The second San Francisco Eatsa, which is less like a restaurant and more like an Amazon Locker for quinoa bowls, is set to open next week in that land of the quick lunch, the Financial District.

Okay, the format won't be unfamiliar for Europeans (or people who were in New York in the 1950s) with their automats, but Americans can be forgiven their befuddlement. The idea is this: Order on an iPad and then receive your bowl through a hole in the wall as it's placed in a mailbox kind of thing for you to grab and go.

Our Angeleno counterparts at LAist had the news that Eatsa was opening in LA in December, so this marks their third location overall. Inside Scoop reported the news of Eatsa's imminent expansion from Spear Street to, now California and Market in the One California building, which SFist had heard was coming back in November, but without a clear opening date.

With a full menu of $7 vegetarian quinoa bowls like a "burrito bowl" and a teriyaki "bento bowl," Eatsa has been a novel hit among diners who prefer the digital ordering an cubby-collection process, which the eatery says cuts costs, to speaking aloud with humans. But hey, plenty of skeptics have been surprised by the quality and overall experience at Eatsa, so perhaps it's best to reserve judgement until you've given it a try — as San Francisco's FiDi workers can starting next Thursday. If you're really in a hurry, give their mobile app a try — you were waiting for that, weren't you.

Eatsa - One California Street, Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It's a red-letter day, folks, for today you no longer have to strain your eye muscles from all the eye rolling you do while walking down 24th Street. (We tease, sensitive Missionites!) Wise Sons mercifully opens a new location downtown San Francisco/SOMA at the Contemporary Jewish Museum for the lunchtime crew.

The Wise Sons you know and love (i.e., Evan Bloom and Leo Beckerman) will feature their beloved sandwiches with brined and smoked meats, matzo ball soup, and a specialty vegetarian sandwich.

To-go and outdoor plaza seating: Mon-Fri: 8am-4pm. Dining room in the museum: Mon, Tues, Fri-Sun: 11am-4pm; Thu: 1-4pm. (Wise Sons can also be found open seven days a week on 24th Street and every Tuesday at the Ferry Building.)

Contemporary Jewish Museum: 736 Mission (between Third and Fourth Streets), S.F.; 415-655-7888

Mason jar salad for lunch. Say goodbye to soggy lettuce and hello to healthy eating. twitter.com/GoodiesCompany…

— Goodies Company (@GoodiesCompany) January 8, 2013

When we saw San Bruno, Calif-based Goodies Company tweet this image of a salad packed into a mason jar, we were shocked (but not surprised) by the number of RTs it garnered. A breathtaking 565 RTs and 750 favorites as of 1/22! Does this mean that the mason jar salad is now a movement? Ugh, maybe. Foodies love nothing more than to mislabel a "trend" or "fad" as a "movement" — one comparable to, say, the March on Washington or Stonewall.

Upon further investigation it does seem that, yes, layering salad into a jar with a cute lid — a salad parfait, if you will — is a thing. We get that it's convenient, but it does seems impractical. Shaking your salad and then pouring it into another bowl seems wasteful. And the twee factor is a touch too high. However, according to the thekitchn.com, who describe the salads as "ubiquituous across the blogosphere," the jar methodology is critical for maximum freshness:

[...] But, you ask, what's the point of using a jar, as opposed to a regular bowl or lunch container, other than looking pretty? Kathy explains how the jar lets you layer the salad, and keep ingredients separate until you eat. Firmer vegetables at the bottom of the jar marinate and even pickle a bit in the dressing underneath. Lighter, more fragile ingredients sit on top.

When you're ready to eat, just dump all the ingredients into a big bowl, and toss them gently.

While that's all well and good (and good for you), let us point to a similar '90s concoction that fell between the demise of Chicken Shanghai McNuggets and the rise of the McGriddle. We are, of course, talking about McSalad Shakers.

Not so cute now, is it? Final verdict: not a movement.

Today is a go-to-the-mall-and-watch-movies kind of day, isn't it? 'Tis. 'Tis, indeed. But instead of bracing the bridge-and-tunnel cockroaches at the Metreon on Westfield, head over to SF MOMA for art (you could use some culture, you blockhead) and good Colombian food for lunch.

SF MOMA's Friday pop-up features authentic Colombian arepas (cornmeal patties filled with cheese or beef ) and chicken soup served up by Maité. While you eat lunch, you can listen to conversations by artists in the exhibition "Six Lines of Flight."

Food is served between 11:30am - 1:30pm today. Be there.

SF MOMA, 151 Third Street (at Howard), SF

Starting today, Ken Ken Ramen's new sister shop in the Mission, Suika, will offer bento boxes for your lunching pleasure. Pork kimchee, saba, and beef bentos are just a few that are now available -- all of them the Japanese brainchildren of Robert Patterson.

Have at them over at 18th and Capp, but get them right-quick. Kimchee sold out today within a couple of hours. Boba drinks also available. Open (for now) from 11:30 to 2pm Wed - Sat

Suika: 3378 18th (at Capp), S.F.

By Joe Payne

Dutiful lunch hour wage earners lined up on Wednesday with the hopes of getting a free Chez Panisee-crafted lunch. If you recall, the fresh food philosophy maven took over Maiden Lane in to showoff her new Edible Schoolyard lunch boxes, which are available at Martin Luther King Middle School.

