the bagel comes down

let’s pause for a moment of silence for katz bagels’ iconic sign over 16th street.

it was removed today.
(via sfist)

for lunch the flu-ridden zach and i headed to l’s caffe on 24th (just outside his self-directed three block radius). it was my first visit. it’s a great spot for soups, salads, sandwiches, smoothies, coffee and laptops. what a perfect place to spend a cloudy afternoon!

after a stop by work and my favorite salvation army, natalie and i joined amit for dinner at old jerusalem restaurant on mission street. this is my favorite local place for middle eastern and mediterranean cuisine. we ordered some fatta, baba ghanoush, and several falafel. they bring plenty of pita bread for dipping and sandwich making. our favorite was the stuffed falafel with onions and pine nuts inside. we were pretty stuffed ourselves but had passed mission pie on the way to the restaurant and were still craving some baked goodness. i hadn’t been to mission pie’s newly opened cafe area but was quite impressed. tony and i split a slice of the plum frangipane and amit and natalie shared some banana cream pie. amazing. tasty crust. i must mention that you can follow mission pie on twitter. only in san francisco.

tony and i were craving a meaty but meatless sandwich and some greasy garlic fries and had less than an hour before we were supposed to meet up with friends for a birthday celebration (what is it with all the birthdays around this time of year, anyways?) so we headed to jay’s cheesesteak on 21st street.

leave it to san francisco to have a vegetarian version of everything. we had split bbq seitan and an order of garlic fries (they’re huge sandwiches!). i love the toasted sub roll it comes on. good news for vegans: rumor has it that jay is cool with byosc (bring your own soy cheese).

then it was around the corner to papa toby’s revolution cafe for some sangria on the sidewalk with paul (the birthday boy), meghan and her dog sake, andy, and several of paul’s friends. after a few pitchers and pictures we moved the celebration to phoenix bar on valencia to get some grub and honor irish coffee’s 56th anniversary in the united states. i love irish coffee, i think it is one of my favorite drinks – the buena vista is definitely the authority but in the mission the phoenix will substitute nicely. if you get hungry while you’re there, i highly recommend the potato nachos.

11:11 – One Minute Wish

“Everyone who can make it to the courts at Dolores Park are invited to gather there on November 11 at 11ish am and/or pm. When 11:11 strikes, we will collectively cast our own wishes during a minute of silence. The alignment of numbers and synchronicity of people coming together for a common mission can remind us that together we can realize the true effect that positive thinking can have. While there, some of us will be taking photos and making a Wish List to be published in the future, preserving and perpetuating all wishes made.
Everyone not in San Francisco are also encouraged to take a wishing moment at 11:11. Please email your wish to 1111wishlist@gmail.com for inclusion in the publication, and to spread your hope around in general.”

in our quest to experience every veggie burrito in the mission, tony and i checked out el castillito’s mission location this evening. tony used to live fairly close to their castro location and it’s one of his favorite taquerias. tonight, we were less than impressed. the burrito was bland and was not grilled after assembly like they have done at the castro location in past visits. burrito eater, i had more faith in your recommendations.

what a lovely sunday! brunch at our place with new and old friends. an afternoon walk through the mission. check out my flickr stream for more.

started the day (and by day i mean afternoon) with brunch club @876 (my old residence) which included new and old friends, bacon, mimosas, and lots of vegan pancakes.

the coma induced by too many vegan pancakes required a stop by atlas cafe for some caffeination. i hadn’t been to atlas in months since it’s out of my new home-to-work route; i used to go there often for coffee and/or lunch. i’m not usually a salad girl, but i recommend the atlas salad and the option to add tofu. they have a back patio area where you’re allowed to have your pooch so it’s great for dog owners and dog lovers alike.

then on to the photojojo photo safari! went on despite the rain and had a HUGE turnout (over 100 people they say!) saw some great mission murals; things i’d passed before but never stopped to take a moment to really look at them or take some photos. i’m looking forward to retracing our steps on a sunnier day.

the day ended with a birthday dinner for my friend kerry at bissap baobab. tony and i split the plantains and the mafe with tofu. i’m a sucker for anything that includes peanut sauce. the portions were smaller than i remembered and it was a little chilly on the back “enclosed patio” but overall they did an impressive job of seating a large group and taking a reservation 24 hours in advance and most importantly yummy cocktails.

tomorrow (saturday) afternoon, the awesome kids over at photojojo are hosting a photo safari in the mission district! they’ll be discussing the murals in the mission – of which there are a lot of great ones. i went to their first photo safari while i was in new york last month; we took a lot of great photos and had a lot of fun. here’s a video from that event (look closely and you can see me in my red scarf!). be sure to check out the one in the mission tomorrow if you’re in the area!

sugarlump is great place to take your laptop and/or a few friends for conversation.

downsides: they don’t take credit cards and it’s only open until 10pm.