Sugar Cafe

Well, AT&T still can't get our DSL to work. There's something massively wrong with our phone line, probably due to lack of use because the last few tenants didn't use a land line. They promised it'd be fixed by the end of today, but who knows.

Meanwhile, I've been spending a lot of time at Sugar Cafe on Sutter. It's not quite as close as Cup A Joe's, but it has a few advantages. The biggest draw is that it's well-lit but there's a lot of seating away from the windows so I don't get insane glare off my computer screen. Sugar Cafe is also bigger (read: less crowded and therefore less pressure to hurry up and leave), has cheaper and better house roasted coffee, and has a more varied menu. The place is a cafe by day and turns into a bar and lounge by night. I can't wait to try some of their bar bites and cocktails. As you can tell from the photo, they also show movies on a large indoor/outdoor screen at night. Gimmicky, but fun!

I'm Still Alive

Yes, I made it to SF in one piece and moved into our apartment! However, thanks to AT&T's stellar (not) service, we won't have internet in the apartment until at least tomorrow. So I'm sitting at Cup a Joe's, using their free WiFi and pretending it really takes me over an hour to finish a steamed soy and slice of banana walnut bread.

So far, I'm loving the neighborhood! Even though it's only a block north of where I used to live, it feels a lot more bohemian. Maybe more eateries have moved in since I've left. Within two blocks I have something like five diners/cafes, five or more bars/lounges, two fine dining choices, and plenty of casual spots like Thai, sushi, burgers, pizza, sandwiches, gelato, etc. Expand that radius to six blocks and I'll be eating well for quite some time without even trying. The only thing missing so far is a real bakery. Anyone know a bakery near Sutter and Leavenworth?

Yay, We're Off!

Accomplishment of the day: I've managed to fit all of our worldly possessions into one minivan.

Tomorrow: ROAD TRIP!

Pei=tired.

Pagolac

Some friends introduced us to Pagolac in Westminster/Garden Grove yesterday. Delicious! The Beef 7 Ways was good, as usual, but the catfish stole our hearts.

A small complaint was that the skin was barbecued to the point of inedibility. However, the meat throughout was steamy and juicy, with a mild clean flavor--how often can catfish be described as a clean tasting fish? Yum yum good.

Short posts, if any, for the next few days. Packing is a !$*@!

Comme Ca

Tried a cute restaurant that J recommended after he went for work. I have to say, the decor is adorable and the service was superb for LA. However, food was hit and miss (though generally impressive and worth a try)

LA has sad bread. It's a constant sore spot for me. This mini baguette was toasted to death and had no flavor whatsoever. I don't know if it makes it better or worse that it was served with some of the best butter I've ever tasted--whipped and lightly topped with salt and pepper.

The French onion soup was, sadly, no better than the $1.19 version I enjoyed last week at Mimi's Cafe. I know, sad huh? The Comme Ca version just has too much cheese, and I never thought there could be such a thing as too much cheese. But in soup, too much cheese means it all clumps together in an inseperable mass, instead of being stringy and distributed all over the bread. The soup also had too much bread. However, the soup had great depth of beefiness, so I think a little tweaking would make it perfect. Comme Ca, are you listening?

My half order of steak tartare was superb. The beef was chopped to just the right consistency and perfectly dressed in something lightly mustardy. The greens were especially tender and crisp. I ate the whole thing like a salad, ignoring the sad bread chips. Grr, bad bread makes me angry. Sigh. SF, when will you and I be together again? Oh, right, next week. Yay!

Homeless No More!

Yay! I found an apartment!

No, that's not the actual apartment. Please, like I'm going to advertise my home address on the internet--or would choose to live in the Devil's Lair. That's just a great shot of beautiful weather an and an amusing street address.However, our building does have a similar classic SF feel. We're in a small one bedroom that has a good-sized kitchen with a full-sized gas stove. That's all I need!

One clue: we're in the same neighborhood as this fun little cafe/bar.