Fried sage and parsley, lemon wedge. Piccolo $12
Locanda, San Francisco
The batter they used had a very good flavor, but I was disappointed that the whole this was SO salty. I love fried things, but this was also a little greasy. Kinda sad about that.
Aperol, gin, cocchi americano, lemon, garnished with an orange twist. $10
Locanda, San Francisco
Wow, this cocktail was SO tasty! And I love the single, large ice cube. Very classy and very addicting. Noms!
Vietnamese sandwich with sliced roast chicken, pickled carrots and onions, jalapenos, cilantro and mayonnaise on a toasted roll. $3.50
Saigon Sandwich, San Francisco
Yum, I love Saigon Sandwich for their absolutely delicious and CHEAP sandwiches! These sandwiches are quite large for only costing $3.50. The chicken was very flavorful and the pickled veggies were perfect. Mmm, if I lived closer to this place I would hit it up several times a week!
1 chile relleno, 1 flauta, and 1 chicken enchilada served with rice, black beans, green salad, guacamole and sour cream. $12.50
Zapata Mexican Grill, San Francisco
I don’t remember where the flauta went – I probably devoured it before remembering to take the pic, hehe. You can see that this plate is packed with food. That’s probably why I stumble over to this place after a night with friends, lol! I always seem to order enchiladas at Mexican restaurants, but I think I was super hungry so I got this combination. You can’t go wrong with adding a deep fried chile relleno and a flauta and everything smothered in cheese.
Poached egg and smoked salmon on a toasted brioche, topped with a hollandaise sauce, served with sauteed potatoes and salad. $9
Bisou, San Francisco
If I remember correctly, the smoked salmon wasn’t very good. It tasted a little off. The potatoes were good though. I’m surprised that they can produce this much food during weekend brunches. Bisou can become quite the madhouse! That’s probably why the food quality can sometimes suffer.
Poached egg and dungeness crab meat on a toasted brioche, topped with a hollandaise sauce, served with sauteed potatoes and salad. $13
Bisou, San Francisco
The brioche was sinfully buttery and I loved the plentiful amount of lump crab they throw on top. Brunch at Bisou is certainly not for those on a diet. 🙂
Ham and cheese grilled sandwich served on a hot pain levain topped with a sunny side egg, served with sauteed potatoes and salad. $9
Bisou, San Francisco
This is a simple, but delicious, breakfast dish! This version, however, was a little dry. The bread was dry and crispy and the thin slice of ham with cheese was placed under the broiler for way too long. Or perhaps it had a long stay under the heat lamp during the busy brunch rush. Either way, I didn’t enjoy the result.
Checkerboard cake topped with sugary icing and gold leaf. Complimentary
Benu, San Francisco
This was SO sweet! I hadn’t mentioned that this was my birthday dinner when I made the dinner reservation, but I mentioned it on the side at the beginning of the meal when we handed them our Dom Perignon. Our server obviously took note and brought this birthday surprise at the end of the meal. It came in this large black music box with blue lights on the side (I wish I had taken a photo of it). You turned the handle and it played “Happy Birthday”. I really wasn’t sure what it was, but Silverfox suggested that there was probably something inside so we lifted the lid and this cake was underneath. SO cute! Of course it tasted delicious, but birthday cakes always taste the best!
Pre fixe dinner $180
Benu, San Francisco
I’m not sure what all the flavors were, but they were beautiful and delicious. I also loved the presentation.
With banana ice cream. Pre fixe dinner $180
Benu, San Francisco
This dessert was great to look at, but it didn’t do it for me. Maybe it was too intricate for me, but I didn’t get much enjoyment from eating it. The ribbon of custard was impressive. It had a cranberry layer and a cranberry layer. The bright, shiny cranberries were also beautiful on the plate. The banana ice cream had a great punch of flavor, but I didn’t like the texture of it. All the components didn’t quite work together. They were too disparate.
Coffee service. $5
I’m still on the fence regarding their coffee service-ware. They appeared too clunky compared to all the other beautiful dishes during the meal.
With white chocolate. Pre fixe dinner $180
Benu, San Francisco
This was a very fun dessert! I loved the flavor combination and textures. The grapefruit was fresh, the white chocolate sweet, and the espelette peppers nice and spicy. You can see a red dollop of the espelette on top, but there was also a layer of it on the very bottom. A nice surprise! I don’t know if you could call this an ice cream. It looked like it was frozen with liquid nitrogen or something, resulting in an airy crystallized texture. Like I said, very fun!
With dungeness crab, Jinhua ham, and black truffle custard. Pre fixe dinner $180
Benu, San Francisco
I liked this. A bit on the tasty side (from the black truffle custard), but still flavorful. I don’t know what all the fuss is about shark’s fin (or faux shark’s fin in this case). It doesn’t taste like anything – it just has a cartilaginous texture. The Jinhua ham broth was rich and the dungeness crab helped to lighten it up. Good dish, but not my favorite.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2012
Vittle Monster 