Poki Time

Tea Time has been thinking about trying all the poke joints in San Francisco, but poke is becoming so popular that this may not be possible.  However, we heard good things about Poki Time, so we headed over to the Lombard Street location.

You really can't miss the place. (yes, it's the old KFC)

Poke is the only option, but there are several choices to be made along the way. You can see the menu on the website, in case you have trouble deciding on the spot.

You build your own bowl, however big/small you prefer. Choose a base, protein, toppings, sauce and then you're ready. Fast, healthy food at it's finest. All the ingredients we got to pick from were fresh and tasty.

JK's bowl with lettuce base, Hawaiian style fish and toppings.

Angela's bowl with lettuce and rice base, Hawaiian style fish and toppings.

  

 You know Tea Time can't resist a good dessert and this Poki Time features a  macaron ice cream sandwiches right next to the main counter in a cute cooler. Made in San Jose, they were a delight. Check out Mavens Creamery if you need a fix!

Jk's Chocolate and Angela's Strawberry.

Poki Time has a open seating plan and when you enter you can either loiter in the back staring at the menu or hop in the line (there wasn't one when we arrived, phew) and get your meal pronto. It's a homey restaurant and the workers were very nice, helping us get our ice cream dessert after we were done with our bowls (so the sandwich wouldn't melt). Tea Time is sure they would have let us eat dessert first, but this time we decided to honor traditions by saving it until the end. We had a great time and a great meal, so we'll be back.

Lobster Me

I was searching the food court at the San Francisco Centre for something interesting to eat when I spotted Lobster Me, a fast food lobster restaurant. Lobster Me serves Maine lobster in many different forms. And they are really fast! My lobster roll was ready in less than five minutes.

You can see the menu more clearly on the website,
but some items are not available in some locations

I'm from Connecticut, so I like my lobster roll with butter, not mayonnaise. The rolls are served with coleslaw and house-made chips. The platters at Jimmies of Savin Rock come with cole slaw and fries, but Jimmies is a little out of my trade area these days. Lobster ME provides the closest to an authentic experience as I'm going to get, and I will definitely  be returning. Besides, if I'm in Connecticut in the right season, I order the soft shell crab platter at Jimmies.

And for dessert, a scoop of Belgian Chocolate at Haagen-Dazs. This flavor is available only at Haagen-Dazs shops.

UPDATE:  Belgian Chocolate is now in stores as part of the Destination Series. If you don't see it, ask your shopkeeper.

Cream in the Mission

We were walking in the Mission and noticed that there wasn't a line out the door at Cream, so we grabbed our chance to try their ice cream sandwiches. There were a few people ahead of us, but we needed the time to make our selections. As you can see, these are good-sized sandwiches and a tasty bargain at only $2.99.  J.K. chose the turtle cookies with chocoholic ice cram,  and Angela went with macadamia white chocolate chip cookies with strawberry ice cream. There isn't any place to sit, but there is a counter to lean on and stash whatever you're carrying.

Cream ice cream sandwiches (or you can get a cone/sundae) are freshly baked- Angela's cookies were still warm!-- and they have 10 flavors right now. They also have gluten-free and vegan cookies so it's an easy pick for the whole group. Of course you can pair your cruelty free cookie with a nice soy based ice cream. Taco Tuesday (who else loves a choco taco?!!) sounds like a delightful excuse to get your sundae and eat it too. We'll be around to check it out and update this posting. What's your favorite flavor combinations?

Lots of toppings

More toppings along the ice cream tubs

We're going back for Taco Tuesday!

Impressive choice of cookies

Lobsta Truck

I caught up with Lobsta Truck at 5th and Minna Streets. The menu isn't extensive, but both the lobster and crab are available either Connecticut (butter) style or Massachusetts (mayo) style. I didn't taste the crab, but I can report that the lobster is top quality and compares favorably with Jimmies of Savin Rock There aren't enough sides, though, unless you like soup with your lobster. I'd rather have coleslaw and fries. So instead of soup, after I devoured my lobster roll, I headed over to the food court at the San Francisco Center for a scoop of Haagen Dazs Belgian Chocolate ice cream.

Chile Pie x2

Pie. Ice Cream. Hand Pies. Sweet, savory, Chile Pies (and Ice Cream) has it all! You can visit them at their NOPA locations, or hop over to their Green Chile Kitchenette. Both are easy to get to by public transportation and also have street parking available (perhaps not ample, but if you have to lot lizard around a bit you can just meditate on your reward of pie a la mode).

