With butternut squash, quince, arugula, olio nuevo olive oil, chestnut vinaigrette. New Year four-course tasting menu $80
RN74, San Francisco
This was tasty! I love the combination of sweet, earthy beets and peppery arugula. The vinaigrette and diced toppings were also lovey.
Bread and butter with salt. I love real butter, SO good!
It was our first time here at RN74, and it’s super cute! I loved the old school train station board that lists the wine prices every hour or so. The service was great, but we were seating in a tight row of 2-tops so Silverfox got a little annoyed and claustrophobic. We tried a few of their cocktails and they were pretty good!
RN74, San Francisco
Pimm’s 74 – housemade Pimms, campari, ginger beer, prosecco. $10
This came in a huge wine glass and it was fun and fruity tasting!
Manhattan with Maker’s Mark bourbon, vermouth. $10
Pretty tasty.
Frisco Fizz – rum, port, lemon, egg white, seltzer. $10
This was very interesting. It tasted dark, rich, and slightly sweet.
Project 365: Day 46
It’s a long 3-day weekend for me and I don’t feel motivated to really do much. I haven’t just relaxed at home for a while and I’m enjoying it. I did have to go into work for a couple hours of OT but that wasn’t too bad. Besides that I’ve just been going to the gym, catching up on DVR, cleaning, cooking, and playing games on my iPhone. I think that’s some quality relaxation time if you ask me!
Sliced chicken breast, eggplant, basil, bell peppers, and bamboo shoots in a mild curry sauce. $9
Siam Saigon, San Francisco
This is a new one for me. Siam Saigon serves both Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, nice! I was on my way to the Mission Safeway and I was starving so I ducked into this place because I had never noticed it before. I think it’s new. It’s a small space but the service is friendly and efficient (when they’re paying attention). This dish was pretty good. I liked the large slices of tender chicken, and all the vegetables were also large and chunky. The curry sauce seemed too timid at first, but after a few more bites the flavor came through.
Rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), crispy shallots, black pepper, topped with sliced Chinese donuts. $9
Out The Door, San Francisco
This was SO good! This had an amazing, intense chicken flavor and I liked the texture of this porridge better than most congees I’ve tried. And for $9, shut the front door! This is a must try.
Over broken rice, pickled vegetables, pork and crab quiche, spicy soy. $15
Out The Door, San Francisco
The pork had a great flavor, but DAMN it was salty! When I say something wa salty, then it must have been super salty because I’m a frickin’ salt monster! Thank god there was a pile of rice there to cut some of the saltiness. I loved the beautiful pickled radishes.
Pork and crab quiche with cellophane noodles. This quiche was actually better than the pork even though it was just a garnish. It had a great crab flavor. SO nommy!
You can’t go wrong with sweet, warm Vietnamese coffee, but this was too fancy for me. It came out already in the glass. The best part is supposed to be waiting for it to trickle down through the grinds and pouring the coffee yourself then stirring to incorporate the condensed milk! $3.50
Out The Door, San Francisco
Avinyo reserva cava nv, Spain. Brunch is not complete without some bubbly! $10
Out The Door, San Francisco
Project 365: Day 45
I finally made it to Tomales Bay for a weekend oyster social with some co-workers. My Babygirl sidekick and I arrived shortly after 10 am to find that Huff and his bf had snagged a perfectly located picnic table near the oyster stand. It was a nice relaxing day hanging out with friends and eating delicious oysters and clams. Although the weather was a bit chilly at times, the sun eventually came out and warmed us all up. Ah, this is why we live in the Bay Area, folks!
Tomales Bay Oyster Company, Marshall CA
Papa Chang brought fixins’ to make these delicious oyster shooters using the TBOC “small” oysters. The oysters are topped with a quail egg, tobiko, and ponzu with green onions.
TBOC oysters are Pacific oysters farmed at Preston Point in Tomales Bay. The “small” oysters cost $15 per dozen or $50 for a bag of 50.
