We finally visited Tartine on a rainy day (pro-tip...

We finally visited Tartine on a rainy day (pro-tip, shorter lines in the rain, but also less room to sit) only to be underwhelmed. Everything here overflows with richness, and the portions are enormous. The combination makes for a queasy aftermath, even when you don't eat more than half your lunch :(

The pastries are better than the sandwiches, and the coffee is better than the pastries.

Let's start with the weakest:
The sandwiches aren't worth trying. They start with pretentiousness and end with a surprisingly tiresome flavor. Three bites and we were both done, continuing only to avoid a massive waste of food. We tried the Pepper Turkey with Broccoli Rabe Pesto and the Almond Pecorino. The former was okay, the latter just wasn't good. Rhea's, a deli around the corner from Tartine serves a better panini on the very same, admittedly delectable Tartine Country Bread.

The pastries are much better, but still not as good as anything my friends and I have made ourselves. Perhaps stick to the tricker productions like croissants and eclairs. Avoid the overcooked cookies and lemon bars.

The coffee is delish. You can skip the line if this is all you want, but you may as well just head on over to the nearby Four Barrel since that's Tartine's home brew unless you're looking for espresso. Tartine adds a unique citrus and cardamom twist to their espresso drinks which is quite delightful.

Tartine is a place that seems to measure reputation to its long line, so I don't expect to see much improvement in the service or the seating. Expect to wait...forever on a sunny weekend day...just shy of that in the rain. Bring a companion to fight for a sliver of table and expect to have your food delivered 20-30 minutes after making it through the eternal line. Expect to quickly learn how difficult it is to carry heavy plates across the crowd as you bus your own table. Most people simply succumb to getting everything in to-go boxes because it's so difficult to determine if you'll have seating and to maneuver the bussing process, despite the typically environmentally conscious bent of folks in SF.