THE SPOTS: 

I started my visit hitting up the Hillcrest Farmers Market with friends. Such gorgeous produce - I bought a little pile of good stuff to make us a tasty dinner.

Kindred truly blew my mind. This is how you effect change in the food system - offer ridiculously amazing food in a killer setting. The side note is all the food is plant-based. Devoted anti-vegans won't even notice. 

Trish of The Red Door offers the most prime example of a locavore, sustainable real food restaurant I've come across, yet. She grows 7000 pounds of her restaurant's yearly food in her own hillside backyard garden, just 20 minutes from the restaurant. And Chef Miguel uses up every bit of it on the menu. Also, the space is cozy-fancy and that food...incredibly delicious.

Don of Moncai started with pastries. His restaurant offers lots of other great, solid food but man! don't miss his cinnamon rolls, donuts and such. One of the best cinnamon rolls I've ever put down the gullet. And there's no animal product involved. Don's a cinnamon roll don. 

Coral at Garden Kitchen started her adorable bodega restaurant with two goals - cooking everything from scratch and knowing where the ingredients come from. Well, she succeeded and the place is awesome.