Long lines, kooky combos at HRD Coffee Shop | Jesse Hirsch | Food and Wine | San Francisco Examiner
“Namely, I’d never seen a coffee shop menu like this one. Fried oyster kimchee po’boy with Asian Cajun remoulade? Pesto-smeared pork torta? Mongolian cheesesteak?
HRD plays on fusion fantasies I didn’t know I had. Well, me and every 30-something brogrammer in greater South of Market.”
The review degenerates from there. Is it junk food chic out of control? If the food isn’t quality the gimmick doesn’t cut it. Will we try it? yes, but let’s wait til the lines are shorter…
See review below, after the jump.
via Long lines, kooky combos at HRD Coffee Shop | Jesse Hirsch | Food and Wine | San Francisco Examiner.
ethiopian in SOMA: MOYA
Moya, aother “find” within walking distance of my office, ethiopian is a fun alternative for lunch. Today I was joined by a fellow artist (painter), paralegal-by-day. He’s also got some wild stories. WOW. Always fun.
I ordered the kitfo, a beef tartare with clarified butter. You heard me correctly. This was accompanied by salad, KIK ALI-CHA (yellow pea stew) and the ingira bread. The first bites of the tartare were amazing but be warned, this is heavy stuff. They give you a lot of it and I wasn’t able to finish it. It’s really rich. The salad does help to cut that richness but in itself, was unremarkable. My friend had a grilled chicken with ethiopian spices and enjoyed it a lot. He too felt we got a lot of food for our buck. The menu does cater to american tastes, and is not as broad as I’ve found at other ethiopian restaurants. It is quick though, and perfect for a well executed, nontypical lunch.
Moya
415.431.5544
121 9th Street
San Francisco, 94103
dessert landscapes series, cinnamon roll
cinnamon roll a la Starstream Cafe
cinnamon roll a la Starstream Cafe
cinnamon roll by Starstream Cafe
Starstream
1830 Harrison at 14th St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 864-6370
The cinnamon roll by Starstream Cafe, Harrison Street, SOMA, San Francisco
dessert landscapes series, chile chocolate chip scone
chile pepper chocolate chip scone at Starstream, San Francisco
Starstream
1830 Harrison at 14th St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 864-6370
best restaurant series, starstream
exquisite pizzas and sandwiches of Starstream
I first met Remi at Goody Goodie Cream and Sugar, home of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie in San Francisco. (Evidence here. and here.) Frankly, Remi had me at the chocolate chip cookie but upon ordering that, she offered me a sample of a product in development: the cocoa nib wafer. This thing blew me away, chocolate made savory. Earthy. Magic. Combining notes of chocolate (without the sweetness), and oil-cured olives, Remi had just taken me to a new place! And how great would this be with a strong cheese and a bold Italian red?! What followed was a conversation about food that only happens between folks that are in love with it. . . wine pairings for cookies, cheese pairings for fruit (and prosciutto), favorite producers at local farmer’s markets. I was hooked.
On a subsequent visit, Remi offered me a sample of a “bun-in-development”. She’d been offering featured sandwiches at Goody Goodie made with bounty from the day’s farmer’s markets (example here) and now had some tantalizing information for me- she’d finalized plans to open a restaurant. Not surprisingly this would be the place she’d been wanting to open for a long time, a full-service restaurant that would afford her the space and tools to showcase her unique talent, her ability to bridge pastry and savory (and, a place with seating!) Owing to the relationship Goody Goodie has with scooter-loving Blue Bottle coffee-making Vega next door on Folsom, the two entrepreneurs envisioned a palate-pushing Roman-styled industrial-chic café and the name would be Starstream.
Yesterday I had a great lunch there with my gorgeous friend, one who happens to be a foodie of the first order! Between us we (naturally) tried a little of everything, from a great citrus salad, to the ‘squashed’ pizza Schiacciata to a flight of sandwich sliders and the famous cookies. The salad: greens dressed in a light citrus vinaigrette with pieces of citrus fruit and notes of fennel, was served on the aforementioned cocoa nib wafer. My pal was blown away by the combination of flavor profiles, from earthy to bright, which really worked. This salad was one of the highlights of the meal, for sure.
citrus fennel salad at Starstream, San Francisco
The pizza: thin and light, the house-made crust is stuffed not with tomato but rather Bellweather Crescenza cheese, arugula & Prosciutto de San Daniel. The flavor is at once bold and light. The sandwiches themselves were wee works of art, each unique in terms of shape and bread kind and style. These included a mortadella with fried quail egg, an egg salad on focaccia (the standout) and the Robiola Di Langa- creamy cheese made from goat, sheep & cow’s milk, micro greens & Fuji apples.
sliders at Starstream, with an assortment of pickled vegetables
The styling details of the meal are part of the fun, right down to the fried quail egg and mini pickle stabbed on top of the mortadella slider. The sandwiches came with an assortment of pickled vegetables that were a gorgeous array of pinks, arty in their presentation and tangy delicious. The lemonade was special, too, made with honey and infused herbs, not overly sweet. (Teaser, Remi told us she’s working on a line of different lemonade concepts for next year, so stay tuned! I thought this was an awesome idea since one of my favorite beverages to make at home is rosemary-infused lemonade, using herbs cut from the garden. Here’s the recipe in case you want to try it, too: Recipe link here.)
