Yogurtsoda

Mission Cheese opened over a year ago, but I didn’t get around to visiting until this summer. I was suspicious — a restaurant dedicated to just cheese? Don’t get me wrong — you can’t really go wrong with cheese, but I was hesitant to make a full meal out of a menu dedicated to cheese, cheese, and more cheese. (Oh, and a bit of wine.)

I had dinner there one evening and started off with a cheese flight. I can’t recall which cheeses we ordered, but they were all delicious, and full of salty, creamy flavor. The selection changes daily and is categorized by (American) geographic region, and the staff is more than happy to guide you through the ordering process if you’re not sure what you want.

Next, we shared an order of Eric’s country pate. I don’t know who Eric is, but he makes some of the finest-tasting pate I’ve ever had. Duck confit and pork pate are mixed with cherries and pistachios for a crumbly, meaty, oh-so-rich texture that paired perfectly with cornichons and our glasses of pinot noir.

We rounded out our meal with a skillet of mac and cheese, topped with breadcrumbs and toasted just right. I’m not sure what kind of cheese they’re using here, as the menu attributes it to a secret recipe, but it’s definitely worth ordering again.

A couple caveats about Mission Cheese: they close at 8pm, so plan on an early evening of cheese and imbibing. And they’re located on a busy stretch of Valencia Street. Hipsters. Need I say more? Still, I’ll gladly tolerate ironic flannel for this cheese. Who knew one humble ingredient could go so far?

Shanghai Dumpling King is probably the most well-known restaurant in San Francisco serving xiaolongbao, or Shanghai-style soup-filled dumplings. But the casual, no-frills Shanghai Dumpling King is deep in the Richmond District, so I’ve always stuck to restaurants in Chinatown serving these piping-hot morsels instead.

I finally took the plunge one evening with a couple of friends, and we endured the wait in the windy, cold fog. It was worth it once we were seated.

We started with the stir-fried pea shoots, a light and delicately-seasoned dish that brought out the ever-so-slightly sweet crunch of the veggies.

Next came the Shanghai fried noodles: thick, chewy noodles stir-fried with greens, meat and cabbage. These were more greasy than what I’m used to but otherwise tasty.

The spicy wontons were my favorite dish of the evening: fiery, juicy, full of flavor, and brimming inside with savory goodness. Mmm, wontons.

Lastly came the piece de resistance: the Shanghai soup dumplings. These were delicious. Filled with scalding broth and meat, I took care to dip my xiaolongbao in the accompanying black vinegar and ginger sauce without breaking the thin dumpling wrapper.

I’ll still probably frequent my favorite xialongbao restaurant in Chinatown, but now I know where to go when I find myself on other side of San Francisco. Between the two, I’ve got enough to hold me over until I actually make it to Shanghai proper.

I don’t like pie. At least I don’t like most pie. I prefer savory over sweet, and most pies seem too sugar-laden to really taste the other ingredients.

At least that’s how I felt until I ate at Mission Pie. Fresh off of an epic taco crawl in the Mission District, I sat down with a couple of friends for a cup of coffee and a bite. (Because after three tacos, a cone of ice cream, a cob of elotes, and a watermelon agua fresca, we clearly weren’t yet sated.)

We tried their walnut pie, and Internet, I swear this is the best pie I’ve ever tasted. It’s nutty, it’s gooey, it’s sweet but not too sweet, and the crust is flaky and oh-so-buttery. Behold, the perfect pie. And what better to wash it down with than a strong cup of coffee?

The vibe at Mission Pie is warm (there’s sunlight in this hood!) and casual (big, beautiful wooden tables), with none of the hipster pretentiousness that’s permeated some other parts of the Mission (*cough* Valencia *cough*). I could sit here all day, and if it weren’t for all the tacos, I may have gone back for a second slice. Perhaps I love pie after all.

Food trucks have taken over the world. At least that’s what it feels like in downtown San Francisco. When a colleague first told me about Casey’s Pizza, I was intrigued, and not just because I love pizza (who doesn’t?). Casey’s Pizza features a brick oven in its truck, an impressive feat that makes all the difference for their old world-style and locally-sourced pizzas.

Casey’s Pizza changes its menu daily, and on the day I visited on California and Sansome, they featured margherita, kale, and Zoe’s pepperoni pies. I went for the pepperoni and was not disappointed. Salty pepperoni, aged mozzarella, and full flavored grana padano cheese topped the thin crust, which had achieved that perfect crispy-yet-chewy texture.

This pizza truck moves around daily, so check ahead of time to see where they’ll be at. Paired with a root beer, Casey’s Pizza makes for a terrific lunchtime meal in the (fickle) San Francisco sun.