Soooooooooooooo, our staff photographer and I joined the throngs! This small cafe is located on the corner of Guerrero and 18th. We didn't see any sign identifying the cafe, but it was so crowded inside and out, that we couldn't have missed it.
Assuming it must be worth the wait, we went to the back of the line and waited our turn.
Once inside, I grabbed 2 seats at the community table (littered with dirty dishes, napkins and glasses) while Rosalie ordered our sandwiches. At that point, we were just happy to have survived almost being crushed by our fellow diners.
When our open-face Croque Monsieur's were delivered to our table, they did not look delish!!!
The crust of the homemade country bread was toasted to a "teeth shattering" crispness and the rest of the bread was soggy with bechamel. The grilled asparagus that topped the Gruyere cheese slab was really tasty, but the meat had been sliced thin, then grilled, and resembled small strips of shoe leather. Our plates were garnished with a pickled carrot that was interesting, but added to the "been through the war" appearance of our most disappointing lunch.
I think the pictures say it all!
Now, to be fair....................the pastries, tarts and cakes looked divine!! Eclairs, filled with vanilla custard.....Banana Cream Tarta coated in dark chocolate with caramel and sweetened cream.....("Tres Leches Cake Round") chocolate chiffon 3-tiered cake layered with cajeta and crema................Need I go on??????????
Really looked tres fabdelish!!!!!
In retrospect, I think Rosalie and I "missed the plot" on this one. We should have gone to "Bar Tartine" for lunch (their very cool restaurant located just 2 blocks away on Valencia) and then gone to "Tartine Bakery & Cafe" for dessert! A late morning or late afternoon trip to the bakery might result in shorter lines and a calmer dining experience.
Even the pups line up for just a bite!!!!!!!"Bar Tartine" is now on our list of new places to blog, so you haven't heard the last of San Francisco's famous "Tartine's"!!
These 2 "Inspectors Clauseau's" (ex-private investigators) are still on this case!!!!!!!!!!
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