KelsEats

Philz has completely ruined me. I used to be happy with a regular grande coffee from Starbucks. I used to pay $2, $2.50 max for a cup of coffee. I used to be ignorant and happy. But now that I know how incredibly delicious coffee can be, now that I know its true potential, there’s no going back to the naive bliss I once had.

Now if I don’t start every single morning with Philz coffee I’m a bitter, angry person. It sounds arrogant, but it’s honestly become difficult to drink anything else. It’s just too. damn. good….Continue Reading

Tags: coffee, the mission

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After my first time experiencing what a real bowl of ramen is supposed to taste like, I was left feeling utterly perplexed. How in the world did Nissan foods take something so rich and complex in flavor, and create a replica that is totally overloaded with sodium and tastes like absolutely nothing? Who did a side by side comparison and decided, “Hey! Our instant Cup of Noodles can totally pass as ramen! It’s close enough to the real thing, I bet hardly anyone will be able to tell the difference!” It would be like saying an M&M could pass as a fresh cream truffle from Jean-Charles Rochoux, one of the best chocolatiers in Paris. It simply makes no sense…Continue Reading

Tags: cheap food, embarcadero, ferry bulding, food cart, japanese cuisine, lunch, ramen

It all began one cold January night at Frances. I ordered a dessert featuring Humphry Slocombe’s olive oil ice cream, which was so shockingly good I set out to discover what other treats this little ice cream parlor had to offer. Little did I know that only 4 months later I’d be calling to ask about their flavors 4 times per week, have their phone number into my contacts, and eventually find myself living a mere 4 blocks from their front door…Continue Reading

Tags: dessert, ice cream, the mission

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Following Jonathan Kauffman’s footsteps, my quest to find San Francisco’s best arepa led me to Pica Pica Maize, a relatively new Mission eatery located at 15th and Valencia. Although Kauffman was rather critical of many of Pica Pica Maize’s menu selections, his description of his arepa led me to believe that I would have a similarly satisfying arepa experience. I was wrong. Comparing Mr. Pollo to Pica Pica is like comparing McDonald’s to In&Out – the menu selection may be similar, but the quality of food is radically different…Continue Reading

Tags: cheap food, jonathan kauffman, latin american cuisine, the mission

I want to say thank you to a man, a man, I’m sure, most of you are familiar with. A man whose unmitigated arrogance and exaggerated self-confidence actually led me to one of my most cherished dining discoveries. Bobby Flay, if it wasn’t for that historic episode of Throw Down in 2008, I would have never made Caracas Arepa Bar a dining destination on my visit to New York City. Without you sir, I would have never known the messy, all-encompassing delight of a perfectly cooked arepa...Continue Reading

Tags: cheap food, jonathan kauffman, latin american cuisine, the mission, venezuelan cuisine

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Nine weeks, three extra pounds, and 21 check-ins later, I think it’s just about time to write an update to my first glowing review. If you follow me on Twitter (KelsEats), you’ve likely seen my daily morning tweet, which serves 2 purposes. First it says to the world, “Guess what!? I’m at Knead!” in case anyone wanted to stalk me. Secondly, that little tweet illustrates my full-blown, uncontrollable addiction to those evil little pastries better than any words could describe…Continue Reading

Tags: bakery, the mission

Those close to me know why Michael Bauer is my sworn arch-enemy, and now it’s time to tell the world. The story goes something like this…Continue Reading

Tags: michael bauer

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My love affair with Knead began 2 months back when I was on my way to pick up my morning coffee from Phillz. In the doorway of what I thought was Local Mission Eatery, there it was: a cart filled with all sorts of freshly baked pastries and cookies taunting me, tempting me to say to hell with those skinny jeans and indulge my cravings. It took me a whole, ummmmmm, 3 seconds to cave in, and now I can say it was the best decisions I’ve ever made…

Tags: bakery, dessert, pastries, the mission

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I never thought what I’m about to say would ever come out of my mouth, but here we go…

Tags: bakery, cookies, dessert, italian food, pastries, the mission

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CocoaBella, you had me at “try a free sample.”

Not only is this the best chocolate I’ve had in San Francisco, it’s also some of the best chocolate I’ve ever had. And that coming from a girl who went on a chocolate tour of both Brussels and Paris. I called it my “Obesity Tour.” Basically, CocoaBella has chocolates imported from all over the world and brings them together in one convenient location so that you can save all of that flight money and put it towards buying chocolate.

Tags: chocolate, specialty store