Turning 26 was great this past weekend. Maybe even better than turning 25! Hopefully birthday will continent to be weakly increasing with each passing year (yes, I’ve started grad school – could you tell?)

The evening of fun started at this restaurant in the civic center / tenderloin reataurant, a few blocks from the bar that was the next stop. Yelpers claimed authentic Thai food. Unfortunately, my Thai friend couldn’t make it to judge. But IMHO, the flavor were stronger and more complex than the typical Thai-americanized restaurant.

We shied away from the more adventurous options (frog, alligator), but our dishes were still delicious. In paricular, the fish cake appetizer, the spicy catfish and the spicy beef (#93) were fantastic. Unfiltered sake helped wash it all down.

The atmosphere is friendly and clean, though not particularly unique (sort of like chinese restaurants). Prices are very reasonable, $8 -$10 for most entrees. I’d definitely go back!

730 larkin b/t ellis and olive

After my long run this morning (where the goal, after a 2 week hiatus from running, was to simply finish), I met up with L to celebrate our mutual return to SF and to hanging out! It was time for a indulgent brunch. With some yelp help and some recollections of S’ recommendations, we decided to head to the Mission for some Foreign Cinema.

I was starving. (Note: going to a slightly nicer place for brunch is not the most cost-effective way of filling a post-run hypoglycemia.) So L split the beef carpaccio with me as an appetizer. I have previously had a negative experience with beef carpaccio, but this one was a keeper. Exquisitely thin slices of beef seemingly papered in one fine layer on the plate, served with mache, a few potato chips and a mustard aioli. I’ve had some carpaccios where the aioli is thickly slathered on or otherwise too rich; this one was just right. I ate most of it…

I ordered the poached eggs atop duck with frisee. There was a certain seasoning to the duck that I no longer recall and a very interesting berry type of ingredient as well, that made it just a bit different from a standard poached egg dish. Everything was well-done and delicious in my dish, but I have to say that I didn’t feel that it all melded together smoothly. At least in comparison to L’s entree, which I think won the entree contest. She ordered the Champagne and Chanterelle omelet with truffle oil and cheddar. It was heavenly. A light scent of truffle, woodsy chanterelles and a creamy consistency – decadently delicious. I am usually wary of ordering omelettes, which often disappoint me, but in this case, I would have ordered the omelette if I were to do it all over again.

They also have an interesting drink menu. We tried the fellini (grapefruit juice and a bit of Aperol instead of peach bellinis – delicious) and the elderflower drink (elderflower liquer + champagne + something else?). The elderflower drink was a bit watery in my opinion, so I would avoid that.

Oh! And they have an oyster bar. I didn’t sample it today, but it looked quite good with lots of local options. Standard oyster pricing.

Our bill was a little high with the drinks and the extra “I’m-starving” appetizer, but if you were to go a more standard entree + alcoholic brunch drink, you’d probably end up around $30-35 including tax and tip.

Entrees ~$10-15, Brunch cocktails ~$10

Mission b/t 21st & 22nd

Fried. Chicken. Sandwich.

Three lovely words. Well, I feel a little ambivalent about “chicken.” But modified by “fried”…well, that’s pretty close to heaven.

I went there for a mid-week study break back during my boards days with one S.L. Running late per my usual norm, I found S already setup at one of BB’s whimsical old-school ironing-board tables with fried chicken sandwich and lemon ices ready to eat. I was only sad that I got to eat only half of that fried chicken-y deliciousness. Better for my arteries I suppose. But as I’ve learned in med school, my aorta already has a nice creamy layer of atherosclerosis. So I might as well…bring on the fried chicken!

If you somehow have managed to not have a fried chicken sandwich yet (e.g. if you are some ridiculous “vegetarian” of sorts), it comes heaped with a spicy slaw on a fresh, crusty bun. And you might also get to finish your meal with a free cookie that Bakesale Betty (an Australian native, I learned) herself might pass out to you while you wait in line.

Don’t be too cowed by the line — it moves rapidly. And head inside to check out the fried chicken factory line when you’re done. Take home some delectable baked goods too!

Fried chicken sandwich ~$7

Bakesale Betty, telegraph & 51st

You can’t move to Berkeley and avoid hearing about Cheeseboard Pizza. I have heard about this place probably at least 5-6 times now. It’s famous. And I have to admit I’m not above the hype. I mean, I read and attend to the NYTimes dining section, so obviously not above hype, despite my attempts to be cool, local, and oh-so-above-that.

I do believe I can consider myself a 3.5 week Berkeley resident (goodness!! have I really been studying for that long???), but aside from my many many hours spent in Cafe Leila and Local 123 (both to be commented upon eventually), I can’t say that I know Berkeley very well.

