The Red Vic Movie House was a classic San Franciscan landmark that opened in the 1980s and sadly, shut in 2011. Situated in Haight Ashbury, it perfectly embodied the quintessentially quirky nature of that neighborhood, and it was a sad when the Red Vic closed its doors. Now, what used to be the Red Vic is now the very appropriately named Second Act Marketplace, a neighborhood “public space” that has 5 retail pop-up stores, and also acts as an event space.
The famous red exterior now has a sleek matte black facade, and is filled with a small but varied selection of vendors. Recently, I finally got the chance to check out the space with my fabulous friend, Monika, who also happens to be an amazing photographer and food stylist.
Immediately upon entering, I’m infatuated with the quaint look and feel of High Cotton Kitchen, which is American comfort food with a Southern twang.
In the morning, they serve Sightglass coffee as well as Beauty’s Bagels, brought all the way from Oakland. I loved their whole look and presentation. I went ahead and took their recommendation and ordered the cochon de lait po’ boy. And holy pork it was HUMONGOUS.
You probably can’t really tell from the picture, but it was seriously dense. I could barely finish half. This might also be due to the fact I had ice cream as an appetizer before this. More on that below…
Monika ordered the red beans and rice, which were packed with bacony flavor and texture.
As previously mentioned, before I dug into the monster sandwich, I kicked off the meal with some scrumptious soft serve and drinkwell softers from Eatwell Farm’s Ice Box. It was quite a mouthful literally, and figuratively. Eatwell Farms is an actual farm that also makes soft serve and these soda-like beverages with ingredients from their farm.
Their “softers” are these light, fizzy drinks flavored with natural ingredients like lavender, lemon verbena, and rose geranium. I was slightly skeptical at first, like, what is this hippie stuff, but it actually tasted really refreshing. Serves me right! Then, we moved onto the soft serve.
Yes. YES. So good. I had a mix of vanilla and stone fruit, zomg. I literally felt like I was eating peaches and cream. Amazing! I felt slightly sick after from all the sweet treats, but it was totally worth it.
All in all, I would say it was a pretty successful visit. Wouldn’t you agree?
Second Act Marketplace
1727 Haight St.
San Francisco, CA 94117