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Pluto's: Out of This World
By Joanna Yeh
Co-Food Editor
For those of you who have not had a chance to eat at Pluto's, you are
missing out. This low-key eatery on Irving between 7th and 8th avenues has been
faithfully serving up fresh, healthy fast food to the Inner Sunset and UCSF
communities. I have been a regular customer at Pluto's since my first
year of medical school. Their low-cost salads, sandwiches and sides of comfort
foods always make me walk out with a smile and a very full stomach. With an
outer space theme, Pluto's motto is "Fresh Food for a Hungry Universe."
I couldn't have summed it up better than that.
Pluto's claim to fame is its salads. Their produce is purchased daily
and each salad is made and tossed as you order. My personal favorite is the
farmer's greens with choice of crunch fixings (side $4.15, main $5). You
can choose from a huge selection of toppings including sweet corn, plum tomatoes,
red onions, grilled fennel, mushrooms, green beans, carrots, oranges, cucumbers,
roasted peppers, walnuts, beets, raisins, jicama and of course croutons.
I often get my salad topped with marinated flank steak. You can also choose
grilled chicken as a healthier option. Meat on top of your salad is only about
a dollar extra (side $5.15, main $5.95). I always order the flank steak medium
rare, and it is always juicy, tender, non-fatty and very tasty. It is the perfect
complement to a healthy green salad with your choice of toppings. All salads
are accompanied by your choice of freshly baked bread. You can choose from sourdough
or my personal favorite, the soft, lightly seasoned foccacia bread. Extra bread
is only 25 cents more! What a great deal.
Pluto's meats and poultry are prepared fresh everyday. Another favorite
of frequent Pluto's goers is a plate of meat or poultry along with a side
of soup or mashed potatoes. You can get marinated flank or tri-tip steak carved,
in a sandwich, or BBQ. There is also herb roasted Sonoma turkey or smoked poultry
sausage. All meat dishes are under $6.
For the vegetarians, there are the salads of course but also grilled eggplant
sandwiches and grilled portabello mushroom sandwiches (both $5.65).
There are daily soups of the day, creatively named crater of orbital soup ($3.65).
There is also smashed spuds of the day with beef sherry or turkey gravy ($1.65).
Other sides include baked potatoes, vegetable sides, Neptune's stuffing
(year around, not just during Thanksgiving!), and the more unhealthy options
of garlic potato rings and onion rings ($2.00).
Even though my dining experiences at Pluto's are intended to be healthy,
once in a while I cave and order the deep fried goodies. The garlic potato rings
are awesome, similar to the Gordon-Biersch garlic fries when you go to baseball
games but less greasy, less soggy and not too garlic-y. The onion rings are
also superb — absolutely huge pieces of onion with a yummy batter and
deep fried to perfection. The accompanying spicy BBQ sauce is a perfect complement.
Pluto's is committed to healthy cooking by using fresh, low-fat ingredients
and grilling, steaming, roasting and baking most of their cooked foods. They
are also committed to the environment by using recycled products when possible.
You don't need a rocket to get "out of this world," great
tasting and healthy food. Simply head on over to Pluto's during your next
lunch break or after school/work for dinner. Always packed with loyal customers
but seldom an extremely long wait, Pluto's is comfort food at its best
just like the way your mom intended: hearty, tasty and healthy.
If you become a regular Pluto's customer, like myself, be sure to ask
for the Pluto's Shuttle Club card where you get a free meal with every
10 you purchase.
Pluto's
627 Irving Street & 3258 Scott Street
San Francisco
674-1494
plutosfreshfood.com
Price range: under $10
Wheelchair accessible.
Kids menu available.
Credit cards accepted.
Other Pluto's locations include Palo Alto, Sacramento, Davis and Chico.
Joanna Yeh is a second-year medical student.
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