But tonight was a good night for pretending to be Berkeley. I biked up the hill to Cheeseboard Pizza where their daily pizza (which is their only pizza, so far as I can tell) was: Fresh Corn, Onions, Zucchini, Mozzarrella, Feta, Garlic Olive Oil, and Cilantro Limes. I’m not sure I recall any zucchini. But, it was pretty good.

And at $5 for a slice and a beer, it was like being in heaven. Or some Brooklyn equivalent.

Expect thin crusted pizzas (apparently you can ask for some less baked version – I found it a little overly crispy) with delicious, interesting toppings. Also expect a line. We got there at 6 pm without too much of a wait, but from about 6:45 until 7:45 while we were there, it was a line out the door, down the sidewalk scene. You can also take a whole pizza to go…mmmm. I’ll definitely be heading back before I leave you, Berkeley!

P.S. Next door is the cheeseboard. I didn’t get a chance to go tonight, but will have to go try their cheese at some point.

1512 Shattuck (Gourmet Ghetto)

e. houston b/t bowery & 2nd ave
(what neighborhood is this? i wasn’t sure.)

i hate the massive, bland luxury mCcondos that are infiltrating and taking over the last hold-outs of even pseudo-gritty new york. condos just don’t belong near chinatown, east village, or the lower east side. i realize i’m being a huge hypocrite in that i am loosely in the same socioeconomic class (based mostly on education, general career path) that is driving the luxury condo surge, but i hope that i will never choose to live in such a monstrosity.

having made my rant about luxury condos, i have to say the i grudgingly am an ardent fan of the new whole foods bowery, which occupies the massively airy bottom floor of the avalon chrystie condo building (again more hypocrisy). although it feels like you are entering a foreign world (aka suburbia, where the supermarkets have immensely high ceilings, aisles are not squished togehter, and where you don’t have to “punch someone in the eye to get to the gouda” as N put it), this whole foods in an eater’s delight. right smack dab in the middle of the ground floor (yes, there’s an enormous upstairs dining section with 4 restaurants), is an ILDG stand. not just packed pints to buy, but an actual gelato stand, with MORE flavors than i’ve ever seen at ILDG and more variety of flavors as well. but same price and same intense flavors.

and the best part is that unlike the actual ILDG store that closes at SIX EVERY day, this whole foods is open until 11 pm, DAILY. go eat some gelato.

138 mott b/t grand & hester

if i had thought ahead of time to make more nuanced variants of “recommended,” banh mi saigon bakery would have been in the “highly recommended”, “most delicious food”, and “best bargain” categories. my sister was totally right when she said, “it’s 25 cents more, but it’s worth it.”

compared to the banh mi so and the other banh mi place, the extra 25 cents (for a whopping total of $3.25 a sandwich) goes toward a) more flavorful roast pork and b) a better marinated and assembled assortment of julienned vegetables. (unfortunately, the somewhat mediocre french roll remains the same. but for $3.25 you could even afford to drop by le pain quotidien and swap the bread for something else.)

i can’t really describe how good this ridiculously cheap sandwich is. you’ll just have to go and try it yourself (but beware, they close around 7/7:30 and sometimes run out of roast pork at the end of the day. call ahead and they’ll save you one.)

62nd st & madison

being a poor research assistant who packs her lunch, i’ve never explored the world of midtown lunch carts. a few weeks back, however, a nymag feature on new york’s 50 (or so) best food carts caught my eye. naturally, like many cheap, delicious food options in new york, the top 5 or so were in the outer boroughs, primarily in queens. however, #7, luckily for me, was actually quite near work. “I” joined me in this quest to try the dragon’s cart.

A 7 min walk later, we spotted an unmarked lunch cart catty-corner from Hermes. no menu, and unfortunately for me, no exact recollection of what nymag had recommended. i was a bit of a nervous mess trying to order something, but it turned out alright. well, actually delicious. definitely get the white sauce, though. i got the chicken platter, but the pita would have sufficed. the platter ($6) comes with half a tin of saffron rice, salad, & a grilled chicken breast. because i wanted to try the pita, i got a pita on the side for $0.50. “I” got the pita, which i think was $5. we walked to the park and devoured our delicious cart-food.

i think if i worked two avenues closer and wanted to buy lunch, i would eat here all the time. if you’re in the neighborhood, shopping at hermes, or perhaps working somewhere nearby, stop by for a cheap but delicious lunch. (expect a 10-person line, though!! ~10 min wait)

in between pipa & lucy’s latin kitchen & ABC home furnishings – entrances on 18th st, 19th st and bway.

