SAN FRANCISCO: CITY OF SWEETS
- 16
- Oct
By Keola Warren x @unlcekeola
When you think of the “City By The Bay” images of sourdough bread bowls may flutter through your mind’s eye. What may not come to mind is San Francisco’s love affair with dessert. Ghiradelli Square is where tourists flock to indulge their chocolate-coated desires, but, just down a ways in the Mission lies a handful of other destinations to get your sweet-tooth fix.
As soon as I touch down at SFO and feel the cool fog, I immediately jump on the BART and beeline straight to 16th and Mission. Two blocks over on 18th and Guerrero is the holy grail of baked goods, Tartine. Tartine is a majestic bakery that abounds with the smell of fresh bread and pastry. There is often a line out the door as people line up for a morning pastry and a cappuccino. There are tons of great finds at Tartine but the one thing you should never pass up on is the lemon bar. This is the lemon bar that wet dreams are made of. The tangy curd pops with flavor and begs you to eat more until nothing is left.
Another cavity eagerly awaits over at Humphry Slocombe. Humphry Slocombe is ice cream with attitude according to their website, but do not take their word for it. With flavors like Vietnamese Coffee, Brown Butter, and Mexican Chocolate you are sure to find a flavor that will awaken your inner child. One of the more interesting flavors found here is Secret Breakfast. Secret Breakfast is the magical combination of vanilla ice cream with corn flakes and bourbon. What could be better? Not much!
The final pit stop for a sugar overload in the Mission district is Dynamo Donuts. Dynamo is as avant-garde with their donut flavors as Humphry Slocombe is with their ice cream flavors. Feel free to choose from Bacon Maple Apple, Apricot Cardamom, or Passion Fruit Chocolate. So many flavors, yet so little time! The donuts themselves are a wonderful texture and the unique flavors make Dynamo a homerun! Dynamo also just opened a wonderful little garden behind their shop where you can sit and enjoy a bakers dozen with some friends, or all by yourself.
Pastries, ice cream, and donuts abound in the City By The Bay. Next time you’re in San Francisco forget the Wharf and Ghiradelli Square and head for the Mission! The Mission can be a bit gritty but the rewards are bountiful and your dentist will thank me for his job security!
