Celebrating life with good food in San Francisco

Today I quit my job (!!!!!!!). More on that later, but it's a very good thing and I'm incredibly excited to be moving on. Given that my celebrations no longer include shots of tequila and an open bar tab, I decided to heed the Parks and Rec motto and treat myself (Cam helped) to two delicious meals in the city.


Just this past Saturday, I was complaining that San Francisco doesn't have any good, Jewish delis. When I lived in New York during middle school, at least weekly we would stop by the deli downtown for the most fluffy, flavorful bagels I've ever had. I learned what a bagel with cream cheese is supposed to taste like (Thomas' and Philadelphia Cream Cheese doesn't count) and have since turned up my nose at many an overpriced, dry bagel with a thin spread of mediocre, sticky cream cheese.

As I walked to work on Monday (of course my third-to-last day at the office) I spotted a new Wise Sons location at the Contemporary Jewish Museum on Mission Street, between 3rd and 4th. Cam and I went today and ordered two bagels with lox, a pastrami sandwich, and motzoh ball soup. While it was certainly pricier than the hole-in-the-wall New York delis I long for, the food was delicious and definitely satisfied that craving.

I had already planned to get drinks with some of my colleagues after work, but it was at their insistence that I decided to also try a couple of tacos at Garaje in SOMA. They have $2 tacos every day from 3-7pm, and not only were the ingredients fresh and delicious, but they definitely did not skimp out on stuffing the tacos. I also had the most delicious sangria -- red wine, ice, and fruit blended into almost an alcoholic wine slushy. The location is a bit sketchy, but perfect if you're en route to a Giants game.

I haven't written much about my favorite restaurants, but these are two casual, delicious restaurants that anyone exploring San Francisco should try (and if you're from New York, you can go ahead and skip the deli and head straight to Garaje :).