The meal ended with Goody Goodie cookies, all of which are available at Starstream as well as the G.G. Folsom location.
From the pastry side, I’ve previously sampled not only the cookies but also the brioche bomb (cinnamon, sugar and orange in a brioche bun) and a spice cake with citrus glaze. Next up, I plan to try the famous Belgian Waffle.
brioche bomb from Starstream
The space itself reflects the materials of the neighborhood, industrial concrete and metal, but somehow it does not seem cold or austere here. The lines are clean and the space is chic. There’s ample seating inside but on a nice day, grab a table on the east-facing sidewalk to capitalize on that morning light while you enjoy your coffee.
Looking ahead, I know Remi has some new menu ideas planned not only for the morning coffee and pastry crowd but also for the lunch-time crowd so do expect more great things to come at Starstream and if you’re lucky, you’ll be one of the first to get a sample, too;-)
Starstream
1830 Harrison at 14th St (near the Best Buy)San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 864-6370
- Hours: Mon-Fri 8 am – 4 pm
Links to articles in the Press:
https://sites.google.com/site/mattegrayinsf/journals/journal-2010
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010/10/star_stream_belgian_waffles.php
http://www.rundown.com/article.php?article_id=1445
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2010/09/best_chocolate_chip_cookies_san_francisco.php
fun art spotted on 8th at Bryant. . .
what a way to enliven a dead space!
art pop-up on 8th and Bryant Streets, San Francisco
lunching in san francisco, chicken and waffles at Farmerbrown’s Little Skillet (and bratwurst. for reals.)
best fried chicken, chicken and waffles at Little Skillet, SOMA, SF
The best fried chicken I’ve found in San Francisco is at Farmerbrown’s Little Skillet, bar none. The skin is so perfectly seasoned, with lots of black pepper and a nice spice blend as a base. Crisp without being dry, the skin comes of cleanly and easily, releasing a plume of steam as you peel it away. Next you’ll start to pull the meat. It is succulent and juicy. The waffle is thick and dense, Belgian-style with deep pockets for your syrup but frankly, it’s so good you might not even need to use it. . . did I mention the dusting of powdered sugar?
best fried chicken, chicken and waffles at farmerbrown's Little Skillet, SOMA, SF
I’ve also tried another combination on their tempting menu, bratwurst and sauerkraut on a waffle. It works. Trust me.
bratwurst, sauerkraut, waffle at Little Skillet, San Francisco
For a chicken and waffle place, Little Skillet makes a mean bratwurst. I dare say it is among the best you can get in the City. The sauerkraut is fresh and light- they didn’t go cheap. The waffle, unsweetened, makes an excellent bread, and serves as the roll for your sandwich. Don’t knock it ’til you tried it!
The verdict, I’ll be going back A LOT.
Seating, not inside. You place your order at a window, in an alley. There are some benches in the alley on which to sit. If it’s not raining, or super cold. It’s still worth it. Go.
Little Skillet (link to website and menu)
360 Ritch St(at Brannan St)
San Francisco, CA 94107
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 777-2777
Interesting factoid: do you know why chicken and waffles were thrown together in the first place? In an era in which jazz musicians were leaving their gigs in the wee hours of the morning (or night, depending on your point of view) it was too late for dinner service and too early for breakfast service so. . . they sort of combined them. The pairing was born!
lunching in san francisco, Goody Goodie Cream and Sugar and coming soon, Starstream
lunch at Goody Goodie Cream and Sugar, 1246 Folsom Street, SF
Goody Goodie a stellar place to get your cookie fix, having in fact won top honors from SFWeekly, but what you may not know is that you’ll also find wonderful sandwiches there at lunch time. The type of sandwich varies from day to day, depending on what is fresh and local, and available at the nearby farmer’s markets. Owner Remi is a foodie of the first order, so you’ll find wonderful combinations of fresh fruit, meats, and artisanal cheeses all layered in her homemade rolls. Pictured here, my sandwich is made with elephant plums, piave cheese (a hard, nutty cheese) and prociutto! And it was so good, I’d never heard of piave cheese in fact, but the strong bite of it paired very well with the sweetness of the plums and saltiness of the prosciutto. Combining flavor profiles in this way (and probably with an artisanal cheese) is Remi’s signature style, so you can expect something unique and surprising on your visit, too.
