Tag Archives: dining

Where to…Eat, Now?

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Life in San Francisco is hectic enough. Between our jobs, zumba-pilates-yoga-triathalontraining, family life, friends, fetishes and foundations who really has the time to keep on top of the restaurant scene? Obviously this is one of my greatest passions and I still find myself getting scooped or unawares of the next great food truck, pop up or dining hot spot. I can only imagine how daunting it is for people with normal time or interest.

Still, we’re a food obsessed town. Everyone wants to try out the latest Beard-nominated phenom. When your friends come to town from Paris, you just want to give them that insider experience – don’t you? But where to begin? How can you keep on top of things without spending days combing the interwebs looking for relevant information. And who can you trust?

Following is a breakdown of my favorite ways to get information about dining in San Francisco. But frankly, I think most of the resources I use are national, so if you find yourself in New York, Chicago or LA, this could easily be applicable.

THE LIST
For the aforementioned ‘friends in town’ scenario – the best place to start is at our dear old friend sf.eater.com. On the “38 Essential San Francisco Restaurants” page, superstar editor Carolyn Alburger painstakingly updates monthly the “in” places in the Bay. She even comments on why places are added or removed. It’s really the greatest resource we have for knowing where you ‘should’ be eating. There’s even a handy map if you’re trying to zero in on a neighborhood. Her list requires that a restaurant be open at least six months, so I don’t consider this the cutting edge I often seek. It’s more of a safe bet.

THE HEAT MAP
For more of the cutting edge, Ms. Alburger has created the spectacular, indispensable “Eater Heat Map” where “More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends and family of Eater have one question: Where should I eat right now?” The question is deftly answered with the places that have buzz. While this list might cause debate amongst die-hard obsessives, it’s a great resource for most enthusiasts.

THE NEWSLETTER
Tablehopper is a newsletter that is published weekly by  Marcia Gagliardi, the queen bee of the Bay Area food scene. A subscription to her newsletter is an essential part of being-in-the-know. The minute something opens Marcia is there and reporting. She also keeps an updated list of 10 Places to Eat at Now that comes in handy on a search. In fact, if you compare it to the eater lists, places with overlap are a sure bet [wink wink].

NO RESERVATIONS
Opentable is not only good for getting reservations, but in many cases, I prefer the reviews here over Yelp. They tend to be concise and trend in directions that can help you make choices (I’ll comment about Yelp below). But most importantly, we often don’t plan enough in advance to score reservations at places like Flour+Water and Frances. With Opentable, you can see what is available as you comb the lists above. I will often plug in my date / time and scan the available reservations before making a decision.

MESSAGE BOARD
Chowhound is daunting. Unless you are prepared to navigate miles of message boards to find the pearl of wisdom you seek, you might want to try a different approach. If I am looking for something specific, like “Best Pizza in San Francisco” I will add “chowhound” to my google search and scan the lively debates. What I’ll often find is that a thread will go on forever, but clear consensus forms, from which I can make a pretty solid decision. This has been my savior when seeking whitefish salad in New York, Deli in LA and hot dogs / pizza in Chicago.

NO WAY, JOSE
Time to Yelp bash a little. I don’t see much value in Yelp. When people are moved to post to Yelp, I question their motivation. I’m guessing it is typically when they have an experience that moves them to action, whether positive, negative or neutral, depending on the person themselves. But, what do we know about these people? And how are their opinions relevant to us? I could try to glean information from their profile or previous posts, but thats simply too much work. I often find that I don’t get much help out of Yelp in actually making decisions. Sorry for the non-sequitor here, but I think it’s relevant.

BLOGS, GLORIOUS BLOGS
Lastly, the Bay Area is littered with media outlets and blogs, like my own, that can help you find some solid information. Here is a list of some of my favorites:

7×7 Eat + Drink
San Francisco Magazine Eat & Drink
SFGate Food
SFBG Food & Drink
SFWeekly Foodie
Bay Are Bites KQED
Grub Street SF
Cooking with Amy
Bay Are Foodie
YUM SFStation
KelsEats 

Now that I’ve added to the inundation of your life, I leave you with my favorite Dr. Suess, as it relates to seeking restaurants, from “Oh, the Places You’ll Go”:

You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

In Praise of Sardines: Contigo Review

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Scored a sweet last-minute table at Contigo thanks to rockstar Glickenator. We let the waitress do all of the ordering for us, which has really become my favorite way of experiencing a restaurant. Overall, I would say that this place is standout and has a lot of the qualities I love in a restaurant. The design is flawless. Very inviting and charming with modern touches like: all of their refrigerators are lined up in plain view next to the bathroom. The owners are clearly passionate about Spanish food and seem to be creating a community vibe in the place. Chef Brett Emerson is an alumni of Zax and Zax Tavern, L’Amie Donia, Bizou (all are now closed), Lulu, and the Greens. He also has a blog called In Praise of Sardines [LINK].

