San Francisco

With all due respect to honorable mentions of Bolani in reviews of various Farmers Markets, I feel like I owe the fine readership of NFT a special pointer to this food treat most divine... even for the most spoiled SF palate. I mean, I really thought I'd tried it all. I was, in fact, getting bored (don't shoot me please! As much variety as SF offers, after a few years, one needs... more variety). And then, an innocent visit to the Crocker Galleria farmers' market changed it all. If perhaps I'd merely glimpsed at the displayed bolanis--Afghani flatbreads filled with spinach, pumpkin, lentils--I might not have been tempted. But the sweet & gorgeous salespeople distributed the samples so generously and joyously that I simply had to taste. And then… the closest I can come to describing the sensation is: they melt in your mouth and fill you like the greasiest burrito or croissant or [insert favorite carb treat here], and yet leave you feeling light and refreshed. No wonder: with all natural ingredients and at 80 calories/pop, bolani is the new best surprise San Francisco lunch.

Photo:  Ivana Ivanovic