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A fellow with thick-rimmed glasses and a well-groomed ‘stache speeds by on his fixed gear bicycle. You’re here! You’ve officially ventured into the epicenter of San Francisco’s hipster culture: the Mission district.

When you’ve lived in the city as long as I have, you really do need your hipster fix every now and again. For this, there is only one cure: Enter St. Francis Fountain.

St. Francis Fountain

St. Francis Fountain

St. Francis Fountain dishes out tasty bites and a healthy serving of ‘hip’ with their incredible supply of vintage candy, a kitschy interior, and a contagious attitude of indifference. The menu is an extensive variety of diner favorites, with the warm nostalgia of a mom and pop shop.

This was definitely an appropriate spot to meet up with old college friends Aiza and Amanda, since the food was just as comforting as their company. As a trio, we are not the easiest to please since we’re a mix of picky, vegetarian, and gluten-intolerant diners, yet surprisingly, the menu catered to all of our tastes.

St. Francis Fountain San Francisco Food

Left: Jalapeno Cornbread, Right: Biscuits and Gravy with eggs and potatoes

I ordered a biscuit and gravy breakfast plate which was filling and amazingly flavorful. The potato hash was filled with bits of green and red peppers, onions, and a heavy hand of spices. The biscuit itself was not particularly memorable but the gravy was buttery, luscious, and packed with pepper. My friend Aiza got the griddled jalapeno cornbread and it was quite an experience. It was like a solid block of butter in the best way possible, with sweet corn and a bit of heat.

This place puts other greasy spoon diners to shame. Not only did it satisfy my unwavering love of breakfast, it also got the approval of my vegetarian and gluten-intolerant friends, with a dose of ‘hip’ to last us until next year. However, even though we’re good on the hipster front, I doubt we’ll be able to stay away from this tasty little joint when the insatiable greasy spoon urge comes back.

I’m sorry Tartine, but Devil’s Teeth Baking Co. is where it’s at.

I’m pretty lucky that I live on the outskirts of the city: easy accessibility to the beach, breezy parking (most of the time), and some incredible under-the-radar eats, like Devil’s Teeth Baking Co.

Devil's Teeth Baking Co. San Francisco, CA

Devil's Teeth Baking Co.

A friend of mine had suggested a weekend trip to this bakery after she had discovered their enormous and crave-able breakfast sandwiches. I’m not one to pass up bacon, eggs, and cheese (especially when wrapped in a buttery homemade biscuit), so Alex and I met her and her boyfriend for a breakfast double date.

The bakery is located by Ocean Beach, in a very unassuming neighborhood with simple, functional decor. I wasn’t expecting a heavy meal, but after one look at their extensive display of sweets, treats, and bread-y eats, I knew we were going to be taking home some extras for later.

Devil's Teeth Baking Co Scone Muffin Beignet and Sandwich

Clockwise from top left: Currant scone, cheddar bacon beer muffin, breakfast sandwich, fresh beignet

To keep it short: everything was outrageous. The currant scone was buttery, dense, but still flaky and light. The cheddar bacon beer muffin (insane, right?!) was a bit dry, but packed full of peppery flavor with a bold bite. The fresh beignets were probably my favorite (a Sunday morning special)– light, airy, and just a tad sweet. They took me back to the flavors of New Orleans (a trip I took over 5 years ago) and had the same warm comfort that I experienced in the French Quarter. And last but not least, the breakfast sandwich was indeed crave-worthy. Thick, crisp slabs of bacon were paired with perfectly scrambled eggs, a generous slice of cheddar, and stuffed into a homemade biscuit. These guys don’t mess around.

Devil’s Teeth is the kind of place you only need to try once before you dump your old bakery stand-by. That’s what it did for me. I’m no longer a believer in the Tartine morning bun, chock-full of pretension and foodie-buzz. I’ve been converted to the Devil’s Teeth beignet, …and scone, …and breakfast sandwich, which are all pretension-free and chock-full of sheer buttery awesomeness.

Here it is, folks: another reason to hit up the Inner Richmond.

Eats Clement San Francisco

Eats Menu

Eats is a tiny breakfast/brunch spot located on the same stretch of blocks as Q Restaurant, Giorgio’s Pizzeria, and B*Star. Although given less attention, Eats still draws a crowd.

We got there around 11am on a Sunday and were lucky that only 2 names were ahead of us in line (Eats has a sweet dry erase board as their DIY waiting list). We were promptly seated at the bar facing the street– one of the best places to sit, in my opinion, with a party of 2 (or 1). It has a great view of the ‘quiet side’ of Clement and is a perfect spot to daydream and people watch.

Once we were seated, I didn’t even open the menu. I get the chicken and waffles. Always.

Eats San Francisco Chicken Waffles Breakfast

Left: Fresh juices, Right: Chicken and waffles

We started with some deliciously fresh juice– I ordered the “refresher”, a tart and slightly sweet concoction of fruits and veggies while Alex had a green juice (forget the name) that included lettuce, lime, cucumber, and a few other ingredients. They were bright and ultra fresh; the kind of juice that makes you want a juicer at home so you can juice to your hearts content.

