Bi-Rite Creamery, San Francisco

I'd had a gift card for Bi-Rite burning a hole in my pocket since our WCC volunteer appreciation party last year. Being an East Bay kid brought up on Fenton's I had yet to experience what San Francisco had to offer ice cream wise. Bi-Rite did not disappoint.

Despite the long line, the service was impeccable. The employees were completely focused on helping me with my order instead of just rushing me out the door to get to the next. They also use metal spoons for tasting, which I really appreciated--go green! Before making my decision, I tried the honey lavender and coffee toffee. The honey lavender tasted exactly as it sounds, and I think I'm just not that into lavender. Coffee toffee was good, but the salted caramel rocked my world.

I ended up getting a banana split with salted caramel ice cream. Loved it! It came with fresh whipped cream, toasted walnuts, hot fudge and caramelized-to-order bananas. The ice cream was so good though that the sundae wasn't totally necessary. Though their hot fudge has nothing on Fenton's, the ice cream at Bi-Rite hit a home run.

A few other interesting things on their menu that I'd like to try are the toasted banana flavor, and the sundae with olive oil and sea salt (what?!).

Bi-Rite Creamery is located at 3692 18th Street in San Francisco (close to the 16th/Mission BART Station).
They are open Monday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m, Friday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Website: www.biritecreamery.com

Suppenkuche, San Francisco

I learned the hard way to never make a bet with my man Mikey D. Yet I think paying him back by taking him to Suppenkuche ended up being pretty win-win.

On a cold drizzly SF night like we had the other day, Suppenkuche truly hit the spot with an ice cold beer, friendly service, and, in all its glory, the bread ball smothered in a rich, thick mushroom gravy. Since I don't want to gain 50 pounds I won't plan on next time just ordering three of these as my appetizer, main, and dessert, but I'll be tempted. God that thing was so good.

I don't know anything about beer except that I like what's cheap, so Mikey ordered for me. Fortunately what I lack in beer snobbery/knowledge Mike makes up for and then some. Whatever it was, it was crisp, somewhat light, and had a little spice to it. Very tasty.

I was also obsessed with the bread and butter. The butter they serve the bread with is smooth, whipped, salty, and seasoned. Despite only having four slices of bread we slopped up the entire butter crock.

For mains, I had the braised beef with cranberries and Mikey had the venison (sauteed in red wine plum sauce). I wasn't crazy thrilled with either, but they were both very good. The meat was super tender (I could pretty much cut it with a spoon) and seasoned to perfection. It *almost* made me crave some veg, but Mikey was thrilled: http://www.myspacebrand.com/funny_pictures/quote-images/_img/quoteimage28.gif

The dishes did come with gravy, spatzle and pickled red cabbage, though, which were delicious. I'm usually not one to leave meat behind, but when it came down to it I scarfed up as much as the spatzle as I could stomach and let Mikey eat about half of my meat.

From reading reviews, I think I'm going to go with chicken or pork next time--seems like those tend to be a bigger hit than the red meat at Suppenkuche. And I'm definitely getting a bread ball all to myself. Fatty alert!

Our dessert was an apple strudel with ice cream, which was also very tasty. Even Mike could barely finish it, which is an indication that I got my money's worth at this place. Trust me, if this guy was full (http://www.summitpost.org/image/470993/155422/ice-step.html), they did an amazing job.

My main complaint was probably the wait and the noise. For two, we had to wait 45 minutes to be seated. We ended up going down the street to Place Pigalle (really chill bar with a decent beer selection when they're not sold out) for a few beers before having dinner. Then, when we did get seated, we had to practically yell in each others' ears to have a conversation. Don't get intimidated by the crowd, and just don't try to have a romantic date here--the food is worth it!

Suppenkuche is located on the corner of Hayes and Laguna in San Francisco. They have valet, but it's a really quick walk from Civic Center BART for you East Bayers. No reservations for fewer than 6, so show up early, or show up ready to wait.

Out the Door, San Francisco (Westfield Mall)

Yes, AP, I finally went. And they were OUT OF THE GREEN PAPAYA SALAD!

Disappointed, I began frantically looking at the menu trying to figure out what to order. My waiter suggested that I try the steak salad; it's his favorite on the menu. Clueless as to anything else on it, I trusted him and ordered an iced tea as well.

Fortunately, the waiter didn't lie. AP, if you get the chance and the green papaya salad is sold out, try the steak salad. It's delicious.

The base of the salad ($13) is a bed of mixed greens covered in a slightly spicy dressing that tastes of ginger and jalapenos. The lettuce is surrounded by sweet orange slices, and the salad is topped with fried taro slivers and thinly cut, rare steak.

While I thought that the dressing was a bit heavy on the salad (as in there was too much), everything else, including the actual flavor of the dressing, was perfect. The steak was tender and just melted in my mouth. It had been seared with some type of sugar on it because the outer crust tasted a bit sweet. The inside, which was still nice and rare, was juicy and tender.

I also loved how the taro chips stayed crispy the entire time it took me to eat the salad. While the slivers were deep fried, they managed not to get soggy or taste greasy.

I enjoyed pretty much everything about my meal at Out the Door. It was a nice escape from the mall, where I was able to be waited on, not rushed out of my seat, and relax after school and shopping.

There are two Out the Doors in addition to the Slanted Door restaurant. The one I went to is in the food court at the Westfield Mall, on the new side. They don't have a website, so I'll link to Yelp!: http://www.yelp.com/biz/fcy_cuoUXrXdcWgQvY4jaw#hrid:WDtWwI6Q58Lhpp28Tm7qFw/query:out%20the%20door

Chow, San Francisco

For those of you who don't know the reason I was so MIA last week, it was because I was attending an HIV Counselor Training Course in San Francisco. Not knowing the area, I was at the mercy of my training group during lunch when it came to finding a good restaurant. Fortunately, most of them knew the area pretty well and suggested that we eat at Chow.

Chow has a pretty eclectic menu that includes linguini with pesto, fennel and sausage pizza, hamburgers, salads, and ribs. My eyes, as well as three others' were immediately drawn to the daily sandwich: Crispy Soft Shell Crab. For only $9.95, I got an entire soft shell crab, battered in cornmeal, fried, and put on a buttered roll. Not exactly the healthiest lunch, but it was delicious.

The sandwich was garnished with tomato, lettuce, avocado, and lemon-herb mayo. I was given a choice of fries, salad, or soup. Supposedly the fries are amazing, but since I was at a health-related function, I optioned for a side salad.

My sandwich was very tasty, but I would probably get it without the avocado and mayo next time. The roll is heavily buttered, and in addition to the mayo, it takes too much away from the soft shell crab. However, overall it was a very tasty and affordable sandwich.

In addition to the food, the atmosphere is really laid back and the servers are friendly. If you are ever in the Castro, I'd definitely recommend this place as a fun, affordable, and good place to eat!

Chow is located at 215 Church Street at Market.