(:)(:)(:)(:) for Blue Bottle Coffee in Hayes Valley

Four Snouts Up for Blue Bottle Coffee at 315 Linden Street (tucked in a sort of alley between Gough and Octavia off Hayes in Hayes Valley), San Francisco. This little gem is hardly a secret. At 10:30am on a weekday there's a line into the street.

But you immediately have confidence that it's worth the wait. It's a window, not a coffee shop. This is not Starbucks. This place is not about choices. It's about people who know more than you choosing for you. It's one of those precious places that has very few things on the menu--just the right apple juice, and hot chocolate, exactly the right size, only one. The sign that says, "we use organic Prairie Valley milk, soy is available," gives me the idea that I'd better forgo the usual soy for the dairy--again, they've chosen for me.

Even the soundtrack is perfect. Sam Cooke is playing just loud enough for everyone to appreciate. The barristas sway back and forth mouthing the words as they perfectly pour the foam into that little leaf shape on the top of the espresso, "cupid, draw back your bow, and let your arrow go..."

It was not the latte of my dreams (which remains Caffe Diem on Macarthur in Oakland's Dimond district), but it was excellent and the experience of waiting for it was a joy.