Monthly Archives: May 2012

Chicken enchiladas – La Tortilla

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Project 365: Day 116

Oi vey, it was another difficult morning, lol! Last night, we had gone to my “cousin” Kris’ apartment to celebrate his birthday with some of his friends. Then we headed to Soho and went to several bars – I remember Ku Bar and Lo-Profile. 🙂 A couple of D’s friends met us out and we ended up at one of their apartments and doing more shots, ouch! It was a great night.

D went into full-on tour guide mode today and we walked around central London to see many of the touristy sites: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. Margaret’s Church, Trafalgar Square, National Portrait Gallery, Hungerford Bridge, London Eye, Westminster Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. PHEW, that was a lot of walking and Tube riding! Even though it was rainy and dreary most of the day, I have to say that I LOVE London!

We also got to meet D’s boyfriend Alex who was really cool. Tonight we’re gonna head to a restaurant closer to D’s place. He lives in north London near Burnt Oak Station on the Northern Line.

Chicken enchiladas La Tortilla
Grilled chicken wrapped in corn tortillas, topped with cheese and enchilada sauce. Served with salad, sour cream and guacamole. A la carte $7.80
La Tortilla, San Francisco CA

Mmm, chicken enchiladas are my favorite! This one at La Tortilla is ok, but I do like their (limited) salsa bar so I can get more to put on top!

Chips and salsa La Tortilla
Chips and salsa. Complimentary.

Chicken enchiladas - La Tortilla
April 5, 2014. A la carte $7.80
Graffiti artwork, Market Street
Bright graffiti artwork in an alley off Market Street. The alley is located between Valencia and Gough Streets, next to Delessio Market. Very cool!

Shanghai lumpia – Baby’s Eatery and Palabok

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Shanghai lumpia Baby's Eatery and Palabok
Crispy, deep fried lumpia filled with ground pork.
Baby’s Eatery and Palabok, San Francisco CA

Shanghai lumpia Baby's Eatery and Palabok
These little suckers are SO addicting! I dare you to eat just one – I don’t think it’s possible. They aren’t the healthiest things to eat, but I absolutely love them. 🙂

Best in Show, SF Sketchfest 2012

Q&A with Fred Willard and Michael Hitchcock after a screening of “Best in Show” at the Castro Theater, SF Sketchfest 2012. Omg, these two were frickin’ hilarious! I loved hearing them talk about how they made the movie and researching their roles, lol!

Pancit – Baby’s Eatery and Palabok

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Pancit Baby's Eatery and Palabok
Filipino style noodles with chicken, celery, carrot, onion, and green onions.
Baby’s Eatery and Palabok, San Francisco CA

This wasn’t my favorite version of pancit. I had a tray of it for a party and it didn’t taste the freshest. Also, I’m partial to the version that has slices of Chinese sausage. Probably because it adds lots of flavor (and fat), lol!

Christmas house Castro Street

Christmas decorated house on Castro Street across from Davies Medical Center. I used to live a couple doors from this house and it was great to see the holiday decorations come out every year. It’s a bit much, but I don’t think they’d have it any other way!

Turon – Baby’s Eatery and Palabok

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Project 365: Day 115

Last night was kind of a bust. The variety show at Pantibar had a lot of bad acts so it was hard to watch at times. We spent most of the night at The George but the majority of people didn’t show up until 1 or 2 am so we were tired by then. We still had fun though!

It was a pretty relaxed morning. We had breakfast then packed our bags before checking out. Kryan and David are switching to a 2-person room since they’re staying for a few more days. I guess they’re going to rent a car to explore the countryside. That’ll be fun!

Hubbs and I are at the Dublin Airport for our flight to London, yay! I’m super excited because I’ve never been there and we get to stay with Demetrius. He’s picking us up at Heathrow, and then our London adventure will commence!

Turon Baby's Eatery and Palabok
Deep fried lumpia wrapper filled with plantain and jackfruit.
Baby’s Eatery and Palabok, San Francisco CA

Turon Baby's Eatery and Palabok
I like to think of turon as a dessert lumpia – it’s sweet and delicious. I bought a tray of these for a party and they were a hit!

