I saw this guy right when I boarded the K-line at Van Ness and I knew I had to sit by him.

Me: So, is there a convention or something going on?
Muni Man:  (chuckles) Nah, today’s my day off.

We proceeded to talk about the cool costumes he saw at WonderCon, whether or not he was inspired by the movie Kick-Ass (he wasn’t), and the upcoming Superhero Street Fair. It’s somewhat humbling to know that even superheroes ride public transportation.

Also check out:
Photo: Love Letter to Alcohol
Photo: SF Street Art: MOM
Photo: Asian Moustache
Photo: Evening Shot of the San Francisco Skyline from Coit Tower

Anchor & Hope is a seafood restaurant located in  SoMa on Minna and 2nd.  It’s the 3rd SoMa restaurant brought to you by the owners of Salt House and Town Hall.  The brick building that houses Anchor & Hope has a unique history, dating back 100 years as a mechanic’s warehouse.  The ambiance is very East Coast formal meets West Coast casual, with New England inspired food. Basically, it looks like it belongs in SoMa with its brick walls and exposed ceiling.

Anchor & Hope’s Chef De Cuisine Sarah Schafer is a Boston native, so she definitely knows a thing or two about good seafood.  However, her training in the French technique brings her dishes a notch above the standard crab shack.  Anchor & Hope has an array of seafood dishes and a raw bar that rotates daily.  I had the pleasure of trying 3 of their delicious appetizers.

First was the Ahi Tuna Poke (sorry for the blurry pic!).  It was prepared in the traditional way, with small cubes of ahi tuna sashimi tossed in a soy-sesame mixture, green onions and sesame seeds.  But it also had cucumber mixed in it, which was a nice cooling contrast to the special hot sauce they served on the side. A classic example of, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

Next up was the acclaimed “Angels on Horseback,” smoked bacon wrapped oysters, served with a remoulade sauce.  Need I say more?  This combo screams delicious.  The oysters were tender and the bacon salty and crisp, and the slightly tart sauce complemented the dish well. Gene had the pleasure of trying these as well on his visit to Anchor & Hope last year, and loved them.

Last but not least was the Warm Sea Urchin in the shell, Dungenous Crab, and Pureed Potatoes. Having never had sea urchin before, I was a bit nervous to try it, but I’m really glad I did.  It tasted like butter with a hint of sea salt, and it had a texture similar to pate.  The big chunks of dungenous crab complemented it quite well, and the potato puree balanced it all out.  It was heaven in a bowl, or rather, a shell.

I didn’t try any of the entrees while I was at Anchor & Hope, but I have to say the appetizers are standouts on the menu.  So share a few appetizers and have a drink or two.  With an extensive beer and wine menu like theirs, you’re sure to find the perfect pairing.

-Anne

Anchor & Hope
83 Minna St
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 501-9100
www.anchorandhopesf.com

Also check out:
Red Crawfish – Where the Far East Meets the Deep South
Hoodscope’s Guide to Enjoying Sangria In San Francisco
Big Mouth Burgers in the Mission
Super Duper Burger in the Castro
Brenda’s French Soul Food Review; Best Southern Brunch in San Francisco
B Restaurant & Bar in SOMA
Hog Island Oyster Company on the Embarcadero
DaDa Bar and Art Gallery in SOMA

Dear Alcohol,

I don’t even know where to start. I was just walking down Clement Street with a massive hangover, which you gave me, when I ran into Dirty Trix. Imagine my surprise when I found out you’ve been getting around. You told me I was special, that I was the only one. Well fuck you, you fucking whore.

-Gene

P.S. – I’m so sorry I went off on you like that. You have no idea how much you mean to me. No one else makes me feel the way you do. I can’t wait to see you again.

Dirty Trix Saloon
408 Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 387-1400
www.dirtytrix.com

Also check out:
Photo: SF Street Art: MOM
Photo: Asian Moustache
Photo: Evening Shot of the San Francisco Skyline from Coit Tower
Photo: Rainbow After the Hailstorm
Photo: PAE DAY
Photo: Dolores Park Movie Night: Back to the Future

As seen on the bench in front of Big Mouth Burgers on 24th between Misison and Valencia. Kevin over at Uptown Almanac also spotted the same elephant elsewhere.

