As a port city, San Francisco has long been a coffee haven. The city is steeped in coffee history, from James A. Folger offering the first packaged ground coffee to Gold Rush miners, to the beatnik-led café culture of the ‘60s, to the craft-coffee revolution of the early aughts.

Folklores Coffee Traders on Fillmore Street is my neighborhood coffee spot, and it bridges the gap between our aspirational coffee lives (third-wave artisan roasters, single-origin pourovers, oat-milk lattes aplenty) and our real coffee lives (close to home, friendly baristas, cheap and cheerful drip cups). Originally established as Zo11 Coffee Traders by Alex Assefa, and rooted in Ethiopian coffee culture and hospitality, the café is now under new proprietorship by owner Gideon Woldetsadik and his wife. The herb-laden salmon scramble with goat cheese, sautéed fresh peppers, and potatoes is another favorite. Folklores is a low-key and friendly, but tiny, operation. Be prepared to wait, and admire the colorful Pollock-reminiscent paintings on the wall, done by local artist Chris Duke.

The Birba wine list is a world tour for thrifty and extravagant travelers alike; after having a drink there, you’ll be tempted to bring a bottle home (which you can, as the bar also sells wine to go). I love the selection of dry German rieslings that put their sweet cousins to shame, and was recently introduced to a crisp rosé from the Canary Islands that I haven’t stopped thinking about. Sometimes I switch up my aperitivo with a bittersweet Italian vermouth and a splash of soda. And the dessert pots are my secret Achilles’ heel—one bite of dark-chocolate pot de crème with toasted hazelnuts inevitably prompts an immediate second order. Don’t sleep on Folklores’ breakfast options, either. I opt for the crispy, chili-flecked lentil sambusa (a fried triangular pastry) or the ful (braised fava beans topped with fresh tomatoes, chilies, and onions). The herb-laden salmon scramble with goat cheese, sautéed fresh peppers, and potatoes is another favorite. Folklores is a low-key and friendly, but tiny, operation. Be prepared to wait, and admire the colorful Pollock-reminiscent paintings on the wall, done by local artist Chris Duke.

Birba, a relative newcomer in Hayes Valley, is the tiny wine bar that could. Owner and hospitality veteran Angie Valgiusti—who honed her credentials at venerable Bay Area restaurants such as The Slanted Door—persisted through an ultimately successful Kickstarter campaign to open up a relaxed wine bar for industry folks and vino newbies. Part friendly neighborhood wine bar, part European-inspired café, the endearingly narrow Birba (meaning “rascal” in Italian) waited for a frustrating two years to introduce its most welcoming feature: a garden patio shaded by a two-story-tall avocado tree.

Delivering buzzy pét-nat with zero pretension, Birba is my place for long-overdue friend catch-ups and post-work wine-downs; it offers adventurous and accessible wines, paired with deftly crafted small plates. The low-key vibe summons the enotecas I hung out in when I lived in Italy: dimly lit, with well-loved wood countertops and rustic walls, and serving up salty, crusty focaccia and warm, plump olives. Menu staples like burrata toasts and freshly made pasta will tide you over before you hit up a nearby City Arts & Lectures conversation or a show at SFJAZZ.

Kim and her family immigrated to San Francisco in the 1980s seeking a better life, like many immigrants from Southeast Asia (particularly Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia) escaping war, poverty, and political instability. Over time, a large number of first- and second-generation immigrant families settled in the Tenderloin, establishing the neighborhood’s “Little Saigon” and bringing many Southeast Asian restaurants, cafés, small grocery stores, and sandwich shops. Mong Thu is an anchor in this community: Weekday lunchtime brings regulars catching up on neighborhood news while sopping up the last bit of banh mi xiu mai (juicy pork meatballs in a heady tomato broth) with fresh baguette. My go-to is the hu tieu nam vang, a clear vermicelli soup topped with sliced pork, bits of crispy pork rind, plump shrimp, basil, chicken, mint, scallion, and fried shallots. Kim’s broth, scented with charred onion and anise, is good on both sweltering and shivery days. But the real star of this dish is the golden, crispy pancake, with hunks of skin-on shrimp, that sits on top, accompanied by homemade nuoc mam, a fish sauce–based dipping sauce. Bring cash, and steady yourself for the heart-pounding punch of the iced Vietnamese coffee.

In the Tenderloin, a neighborhood full of good regional Vietnamese food, Mong Thu is my favorite. Owner Kim Nguyen has run her family business for over 24 years, operating out of a tiny alcove on Hyde Street and drawing a faithful following of neighborhood folks and nearby workers for her deeply aromatic noodle soups and banh mi sandwiches. In 2017, Kim almost faced closure due to a number of permitting issues; luckily, after teaming up with her talented daughters, she received a small-business grant from a local government program called SF Shines, aiding a complete renovation. The restaurant reopened with fresh mint-colored walls, hand-painted signs, a new food-prep area, and an updated menu, and Kim’s soup pots are humming once more. A healthy money tree sits atop a tidy counter of plastic cups brimming with chè, taro-flavored rice pudding with tapioca pearls and sweetened condensed milk. I love sitting in this leafy corner to get a peek at Kim’s kitchen action, while eyeing the lunch orders of my fellow diners.

