Monthly Archives: January 2012

Chocolate fondant – Bisou

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Project 365: Day 18

Happy birthday to me! Had a great gym workout in the morning then went to Bisou for a birthday brunch with Silverfox, T-Head and RSL. Apparently they told the waiter that it was my birthday so they brought out this cake at the end of the meal and sang Happy Birthday REALLY loudly, lol! I was actually surprised and kind of embarrassed (in a good way).

That place was rocking despite the very wet weather. There was another large birthday party in there. We had reservations but the people around us were quoted a 1.5 hour wait, geez! Bisou is quite the popular brunch place. I guess everybody loves bottomless mimosas!

Afterward, we went and had drinks at The Lookout, then we met more friends at Badlands followed by Toad Hall. It was a great birthday and a lot of my friends came out to celebrate. I drank plenty but I’m happy to say that I didn’t have a hang over! Perhaps the after-bar meal at La Zapata helped out, hehe.

Chocolate fondant Bisou

Rich souffle-like chocolate cake with a molten chocolate center. Served with vanilla ice cream. $8
Bisou, San Francisco

This chocolate fondant was delicious! Maybe things taste better when it’s your birthday. It was so warm and rich and the perfect with the vanilla ice cream. Thanks guys for a great birthday brunch! Too bad the 49’ers lost their game for a chance to play in the Super Bowl. 😦

Bottomless mimosa Bisou

Bottomless mimosa. $10

Pozole – San Jalisco

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Pozole San Jalisco Mexican Restaurant

Pork soup in a red, homemade spicy sauce complemented with corn hominy. Served with cabbage, radishes, lime wedges, chopped onions, Mexican oregano, and chili peppers on the side. $9.95
San Jalisco, San Francisco

This pozole had great flavor, but I wish it had come out hotter (temperature wise). It was only warm and quickly became luke warm. Not the way you should enjoy pozole! The preparation was rustic which I don’t mind, but Silverfox didn’t like picking around the bones and connective tissue of the pork. I did enjoy the number of accompaniments this came with. You could flavor the soup just the way you like it.

I do have to mention that the service at this restaurant was particular sweet and friendly.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2011, 2012

Pozole - San Jalisco
June 27, 2014. $10.95
Looks like the price has gone up!

Jalapeno cheese focaccia – Liguria Bakery

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Jalapeno cheese foccacia Liguria Bakery

A large slab of addictive focaccia bread topped with jalapenos and cheese. $5
Liguria Bakery, San Francisco

This was the best focaccia I’ve EVER tasted, no joke! It has an amazing texture and it’s SO amazingly buttery. Even though this was my second choice, I’m glad that I ordered the jalapeno cheese flavor. It had a great flavor and had a little bit of heat which I wasn’t expecting from a focaccia!

I’ll still sing the praises of this bread even though my store experience wasn’t all that great. I arrived around 1:15pm on a random Thursday. The old lady at the counter must have been cranky because it was nearing the end of her shift. I patiently wait for her to finish with the customer in front of me, then she glares at me and asks “What do you want!?” I ask for some of the black olive focaccia. She responds, “We’re out” and continues staring at me. I was a bit taken aback, but decide to forge on. I’ve decided that she’s not going to give me any more information so I ask, “Well what do you have left?” She grudgingly tells me and I decide on the jalapeno cheese. Omg, how ruuuuuude! How about some customer service here? I was waiting for her to completely roll her eyes at me as it could’ve happened easily.

Anyway, I get home with the focaccia and I’m blown away! The piece was big enough to into six pieces which I continue to hoard for the next few days. It even tasted great when reheated in the oven! I’ll definitely go back (but when I’m up for that lady’s look of death)!

Jalapeno cheese foccacia Liguria Bakery

They wrap it in butcher paper and tie it up with string. How charming and old school!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Bone marrow canoe – The Monk’s Kettle

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Bone marrow canoe Monk's Kettle

Served with diced pears(?), toast and mixed greens. $9
The Monk’s Kettle, San Francisco

Such a rich and decadent treat! This hit the spot and it tasted great with the Duvel beer. I loved the simple and cute presentation. The menu said that this was served with lemon, but I think it was actually diced pears on top. It was definitely a soft, sweet fruit. Regardless, everything tasted great together!

Old school pretzel knot – The Monk’s Kettle

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Old school pretzel knot Monk's Kettle

Served with a cheddar fondue and house mustard. $4.5
The Monk’s Kettle, San Francisco

A simple and elegant bar snack! It’s fun to eat and tastes great with beer. This was more light and bready than I imagined that it would be when I ordered it, but I really liked it. The cheese and mustard dipping sauces were also very tasty.

Old school pretzel knot Monk's Kettle

Halfway done!

