OK so here I was this afternoon with some of my fave clients. Super cool, down to earth peeps. I'll plug their business somewhere else 'cuz y'all know I protect the names of the innocent. Brent & Alison. Dammit! Couldn't help myself. Anyhoo, dat's 'dem. Their business I will gladly (and only where it provides true value, my furry friends) link to them elsewhere. They have great wine buys...
Anyhoo, here we are in Hayes Valley on a rainy, dreary Tuesday to have a productive :) lunch meeting. But wait, it's MATINEE TUESDAY AT THE SYMPHONY (lots of sweet folks our parents age, if ya know what I mean). It's basically the equivalent of the early bird special at the House of Prime Rib (hey I woulda said Sizzler, but this is SF, and we are talking post-symphony). Woo Hoo! "Hey Agnes, grab your walker, pull those curlers outta your hair and let's hit the sim-fo-nee. Then we'll strap on the feed bag. Pack a zip-lock for the leftovers! We'll be back in time for Golden Girls re-runs"
I woulda had a better chance walking into a Chingy after-party than Citizen Cake after a Matinee! But, fortunately for moi, my clients made resies. Love ya! Plus, they paid:)
Ok, enuf mindless rambling. Great lunch menu! Varied choices as they say. And not just soft food;) Something for anyone.
But First! The Award for The Most Annoying and Un-Useful Restaurant Website, come on up, Citizen Cake! Dang, lay off the Flash my friends. Hint - just as too much Chèvre can wreak havoc on ice cream too much Flash is very un-sexy.
OK. Food. Like I said awhile ago, I think it's a great lunch line-up. 4-5 salads, a few pizzas and 5-6 sandos. Nice!
Between the 3 of us, we had:
Salad: Chèvre crotin, peach, frisèe, almond vinaigrette. THE LOW DOWN: Well, we all know Frisée can be a bit challenging. Tickles the uvula a bit too much sometimes. 'Nuf said. But this was tasty, there is also some bacon (Looove bacon) and the vinaigrette was excellent. Nice dollop of mellow, tender Chévre as well.
Sandos: Not the most strategic decision, but two of us ordered the same meal - the Croque Savoyard - a most awesome Croque. Heirloom Tomatoes and Gruyère on great bread, with gobs of Gruyère melted on top. A real artery-clogger. Dig it! Really, fellow Croque fans. This was gooooooood. I was stuffed and just kept on carving out little bits til it was gone daddy gone. The Heirloom Toms (almost outta season now, so sorry) were great and the cheese was perfectly gooey. This was a special sando.
Dessert: Hells Yeah! This place is called Citizen CAKE. I bowed out but my clients are no quitters (plus I think they knew I'd sneak a bit or two). And talk about funky desserts! Out there. I mean...where's the Cake, Citizen? Not a mention of boring old cake. Weird and wild stuff? Yessir. We enjoyed the Grilled figs with Chèvre ice cream - figs rock. Not too sweet as fruit goes, and grilled, it almost took on a meaty vibe. Scoop a little bizarro goat cheese-flavored ice cream on, and you are good to go! (read: not bad at all). We also enjoyed the Plum Tart with Guiness ice cream - Me likee. Plums are a nod to the matinee demographic, I presume, but that's OK. Wait, that's Prunes! Regardless, the Guiness beer I.C. was good, although, if I hadn't known it was Guiness, it would have had just a faint 'different' flavor. Still, good and as with the Figs a very nice contrast in flavors.
Need I say more? (ok, ok, I'll shut the hell up). I can't speak for the cake, but CC rules for lunch - Go! I give it a solid 8 outta 10.
Citizen Cake
399 Grove (@ Gough)
San Francisco, CA
(thanks Yelp, for the pic)
(props to the senior citizens out there, they've seen and done way more than most of us!)
your review of town hall is awesome. it is nice to finally find a someone to review the city with a little more style and attitude instead of the usual boring and straight forward reviews. my goal is to become a food critic myself and your site is very reassuring that my choice is a good one. my passion for food and wine extends as far as the eye can see and i wil definitly be keeping an eye on your site daily as to abosorb as much information as possible. keep up the good work.
mike
aka saliano
Posted by: mike salerno | October 08, 2006 at 02:12 PM