Boil the fruits with sugar and make sherbet. It will last several months in the refrigerator; even more in the freezer. Make cherry liqueur in the sun. Be patient, let the jar full of cherries slowly sweeten with the heat of the sun. Peel the peaches and mix with wine, leave for a week. Drain the water and add sugar and vodka. You can also try the same drink with figs. They will make great gifts in the coming months.

Ingredients for the Sherbet Recipe
4 glasses of water
5 glasses of granulated sugar
The juice of half a lemon
Sherbet Recipe Preparation
Let’s get the water and sugar in the pot.
Then take it on the stove, mix it until the sugar dissolves and let it boil.
After it starts to boil, let it boil for another 15 minutes.
At the end of the time, let’s put the lemon in the pot, mix well and boil for another 5 minutes.
Your sherbet is ready.

Cinnamon Sherbet
Materials

1 cinnamon stick

10 cloves

1 teaspoon of sorbet dye

1 large glass of water

500 g sugar

2,400 liters of water

Fabrication

Cinnamon, cloves, sherbet dye and a glass of water will boil for 2 or 3 minutes.

Boil sugar and water on one side and strain the cinnamon ingredients, drop the water in it and boil for 20 minutes on medium heat. When it cools, keep it in the fridge.

Boil the fruits with sugar and make sherbet. It will last several months in the refrigerator; even more in the freezer. Make cherry liqueur in the sun. Be patient, let the jar full of cherries slowly sweeten with the heat of the sun. Peel the peaches and mix with wine, leave for a week. Drain the water and add sugar and vodka. You can also try the same drink with figs. They will make great gifts in the coming months.

Ingredients for the Sherbet Recipe
4 glasses of water
5 glasses of granulated sugar
The juice of half a lemon
Sherbet Recipe Preparation
Let’s get the water and sugar in the pot.
Then take it on the stove, mix it until the sugar dissolves and let it boil.
After it starts to boil, let it boil for another 15 minutes.
At the end of the time, let’s put the lemon in the pot, mix well and boil for another 5 minutes.
Your sherbet is ready.

Cinnamon Sherbet
Materials

1 cinnamon stick

10 cloves

1 teaspoon of sorbet dye

1 large glass of water

500 g sugar

2,400 liters of water

Fabrication

Cinnamon, cloves, sherbet dye and a glass of water will boil for 2 or 3 minutes.

Boil sugar and water on one side and strain the cinnamon ingredients, drop the water in it and boil for 20 minutes on medium heat. When it cools, keep it in the fridge.

Once they’re cooked, measure out how many cherries you have (including the juice.) Use 3/4 of the amount of sugar. For example if you have 4 cups of cooked cherry matter, add 3 cups of sugar. It may seem like a lot, but that amount of sugar is necessary to keep the jam from spoilage.

Stir the sugar and the cherries in the pot and cook over moderate-to-high heat. The best jam is cooked quickly. While it’s cooking, put a small white plate in the freezer. Remain vigilant and stir the fruit often with a heatproof utensil. Scrape the bottom of the pot as you stir as well.

Once the bubbles subside and the jam appears a bit thick and looks like it is beginning to gel, (it will coat the spatula in a clear, thick-ish, jelly-like layer, but not too thick) turn off the heat and put a small amount of jam on the frozen plate and return to the freezer. After a few minutes, when you nudge it if it wrinkles, it’s done.

Yesterday, my dad brought me 3 or 4 big freezer bags full of sour cherries from my grandpas cherry trees. That’s a lot of cherries, folks. My mind was racing with possibilities, cherry pie, cherry tarts, oh so much tastiness to be had. I really wanted to make them last though, be able to enjoy them for a while. When my mom mentioned jam, I knew that was the answer.
Before today, I had never tried my hand at making jam. I’ve wanted to for ages, but I’ve always put it on the back burner, one of those “I’ll get to it eventually” kind of things. I don’t know why I put it off – this recipe is so easy, no matter your experience level, you can do it.
Things you need to make this jam:
cherries
lemons
sugar
canning jars
Things you don’t need:
hot water canner
pectin

I really wanted to make them last though, be able to enjoy them for a while. When my mom mentioned jam, I knew that was the answer.

Boil the fruits with sugar and make sherbet. It will last several months in the refrigerator; even more in the freezer. Make cherry liqueur in the sun. Be patient, let the jar full of cherries slowly sweeten with the heat of the sun. Peel the peaches and mix with wine, leave for a week. Drain the water and add sugar and vodka. You can also try the same drink with figs. They will make great gifts in the coming months.

Ingredients for the Sherbet Recipe
4 glasses of water
5 glasses of granulated sugar
The juice of half a lemon
Sherbet Recipe Preparation
Let’s get the water and sugar in the pot.
Then take it on the stove, mix it until the sugar dissolves and let it boil.
After it starts to boil, let it boil for another 15 minutes.
At the end of the time, let’s put the lemon in the pot, mix well and boil for another 5 minutes.
Your sherbet is ready.

Cinnamon Sherbet
Materials

1 cinnamon stick

10 cloves

1 teaspoon of sorbet dye

1 large glass of water

500 g sugar

2,400 liters of water

Fabrication

Cinnamon, cloves, sherbet dye and a glass of water will boil for 2 or 3 minutes.

Boil sugar and water on one side and strain the cinnamon ingredients, drop the water in it and boil for 20 minutes on medium heat. When it cools, keep it in the fridge.