San Francisco dawn
A beautiful San Francisco dawn from my balcony. I love the vibrant colors on the horizon.

Chicken pesto pizza – Firewood Cafe

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Chicken pesto pizza Firewood Cafe
Rotisserie chicken, pesto sauce, roasted red peppers and sliced red onions. $10.95
Firewood Cafe, San Francisco CA

This pizza was ok. I usually wouldn’t say this, but I think it had too many toppings and pesto. The crust seemed weighted down by everything. I prefer some of their other pizza options.

Chicken pesto pizza - Firewood Cafe
July 3, 2015. $12.95
This was at SFO and it wasn’t as good. The crust was thicker and a little burnt. Not my favorite.

Pinot noir Firewood Cafe

Pinot noir, red wine. $6.95

Dolores Park, San Francisco
View from Dolores Park. From the corner of Church and 20th Streets, you can get a spectacular view of the city. Mission Dolores High School is to the left and the newly remodeled playground is to the right. On a warm, sunny day Dolores Park gets packed with hipsters and sunbathers!

Mejillones en salsa verde – Toro Salao

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Project 365: Day 114

Happy birthday, Kryan! This morning we were all pretty hung over, lol! We had met a group of friendly lesbians at The George so we ended up drinking with them for most of the time. I had to take Hubbs home last night because he had a little too much fun. I guess Kryan got lucky and didn’t get back to the guesthouse until super late in the morning, slut! It was difficult getting to breakfast downstairs before 10:30 but you can’t pass up a free meal! I was still feeling horrible after breakfast so Hubbs and I walked to Starbucks in the shopping center on Henry Street.

The weather was actually really nice today, yay! We decided to take the green Dublin Bus Tour: Hop On Hop Off around the city since it was our last full day and we wanted a fast convenient mode of transport. It took us to most of the major tourist sites around the city, and guess whom we found stalking us again? Good ol’ Susie Boyle, lol! I think my favorite place we got off at was St. Patrick’s Cathedral. That church is really beautiful!

Omg, the worst place we visited was the Old Jameson Distillery. The tour was a frickin’ joke and an utter rip off! You’re required to take the tour in large groups and listen to a guide who is obviously reciting a script complete with sad, tired jokes. I swear our tour guide was retarded! At first you’re forced to watch a movie (read: a long, blatant Jameson whiskey commercial) then they cram you into these tiny rooms with cheesy miniaturized displays and listen to a bunch of Jameson whiskey propaganda. They even managed to make the whiskey tasting at the end of the tour seem like a chore. DO NOT ever go on this tour! If you want a fun alcohol tour, save yourself some time and go to the Guinness Storehouse instead.

Tonight, I think we’re gonna grab some food then head back to Pantibar and The George. It’s our last night and we need to celebrate Kry’s bday!

Mejillones en salsa verde Toro Salao
Mussels with green pico de gallo. $8
Toro Salao, Old San Juan, PUERTO RICO

Mejillones en salsa verde Toro Salao
The mussels were tender and tasted great with the pico de gallo salsa on top. Very flavorful!

Castillo de San Cristobal San Juan
Looking north towards the water and the Castillo de San Cristobal (San Cristobal Fort). I love the colorful basketball court in the foreground with the random truck parked in front of it.

Tortilla de yuca – Toro Salao

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Tortilla de yuca Toro Salao
Con queso manchego, chorizo y aioli de ajos rostizados. Spanish style omelet with yuca, Spanish chorizo, manchego cheese and roasted garlic aioli, served with toast. $8.50
Toro Salao, Old San Juan, PUERTO RICO

I think the combination of the yuca and manchego cheese gave this tortilla a dense and gummy texture that wasn’t the most pleasant. The flavor was great, but they could improve on the texture.

I also want to note that the service here was HORRENDOUS! Our waiter was on his own time and while we weren’t in a any kind of rush, there were periods when there was no service at all.

Plaza del Quinto Centenario
Plaza del Quinto Centenario with Jaime Suarez’s 40-foot tall Totem Telúrico in the background.

