San Francisco: Bob’s Donut & Pastry Shop

A 24-hour donut shop in the Nob Hill neighborhood. Hot donuts taste even better after midnight.

They start making donuts around 9-10 PM. You can call ahead or check their Twitter to see when they’re ready, but we got lucky and arrived in the middle of a live donut making session.

A whole rack of cooling donuts. Cool faster, damn you.

At last, paradise by the neon light. This classic glazed donut was fresh and hot and so, so delicious.

Lots of people come here for the apple fritters. I liked the fresh apple chunks inside, but after having a hot donut, a room temperature one just couldn’t compare.

We tried an old-fashioned cake donut too (not hot); I really learned the best plan is to get whatever’s fresh out of the deep fryer, regardless of what kind it is.

Late night donut paparazzi showdown.

If every neighborhood had a 24-hour donut shop like Bob’s, the world would be a happier place.

Bob’s Donut & Pastry Shop / @whatsfreshest
1621 Polk Street
(between Sacramento Street & Clay Street)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 776-3141

Los Angeles: Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘n Waffles

I had chicken and waffles for the first time during my freshman year of college. One of my professors took us to a museum in Harlem; afterward, we went to a soul food joint where he foisted chicken and waffles upon us until we all (quickly) saw the light.

In L.A., I go to Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘n Waffles to get my fix. I’ve only been to the Hollywood branch, but there are five locations throughout L.A.

You can order pretty much any combination of chicken parts and waffles. The Country Boy combo is three wings with a waffle (or french fries/potato salad):

I usually get the Carol C. Special, which the menu describes as “1 succulent breast, 1 delicious waffle”:

The chicken tastes like they serve it to you right out of the fryer; it’s piping hot, juicy, and crispy.  The waffles are good on their own, but even better with the fried chicken — an unexpected but delicious pairing of sweet and savory.

For side orders, I like the mac and cheese and smothered potatoes with gravy. The mac and cheese is more of the dry kind as opposed to the gooey cheesy kind, but it’s comforting.

These potato chunks are indeed smothered with gravy. Tasty tasty.

Roscoe’s recently expanded so the wait isn’t as bad as it used to be, but it’s still better to avoid peak lunch or dinner hours. If you don’t mind getting your food to go, they have special deals for take-out orders only (like five fried chicken thighs for $6.00).

Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘n Waffles
1514 North Gower Street (corner of Sunset)
Los Angeles, California 90028

Los Angeles: Nom Nom Truck

Nom Nom Truck (of Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race” fame) serves two items: báhn mì — Vietnamese sandwiches — and Vietnamese tacos. The day I stopped by for lunch, they were parked in front of 5900 Wilshire Blvd., a food truck hot spot. There were five or so trucks parked on the same block, but Nom Nom had the longest line.

The grilled pork Vietnamese taco was basically the innards of a báhn mì (pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber, cilantro, pork) served on a soft taco tortilla.

The lemongrass chicken báhn mì was tasty; the chicken was moist and the baguette was fresh and crunchy. I ordered mine without cilantro, because I’m on Team Anti-Cilantro.

The Nom Nom Truck is a solid and reasonably priced lunch option if they happen to be in the area; however, I don’t think I’d travel out of my way to eat there.

Nom Nom Truck / @nomnomtruck
Check their website or Twitter for the truck schedule.

The Meatball Shop

Have a hankering for meatballs? Get thee to The Meatball Shop in the Lower East Side — just look for the cute red and white striped awning. Also the huge sign on the side of the building.

Each table is equipped with dry-erase markers and laminated menus for ease of ordering. It’s oddly satisfying to write on a menu.

The Meatball Shop offers five kinds of meatballs: classic beef, spicy pork, chicken, vegetable, and a weekly special (the day I went, it was corned beef and cabbage). They can be ordered à la carte or in sandwich form, with your choice of sauce, cheese, and bread.

Sliders ($3 each): chicken with tomato sauce, chicken with basil pesto (daily special), vegetable with mushroom sauce.

The hero ($9) with chicken meatballs, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese on a white baguette; I really love chicken parmigiana sandwiches, so I couldn’t help but gravitate toward this combo. A big thumbs up to the chicken meatballs — they were tender and delicious! The side salad is a perfect counterbalance, light with sweet apple slices on top. This plate was filling and a meal in itself, as opposed to the à la carte or slider options, which may require a side dish depending on hunger level.

Side orders ($4 each) can be served on the “side” or “under” — underneath your meatball entree. The “side” side order of daily roast veggies that day was honey roasted carrots with coriander, lemon, almonds, and watercress.

The mashed potatoes had actual potato lumps, which I prefer over lump-free mash. We also ordered polenta; it was creamy and cheesy, but we both liked the mashed potatoes more.

Customizable ice cream sandwiches for dessert ($4 each)! Please order one, unless you are lactose intolerant. Maybe even then. I went with a classic: chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream filling. The ice cream can also be ordered sans cookies for $2; the special flavor of the day was tangerine and there were actually little bits of tangerine in it.

For night owls and those who suffer from jet lag/insomnia/late-night cravings, The Meatball Shop is open until 4 A.M. Thurs-Sat and 2 A.M. Sun-Wed.

The Meatball Shop
84 Stanton Street (between Allen & Orchard)
New York, NY 10002