Steamed bbq pork buns – Good Luck Dim Sum

Steamed bbq pork buns - Good Luck Dim Sum
There’s so many cheap dim sum places along Clement Street in the Richmond neighborhood and Good Luck Dim Sum is one of the most popular ones. This is evident by the long line in front of the counter. The good thing is that you can grab a menu sheet and mark everything you want while you wait your turn. 3 for $1.60
Good Luck Dim Sum, San Francisco CA

Steamed bbq pork buns - Good Luck Dim Sum

Colorful botanically-themed mural
Colorful botanically-themed mural, Church Street. I think the plants in this section are probably California soaproot (Chlorogalum pomeridianum, Asparagaceae), rattlesnake grass (Briza sp., Poaceae), and filarees (Erodium sp., Geraniaceae).

Pork belly with fennel – Eureka Restaurant and Lounge

Pork belly with fennel - Eureka Restaurant and Lounge
Endive, caramelized grapes, honey-thyme vinaigrette. $10
Eureka Restaurant & Lounge, San Francisco CA

I think they replaced the endive with pickled onions! I really enjoyed this appetizer. I know that this pork belly is super fatty, but it was oh so yummy. The thinly shaved fennel underneath and the acid from the pickled onions helped to cut the fat. I must say that I enjoyed the caramelized grapes the most, lol! Those little suckers were amazing!

Christmas decorated Noe Valley parklet

The sidewalk parklets in my neighborhood have also been decked out for the holidays!

Authentic seafood gumbo – Queen’s Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe

Authentic seafood gumbo - Queen's Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe
Served with white rice and saltine crackers. Cup $4.99
Queen’s Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe, San Francisco CA

There’s a reason why this gumbo has been voted the best in 2010 by San Francisco Weekly – it’s really damn good! I was amazed at the rich smokey flavor of this soup and I enjoyed the medium consistency of the broth. I will add that they could have added more things in the gumbo to make it more subtantial. It was so flavorful that I really just wanted more of it! Noms!

Mural at Mission High School
Music themed mural at Mission High School, Church Street.

Red sangria – Poquito

Red sangria - Poquito

Pitcher $18
Poquito, San Francisco CA

Red sangria - Poquito

Mmm, I love red sangria! Poquito’s version was pretty good and the pitcher is decently priced. I need to make it out to the Dogpatch neighborhood more often!

Noe Valley Whole Foods Christmas trees
The Christmas trees now cover the entrance to the Noe Valley Whole Foods, 24th Street. I’m still contemplating whether I should get a small tree this year.

Breakfast platter – The WestWood

Breakfast platter - The WestWood
Levain bread, prosciutto, chevre, deviled eggs, brown sugar-glazed bacon, pickled vegetables, fresh fruit. $14
The WestWood, San Francisco CA

I am torn about this place. The food was decent, but the wervice was really mixed. I think the two owners(?) were running service that morning and the older white-haired man was really nice, but the younger dark-haired man was rude and unattentive. I liked the variety of this breakfast platter, but I’m still not certain that the cheese was actually goat cheese. I asked for confirmation, but the affirmative still seemed unsure. It’s also really dark in the back so you should request to sit outside or near the front if you want to enjoy the bright sunny weather for a leisurely weekend brunch. Otherwise, it feels like you’re dining in a cave.

Tribal medusa mural/mosaic
Tribal medusa mural/mosaic, 16th Street.

Korean bbq dinner with work peeps – YakiniQ BBQ

There’s usually an occasion to warrant a work dinner for our group, but this time around I think we just wanted to grab some Korean BBQ in Japantown. What?! We don’t have a Korea-town in San Francisco, hehe. I’d never been to this restaurant, but it’s one of those places that’s all-you-can-eat for a set price. Or at least all-you-can-eat when the service feels like refilling your table. I’m not complaining, we had plenty to eat as you will see. Overall, I enjoyed the food and it’s always fun to hang out with my work peeps and their significant others. There were only six of us that night which made it easy to pass along food as they were ready off the central grill (and split the bill, lol)! $23.99 each, beer additional
YakiniQ BBQ, San Francisco CA

Intestine bulgogi tripe - YakiniQ BBQ
The grill is located in the center of the table and it does get dirty throughout the night, but they periodically replace the grill top. At one point, we had too much meat in the center which choked out the flame, so a server had to relight it. Oops! I tried to get a pic of everything we ordered, and I was mostly successful. We kept ordering multiple plates at once so it was a little difficult. You’ll get the general idea of the evening’s dining experience though, hehe!