Also check out:
Photo: Asian Moustache
Photo: Evening Shot of the San Francisco Skyline from Coit Tower
Photo: Rainbow After the Hailstorm
Photo: PAE DAY
Photo: Dolores Park Movie Night: Back to the Future

Other collections of Bay to Breakers 2010 photos and posts:
Uptown Almanac: Bay to Breakers Dance-Off: Hot Dog vs. Astronaut
sfhaps: The best Bay To Breakers 2010 photos megapost
SF Weekly: Bay to Breakers SF 2010
BuzzFeed: The 20 Best Costumes At The 2010 Bay To Breakers Race
ABC 7 News: Bay to Breakers 2010: The Costumes
SFist: Photos: 2010 Bay to Breakers

Also check out:
Photo: Evening Shot of the San Francisco Skyline from Coit Tower
Photo: Rainbow After the Hailstorm
Photo: Asian Moustache
Photo: PAE DAY
Photo: Dolores Park Movie Night: Back to the Future

SoMa

Underdog, The Tick, Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law, Batman. Photo: Troy Holden of CaliberSF.com

Check out the rest after the jump!

North Beach

Mario & Luigi. Photo: Troy Holden

The Haight

Scooby Doo & Shaggy, Beavis & Butthead. Photo: Troy Holden

The Mission

Trent Lane, Jane Lane, Daria Morendorffer, Quinn Morgendorffer, Captain Planet, Bender. Photo: Troy Holden

The Fillmore

Bucky, Fat Albert, Bill, Weird Harold, Russell, Mushmouth. Photo: Troy Holden

The Marina

Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Johnny Bravo. Photo: Chris Saulit

Golden Gate Park

Bugs Bunny, Yogi Bear & Boo Boo, Winnie the Pooh. Photo: Troy Holden

The Castro

G.I. Joe, Peter Pan, The Smurfs. Photo: pbo31

The Tenderloin

Ren & Stimpy, Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Stimpy. Photo: Troy Holden

This post could also be titled “How To Suck At Photoshop”

Does anyone have any other cartoon character + neighborhood ideas? Leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter @genejo

Also check out these other popular articles:
The Anthony Slocombe Cookies & (Ice) Cream Sandwich
Hoodscope’s Guide to Enjoying Sangria In San Francisco
The Mc10:35, San Francisco’s Latest Cult-Status Secret Menu Item from McDonald’s
Papalote Mexican Grill takes on Iron Chef Bobby Flay in Food Network’s Burrito Throwdown
Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations in San Francisco Episode Recap
Painted Bird: A thrift and vintage clothing shop in the Mission
7×7 Magazine’s Big Eat SF: 2010 vs 2009
Shin Toe Bul Yi – Home-style Korean Food in Parkside
The Legend of the Bacon Hot Dog Cart
Street Food Redefined – The Creme Brulee Cart
New School Food Peddler – The Magic Curry Kart
Cha Cha Cha Tapas Restaurant and Bar in the Haight and Mission
Brenda’s French Soul Food Review; Best Southern Brunch in San Francisco
The Official Hoodscope List of Free San Francisco Museum Days
The Definitive Guide to Enjoying Oysters on the Cheap in San Francisco
The Ultimate SoMa Happy Hour Gameplan
How do you know you’re a San Francisco Hipster?

Benkyodo’s slogan reads, “Confections that win affections,” and they’ve definitely won me over many times. The Japanese confectionery specializes in fresh mochi and manju, which are made daily by hand.

It’s easy to confuse mochi for manju, but the difference is actually pretty simple:

• Mochi – a sticky rice cake that is made from pounding steamed mochi rice
• Manju – usually made from flour, rice powder, and buckwheat, with a red bean or white bean paste filling

They have a wide variety of flavors that rotate daily, so each visit is different from the last. They always have seasonal fresh fruit flavors, so make sure to always grab a couple of those! If they have strawberry or blueberry, those are my favorite! The blueberry in particular lets out a burst of cool juice when you bite into it.

The red bean filling in the manju is smooth and sweet, while the white bean filling is not as sweet. I prefer the red bean filling over the white. The Age, which is a sweet cake donut rolled in sugar and filled with red bean paste is also very good.  It’s chewy and not too sweet, with most of the sweetness coming from the sugar.

