Bargain Bites: Ode to OshaBy Sarah Jimenez
Glen Park: Charming home of yogis with nonfat lattes, rich moms with dogs, and ... cheap lunch? Yup.
Poor lunch. It always gets overlooked. While breakfast gets all the crepe and omelet glory, and dinner gets a sexy night vibe, lunch has long been demoted to that awkward hour you finally meet up with your ex and eat another fucking Cobb Salad, dressing on the side – or stuff your face with whatever boring staples are in your cupboard. Bore me to tears.
I contemplated this one recent afternoon as I sat at home, hungry as hell, with a fridge full of condiments and no freakin’ food. Watching Paula fry chicken on the Food Network wasn’t helping matters. How's a poor girl to give the midday meal it's due?
I threw on yesterday’s threads, brushed my teeth, and got my lazy ass outta the house. Over the river and through the woods is a bomb-ass Thai place that you’ve probably heard of, even if you’re an Excelsior brat like me and can barely see outta the fog: Osha Thai. The Glen Park location has $11 lunch specials -- just right if you’re a broke bastard or just a big cheapskate (hey, I don’t judge). The new spot on Diamond Street is my closest samosa salvation, just a hop away on the always eventful (aka brain-cell destroying) 44 line where I get pushed and shoved into the mosh-pit of teens screaming on their cell-phones and at each other.
In this lovely nook of Glen Park, barely more than a 10-note will buy you a 3 course meal: soup of the day (hope that it’s Tom Kar!) or salad with spicy peanut sauce, an appetizer, and an entrée with a heaping scoop of rice. Appetizer choices are the standard classics: samosas (of course), angel wings, and fresh veggie spring rolls with a hint of mint. As for entrée, the green and yellow curries are amazing—the perfect amount of spice. And the pumpkin curry with kabocha squash and bamboo shoots is up there too. Not feeling like curry? Get Lemongrass Sauce, stir-fried with snap-peas, or the Spicy Sweet Basil Leaf with red bell peppers and chili-sauce.
For you Mission dwellers, the Osha on Valencia also serves this lunch special. Union Street’s locale serves ‘em up for a slightly steeper $12.95. (Apparently, people near the Embarcadero and 2nd Street don’t need no cheap specials, so don’t even bother asking.) Service is usually a hit or miss—like most San Francisco restaurants—but the newest one in Glen Park is probably the most accommodating, since they’re a little slower than their more famous siblings joints. Plus, you get to sit by the window, enjoy the fresh flowers on each tiny table and watch people like me stumble off the 44.
Osha Thai Glen Park (check Website for other locations)
2922 Diamond, SF
(415) 586-8742
www.oshathai.com
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Comments (1)
"Over the river and through the woods is a bomb-ass Thai place.." I think I'm in love with Ms. Jimenez, she had me at pumpkin curry, looking forward to more bites.
Posted by A Lo. | November 6, 2009 09:50 AM