We started with a host of fish courses, despite indicating that two of our diners were not fans of fish. More for me I suppose, but it did seem a bit inconsiderate. The Sardines were wonderful, thick with a bite of fishy up front but a mellow finish. I wasn’t a huge fan of the tomato and anchovy dish – I felt the anchovies overpowered some really good  tomatoes! But the octopus, oh the octopus. It was exceptionally tender with a hint of dressing and a crunch of friseé. Lovely.

The Serano ham could have been the best I’ve ever had. Sliced to order and clearly a good batch. It’s amazing how a bit of charcuterie can be so right or so wrong (here me Gialina and Tony’s!). I was conflicted with the oxtail croquetas. The crunch of vegetables was both interesting and a little curious. I still haven’t resolved that one. But one thing I definitely resolved was that I loved the pork belly bocadillos, which is essentially a bacon hamburger. A nice, not too fatty slab was piled with onions and allioli on a bun. Served with mini paprika potato chips. Ah.

The little gem salad didn’t knock my socks off. It seemed to be on the menu just to fit in to San Francisco. I was also a little soft on their albondigas [meatballs]. I liked the meat itself, a lot. But it needed sme salt and could have had a zippier sauce for my preference. But the garden lettuces with sherry vinegar was on point. They accented it with caña de oveja cheese and toasted hazelnuts. More more more.

We all enjoyed a chicken dish served with insanely sweet caramelized onions and a risotto made with paella rice. The chicken itself was perfectly cooked and as tasty as chicken can be, but I kept scooping up the rice and onions. I could have had a dish of just those. We ended with a catalonian flan that was stellar. But the dessert that stole the show was a cup of hot chocolate with hot and crispy churros to dip. Are you kidding me? Nice.

Contigo is definitely worth a visit. I suspect it will have staying power as a neighborhood joint. Frankly, it’s the best thing going in Noe. I’m not sure if it will reach legendary heights. There is still room for someone to take Spanish food to another level in San Francisco. I’m waiting for a proper Basque-style pinchos [basque tapas] joint. Anyone?

Hair of the Dog

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Oh Charles! Why oh why, Charles?

In the late 90s I lived on 18th and Valencia. Regularly, on my way home from work I would stop off at the Slanted Door for some Shaking Beef, Fresh Spring Rolls or Clay Pot Chicken. The energy of the first SD location was the epitome of the boom days of the .com era. Mission hipsters lined up down the block, the music was loud, the food was innovative and unique, the vibe was perfect.

Charles Phan at Heavens Dog

Charles Phan at Heaven's Dog

Perfect, so much so, the rest is the tale of San Francisco restaurant legend. First there was the temporary location in South Beach (never made it, sorry). Then the big Ferry Building gamble that paid off in spades (Slanted Door is one of the top grossing restaurants in the city). Next, another gamble on Out the Door, which I think the jury is still out-the-door on (man, I’m just kicking the puns this week!). They certainly seem consistently busy there and overcame a massive ceiling water burst, which closed them for a few weeks. Then there was the cafeteria at the Academy of Arts and Sciences, which I am guessing was an ego venture.

And now we have Heaven’s Dog, the latest venture from the Phan family located on the ground floor of the Soma Grand on Mission Street at 7th Street. I met my pal Tony for lunch, despite his protestations. It seems the “Dog” wasn’t getting good reviews. But, how could that be possible? At the least, with Charles’ influence, there had to be a sensible menu with a handful of well-executed gems. Right? Charles? Right?