I like almost all of the mochi and manju selections, except one. Peanut butter mochi. It sounded good at first, becuase I love peanut butter and I love mochi, but it just doesn’t work. The soft, chewy, and sweet mochi rice doesn’t compliment the gooey peanut butter in both flavor and texture.

What makes Benkyodo even more remarkable are their dirt cheap prices. Most pieces are only $1 with a few others being only $1.25-1.50 each.

You can find Benkyodo in Japantown, in the same plaza as Korean restaurant, bar, and karaoke lounge Playground. It’s also opposite the plaza where you can find Pika Pika, if you feel like taking crazy Japanese teen girl sticker pictures. Unfortunately, they aren’t open as late as Playground, and close at 5:00pm every day. They are closed on Sundays.

Benkyodo is truly one of my favorite gems of San Francisco. It’s a family owned and operated business that has been around since 1906. Yes, that’s over 100 years in business, dating back to the year of The Great Quake. It’s the type of place where you feel the recipe hasn’t changed much in 100 years, and the service is definitely old-world style friendly.

Benkyodo
1747 Buchanan Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 922-1244
www.benkyodocompany.com

Photos: Flickr

Also check out:
Playground Restaurant and Karaoke Bar in Japantown
Pika Pika in Japantown
Java On Ocean in Ingleside
John Colins Bar in SOMA
Kezar Pub & Restaurant in the Haight
Laszlo Bar in the Mission; Communists Invade SF
Lolo Tapas and Wine Bar in the Mission
New School Food Peddler – The Magic Curry Kart
Place Pigalle Bar in Hayes Valley
Thailand Restaurant in the Castro; Best Restaurant Name Ever
Tia Margarita in the Outer Richmond

Since when did “Asian moustache” mean “unibrow?” Spotted at China Bazaar in Chinatown.

Also check out:
Photo: Evening Shot of the San Francisco Skyline from Coit Tower
Photo: Rainbow After the Hailstorm
Photo: PAE DAY
Photo: Dolores Park Movie Night: Back to the Future

Bacon makes everything better!

Big Mouth Burgers in San Francisco is the 2nd location of this family owned burger restaurant. The original location in San Bruno has been open since 1997.

The burger that drew me here initially was The Hangover ($9.75), which had been recommended to me by many. It’s a herculean burger, whose name holds true and steadfast, made with a half pound patty, lettuce, pickles, red onions, American cheese, bacon, chipotle mayo, and topped with a fried egg. I’m not sure if they mean for this to be a hangover cure or if you feel hungover after eating it. Maybe both?

The Hangover

The menu is very simple, featuring burgers, salads, hand-cut fries, and beer battered onion rings. They have a wide variety of preset burgers on the menu, but everything is customizable to your liking. The basic burger is the Big Mouth Burger ($7.95), which is a half pound patty, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, red onions, and mayo.

You can further customize the burger with your choice of cheeses, bacon, avocado, and mushrooms. You  also have a choice of spread, such as BBQ, pesto, teriyaki, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomato, and chipotle mayo.Then you choose your bread, either a plain bun, wheat bun, French roll, or herb foccacia. My favorite sauce is the chipotle mayo, because it adds a bit of heat to the burger. I also prefer the burger on a French roll, which is pillowy soft.

Big Mouth Burger with mushrooms, swiss cheese, and chipotle mayo

Big Mouth Burger with American cheese and bacon

Big Mouth Burger with bacon, BBQ sauce, on a French roll

Big Mouth Burgers uses humanely raised meats from family farms and ranches that never implant or inject their meats with hormones or antibiotics, so you can feel a bit better knowing that you’re supporting family owned farms that slaughter happy cows. Enjoy!

Big Mouth Burgers
3392 24th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 821-4821
www.bigmouthburgers.net

Also check out:
Super Duper Burger in the Castro
The Legend of the Bacon Hot Dog Cart
Brenda’s French Soul Food Review; Best Southern Brunch in San Francisco
Kezar Pub & Restaurant in the Haight
Authentic Chicago style hot dogs at Da Beef in SoMa

Pacific Puffs Classic Cream Puff

Look out Beard Papa, there’s a new cream puff in town!  Only a year in the business, and Pacific Puffs has already made quite a name for themselves.  Using an old family recipe, Pacific Puffs has mastered the art of creating the perfect puff.

They have a simple menu consisting of 6 varieties:

Classic- Pacific Puff’s signature cream puff.  Baked choux pastry puff filled with a sweet mixture of vanilla custard and whipped cream, and topped with a chocolate glaze.