Duvel Belgian golden ale – The Monk’s Kettle

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Duvel golden ale Monk's Kettle

Light Belgian beer. Brouwerij Moortgat, Breendonk-Puurs, BEL. $10.75
The Monk’s Kettle, San Francisco

I don’t usually enjoy a lot of beers, but I really like this one! It was light and flavorful. And how can you complain when it comes in such a cute glass?! The beer list is quite extensive at The Monk’s Kettle, but the bartender is super friendly and helpful.

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

Katsu curry – Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill

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Katsu curry Muracci's Japanese Curry & Grill

Pork cutlet with hot curry served with brown rice and house special pickles. $9.45
Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill, San Francisco

This was a huge piece of pork cutlet! I tried to make it a little healthier by opting for the brown rice, but there was just so much of the deep fried pork and that curry sauce wasn’t light either! I don’t think I even finished this, there was so much food. Maybe I’m just not a big Japanese curry fan. This was SO heavy. It tasted ok, but I don’t have cravings for it like some people do.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Japanese deer tartare – Benu

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Project 365: Day 17

Had a busy day-before-my-birthday day! Woke up with my lovey, stayed in bed and randomly caught a Streetfighter movie on TV (Legend of Chun Li or something like that, lol), went to the gym, got my hair did, had lunch downtown, picked up my wool and seersucker blazers from the tailor, did computer stuff, then had an AMAZING birthday dinner at Benu!

The dinner had 17 courses and lasted 3.5 hours! That’s pretty good if you ask me. I once had a pre fixe dinner in the Jewel Box at Mistral Kitchen in Seattle that lasted almost 4 hours, too. I honestly LOVE long dinners. They’re super relaxing and the food is almost always spectacular at these nice establishments. I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s birthday dinner. The food was SO delicious and the service was impeccable. (Anybody want to hit up French Laundry next?)

Afterward went to the Castro for some drinks but I didn’t last very long. I was SO frickin’ full and could barely move.

Can’t wait for brunch with T-Head and RSL tomorrow, then getting trashed with even more friends at Badlands!

Japanese deer tartare Benu

Served with artichoke mayonnaise and walnut bread. Pre fixe dinner $180
Benu, San Francisco

When I saw this dish on the menu, I was very intrigued. I’ve had venison before, but never as a tartare. The deer had a surprisingly clean flavor. I expected it be very gamey, dark and tough, but it tasted pretty neutral. Most of the flavor from this dish came from the artichoke mayonnaise, walnut bread, and whatever the freeze dried crumbles were on the plate.

Japanese deer tartare Benu

All the plates duirng dinner were beautiful! They were small poritons, but after 17 courses I was stuffed. The plates looked simple at a glanced but they had a lot of different components.

I’ll post the rest of the dishes soon!

Walnut bread Benu

Walnut bread. Even the bread was fantastic!

Dom Perignon champagne 1993

Moet e Chandon a Epernay, Champagne, Cuvee Dom Perignon, 1993. $40 corkage
Silverfox had this bottle of champagne laying around and he decided to pop the cork for my birthday dinner, aww! That’s a good thing because Benu had bottles of Dom Perignon 1996 and 1995 for $750 and $957, respectively. Ouch! We got away with only paying corkage.

Dom Perignon champagne 1993

The boxed bottle of champagne is just asking to be opened!

Corey Lee signed menu

Menu signed by chef Corey Lee. This was a cute surprise at the end of the meal. We had menus at our table the entire time to keep up with what we were eating, but those were taken away at the end and replaced with a couple signed menus.

Sesame ball – Yank Sing

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Sesame ball Yank Sing

Not quite sure what the dough is made out of in this sesame ball, but it’s definitely covered in sesame seeds and deep fried. $1.10
Yank Sing, San Francisco

I totally lucked out when I went to get this because I had to wait a couple minutes and they were straight out of the oven. I don’t know if it’s because they were so fresh or if Yank Sing truly does make the best sesame balls, but these frickin’ ROCKED!

Sesame ball Yank Sing

Inside of the sesame ball. I took this pic before I actually reached the dark doughy part in the middle.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Shaking pepper beef – Mercury Lounge

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Shaking pepper beef Mercury Lounge

Marinated beef ternderloin, wok seared with onions and peppers. Topped with fresh cilantro and served with a side of pickled carrots and radish(?). Part of Chef’s tasting menu. $25 per person
Mercury Lounge, San Francisco

I can live with this version of shaking beef. The beef was cut into large cubes, but it was tender enough for easy chewing. The flavor were good and the side of pickled veggies brightened up the heavier beef.

Fish and eggplant clay pot – Mercury Lounge

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Fish and eggplant clay pot Mercury Lounge

Served in a red coconut curry broth. Part of Chef’s tasting menu. $25 per person
Mercury Lounge, San Francisco

The menu said this was supposed to be fish and tofu with vegetables, but it ended up just being fish and eggplants. They obviously didn’t have tofu that night. We were one of the first tables seated so I know they didn’t run out of it. The eggplant was way undercooked and I swear they used the same fried fish from the salt and pepper fish appetizer. Not a successful dish!