Remi knows her wine, so I’m certain she’ll be more than happy to suggest a pairing for your sandwich if you ask!
Currently, Goody Goodie operates out of a salon at 1247 Folsom Street (between 8th and 9th) so service is to-go, not dine-in.
But just wait, because dine-in possibilities are on the horizon. Remi is nearing completion (early October) on a new cafe @ 1830 Harrison Street (between 14th and 15th, near the Best Buy) to be called, Starstream. Watch this space for details!
1246 Folsom St
(between 9th St & 8th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: SOMA
best san francisco bakeries: goody goodie cream & sugar
You know I love a discovery, a real find. There’s a gem that’s opened up in the neighborhood where I work and it’s called Goody Goodie cream & sugar.
Conveniently located next to a stella-r coffee shop, Vega (see my review of Vega, here), Goody provides the knockout of the ‘one, two’ punch to be found on Folsom Street between 8th and 9th. While Vega will fix you up with a top-notch coffee, Goody provides the sweets and even sandwiches, made daily from market-fresh ingredients. While I got there too late for the sandwich today (farmer’s market nectarine, tarragon and Mt. Tam cheese, yeah really!) I had my pick of many cookie options and a super special surprise, a sample of the wafer, made of a combination I’d really never thought of but it SO works.
chocolate chip cookie from Goody Goodie
Old School Chocolate Chip- so good. More than half the cookie IS the chocolate chip, sort of melted and fused together. I’d dare say 3/4 the cookie is chocolate, in fact. They use semi-sweet, which I like best. . . this is not a cloying sweet cookie. I ordered the “Bite-Me” size, which is the small option; at between 1-2 inches, they’re thick and the perfect size to sate your chocolate fix. Go with them so you can sample more 
circus cookie from Goody Goodie
Circus, a semi-sweet chocolate chip with caramel corn baked into the cookie. Equally good, the chips are now layered with notes of caramel and the buttery savoriness of the popcorn- another winner here.
chocolate nib and olive wafer at Goody goodie
Wafer of cocoa nib and oil cured-olives, what can I say but this is the standout, if only because the flavor profile is so new to me and works so well. Going either sweet or savory, this would be a great addition to your dinner party, either as an appetizer with a wine and cheese pairing or incorporated into a dessert. It’s absolutely fine on its own too, and I heartily recommend you try it.
Like Vega, Goody caters to sidewalk traffic- there’s nowhere to sit. Rather, you’ll place your order through the cute set of clapboard windows under an old-fashioned awning. The look is quaint for this gritty neighborhood, hence the “goody goodie” name. . . ??? Of course this belies a sassy streak- after all, they call the little cookies “Bite-Me”s and mix chocolate and olives; I love the delicious incongruity of it all! Salty and sweet, Sassy and cute, you will find both converge at this neat spot. You can expect certain items on standard rotation and some changing daily specials, depending on what’s been found at the farmer’s market. They’ll even tell you the optimal wine pairing for anything you buy, as wine is another passion of the store owners.
Just ask.
While taking the many options in and trying to decide what to order, I had the best conversation with one of the owners, ranging from a shared love of local food and farmer’s markets, to cookies, to wine. . . you get the idea. These folks LOVE food, and they LOVE LOVE LOVE what they do. You can tell they will be doing a lot of experimentation here. How can you not love a business like this? And it’s all reflected in the product, which is amazing.
1246 Folsom St
(between 9th St & 8th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Neighborhood: SOMA
great coffee in san francisco : Vega
Occupying that sweet spot that is the nexus of two of my favorite things, scooters and coffee, Vega is an unpretentious, very reliable and very cool spot to get your coffee. Not a place to hang out and work on a laptop, the operation is small, located inside a roll-top garage. The coffee menu is limited so for those that like to add syrups and flavors this may not be the environment for you. It is all about the coffee here, and a perfect cup at that. Run by and for purists the focus is narrow, Vega makes your coffee to order using Blue Bottle Coffee Co. beans, so you know you’ll be getting that extra attention to detail that comes with the Blue Bottle name. (With Blue Bottle comes strict quality controls to ensure the best cup of coffee, every time.)
Service is sincerely friendly and the space reflects the neighborhood, the “garage grittiness” is fun and aesthetic and natural here . . . without the appearance of being “urban cliche”. The owners happen to be long-time scooter aficionados and gorgeous Lambretta bikes are suspended around the garage, lending to the theme without being gimicky. You can tell this place is a labor of love!
The coffee pictured here is the New Orleans Iced- nutty with that little pinch of chickory. Also, consider the sweet & creamy Macau. ~Complex and delicious!
Coffee at Vega
Vega at Landon
1246 Folsom St
(between 9th St & 8th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
