Hellooooooo!

So last week I wrote a post called Five Faves Friday which mentioned five things I’m liking, no real rhyme or reason behind it. Yesterday I wanted to write another Five Faves, but focus on San Francisco foodie spots, but, well, I was at a career fair all day yesterday and I was tired so I’m doing this on Saturday night instead. It’s already Sunday for some of the country. (Yes, my blog has new features with “friday” in the name that I publish on Sunday. That’s just how I roll.)

Anyways.

I got certified to be a Zumba instructor today! So I’m sweaty and tired but feeling great–the class was really awesome and I can’t wait to tell you guys more about it a little later. This is my third weekend in the SF area in the… five weeks and change I’ve been home, and despite the “I’m-unemployed-and-bleeding-money” aspect, I’m digging spending time over here. There were a few spots I’ve checked out recently that anyone passing through SF should definitely go to. Immediately.

1. Tartine Bakery.

The famous Tartine. Silly me, I showed up on a Saturday evening expecting to just grab a bite and lounge over a cup of coffee. That serene mental picture was quickly shattered when I arrived and found myself a place at the end of the line halfway down the block. Half an hour later, I walked out with a hug loaf of multi-grain bread and a couple of cookies. Serene, no. Worth it, heck to the yes.

Pictures (especially bad pictures from my iPhone… this whole post… sorry!) do NOT do this bread justice. I was carrying it around the Mission District for a while in the bag that they gave it to me in (see under the bread, a heavy brown paper bag, pretty standard) BROKE. The bread broke its own bag. This thing could do some damage. But it is indeed delicious and Tartine is a must stop.

2. Grub. I like any restaurant that A) is called grub and B) has a mac and cheese bar with gourmet ingredients. This isn’t even the whole list!

Totally great menu options and very decent prices in a nice area in the mission. I love comfort food with gourmet add-ons, like the mac and cheese bar. They also had a veggie burger (still no meat for this one!) but it came with gruyere and truffle aioli. Not your average boring burger. Win.

Note to self/audience: if attempting to dine out alone in SF on a Saturday night, come armed and dangerous (and by that I mean, “bring a book and have confidence to put up with the judgemental stares.”) Otherwise, deal with it as I did: walk into three restaurants determining which would be the “least awkward.” Try not to grimace when a hostess accidentally says “just one?”. Receive stares from girls next to you at the bar as if a leper just sat down in their laps–God forbid a normal woman could grab a quick bite by herself because her new iPhone is about as useful as a rock with the ridiculousness that is AT&T reception so she can’t get in touch with anyone. Then, when the waiter comes up to you to get your order, in your flustered state you succeed in mispronouncing the word “gruyere,” adding an “ee” sound on the end. Watch corner of snobby waiter’s mouth turn up as he says slowly, “sorry, I didn’t catch the name of the cheese you wanted.” FAIL.

3. The Ferry Building Marketplace.

I think a lot of food bloggers discovered the wonders of this place when they came to the Foodbuzz Festival. I haven’t been lucky enough to go to that festival yet, but I AM lucky enough to live close by. No pretty outdoor scenery pictures because the weather was poop when I arrived, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy the wonders inside.

Bakeries.

Cowgirl Creamery.

Acme Bread Company pumpkin loaf.

Gott’s diner.

Delicia “Japanese with California ingredients.”–vegetarian bento box. I didn’t know what I was eating. I just knew it was good.

Farm fresh produce right there in the market every day. And a crazy awesome farmers market every weekend! Probably even better than the Sacramento Farmers Market I just hit (which was pretty awesome). And let’s not forget…

Far West Fungi. It gets no better than this, folks.

I love this place (the ferry building, not just the fungi shop) and am coming back for a foodie fest in two weeks! Stay tuned.

4. Pacific Catch.

Anyone who really likes food porn–especially the written kind (??)–check out the menu on this website. OMG. This menu was bomb.com. Please forgive me for just using the phrase bomb.com. Twice.

They have deals frequently where if you check in on yelp or foursquare you get free sweet potato fries. I would go anywhere for free sweet potato fries.

The seared-rare ahi sandwich wasn’t free, it was pretty awesome. It was a little weird eating raw fish the next morning for breakfast, forever, but I don’t let leftovers go to waste.

5. Cafe Intermezzo.

Okay, it’s in Berkeley, but it’s close enough. I’m here tonight staying wth my lil sis, and we headed out to an awesome soup/sandwich/salad place known for its huge salads. I went up to the counter intending to order a half-soup (vegan chili) half-sandwich (honey peanut butter banana, which my sister did get)…

…But then I saw someone with the veggie delight salad. Kidney beans, chickpeas, avo, hardboiled egg, sprouts, croutons, poppyseed dressing? Yes please.

I ate until I was stuffed and still had this to bring home. A full salad. And I ate like someone who had just danced all day would eat. This thing could feed a family of horses.

Ridiculous. Did I mention it was $6.50? I’m the cheapest person ever and even I think that’s awesome.

So yeah.

This has been a crazy weekend. Career fair in SF, Zumba instructor training… wow! I was going to do attempt #2 on running the golden gate bridge tomorrow (thanks for all your comments on the Marathon training joke post by the way!) but I don’t think the weather is cooperating with me. But it’s all good! I’m going to relax and try to get some stuff done.

OH! Big news! Kind of. I just got 10 Bikram yoga classes for $15! I’ve never done Bikram and am kind of really scared of it, BUT I think I will feel good afterwards and hope it helps my running.

Next week, stay tuned for some interesting posts (pescatarian project review, my new kitchen project, cooking in Thailand, and some other gems.)

Have a great Sunday!

Have you ever taken bikram? Ever gone to a restaurant by yourself for dinner? OR, have you been to any spot lately that’s worth a check-out?

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