3rd Street Restaurant Scene

This morning we went on a foodie bike ride on 3rd Street.  I confess that I have totally overlooked this neighborhood in the past, but no more.  After today's ride, I will coming down here often.  We visited five restaurants, all of them great.  I apologize for the poor photos, I was too busy pigging out.

Our first stop was a small family run place called Las Isletas.  They serve Salvadorian, Nicaraguan and Mexican food.  We had two samples, taquitos and pupusa of which I had three helpings of both.  The pupusa with pork is inexpensive and sublime.  Happily, they deliver for those of you that are car free or too lazy to ride/drive down to 3rd Street (the order must be over $30).

Next stop was Radio Africa which serves north African cuisine with a bit of Euro flair thrown in.  It's a lovely place that encourages family style eating at long tables where they seat you with other customers.  Much of the food is grown organically at local urban gardens.  We had a version of mushroom bruschetta with a green spicy sauce on it followed by a hummus made with soy beans.  Both were delightful and were unusual interpretations of standard Mediterranean fare.  I promptly had two servings of each.

Radio Africa Interior

We then dashed across the street to Old Skool Cafe which is run by a group of "at risk" youth.  I strongly urge you to visit, as the sweet potatoe pie we had (made by a young woman who couldn't have been much more than 20 years old) rivaled any pie I've ever made.  The crust was light and flaky and the whole concoction was topped with a dollop pf whipped cream flavored with coffee and cinnamon.  The entire place including the staff is decked out in 30's fashions.  This restaurant is a non-profit, so all your money is going directly towards getting kids off the street.  Do make a reservation, or if they are busy, go across the street to Radio Africa.

Old Skool Cafe

Our last two stops were Yvonne's Southern Sweets and Limon.  I was getting full by this point, but bravely soldiered on eating, a butter cookie, another sweet potatoe pie (very different than Old Skool, with lots of ginger) and an excellent pound cake at Yvonne's followed by two amazing pulled pork style empanadas, roasted chicken and a delicious ball thing (who's name I missed) at Limon.  Limon also looks like it has a good cocktail menu.

Many thanks to Supervisor Malia Cohen and her volunteer, Lynne Howe, for organizing this.  They promise a Dogptach ride in the spring.  I can't wait!

Yvonne's Southern Sweets

Limon