The Cheap Date - Lunch for under $5

Not all food is expensive. Some food is quite cheap and tasty. Lunch for under $5 is not an easy thing to pull off. Really, it is a challenge. There are some options and I am going to find them any place I can from S.F. to Santa Cruz and back. OK, sometimes I will need to spend a bit more than $5 for lunch, but there is no way this will be elevated beyond the budget breaking $10 lunch. Sometimes these lunches will need to forgo a beverage or a side order. There will, most likely, never be anything for dessert. Sorry, but if you are looking for a cheap lunch you do not get to order the crème brule and an espresso. Nope. Sorry, this is all about getting a decent mid-day meal for as little as possible. Yes, if only this article were based on the street foods of Hanoi. Yes, I know you can get multiple courses and dessert. I know. If we were in Tokyo we’d simple eat onigiri or bento box snacks and get some incredibly sweet canned coffee… Or, for that matter we could get a bowl of udon noodles at just about any major (and some minor) train stations… Sadly we are not in Japan or Vietnam. We are in California and, so help, me there are lunches out there for under $5. Good ones.
So, I am in Boulder Creek., The Santa Cruz Mountain town, with not terribly many dining options. There are, however, some good options for the cheap lunch. The photo is of a deli sandwich from Johnny’s Supermarket. Yes, this fine meal did in fact cost a bit more that $5, but still at $5.49 with tax this is a fine meal. In fact, I have found you can even split one of these and still feel quite satisfied that you’ve had a decent meal. (and you will still have a bit left over in the collective budget for an Arizona Ice Tea (tall can’s are .99 cents) and a bag of BBQ chips (another .99 cents)
The sandwich of choice at Johnny’s is a smoked turkey with provolone cheese and the works. I like everything on these but NO mayo. Pickles, mustard, peppers…. Also, a very nice touch is to ask for bacon as an additional meat treat. Gives a perfect crunchy feel to what otherwise might be soft bites of turkey and bread. Always best to get this one on sour dough bread. Not sure why this works so well to accompany the yellow mustard, but it is a perfect fit. Do not stray from this regimen…
So, if you are in Boulder Creek (en route to Santa Cruz on the scenic redwood highway) be sure to pop into Johnny’s for a sandwich. Yes, I know it’ll cost a bit more than $5, but it is unquestionably one of the tasty meal options around here and you can, and should, take your sandwich down to the river and marvel at the jade green waters and towering trees. Ahh… so, nice to have a meal with a view. You can’t beat it. Hop in your car and make it happen!

Sociale - Pacific Heights, S.F.

I have been to Sociale once for dinner and twice now for lunch. The food and service have been consistently excellent.

Most recently I was at Sociale for lunch. I had an heirloom tomato salad with thinly sliced basil and the flank steak and fries. Simple food, prepared elegantly and flawlessly. The actual cut of meat was outstanding and it was lovingly prepared medium rare. Simple food is always a great opportunity to rate a restaurant. It really amazes me that it is possible to ruin a good cut of steak. Yet, I have seen this done. Or, possibly a worse offense. Is to ruthlessly overcook a really bad cut of steak. The first and only time I ate at Scopazzi’s in Boulder Creek they had some terrible hack burn the outside of a C grade New York steak leaving the inside raw. Was that intentional? Did the cook hate his/her job and every single person eating at the restaurant? I can only hope so as that might have explained the terrible meal I had there… Oh, well. Now, I am comfortably seated in the outside brick patio of Sociale. An oasis of calm in the busy shopping hub of Sacramento Street. A place where one can effortlessly spent two thousand dollars on a single pair of sheets with terribly high tread count. An impossible area to find parking for a car and an excellent place to negotiate terms for custom cabinets to be designed and installed. It was never an area of the city where I spent too much time. Now, I know there is a small gem of a restaurant I may come more often…
So, the food. The heirloom salad was perfect. Luscious, velvet heirlooms. Two varietals, both valentine red. A simple oil and balsamic dressing and the aforementioned thinly sliced basil. Complaints? Well… I grow tomatoes and typically eat them right off the vine. So? My tomatoes never, ever see the inside of my refrigerator. Ever. So, these were slightly chilled. Hard to say if this is simply a personal preference, but I would like my heirlooms at room temperature. Is that feasible? Possibly not in a commercial restaurant. The steak? Well, there are no other ways to describe a perfect steak. It was absolute perfection. Drop whatever you are doing. Put away your iPhone, iPad or laptop and boogie on over to Sociale. A perfect meal awaits.
The wine? On my first visit I had a Bareberra d’ Asti. A bottle of unquestionably the best Barberra I have ever had. A pity I don’t have my tasting notes within easy reach. You’ll find the staff is very well versed in their wine list and can help guide you to ensure a perfect pairing with your meal. On the following two lunches I had a single glass of Barollo and on the next visit a Chiantti. Both wines were picked by the waiter to pair with my meal. Both choices were spot on excellent. (my general rule of thumb is to always defer to your wait staff if you are not very familiar with the wine list)
The scene? Quiet, calm luxury. A late lunch ensures some opportunity to relax in the Zen like calm of Sociale. The wait staff seems perfectly timed checking in only as needed to ensure your meal is without a hitch.
So, yes. I will be coming again and again. Sociale has been consistently excellent. Three separate meals and three opportunities to enjoy fine dining in a plush setting. Go there and you will be very happy you did. Try and find parking in the immediate vicinity and you will not be very happy. I would recommend you take a taxi or ideally a Vespa Piaggo. Or a Lambretta 200 for that matter… Italian scooters and food generally pair nicely…

