Amuse Bouche Cart

Famous for selling Amuse-​Bouche (single, bite-​sized hors d’œuvres) for $ 3.00 & under, Murat Celebi-​Ariner made one of his last appearances w/​his wife Pelin in early October 2009. San Francisco baker & street-​food vendor, proprietor of the Amuse Bouche Cart, Murat was picked up by ICE (U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement) in late October & was deported back to France on on November 12, 2009 for overstaying his 90-​day Visa.
Murat’s wife Pelin held a estate sale (where complimentary muffins & chai were served) & left for France in December to rejoin him & has returned to their pre-​food cart lives as a teacher & writer & game designer/​consulter respectively.
Murat arrived in the US in March of 2009, began his Amuse Bouche Cart in April, missed his Visa Waiver (extension) in late June, was anonymously reported on in August after he married girlfriend Pelin, arrested in late October, & deported on November 12^th. Murat never filed for a green card & hoped that his subsequent marriage to Pelin would legitimize him. Pelin is from Turkey & recently became an US citizen in June.
The Amuse Bouche Cart served up hot homemade chai or coffee & various mini quiches & tarts for $ 1.00 a piece. Onion tarts, banana muffins, quiches, etc. for $ 3.00 a pop. The menu changed dependent on his mood. Pelin often accompanied & assisted him.
Santa’s Unilocaler sez: «His cheap bite-​sized eats will be missed!» It’s kind of sad, but c’est la vie, SY.

Normally I don’t go for banana muffin-​type creations, ’cause I figure that’s one thing I can actually bake fairly decently. But the amuse bouche cart ones are great! I was impressed. The banana slices on top were a nice little touch, too. I can’t wait to try the apple strudel. The savory pita-​puffs were pretty good as well and pleasantly filling, although I would have preferred a little more filling in the tomato ones.

Yesterday morning, Amuse Bouche man got married! Congratulations!
So you might want to congratulate him the next time you buy some delicious pastries from him & his now wife.
Cheers!

Apple strudel was solid! Lovely crème sauce too.
Extremely friendly fellow who offers some inventive sweet and savory pastries. And he often provides different varities. just follow his twitter on what he has to offer.
My route doesn’t fall on his usual spot at the 24^th St Bart station, but I caught him at a food cart meetup. He was one of the original «carts» that spawned so many others and so far he’s one of the more consistent ones. What he offers aren’t really a one bite treat, but quite frankly I don’t want that if he’s serving some awesome pastries!

The perfect size pastry + drink with just the right amount of sweetness. At just a dollar, you might as well try it.
JONASAPPROVED!

Id been meaning to try this cart out for a while.
My friend and I went to get some pastries before a movie but couldnt find parking. Ended up driving up to the table and ordering.
I hope that was okay! I heard someone go «We are a drive thru now»
We had a cheese pita… which didnt look like a pita but was apparently really delicious according to my friend. The blueberry muffin was awesome! Just the right size and perfect sweetness.
I would recommend picking up something if you are in the neighborhood.

Another one of the carts that I tried while waiting for the magic curry man this Friday. Loved the mini corn muffins! For only $ 1 dollar you can snack on a mini muffin and chai or black tea. They were serving mini corn muffins with your choice of butter or their homemade orange jam. I choose the jam and I thought it really made the muffin because it was so flavourful and added that kick. They also had a pear tart for $ 3 and a pita filled with feta cheese. I was only carrying $ 20 cash with me so I had to pass on their other treats this time around.
The only complaint I had was that I thought it was pretty unsanitary to be handling both the cash and food without gloves But then again, they are serving food from a cart so what can you expect?
You can follow them on twitter.

This cart was kind of a starter for the magic curry cart and it was okay. Cute presentation. Egg Carton holders that held a little corn bread muffin with option for smidge of butter and a snitch of marmalade. None of it was great. The muffin was paired with a mini glass of okay Chai. My friend had a parsley and feta muffin that was good. Price was good $ 1…and minimal wait. got there right at 730. Might try again but wouldn’t seek it out.

Had the $ 1 onion quiche with the chai. Quiche didn’t have much taste. Chai didn’t taste very good. Food would be 1 star, but the guy was nice so he gets another star.
He also had Apple Tart and small muffins, too.
He was there at 19^th and Linda St. with Crème Brulee Cart and Magic Curry Kart, of which I also tried.
More info for him can be found on Twitter: @amusebouchesf

love this vendor! Whenever I take the 24^th st and Mission Bart, he’s there inviting me to have some chai and a muffin for $ 1. I mean… its just one dollar for a little sweet goodness to start your day. He packs them in these little egg carton’s which make it easy to carry and I walk away smiling and helping someone with their business.
I love the originality and love supporting street food vendors! We need more of them in SF!

good stuff but too bad we had only enough cash for 1 amuse bouche, 1 crème brûlée and 1 thai curry. him and his GF setup their lil stand along side the other karts in the area and serve away lil bites (or amuse bouches) to everyone who’s willing to try. lil muffins cost $ 1, small tarts are $ 2 and «large» tarts are $ 3. w/​each purchase you get either tea or hot cocoa.
my wife got the strawberry large tart and the hot cocoa. the tart crust was very very nice and the strawberries tasted beautifully fresh. the hot cocoa was a lil watery for me but had a nice flavor too it but they could hold back on the cinnamon.
there were so many tasty treats that surrounding ares smelled so good. we’ll definitely have to try the other items!

