Monthly Archives: August 2012

Marisha’s turkey chili meatloaf – Fork Cafe

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Marisha's turkey chili meatloaf - Fork Cafe
Turkey chili with kidney beans, onion, carrot, corn, shallots and herbs served with homemade mashed potatoes. $13.95
Fork Cafe, San Francisco CA

The meatloaf was moist and flavorful and the mashed potatoes were silky smooth. The combination of the bean chili and meatloaf was a bit odd, but the flavors were good. Overall, this was a decent dish.

Colorful graffiti artwork, Osage Street
Colorful graffiti artwork, Osage Street. There are many murals similar to this one around the city and they are all bright and colorful. They don’t appear to be of anything in particular.

Tasting spoons – Saru Sushi Bar

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Tasting spoons - Saru Sushi Bar
Four spoons $12
(left to right) Halibut – halibut tartare with grated lime, yuzu juice and Japanese sea salt. Kanpachi – young yellowtail with truffle oil, ponzu, garlic chips and scallions. Scallop – with cucumber sauce, yuzu and fresh wasabi. Ankimo – seared monkfish liver, spicy radish, scallions with garlic ponzu.
Saru Sushi Bar, San Francisco CA

These little spoonfuls were so fun and delicious, but I think $3 per spoon is a bit much. I do love that they all tasted so differently and had their unique flavors and textures. It’s hard to decide which was my favorite, but I think I’ll have to say it was the kanpachi because it had the most variety of taste and texture. The seared monkfish liver was a nice surprise. They were all very good though!

White yarrow flowers (Achillea millefolium, Asteraceae)
White yarrow flowers (Achillea millefolium, Asteraceae) mural, Church Street. This large, colorful mural is one of my favorites in the city because it has a botanical theme of course. I also think the little bee is cute, hehe!

California gold sandwich – Mission Cheese

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California gold sandwich - Mission Cheese
Grilled sandwich with San Joaquin Gold cheese, chevre, prosciutto and fig preserves. Served with a side salad. $10
Mission Cheese, San Francisco CA

This was my first time to Mission Cheese and I really liked it. My sandwich was absolutely delicious and the service was really nice and friendly. I definitely wanna come back and get a charcuterie plate with a cheese flight. That’s sounds amazing right now!

Orange and yellow strawflowers (Helichrysum bracteatum, Asteraceae)

Orange and yellow strawflowers (Helichrysum bracteatum, Asteraceae). I can’t recall the last time I saw strawflowers used to decorate a table at a restaurant. I thought this was cute! I remember growing rows and rows of strawflowers at my parents’ house and selling them at the local farmers market.

Tacos de pescado – Chilango

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Tacos de pescado - Chilango
Fish tacos with grilled local rock cod, romaine lettuce, red onions, radish and salsa on corn tortillas. Lunch pre fixe (prifex fijo) $15
Chilango, San Francisco CA

Overall, I liked these tacos but I was annoyed by several things. The lettuce was not romaine as described on the menu. The tacos were so wet that they completely made the corn tortillas fall apart making them difficult to eat by hand. They were also messy looking and didn’t look appetizing. I did like the grilled rock cod though – they were very flavorful.

Red, black and white panther mural by Zio Ziegler
Red, black and white panther(?) mural by Zio Ziegler, Bartlett Street. I walk by this mural every day and never realized that it was painted by a well known, young local artist! Very cool.

Sloppy Jack burger – Fork Cafe

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Sloppy Jack burger - Fork Cafe
Giant homemade meatball, marinara sauce and parmesan cheese on a ciabatta bread. Served with French fries. $12.95
Fork Cafe, San Francisco CA

The name of this dish made me think of “sloppy joe” the entire time, so I was a little disappointed when the meatball did not resemble a sloppy joe in anyway. Even though the menu description spelled out what it was, you can’t help but think of a sloppy joe. Also, they must have run out of ciabatta bread because this was just a regular bun. The fries were really tasty and perfectly cooked though. Maybe they should add a sloppy joe burger on the menu so I can satisfy my craving, hehe.

Drunk and stoned creature on a mushroom mural

Drunk and stoned creature on a mushroom mural, Haight Street. Oh, The Haight! I snapped this pic because I thought this artwork was SO colorful, but the subject matter is funny to me. I love that this fictional character is sitting on an Amanita muscaria mushroom – very fitting.

Kouign amann – Four Barrel Coffee

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Kouign amann - Four Barrel Coffee
Breton cake with layers of butter and sugar. $4
Four Barrel Coffee, San Francisco CA

This was a delicious, buttery treat! I don’t think I would normally order this because it looks kinda boring in a display case, but it’s absolutely exquisite. This flaky pastry is surprisingly complex from the multiple layers and condensed form. Loved it!

