Monk's Kettle

I have definitely been eating, but I haven't been writing ... sorry, folks.  This post was meant for New Year's Eve, when I did a little antique store shopping in the Mission with Rachel.  Aside from finding about three sets of nesting tables to love, I also found a little respite.

We stopped into Monk's Kettle, eager to try their famed giant pretzel.  Aside from the pretzel, our choices were nowhere near as straightforward.

There were a delightful array of beers on tap but hundreds, literally hundreds of bottles on the beer list.  I might return just to sip my way through the list of Belgian trippels, but on this particular Thursday I couldn't overlook the fact that they had Pliny the Elder on tap.  The apricot finish on the Pliny gets me every time.

Because the food menu was similarly daunting, we decided to order a few plates to share.  We ended up with a potato and corn chowder, a black bean and corn cake, and the giant pretzel, which came with a cheddar ale dipping sauce as well as a spicy mustard.  I would have preferred that the mustard be more spreadable ... the flavor was delicious but it was hard to get a piece of pretzel to carry enough mustard for me. Too bad ... I just ate more cheese!  Of all that we tried, however, the soup was hands down the best. 

And, by the way, every single table around us had a plate of mac'n'cheese.  Next time.