Quail eggs are so cute! But you need a steady hand to peel away the inner layer, which is tricky when you have wet, oyster fingers. 🙂
Kelly and Brent brought these delicious sushi snacks! And I’m told that they’re super easy to make. It’s a sheet of crispy nori (seaweed), topped with broiled imitation crab mixed with sour cream and mayonnaise, rice, avocado, tobiko, and sriracha sauce. The perfect bite between oysters. NOMS!
There seemed to be about 4 different picnic areas, but I liked our location (on the bottom left of the pic). It was close to the oyster stand and we weren’t completely surrounded by other picnic tables.
This is a bag of the owner’s special reserve “Golden Nuggets” oysters which are $20 per dozen. These oysters were even smaller than the “small” TBOC oysters, and SO delicious!
This was the first time I’ve ever shucked an oyster, lol! I bought a random (but decent) oyster knife that I found in the seafood department at Whole Foods the night before. The guys had to coach me to start, but I got the hang of it. Look how clean I got my Golden Nugget!
I brought a mignonette made with champagne vinegar, shallots, lemon peel, parsley, salt, pepper, and sugar. It tasted great on the oysters!
Our table became quickly covered with oysters, clams, condiments and drinks.
We went through a LOT of bivalves! And this was only halfway through our day.
We were situated next to the pier. It’s great that they provide each picnic table with a small grill. We used ours to grill oysters, steam clams, and toast bread.
Latte and a raspberry shortbread cookie.
Simple Pleasures Cafe, San Francisco
Went here to meet with a couple friends who were visiting town. I wouldn’t normally drive this far for coffee, but I missed these girls and really wanted to catch up. The coffee shop was cute and had a great neighborhood-y vibe. The clientele was diverse and they have outdoor seating which was great since it was sunny and warm that morning. The service was friendly and the coffee/espresso was good. The cookies were mediocre.
Coffee and an apricot crumble bar.
Project 365: Day 44
OMG! Today I was invited to a birthday dinner at French Laundry next month! I’m SO excited! The timing is a little off since I’m also going to Ohio and on a Caribbean cruise in March and I’m projecting that I’ll be spending quite a bit of money as it is. Oh well, what can you do!? I can’t turn down an invitation to French Laundry, can I? LOL!
Wow, I’m so fortunate! I’ve been to a number of exciting restaurants this past year and I’m looking forward to those I’ll visit this new year. As much as I complain about my “horrible” life sometimes (lol), I actually really love it!
Pasta with tomato, sweet onions, and parmigiano. $15
Uva Enoteca, San Francisco
I like the wild boar ragu, but they charred the crap out of the top! The whole thing had a gross burned flavor, even inside. That’s a shame because the meat sauce was very tasty. My other complaint is that the orecchiette was overcooked. Unfortunate…
This would have been delicious if it didn’t smell and taste like embers.
With smoked cheese and tomatoes. $14
Uva Enoteca, San Francisco
I wasn’t a huge fan of this pizza. I enjoyed the flavors but the whole thing was heavy and clunky. The crust had an odd, dense texture which was surprising since it was thin. It’s all about the crust, right?! The pizza was also on the small side. Don’t think I’ll be ordering pizzas from Uva Enoteca again.
This looks better than it tasted.
Red wines.
Marzemino, Terre Gioia, Trentino, 2009. $10 for 8oz
Merlot, Chopris, Friuli, 2004. $9 for 8oz
They have a nice selection! These are sold by 2oz or 8oz. I like that the 8oz is served in a small, cute carafe.
3 item charcuterie board with hot coppa (San Francisco), salame al tartufo (Utah), and turkey galantine (San Francisco). $15
Uva Enoteca, San Francisco
I learned something new! According to Wikipedia “A galantine is a French dish of de-boned stuffed meat, most commonly poultry or fish, that is poached and served cold, coated with aspic.” I’m not sure if this turkey was stuffed and maybe they scraped the aspic off before serving, but it was delicious! And we were surprised by the size of the slab. Of the three items we ordered, the truffled salami was my favorite. I’ve since purchased some from Whole Foods and secretly snack on it throughout the week.
Bread and mustard.
Vittle Monster 