Prime beef tongue and pork neck meat - YakiniQ BBQ
Prime beef tongue and pork neck meat. I’ve never had pork neck meat before and it was really tender and delicious!

Prime beef tongue - YakiniQ BBQ
Prime beef tongue on the grill.

Small intestine - YakiniQ BBQ
Small intestine. You definitely have to use the scissors to cut this and cook it to a crisp!

Honeycomb tripe - YakiniQ BBQ
Honeycomb tripe. Not my favorite, but they taste better with some chili sauce on top.

Marinated short rib gal-bi - YakiniQ BBQ
Marinted short rib (gal-bi) and marinated beef (bul-go-gi) on the grill. Delicious standards.

Spicy chicken - YakiniQ BBQ
Spicy chicken.

Beef brisket - YakiniQ BBQ
Beef brisket.

Pork skin - YakiniQ BBQ
Pork skin. Again, the trick is to grill this to a crisp otherwise there’s no way you can even chew through it!

Garlic butter chicken - YakiniQ BBQ
Garlic butter chicken.

Spicy pork belly - YakiniQ BBQ
Spicy pork belly.

Steamed egg - YakiniQ BBQ

Steamed egg.

Rice cake wraps - YakiniQ BBQ
Rice cake wraps.

Dipping sauces - YakiniQ BBQ
Dipping sauces.

Banchan - YakiniQ BBQ
Banchan. Complimentary

Hite Korean beer - YakiniQ BBQ

Hite Korean beer. Large bottle $13

Hite Korean beer - YakiniQ BBQ

Hite beer in a Cass glass beer glass. It was my first time trying this beer and I enjoyed it. It was light and didn’t make me burp as much as other beers, lol!

Pomegranate margarita – Eureka Restaurant and Lounge

Pomegranate margarita - Eureka Restaurant and Lounge
Reposado tequila, Pama pomegranate liqueur, triple sec and lime on the rocks. $10
Eureka Restaurant & Lounge, San Francisco CA

I love the soft pink color of this margarita! It’s nicely made and tastes wonderful.

Mill holiday windows

My neighborhood has began decorating its storefronts for the holidays. I like the simple window trims at Mill, 24th Street.

3 piece dark fried chicken meal – Queen’s Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe

3 piece dark fried chicken meal - Queen's Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe
Two thighs and a drumstick fried chicken value meal with French fries. $5.99
Queen’s Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe, San Francisco CA

Hmm, after hearing so many rave reviews about this place I was sadly disappointed by the quality of their food. The fried chicken were SUPER greasy making them unpleasant to eat. The fries were also soggy and flavorless.

Hen-and-chicks plants (Echeveria sp., Crassulaceae)

Hen-and-chicks plants (Echeveria sp., Crassulaceae), Dolores Street.

Blueberry snail – Arizmendi Bakery

Blueberry snail - Arizmendi Bakery

Organic flour, eggs, buttermilk, cream, sugar, yeast, butter, sea salt. $2.75
Arizmendi Bakery, San Francisco CA

I really like how this pastry isn’t too sweet. I’m slowly becoming more aware of super sweet and salty foods these days, and this was a pleasure to eat. Hehe!

Blue spiral bike rack

Blue spiral bike rack, 16th Street. This decorative rack stands in front of the Eureka Valley branch San Francisco Public Library. Almost snail-like! 🙂

Pepperoni slice – Arinell Pizza

Pepperoni slice - Arinell Pizza
Thin crust, New York style, neapolitan slice with pepperoni. $3.25
Arinell Pizza, San Francisco CA

I always find myself unable to resist getting a slice at Arinell once I’ve exited 16th Street Bart station starving after work. I’ll inevitably slink inside and grab a slice on my way to the gym.

Rooster weathervane at Cafe Du Nord

Rooster weathervane at Cafe Du Nord, Market Street.

Stir-fried corn and peppers – Mission Chinese Food

Stir-fried corn and peppers - Mission Chinese Food
Sweet corn, shishito peppers, country ham, scallions, chilies. $10
Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco CA

Dare I say this was a little too greasy for me! I usually love most of the dishes I try from Mission Chinese, but this just had a little too much oil. I enjoyed the flavors though, and you can’t go wrong with shishitos!

Royal trumpet vine (Distictis riversii, Bignoniaceae)
Pinkish-purple royal trumpet vine flowers (Distictis riversii, Bignoniaceae), Roosevelt Way.