Citrus Club

location: 1790 haight street (at shrader), the haight

c has been raving about citrus club for a while and i finally had a chance to check it out for dinner with her. from the outside it looks like it could be a run down little hole-in-the-wall but once you're inside it's spacious with low lights and wooden decor.
the food is mostly thai noodle and soup dishes. i had the shanghai noodles which came on a plate bigger than my head. the portions, most likely meant to be served family style, are large and inexpensive. the shanghai noodle dish included both beef and tofu with a mixture of veggies and a delicious sauce. i like any place where i can spend less than $10 and have enough food for two meals, in this case it was dinner and lunch the next day. i would like to go back with a bigger group and sample more from the menu. my experience this time was great. the wait staff was friendly and quick, the food was delicious and the company was great.

recommendation: take the family!

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe

location: 566 columbus avenue (at union), north beach

mario's is not a cigar store. it may have been at one point. it's kinda boho but it's mostly just amazing. this cafe on the corner of columbus and union has a spectacular view of washington square park and st. peter & paul church (my fave in sf). it's small, the people that work there are nice and they serve delicious hot foccacia sandwiches made with bread from liguria bakery, which is just around the corner.

i've been here a few times and i'm always waiting for my next trip back. i went with l & j and we split red & white house carafes and ordered sandwiches. i had the hot foccacia with turkey and melted pepper jack cheese. it also has onions and dijon mustard. just 4 simple ingredients that make up one of the best sandwiches i've ever had. and it's cheap.

the menu is mostly sandwiches, a few dinner entree options, and some salads. the service is quick and it's a great atmosphere while you're waiting. usually feels like it's mostly regulars sitting at the bar, most likely talking about yesteryear.

there is limited seating outside, which makes it perfect for a sunny north beach day. they serve food until about 9 or 10 and beer and wine even later.

recommendation: if you haven't been, go. now. bring me.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Weirdfish

location: 2193 mission street (at 18th), the mission

weirdfish is the perfect name for this mission eatery that is a seafood and vegetarian restaurant. not exactly two things i see being paired together, in my experience it's one or the other. but weirdfish does it right. almost every option on the menu is available with fish or a seitan substitute. it's small inside with a cozy, edgy, beachy decor. the napkins are black bandannas, if that paints a picture for you. they aim to be completely green and sustainable and everything about the place is or feels very fresh.

i went for dinner with m & j and the first thing we learned is that they won't seat you until you have your whole party. annoying but completely understandable. they also don't want you sitting around your table gabbing forever after you're finished and they politely have that printed on their menu. i appreciate that. there are a million bars in that neighborhood you can post at, taking up a table i might sit at is rude.

we started with the yo-yo's. what are yo-yo's you may be asking. they are deep fried pickles and they are amazing. they came with a vegan ranch sauce and a chipotle sauce. m & j were partial to the chipotle sauce, i liked the ranch. we loved the pickles. i could have eaten all 4 that came in the order. i had the butter-basted mahi mahi. it had a chili glaze on it that was a little overwhelming for me but it was very good. the rice and vegetables on the side were a perfect complement and after eating the entire plate i didn't feel super full, it was a perfect portion.

weirdfish is cheap, tasty, cute and serves beer and wine. i will say that the sangria was a bit disappointing. it was pretty much white wine with apples in it. but everything else was a hit.

recommendation: get over there with your entire party or you'll have to wait!

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Blue Mermaid

471 jefferson street (at hyde), fisherman's wharf

touristy meets tasty at the blue mermaid chowder house, located in the lobby of the argonaut hotel. i had walked by a few times and thought it looked really cute inside and wanted to check out their chowder. t & h came to sf for dinner so i thought what better than to take them to a cheesy wharf restaurant to acquaint them with my new neighborhood.

the inside of this restaurant is festive in every nautical way possible. anchors, ropes, steering wheels, and waiters in stripes! the decor is cute, to say the least (the lobby of the argonaut hotel is also really nautically cute).

we settled into our table after a short wait at the bar where beers were less expensive than i was expecting. $6 for an anchor steam draft, i've paid more for a bottle down at the wharf.

the menu offers 4 different kinds of clam chowder! i went for the original chowder in a bread bowl and was surprised by the delicious taste of bacon! the other options had corn in them which i do not like (see my review of the buena vista, just up the block from the mermaid).

we shared a half crab which was overpriced and didn't taste as fresh as other crab i've had down there but it was still very satisfying soaked in melted butter. the popcorn shrimp and fish 'n' chips did not disappoint either.

i can't really think of a reason you'd jump out of your seat and hurry down to this restaurant but the food was really good. the service, although a little slow, was very friendly.

recommendation: take a visiting family member!

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: okay!

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!