airline food? still terrible after all these years...

The following is a snippet I sent to United Airlines earlier today as part of a recent survey. I hope they can improve, really I do. I have had some terrible food on flights and the majority of them have been on United Airlines. (keep in mind that I was actually trying to be nice here. Not trying to get anyone fired here. Nope. Just want them to know that, yes, they have failed me. OK, some background here. I flew to New York recently on a first class ticket on United P.S. ("Premium Service") I flew on a first class ticket and used 'miles' for my ticket. The P.S. Flights were a big deal when they came out. This was over a decade ago now, but the concept (a good one) was to offer real class on domestic flights. Service that might rival that of an international flight. I have flown in economy, business and first on these flights over the years and have had varying degrees of service and food. Generally the flight attendants have been great and the food, though hot, lacking in luster. OK. So, what do I expect? Well, a first class round trip ticket would have cost me $7,000. Yes. That is a lot of money. So? Well, if I paid $7,000 in cash I would damn good and well expect a decent dinner. I was hungry. The food? Well, it wasn't great. No, in fact it was miserable. Upon returning to SFO and getting home I was somewhat delighted to see an on-line survey had been sent to my e-mail address. Wondering if this tree falls in United's forest will there be sound? Will anyone hear my plea for help? Hard to say...

From the first area on the United Airlines Survey asking for "other comments."
the meal on the flight was pretty bad. the vegetables were over cooked. terribly over cooked. the chicken was a bit tough and flavorless. i would prefer a well made cold sandwich to a hot meal that comes out after too long getting re-heated. simple, fresh food will always trump a failed attempt at a hot meal. this is not always the case on your flights. the japanese 'washoku' bento box that is available on the flights to narita is consistently excellent. i always look forward to those... also have fond memories of some of the food service between narita and bangkok. a dish with shrimp comes to mind... but, on this flight the food was not good. perhaps this is consistent with other p.s. flights. generally the food is a notch better on international flights in general.
From the second area that pertains to “food quality on your recent flight:”
i think i went over this earlier. the meal was bad. i have had much better food on united flights. this one was what i would have once called 'standard airline' food. in fact, it was just about on par with some average to poor meals i have had sitting in economy. in first class i would consider this a real insult and can only hope you can avoid over cooking the living daylights out of the veggies on future p.s. flights. my yams were cooked to the point where they had the texture of cubes of mushy potato. yeah, that was a bad one. i was, however, starving and i did finish my meal. the food on the return flight was much better, but the veggies were still cooked to the point of no return. keep the meals simple, flavorful and never re-heat until the food goes limp. it really bothers me and i am certain others feel the same way on this issue. i fly a lot. on a singapore airlines flight (in business class) from sfo to bali and back i had amazing food and a delightful time pre-selecting meals on -line. i know this may not be possible on domestic hops, but somehow they seem to really nail the in-flight food experience. consider their approach and you'll find me booking more flights on united soon.