Sliced salami and cornichons on a plain baguette. $4.50
La Boulange de Noe, San Francisco
How can you go wrong with sliced hard salami on a baguette!? Add some cornichons and you’ve got a winner! This sandwich doesn’t need the help of any condiments, it’s perfect in its simplicity. My only gripe was that the baguette was a little chewy and stale. I think it’s because these “Grab & Go” sandwiches are premade and kept in a plastic sleeve. They’re easy and tasty regardless.
Wow, this was a whole lotta donut goodness! And I loved the beautiful, large cubes of sweet apple hidden inside. The apple fritter was larger than most and had a beautifully crunchy sugar glaze. Perfect! $1.75
Bob’s Donut & Pastry Shop, San Francisco
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011
Large, fried mound of chicken hash, topped with scallions and served with scrambled eggs and a biscuit. $11.75
Ella’s – San Francisco
This amazing ball of chicken hash was pretty frickin’ tasty! It appeared to contain roast chicken pieces mixed with mashed potatoes, breaded(?) and pan fried. The chicken was super tender and flavorful. Whenever I’ve recooked roast chicken in something else, it always gets dry but the cooks at Ella’s have discovered the secret to moist chicken in this hash. SO good! Their biscuits are also noteable. They’re warm, fluffy, and so good topped with butter and jam. You deserve an applause if you can finish the entire plate.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011
With pasilla peppers, pulled pork, corn relish, jack cheese, and chipotle crema. Served with potatoes and wheat toast. $12.75
Ella’s – San Francisco
I thought this omelette was OK. The filling was really runny so that turned me off from the start. The egg also had a weird, plastic-y texture. There is no arguing that you get your money’s worth though – it was gigantic! It tasted fine, but I wish that the flavors had more punch. The whole thing tasted somewhat bland. The potatoes were just OK, too. I definitely had to used some ketchup to add more flavor. I have to say that my favorite part of my order was the thick wheat bread that came with it. Is that sad?
Cup of regular coffee. $2.50
Red cabbage slaw, chipotle cream, mango and jicama salsa. $5 happy hour
Hog & Rocks, San Francisco
Wow, these were amazing! And only five dollars for two huge tacos! The shrimp was tender inside with a great crispy fried coating. Sometimes it’s hard to taste the batter when there’s so many other components, but this batter stood out to me. The chipotle cream was delicious and I loved the crunch from the cabbage slaw and the mango and jicama salsa. I wish the salsa came on the taco though. It would have provided just another smattering of color, and I’m too lazy to put add it myself, hehe. I would order this again any day!
Pork belly gravy and cheddar cheese, sprinkled with chopped chives. $5 happy hour
Hog & Rocks, San Francisco
This item reads super heavy on the menu, but it somehow tasted pretty light! Not sure how they did that. The gravy wasn’t too thick and creamy, and the pork belly was cooked well and cut into small enough pieces to prevent a fatty overload with each bite. I didn’t catch the cheddar cheese very much. I actually forgot there was any until I referred back to the menu. A very good and filling dish!
Chile and agave nectar sauce, sprinkled with chives and served with carrots, celery, and ranch. $5 happy hour
Hog & Rocks, San Francisco
Yet another amazing happy hour value at Hog & Rocks.! I’m not suer that the chile and agave nectar sauce really stood out though. It didn’t have a very defined flavor. In fact, it tasted pretty light and mellow – if that’s possible with chicken wings. You certainly get a lot of wings for five bucks, but in terms of flavor I don’t think I’ll be ordering these again (and they were cold!).
Pan fried shishito peppers with sea salt. $6
Hog & Rocks, San Francisco
They give you quite a lot of peppers for six dollars! I’ve heard that one out of ten peppers is HOT, but this plate had a much higher percentage of hot peppers. They weren’t too spicy, just hot enough to surprise you every time. Shishito peppers have such a great flavor, and they’re longer than, say, padron peppers so they’re funner to eat. I like the padron flavor better, though. These shishitos were very good, but maybe a bit too greasy.
Tom Collins: Gordon’s gin, lemon, simple syrup, soda, garnished with lemon slice and cherry. $6 happy hour
Dark & Stormy: Coruba dark rum, bundaberg ginger beer, lime juice, garnished with lime slice. $6 happy hour
Hog & Rocks, San Francisco
Have I ever mentioned that I love happy hour, lol! These drinks were particularly delicious, and even more so at the discounted prices. The Tom Collins was refreshing and light while the Dark & Stormy was dark and had a great ginger flavor. I also love it when drinks are served tall (they last longer)!
I believe these were Baywater Sweet oysters from Hood Canal in Washington State. Served with a mignonette and lemon wedges. Being originally from Washington, I say “Noms!” Actually, I’m not a big raw oyster fan but I’ve got a sense of native pride to upload, hehe. These were pretty large and you can’t complain about the great happy hour price! $18 happy hour
Hog & Rocks, San Francisco
Spicy tuna, albacore, asparagus, scallion, and garlic ponzu. $12.95
Tokyo Go-Go, San Francisco
I wasn’t blown away by this roll. The spicy tuna wasn’t spicy enough for my taste. Compared to the Azteca roll, this barely had any heat. Everything just blended together so the flavors got muddled. I couldn’t taste the garlic ponzu at all. I’m not saying that this roll tasted bad, but the ingredients list was so appetizing that I expected more.
Spanish white mackerel slices over sushi rice, with pickled ginger and wasabi. $6.50
Tokyo Go-Go, San Francisco
This was on their nightly special list so we decided to try it. The waitress told us it was Spanish white mackerel. I’m not sure if that’s correct because Googling “shima aji” comes up with many different results, none of which are for Spanish white mackerel. This just adds to my frustration with the use of common names in communicative nomenclature, but that’s for another blog – lol! Whatever we ate, I really liked it! The shima aji wasn’t fishy tasting at all. It had quite a firm texture and a mellow flavor. I loved the peach color that gradated to a bright pinkish red.
Vittle Monster 