Classic Sugar- The Classic topped with powdered  sugar instead of chocolate glaze.

Chocolatier- Baked choux pastry puff filled with chocolate cream and topped with a chocolate glaze.

Chocolatier Sugar-Baked choux pastry puff filled with chocolate cream and topped with powdered sugar.

Fruit Whip- Baked choux pastry puff filled with seasonal fruit and whipped cream, and topped with chocolate glaze.

Fruit Whip with Sugar-Baked choux pastry puff filled with seasonal fruit and whipped cream, and topped with powdered sugar.

Pacific Puffs Classic Sugar Cream Puff

I tried both the Classic and the Classic Sugar.  The pastry puff was quite tasty- slightly dense, which I liked since it didn’t get soggy after one bite, an impressive feat because they’re filled to the max.  Pacific Puff’s cream filling was very light, fluffy and not too sweet– unlike the thick, custard-like filling of many other cream puffs.  The chocolate glaze on the Classic was nice and thick; sweet, without being overwhelming. If I had to choose a favorite, however, I’d go with the Classic Cream Puff for the extra bit of sugary sweetness from the chocolate.

Pacific Puffs is devoted to using the finest local ingredients.  All the cream puffs are baked in small batches to ensure maximum freshness.  The cream puffs are also available in miniature versions for the diet-conscious (then why even come here in the first place?). You can also order by the dozen over the phone or via email.  Visit their shop on the corner of Union and Fillmore in the Marina district- just make sure to keep your collar folded down and leave the pretentiousness at home.

-Anne

Pacific Puffs
2201 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 440 – PUFF (7833)
www.pacificpuffs.com

Also check out:
Anthony’s Cookies in the Mission Serves Up the Goods; Cookies and Cream Our Favorite
Mitchell’s Ice Cream: A San Francisco favorite since 1953
Gelateria Naia in the Castro; All Natural Gelato
Hot Cookie in the Castro; Cookies and Penises Under One Roof
Street Food Redefined – The Creme Brulee Cart
Sweet Beat: Italian Gelato (in Some Very Un-Italian Flavors) at Marco Polo
Golden Island Cafe: Hong Kong-Style Sago Sweets in the Outer Sunset

Click for the full-size version

This gorgeous photo of the evening skyline was taken by local photographer Scott Mansfield. It was taken half way up Coit Tower in North Beach.

Watching the city electrify, as the night approaches, is a wonderfully meditative experience.  It happens gradually, individual windows turning on adding single squares of light, slowly filling the foreground with a mixture of tungsten, fluorescent and halogen light.  All the while the sky, depending on conditions, evolves through a color palette unique to that particular day.

Scott goes on to describe the complex process of how he shot this photo on his blog, Scott Mansfield Photography. There are some great photos on his blog featuring architecture and urban landscapes, check it out! You can also follow him on Twitter at @scottmansfield.

Also check out:
Photo: Rainbow After the Hailstorm
Photo: PAE DAY
Photo: Dolores Park Movie Night: Back to the Future

New Asia is a dim sum restaurant located in the heart of Chinatown, on Pacific between Grant and Stockton, that has been around since 1987. It’s huge inside, with over 100 tables to accommodate daily diners, private parties, and weddings. There’s a stage for a band and a large dancefloor, though it’s covered with dining tables during regular business hours.

If you are wondering if the dim sum is good here, all you have to do is step inside. The first time I passed by, I wrote it off as a generic dim sum restaurant that was all show on the outside, but a quick peek inside quickly changed my mind. Almost every single table is full of people, all enjoying dim sum. On a random weekday afternoon, most of the patrons are elderly Chinese people, so I felt at ease knowing they approve of the place.

Between two people we ordered five dishes. Clockwise starting from the bottom: cha sieu bao (steamed pork buns), ha gow (shrimp dumplings), xiao long bao (soup dumplings), gai lan (Chinese broccoli), and siu mai (pork dumplings).

