stumptown coffee in san francisco…

Mavelous Coffee, San Francisco | sparklingandsweet.com

Portland’s Stumptown Coffee is a rare find in San Francisco. Luckily for me, I work a block away from a café that has it! Ma’velous Coffee & Wine Bar is tucked in a small spot on Market Street between 10th and 11th. When I realized my ‘in the know’ friends didn’t know it was there, I knew I had to share the wealth.

Mavelous Coffee, San Francisco | sparklingandsweet.comThe interior is dark and lined with semi-private booths and tables that are perfect for an off-site work meeting.

Mavelous Coffee, San Francisco | sparklingandsweet.com

Ma’velous’ baristas know their stuff so if you aren’t sure what to get, just ask for recommendations. They do public cupping every couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for signs at the cash area for the next one.

Mavelous Coffee, San Francisco | sparklingandsweet.comMy go to drink? A small soy latte.

Mavelous Coffee, San Francisco | sparklingandsweet.com

sunday funday…

Sometimes the best weekends are the ones with no plans. Waking up casually on a Sunday without a long list of to-do’s or obligations to be somewhere is my kind of stay-cation.

Last Sunday was a scorcher in San Francisco (~26c/78f) so we knew we had to head out and enjoy the sun. One of our favourite weekend stops is Philz Coffee. It is hard to brave the lines on weekday mornings and it just tastes better when you aren’t in a rush.

Philz Coffee, San Francisco | sparklingandsweet.comAfter ordering our usuals (him- Tesora, me- Ecstatic Iced), we started on our walk. The South of Market neighborhood is generally pretty quiet on the weekends, but Folsom Street still has a busy vibe with lots of brunch spots and shops open.

We made a stop at SoMa StrEatfood Park to get a snack. The food truck park is packed on Sundays and has a really fun atmosphere. Lots of families, live music and of course, bottomless mimosas! The toughest part about going there is choosing where to eat amongst all of the trucks. We finally settled on Old World Food Truck which specializes in Eastern European and Jewish Soul Food.

Old World Food Truck | sparklingandsweet.com

We ordered pierogis and fried pickles to share. Although the wait was exceptionally long for food truck fare, the sauce and toppings on the pierogis were well worth it.

Pierogis, Old World Food Truck | sparklingandsweet.com Fried Pickles, Old World Food Truck | sparklingandsweet.comWe continued on our walk and made our way into The Mission. Because we have done this walk so many times, new graffiti, sign changes and a fresh coat of paint rarely go unnoticed.

IMG_3528 Mission District, San Francisco | sparklingandsweet.com

We headed to ‘our spot’ in Dolores Park for a well deserved lie down in the park. To say it was busy would be a HUGE understatement.

Dolores Park, San Francisco | sparklingandsweet.com

Because the park was so busy, it was less relaxing than we had anticipated. After a couple of hours of people watching, we decided to head back to SoMa but first get another snack along the way.

Curry Up Now, Mission District, San Francisco | sparklingandsweet.comCurry Up Now opened their first brick & mortar location last month. Martin was craving their ‘sexy fries’- sweet potato fries covered in chicken curry, onions and cheese so we stopped in. Think Indian style poutine with crunchy raw onions on top. Hits the spicy and junk food cravings with one dish.

Curry Up Now, Mission District, San Francisco | sparklingandsweet.com Curry Up Now, Mission District, San Francisco | sparklingandsweet.comGood food, perfect weather and quality time with my favourite person. It was a great Sunday.

alt summit nyc…

ALTNYCJune2013w

I’m going to Alt Summit NYC! I have been dying to attend an Alt Summit since I started blogging 2 years ago and can’t wait to see the line up of speakers and workshops.

Besides being held in one of my favourite cities (hello, NYC!), I’m excited to meet like-minded people and learn more about what it takes to be a good blogger. I’m not the best at connecting with other bloggers offline and hope that ALT NYC will be the push I need to get more involved in San Francisco.

Are you heading to ALT NYC? Fellow ALT Summit newbie MJ has created a Pinterest board of attendees. It’s a great heads up on who else will be there too!

machine coffee and deli…

A recent office relocation has meant a lot more lunch hours for me in San Francisco’s mid-market district. With Twitter and Yammer’s somewhat recent move to the neighborhood, new restaurants have been popping up to keep up with new traffic.

machine deli, san francisco | sparklingandsweet.com

I had been wanting to check out Machine Coffee and Deli since the Big Eat 2013 list had been released to try the ‘Crankshaft’ tuna melt. Of course I geeked out and did a little research before heading over. Machine Coffee and Deli is a small shopfront (blink and you’ll miss it!) by the people behind neighboring Show Dogs and Foreign Cinema. They serve Four Barrel coffee, breakfast goods and are known for their sandwiches.

machine deli, san francisco | sparklingandsweet.com

It was a sunny Friday afternoon and I was craving some time in the sun. I ordered my Crankshaft tuna melt and the server said he would bring it over to me if I wanted to sit outside at Show Dogs. The sandwich was pretty heavy for lunch and I would definitely share it with someone if I go again. Not only was it a mayonaise based tuna salad, but there was cheese melted on both sides of the roll to tie it together. I liked the freshness of the arugula and the pickled bite of capers. If you are hungry and love tuna melts, go for it. A bit steep at $10 for the neighborhood but worth a try.

machine deli, san francisco | sparklingandsweet.com

Machine Coffee and Deli
1024 Market St @ 6th St
San Francisco, CA
94103

Monday through Friday 8am – 5pm