich that brought me to Roadside BBQ on Friday night and it DID NOT disappoint! I have to say the star of the show here was the bread and I know that may be a little odd because there is so much more to this sandwich -- but the sandwich wouldn't have been half as good on a typical roll. The bread was crunchy, but not too crunchy and had the perfect flavor to compliment the smokiness of the pork and the vinegar-y taste of the coleslaw -- and it never got soggy.



I got a corn muffin and my choice of side with my sandwich and I picked mac n' cheese. It was delicious. The sides are:

Mac n’ Cheese
Baked Red Beans
Cole Slaw
Potato Salad
Mashed Potatoes (gravy on request)
Roadside Veggies
Fresh-Cut French Fries
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Sweet-Potato Fries
Garlic Fries w/ Happy Mouth Spice
Side Salad
Fresh-Baked Corn Muffin

I tried Hugh's baked beans and David's mashed potatoes and both were awesome. Sharon got some sweet potato fries and was a little less impressed -- but I liked them and thought they were great dipped in BBQ sauce. Speaking of BBQ sauce, Roadside has a little BBQ sauce station where you can try as many as you like. They were all great. I also got a taste of the beef brisket and the ribs and both were amazing -- especially the ribs.

Even Hughie likes it -- and he don't like nuthin'

This is a casual spot where you order at the counter and they bring you your food -- which actually works out really well with a large group and the whole splitting-of-the-check thing. They serve Shiner Bock beer -- which brought me right back to my San Antonio-living days. It goes so well with BBQ. This is one of my favorites on the list thus far and I can't wait to go back!

Sidenotes:
$7.95 including your choice of side
They don't take reservations but we had a group of 12 and it worked out fine.
Roadside uses a combination of Apple, Hickory, and Mesquite woods to smoke all their meats -- and they're all delicious.
I could have gone for a little more slaw in my sandwich but I kind of didn't even want to mention that to you guys because it really was the best pulled pork sandwich I've ever had (and I've had my share...) and I want you all to go try it.

#15: Any seasonal flavor at Scream Sorbet

Another Ferry Building stand, Scream Sorbet, made the 7x7 list for their "seasonal sorbets." This was kind of a fun one because I got to choose what I wanted instead of having to try something 7x7 specific. The seasonal flavors were: meyer lemon, grapefruit (both really sour and tangy but great), lime mint (interesting but really tasty) and bergamot almond (the one I got). Kinda cool I got to try all of them before choosing, huh?

I chose Bergamot Almond because I've never had anything like that before and I've never tasted Bergamot before. I love LOVE that scent -- it's probably my favorite -- but to have it as a flavor seemed weird. It was really good. It was creamy tasting without being creamy (I know that sounds weird) and the perfect amount of sweet. I think I'll probably stop by here and pick up a scoop whenever I'm down there on a Thursday or Saturday. It's the perfect amount for just a little treat and I'd like to continue to try all of their flavors: specifically Anaheim Chile and Coconut Thai Basil.

Sidenotes:

$3 for one scoop

Scream Sorbet makes their sorbet with only local, organic and seasonal produce -- and makes their sorbet one quart at a time the night before the farmer's markets.

#90: Korean taco at Namu's market stand

Korea, we have a problem: When you make your tacos using seaweed as the shell, you are not going to be able to taste anything inside of the taco. It's called TOO MUCH SEAWEED. So basically, 7x7 should've said to go try the "Seaweed taco at Namu's market stand," but Jacquie says, "Don't bother, dudes." Not unless your name is Flipper or Nemo. Also, after one bite (because the seaweed is hard to break off), it all falls apart -- so that's a bummer too.

See all that good stuff? Short rib, rice, tomato, etc.? Couldn't taste it for sh*t.

Better on paper than in my mouth.

While waiting in line on Thursday, I kept seeing these delicious looking fries go by, so I got some of them too. Ok, how good do these look?!

Eh. They were ok. I was expecting some heat because of the kimchee but they were more sweet than spicy.


Not list-worthy. If you're going to wait in line for Ferry Building food, wait at Roli Roti for the porchetta sandwich.

Sidenotes:

Tacos: 1 for $3/2 for $5

Namu is at the Ferry Building on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Seriously disappointed with this one.

Isn't Korean food supposed to be a little on the spicy side? It was seriously lacking.

