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Anthony's Cookies: So Good, Even Santa is a Regular

Anthonys Cookies

[rating: 5]

Think fast: who is the person that makes the best cookie you’ve ever had? I’d bet cold hard cash that you’re about to throw down for your mom...although your grandma may also be a contender. Hell, maybe you’d even say yourself! But guess what? You’re wrong. It turns out that your mom doesn’t make the best cookies. Anthony does. Continue Reading...

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The Fastest, Easiest Salad Recipe in History

Avocado and Arugula Salad

Over the years I've gone from never cooking for myself (college), to cooking all the time, to hardly ever cooking because I'm too lazy or tired. I'm about to go over the edge of laziness, where walking more than a block for food is starting to bother me. Before I'm ordering terrible Chinese food because it delivers every night, I'm putting the breaks on and making a point to cook more.

I'm also finally ready to start eating a wee bit healthier - a few solid nights of eating salads and veggies instead of Phat Philly onion rings and pizza at Serranos is the plan. But I have one problem: I'm still pretty damn lazy and am easily deterred by long, involved recipes. "Long" and "involved" meaning longer than say 10-15 minutes. So what am I to do? Arugula and avocado salad. Boom...Continue Reading

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Big Changes at Mr. Pollo Spell Trouble

Mr Pollo Chef Manny

Sadly, 2013 isn't off to the best start. Why? Because one of my all-time favorite restaurants is changing, and in the process, dying. Mr. Pollo may not be closing, but with the recent, shall we say, "Hostile Takeover" of the space and the departure of the heart of the restaurant, Chef Manny Torres Gimenez, it's certainly the end of an era (more details to follow soon, in a separate write-up). The Mr. Pollo we've all loved over the last three years is essentially gone, which means one thing's for sure: it looks like I will be arepa'd no more...Continue Reading

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Onion Rings at Phat Philly: Uncontrollable Craving #1

It's true that I go out to eat very often. More often than most. Because of this, many of the people around me have this misconception that I'm very picky and only go to "fancy" places (translation: restaurants where a complete meal for 2 will cost upwards of $100). But what they don't realize is that when I'm not going out to "fancy" restaurants, I'm not preparing seasonal salads and roasted veggies. No, no, in reality I'm incredibly lazy, which means I secretly stuff my face with cheap, unrefined, unhealthy foods.

And I'm not even talking about a wide range of fatty mcfat foods either! Nah, I like to hone in on one thing that really hits the spot, and then eat it on an almost daily basis for a good month or two; a food that, at some point, has stopped just being a temptation and has become an actual problem. I call these my "problem foods" and, since the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem, I'm shedding light on my issues with this first post of my new "Uncontrollable Cravings" series...Continue Reading

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The Mission's Best Deli that Nobody Has Ever Heard Of

I've lived in the Mission for over three years now, and for whatever reason, last night it hit me: for the number of restaurants the Mission has to offer, it's shocking that an amazing sandwich shop, specifically one that stays open past lunch, is almost non-existent. Peruvian food? No problem! Indian food? The city's best is just a few blocks away! Japanese food? Yakitori or vegetarian, take your pick! Italian food? Obviously. But a killer, simple sandwich? Somehow that has almost slipped through the cracks. Almost...Continue Reading

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Croissants at Knead Patisserie: The Root of all Things Evil and Delicious

Whoa 2012, slow down! It's already December and all year, I haven't written about the one thing that makes my life complete. That single thing that gets me out of bed every morning (seriously). This year would not be complete without posting an article (or in this case, more like a love letter) to my all-time favorite bakery, whose name any regular KelsEats visitor should know by now. Yep, you guessed it! Knead Patisserie.

Before proclaiming my love for this bakery once again, I browsed through my previous articles, wanting to ensure that I didn't repeat anything I've written in the past. Although I've publicly given most of Shauna des Voignes' pastries piles of compliments, there is a noticeable, gaping hole: I left one MAJOR item out of all of my writing. Therefore, I'm dedicating this piece to the #1 pastry Shauna does better than any other patisserie in the world: the croissant...Continue Reading

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Mr. Pollo Version 2.0

[rating: 5]

Dear Mr. Pollo,

I owe you an apology. No, it’s not for what you might be thinking - I’ve never written unsavory remarks about you or slandered you to my friends. In fact I only had positive things to say in my previous write-up of your business. But I did make one mistake in that first review – one big mistake. I underestimated you.

See, even after publically endorsing your Pork and Cheese Arepa as one of the best I’ve ever tasted, I still wrote you off in my mind as a simple specialty shop – my go-to place when I’m in the mood for no-fuss Venezuelan cuisine. But then, one fateful night earlier this year, I finally opened my mind up enough to look past your arepas and venture into tasting menu territory. Now, after making countless return visits for your nightly-changing menu, it’s obvious that my initial perception of you was wrong. Completely, embarrassingly wrong, and for that, I’m sorry...Continue Reading

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Screw Sexy. Serrano's Pizza is Bringing Real Pizza Back

[rating: 5]

San Francisco is obsessed with perfecting the Neapolitan pizza. Actually, a better way to say it is San Francisco is obsessed with adding their own unique twist to the most classic definition of Neapolitan pizza, instead creating variations that almost classify as the original but more closely resemble a close cousin. A16, Flour and Water, Ragazza, Delfina Pizzeria, Beretta, Una Pizza Napoletana, Tony's Pizza Napoletana, Zero Zero…the list goes on. It’s so prolific that, other than a few, well-known deep-dish pizzerias I began thinking that this was practically the only non-chain type of pizza available in this city....Continue Reading

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KelsEats’ Top 10 Dishes of 2010 – #2

2) Big Daddy Bowl, Hapa Ramen

This dish opened my eyes not only to how delicious real ramen is, but also to how thoughtful and complex it can be. Hapa Ramen’s Big Daddy Bowl goes beyond flavorful broth and perfectly-cooked noodles – it brings in a variety of ingredients that add subtle nuances, richness, and seasonality. Of all of the dishes on this list, this is the one that I have gone back to eat the most. There’s just something about the combination of the warmth, the spice, creamy slow-cooked egg, sweet squash, and fried fatty meat that keeps me coming back for more. You can read all of the details in my review of Hapa Ramen.

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A Damn Good Sandwich is Always in Season

If you hadn’t heard, it’s the holiday season - a season synonymous with the word “indulgence.” Oh, and the word “drinking,” of course. For frequent diners and homebodies alike, ‘tis the season to throw down hundreds of dollars for that one special meal that just wouldn’t seem sane at any other time of the year. And, having recently indulged in things like foie gras, pink champagne, and extravagant chef’s tasting menus, there’s no denying that fine dining holds a very special place in my heart. But you know what also holds a special place in my heart? A damn good sandwich...Continue Reading

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