This adorable little gem opened up not long ago at the corner (ah, hence The Corner Store) of Masonic and Geary in the Inner Richmond, SF. It’s classic San Francisco with a quirky little menu, fun cocktails, and a cute space. I’ve been twice. This time, I was really happy, see?

There aren’t actually a lot of veg options on the menu, unfortunately, but I found something out the second time I went: they’ll make non-veg things veg if you ask. Because they’re chefs and that shiz doesn’t phase them. I love this city.

This is the beet salad. I thought it would be mostly beets. But it wasn’t. It was better than that. Cuz the corner store doesn’t mess around. Not even with beets.

This is the smoked salmon with rye flatbread and dill creme fraiche (hold the pastrami gastrique, whatever that is). It was yummmm.

And this is the veg dish du jour (or du mois, as it were) which was some sort of grains with mushrooms and cheese. I don’t recall the exact description, but it sounded like it would be risotto-esque, and it was except that the grains were less tender and more distinct in form. It was really good.

My second trip was for a blogger event hosted by Urbanspoon. Which meant they paid for a variety of dishes to be brought out to about fifteen local bloggers hungry for photos as much as for food. It was awesome; I love free food. Highlights:

Starting with the best first: this is a new kale concoction that’s not currently on the menu. They asked for our recommendations regarding the dish’s introduction to the menu. My thoughts: YES PLEASE. The kale was deep fried, crispy and likely bereft of any nutritional value it once held. It was amazing. Those balls perched on top? Panko-crusted, deep-fried poached egg. Yes, the chef somehow managed to deep fry a poached egg and keep the inside runny. He described the process to us (yeah, we got an exclusive with the chef and owner, no big): amazing.

This is the “Corner Store PB&J”, an odd dish that I normally would have nothing to do with as it’s covered in bourbon-glazed pork. But, being the kitchen-savvy folk they are, they brought out a veggie version with mushrooms instead of pork. Mushrooms over a grit cake with huckleberry as the “J”. Ridiculous. Incredible.

And I learned something that night: “sweetbreads” are not in fact bread. Indeed they’ve gone the opposite direction as “offal” and made a confusingly appetizing name. Regardless, everyone said they tasted like chicken wings.

We were even presented the Idaho Red Trout dish, along with a handful of other salads and mains to feast on. It was a pretty amazing night.

Oh! And listen to this: their Pickled Paloma cocktail consists of tequila, lime, pickle brine, and house grapefruit soda. Yeah, it’s a cocktail that tastes like a pickle. It was amazing. Note: three is too many. Even if they’re free. Enjoy.

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