Unfortunately this isn’t one of those happy endings. In fact, everything we ate (and we both agreed, so this isn’t my jaded view) was just plain bad. I know that this my second negative restaurant review in a row (see Gialina) but I can’t say a single positive thing about the food at Heaven’s Dog. Here’s the rundown:

Upon our server’s recommendation we had the pork belly & bun appetizer. This was probably the best dish, but it just came up dry. The meat was juicy and would have been fine in another vessel, but the bun was dry and needed some sort of sauce. Just a simple hit of a plum-type sauce would have done the trick. Or maybe an innovative fiery broth from the mind of Charles. But no.

Pork Belly Bun

Pork Belly Bun

Next were house-special dumplings, again upon recommendation. The skins were mushy, the broth inside wasn’t terribly tasty and the meat was just a lump of ground pork. They served it with a soy sauce and ginger – neither added anything. I kept thinking of the comparable dumpling at Yank Sing, which is on another planet by comparison. Everything about the Yang Sing dumpling screams exceptional. I don’t understand why Charles wouldn’t aspire to do better.

For mains we went with more suggestions (maybe our waitress wanted to torture us?) – Salt and Pepper Squid and Braised Kale. We expected the squid to be fresh and tender. What we got was greasy, chewy and salty fried calamari. Absolutely nothing innovative about it. We couldn’t even finish it. The Kale looked promising. It was bright green and seemed to be cooked perfectly. But then we tasted the sauce. It was essentially soy sauce. I tasted nothing but soy. So, I was eating bad calamari and kale soaked in soy.

As we finished up I looked around the room and started wondering where the name came from. Waiting for the check, the kale sat in front of me and I started to think that it smelled like a wet dog. It all made sense.

I still believe Charles is a superstar. Whenever we have guests in town I take them to the Ferry Building and brave the crowds for a nostalgic Shaking Beef or Imperial Roll. But if this meal was any example of what’s cooking at Heaven’s Dog, and other reviewers seem to confirm, Charles may be spread too thin. We have the right to expect more.

On My Way Home: Fresh Fish!

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Internet has been spotty at our last jaunt on the island of Milos. We’ve been driving through the construction zone that is burying the new high-speed line as we come and go to our villa in Pollonia. Food has been straightforward Greek here, nothing to write home about, yet consistently good. This is the first time we’ve really been able to indulge in fresh fish though, which is an interesting conundrum.

 

Fish Close Up

Fish Close Up

I’ve never been to an island culture before that made eating fish so prohibitive. The average fish is 40-100 euros per kilo, which quickly adds up. We’ve heard claims that the Mediterranean is over-fished. Some say that only the best line-caught fish are sold fresh in restaurants and the rest is frozen. Whatever the case, eating fish is more of a luxury than a staple to the Greek diet, which came as a surprise.

More importantly, for the first time in a number of years, I’m not looking forward to coming home right now. Since introducing a young child in the mix, traveling has presented new challenges. I’ve uniformly been ready to return to the comforts of home on our jaunts to Mexico, Spain and Ecuador. But now that Judah is four, he’s starting to participate in the experience of the traveling more and it’s a lot of fun. I can’t wait to show him more of this wonderful world!

 

Judah in Greece

Judah in Greece

Lastly, I am excited and nervous about how I am going to maintain the reinforced, and new, principles I am taking from Michael Pollan. After finishing Omnivore’s Dilemma I immediately devoured In Defense of Food (click to buy) and don’t think I can look at the supermarket in the same way. I was a Whole Foods devotee and my eyes are now wide open to the fact that the industrial food complex is not limited to the traditional food system. I cannot stress how important it is to read these books. Do yourself the favor…

I am hopeful that I can keep up with my posts at home. Running a more-than-full-time career requires a lot of time. But I love the energy generated by my food posts. Help me spread the word and give me suggestions for posts and I’ll be motivated to keep it up. I’ll see you back in the states in a few days. And I’ll be reviewing Flour & Water as soon I return.

The Water of Love

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Today I was surprised. We were all surprised. It was one of those days where you stumble across something lovely and want to savor it, respect it, pay homage to it. I suppose writing this blog is the best I can do to honor our meal at To Nero Tis Agapis (The Water of Love) restaurant on the island of Spetses, Greece.

We planned to rent bikes and ride until it started to rain and then find somewhere for lunch. The rain held back and we made it a quarter of the way around the island and faced the decision: press on and take a chance of no more restaurants and possible rain, or turn back and eat. We decided to pack a lunch for a long ride tomorrow, since the weather forecast was more forgiving and find somewhere to eat lunch now.

