Yelp

I don't really know how to explain this without sounding like a poser but half the reason I read comics (ONLY HALF, OKAY?) is because I'm really into nerdy looking dudes who understand the difference between their, there, and they're.  I'm into guys who read comics.  I'm into them.  I find them very attractive.  

Now that we got that out of the way... I was surprised when I accidentally stumbled into Isotope.

Why?  Many non-comic reading (or buying, rather) folk would assume that this is just another comic store.  Far from!  ALL comic book stores smell like online gaming and look like dogshit.  I'm sorry, but they do.  And you know what?  That doesn't bother me!  But it should be noted that that's the norm for comic book store design.  

Isotope successfully designed a BEAUTIFUL comic store that is SUPER BADASS and would MAKE STAN LEE proud.  It is AWESOME.  Plush red sofas, lots of metal, it's sexy.  It reminds me of a 1957 Dodge Coronet (this one:  http://www.dodgecorone...).  

But anyway, I DO really appreciate the fact that Isotope takes the "we're grown-ups" approach to design and actually TRIES to make it a nice place to visit.  Because, well, it IS a nice store to visit.  

If I were more comfortable around that many cool dudes I would have gladly curled up on one of their red sofas (see photos) and read some B+W crime novel or tried to talk to a hottie about how I really like Brian Wood and his style, how he is kinda like a new, hipster version of Transmetropolitan, etc.  But I digress.  

Isotope gets 5 funtastic stars.  I love it and I can't wait to go back!  Maybe I will score a date (or at least some Halo Jones).

Chicory coffee. Sometimes, the flavor is overpowering in some brands, but the Community chicory coffee they serve here is out of this world. I put a nice swath of cream in my large mug and sip it slowly, letting the hot liquid swirl into my mouth.

The beignets are fantastic. We've gotten the flight of beignets twice now, and they are a meal unto themselves. The plain tastes great dipped into the coffee. The Ghiradelli dark chocolate is sticky-icky good. The cinnamon apple tastes like a mini pie. Yet, my favorite is still the savory crawfish and cheese beignet with cajun seasoning. Spicy, gooey and soul satisfying.

I'm so in love with all of the creole and cajun flavors. The grits are creamy, cheesy, buttery and hearty. My heart belongs to the cream biscuits; so light, fluffy and flaky. Topped with soft butter and homemade strawberry jam, it's like biting into a little piece of heaven.

The wait is long, but if you get there early enough, you don't have to endure the bitter, foggy and drizzly cold of a San Francisco summer morning although once seated, the people and the food immediately brings Southern warmth to Northern California.

After numerous visits to Postrio over the years, I would have been more inclined to rate it a solid 4. Delicious food, expansive wine list, and great staff make for a solid standby in the Union Square area and a safe place to send family, friends, and business associates from out of town.

Last night, I had the distinct and profound pleasure of actually having a private meal for 15 prepared by Jordan Grosser, head chef, and his delightful crew from Postrio. Charming, professional, and clearly passionate about their work, these guys set to lighting my heart on fire  with each course they turned out.

Here are things to remember on your next visit to Postrio: Anything with salmon or beets is to-die-for. The duck confit ravioli with parmesan ragout and some rich sauce made my mouth water and my nether-regions tingle. The big, meaty, rare lamb loin all dressed up with root vegetables and bitter greens had me on one knee in front of the chopping block, proposing marriage to Mr. Grosser and promising my first born to the lovely kitchen staff accompanying him. And the butternut squash panna cotta? Well, let's just say that's when the host of the dinner had to have me escorted out, wrapped in a towel , and threatening me with legal action.

OK, that's not all accurate. I am one of the event organizers, it was for charity, and Mr. Grosser didn't take any of my offers seriously enough to petition for a restraining order. I'm sure he inspires this kind of behavior in ladies nightly at Postrio.

Bottom line: Postrio is a classic San Francisco establishment serving delicious upscale food in a great atmosphere AND they do good for the community by putting up with drunk ladies and gentlemen like myself in the name of charity. This is not food for people on a diet, but if you can turn a blind eye to the calorie count for one night only, you will be richly rewarded.

Perhaps after reading this review, my better (maler) half will feel differently about accompanying me to these sorts of events in the future...

Sometimes I feel as if my life is a floating speck that is handled by the dirty, finger-paint marked palms of sweaty little children. No matter where I turn, there's no escaping them.
I was a nanny for awhile.
Then I taught preschool.
Then I took care of orphans.
Now I feel like I'm going out with a 6 year old.