#33: Prime rib at House of Prime Rib

Since I moved to San Francisco and went to the House of Prime Rib for the first time 10 years ago with Kate -- or maybe it was Gliebe -- or maybe it was Kate AND Gliebe (whatevs), I have claimed it as my favorite restaurant in the City. From beginning to end the best meal you could ever want -- from the great wine list, to the fantastic service, to the bread and salad -- and of course the prime rib. If you're a meat and potatoes kind of person who likes consistency, the HoPR is the place for you.

I forgot to take a pic right when it showed up, so here is my partially-eaten meal. Doesn't look as good as when it first arrived. Oops.

Let me list the reasons why I love this place so much:

1. The bar. Let's say you're early for your reservation -- or you're still waiting on somebody. Head to the bar and order a cocktail. They will make your cocktail in the cutest little cocktail skaker ever, pour said cocktail into the glass and then give you the rest of the shaker to use for your next drink. There are always two cocktails in that damn thing and I love them for it. I always end up bringing the shaker with me to the table and drinking that second cocktail while eating the bread.

2. The bread. Best. Sourdough. Bread. Around. Crunchy loaf. Served hot. Perfect.

3. The salad. There aren't any options here. It's a straight up dinner salad with iceberg, beets, diced red pepper and egg. They bring it to the table in a big silver bowl on ice, add seasoning salt to it and their signature house dressing and serve it to you on a chilled plate -- accompanied by a chilled fork. This is the only time I'll eat beets and usually the only time I will eat every last bite of my salad. I would go there for just the bread and salad.

4. The wine list. It's good. And you want good wine when you're eating good food.

5. The simplicity. You have very few choices to make -- and it used to be even simpler before they added the cream corn. They are: what cut of meat you want, how you want it cooked, baked or mashed potatoes and creamed spinach or creamed corn. My order goes like this: "I'll have the city cut-medium rare, baked with everything except bacon and creamed spinach. Thank you very much. I love you."

6. The prime rib. Heavenly perfection in every bite. Served with horseradish -- your choice of mild (whipped with sour cream), medium (mayo-based) or the real-deal horseradish. I always take some real horseradish and mix it in with the mild. Jeezus... I can taste it right now. Mmm....

7. The service. Always top-notch. Always respectful. Always classy. Wednesday night we had Steve, who has been working there for 7 years. Took a few pictures of us and even took a few pictures with us. That's the kind of place it is ... you end up befriending your server and having him take a picture with you.

Sidenotes:

Prime rib city cut: $34.45 (yes, there were cents involved)

Always make a reservation -- unless you go right when they open at 5:00 p.m.

Truly a San Francisco institution. If you have lived here for awhile and you haven't been there ... GO!

#31: Tuna Tostada at Tacolicious

What do you get when you mix an Ichi with a Gayby and add lots of alcohol? A shitshow (and a really weird song about unicorns -- but that's another story.)

Last Friday, Hugh, Meg, Bobby, David and I went to Tacolicious on Chestnut to try the tuna tostada. It was pretty damn tasty -- but small. It's basically just a tortilla chip with stuff on it -- and one order comes with three. On the menu, it's listed as “contramar-style” with crispy leeks, chipotle mayo and avocado.

Again, it was good -- but it was definitely overshadowed by the queso dip ($6.50). We might have ordered three bowls of it.

The tacos were really good too. I had the short rib taco and the special-of-the-week taco that was a Philly Cheesesteak taco.

I will definitely go back and try the fish taco and hopefully the fried chicken taco, which is another special-of-the-week taco.

Sidenotes:

$9.50 for the tuna tostada

We had to wait an hour and a half to be seated, so maybe while this place is so new and popular, Fridays should be avoided.

Get the queso for shizz.

#49: Ginger snaps at Miette

As of just a couple of days ago, there was a Miette right by my house, but unfortunately it closed. Actually I'm not that broken up about it. I never once stepped foot in there and their ginger snaps aren't all that (although they are #49 on 7x7's list).

I liked the crunch of the cookie, the size (it's nice and big) (that's what she said) and I liked the little container they come in. As far as the taste goes ... I liked it, but there was something funky going on with the aftertaste. I think it's cloves that are in a ginger snap that give it that spicy flavor. Well in my opinion, it was a little too clove-y. In fact, it felt like my tongue got shat on by a clove.

So I don't think I would get these again based on that -- but I really want to try their lemon shortbread. If I do, I'll let you know how it is.

