January 2010The Eight Best Places to Eat Lunch on the HillBy Birgitte Gilliland“What’s for lunch?” is question that’s asked daily. Below are my lunch suggestions in three price categories. A cheap lunch is less than $10 per person, excluding gratuities. A moderately-priced lunch averages between $10 and $20, includes table service, and assumes at least a half-hour to dine. A nice lunch costs more than $20 per person, includes wait service, and allows for a leisurely hour to enjoy your meal.
Kitchenette. There’s no contest in this category. Twitter has made street food vendors like the Magic Curry Man and the Crème Brulee Cart famous, but there’s a stationary street food spot in Dogpatch that’s too good to keep secret. Log on to view the day’s lunch options, and get there before they run out. Look for the open loading dock door and wooden benches outside. Yes, it’s a bit cold and atmosphere-challenged, but Kitchenette offers the best affordable, organic lunch you’ll ever have. Complete the meal with a cookie of the moment, and an inventive beverage of the day, all for roughly $10. Kitchenette, 958 Illinois Street, kitchenettesf.com. Hazel’s Kitchen. This Potrero Hill gem consists of a little walk-up store front, just a counter and display case featuring tasty and reliable salads and made-to-order sandwiches. Nothing fancy, but I like Hazel’s freshness and their variety. My favorite sandwich is the BLT with avocado on sourdough ($7.25): the bacon is lean and crispy and the tomatoes are always ripe. Their tuna salad avoids the common pitfall of too much mayonnaise and lots of celery bits stretched to act as cheap fillers. I also like that customers can see Hazel’s team prepping and cooking everything right in the open. It’s a clean and tidy diamond of an operation. You even get a sweet little treat thrown in your brown paper lunch bag, just like your mama used to do.Hazel’s Kitchen, 1319 18th Street, 647.7941, www.hazelskitchen.com.
Piccino. Dogpatchers rejoiced when this establishment opened on the corner of Tennessee and 22nd streets three years ago. Like coffee, pizza is a subjective experience, and fisticuffs have ensued over the comparative merits of Goat Hill Pizza versus some of the out-of-the-neighborhood brands. For me, the perfect lunch is a Piccino pizza. The crust is thin and crispy; the toppings are uncomplicated yet creative. The red pizza ($15) is a balanced symphony of sweet tomato sauce, broccoli raab and salty capers/anchovies. Piccino’s soup of the day ($7) is always a hearty hug for the tummy, and the salad offerings banish iceberg and romaine in favor of nutritionally sound and aesthetically pleasing greens. Get your daily quota of root vegetables followed by a Blue Bottle latte and a homemade baked treat next door at Piccino’s coffee bar. Piccino, 801 22nd Street, 824.4224, www.piccinocafe.com. Just for You. Five words: homemade bread and fresh beignets. Deep sigh. This slow food pioneer has such a varied menu, you can even have breakfast for lunch. I like their Po-Boy sandwiches and the Tofu-n-Veggie Stir-Fry ($8.95) because it a riot of fresh vegetables and home cooking goodness. The tables are a little close together, and if it’s busy it can sound like you’re eating in a bus station, but everyone is family at Just for You, so say “hi” to your neighbor or cozy on up to the lunch counter. Just for You, 732 22nd Street, 647.3033, www.justforyoucafe.com. Axis Café. I’m an Axis fan, especially this time of year when the dining room’s fireplace is roaring round the clock. If your idea of a perfect lunch is a hearty salad, then order the golden beet salad; the sides of feta foam and chopped hazelnuts compliment the greens and sliced golden beets perfectly ($8). Axis would rate higher if the macaroni elbows in the mac ‘n’ cheese ($5) were firmer and the mixed leaf lettuce accompanying their sandwiches was dressed with a more interesting vinaigrette, but on balance Axis is an earnest crowd-pleaser. Axis Café, 1201 8th Street, 437.2947, www.axis-café.com.
Umi. This Japanese restaurant does so many things right that I almost forget the Thai BBQ place that used to reside here. Umi’s sustainably raised fish is filleted in house; it’s uber-fresh and supremely tasty; the dressings and sauces homemade; the staff knowledgeable and friendly. It’s a mystery to me why anyone would eat at the more expensive Blowfish anymore. Umi offers a diverse sake selection, but the real draw is the grilled eggplant appetizer ($6.50) and the miso marinated black cod ($12 with miso soup, salad and rice). Umi offers $9 Bento boxes that could land your final tab in the moderately priced lunch category, but I’ve never been able to resist ordering a side of sashimi or an appetizer. Umi, 1328 18th Street, 355.1328, www.umisf.com. Serpentine. This Slow Club relative is easy to forget due its location, across Third Street, and that’s a shame. You have to root for a place that prints its lunch menu daily. The kitchen is currently offering a fuyu persimmon salad with a fun ginger-lime vinaigrette ($8.50) and a flavorful Dungeness crab risotto with cara cara orange sections on top ($13.50). Serpentine, 2495 Third Street, 252.2000, www.serpentinesf.com. Chez Papa. Reliable French bistrot fare served at tables outside or in. I could make a meal of the frites with aioli dipping sauce ($5), but my cardiologist would complain, so I also order some mussels or the beef tartare. It’s a sin but life is short. Chez Papa, 1401 18th Street, 824.8205, www.chezpapasf.com. |
This Month's StoriesPublic Benefits Delayed in Eastern Neighborhoods New Economy Emerges in Dogpatch Historic District Channel Street Used As Private Parking Lot Attack on Bicyclists Claims Four Victims, Two in Potrero Lack of Transparency Dogs Community Trust Fund Parking Restrictions Coming to Tennessee Street Property Owners Grapple with Rent Control Regulations “Dogpreneur” Becomes Latest Career Trend Steady Flow of Newcomers Call Potrero Hill Home Jewish Film Festival Turns Thirty On-going Features
 |