Sunday, February 27, 2011

Coffee Bar, Mission (Potrero?)

We stopped by Coffee Bar for some brunch this morning on our way to Whole Foods.  It was perfect because it is super close to Whole Foods, there is parking (I think this is becoming a theme with me) and it was quick and easy. Oh yeah, the food was really good too.


We both got the Breakfast Sandwich - eggs over medium, bacon, brie and frisée on brioche. My egg and brie were both really runny and messy, but in a good way. I appreciate that in a sandwich. 


The space itself is super bright and they have a nice outdoor patio for those days when it isn't freezing.

I like you, Coffee Bar.

Coffee Bar
1890 Bryant Street
San Francisco, CA 94110-1459
(415) 551-8100

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Una Pizza Napoletana, SOMA

First, a confession: I used to be that annoying person who didn't believe you could get good pizza outside of New York.  This was before the new wave of artisan pizza places hit San Francisco, and before I discovered Marcellos, which I love and is, in my opinion, just as good as any slice you'd get in NY.   I have now learned the error of my ways and eat what is probably too much pizza for my own good, if such a thing is possible.

Last night we hit up one of the newer pizza places, Una Pizza Napoletana. But before we talk about the food, here is some back story in case you haven't been spending your time following the comings and goings of pizza makers around town: the first Una Pizza was in New Jersey.  Anthony Mangieri (the chef/owner) then moved the operation to the East Village where it was incredibly popular and written about extensively. He then decided he wanted to move to California, closed up shop in NY and headed to San Francisco.  


The space itself is a decent size, but much of it is taken up by the oven (which is really the focal point of the room - how cool is that blue tiling?) and the small prep station where Mangieri makes the pizza.  Customers are kept out of this area by a metal railing, but that doesn't stop them from standing in front of the railing and watching (and/or taking pictures).  I would love to know how many pictures of Mangieri must get taken each day.


The menu here is simple: 5 different types of pizza. Some wine, some beer and some non-alcoholic beverages. You want a salad, or maybe some olives, or perhaps a slice of bread? You won't find it here.


The pizzas are all 12 inches. There were 4 of us (plus a baby) and we decided we'd just get all 5 types and take home whatever was left over.   I'm sure you already know how this story is going to end. Here, take a look at the pizzas if you are unsure:


The four of us (and a baby!) had no problem finishing off all five of these pizzas.  They brought them out from the simplest (marinara and margherita) to the most complicated (if you can call arugula, cherry tomatoes and smoked mozzarella complicated).  All of the pizzas were really good, and I especially liked the margherita.  
 
In terms of how Una Pizza compares to all the other pizza places in San Francisco: I think it is right on par with Delfina Pizzeria, which was always my gold standard. Both have that chewy crust which really makes it for me. The major difference between the two though is price: ALL of the pizzas at Una Pizza cost $20. When you compare that against Delfina, where the pizzas range from $10 - $17, ($12.50 for the margherita)  it seems kind of outrageous. Plus Delfina will throw in some bread sticks for free, and you have the option of ordering things besides pizza (mmm, like their meatballs).


I don't mean to discourage you. Personally, I can't even look at this picture and not just want to eat more of that pizza. I guess my advice would be: If you've got $20 in your pocket and can afford to spend that on one pizza, this is a great place to do it.

Una Pizza Napoletana
210 11th St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 861-3444

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Ferry Building Goodies

A few little treats from the Ferry Building:


Why yes, that is a cone of meat. From Boccalone.


Finally tried the ramen from Hapa Ramen. This was the fried chicken bowl with a sous vide egg. Yum.  A little different than the top ramen of my college years. We also got the to go kit - basically they give you cold broth in one container and the noodles, meat and other fun stuff in a separate container with some instructions on how to put it all together.  Excited to try that later. 


And lastly, we picked up some chocolate, pear and red wine preserves (I know, it doesn't seem to make sense to me either, but I'm sure it's delicious) from the Tell Tale Preserve Company.


Happy eating.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Nopa

Finally! Nopa! I think this was my fourth time making reservations at Nopa, and all the other times I wound up canceling for one reason or another. Today Sarah and I made plans for brunch, and luckily I had been sitting on these reservations from weeks ago, so we got to try it out.


We got there at 11AM, which is when they open and before they filled up. They seated us upstairs so we got this great birds eye view of the place. I love those yellow stools at the bar.


I loved getting to watch the chefs prepare the dishes. How are they so tidy? Why does my kitchen never stay that neat when I'm cooking? 


Sarah ordered the oven baked farm egg with smoked tomato and pecorino. I love eggs baked in tomato and she was very happy with her order. We also ordered some fun drinks.  I ordered my usual -bloody mary (hold the vodka, hold the ice) and Sarah got the cardamom grapefruit juice.  The non-bloody mary was just on the edge of being too spicy for me, but in a good way (me = spice wimp). I loved how Sarah's drink was presented.


Sarah also got a piece of the goat cheese bread pudding, which was rich and delicious. Nice combo with the eggs.  I got soft scrambled eggs with potatoes and leeks which was great but my picture wasn't so just imagine what it looked like, ok?

Great brunch, awesome service (I forgot to mention I loved our waiter).  I will definitely be coming back here soon. In March, in fact - I just booked another reservation for dinner. Hopefully we won't have to cancel that one.

nopa
560 Divisadero St
San Francisco, California 94117
(415) 864-8643
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