49 Square Miles: Square 36, Stonestown - SFGate
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49 Square Miles: Square 36, Stonestown
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Paolo Lucchesi
Published 4:00 a.m., Sunday, June 3, 2012
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Square 36 includes slices of Lake Merced, San
Francisco State University and the Lakeside
0
neighborhood, but it's Stonestown Galleria that
anchors - and best encompasses - the area.
The sprawling mall was built in 1952, but a food
court wasn't added until the 1980s. In a city where
small businesses and locavorism are prized,
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Stonestown remains a curious anachronism.
It is here that San Francisco's sole Olive Garden resides in all its faux Italian, unlimited
breadsticks glory. As at Chevy's next door, there's often a wait on Saturday nights, perhaps
serving as a reminder that as much as the Bay Area fooderati embrace the Delfinas and
Bouchons of the world, the chains still get theirs, too.
But times are catching up, even in Stonestown.
The year-round Sunday farmers' market in the parking lot behind the mall has quietly
10/15/2012 3:41 PM
49 Square Miles: Square 36, Stonestown - SFGate
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http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/49-Square-Miles-Square-36-Stonest...
become one of the city's best. Running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each week, it's a welcome
breath of fresh air - literally and figuratively - away from the food court's lineup of Sbarro,
Panda Express and Hot Dog on a Stick.
These days, the market is exploding with stone fruit like cherries and apricots, and with
summer quickly approaching, more than 60 vendors are on the lineup card.
The market's hot-food roster is impressive as well. Folks line up for bargain pan-fried
dumplings at Happy Dumplings and for the gumbo at Fat Alley. El Porteno is a relative
newcomer, slinging Argentine empanadas. Kettle corn and Belgian waffles have become
staples, and India Gourmet even brings a tandoori oven, from which they sell fresh hot
naan for a buck. It is a fabulous place to eat.
Outside of Stonestown, the main strip of food business is Lakeside's stretch of
Ocean Avenue.
FROM OUR HOMEPAGE
Ambrosia Bakery has become a fixture for celebratory cakes and French pastries, while
nearby Villa d'Este has been family-owned since 1978. It's a place where old-school decor
and white tablecloths are mirrored by Italian American classics like veal piccata and
spaghetti and meatballs; there are even early-bird specials.
Another neighborhood staple, Jitra Thai (est. 1993), offers all the Thai favorites on its
100-item menu, plus a few unexpected specialties like stuffed chicken wings and
3-D 'print-out' guitar
fried fish.
Using 3-D printers, an S.F. designer creates his
ideal guitar in plastic, says it sounds good.
Ambrosia Bakery: 2605 Ocean Ave. (near 19th Avenue; (415) 334-5305.
ambrosiabakerysf.com. Open daily.
Jitra Thai: 2545 Ocean Ave. (near Junipero Serra Boulevard); (415) 585-7251. Lunch
and dinner daily.
Stonestown Galleria Shopping Center, 3251 20th Ave.; (415) 564-8848.
stonestowngalleria.com. Open daily. Farmers' market open 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays.
Villa d'Este: 2623 Ocean Ave. (near 19th Avenue); (415) 334-0580. villadeste-sf.com.
Lunch weekdays; dinner nightly.
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women run in S.F. event that raises funds for
cancer.
Paolo Lucchesi is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail:
[email protected]
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