Why I Don't Totally Hate The Marina - San Francisco

I grew up in Chicago, where I swear people still give you a dirty look when you order a salad as an entree, so Pluto’s still gets a girl like me excited. Definitely check it out if you, too, are swooned by the giant vats of jicama, and endless list of topping combos.

I come here to eat snobby foods without feeling like a snob. Escargot, baked brie and apples, angus beef mini burgers, dungeness crab benedict, etc.

My iPod ran out of battery just as the 28 passed the dreaded Golden Gate Bridge stop. Forced to resort to eavesdropping, I overheard a windbreaker-clad hockey-mom with a Canadian twang say,

“You folks should check out that Bin 38. It looks just like Pottery Barn inside!”

Yes. I know. It may not be the best place to find your future wife. But bring your own company, and enjoy the harem-like ambiance, gourmet snacks, and fantastic wine selection. They even serve Kwak for the adventurous beer drinker.

The last time I was at The Grove, a nervous man with a baby (who will probably grow up to be nervous) sat next to me and spent 10-minutes convincing his even more nervous wife that he was in a corner, the buggy shield was up, and no one was going to spill hot coffee on precious Isabella.

The customers can be annoying, the music can be worse (i.e.: the Across The Universe Soundrack), but the sloppy joes are that good.

Come here at by 6 p.m., and the grumpiest man who ever played BINGO will hand out cards and moderate quicker than a squirrel on a treadmill.
It may not be the most fulfilling game you’ve played, but it’s something new that will appeal to your ingenuous sensibilities, without moving at a retirement home pace.

Come here for free homemade scones. I could probably live without the rest of the menu, but free stuff warms my heart.

This sister restaurant to Liverpool Lil’s is similarly low-key. Go here if it’s past midnight, and you can’t stomach anymore pizza or What’s Up Dog.