San Francisco: 'wichcraft / Philz Coffee

For the last day of the SF trip this past Labor Day weekend, we decided to take it easy and go for a little shopping. Going from our hotel to the Westfield in Union Square, we walked by 'wichcraft, which is a gourmet sandwich spot by Top Chef judge, Tom Colicchio. The goal of this place is to "change the perception that exceptional food should be “experienced” in a formal atmosphere and with great ceremony, so ’wichcraft guests enjoy their meals in a casual setting at an affordable price."

Of course, being a Top Chef fan, decided to check it out and see exactly what I'm missing in LA. Currently 'wichcraft has three locations: SF, NY, and Vegas.

'wichcraft

868 Mission St. (between 4th St & 5th St)

SOMA, San Francisco, CA 94103

wichcraftnyc.com

Menu at 'wichcraft.

After being indecisive, finally decided on the Pastrami, with sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and whole grain mustard. Of course, organic.

The pastrami itself was great, lean with a little fat. Good kick from the mustard, and the cheese melds everything together. Sandwiched between rye bread.

Marinated Eggplant with chickpea puree, roasted peppers & watercress on ciabatta roll. Now... to be honest, I HATE eggplant. I really can't stand that texture BUT, this sandwich was absolutely delicious. Everything goes together so well and the marinated eggplant was so full of flavor that I forgot I was eating eggplant.

Great spot for a quick and delicious lunch. 'wichcraft does the basics well and their more unique items totally surprised me. Will have to try more the next time I'm in... Vegas haha.

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After meeting up with a few people, we all needed coffee and they brought us out to Philz Coffee, another famous coffee shop that brews via the single drip method!

Philz Coffee

201 Berry St.

SOMA, San Francisco, CA 94158

philzcoffee.com

Sorry for the bad shot, but I was in the car when I took this haha.

I ended up getting the Tesora, which is their house blend, and man... it's some good stuff. I think I really am addicted to this single drip brewing. Every cup is guaranteed fresh. Also got to try the Philharmonic and that cardamom makes such a big difference. Very intense flavors.

Philz is one of those very eccentric coffee houses which great characters working there. I think for the short duration when I was inside the shop, I just... barista watched and it's fascinating. My barista was a little weird but once you start talking to him about coffee, it's like he had this endless amount of energy. It's a good thing when people are this enthusiastic about what they do, especially food & drinks :]