in the oddest little spot — contiguous (no sealed walls) with a home furnishing store, a tapas restaurant, a pan-latin restaurant, and le pain quotidien — is a very upscale parisian chocolatier. after reading about it in the NYTimes, S & i had been hankering after some of their chocolates for a while. with the sad, inevitable end of our new york lives approaching, we buckled down and splurged on a guided chocolate tasting.

led by a comically adorable middle-aged lawyer-cum-chocolatier, we indulged in a lesson on the different cocoa beans (S has notes; i remember little beyond the mere words forestero & criollo), single-plantation origin, and mostly on sensitizing our palates to the differences in the chocolates. and oh, are there differences. i sadly, can no longer remember the name of my favorite, but i think it had the yellow stripe on it. i remember it was a single-plantation dark with a slightly mango-like, fruity flavor. also incredible was the roasted praline truffle and the choctini that was absolutely worth the price — i got the vodka variant mixed with their signature cocoa blend (but again, forget the name at this point). the tasting is $55 for 2 people with about 50% discount on the drinks. it’s a little pricey, a little hoaky at times, but for me, with the friends i was with, it was definitely a worthwhile and memorable experience.

however, it would also be more economical and equally as worthwhile to go for a drink and some chocolates. so either way, i recommend this chocolate shop.

96th st and b’way

i am so happy when i finally get to places that i’ve read about in the times and that just seem super cool. especially if they’re cheap hole-in-the-wall(-but-no-longer-thanks-to-the-Times) places like Super Taco.

after forwarding the Times article to L, she confirmed that yes, indeed! she had spotted such a truck in her commute home to the 96th & Bway 1/2/3 stop. and so we made plans to go one evening after co-inspiring one another to run.

this large metal truck (no ordinary food truck, mind you), actually has the address “96th and Broadway” written on the side. (but it’s not there in the morning – not permanently at that corner) on both nights that i’ve gone since discovering super taco, there were 3-5 spanish-speaking men hanging out just in front, eating their quesadillas, tacos, & tortas while leaning against the Gristedes railing. a taco will run you $2 and is roughly 5″ in diameter, filled with some tasty filling of your choice – 10-12 different options (i’ve enjoyed the chorizo and bifstec). it comes with two little containers of red and green sauces (unclear what they’re called), which are picante and a must-add to your tacos (some meats can be a little dry). the torta is $4 and is a larger sandwich affair; i’ve never tried, but L said it was quite good. has mayo, though. you can also add cheese, get a quesadilla, and i believe they sell horchata (i’ll have to go back and try it, having loved it in barcelona). they make your taco while you wait, about 5-7 minutes depending on how many people there are.

i think this place is fantastic. if i lived near there, i’d probably eat there all the time. i’m not sure it merits its own special trip from downtown, but if you’re ever remotely in the area, i would go. so for that, i’m definitely recommending it. (not sure about lunch/weekend hours)

ave B b/t 13th & 14th sts

i am continually reminded of how wrong i usually am with first judgments. here is another example. i initially ran across luca lounge when searching for a place for C & my joint birthday party last fall. i think i ruled it out because there was no option for dancing. in retrospect, i think this would have been a nicer space than ice bar (which i don’t recommend – terrible, overpriced drinks).

the second time i chanced upon this lounge was when K’s friend from high school was having a going away/i’m-going-to-an-”exotic”-locale-for-life-experience-before-med-school party. and it was then that i discovered my initial mistake.

luca lounge is a great, east village lounge. by that i mean that it’s not modern, or shishi or even particularly hipster in the way that the phrase “new york lounge” evokes a place. it’s kind of nice (especially the outdoor garden at night with a soft, candlelit ambience), it’s kind of antique/old-school (with the old, slightly gritty/antique couches indoors), and it’s kind of “brooklyn,” with that ambience that i got in my fort greene cafes/restaurants — exposed red brick, old wooden windows & door frames. the drinks are on the usual/moderate side for new york – expect about $5-6 for beers and $6-9 for wines by the glass. the finger foods are pretty good, if a little pricey for the amount you get.

as a great place for a relaxed drink and snack, and a great place for large groups (there is a ton of both indoor and outdoor space),  i would definitely recommend this place. (plus, it’s a 5-min walk from my apartment)

for dinner, i wouldn’t particularly recommend this place. i went for dinner back when A was in town for the weekend. the food was okay, but not great and not super cheap either. so stick with drinks, snacks, and lounging. i guess it’s not that surprising that being a lounge is what they’re really good at.