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Four of my favorite comfort foods around San Francisco….

*Annie’s Hotdogs…..Stay with me now….I am a person who, 99.9% of the time sticks to poultry and seafood. But Annies Hot dogs….Not any place but the one in Golden gate Park. Not Any Annie’s in Golden Gate Park but the one that is only there on weekends and holidays near the little lake with the toy boats. You know the lake? And the boats? By the buffalo? AND (the best part) the wizened old men who bring their miniature radio-controlled yachts here, some of them so extravagant they are works of art.
The hot dog order consists of a hotdog (not a pretzel dog or the cheesedog…please!…certainly not the Polish Sausage) Just a hotdog on Annie’s warm, white, carb-filled fluffy toasted bun with relish and brown mustard…Thats it. Get lots of napkins as well. If your feeling really fancy add some Kettle Chips to your order.
Sit on one of the benches by the lake and enjoy. You may even be lucky enough to see a boat race!

*A croissant from Arsicault Bakery. These are BY FAR the best croissants in the entire country. In fact I would pit them against Paris’s finest. I haven’t had very many croissants in France but I have had my fair share in Barcelona and they are AS good! You have no idea what high praise this is. It’s best to order a plain croissant. The chocolate and almond ones are delicious as well but let’s be purists here. Take your croissant next door to Brecks coffee (the coffee at Arsicault Bakery is terrible). Settle into a table on the corner of Arguello and Clement and order a cappachino. Resist taking a bite of your croissant until your coffee comes then prepare to be crumbed. As with all extraordinary croissants you will have more crumbs in your lap than on your plate by the time you finish….but it will be worth it

Seeded breadsticks from Arezmendi Bakery on Valencia. These aren’t really breadsticks. They are two foot long skinny loaves of bread. Over the years one would have thought that the fine bakers at Arizmendis would have thought to create a bag appropriately long enough to carry these wonders home in. But they haven’t. So it is necessary, if you live where I do in Eureka Valley, to climb the hills home while you nibble the “stick” down to a convenient size. That of course is wishful thinking. It will be gone by the time you make it home.

Tacos from I forget the name…..But it is the place on upper Market. You know the old Tower Market (now Molly Stones)? it is at the opposite end of the strip mall. I have been coming here for thirty years. I used to get the baby burrito until about 10 years ago when I realized if I got the taco it left out the two things I don’t like as much anyway…the beans and the rice. this means you get twice as much chicken verde! cheese! avocados! Salsa! Be sure to ask for chips….and extra green salsa…..Also don’t forget to tip the wonderful ladies who make these delicacies. They have updated the taqueria over the years but still haven’t let you tip by card…so bring some cash!!!