Just got back from a great weekend in SF with Sophie… it’s her birthday this upcoming week so I decided to visit. Highlights included a full day of walking around the city… we went up to Coit Tower and then down to Pier 45 to the Musee Mechanique. By the time we got back home my calfs were so tired I couldn’t stand tip-toe without shaking. Guess all that eliptical work doesn’t do much for those little support muscles that you use when you really walk around! The weather was absolutely perfect for the whole visit, though I ended up getting a more sun than maybe I should have.
SF Food… Left Bank, Maya, and a few new places: Hing Lung, a great Chinese place on Broadway: super good, generous portions, cheap prices. And they have even cheaper prices during happy hour and late night, apparently. They also have lots of authentic food that I don’t have the stomach for, like tripe and chicken feet and stuff. We also tried that noodle place “Long Life” at the Metreon, which was only so-so, but had a great fresh cucumber juice/soda drink. And we finished off with creampuffs from Beard Papa.
What is Beard Papa you ask? Only the most addictive little Japanese pastries in the world. I first encountered these in Korea under the name “Beard Uncle”… and was shocked to come acros the obviously related “Beard Papa” having just opened in SF. Doing some further research, I think “Beard Uncle” was just a knockoff, but they got the taste right. In any case, I recommend dropping by Beard Papa or Beard Uncle, if you’re in San Francisco or Seoul, for some creampuffs.
I also recommend visiting another country every few years, dancing at least once a month, and brushing your teeth daily.
If only I could keep those up!
Cool! You’re the first person I know who tried Bread Papa. I heard a story about them on NPR a couple of weeks ago. It sounds cool. And Shonen Knife wrote a song about their cream puffs! I dunno. The passion I see for Beard Papa reminds me a lot of Krispie Kreme — how people went gaga over it (before they over-expanded all over the country.)
Yeah, that analogy works… they’re perhaps the Krispy Kreme of Asia? Right now the SF location has only two items on the menu: vanilla creampuffs and chocolate creampuffs. The rest of the menu says “coming soon”. Despite the limited menu, the line went out the door, and people were saying how it sometimes stretched halfway down the alley. It took long enough to get our six-pack that it contributed to me missing my plane. But it was worth it.
Damn, I **wish** Krispy Kreme had over-expanded here in NYC. There are literally only a handful here, and the best one I’ve seen (on 23rd) doesn’t even have the glaze waterfall which seemed to be de rigeur in the bay area. You can find a crappy stand in Penn Station, too.
Strangely enough Au Bon Pain occasionally carry crispy-creme in their baker section but they’re made in the morning somewhere else and shipped in. Not fresh.
Dunkin Donuts rules the northeast. There were 3 of them within a two block radius of me on Fulton street, and one of them was open 24 hours. Da-AMN!
damn. I want to chide you for yet again not letting me know you’d be in town but it’s possible sophie was one of the numbers that called this weekend which I haven’t ported over to me new phone so I didn’t recognize it and didn’t answer.
I don’t know about this weekend, but yeah, in general you’ve fallen off the face. I do have to plan some non-Sophie-only bay area action though. Damn.
which day is her birthday? I’ll have to make that extra effort to resurface and give her a call.
Wednesday the 7th… for the big 33. I think we’re all on the same (p)age now, right?
…. not quite yet.
then you have… failed.
I… can no… longer smell… what the rock… has cooking.