Zuni Cafe is one of the top rated and most popular restaurants in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley.  It is impossible to miss, taking up a full corner on Market St. with a giant yellow awning.  I have read a bunch of reviews, and everyone raves about the oyster selection and burger.  We caught great weather and decided to sit outside on Market.  Probably the most entertaining meal of my life; this is by far the best place to people watch in the city.

To drink we had a bottle of Saison Dupont and a balsamic bloody mary.  The Saison Dupont is hazy orange with a pure, fluffy, white head.  Lots of lace and sediment at the bottom.  The nose and mouth get similar experiences with extra citrus (lemon/orange peel) and a touch of coriander.  There is hidden spice that comes out in the dry finish.  It’s kind of bitter, but sweet and spicy at the same time, which creates a fantastic combination of flavor.  There is something about this label that I love, it’s great that the orange look of the beer matches the checkered bottle.  I was a little hesitant at first because it was so intense, but it grew on me for sure.

Although I was leaning on a glass of Chateau la Louviere 2005 Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend (12.80gl) from Bordeaux,  I opted for the Balsamic Bloody Mary (9.25). My favorite part was the minced red onion which added a lot of flavor and a great texture.  It wasn’t spicy enough for my liking but it did have the perfect balance of sweet and sour with their special ingredient, balsamic.

My date and I were both craving hamburgers, which is why we ended up  here in the first place.  Their House ground burger is described as being on a grilled rosemary focaccia with garden lettuces, aioli, and Zuni pickles. There were extra options to add, Gruyere, Mountain Gorgonzola, grilled onions, and portobello mushrooms.  We got the Mountain Gorgonzola and grilled onions.  The “zuni” pickles served on the side of the plate made this burger perfection. With the add ons to the burger it came out to 18.25. SO worth it.  One complaint, the ridiculous plate of “french fries”. HA. They did call them “shoe string” on the menu, but come on.  All I wanted was a french fry to go with my amazing burger, instead I got dried potato sticks that were impossible to pick up and awkward as hell to eat.  Using a fork for french fries? NO thanks.  Other than that, GREAT lunch!

Zuni Café

1658 Market Street

San Francisco, Ca 94102

415.552.2522

www.zunicafe.com

It is clear that Lettus Organic Cafe , now called The Plant, in San Francisco’s Marina district is known for their infamous and mysterious Garden Burgers.  Although I thought the best veggie burger in the world was from Houston’s, my friend assured me I was wrong, and I am so thankful she was right!  The garden burgers come four different ways, I prefer the Wasabi because the sweetness and acid from the sauerkraut and the vegan raspberry wasabi aioli compliment the burger to perfection. My friends rave about the California and I don’t blame them because cheese and avocado added to anything is fine with me.  I think as a meat eater who orders her burgers on the rare side, I appreciated the bright red color (from the beets) more than ever! The country sour dough is the perfect choice for this burger as it is perfectly toasted.  Mmmm, the grilled onions add even more flavor to each of the burgers.  On the plate, are homemade pickled cucumbers and lightly dressed mixed greens with a champagne vinaigrette.

My date got the Tempeh Reuben sandwich.  Although it was my choice, as a meat eater, he sure didn’t miss the corned beef.  The tempeh was sliced thin so the grainy texture and the flavor didn’t take over.  The thousand island was homemade, and the flavor made that pretty damn obvious.

The menu is huge, but not overwhelming.  So many vegan and vegetarian options, I think the only meat on the menu is chicken.  There are so many tempting choices, it’s just frustrating that you can’t order everything.  I wasn’t a fan of the tiny beer menu, but they did have Torrontes and Malbecs from Argentina by the glass and/or bottle (at reasonable prices) which made me happy.  There is a lot of seating, but the best seats are out front.

Mon – Fri 11:00am – 10:00pm
Sat – Sun 10:00am – 10:00pm

3352 Steiner @ Chestnut        San Francisco, CA