last week was a week of an abnormal amount of weekday restaurant meals; i’m in the middle of moving and half my kitchen is packed and i’m trying to get out of the house as much as possible to avoid dealing with my stuff. this did mean i was suggesting truly random places to eat at 8pm on a tuesday solely to avoid my tasks, but there were some gems, too.
speaking of random tuesday meals, a friend and i met at club waziema for ethiopian food last week — i had only been to this spot post 11pm to see some DJs and it was fully a dive bar then, but given the google reviews and photos i assumed it was a proper restaurant during the day. turns out the setup is actually eating ethiopian food at a dive bar. the best ethiopian food i ever had was in aix en provence in summer 2022, and i’ve been chasing that high ever since. cafe colucci in oakland is excellent, new eritrea is a decent spot for when the wait is too long at manna. club waziema works well for convenience (it’s halfway between me and my friend), and is enjoyable for the novelty factor. misir wat (red lentils) is my favorite ethiopian dish and they did that well, and we had a pear cider that was absolutely scrumptious. don’t go out of your way to come here but if you’re on divisidero and need a quick and comforting bite, it’s an option.
last week i mentioned i rarely eat brunch out, this week i had two weekday brunches out. on wednesday morning i met a friend and her baby in cow hollow and we needed a kid-friendly lunch spot, wanted to eat outside, and wanted to lounge, so rose’s cafe was the ideal option. i have been here a handful of times and always order the same thing — the potato hash (it’s more like a big potato pancake) with seasonal vegetables and poached eggs. it’s tasty but could be crispier, i wish they shredded the potatoes in the pancake instead of leaving so many pieces whole. the vegetable selection of zucchini, onion, and red peppers is a great compliment to the potatoes. everything i’ve had here is consistently made well, and i love it for a solo meal too. the tea selection is lengthy and diverse. i’m going to try making the hash on my own with smaller potato pieces and will report back!
later on wednesday i ran to the sf city ikea to grab a few things and was hoping to eat a veggie dog from their cafeteria (those things are under a dollar and probably made of pure crap but i can’t help it), but it was closing time and no dog was acquired. i decided to check out saluhall, their new marketplace dining hall, and was shocked to see it packed and buzzing at 6:45pm on a weekday. i saw three fabulous women drinking fancy cocktails…in the ikea dining hall…on market and 6th? it felt like that sex and the city episode with the cafeteria food lunch. i figured i may as well eat something and got a vegan “cheez”burger from the burger spot on the ground floor. i am usually skeptical of any vegan cheese, especially something called “cheez,” but it was good? the problem with the burger was the pickles tasted too floral and soapy. the bigger problem was the burger and a diet coke plus tax and tip ran me 20 dollars which is a far cry from the 69 cent vegan hot dog. while i ate my burger i read two pieces on the state of reservation culture (particularly in new york) — both the new yorker and grub street ones are worth reading. tldr the reservation market is hellish, people are paying upwards of $200 to snag tables at carbone (???). as someone who lives in a minimal reservation city this is appalling and scary. i worked at opentable for over two years and still don’t know how to snag a hot reservation, i just go eat somewhere else.
my second weekday brunch occurred on thursday, when i needed a quick bite and was out of the house running errands. i mentioned last week that mymy is one of my go to’s because it’s on my block, and i know there is no line at noon on a weekday. this is another ritualistic solo dining spot for me — i love the tex mex scramble (sans chorizo), eat exactly half of it in a specific order: 1) eat the orange slice, 2) cut up the jalapeno, 3) eat eggs and potatoes, 4) have a slice of toast with butter and jam. then i mix the other half together and eat it for lunch the next day. i’ve tried the pancakes, french toast, and huevos rancheros tower here and they are all delicious. there’s a chipotle cream on the tex mex scramble that is spicy, tangy, and rich that brings me back to this dish every time.
at around 2pm on saturday i left the house to run an errand and realized i had eaten nothing all day, so i popped into juniper for a pastry and cappuccino. this spot is the second closest cafe to me but i tend to opt for their sister cafe saint frank on many mornings because i enjoy the longer walk and outdoor seating. juniper has a far larger focus and selection of pastries, especially sweet and savory stuffed choux, which i’ve never seen at another sf cafe. i went for a simple croissant and it was divine — flaky, buttery, perfect structural integrity. the coffee is also well done.
i ended the weekend at a picnic on sunday afternoon that had a huge bag of laundromat bagels and schmears; i was thrilled because i hadn’t yet tried their food and have been fiending to. i was even more excited to discover a pumpernickel everything bagel — this is my favorite type of bagel and impossible to find in san francisco (even just plain pumpernickel is sparse). these bagels are so damn good!!! they tasted like new york bagels!!! my bagel was great untoasted with a shiny crust and chewy interior. i had some unlabeled cream cheese that i think had artichoke and chive and was all around yummy. i don’t want to enter the debate of california bagels and their lackings but these bagels are objectively good.
i hope you enjoyed this week’s breakfast food-heavy newsletter. here are some recent tweets i have laughed at. see you next week!