Kat's 9 Lives

After hearing all the hype about Little Skillet, I thought it was about time I ventured out and tried Little Skillet. It's literally across the street so I was hoping to find a new favorite spot that's convenient and delicious. At least that is what I hoped. Maybe I had too high of an expectation, which led to a great fall. I thought they had huge potential when I saw the line waiting for their food. As you walk down the alley to a quaint window that was just so picturesque. It almost feels like there should be a pie cooling on the window sill. The staff were very friendly when they took my order.
Couldn't miss the chance to snap a quick pic of the inner works. You can clearly see they have a very clean kitchen and work with the small space they have. I love their little sign that points to where you should order. If you have never been down this little street, you just might miss them.
The first sign that this meal might not turn out the way I had hoped was the Hibiscus drink. Everyone online raved about it so Ms. Lin definitely wanted to buy one to try. Maybe it's just personal flavor but I didn't quite like the flavor. It was more bitter and had that dry after taste than anything else. I have had hibiscus before but not pure juice, so maybe I don't like it so potent.
They were out of some specials, which I guess was a blessing in disguise. I decided to only get the 3 pc Chicken & Waffles. Here they use free range petaluma chicken. I thought the chicken was a bit dry and that there was nothing special about their batter. Since the apt is really close, it is convenient to walk back and dig in without losing the essence of the food. Maybe the few mins it took to get back made a difference, but the chicken wasn't that crispy and the waffle was a little soggy. Sure, hot food can make a big difference but there really isn't any place people can sit and eat on the spot. The walk back is so close that the food was still hot but apparently it can't hold up? Or maybe it just comes that way. Either way, not worth the $9.50 I spent.
Another thing that people rave about here were their Angel Biscuits with Sausage Gravy. This was the worst thing IMHO because that is not a good biscuit! I expect biscuits to have layers that really melt in your mouth. Here, I felt it was tough and chewy. Having just been to Animal in Los Angeles, I can't help but compare the difference. At Animal they offer a delicious biscuit with maple sausage gravy and a nicely seared chunk of foie gras on top. **drool drool** A million times better! For $5, their biscuit was sorely disappointing. I would rather use that money to eat a nice flaky biscuit at KFC.
All in all, I definitely won't be back any time soon. When people ask me where is a good breakfast place in SF, I make sure to say not here. Sorry, there are many better places to eat in SF and this is definitely not one of them.

Little Skillet
360 Ritch St
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 777-2777