There’s nothing better than comfort food on a chilly winter day—coming to you in all shapes and ways.
Ladle & Leaf
Burlingame, San Mateo, San Carlos, Palo Alto, Los Altos
Inspired by the idea that soup nourishes the body and warms the soul, Jennifer and Steve Sarver founded the San Francisco Soup Company in 1999. When the company’s brick-and-mortar restaurants took a hit in 2020, the family-owned business pivoted to Ladle & Leaf, which offers an online ordering and convenient local neighborhood pick-up approach. Starting with more than a dozen signature soups including Grandma Mary’s Chicken Noodle, Organic Smoky Split Pea and Organic Southwestern Corn Chowder, Ladle & Leaf expanded its pick-up menu to include happy tummy entrees like Organic White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese, Beef Short Ribs and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas, along with sandwiches/wraps, grain bowls, salads, sides and desserts. Visit ladleandleaf.com/pickup for the full menu, ordering instructions and Peninsula pick-up locations.
Proposition Chicken
Menlo Park
This choose-your-own-chicken adventure begins with a decision: fried or flipped? The choice between a slowly-roasted rotisserie chicken or the signature herb and spice blend counterpart is further challenged again: sandwich or salad? From here, it’s up to you to choose your sidekicks, from fries to honey mustard wings to the brown sugar-caramelized Brussels sprouts. This SF-based micro chain recently opened its first pop-up and chose downtown Menlo Park as its fertile testing ground. Located within the Shiok! Singapore Kitchen, Proposition Chicken wants to remind you that you’re the master of your own dining destiny. Call it bespoke bock bock. 1137 Chestnut Street. Open Monday through Friday from 11AM to 2:30PM; 5PM to 8:30PM; Saturday from 5PM to 8:30PM and closed on Sunday.
Cuisinett
San Calos
Au revoir to your hunger pains. Geoffroy Raby had a vision to bring a new style of French food to the Peninsula. Forget what you knew about the cuisine, Geoffroy wanted to bring back the neighborhood café that he grew up in. At Cuisinett, located centrally downtown, the nine-inch quiches talk first with the choice of the forestière (spinach, goat cheese and mushrooms), lorraine (bacon, onions and gruyere cheese) or the provençale (zucchini, goat cheese and fine herbs). Other favorites include the bœuf à la Bourguignonne, slowly braised beef short ribs with red wine, or the cheese and pork pate trays. Come for the food, leave with comfort. 1105 San Carlos Avenue. Open for pick-up and delivery Tuesday through Saturday from 4PM to 8PM.