Monthly Archives: January 2013

Brunch cocktails – Twenty Five Lusk

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S.F. Yacht Club cocktail - Twenty Five Lusk

S.F. Yacht Club: vodka, grapefruit, cucumber, lemon, lime, mint. Gilt City brunch menu
Twenty Five Lusk, San Francisco CA

I thought this cocktail would be more refreshing and would knock my socks off, but it didn’t. It was pretty to look at, but fell flat in the taste department which is surprising considering the great combination of ingredients.

Lusk Bloody Mary - Twenty Five Lusk

Lusk Bloody Mary: vodka, roasted tomatoes, lemon, roasted garlic, thai chili paste, aged balsamic vinegar.

Mmm, this bloddy mary delicious! I sometimes buy the daily deal certificates for restaurants I haven’t tried, and I have to say that I was really impressed with this Gilt buy for Twentry Five Lusk. We had a great time, the food was delicious (for the most part), and the service was friendly and professional. I’d definitely got back for more!

Construction stencil artwork
Construction stencil artwork, 16th Street.

Mini cheeseburger combo – Super Duper Burgers

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Mini cheeseburger combo - Super Duper Burgers
One 4 ounce patty, ground daily all natural Niman Ranch beef. “Everything on it” with lettuce, tomato, red onions, Super sauce. