Em C.'s Profile

I used to work here (I will start a handful of my reviews this way -- just know that I really do have a real job now.  Plus, you'll get insider info you won't find from any other reviewers), so here goes:

Jesso's is the real deal when it comes to Soul/sea food.  Jesso himself manages the operations, sometimes in a dictator-like fashion, but what that means is that you're getting a quality dish that he's approved of.

All of the food is prepared fresh and made-to-order.  So when you order, say, a sole po'boy, they get a fresh piece of sole, bread it, and fry it.  The hush puppies?  Made daily from scratch.  Collards? Cooked up that morning.  Etc. etc. etc.  Even the salad dressing is made in-house.

What won't you get at Jesso's?  Super-attentive service. Cheap drinks. Easy parking.  But hey--just because it's Soulfood doesn't mean it's Antebellum America.  Just go with the flow and you'll have a great time.

PROS:
-authentic Soulfood-style seafood
-sincere cookin'

CONS:
-slow waitstaff
-expensiver drinks
-not the cheapest eats in town

Plouf!  It's as fun to say as it is to eat there -- this metropolitan French RESTAURANT nestled in the middle of San Fran's charmingly-Euro and remarkably-romantic Belden Place.  I must admit, I've eaten here about five times in the past year, but I only get one thing:  the mussels.  

The mussels.  Yum.  They have about 13 differently-prepared steamed mussel bowls, from coconut curry to a simple tomato broth.  Other broths include fennel, butter, garlic -- you name the French ingredient, they'll probably have it as a mussel style!  Although one doesn't need to with all of the yummy baguette they serve up, adding on the frites for another four bucks is definitely worth it (it's the only time I do the mayo-dipping thing).

Some peeps probably come here for the wide array of other dishes and entrees...and probably end up spending a shit ton doing it.  But stopping by for two beers, mussels, and fries, you'd be hard pressed to spend more than $25 per person, including tip.  Keepin' it on the cheap and eating a heaping bowl of steamed mussels:  Plouf and you're done!

PROS:
-MUSSELS!
-located on the cutest restaurant street in San Francisco
-an easy stroll from Montgomery BART
-mussels

CONS:
-make a reservation, otherwise you've got a hefty wait on your hands
-other cute and yummy adjacent restaurants could distract you from your mussel-gobbling goal

Many folks may walk right by the Red Cafe without even realizing they did so -- indeed, it's easy to miss among the color and clamor of the 24th/Mission area.  But now that you've read this, you aren't allowed to do that any more.

A mix between an American and Latino diner, it's the most unique combo I've seen of the two in my time here in SF.  (What it's NOT is "Tex-Mex" or anything resembling that)  Think traditional American egg breakfasts with a side of tortilla, plantains, and beans (casamiento platanos) or breakfast burrito with a side of hash browns.  Not to mention the SF staple of freshly-squeezed orange juice -- something that transcends even the highest border wall.

What I love about Red Cafe the most (aside from the above-mentioned side of plantains) is its authentic feel...Latino families enjoying brunch after Mass and it being a Latino-run business in general.  I hope we gringos can find a way to enjoy it without taking over and pushing out the OGs.  

I recently found out the name is derived from the owner's home country:  The coffee beans are ripe for picking when they turn red.

PROS:
-close to 24th/Mission BART
-never a too-long wait (max 20 minutes)
-authentic and good-quality food
-plaintains for breakfast

CONS:
-street musicians can sometimes take over the place

How can you possibly NOT love a place that plays music you never listen to (death metal), has a giant Brak-looking scorpion head sculpture (nay, frieze) installed in its bar, and sells beer that costs 50 CENTS??  
I mean, I'm just a semi-preppy, well-groomed, recently-showered twentysomething, but I can have a good time at the Asylum.  Let's all admit that we kind of wish WE could be bike messengers every once in a while.

PROS:
-um, 50 CENT BEER starting at 5pm on Saturdays
-4 people, 7 beers each, 2 orders of wings, 2 orders of other various fried appetizers.  Total bill: $27

CONS:
-yes, some people there may or may not have previously been incarcerated.  Who cares!  They sell 50 CENT BEER for crying out loud

Another aptly-named watering hole (no pun intended) where you might not hammer out a new political-theory/world-changing document (see: Hawk and Dove), but you will get hammered and have a good time "doing it."

Don't worry about what you're wearing or what you're drinking...the Big Hunt is a down-to-earth Tiki-inspired, grungy ex-dive bar with pool tables, soccer on TV, great wings and tasty Miller Lites.  A good apres-work bar where you can get lick-her-ed up before heading to somewhere, er, classy.

PROS:
-right off of Dupont Metro
-affordable/no cover

CONS:
-nasty-ass bathrooms

In what I'll call the "immediate post-college years," finding a comparable happy hour to what we had back at school was/is imperative to both my early-twentysomething's budget as well as the overall social vibe of the venue.  The Hawk and Dove on the Hill is just that: cheap pitchers, good apps (including free taco bar) and an after-work scene that lets you both sit and laugh with a large group or unwind with a single coworker.  And if you have any political sense about you at all (even if you don't work on the Hill), you've got to appreciate a place whose name invokes the ability to put your differences aside and enjoy a few cold ones.  Heck, you may even end up hammering out a new Constitution.

Or just getting hammered.

PROS:
-close to the Hill/makes you feel all civic and shit
-affordable and delicious pub fare (perhaps affordability lends itself to an assesment of being delicious...)
-quaint little venue and good outdoor/sidewalk seating
-decent beer selection (goes beyond your Lites and into some IPAs, etc.)

CONS:
-a small trek if you're coming from Metro
-tends to draw a younger crowd -- beware of pretentious 21-year-old staffers
-service on the slower side (at least when I was there)

If you've ever been on spring break at some sort of beach -- and liked it -- then head to DC's Southwest gem Cantina Marina.

Bleach-blonde/overly-tan waitresses in flourescent-colored company t-shirts and denim mini skirts serve up a wide array of American classics:  BudLite (cans -- in fact, straight out of the case, which made me wonder if they hadn't just gone down to the grocery store to get them), Miller Lite (bottles) and Coors Lite (draft).

Enjoy an evening of country music on the DC waterfront -- an enjoyable and summery ambiance you could only get at, say, the OBX or Key West. The waitstaff was very friendly, the patronage American (mostly meathead/sorority-girl crowd), the beer flowing (and tasting) like water. For an all-American, all-around good time, head to the neighborhood you normally wouldn't (let's be honest here folks) for some nighttime beers under the chili pepper lights of Cantina Marina.

PROS:
-affordable/no cover
-unpretentious "American" feel
-on the beautiful waterfront
-deck bar knocks the socks off any other outdoor bar in the Deece
-plays country music and sports on TV
-friendly/fast service

CONS:
-frat/soror crowd can get a little obnox

First of all people, Bistrot du Coin is Belgian -- so let's not compare our apples and oranges here.

Second of all, I'd say that the raison this place is so pops is its Cirque du Dupont location rather than its actual offerings.  So they have carafes and flowers and big, funny European pictures...yeah yeah yeah.  But what they don't have is good food -- nor the authenticity to back it up.  There's no passion on du Coin's menu, but it gets by parading around its l'oignon gratinee and mussels and trapiste beer.

I guess folks go here for the ambiance.  And maybe you CAN pretend you're actually in Belgium...at a crappy restaurant even the natives would avoid.  What I'd do is hop on le Metro and venture across the border to a place that's actually worth your time -- Bistro d'OC.

PROS:
-semi-outdoor seating
-wine in carafes

CONS:
-crappy food
-crappy service (good food with crappy service is OK; that would actually be authentic)
-pretentious NWers thinking they're cool because they're at a cool bistro(t)

I used to work at Bistro d'OC many moons ago.  Sure, I've had my ups and downs with the place.  Thankfully I've exited my post-college waitressing stint and I've gained some perspective on some things.
So here goes:

The owner-family (the Greniers) are very sincerely-stubborn, starkly-hospitable, and honestly-proud.  These qualities -- whether attributed to their Frenchness or not -- is what makes Bistro d'OC and its food some of the most genuine and tasty food -- French or otherwise -- in the Deece.

Everything is prepared fresh.  I mean EVERYTHING.  From the soup broth to salad dressing to the profiterol puff itself.  And the fact that it's fresh and made in-house means Chef Grenier either took a look at it, tried it, or both.  Needless to say, you'd be hard pressed to find Bernard letting something go through those swinging doors if it didn't pass his Languedoc (or his wife's Thai) muster (see:  sincerely-stubborn).

Also, as I just mentioned, the food is prepared in one of two styles, or sometimes a mixture: either that of Languedoc-Roussillion, or Thai, or both.  It's very genuine in that regard.  So many French-food connoisseurs should understand that he's focusing on what his family knows best, and doesn't give a crap about what you think should fly.  The d'OC is there for you to enjoy, plain and simple. Don't go if you don't like it...it saves a lot of time and energy if that's simply understood before you sit down to eat.  Of course, if there is something "wrong" with your dish, he will come out and apologize/explain and promptly take care of the problem.  Because he wants your food to be GOOD.

Many folks I waited on who had any complaints about the D-O-C I don't think understood what that place is about.  It's a BISTRO, not a cafe nor a restaurant, and in France that means something different than the Americanized/glamorized definition of a "bistro."  Basically, you will only get what you ask for, and there's no time or imperative reason to make sure you feel like a princess.  You'll get a slab of butter, some fresh-baked baguette and a cup of water...and anything else will be out of your pocket; even a refill on a soda (at $2.50 a pop).  But you'll also get some genuine Southern French cuisine with the occasional Thai influence, as well as the satisfaction of knowing that it came from the real deal:  the Greniers themselves.

PROS:
-very affordable, yet genuinely-gourmet
-one of the coolest and authentic atmospheres in a DC restaurant
-vast array of French aperatifs and down-to-earth wines (they're hesitant to have any non-French wines on their menus)
-family-owned and operated
-some seriously good food
-Greniers make servers read LaRousse's Gastronomique book in their downtime
CONS:
-your picky attitude

tips:  tip the server in cash; they take some if your tip if you do it via credit card

Dr. O'Connor is a dentistry gem.  She works alone (not even a dental assitant or office manager) and therefore you only get the best, first-hand service.  She's very friendly but also professional (Columbia U. grad)...but that doesn't stop her from letting you bring in your own music.  (Or you can go with her Nick Cave, or Emmylou Harris/Mark Knopfler - just a few of her selections).  She's definitely chatty, but very, very sincere and GOOD.  I honestly don't think you can find a "dentiste" like LOC anywhere else!

PROS:
-"neighborly-like" service
-takes most insurance plans
-low-key/easy going
-can bring your own music
-can learn about what she's doing (she let me follow along while getting a filling)
-gives you a kick-ass goody bag (with really nice tooth-brush, mouthwash, floss, and floss-pick) after each cleaning
-located in the heart of the Castro (easy to get to via bus/Muni)

CONS:
-NONE!