Bulleit rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, splash of grenadine, and a dash of bitters. $10
Magnolia’s – Uptown Down South, Charleston SC
Gotta love the relaxed atmosphere of this restaurant! Service is sweet and friendly and the drinks are nicely made. This Manhattan was delicous!
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. I have to admit that this bridge looks really cool! One of these days, I’m gonna run this thing.
Smoked pulled pork, 1/4 chicken, 3-4 ribs, mac and cheese, poppy seed slaw, cornbread muffin. $16.25
Fiery Ron’s Home Team BBQ, Charleston SC
Mmm, so good! I’m a sucker for pork ribs and these taste great. Actually, the chicken and the pulled pork were also very good. The mac and cheese was perfect, so cheesy and just the way I like it. The coleslaw was light, perhaps on the runny side but yummy. And the Alabama white sauce is amazing!
SweetWater 420 Extra pale ale beer. I’m not a huge beer fan but this tasted great with the bbq!
Bbq sauce bottles. They’re all different tasting and pretty good. The “hot” bbq sauce is not hot at all though. Maybe Southerners have a different spice gauge? And I’m not a big mustard based bbq sauce guy so I didn’t use much of it.
Circular Congretional Church and Cemetery. This is a beautiful church in the middle of the downtown historic district. I’ve never been inside, but the graveyard in the back is pretty cool.
“Sabayon” of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and white sturgeon caviar. Chef’s Tasting Menu $270
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
This has got to be one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. It’s small, but it packs a punch! The caviar was tasty and I loved the texture, and the oysters were firm but weren’t overcooked.
Gotta love the small mother of pearl spoon they provide to eat this delicious morsel.
Project 365: Day 126
Only worked a half day today so I could go to the dentist and get my teeth cleaned. I’m kind of annoyed with them because they thought I was a different person and had pulled the wrong records and even greeted me as the other person. Shouldn’t they know who I am when I make the appointment!? Gonna have to keep my eye on them from now on!
Fresh wrap in rice paper with bean sprout, mint, carrot, cilantro, lettuce and vermicelli noodles served with peanut sauce and hoisin sauce. $7
Siam Saigon, San Francisco CA
This tasted great. The shrimp was good (not old or grainy) and the other ingredients were fresh and clean. There’s not much shrimp in the rolls, but the flavors were there. Their peanut sauce is on the thick, creamy side and I like that they also give you the hoisin sauce as an alternative.
Project 365: Day 125
Another ho-hum day at work, not much to report. Had a good workout at the gym then grabbed an early dinner with CT at Barracuda. Wow, they have a pretty good happy hour. We didn’t have any drinks but their food specials were great and SUPER cheap! I think we got more than enough food for only $13.
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Omg, I highly recommend knowing an insider or anyone connected with the restaurant if you’re going to dine at The French Laundry. You’ll not only get the exceptional service and outstanding food that the restaurant is known for, but chances are the kitchen will also throw a few extra bites your way!
It was difficult remembering what everything was since they weren’t on the menu, but I’ve done my best in recollecting. Please correct me if I’ve gotten anything wrong.
The French Laundry, Yountville CA
Salmon tartare cone with seaweed sesame tuile, chives.
Warm gougere. Choux pastry with cheese Mournay.
Soup with shaved truffle and Oxalis(?) blossoms.
Truffled Guinea egg custard with potato chive wafer.
Gaston Chiquet, Blanc de Blancs d’Ay Champagne. Also free, thanks to Olivia’s restaurant connections.
It was my friend Olivia’s (foodie insider friend) 30th birthday and she was able to secure this amazing reservation at The French Laundry. I was definitely honored to be one of her guests and overjoyed that the experience was as amazing as I imagined it would be. The dinner lasted 5 hours and we literally closed the place down! Thanks, Olivia!
Frontera Ceviche (albacore, tomato, olive), Tropical Tuna Cocktail (big eye, avoado-tomatillo, mango salsa), Yucatecan Ceviche (shrimp, squid, orange, cucumber).
Frontera Grill, Chicago IL
Corey T.
Project 365: Day 124
Ugh, so sad to be back at work today after such a great weekend. At least the weather is holding up. Heading to the gym after work and just gonna spend the night catching up on dvr.
Vanilla flavored ice cream made with local ingredients. Honey from Marshall CA and lavender from Wood Lane Gardens in Fairfax CA. Kids scoop $1.75
Fairfax Scoop, Fairfax CA
This had a softer texture than some of the other flavors at Fairfax Scoop, but it tasted amazing. The honey added a rich sweetness and the lavender wasn’t too overpowering.
Project 365: Day 123
Mmm, had a great dinner at LaSalette last night. It’s a Portuguese tapas restaurant and everything was really good. We ended up walking back to The Lodge from downtown, enjoying the warm evening weather and viewing the Super Moon!
This morning was amazing! We grabbed a quick breakfast snack from the Carneros Bistro counter and just had a lazy morning poolside. David read the newspaper and I jumped in and out of the pool. We had a relaxed, yummy brunch at The Girl + The Fig before wine tasting at Buena Vista Winery, Gundlach Bundschu, and Anaba Wines. Gundlach Bundschu was my favorite of the three! I definitely want to come back at a later date and have a picnic day here.
Now we’re back in The City, having cocktails and getting hungry again, lol! It’s been a great weekend.
Bittersweet chocolate flavored ice cream with red chiles. Kids scoop $1.75
Fairfax Scoop, Fairfax CA
This was a very interesing scoop of ice cream with the red chiles. You could definitely taste the chiles and they added a little bit of “latin” heat. I liked it!
Crispy lentils, treviso, endive & agro dolce.
The Purple Pig, Chicago IL
Corey T.
Baked five spice chicken marinated in lemongrass and rich herb sauce, served with rice, salad, and fish sauce. $11.25
Ben Tre Vietnamese Homestyle Cuisine, South San Francisco CA
I’m not sure if this was actually baked, it had a semi-fried texture to me. Maybe it was just finished in the oven. But it was very flavorful and delicious. A bit on the salty side especially if you add the fish sauce, but I think Vietnamese food tends to be salty anyway.
Peppermint flavored ice cream with chocolate chips, Oreo cookies, and fudge swirl. Junior size $2.20
Mitchell’s Ice Cream, San Francisco
Mmm! Mint used to be my favorite ice cream flavor as a kid. Add all the extra stuff and you’ve it even better!
Orange Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule, Papaveraceae) with purple Spanish Flag or West Indian lantana (Lantana camara, Verbenaceae) in the background, Dolores Park.
2 poached eggs on homemade biscuits covered in hollandaise sauce, served with red beans and rice and sourdough toast. $13
Roux Louisiana Kitchen, San Jose CA
Ugh! The pulled pork was super dry and the sourdough toast was just a couple thin slices of baguette. Even the rice and beans were uneventful.
San Jose Museum of Art Cafe and Museum Store. This is a really cool historic building in downtown San Jose.
Vittle Monster 