When one of my colleagues got back from a business trip in San Francisco he told me about this magical wonderland; a place taken straight from the fairytales; one that serves a doughnut burger. From that moment on I knew – that doughnut had to be mine!
So what is this heavenly place which serves this necta…err… doughnut of the gods? Their site accurately self describes as “Straw is your Hayes Valley neighborhood spot serving carnival-inspired comfort food. There are accents from your favorite carnival throughout our decor and menu. Oh yeah, and a Tilt-A-Whirl booth”.
They really pulled it off, with decor that’s taken from the mindset and aesthetics of a local, fun fairground. We particularly liked the clown-shooting-game wallpaper.
Straw is not big but it doesn’t feel overwhelming or cluttered despite the colorful atmosphere, They have several tables on the inside and few on the outside which fill up quite fast on weekend mornings. No reservations are taken for Sunday brunch. We got there a few minutes before opening, at 10:00, and they handed a list for everyone waiting to submit their name and party size. The list got populated quickly so if you can, get there before they open.
The same quirky touch is evident in the menu as well. Each menu is placed inside an old children’s book.
Even though everything on the menu looked good, magical, sparkly and full of calories, we got the two dishes in the As Seen On TV section which sounded the most promising (and fat):
Fried Chicken -n- Waffle Monte Cristo ($15)
Cornmeal belgian waffle, crispy chicken, melted swiss, raspberry jam, powdered sugar and syrup.
The Ringmaster: Straw’s Famous Donut Burger ($13)
golden gate meat co. organic ground beef, melted cheddar & jack between two full sized house-made glazed donut buns. And since we were already in for a heart attack, we said what the heck and added maple-glazed bacon for an extra $2 and avocado for an extra $1.75.
The verdict? It’s a burger in two doughnuts – what’s not to like? All were cooked perfectly, which is a challenge of itself but trying to stuff it all in your mouth on one bite – that’s the real challenge.
Our friend who was with us and was much less inclined to engage in such debauchery opted for the
pan-seared blackened alaskan salmon, remoulade, tomato, shredded cabbage
All the dishes came with hand-cut fries. To drink we got Strawberry Basil Lemonade ($4) and STRAWnold Palmer ($3.75) – strawberry basil lemonade & iced tea. We were also served a complimentary one because of a slight delay in the kitchen (5 points for service!).
Speaking of which – the service was top notch. All the staff members were very friendly, our water glasses kept getting filled and the atmosphere was buzzing and positive.
Honestly I’m dying to get back there to taste the other dishes. This is obviously not the kind of place you should come back to often if you wish to live a long prosperous life. This is a place for fun, indulgent self destruction of the very tasty, culinary kind. But fear not – if your friends are party poopers and wish to stuff leaves in their mouth even on the weekend, Straw still serves many healthy options for them as well. In fact, a surprising amount of people around us were eating dishes that were, or included a salad. Why eat a salad at place like this? That is simply beyond me.
Straw Online:
Getting Here:
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