I know Eats has an abundance of delicious menu items, but somehow I can’t stray from the chicken and waffles! The chicken is perfectly seasoned, lighly breaded, and smothered in their mushroom gravy. The waffles, on the other hand, are light, crisp, and perfectly cooked with a decadent side of pure maple syrup. It’s that exact sweet-salty/yin-yang balance that does the trick for me every time.

Eats is one of those places that I crave from time to time. It’s not a spot I frequent, but when the urge hits, there really is nothing like those chicken and waffles to kick start my Sunday.

As part of a new Christmas experience for me, I joined Alex’s family in the San Diego area for the holidays. For his family, Christmas really starts on the 24th. We spent the day furiously cooking our Christmas Eve feast, creating the proper festive tablescape, and sharing funny stories and jokes (mostly about the hilariously lopsided eco-friendly Christmas tree that was chopped right from the backyard!).

Christmas Dinner Table and Centerpiece

Left: The Tablescape, Right: The Christmas Centerpiece

Once the sun began to set and the family started to arrive, it struck me what a lovely celebration we had before us.

With the food all ready and wine glasses in hand, we began to gather in the kitchen to start the feast. We prepared a bounty of food: a sweet honey baked ham, juicy maple glazed turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, spicy tamales, comforting green bean casserole, the famous family pasqualina (a spinach, cheese, and egg pie), and two types of cake.

Christmas Dinner Feast Meal

Clockwise from top left: honey baked ham, pasqualina, rolls, tamales, chocolate spice cake, vanilla bundt cake, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes

The dinner was amazing. Not only was the family warm and inviting, but the food and wine were both excellent. The pasqualina (similar recipe found here) was definitely the most memorable dish of the night since Alex had been raving about it non-stop. It was buttery and flaky on the outside, but hearty and almost creamy on the inside. The best way for me to describe it would be to compare it to a spinach quiche in which the eggs were not mixed in, but placed around the quiche to bake whole.

As the night continued, we participated in a fun white elephant gift exchange (with everything from grandmas’s bean soup to a wine lover’s gift basket) and ended the night with some classic Christmas carols sung together. Singing carols and trading mystery gifts were new and exciting Christmas experiences for me, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Christmas Dinner Activites

Top: white elephant presents, Bottom: stockings

On Christmas morning, we awoke to the smell of sizzling bacon and the traditional dutch babies that are made every year by Alex’s stepfather, Gary. It was hard to empty our stockings and open our gifts with the smell of such a delicious breakfast, but we hurried through some of the unwrapping and made our way to the kitchen table.

Christmas Breakfast

Left to right: Kitchen Centerpiece, Dutch Baby (hot from the oven), and a plate of bacon and glass of mimosa

As we sat around the kitchen table in our pajamas, tired from last night’s feast and still beaming from our stocking stuffers, I took a moment to reflect on the Christmas festivities. There is definitely a special Christmas magic that surfaces year to year, and this one was no different. A joyous experience was undoubtedly shared by all and holiday cheer was aplenty.

Occasionally, I find myself waking up with a hankering for Katz Bagels. There are a few locations around SF, but I’m most familiar with their Lower Haight location.

Katz Bagel Shop

Left: Back Patio seating, Right: Store front

The interior is a no frill, charming, almost Mediterranean style coffee shop, with heavy wooden doors, bright orange walls, and rustic floor tiles. What makes this such a sweet weekend spot is their back garden patio. Although I’ve never actually explored around outside, the ambiance and view are just the things to ease you into the day. Just be careful of what time you plan to go– their lines can run out the door during the morning rush.

Katz has some pretty basic fare such as coffee, bagels, sandwiches, and other morning sides. They are by no means the best bagel shop ever (I don’t think they’re trying to be), but they do have one heck of a Jalapeno bagel that I often crave.

Katz Bagels

Top: Jalapeno bagel w/ jalapeno cream cheese, Bottom: Breakfast sandwich on a jalapeno bagel w/ house poatoes

Ode to a jalapeno bagel:

Oh jalapeno bagel, how your red pepper flake-crusted shell, bubbled and crisp from the oven, makes my morning shine. With a spread of fresh jalapeno cream cheese, the soothe and burn of that first bite is pure delight. Chewy, dense, and spicy, I devour with reckless disregard of your calories, fat, and carbs. I don’t mind that you’re equivalent to 5 slices of bread, you are the only local bagel that satisfies my spice-loving palate! 

Excuse my dramatic description, but that bagel is truly something else. Alex prefers something a little heartier than a regular bagel with schmear, so he frequently opts for the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich (on a jalapeno bagel, of course). We also recently discovered their house potatoes which are roasted to perfection and heavily seasoned with rosemary.

A cozy weekend spot with a quaint patio plus a champion bagel– I think that fits the bill for frequent visits.