I had a place stuck in my head that we had passed 10 or 15 minutes earlier. It was perched over the sea and had a white-linen elegance top to bottom, without feeling pretentious. It was totally empty.

I often judge a restaurant by the number of people inside. If it’s good, the locals will be eating there. But this was 2pm on a Tuesday in a shoulder season on an upscale tourist island. No matter, it was about to start raining and the place looked fine.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I am really amazed by Greek hospitality. We have still yet to enjoy a meal without receiving something on the house. It must be a national ploy to justify higher costs by making visitors think they are getting something for free. Still, I love it! The people really take time to make you feel welcome, play with our son Judah and create an experience. Good for you, Greece.

Here we were welcomed, seated and treated to a warm basket of bread and an amous bouche of raw sardine in olive oil with parsley. The young waitress, originally from Athens, with perfect English, immediately offered suggestions. Have you tried this traditional dish or that type of fish? She had Julie and I hooked, as we love to get suggestions and let someone else do the ordering. This was our chance to let go and try some new things. We were in her hands.

 

Tarosalata, Fish Roe Dip, Spetses, Grecce

Taramosalata, Fish Roe Dip, Spetses, Grecce

 

She started us off with something so wonderful it was shocking how fast it went down. As you can see by the photo there was an ample sized plate of “Taramosalata”, a dip of fish roe, common to the region, but new to me. It was lightly fishy, but mostly creamy and fluffy and savory – oh my. We scooped and scooped with warm bread until I was dredging the plate for stragglers. Really, I was not expecting this and it started off this meal off very right.

 

Baked Cheese with Tomatoes

Baked Cheese with Tomatoes

 

Next she brought us some baked cheese with tomatoes and herbs. Clean and simple, filled with flavor and a sweet crust on the cheese. This was followed by our first foray into octopus in Greece. We both have mixed feelings about this sea-critter, as it universally seems chewy, but is tasty enough and seemingly a darling to foodies. Here, they balanced the chewiness by drying and then grilling it until slightly crispy. The dish was elevated with some grilled local mushrooms, similar to chanterelles, and tiny pearl onions, all drizzled with a fine balsamic reduction.

Fresh Cod, Before

Fresh Cod, Before

 

Fresh Cod, After

Fresh Cod, After

 

For our main course we were offered a choice of fresh fish, just off the boat. Interestingly, on the Greek Islands, most of the fish is frozen, which must be indicated on the menu, by law. Fresh fish is very seasonal and a mixed bag. Luckily, The Water of Love is devoted to seasonality and they keep up with local fishermen. Today we were offered cod and red mullet. We opted for the cod. It was prepared flash fried, whole. Upon piercing the skin, the flaky snow white flesh burst through. I drizzled mine with lemon, olive oil and pepper. Simple & simply perfect – perhaps the best piece of cod I’ve ever had.

 

Baklava

Baklava

 

For dessert we were served bakhlavah, fillo pastry with chopped nuts and honey and halvas, a semolina cake. Both were subtly sweet though I prefer the flakiness and nuttiness of bakhlavah. Of course they were on-the-house!

 

Halvas

Halvas

 

We spent a while chatting with our waitress, reveling in the fact that the seasonal crowds were still weeks away and we were their only guests. The rain subsided and we hopped back on our bikes filled with a bit of smugness in knowing that we just had an experience. Maybe it was a special occasion for the chef to step up, or maybe every meal at The Water of Love is this good. Regardless, unless you take the trip to Spetses and venture out of the main port to seek out this tiny enclave, you’ll just have to trust me.

First Meal in Athens, Greece [Complete with Jet Lag!]

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Judah at the dinner table, Athens, Greece

Judah's Babysitter in Athens, Greece

We arrived in Greece this morning on the day of Julie’s 40th birthday. To give her some respite from the 15 hours of travel with our four year old, I got her a spa afternoon and took the rugrat for the day. We walked the neighborhood called Monastiraki, in the shadow of the Acropolis.

 

Judah snacked on fried potatoes and grilled bread with olive oil “melted butter” to get him to eat it. I’m always amazed at how fresh and flavorful fries are everywhere else but at home. Our potatoes are just a symptom of the industrial farming complex (can you tell I am finally reading Omnivoure’s Dilemma?). These are small and dense, with a natural burst of flavor that we try to replicate by soaking our fast food fries in sugar water.

