Monthly Archives: January 2012

Fried shrimp po’boy – Brenda’s French Soul Food

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Fried shrimp po' boy Brenda's French Soul Food

Cornmeal fried shrimp with lettuce, tomatoes and chipotle remoulade on a toasted French roll. Served with coleslaw and pickled watermelon. $9.75
Brenda’s French Soul Food, San Francisco

This sandwich was SO good! The shrimp were cooked perfectly and the chipotle remoulade tasted amazing. You can put that sauce over anything and it would taste good. This meal was very rich and fattening but it’s nice for an occasional treat. I definitely wouldn’t be eating this every day!

The restaurant is super popular so if you’re going during lunch, you better arrive early otherwise you’ll be waiting for a while. They’ve expanded their dining room but every table gets filled. I had to sit at the front counter the last time I went. I don’t mind that sort of thing, especially for lunch and the people next to me were friendly enough and unobtrusive.

Coleslaw Brenda's French Soul Food

Coleslaw of cabbage, carrots and red cabbage. Love that it’s not so mayonnaise! It’s nice and on the lighter side.

Pickled watermelon rinds Brenda's French Soul Food

Pickled watermelon rinds. Yummy!

Watermelon tea Brenda's French Soul Food

Sweet watermelon house tea. $2.25
So frickin’ refreshing!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011

Chocolate eclair – La Boulange de Noe

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Project 365: Day 27

Wow, it sure was cold this morning! My hands got frozen to and from the gym. It felt like I was back in Seattle. Maybe that’s my cue to move farther south, hehe!

Had a pretty good workout, but I feel like I’m not making it to the gym early enough so I’m rushing while I’m there. That’s not going to change because I hate getting out of bed. I was able to get a couple loads of laundry in while I was having coffee, though. Not mouch else happening today.

Chocolate eclair La Boulange de Noe

Choux pastry split lengthwise, filled with a chocolate cream and topped with chocolate frosting. $3.25
La Boulange Bakery, San Francisco

This was delicious! The consistency of the chocolate cream filling was just how I like it. I’m not a big fan of custardy fillings for eclairs. They remind me of Bismarck donuts, yuck! This filling was light and airy and nommy! There are SO many yummy pastries at La Boulange and it’s my goal to try all of them, lol!

Chocolate eclair La Boulange de Noe

I love that even if you’re buying just one eclair, La Boulange still takes the time to box it up and prevent the eclair from getting damaged in transit. Way to go, guys!

Chocolate eclair La Boulange de Noe

I prefer the first bite over the last bite, hehe!

Maui Zaui pizza – Round Table Pizza

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Maui Zaui Round Table Pizza

Tender ham, crisp bacon, juicy pineapple, Roma tomatoes, red and green onions. Baked with a blend of 3 cheeses and their classic red sauce. Large $20.99
Round Table Pizza, San Francisco

I’ve never had the Maui Zaui, but omg, it was darn good! I don’t usually order pizza from chain restaurants unless I’m super starving and feeling really poor (hehe). There are just so many great pizza places in San Francisco – think Delfina Pizzeria, Little Star, Patxi’s, Ragazza, etc. I feel a little guilty that I enjoyed this pizza so much. The crust was on the thinner side and it was jam packed with all my favorite toppings! Noms!

Maui Zaui Round Table Pizza

Sunrise Subway melt – Subway

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Project 365: Day 26

I hate Mondays! I really didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. But I dragged myself up and forced myself to the gym. Stopped by Subway on the way and grabbed a breakfast sandwich.

This weekend was pretty busy and I drank WAY too much. The bottomless mimosas at brunch yesterday got me really tired and I fell asleep early last night. Now back to the daily grind. I need to win the lottery, lol!

