FromeDome

I haven’t spent enough time in San Francisco to know all the winners, but this place — Tartine Bakery in the Mission — is already one of my favorites.

This ham and cheese sandwich came out of the oven bubbly and amazing. (Those round, dark things are roasted tomatoes.) That pickled carrot was really good, too.

I also highly recommend the Gruyere rolls (moist inside, crusty outside) and the croissants (extra flaky).

Just a great place for a quick breakfast before a day walking around San Francisco.

Great brunch and dinner place in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. Try the tasty Cuc-cai cocktail. (That green thing in a glass.)

Frijoles, a gourmet burrito restaurant, is opening in Tokyo in early November. Recognize the crumpled foil, color scheme, and fonts? They sure look a lot like Chipotle’s. Might have to try one when I’m in Tokyo next spring.

Few of the high-end food trucks that have sprung up in New York over the past few years have interested me as much as Schnitzel & Things. I grew up eating Austrian schnitzel — thinly pounded veal, breaded and fried — a lot as a kid, and had some great schnitzel in Salzburg five years ago. But I finally got to check out the schnitzel truck today after watching it on Twitter for several weeks. It’s good!

The pork schnitzel platter was a solid amount of food for $9, and very tasty.

The schnitzel itself, served with a lemon wedge, was nicely seasoned and tasted great. But the texture was a little off — possibly because I had to walk and wait for about 10 minutes before I got to eat it, while it was still giving off heat in a plastic dish.

Specifically, the schnitzel was a little on the hard side — tricky to cut with a plastic knife in the plastic tray — and not as juicy as I would have liked it. The meat was pounded very thin, so it might do better cut in half and stacked up as a sandwich.

The platter also came with two sides. I got the braised sauerkraut and the Yukon Gold fries. The sauerkraut was really good: Not too salty or vinegary, a little sweet, good texture. And the fries were tasty. But by the time I got back to the office, they were on the soggy side. (Fries are especially hard to transport, so, not their fault. Next time, I’m going for the green lentil salad.)

I also tried a bratwurst sandwich, which is served on a big ciabatta bun, for $5.

The sausage was good, and the sriracha mayo I chose as a condiment added a nice kick. But because the brat was sliced in half, the meat-to-bread ratio was a little off, and it wasn’t as juicy as an intact brat would be.

My advice: Keep the big ciabatta for the schnitzel sandwiches — it’s good. But for brats, something a little smaller, so you can keep the sausage in tube format.

As part of a Twitter promotion, I also got a free sample of their cold, creamy mushroom soup. It had a nice, peppery kick, but was on the rich side.

So what’s the verdict? I’m definitely going back next time the schnitzel truck is in the area. The service is friendly and the food is good, especially coming from a small kitchen on wheels. But I think I’ll try things the other way around: The schnitzel as a sandwich, or the bratwurst as a platter. I’m also interested in some of the other sides, specifically the roasted beets and feta salad and the green lentils.

Ordinarily, you’d take the label off fruit before it’s dried and goes into a bag of trail mix. But considering how little flavor this prune had, and the soggy, bendable cashews in the bag, I really wasn’t sure what I was eating. So this was actually helpful.

At Indian Road Café in Inwood

I had heard the Standard Hotel had opened up in New York, but I had no idea where it was until we randomly walked by it tonight on our way to the High Line. (The rooms look tiny! And this whole time I thought that building was dumpy old 70s-era condos. Weird.)

Anyway, The Standard Grill’s outdoor seating looked nice, and I was due for my monthly allotted burger, so we checked it out.

The burger — with white cheddar and bacon, on a brioche-like bun — was well above average. The fries were skinny and not too salty. The pickle was tart. The guy at the next table looked like Tom from MySpace. At $14, a great deal for the neighborhood. (And the cocktails were super: I had something involving vodka, ginger beer, and fresh ginger, served in a copper mug, and it was awesome.)

But the best part was the unexpected and plentiful freebies. At the bar, while we waited for the table, three slices of very good salami from the salami menu. At the table, good bread and butter, yes, but also dry Italian cheese (some sort of parmiggiano, perhaps) and mild radishes. And at mealtime, a small plate of patatas bravas — roasted potato cubes with paprika aioli.

The bathrooms downstairs were typical posh-hotel-wank-style stuff, including a long trough sink, but they have Dyson Airblade hand dryers, which look neat and work pretty well.

Anyway, definitely going back.

Fresh mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, basil purée, Olave organic olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper

Starbucks Via instant coffee makes a nice iced coffee, too, if you need something fast. But even at Costco prices, it’s expensive.

This was — before I drank most of it in a different glass — two packets of the Colombia “medium” roast, dissolved in 16 oz. of cold water. (Plus ice, milk, sweetener, etc.)

You can buy 12-packs of the Colombia or Italian Roast from Amazon for $9.95; purchases made through these links help support this site.