Yes, my current S.O has hardcore Peter Pan syndrome. I'm not talking about "Child at Heart" ... but straight up touring the city for playgrounds, singing Disney songs on long walks, getting as excited from "Office Monkey" figures as one would get from The World Series, would eat ice cream for every meal if he could. Sometimes I feel like a pedophile*, but most of the time I absolutely adore it. So of course when he came into town, The Exploratorium was my #1 stop. No flashy dinners, the opera or The Power Exchange (well at least not that day) but the best place I can possibly think of that can make a 3 year toddler or a 26 year old man go "ohhhhhhhhhh!!!" Even I can't get enough of the place. It's like little Mary escaped with her Asian bowl cut and lace fringed tights and squealed over her refound love for physics. The exhibits are ridiculous fun and educational. Whoa-de-whoa! And the surrounding Palace of Fine Arts is breathtaking.

Minus one star for the staff. All the disgruntled, oh-so-cool emo kids decided to take a joint break to sing My Chemical Romance in the shadow room. EXCUSE ME!!! I wanted to jump and have my shadow frozen on the wall. I mean.... these little kids did. OK, I lie, it was me.

Overall a near perfect place for kids... or 2 super cool adults.

*I am trying so hard so hold back the jokes. I'm like bursting. Please god, PM me if you want to hear them.

I've been too busy enriching my child's cultural life closer to home to get to the not-so-new-anymore DeYoung...but hubby and I finally made a date to explore the museum and see the Chihuly glass.  

I pre-purchased tix (with audio) online, and was thrilled to bypass the big line for ticket purchasing and walk right up to the non-member will call table.  We loved the Chihuly exhibit and were glad we had the audio tour, as much of it is in Chihuly's own voice and with the heavy Saturday crowds it would have been tough to read the posted notes in each room.

Although there are hundreds of pieces in the Chihuly exhibit, you get through fairly quickly because so many pieces combine to make displays like the room with two boats filled with amazingly colorful glass and the overhead ceiling of "sea creatures."  We used the time to see several of the other exhibits with everything from a Stickley sideboard to a room of wonderful Teotihuacan frescoes that were part of a "collection" bequethed by some guy (now gone) who had no business possessing them in the first place.  

I felt like the much touted tower, while it did offer a clear view on a beautiful day, was not probably worth the long line waiting for the elevator to get down.  Although I might feel differently on a day without crowds.  

We took BART and the N Judah to get to the museum, which was easy breezy...until we had to literally jam ourselves into a streetcar on the way home.  Can't wait to take the little guy...he'll love the adventure of the ride there and back...and those nice triangular benches they have everywhere in the DeYoung.  The benches are generally his favorite part of most museum visits...but I'm not discouraged.  I felt the same way at his age...and I ended up majoring in Art History.

Okay, I realize the irony of purchasing a shirt with "The Richmond" emblazoned across the front at a store on Irving Street, but unless you're into track suits, the Richmond doesn't have a whole hell of a lot as far as clothing stores.

This is the place for those old Warriors-style (http://theassociation....) neighborhood shirts.  The have Sunset, Richmond, and Mission gear there, in t-shirt and hoodie form (might have been some babydolls there as well).  The shirts are like $20 each or two for $35.  And, well, that's about it.  It's not a lot (it is also a shoe store) but hey, those shirts are badass.

:throws up tha R:

I love me some fried chicken.  What I don't love are some crazy ass people from the methadone clinic down the street. More on that in a bit.

We came here for dinner before a Yelper's barfday at Mr. Smiths, since we figured we needed something to fill our stomachs before the drinking Olympics began. I ordered the 2 piece combo, which included 2 sides. Had I known how tiny my, er, the breast and thigh were, I would have gotten a 3 piece combo.

The chicken pieces were really juicy and the crunchy skin (I peel and save the skin for last!) was seasoned nicely.  As I mentioned before, the pieces were tiny. How tiny?  Chicken Little comes to mind.

My dirty rice and mashed potatoes w/ gravy were good. Growing up,  I remember loving the dirty rice at Popeyes, and this is comparable. It was a little less spicy than the Popeye's version. I liked the mashed potatoes and gravy, but to be honest, I prefer KFCs better. KFC's mashed potatoes are my absolute favorite.  Liking a chain- much less a fast food chain? I know- not very San Franciscan of me!

