Michael Recchiuti Is Obsessed With Carrot Cake

“Since moving to San Francisco from Philadelphia in the mid-1980s, I’ve been on a quest for the perfect carrot cake. I have criteria: The cake must be served at room temperature, the frosting has to have the right balance of cream cheese and sugar (and no exotic cream cheeses—Philly is cool with me), it has to have enough shredded carrot so you can detect its presence and the walnuts have to be fresh and chopped a specific size—maybe quarter-inch pieces. Right now, my favorite carrot cake is served at Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store in North Beach. I go to a dentist across the street, but I’ll ruin a perfectly good cleaning by following it with an espresso and a slice of cake at Mario’s. I’m not sure whether they make the cake in-house, but it’s served properly, at room temperature, which is two-thirds the experience. This same cake ice-cold would really suck.”

Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store
566 Columbus Ave., 415-362-0536

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