Sightglass Coffee, SOMA

(Blog news: Tasting SF has been nominated for "Best Food Blog" by SF Weekly. If you'd like to vote, please go here)

Sightglass Coffee is one of San Francisco's newer coffee roasters. They've only been around for a year or so, and for most of that time had been operating out of a small kiosk on 7th Street.  Recently they opened a much, much larger space so we went over there to check it out.

The coffee is great but you must also try the baked goods. My favorite was the cheddar and black pepper gougere from the Tell Tale Preserve Company. Here is the saddest news though: I just learned that they are closing - the last batch of pastries went out this past weekend. I'm so glad I got to eat this one last time before they closed. And I really, really hope that they reopen soon.

We also tried the chocolate brioche with sea salt (with Mast Brothers chocolate).  We liked this a lot too, and it did go better with my latte. It was made by Firebrand Bakery, which I had never heard of.  If they are reading this, I have a suggestion: please can you try making a cheddar and black pepper gougere?

Part of the new space is a big mezzanine. Currently there is nothing up there, but I imagine they'll expand and put seating up there as well. It's kind of fun to stand up there and get a bird's eye view on the whole place. (And a nice way to get photos, too.) 

Sightglass Coffee

270 7th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

(415) 861-1313

Scenes from Los Angeles

Got to eat some great food while down in LA for the weekend.  We mistakenly left our camera at home, so it's all iPhone photos instead. I like how they turned out! The Cross Process app is awesome.

We spent a lot of time on Abbot Kinney this trip. We had lunch at 3 Square, which we seem to stop at every time we are down there. This was their three sandwich sampler: pulled pork, salmon cake and grilled cheese with shrimp. The grilled cheese was my fave. 

 Intelligentsia Latte

We sort of happened-upon the Brentwood Country Mart by mistake. I was psyched when I realized that's where Farmshop LA was. We had already eaten lunch, so we just got a few snacks. The lemon raspberry cookie was insanely good. I really want to go back there for a meal.

We decided we needed dessert with our dessert, so we got an ice cream cone (Caffe Luxxe Coffee) at Sweet Rose Ice Cream.

So this last picture isn't in LA - it is at the brand new SFO Terminal 2. This place is awesome! Super clean and modern with lots of great restaurants, including the Plant Cafe. We got off the plane and needed to detox from traveling + all the sugar we had eaten.  We were so happy to see this in front of us, and we got a fresh squeezed juice (carrot/ginger/orange juice).  Plus we were able to pick up a loaf of Acme Bread at the Napa Farms Market, which meant we didn't need to go to the grocery store - so convenient!  I think I need to only fly on Virgin America from now on. 

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

Intelligentsia Coffee, Los Angeles

We just got back from a trip to LA and I had wanted to do a whole "scenes from Los Angeles" kind of post but I didn't get much further than this picture, taken at the Intelligentsia in Silverlake.   We did have two  great meals though: at Eveleigh (I didn't bring my camera) and Osteria Mozza (Mario Batali is anti-photo). 

Not too much to say with this photo, but I loved these cups so I had to post them. Oh, and the lattes were good too.

The Summit, Mission

Valencia Street seems completely unaware that the rest of the country is still in the middle of a recession.  In the last six months or so, it seems like every time I walk along there I notice new stores and restaurants, and it's getting hard to keep up. I'm not complaining though, I love that this little neighborhood is thriving. 

On Halloween we headed over to the brand new cafe The Summit.

At 2pm the place was packed and it was hard to find a seat, which seems slightly strange because the place is so huge. I think they probably could have done a better job of laying it out to make better use of the space.

Fear the beard!

I wanted a coffee and Kev wanted some tea, but tea is only served by the pot, so I went with that too.  Check out the presentation: cute little tray with tea pot and cups and also a 1/3/5 minute hour glass timer.  FauxBrian Wilson instructed us to wait until the green sand ran out and our tea would be done steeping.

 

 

I wish I liked the tea as much as I liked the presentation, but sadly (or not, sadly for my wallet) I prefer good old PG Tips. 

I also ordered the pulled pork sandwich which was... ok. Not bad, but not great.

After a little while of sitting on a stool over by the window, the couch opened up and we headed over there.  I got the coffee I had wanted originally (they serve Blue Bottle, by the way) and we sat on the couch with our books and just hung out.  And the thing is, while I could sit on my own couch with my PG Tips and read a book, sometimes it's just nice to get out of the house - which to me is the appeal of this place.

The Comforts of Home

We just came back from a whirlwind two days in NY, celebrating my mom's 60th birthday. Can't get enough of black and white cookies or Dunkin' Donuts coffee.  These black and whites may be the best I've ever had.  According to my mom, they are like "cake air'.  They came from William Greenberg on the Upper East Side (where you can also custom order your colors) and  they are amazing.  You can also get them shipped to you if you happen to be unfortunate like me and live somewhere where you can't find black and whites.

I think if someone opened a Dunkin' Donuts franchise in San Francisco, that also sold black and white cookies, they'd make a fortune. From me alone.

ps: Happy Birthday Mom!

SF Coffee: Philz Coffee, Castro

I managed to leave the house this morning with enough time to stop at Philz for a coffee. My plan was to only stop if there was a parking spot. It was my lucky day because there was one right in front.

For a few years I would walk by Philz and never go in because... I am a font snob. But after hearing from so many people how great their coffee is, I gave in and tried it.  They have a whole bunch of different blends, and the girl who helped me was so enthusiastic about finding the one that she thought I'd like best.  The truth is I now like it more than Blue Bottle or Ritual, but man, I hate their design. Do a rebrand guys!

I have been ordering the Tesora lately - it is the house blend and is super tasty and not very acidic. They tell you in the store if it is your first time there, that is the one to order.

There was an older man standing next to me waiting for his coffee. When they handed it over to him, he took a sip and said, "What a gentle way to start the morning".  Maybe not exactly the words I would have used, but I can appreciate the sentiment.