Taquitos de camarones al ajillo – Toro Salao

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Project 365: Day 113

Omg, the bathroom in our room is SO small. I’m not a big guy, but even I feel claustrophobic in it! I wonder how Kryan and David do it!? The complimentary breakfast at the Abbott Lodge Guesthouse is pretty decent. You get coffee, juice, toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, and cereal. The service is kinda slow but there were only 2 older ladies serving all the guests so I don’t want to complain too much.

Today we took a bus to the Guinness Storehouse which is an awesome museum with a great bar (Gravity Bar) at the top of the building. It’s self-guided so you can go at your own pace. I liked the displays and everything was super clean and interesting. We also took the Guinness “Perfect Pour” class and it was actually really cool. I learned a lot about the beer and our instructor was nice and friendly. He was from Michigan though – I would have preferred an local Irishman with a cool accent, hehe. Later in Gravity Bar, we saw none other than Susan Boyle! Omg, that was SO random. I was just about to go politely ask for a photo with her when a group of 15 school kids mobbed her. I was able to snap a blurry photo of her anyway.

Later, we had a late lunch/early dinner at the Bachelor Inn with a decent looking server with straight teeth (lol), then headed back to the guesthouse to relax. I think tonight we’ll hit up Front Lounge for drinks, then The George for a drag show!

Taquitos de camarones al ajillo Toro Salao
Crispy garlic shrimp taco rolls with a citrus aioli. $10
Toro Salao, Old San Juan, PUERTO RICO

Taquitos de camarones al ajillo Toro Salao
These were SO good! They were nice and warm, and perfect with the citrus aioli. Noms!

The Plaza of the Heritage of the Americas
The Plaza of the Heritage of the Americas with sculptures by Jose Buscaglia. Statues from left to right: Heritage of Faith, bronze, 9’ high, 1975; Heritage of Blood, bronze, 9’ high, 1976; Intellectual Heritage, bronze, 9’ high, 1975; Hispanic Heritage, bronze, 9’ high, 1995.

Chicken caesar salad – Firewood Cafe

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Chicken caesar salad Firewood Cafe
Romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese and fresh garlic croutons tossed with homemade caesar dressing. Additional fixings include caramelized onions, candied walnuts, and bleu cheese. $12.20
Firewood Cafe, San Francisco CA

For some reason, I sometimes crave the caesar salad at Firewood. I always add roasted chicken on top and take full advantage of the 3 free additional toppings. “Lite on the dressing”, of course!

Marinated olives Firewood Cafe
Marinated olives. Complimentary.

Telephone wires, 17th Street

Tangle of telephone wires over 17th Street at dawn. Mornings in San Francisco can create the best colors. This subdued purple was absolutely beautiful.

Toro sangria – Toro Salao

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Project 365: Day 112

Wow, it’s been a long day! We’re finally in Dublin, but we spent most of the day waiting in London Heathrow Airport. That’s a damn large airport! Once we cleared customs, we probably spent 20 minutes walking to Terminal 1. They do things differently at that airport. Gates aren’t announced until about 30 minutes prior to boarding so you have to just wait there and keep checking the screens until your flight information is updated. I guess it makes sense to do it that way to accommodate for gate changes, but it just seems weird not knowing the gate number beforehand so you can at least be in the general vicinity. Once we finally got our gate number, we had to book it to get to what seemed like another terminal. We even had to go through another set of security!

Anyway, we’re just chilling in the room right now and drinking cocktails with vodka I had brought from the States. We’re gonna head out for dinner soon, then have drinks at Pantibar afterward since it’s somewhat nearby. Ryan and David arrived earlier today so they’ve had a little time to look around before we got in. It’s raining a little bit outside, but we’re not gonna let that put a damper on our spirits!

Toro sangria Toro Salao

Red wine with Bacardi rum, brandy, orange liquor, lemon-lime juice, orange juice and mixed fruits. Media jarra (small pitcher) $24
Toro Salao, Old San Juan, PUERTO RICO

This sangria was very tasty! It had a deep, rich flavor and was the perfect beverage for our last morning in San Juan!

Old San Juan Cemetery
Looking towards the Cementerio de San Juan (Old San Juan Cemetery) and the Castillo San Felipe del Morro (Morro Castle).