Tea Time visited their NOPA location first. It's a medium sized resto with an ice cream counter (Three Twins, Yo), plus a great pie station as well. Tea Time was hungry, so we got lunch before dessert. It's a nice bonus that Chile Pie serves savory pies as well as traditional fruit pies, cream pies and nut pies. (Oh, don't forget the Frito Pie!) We settled upon a hand pie with side salad. This meal was filling even though we shared a plate. We really enjoyed the salad, it was a a great counterpoint to the hot pie.

Chicken hand pie and Beet salad on kale  with a yummy biscuit.

Hand pie cross section.

Pies, glorious pies! Whole to-go or by the slice.

Tea Time had spied on all the pies prior to ordering, and we settled on a winning combo. We'd eat this duo again and again.

Berry Pie with 3 Twins Chocolate Ice Cream-FTW!

The Green Chille Kitchenette was calling our name to check it out too. So after a little bit of wandering the Castro J.K. and I were ready to eat! The kitchen-ette is a place to get a quick bite, with fewer tables and less space. However, they still had plenty of pie. We let our stomachs do the ordering and ended up with leftovers! Our cup of savory sausage soup came with a biscuit and side salad, plus a shot of sour cream to tame the minor heat in the soup. We also got a full order of the beet and kale salad (which was just as tasty here as at the first resto). Finally we ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich with slaw. (J.K. took home half a sammie and lots of salad-it was a large serving!)

Cup of soup with side salad and yum-o biscuit

So nice we had it twice!

Pulled pork sammie with slaw-fritos on the side

This peanut butter pie with a chocolate cookie crust was very tempting...so we gave in. Of course we got it a la mode, can't resist those Twins! If you love peanut butter, this is the pie for you. J.K. and decided we prefer the berry with the chocolate ice cream, but that's just our taste buds talking.

Peanut Butter pie with Three Twins Chocolate ice cream

Even though the holiday rush is over, you may still find an occasion for pie. If you don't have the time/inclination to bake, head on over to the Chile Pies nearest to you (or just give them a call!) and grab what strikes your fancy. Don't forget to get some scoops to go on the side. Ice Cream is this years hottest accessory for baked goods.

Batch Made Market

I was disappointed because Angela and I had to forego the pho rolls from Rice Paper Scissors at the San Francisco Street Food Festival. After being on our own for the last part of the day, we were just too full. So when the Underground Market announced that Rice Paper Scissors was participating in their  Batch Made Market on September 8, I went over there for dinner. There was a $5 charge to enter the lot, which made it an expensive event, but ForageSF and its Underground Market are both good causes, and I really wanted those pho rolls.

RPS was right near the entrance, so I didn't have to look for them.

I couldn't decide whether to get the beef roll or the mushroom, and they were kind enough to indulge me with a half-and-half plate.

The pho rolls were as good as I remembered, but not quite a whole meal, even for me. As I was looking for another bite, I discovered the Stroopie booth, and decided dessert was next on my schedule.

As you know, Tea Time is partial to caramel, so I opted for the traditional caramel Stroopwafel. They are also available with small-batch jam filling. The jam is seasonal, and very small batch, so if you see a flavor you like, order it right away, because it might not be there next time.

Caramel goodness inside two crispy wafers

After savoring my Stroopie, I resumed the search for the rest of my dinner, and decided on coconut shrimp from SUP! Southeast Asian Street Food. Three large shrimp, served with a wedge of lime, dipping sauce and a generous serving of cucumber salad.

Although that completed my meal, I couldn't resist a final treat: a small scoop (kiddie size, honest!) of house-made chocolate ice cream from Post Street Creamery. Don't let the pale color fool you. Made with Valrhona chocolate, this has a very intense chocolate flavor!

There were lots of choices for finicky eaters, plus adult beverages and a seating area. 

 

 

 

 

It was a delicious, if slightly expensive, dinner.

Admission:           $5.00

Pho Rolls:             $8.00

Stroopie:               $4.00 

Coconut Shrimp:  $7.00

Ice Cream:            $2.50

So Bay Area readers, what do you think? Is it too much to pay to enter a food truck park and Then buy your dinner? The SOMA StrEat Food Park and all Off the Grid events are free to enter. Does this make a difference in where you eat? Other cities, do you have the option of getting street food like this? Tea Time knows in some parts of the world it's very common, but in others it's a novelty.