Sidenotes:
$7 for a container of 13 (about $.54 per cookie)
The little taste of molasses I got in these TOTALLY made me want my Narny's molasses cookies. Hughie, find that recipe!
22 down, 78 to go.

#99: Clam chowder at Hog Island Oyster Co.

Met Paul to go to the Ferry Building to try the beef brisket sandwich from Il Cane Rosso, but they didn't have it today. So I was going to get some ginger snaps from Miette but they were out. Finally, I wanted to try Scream Sorbet since that's on the list too, but they're only there on certain days. So we went to Hog Island Oyster Co. to get the clam chowder.

OMG, the clam chowder was GOOD. It's not your typical chowder ... it's not thick at all. And it's FULL of clams ... steamers clams ... in their shells. 18 of them! I tend to favor the more traditional clam chowder -- full of potatoes and celery, super creamy .. like Mo's! But this was impressive. Not full of vegetables, but still very much full of flavor. I would totally get this again.

Paul got the steamer clams -- which were served exactly like the chowder but instead of the chowder, they were served in a brothy soup. You could smell the wine and garlic and shallot -- and he got 18 clams too!

Oh, and the bread they serve from Acme Bread Co. is fantastic. Great for soaking up the steamer clam broth or the chowder.

Sidenotes:
$14 for the chowder (for the steamer clams as well).
Somebody ordered the grilled cheese and it smelled so God Damn GOOD. Grilled Cheese Sandwich: Cow Girls' Mezzo Secco, cave-aged Gruyere and Fromage Blanc served with house made pickled vegetables. Yes please.
Great view of the bay and the Bay Bridge. Even if you don't like chowder or oysters, go here when you're at the Ferry Building for a glass of wine and enjoy the view!

#100: Menage a Trois at Ike’s Place

I mean ... it's Ike's. You know this is going to be good. Ike's is heaven. Heaven on earth. Heaven on earth if you have a couple hours to spend. We ordered our sandwiches for pick-up at 10:58 a.m. (to be exact) and were told that our sandwiches would be ready at 1:45 p.m. I'm not kidding. That right there goes to show just how popular this place has become and how good it is. It is worth the wait. In fact, it is probably the ONLY place in the world that I would wait that long for something.

The Menage a Trois: Halal Chicken Breast, Real Honey, Honey Mustard, BBQ, PepperJack, Swiss, Smoked Gouda. We got this on French Bread with everything. Everything includes: Dirty Sauce, Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onions, Pickles, Banana Peppers. All sandwiches are served hot and all sandwiches are served awesome. A couple things that stand out about Ike's: they bake the bread to order (I think when they get it delivered, it's half-baked) and they pull their chicken. So if you get one of the sandwiches that has chicken on it, it's not a big ol' chicken breast on bread, they actually pull the chicken (kosher chicken, I might add) apart so it's in little bits. Then if your sandwich has sauce on it (BBQ, ranch, etc.) they mix that in with the chicken to make it all juicy -- they don't spread it on the bread. The bread is saved for the dirty sauce which they bake into the bread. The result is basically like the inside of the bread looking like garlic bread. It's f**king delicious TIMES A MILLION.

The menage a trois is not my favorite sandwich -- but not because it's not awesome -- I'm just not the #1 fan of BBQ sauce. My favorite is the Mills Vikings, which is Halal Chicken Breast, Ike's Red Pesto, Ranch, PepperJack. IT IS GLORIOUS.


This is the picture that I took which is horrible -- especially because my dirty ass flip-flop is in the picture. Ed Anderson from 7x7 Magazine took this amazing picture:


That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

Sidenotes:
The Menage a Trois is $8.98.
If you haven't been to Ike's, GO. I'll go with you this weekend if you want.
There isn't seating anymore (there used to be outside seating but the neighbors complained about the crowd) so you either have to pop a squat on the sidewalk or take it to go. They're very messy sandwiches so I feel taking it to go isn't as good.
ALWAYS call ahead.
When I got there, Ike was all, "Jacquie! Where have you been? I haven't seen you for awhile!" and gave me a hug. Jesus.
I'm 20% done!

#44: One of Neyah White’s shrubs at Nopa

So we're awesome and knocked out three 7x7 list items on Saturday afternoon -- and frankly after that jumpsuit purchase -- I think Timmy could've really used another drink. So yeah, three things checked off! That ties the record. I think it's totally do-able to hit up like four or five in one day -- but that remains to be seen. Anyone up for a challenge?