The dim sum is brought around on carts every few seconds, so you always have a fresh assortment to choose from. The dim sum is really good; I’d say a level above Good Luck Dim Sum in the Inner Richmond and a level below Yank Sing in SoMa. However, Yank Sing is the most expensive dim sum I’ve ever had in my life and no dim sum, however good it may be, should cost that much. They gotta make rent for that space, though, so you can’t blame them. The pricing also falls right in between, too, coming out to about $30. For comparison, the same meal would have cost me $10 at Good Luck Dim Sum and probably $100 at Yank Sing (slightly exaggerating but you get the idea).

New Asia is perfect if you’re already in Chinatown. The dim sum is fresh and authentic, and the service is quick. You’ll never be looking around wondering where the dim sum cart is, since there are multiple carts circling around at all times.

New Asia
772 Pacific Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 391-6666
http://www.sfnewasia.com

Also check out:
Red Crawfish – Where the Far East Meets the Deep South
Good Luck Dim Sum in the Inner Richmond serves cheap Chinese for dine-in or take-out
Vietnamese bánh mì from Saigon Sandwiches in the Tenderloin
John’s Snack and Deli, the FiDi’s Original Mom-Style Taco Fusion
Kung Fu Tacos Serves Up Budget Fusion in the FiDi
Thailand Restaurant in the Castro; Best Restaurant Name Ever

San Francisco graffiti artist PAE DAY on a truck outside my apartment in Ingleside.

Also check out:
Photo: Dolores Park Movie Night: Back to the Future

The Super Burger and house-made pickles

Newly opened Super Duper Burger in the Castro is the latest eatery from the masterminds behind local favorites Starbelly, Beretta, and Delarosa. Super Duper is basically San Francisco’s version of New York’s Shake Shack, which is New York’s version of In-N-Out, which is my favorite burger of all time.

The menu is very simple, just like Shake Shack and In-N-Out. There’s the standard hamburger ($3.75) and cheeseburger ($4.25), but they also have a Super Burger ($4.75) which has meat, bun, super sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and cheddar cheese. They also have a chicken breast sandwich marinated in ancho chile pepper and served with chipotle aioli. For the vegetarians, they offer a fried portobello mushroom burger.

Any of the burgers can be made doubles for an extra $2, and you can add bacon for an additional $1.50. That feels like a fairly steep price for bacon, no? A Super Duper double with bacon ends up being $8.25!

We went on opening day and had Super Burgers with plain fries and garlic fries. The patties are pretty thin, but still manage to be pretty juicy. The burger patties are made with all natural Niman Ranch beef ground fresh daily, so you know you’re not getting days-old frozen beef. I had a single, but I would opt for a double next time because I still felt hungry after finishing the burger. The mayo-based super sauce was very subtle; I would have liked it to be a bit bolder.

The fries were standard fare, nothing special. The garlic fries are topped with freshly chopped garlic, though, so that’s a nice touch and adds a lot of intense garlic flavor. My favorite side happens to be the house-made pickles, which are free for the taking from a big jar at the condiment bar.

To wash it all down, you can order shakes made with Straus Family Creamery dairy, the same stuff that Bi-Rite uses for their overpriced soft-serve ice cream cones. Super Duper offers the same Straus Family Creamery soft serve as Bi-Rite, but 25 cents cheaper at $3.25. They also offer beer and wine, which is nice for those extra long days.

Super Duper is good, but not “super duper,” as its name implies.  I’ll give the edge to Shake Shack in the fry department just for their cheese fries! There’s nothing special about them; in fact, they’re just typical frozen crinkle-cut fries topped with gooey cheese, but they’re so good. It can’t be that hard to offer cheese fries, especially since they have both cheese and fries on the menu. The burgers are similar to Shake Shack’s in taste and appearance, but neither of them stacks up to my beloved In-N-Out!

If you’re around the Castro and craving a burger, Super Duper is a nice option.

Also check out:

Bagdad Cafe in the Castro
Gelateria Naia in the Castro; All Natural Gelato
Hot Cookie in the Castro
The Anthony Slocombe Cookies & (Ice) Cream Sandwich
Hoodscope’s Guide to Enjoying Sangria In San Francisco
The Mc10:35, San Francisco’s Latest Cult-Status Secret Menu Item from McDonald’s
Papalote Mexican Grill takes on Iron Chef Bobby Flay in Food Network’s Burrito Throwdown

“Where we’re going…we don’t need roads.”

Snapped while laying under the sun waiting for the first Dolores Park Movie Night of the season to begin with everyone’s favorite movie about a time traveling DeLorean.

Photographer: Macky