My favorite way to start the day and favorite way to end the night (when he’s at 19^th and Linda). Especially on my new (long) commute starting early in the morning.
Pros: $ 1! Variety! Awesome drinks! Tweets what he’ll serve the night before. Very nice guy with a smile to welcome the morning
Cons: Watch out for the hot tchai! Most items are not warm.
Cutting to the chase. I love love love the variety and the drinks he serves. Drinks are complimentary with each item.
As of the first of May, he appears at the 24^th/​BART during the week from 7:30 — 10:30 am and at 19^th/​Linda on Thursday nights. Check his twitter @amusebouchesf to make sure.
I have had:
lemon-​lime muffin and tchai ($ 1)
banana-​walnut muffin and tchai ($ 1)
strawberry tart and hot tea ($ 3)
apple tart and iced tea ($ 3)
The first time I spotted him, I was happy because even though I didn’t buy any, he still had a welcoming smile and a «Good morning».
Because of my morning rush to work, I rarely have a moment to chat and usually quickly pick up something. It’s true that the muffin and drink are rather small, but $ 1 is worth it for a welcome to the morning and mini-​sustenance on a long commute. $ 3 for tarts.
Unfortunately despite the warning he gives «it’s hot!» in the wax cup that doesn’t hold heat in nor protects your hand from heat, I have spilled the tchai on my hand multiple times on the way down to BART. And because of the no food policy, I have sometimes gulped it down before entering the station. The last time I bought a drink from him, I brought my own mug which proved to be useful (hopefully he was not offended).
The tarts are wonderful. He has crafted a wonderful compilation of tastes and truly provides a variety in this realm. Even when not hot. I saved the apple tart for later and after a short nuke in the microwave, it was delicious.
The muffins are small, so don’t have as a defined taste. With it being cold, it’s difficult to really tell. But the light flavors of lemon and poppy seed does make it a worthwhile snack.
Now the drinks. I love the tchai. It’s the right blend of spiceyness without overpowering sugaryness. And the teas – both hot and cold, they all please me. It does not taste like lipton at all. All drinks seem to be hand-​crafted with thought.
There was one sweltering morning where he was standing in the sun. And he was still smiling.

Murat makes excellent little muffins, my favorite are the banana-​walnut. The chai, served in little dixie cups is perfectly spiced and not overly sweet. The greatest part is that for $ 1 you get a mini muffin and a chai! Try the tarlettes as well, they are heavenly. I had a zucchini tartlette this morning, it was the perfect pre-​breakfast snack! I hear ice cream is in the works…

The first time I passed this stand on the way down into 24^th Street BART, I smiled and thought that it must be some sort of prank. A funny one, but a prank all the same.
The second time I saw the stand, I was late for the airport and resolved to myself that the next time I passed this stand, I would check it out.
Today was my lucky day. The weather has returned to the usual chill that is a San Francisco morning and this was a great antidote. The stand guy is very genial and offers two different choices (with chai) for a buck. I settled on the muffin which was quite tasty and made for a nice snack/​treat as I headed down the BART stairs. The chai was warm and cut the chill out of the morning. The other choice (mexican-​style powder sugar cookie) looked tasty and he also had almond tarts for three bucks, which I’m kicking myself for not getting. Next time, it must be…
What a great idea and what a great way to start the day. I had a spring in my step and a smile on my face. Even the BART train operator seemed chipper.

This vendor sells tiny bites of muffins alongside little cups of chai tea for a buck! You can find him at 24^th St BART or sometimes Dolores Park. (Follow him on Twitter to see where he will be that day:
)
The poppy seed muffin was awesome, and the Turkish iced tea was perfect for a hot SF morning. He also sells savory quiches and sweet tarts, but they cost $ 2 or $ 3 instead of $ 1. Totally worth it, though.
This adorable food cart’s offerings change almost daily. When you go, you get an adorable French accent and a friendly face, to boot. This cart is a San Francisco gem. Find the Amuse-​Bouche guy and you won’t be disappointed.

I have passed this fellow and his stand in girl many times on my way to work in the morning at the southwest 24^th BART entrance. I’m not a breakfast fan but yesterday morning I decided I needed to start my day better. I stopped and the soft spoken man gave me all the details of the chocolate chip muffin and chai for a dollar! Of course there was an apple tart that was wanting me to take it too and for three dollars how could I deny our destiny. I enjoyed the muffin and chai both were fresh and tasty. In the afternoon while searching my purse I came across the apple tart the gentleman had nicely wrapped for me it was quite delicious.