Saturday, July 25, 2009

Shoutin' Out for the "hood

The July/Aug issue of 7x7 magazine is "The Neighborhood Issue." On the back page is a list of 10 things to do in 10 'hoods, number 84 of which is "Be thankful for Green Apple Books, the ultimate independent bookstore." We can get behind that. I thought I'd throw out a couple of other things that I'm thankful for here in the neighborhood.

1) Schubert's Bakery. I would call this lovely European-style bakery an overlooked gem, seeing as how they don't win "Best of" awards like their more famous colleagues at Tartine and Citizen Cake, but the all-day line out the door on the day before Thanksgiving tells me that more than a few local citizens are onto them. I am loathe to give away a secret, but my day just isn't off to the right start without one of their oatmeal scones.
2)Little Vietnam. If all I've got is $4 in my pocket and I'm looking for some lunch, Little Vietnam is the only place I head. Super-fresh cold spring rolls ready to go, delicious Banh mi. Even a couple of tables outside for al fresco dining.
3. Gaspare's. Once again, there are more famous pizzas in town, but this one is excellent, and it is served on a red-checkered table cloth, with plastic grapes hanging overhead and your own personal jukebox at the table. I don't know what more you could you want.

That's just three overlooked personal favorites, I'm sure I could think of a dozen more given the time. Feel free to add your suggestions.

5 comments:

Pete said...

The sandwiches at Blue Danube. They're a step above coffee-shop fare.

Marc(o) said...

I didn't care a whit about coffee and/or pastries until my trips to Schuberts became a morning ritual. Oh, and I miss Mai's a whole bunch, too.

S. said...

King of Thai between 7th & 8th. It's like crack. Really, really good crack.

Unknown said...

I AGREE with Gaspare. It is my favorite pizza in SF!

Unknown said...

The Video Cafe!! Open 24 hours, all the so-bad-they're-good movies you could want, and a veggie omelet the size of my leg with toast and hashbrowns for under $10 bucks. And booths. Lots of booths.