Next stop was Nopa for "one of Neyah White's shrubs." I wasn't sure what the hell a shrub was but if I had to guess I figured that Neyah White was the chef and a shrub was a dessert. WRONG. Neyah White is a bartender and a shrub is a drink that involves fruit and vinegar. We had the 'brown label shrub' that consisted of Sutton Cellars vermouth and huckleberry shrub. What exactly is shrub? You take some fruit (usually a berry -- strawberry would be awesome) and you ferment it in vinegar. Ta da!

The drink was good, not great. Maybe it was the vinegary aftertaste, maybe it just couldn't hold a candle because I had two drinks that were awesome before I had this one. Regardless, Nopa is a cool restaurant with a great bar. We were the first ones in there -- right at 5:00 p.m. -- and when we left after one drink, there wasn't a seat open at the bar (and it was a pretty big bar.) I would totally go back and sit at the bar, but I wouldn't get the shrub. Oh, and I totally want to try this cauliflower soup with orange tapenade that they had on the menu. How good does that sound?!

How to Make the Shrub Mixed Drink -- powered by eHow.com

Sidenotes:
$7 for the brown label shrub
Man, are there a lot of hipsters in this neighborhood. Too. Cool. For. School.

#43: An Old Fashioned at Alembic

After shuffling through miles of polyester, nylon and vinyl -- Ariel and Timmy accomplished what they went to the Haight for and found the perfect pairs figure skating costumes.

That just happened.

Anyway ... after Timmy and Ariel got these lovely new outfits, we cruised down Haight Street to Alembic (which we found out is owned by the same people who own Magnolia Pub) to try the Old Fashioned.

The Old Fashioned was really good. I mean, considering the ingredients. The sugar, bitters and lemon peel really compliment the whiskey. The first couple sips slapped me across the face a little bit but then I was really able to enjoy it. I would totally order it again.

Alembic kicks ass. We had some awesome artisan cheeses (Did I really just say artisan? Jesus. We had some awesome cheeses.) and Timmy got these amazing pulled pork sliders. I mean, amazing. Ariel doesn't even eat pork and she ordered one after trying Timmy's. That's saying something.

Everything at Alembic was perfect. I hear this place can get pretty gnarly and crowded -- but a Saturday afternoon was the perfect time to go.

Sidenotes:

$10 for the Old Fashioned.

Ariel had the Pisco Sour which she loved.

The cheeses we got were: idiazabal from Spain and the bellwether carmody from California. Yum!

#24: Blue Bell Bitter from the cask at Magnolia Pub

Mmm ... beer. Not just that but, Mmm beer on a Saturday afternoon when you have nothing to do so you just decide to have a few drinks with your besties.

I got yanked out of bed by Ariel and Timmy to go to brunch at the Tipsy Pig (great breakfast sandwich -- should probably be on the list) and as weekend mornings usually go -- we pulled the old 'what should we do now?' Now in my past, this spontaneous-Saturday-nothing-to-do-ness would take me to R Bar for some 2 p.m.-2 a.m. action -- but thankfully I have grown out of that.

Somewhere between wanting to get a cocktail and needing to get unitards for that evening's birthday party (not for me ... for Ariel and Timmy), we ended up in the Haight at Magnolia Pub & Brewery to try the Blue Bell Bitter from the cask. Fortunately for us, we got a super rad parking spot right out in front. Unfortunately for us, they weren't serving the Blue Bell Bitter from the cask that day. So we had to settle for pints of the Blue Bell Bitter. I'm not sure what the difference is, but the beer was GOOD. Now I'm not a big fan of "good beer." I'm pretty sure my home state would cut ties with me if they could for that ... but seriously ... I just want a cold Bud Light. The fancy beers are usually too hoppy or too bitter. This one was a tad bitter but still tasted really good. I had no problem putting this one back -- although is this because it was the first beer of the day? The first beer ALWAYS goes down so smooth!

I liked the vibe of this place: they have the whole long, tall communal wooden table thing going on and some more-private wooden booths. It was a lot like a McMenamin's -- but with a fancier food menu. I looked over the brunch menu and was impressed: it's a small menu, but I could totally get down with some donut holes and crabcake benedict ... and a Blue Bell Bitter, of course.

Sidenotes:
$6.00 for a pint
Conveniently located across the street from a tattoo/piercing place -- so you can drink a bunch of strong beer and then go make a bad decision.