Ok- so the atmosphere is not the best. You will not find the rainbows, butterflies, and unicorns you find in the other SF neighborhoods.  The constant influx of people screaming profanity and asking passerbys if they had anything for a quick fix does make the meal interesting.  

This actually happened as we were eating:

Cross Dresser: Mmm-hmmm. Can I order some chicken?
Asian lady behind the counter: Sure- what would you like?
CD: The 3 piece combo with mash potatoes and rice
ALBTC: Ok- we have to fry some up. That will be, blah, blah, blah
*CD pays and walks out*

3 minutes go by....

CD *shouts as he enters*: WHERE'S MY CHICKEN?
ALBTC: It's still frying
CD: OH NO! OH NO! NU-UH! BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!
ALBTC: Sorry

Never a dull moment at LFC on 6th Street.

P.S. Bring your pepper spray for the people AND the chicken!

So I order my burrito with no beans and no rice.  The dude looks at me like I'm nuts and he's never heard such an order before.  It's cool, I get it.

I get it with the guac and cheese and sour cream, bringing my carne asada burrito up to $7.  And I get all those extras specifically because I fully expect to get a skimpy burrito.  I mean, once you remove all that bean & rice filler, I fully expected (and was willing to accept) a burrito with the usual amount of meat they use.

And what did I get?

A carne asada burrito PACKED with carne taking the place of the beans & rice!  Yeah, I'm a San Diego burrito snob and this was the closest thing to a San Diego burrito I've tried here so far.  At $7, it 's literally twice the price of my favorite shack back in SD and it's not the *tastiest* carne asada I've ever had, but 4 stars for generous servings of a a very yummy burrito!

I will be back.  :-)

Everybody is talented because everybody who is human has something to express,  Try NOT expressing anything for twenty-four hours and see what happens.  You will nearly burst.

Everybody is also original, if he or she tells the truth - if he or she speaks from the root of their self.  But it must be from the TRUE self and not from the self he or she THINKS they should be.

So the creative power and imagination that is inherently in everyone and  also the need to express and to share - where exactly does it go? What happens to it and why do we all not seem to follow our true passions?!  It is very tender and sensitive and is usually drummed out of people early in life by criticism (often called 'helpful") and so we often truly see it in the form of children - until the traditional and orthodox forms of criticism take root and snuff out or murder the talent way before it reaches the spark that turns into a lifelong flame.  

And this is exactly why you need to come here to visit Sierra - the Queen bartender of this classy space.  When questioned - she is obviously one of these people that found this spark unconventionally early on and later on revisited the creativity and imagination involving mixology.   From an early age and due to the higher calling of 'To thine own self be true' has she practiced with intelligence and love for the search and journey to create the perfect cocktail.

And what i think I like the most is that she has pretty much always understood her differing sense and instinct with regards to this.  If you talk to chefs, they usually have stories about the kitchen cooking with family somewhere in italy or with grandpa etc etc.... but how rare is it for a kid to understand tastes with regards to liquid or liquor?!?!  

And take it a step further - she has worked in other fields/professions and has come back home to what is her true calling.  And thank the lord she did so because it is not just the varying tastes of perfection that you'll enjoy when served by her (as she has created and designed the entire specialty drink list on the Four Seasons Bar menu) but it is also the realization that had she not had been true to herself to fully express her passion and imagination to begin with - she would not be giving us the permission to do the same for ourselves....

All the while enjoying one of her signature cocktails. Beautiful...

And THIS is why I love San Francisco.  Because every corner, block, street, venue, location, and certain individuals (some more than others) give us that never-ending support and inspiration.  Thank the lord we do not live in another place where only the brutal egoists survive, but in true form amongst so many Poetic Geniuses who understand the importance of living an authentic life.

And with this - I will toast and say CHEERS SIERRA!!

It's like God smiled down on me and said, "Beah is a good kid; she never litters, she rarely punches old women in the hip, and she doesn't worship false idols. You know what, I'll give her that perfect neighborhood Thai joint that she's been praying for -- I'll deliver it right into her hot and seedy Mission lap."

And on the third month, God reopened Pad Thai.

I guess they were on vacation when I moved the Mission in December, which is pretty selfish if you ask me. But at my first bite of green curry soaked rice, all was forgiven. All was forgiven.

Pad Thai passed all three litmus tests: green curry jay, pad thai, and tom kha gai. Spicy, not goopy (goopy makes you poopy), not too sweet, and not overly priced like the decent but now shamefully overshadowed cuisine that I used to procure from Suriyana down the way.