A few local beers got me in stride. The streets were bustling with young Greeks. My first impression was ‘that this ain’t Italy’! The people are quite stout and hearty – I won’t be headturning much here. But I was so pleased to see how unbelievably friendly they are, particularly to children. Our waiters became instant nannies and Judah played with abandon. This is going to be fun.

After Julie returned from her spa, it was clear that jet lag was beating us all down. We decided to dine early, which in Greece means 8:30! We headed out to a recommended spot, Mamacas….

When done right, I love the whitewashed Greek minimalism. Mamacas felt warm and inviting and it had a hum, despite the early hour. A few splashes of color and smells of roasted meats added to the sensual invitation.

The thing about traveling with a four year old is that we only have so much to entertain him. Meals are tough. His tastes lean towards standard American child fare, no matter how much we offer, cajole or entice. The kid loves his pizza, mac-n-cheese and hot dogs. So, when confronted with a long meal of adult food, Judah is indulged with his iPod. I know, we’re awful parents! But thanks to Yo Gabba Gabba and Super Why, our kid is happy, we’re sane and he is actually learning to read.

We started with a “fava bean puree” that actually arrived yellow in color. First bite confirmed that it was chick peas instead. Scooped with a warm grilled flatbread and topped with fresh, sweet red onions, lemon and perfect olive oil, it was fresh and clean. A great start.

Next was a spicy grilled feta cheese, so distant from the salty mess we put on “Greek” salads, I was confounded. Apparantly there a many more varieties of Feta than I’ve known and I’m excited to dive in. This preparation was simple and rustic, and even Julie, who shies away from the unhealthy, gobbled it up.

But the dish that floored both of us and signaled that this was going to be a good trip was the spit fired lamb. Low on presentation but off the charts on flavor it tasted like it was butchered today and immediately put on the spit, roasted all day and just reached it’s readiness for our carniverous appetites. The meat was earthy and tender with a minimum of seasoning and a burst of sweetness from the fat and skin. I commented that I wish I were one of those people who enjoyed gnawing to the bone, as this was worth savoring. Maybe I’ll become one as I did a pretty good job on the shank.

True to the Greek spirit the friendly waiters brought us free drinks and dessert while fawning over Judah. He’;s going to be an asset here, although I am writing this in the middle of the night because he cannot sleep. Ever try to teach a kid how to fall back to sleep when he isn’t tired? Where’s the damn iPod?

Meatpaper at Camino [Fight for your Corndog!]

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The other night I was invited by  my friend Yaella to join her for round three of my birthday celebrations at an event sponsored by Meatpaper magazine. The main draw for me was an opportunity to enjoy a growing trend of the whole-animal movement. Creative chefs find ways to utilize the entire animal in their cuisine, saving waste and pushing the limits of their skills. Pork was to be butchered and served. I was excited as there simply is no better animal to dissect and consume as a whole.

Upon arriving we were greeted and told there was liquor in the front, meat in the back. We queued up for some fancy cocktails that went down way too easily. I immediately noticed that there were way way too many people for my liking. When it comes to food events you’ve got to have a lot of passed nibbles or I’ll start to get surly. It seemed like everybody was well on their way to being surly.

There were buffet tables set up that had scant traces of pork, by means of Fatted Calf terrine, which was rustic and earthy – they never disappoint. Further down the table there was a curious vegetarian offering of potato salad next to a snap pea and asparagus salad. They were tasty and plentiful, but not why anyone had come. Lastly there were unidentified slices of Perbaco salumi of various hues and a bacon marshmallow that Yaella and I agreed would be best served on top of a sweet potato or root vegetable soup. I kept thinking to myself, if this is all we’re eating the natives will get restless.

Camino has a kicking kitchen. I’ve yet to eat off their regular menu, but I suspect I’ll return just to witness their use of the screaming fire pit. Apparently there was some butchering at one point in the evening. That would have been nice to see. Now, there was only a sea of people jostling, reaching and scavenging. It wasn’t pretty. At one point I saw a tray of five corn dogs sneak over the counter and a fight nearly broke out. A massive guy lunged over a spritely hippy chick as she slid the last dog from the tray and darted into the crowd. He looked like he was going to hit her.