Kouign amann - Four Barrel Coffee
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2012

Coffee - Four Barrel Coffee

Coffee with cream and sugar. $2

Pink passion flower (Passiflora caerulea X rubra, Passifloraceae)
Pink passion flower (Passiflora caerulea X rubra, Passifloraceae), San Jose Avenue. This hardy perennial vine caught my eye as I was randomly walking down the street. I particularly loved the 2-toned filamentous anthers!

Sopa de tortilla – Chilango

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Sopa de tortilla - Chilango
Traditional Mexican tortilla soup with chicken broth, chicken, avocado, potato, carrot, celery, and queso fresco. Lunch pre fixe (prifex fijo) $15
Chilango, San Francisco CA

Tortilla soup is SO warm and comforting. I’d venture to say even more so than regular chicken noodle soup. It definitely has more flavor! Often times, this soup is made way too salty, but Chilango’s version is perfect. You get all the comfort and flavor that you’re looking for without the salt overload.

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

The Women's Building

The Women’s Building with murals, 18th Street. The programs in this building help prepare women and girls to lead a productive and fulfilling life in society. They’ve been in this space since 1979.

Belgian style wafel – Blue Bottle Cafe

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Belgian style wafel - Blue Bottle Cafe
Waffle with whipped butter and powdered sugar. $7.50
Blue Bottle Cafe, San Francisco CA

This is a perfect waffle, noms! The outside has a slight crispness while the center remains fluffy, and it tastes amazing. Pair it with some espresso and you’ll have an amazing morning!

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

F-Line Muni red streetcar
F-Line Muni red streetcar, 17th Street. I love the fleet of historic streetcars that run along Market Street and The Embarcadero. They’re a little slow, but it always puts a smile on my face to ride them.

Fried mac ‘n cheese – Fork Cafe

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Fried mac 'n cheese - Fork Cafe
Two macaroni and cheese squares dipped in breadcrumbs and fried to a golden brown. Served with sliced cherry tomatoes and a sweet dipping sauce. $8.95
Fork Cafe, San Francisco CA

Mmm, fried mac and cheese! How can you go wrong? These were beautifully fried and tasted great. The dipping sauce was a little too sweet for me, but that’s a minor detail. I will say, however, that I thought the price point was a bit high for this kind of dish and the portion size. It was delicious though!

Andean silver-leaf sage (Salvia discolor, Lamiaceae)

Andean silver-leaf sage (Salvia discolor, Lamiaceae), Divisadero Street. I love the dark purple, almost black flowers of this herbaceous perennial that are constrasted by the light silvery leaves.

Gibraltar – Blue Bottle Cafe

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Gibraltar - Blue Bottle Cafe
Espresso shot topped with a little cream served in a Libbey 4.5 oz Gibraltar rocks glass. $3
Blue Bottle Cafe, San Francisco CA

I’ve heard this described as a super-short latte, or something between a macchiato and a cappuccino. In any case, it’s absolutely delicious. And it “loves” me! I’m always appreciative of the milk art, hehe.

Gibraltar - Blue Bottle Cafe

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

Mint Plaza

Mint Plaza. Blue Bottle Cafe is nicely situated in a corner of Mint Plaza. This is perfect because if the cafe is packed, you can take your coffee and enjoy it on one of the orange chairs in the plaza.

David makes a pan-fried pork chop dinner!

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Aw, I love it when David cooks dinner! I try and offer to do the dishes, but he’s such a putzer that he ends up doing them before I can get the chance. Hehe! This meal was lovely and a nice change of pace from eating out. As much as I love dining at restaurants, it’s the home cooked meals that I remember the most!

Pan fried pork chop and dirty rice
Tender pork chop served with dirty rice and beans.

Mixed greens, beets and feta salad
Mixed greens salad with sliced beets and feta cheese. Simple and delicious.

Assorted marinated olives
Assorted marinated olives. He knows that I love olives so he was sweet enough to purchase some to snack on.

Ornamental lemon tree (Citrus sp., Rutaceae)

Ornamental lemon tree (Citrus sp., Rutaceae), Roosevelt Way. You can see Twin Peaks in the background covered in a shroud of fog.

Caesar salad – Fork Cafe

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Caesar salad - Fork Cafe
Crisp romaine leaves, parmesan, and Fork croutons. $5.95
Fork Cafe, San Francisco CA

I love caesar salads and this one was nicely dressed – not too heavily. The croutons were also very yummy. This was my first visit to Fork Cafe since it replaced Fuzio and for the most part I enjoyed it. The food was decent and the service was excellent. The girl who was walking around as host was super friendly and even served us a complimentary glass of wine as a welcome. Now that’s what I call service!

Fireworks display from my balcony
Fireworks display from my balcony. You can kind of see the fireworks, downtown, and the Bay Bridge through the San Francisco fog, hehe.