SFist was among the lucky 500 to sample the ideal school lunch created by farm to table queen Alice Waters. And as expected the meal was delicious, organic, nutritious, and not filling whatsoever much like Chez Panisee! Our box consisted of a fig, cucumber, radishes, and Bronx grapes, and some sort of highly respectable chicken sandwich. Although the scant middle school proportions left me wanting a ham-and-cheese Lunchables or some warm Bagel Bites, the Maiden Lane picnic setting coupled with hibiscus melon tea brought my summer school recess fantasies full circle.

Who knew those Martin Luther King Middle School kids had it so good? Lunchtime-wise, that is.

Here are a few photos from yesterday's lively gastronomic scene. Enjoy.

Founded by a Cole Valley guy who " originally moved to SF to manage his brother's rock band," the Bacon Bacon Truck will head out to SOMA today for the first time to help whet the smokey- and salty-tinged appetites of hungry passersby and tech geeks alike. With the help of a chef friend (Olives in Boston, Rubicon and One Market in SF), the truck's menu boasts loads of bacon-enriched sandwiches (like a grilled cheese laced with tomato and bacon jam) as well as other heavenly delights. As Thrillist notes: "There's also on-the-side eats like Parmesan fries for bacon deniers, spicy belly fries (topped w/ pork belly trimmings), and the bacon bouquet (a bunch of bacon bundled like flowers), plus draft root beer and dessert treats like chocolate-covered bacon."

Bacon Bacon Truck appears Tuesday-Thursday this week from noon-2pm. They'll be located outside 63 Bluxome, between 4th and 5th in SOMA.

[via Thrillist]

Much-ballyhooed bar Comstock will celebrate their one-year anniversary by offering free lunch with the purchase of two drinks. Which is some sort of San Francisco tradition, it seems. SFoodie has the details: "Tomorrow ― Friday ― the saloon officially marks its first year with a day of music, $4 shots, $3 Anchor Steam beers, and the revival of a tradition from the Barbary Coast era: free lunch. It was common practice in San Francisco saloons during the 19th century, a patron buying drinks was fed a hot meal as a means to encourage regular visits." Tomorrow's lunch will be...Hamburg steak. (Mmm.) Free lunch will continue Monday through Friday (11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.), featuring a different dish each week.

Comstock: 155 Columbus (at Kearny)

[via Eater]

"Monologist extraordinaire" Josh Kornbluth, of Haiku Tunnel and Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews? fame, invites you to have lunch with him at the Contemporary Jewish Museum's Cafe on the Square for What's Cookin' with Josh Kornbluth every Monday through August 9th.

Kornbluth reinvents lunch while entertaining and engaging his impromptu lunch companions. Mm, a bagel and matzo ball soup sounds pretty good right about now.

While you're at the museum, check out the fab Maira Kalman exhibit, and let us know how it was.

Mondays, July 12 through August 9, 12 to 2 p.m.
Contemporary Jewish Museum (736 Mission St)
Free admission (Museum admission not included. Space is limited.)
For more info: info@thecjm.org

by Amy Crocker

Today’s Kosher Lunch deals with a tough subject: gefilte fish. White fish mixed with matzo meal and served cold from a jar, gefilte fish has a very strong fish taste. Most people don’t like it ("cat food" is a common complaint). And those who do usually admit to having just grown accustomed to the taste. It is often eaten with horseradish, because horseradish is the only condiment strong enough to mask the flavor.

Many Jews buy it for a seder and by now have a half-empty jar in the fridge - one that will sit there until Yom Kippur because it's the unwritten eleventh commandment not to waste food. Gefilte fish will look even less appetizing after sundown on Tuesday. So while you still have extra horseradish, let’s finish that jar.

To do this, we recommend Gefilte Fish Kabobs. Kabobs are all about joining flavors. Squeezed between fruit and vegetables, you’ll hardly notice the fish. It'll be like free protein. We recommend using apples and onions (not necessarily next to each other), as those do a good job of distracting the palate. Add in vegetables like zucchini or tomato as desired. You can spread a thin layer of horseradish onto the gefilte fish slices before skewering or you can keep it on the side for dipping - depending how much other flavor you need. And who knows, maybe you, like your ancestors, will one day grow accustomed to the taste.

Tonight: The Canvas Gallery is hosting "Ask a Scientist," with Nancy Garland, a Technology Development Master at the U.S. Department of Energy, discussing Alternative Energy: A Cleaner Future for Cars.

Tuesday: The best thing about bubbles is how they warp concepts like "There's no such thing as a free lunch." Hitachi Data Systems is hosting Lunch 2.0 in Santa Clara -- eat free, play foosball, and if you're so inclined, check out any of ten tech companies. Later, drop by the Revolution Cafe in the Mish at six for Net Tuesday.

Wednesday: The Future of Web Apps Summit will feature panel discussions with the likes of our old buddy Ted Rheingold. In the evening, you can choose between the Creative Commons Salon, the STIRR Founders Mixer, a meeting on virtual world/web mashups or the SF Blogger Meetup.

Thursday: Choose between discussing the business communications implications of blogs and wikis, or just geeking out over photography at the SFlickr Meetup.

Friday: Relax after such a long week of sheer nerdliness with the cool kids of Consumating at Skylark. Who knew nerds were so damn social?