Sunrise Subway melt

Turkey, crispy bacon, black forest ham, pepper jack cheese, egg, pepperocinis, and olives on an english muffin. $2.50
Subway, San Francisco

First time to have one of their breakfast sandwiches and it was pretty good! And the price was cheap for what you actually got. You had the option of getting egg whites but I opted for the regular egg. I’m glad I got this instead of a pastry from a coffee shop. I ate WAY too poorly this past weekend.

Very berry coffee cake – Starbucks

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Very berry coffee cake Starbucks

Reduced-fat crumble top coffee cake made with blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. $2.25
Starbucks, South San Francisco CA

It says “reduce-fat” and it certainly tastes like. I was super starving the morning that I bought this (along with the mini vanilla bean scone) and neither item really satisfied me. Pretty to look at but not much flavor.

Petite vanilla bean scone – Starbucks

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Petite vanilla bean scone Starbucks

Moist, bite-sized scone flavored with natural vanilla extract and real vanilla beans. $0.95
Starbucks, South San Francisco CA

Every once in a while, I’ll torture myself with mediocre coffee and pastries from Starbucks because it’s convenient and I’m lazy, lol! This scone wasn’t very good. The online description says “moist”, but this was actually pretty dry and the thick layer of frosting was unappetizing.

Skinny vanilla latte Starbucks

Tall skinny vanilla latte. $3.25
Has non-fat milk and sugar-free vanilla syrup. I do love me a skinny vanilla latte, though, because the vanilla syrup helps to hide to bad coffee taste.

Ola’s steak and potato hash – Jones

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Project 365: Day 25

I only had a mild hang over this morning after my work birthday party last night. As much as I complain about work, I do like the people I work with. That’s comforting. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I had enough food for everyone and I even sang a few songs on the Magic Mic, lol!

Of course I had to have another cocktail this morning while I finished cleaning up the apartment (see below). What?! It makes house work go by faster!

Then I headed out to Jones which is downtown in the Tenderloin/Union Square area to meet B2 for brunch. She’s so sweet! She wanted to take me out to brunch since she missed my actual birthday last weekend. I’ve never heard of this place but it’s actually really cool. The space is super cute and the vibe is young and energetic.

I didn’t focus much of the food since I was having such a great conversation with B2, but I think it was pretty good. And they have bottomless mimosas so you know we had that! We had such a great time catching up and talking that brunch lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes, nice! I need to hang out with B2 more often! No really, she’s an amazing person and we have a lot of common interests so it works.

Now I’m dreading work tomorrow, but at least I get to hang out with Silverfox tonight. I missed him while he was away.

Ola's steak and potato hash Jones

Steak and potatoes with sausage, pancetta, carrots, onions, and parsley with a sunny side egg on top. $16
Jones, San Francisco

Talk about hearty! This plate had SO much steak, then more sausage and pancetta added, geez! It was very good. I wish the egg had been poached so that it was runnier but that’s only a minor complaint.

Ola's steak and potato hash Jones

We sat at the bar and the service was great. I would definitely go back for brunch. I’m not sure that they have full on dinner service. The interior is also very nice and I can see why this is a popular drinking spot!

Patio view Jones

Here’s the view from the balcony, which is a surprise because you actually have to walk down into the space from the street entrance. Because Jones Street is so steep, one end of the patio actually overlooks Geary Street. It’s very cool.

Smirnoff lemonade cocktail

Hair for the dog. Smirnoff Tuscan Lemonade cocktail topped with Santa Cruz organic strawberry lemonade. Here’s my morning cocktail. Gotta love Sunday Fundays!

Kati rolls – Kasa Indian Eatery

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Kati rolls Kasa Indian Eatery

Classic Indian street food. A flaky, buttery roti (handmade bread) wrapped around your choice of filling, with marinated onions and chutney. Served with raita (yogurt). $4.50 each
Kasa Indian Eatery, San Francisco

The food at Kasa is very comforting to me. Everything packs a punch of flavor, it fast, convenient, and relatively inexpensive. I’ve loved their kati rolls since the first time I tried them. The buttery roti is amazing and the fillings are SO tasty. I always get mine with extra hot sauce in the roll and extra raita on the side. The perfect amount is one and a half rolls! One roll is too little and two is too much. Darn, hehe!

