The Challenge: Petit Pretzels for Garlic Lovers

Number 36 on 7x7's Big Eat hits a longtime San Francisco favorite: Absinthe in Hayes Valley. I hear dinner is delicious, but I've only experienced the bar. Which is lovely, with polished wood, tiled floors, and in general, everything you would hope and expect from a pre-ballet, symphony, or opera libation. It's unapologetically yuppie, but undeniably charming.

If you need a nibble with your Savoy cocktail or pink bubbly, our friends at 7x7 would like to call your attention to the garlic pretzels. Not knotted, but just chic little bites.

They were delicious. So chewy, but with a crisp foot, a crunch of coarse salt, and a heady dose of garlic butter. My friend and I agreed, we could have happily skipped our dinner reservation, and munched down on a whole basket of these. Almost.