This went on for another hour or so until I gave up hope that we would eat at all. I did manage to try some of the pork loin crostini (I think) and some lard-laced cookies. One benefit of everyone hovering at the kitchen was that the bar remained relatively empty. I got shitfaced.

Ultimately we toughed it out and enjoy some solid East-Bay people. But in the end we were still hungry so we slogged across the bridge and ended the night at Beretta!

A Proper Chicago Dog

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I may not be a fan of their pizza, but Chi-town knows their hot dogs. 
Where to get one proper in SF? Check out the cart in the corner of 7th and Folsom. Hours are sporadic, but the wares are authentic: Vienna beef, neon relish, pickle, celery salt, sport pepper, tomatoes…. I haven’t tried their Italian beef, which I only discovered on their menu today, but trust I will!

The Birthday Month [Starts with Taylor's]

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I turned 40 yesterday. My wife turns 40 and my son turns four next week (I know, we’re all Taureans – ouch). Rather than have a blowout celebration that would leave me hungover, only amplifying my growing limitations, we decided to spread things out. For the next four weeks we’ll be celebrating in small venues with assorted compadres and treating ourselves to indulgences here and there. Oh yeah, and most of it will be in Greece.

I plan to use the Blog as a travelogue to not only document our culinary encounters, but to also dump some of my pent-up thoughts on the passage of time, ancient cultures, religion and lack thereof, our my aging body and our relationship with nature. Heavy stuff, eh? Of course I’ll lace it with plenty of swear words and cynicism.

But, before we get serious, the festivities started last night with a kick-off at Taylor’s Refresher in the Ferry Building. What’s interesting about this is that we chose Taylor’s because we wanted a kid-friendly place, where the adults could also drink. Surprisingly there aren’t many places where 4-year olds can run around with reckless abandon while Mom and Dad tie one on. It’s a sad state, frankly. In the past we’ve gone to Axis Café and the café in the Bakar Fitness Center (ho hum). I think there is a concept restaurant here (maybe the Applebees and the Olive Garden have a purpose?).


Anyway, nothing much to report except solid fast-food with good people. I recommend the sweet potato fries (without the chili, sorry guys, it was gross), the onion rings (perfect amount of sea salt on them), the Ahi Burger astounds and the treat of the night was poaching the kids mini corn dogs – oh yum. Of course their shakes and burger are also great, but you already knew that.

The stand out of the evening was courtesy of my lovely wife……Banana Cream Tart from Tartine. This thing is off the charts. The texture of the cream reminds me of a merengue with the flavor of a custard. The bananas somehow remain fresh and crisp in all of the goop, the slivers of chocolate add even more pleasure and the crust is a tried and true winner (the same they use with their stellar quiche).


Thanks to the ‘gang-with-littlens’ – it was fun. I can’t wait to dive into my upcoming posts. We are leaving this afternoon for a jaunt to Napa, staying at the Bardessonno , a new luxurious spa where our friend consulted on the guest experience.

Insider’s Secret: John Campbell’s Irish Bakery [Geary @ 20th Ave]

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Twas the night before St. Patties Day and Gaspare’s was tasty, when we stumbled upon a store with crazy Irish pastry!! John Campbell’s was filled with pasties and scones and sausage rolls and mince pies. Who would’ve known??

If you haven’t discovered this mid-Richmond treasure, you’ll want to plan a trip to John Campbell’s Irish Bakery soon. This unassuming storefront at 5625 Geary Street has authentic Irish baked goods, which, quite frankly, I never knew were worth considering.

I’ve been to this block a million times, since Gaspare’s is right across the street. It wasn’t until dining with our friends, the Fletcher’s, who were prepping for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration the next day, that the place popped up on our radar. David, a dedicated foodie, came into to dinner quite excited: “Have you been to the Irish Bakery?”. ‘Is it good?”. “It looks wonderful!”.


Since then I’ve returned a few times and I must report that this place is the real deal. The scones are light and airy and not too sweet, the pasties are flaky and flavorful, the pies are sweet and have a distinct Irish theme with mince and other such jams. They have soda bread, potato bread and a few shelves with Irish dry goods.

John Campbell’s is just another reason to be thankful for living in a diverse city. They are also open late so you can hit their partner Irish Pub next door, The Blarney Stone (there is a door between them) and then stumble home with breakfast in hand!