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.

Arugula, Olives And Pine Nuts
1 crusty chunk of country bread or baguette
Olive oil
1 large garlic clove, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 handful of coarsely shredded meat from a roasted chicken
Red wine-mustard vinaigrette
1 Tbs pine nuts
6 Niçoise olives, pitted and halved
1 generous handful of arugula
1 small handful of very thin slices from a yellow or red bell pepper
Sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tear the bread into a handful of irregular croutons. Brush them with olive oil to coat, spread them on a sheet pan, and toast until golden at the edges, about 6 minutes. Cool the croutons slightly; then rub them the garlic while still warm. Be as thorough as you are fond of garlic. Turn off the oven.

Meanwhile, toss the chicken with a bit of the vinaigrette—just a touch, for moisture and flavor—and set aside.

Serve promptly—straight from the bowl, if you like.

Yield: 1 serving

Nuts: Pecans, walnuts, almonds, or peanuts would all work well.
Seeds: Pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds are good options. You could use up to 1/4 cup flax seeds or chia seeds—these seeds absorb moisture, which is why I suggest limiting the quantity.

The shrimp is about a five-minute grill, and the couscous is a five-minute cook. Even if you do them separately you are looking at a 10-minute project, but if you do them in tandem it is so fast.

Of course, my main issue isn’t time, but if my kids will eat this. Shrimp is notoriously tricky for kiddos. Check out the report card below to see how mine did with it. Let’s dive in!
WHAT ARE THE BEST SKEWERS FOR GRILLING SHRIMP?
There are two options when it comes to skewers: metal and bamboo. Metal are nice because they don’t burn, but they also let the shrimp rotate and are harder to manage. Personally, I like bamboo skewers for quick-cooking dishes like this. Just soak them briefly in water and they work great for shrimp.

Do not eat chocolate, ravine, pasta to gain weight and go to bed.

Weight gain diets; it is planned personalized considering degrees of weakness and side health problems, if any. Just overeading, taking excess calories and carbohydrates, eating too fatty, eating before bed may not work when it comes to gaining weight. When trying to gain weight, just like in weight loss diets, the basic principle is to gain “healthy” weight.

Kefir

Start the day with 1 cup or 1 tea cup of plain kefir. Make a habit of it as soon as you wake up.

Breakfast

Don’t forget to eat breakfast. The most uns appetite-free meal for those who want to gain weight is the morning hours. Al if you do not have to make a full meal, alternatives such as eggs and 1 small banana, 1-2 slices of cheese and 1-2 pieces of gray will also replace a healthy breakfast. Main meal Make sure to have lunch and evening main meals. Start eating with the main dish, not the soup.

Protein

Take care to complete your daily protein amount. For example, if you are 45 kg, you should take up to 60 g of protein per day. Animal foods are foods that are rich in protein. (60 g protein: 1 egg + 2 slices (60 g cheese) + 1 cup kefir + 1 bowl of yogurt (300 ml) + can be calculated as 150 g of meat or chicken or fish)

Complex carbohydrates

When consuming carbohydrates, choose complex ones, not refined ones. So stay away from foods containing sugar and sugar, white flour and products, foods containing corn (glucose) syrup. Prefer whole grain flour and products, dried legumes.

Limited dessert

Consume no more than 1 tablespoon of honey, jam or molasses per day.

Nuts

Consume up to 1 handful of nuts (walnuts, nuts, peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds) per day.

Fresh fruit

Be sure to consume 1-2 servings of fresh seasonal fruit per day.

For water,

consume 8-10 cups of water per day.

Choose to consume this water between meals, not meals.

Dietitian control

Remember that, like any treatment, nutritional treatments are personalized. Be sure to proceed under the supervision of experts and dietitians. Keep in mind that in addition to nutrition, you may need support products or supportive medical treatments.