When I took this pics, I was on my way to meet Hubbs for drinks. It was dark outside and I sat at the side counter where they have these yellow lights beaming down on you. The walls are also painted yellow so parts of the restaurant are just saturated in yellow. It made for some interesting pics.

Chicken tikka masala kati roll Kasa Indian Eatery

Chicken tikka masala filling. Char-grilled and marinated naturally raised chicken in a spicy, creamy tomato sauce.

Lamb curry kati roll Kati Indian Eatery

Lamb curry filling. Saucy grass-fed lamb and potatoes.

Huff’s yakitori birthday dinner – Mokutanya

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A group of us from work went to this yakitori restaurant to celebrate Huff’s birthday. I’d tell you what age he was turning, but I don’t know that information. Huff is good at keeping a tight lip about his age. Such a girl, lol!

I can’t remember if I’ve ever eaten at a yakitori restaurant where you take your shoes off outside of your table area and step down to sit below the level of the floor. It was kinda cool!

What wasn’t cool was when the host came by and “entertained” our table with some card tricks and a few jokes. It was OK, but it seemed forced and I felt a little uncomfortable, like I was trapped in my below-ground table while he stood above us performing for his captive audience.

The dinner went great and the food was pretty good. Apparently the noodles were really good – I didn’t have any though. I like my work group and dinner always flies by. At the end of dinner, splitting the bill was a headache, again! I think we all expect Papa Chang to take care of the check and let everyone know how much they owe, yay!

Mokutanya, Burlingame CA

Hotate yakitori Mokutanya

Hotate yakitori. Sea scallops grilled with pepper. $4

Spicy kurobuta sausage yakitori Mokutanya

Spicy kurobuta sausage yakitori. Made with Berkshire pork. $2

Chicken kawa yakitori Mokutanya

Kawa yakitori. Chicken skin. $2

Butabara yakitori Mokutanya

Butabara yakitori. Pork belly. $3

Wagyu beef yakitori Mokutanya

Wagyu beef yakitori. $3.50

Croquettes Mokutanya

Croquettes. Deep fried panko-breaded mashed potatoes, served with tonkatsu sauce. $6

Lychee shochu cocktail Mokutanya

Lychee with shochu cocktail. $10 for bottle

Candy cane ice cream – Bi-Rite Creamery

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Candy cane ice cream Bi-Rite Creamery

Peppermint flavored ice cream with candy cane bits. Kid size $2.50
Bi-Rite Creamery, San Francisco

This was one of their seasonal flavors before the Christmas holiday. It looked so bright and festive that I had to try it. I loved the peppermint ice cream and the candy cane bits were fun and crunchy! Yay! Bi-Rite remains a winner in my book!

There’s a new ice cream parlor on Valencia Street toward my apartment, though. Gonna have to try it and see how it compares!

Crispy scrapple – Magnolia Pub and Brewery

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Crispy scrapple Magnolia Pub and Brewery

Sweet bacon jam, soft poached egg. $7
Magnolia Pub and Brewery, San Francisco

I’ll admit that I had NO idea what a scrapple was when I order it. I think it was the bacon jam that called to me. I quickly Googled it on my phone and found this on Wikipedia:

“Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name pon haus, is traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then panfried before serving. Etc.”

Sounds super healthy, right!? LOL. So after munching down the bacon-wrapped and cheese-filled dates, this isn’t exactly what I wanted to eat, but DAMN it was tasty. In addition to the Wikipedia description, this scrapple looked to be breaded before being pan fried.

The bacon jam was frickin’ amazing and once you broke the poached eggs and ate everything together, it was pork lover’s heaven!  Don’t think my arteries could handle another round of this, though, hehe!

Crispy scrapple Magnolia Pub and Brewery