Hayes Valley Makes Me Eat

My caloric intake in this past week has had to increase at least 125 percent. Covering Hayes Valley has proven to be difficult for me only because I spend a large amount of my time eating the incredible food the neighborhood has to offer. One of the first observations I had walking around the neighborhood was that every window seemed to be littered with Zagat ratings. I absolutely hate spending money when eating out but I decided I should try one of the popular local restaurants.

I ventured into Patxi’s Chicago Pizza on Tuesday night because I had noted that every person had recommended this supposed irresistible pizza. Being the pizza pessimist that I am, I was expecting to be disappointed and the food would not be deserving of all the hype. All local neighborhoods claim to have the best pizza place, I feel like this is just a universal.
I ordered a simple basil and olive pizza to share between a friend and I. The waitress set the pizza on the table and I didn’t understand. I have never seen a true Chicago pizza before with the globs of sauce and insanely thick crust so I was left even more skeptical. But then came that first bite.

I took that bite and immediately thought this has to be the work of the Devil. There is no way that ingredients like dough and tomatoes could make this massive concoction of deliciousness. When that pizza touched my taste buds, I created a sincere memory. It was the most flavorful beautiful pizza I have ever tasted.

The recommendations of the Hayes Valley locals really came through with Patxi’s, so I decided I should eat even more food that I can’t afford. So this time I made my boyfriend pay. We decided to try the packed restaurant Stacks on Sunday morning.

The décor at Stacks is a reason to go in itself. The walls are decorated with murals of ancient Greek women, hydrangeas, daises, and lilies hang from the ceiling, and two humungous works of pottery are placed at either end of the restaurant.

I ordered the Garden Crepe and my boyfriend, Kelly, ordered the Coconut, Banana, and Macadamia stack of pancakes. The service was quick, and understandably so, the maximum occupancy was supposedly 111 but if a Fire Marshall came into that place he would have made a lengthy complaint.

I cannot stress enough that everyone who enjoys breakfast should try to make their way to Stacks at least once in their lifetime. When Kelly began eating his pancakes, he was making this facial expression that meant the food was either incredible or contained some kind of shocking texture like cockroach shell. Those pancakes have been touched by the food Gods. “It’s honestly like my favorite cookie contained into a pancake,” Kelly said.

I realize I have just dedicated a blog to food, judge me if you will, but it was damn good. I’m not advertising when I say that if you don’t try one of the local restaurants in Hayes Valley, you cannot fully understand why its locals are so in love with their neighborhood.