Lalita

location: 96 mcallister (at leavenworth) , civic center

i've been working in civic center for over two months and i've always dismissed this place as a corner bar. from the outside you can barely see a sign, the windows are dark and they have a lot of beverage lights hanging up. but once you're inside it's an spacious restaurant with a large bar and seating area. during the lunch hour they were able to accommodate our party of nine quickly and at $13 a person (including tip) it was definitely a deal.

the lunch menu has several different options, almost too many. you can order like i did, a base food with sauce and rice, or you can go for one of the lunch combos that includes a small salad and spring roll.

i want for the tofu with black pepper and garlic sauce with onion and brown rice. it was a large serving that i was able to take home and finish for dinner. all of the dishes looked and smelled delicious.

the service was quick although one person in our party was served much later than everyone else which is always a little annoying. even with our large party we were in and out in under an hour.

recommendation: visit me in the 'loin and take me to lunch here.

tastiness: yay!

price vs. food: yay!

service: yay!

Park Chalet

location: 1000 great highway (at ocean beach), outer sunset

the park chalet is definitely worth the 35 or so minute ride from downtown on the n. even during a freezing cold summer. the park chalet (located underneath the beach chalet) is across from ocean beach at the end of golden gate park near that cute windmill. they offer american bar foods like small plates, soups, salads and sandwiches with an emphasis on seafood. i wanted to eat everything on the menu but settled on the ceviche and a crab roll sandwich. i subbed the potato chips for garlic fries and i'm glad i did because they were perfect. although i'm not sure how hard it is to perfect garlic fries. nevertheless, everything was tasty. L had the burger with sweet potato fries and we each enjoyed delicious cocktails for dessert.

the restaurant overlooks a really nice outdoor patio area that i'm told is fantastic on a warm summer day, although i'm not entirely sure how often those days happen out at ocean beach. the inside seating is warm and comfortable and the restaurant isn't too loud. our waitress was really great. not too attentive but didn't leave us stranded either. and completely ignored weird/awkward comments from L, which are normal during any meal the two of us have out together. the one thing i will complain about is my lost reservation. i made a reservation a week ago but they didn't have it when we showed up yesterday, it would have been annoying if it was really crowded but there was no issue.

recommendation: perfect date spot, spot to take out of town guests or place to go if you're looking to really get out of your 'hood.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: okay!

Ocean Taqueria

location: 1836 divisadero (between bush and pine), pac heights

ocean taqueria is quite literally a 'hole-in-the-wall." you walk by the window and you know it's there but even to walk in is confusing. are you entering the liquor store to the right, the apartment above or this tiny little mexican joint? they're all in the same doorway. i used to frequent this place pretty often after long nights out at the bars when s lived around the corner but it had been a while. i was waiting on divis so i popped in for some food and it was pretty decent.

the entrance isn't the only confusing thing about this place. once you get to the back it's hard to tell where to order and it's impossible to know what you're spending. the people that work here are very nice so you just have to make eye contact and see what they say. as you can see above, the hand written menu has no prices. i think they literally decide on the fly. i had the nachos and they were good but they were definitely over priced. most of the food here looks pretty fresh but they melted the cheese in the microwave before adding the toppings and at $8 for the plate it seemed a little excessive.

the restaurant itself has a fun decor and the wait, in my experience, has never been very long. they have beer and wine and occasionally they'll offer you whatever bottle they have behind the register, if you're into that.

recommendation: if you're drunk on divis it could be a good time.

tastiness: okay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: okay!

Viking's Giant Subs

location: 1418 lombard street (at van ness), the marina

everyone has their favorite san francisco sandwich shop and with so many all over the city, it's easy to oversee some of them. i've passed by viking's a few times heading home and didn't decided to go in today when i was home sick, hungry and looking for the closest food available.

it did not disappoint!

this mom and pop deli is old school on the inside with fake plant vines hanging all around, brown faux wood wall paneling, and a vintage menu board that looks like it's older than me. the deli options are pretty standard and they offer some standard pre packed deli salads like macaroni and potato. i opted for the small (6") turkey, provolone and avocado ($1 added charge). there is only one bread option, sesame sub roll, and to my surprise, they toasted it! the ingredients seemed fresh and although my turkey wasn't freshly carved it was still sliced thick.

this toasted sub was way better than i was expecting, to be honest. i took it to go so i could eat it on the couch while i rested and it was still warm when i got back. better than any other toasted sub i had previously had. this place would definitely be worth wandering back into. also good to note: they take credit cards and serve beer!

recommendation: perfect for a picnic on fort mason or a stop on a tour of the marina.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: yay!

Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers

location: 3344 steiner street (at fillmore), the marina

j treated me to a sunny sunday evening at barney's and it was such a pleasant dinner surprise. we wandered into barney's when the cheap mexican restaurant we wandered to chestnut for was closed. from the outside it looks like a small, overpriced hamburger joint, but it is so much better than that. the outside patio is bright and airy and this weekend was covered with blackbirds, but i enjoyed them more than i was annoyed by them. the extensive menu of burgers (beef, chicken, turkey and veggie) is overwhelming with options and they all made my mouth water. j and i were like kids in a candy store with all of the appealing options. i started with a root beer float and we shared a basket of the garlic skinny fries. most of the menu items are a la carte but the portions are so big it's worth it to have to order them separately! the basket would have been enough for 3 or 4 people and my burger was the size of my head.

i went with the baja burger which had the juiciest chicken and crispiest bacon i've found out in a long time. and i'm always looking/trying. the burger also had melted jack and avocado with the toppings on the side. along with what i can only guess was thousand island dressing as the sauce option, whatever it was, i liked it. the portions were well priced, less than i was expecting for a marina restaurant with "gourmet" in the name. barney's is comparable to the burger bar, but with half of the pretentiousness.

our waiter was a different person every time they came out and we had to wait a while between seating and ordering and finishing and getting our check. and had to ask for water, which is always a little annoying. especially in a restaurant that's not bustling, but they were all very friendly. bonus points for having lemon water waiting in cute carafes.

testimonials:

"simply amazing" - j referring to his blackberry chocolate shake

recommendation: get over there for a cute date but don't make it a first date, you'll eat everything in sight.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: okay!

Kasa

location: 3115 fillmore st. (at filbert), the marina

i haven't had indian food many times so it's always a brand new experience for me. i get nervous about ordering the wrong thing and i'm intimidated to eat indian out. or in for that matter. kasa makes trying indian so easy! kasa's menu is simple and easy to follow and the two guys working at the fillmore location the night i went were happy to help with the ordering by answering menu questions and offering taste samples. the menu is easy, either you order kati rolls and pick your meat choice or your order the thali plate and pick your meat choice. from the their everything else is standard. kasa is perfectly priced and absolutely fantastic. i had the plate with the chicken tikka masala and turkey kebabs. the kebabs were so flavorful and the tikka masala sauce was so good i ended up dipping everything on my plate in it! the food portions are very generous and the price is very reasonable. my plate of food pictured above was $12 and probably could have fed an entire family, but instead, i alone ate most of it in one sitting.

kasa has two locations, the one in the marina and another location in the castro. the marina spot is vibrant with a large front open window that we were lucky enough to sit in. the restaurant offers beer and wine and imported indian sodas, similar to the sodas you'll find at a mexican taqueria. all of the food is freshly prepared and the staff were extremely pleasant and warm. it's the perfect quick casual dining experience.

recommendation: get over there asap.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Lunch Geek

location: 1400 market st. (between polk & fell), civic center

civic center is somewhat lacking in it's awesome lunch spots so i was extremely pleased to read that a new sandwich shop was opening up a couple blocks from work. lunch geek has a set menu of sandwich options and also a daily specials menu for new concoctions that they're trying out. all of the sandwiches have cute and clever names, such as 'i flunked gym class' and 'teacher's pet," the latter of which i enjoyed on my trip. and the atmosphere is just as cute and clever with science classroom themed decor and sandwich served on cafeteria style food trays, just like middle school! as far as lunch goes they offer a few different acme bread selections which always make for a wonderful lunch. everything is really cheap for how tasty it is (or sounds, i've only been in once but definitely want to go again). my sandwich was $7.95 and a decent size. this is no subway footlong, thank god, but it will definitely fill you up. my sandwich had free range chicken breast, melted swiss cheese, avocado, mayo, geek sauce (not certain what exactly this is, but it was good), and veggies.

we strolled in around 12:05pm and the line was out the door by 12:15. they only take cash. no beer/wine/booze, but a nice selection of specialty soda's and eco-friendly bottled waters (ironic, no?).

recommendation: take an early lunch, they're not open on the weekends.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!