Early morning walking through Hayes Valley in the conflicting state of breakfast or sandwich, I walked into La Boulange. From the street you could see several diners inside reading the morning paper or working remotely and people queueing for a breakfast order, coffee, or pastry to go. Relatively large numbers of patrons in one place is promising. It turns out that La Boulange is actually a chain bakery in San Francisco, but this fact did not seem to deter regular customers.The menu on the wall had the perfect breakfast sandwich to appease cravings for an American breakfast and a sandwich. It was hard to choose when the healthier yogurt options and tempting The egg and cheese sandwich (US$7.00) comes with tomato and a choice of bacon, ham, smoked salmon, or avocado on crossaint, plain or multigrain country bread with fresh fruit. My order had bacon with multigrain bread. If only the order could have come with all the options because I would have liked to try them all (without paying extra)...at least the avocado. It was hearty, but the bread was a little on the dry side causing slight abrasion in my mouth whilst chewing. There was not enough fluffy egg to balance the dryness or the addition of avocado could have helped. As much as I enjoyed eating this breakfast with the residents of Hayes Valley, this is something to try to recreate at home.
La Boulange Bakery. 500 Hayes Street (by Octavia), San Francisco, CA 94102, United States.
After a couple pints at the local North Beach dive, 
From the till, the pesto vegetarian looks the best so I get a slice of that (US$3.50). Dinner is too close to get a more filling slice with meat. The server puts the slice in the oven to heat. It seems like most of the service is geared toward take away orders as there is not much space to dine in. My pesto vegetarian comes out hot and I am allowed to sprinkle as much oregano on it as I want (also parmesan cheese and pepper flakes are available) before the server wraps it up in paper. Consuming the slice will distract from the strenous uphill walk I am about to face. On closer inspection, there is a lovely layer of pesto with tomatoes, red onion, zucchini, mushrooms, and olives on top with the right amount of mozzarella. The vegetables are nicely roasted from the oven and not soggy. The paper was getting a little greasy, but at least not dripping in oil. It is decidedly a very California-influenced pizza, more Californian than classic Italian, but still looking really delicious and colorful. The first bite is vegetarian pizza joy. The crust was still crispy though thick, the pesto still present and not competing with either the crust and the toppings, and the vegetables tasted ripe and fresh. The slice is a bit on the heavy side and it was difficult to keep from flopping one way or another walking uphill. At least the paper managed to catch the toppings that fell off so not one shred of this pizza was left behind. The slice from 
Sitting in the baggage claim area of San Francisco International, a lone dismantled magazine covered with tidbits of the city's offerings beckons. Having done no prior research to arrival, 
The walls are decorated in grilled cheese memorabilia, the menu on black chalkboard and has an overall focus on being local, sustainable, organic, environmentally aware, and green or all things representative of the ultimate San Franciscan emanating from the cozy decor of the interior. The line was short so before I was decided, I was already talking to the woman at the till. She tells me that the owner's favorite is the Black n' Blue - gorgonzola dolce, monterey jack, roast beef, arugula, balsamic onion marmalade, and sage butter. However, this is being replaced with the regular menu item Don Gondola of provolone, sopressatta salami, pesto, and garlic butter. She tells me the Jalapeño Popper (US$9.00) is her favorite. Though not a particular fan of jalapeños and definitely not one to seek them out, I oblige to her recommendation. At first, I hesitate being so long without cheese and wondering if a bite filled with too much ooey gooey dairy would result in something the opposite of digesting. She says she can tell the kitchen to go light on the cheese, but wanting the full experience, I opt not to. I am already thinking I should have ordered the Red, White, and Blue Plate Special (US$8.00 or +$1 for sandwiches over $8.00) to try their organic house-made tomato soup with crème fraîche and croutons. The house sodas (US$3.00) sounded really appealing, but all I wanted was a taste.
I sat at the counter overlooking the kitchen window where the sandwiches are apparently toasted - not grilled - and employees are quickly filling orders pouring soup or adding a couple luscious strawberries to each sandwich order. In a case of not-so-mistaken identity, it turns out Nate Pollak is one of the owners of this place, though looking somewhat different from his university years. Already impressed by the mere venture of grilled cheese, its obvious success is equally impressive. My jalapeño popper made of chèvre, monterey jack, applewood-smoked bacon, and apricot-jalapeño relish arrives in a basket lined with brown paper and the presentation is given a colorful splash from the plump California strawberry I plan to conclude my meal with. The hearty country wheat bread is perfectly toasted with a crisp layer of caramelization which also keeps the contents of the sandwich from oozing and making the bread fall apart. Each bite is incredible. There is a perfect balance of cheese, bread, bacon, and jalapeño with no one flavor or texture overwhelming the other. The jalapeño-apricot combination was surprising, balancing the heat with sweetness and bringing out the subtle nuttiness of the salty cheese. The cuts of applewood-smoked bacon were thick and gave the grilled cheese a meaty depth. Sad as it was to see the sandwich end, each bite was strategically chosen so the last bite would be the perfect one balancing all the flavors.
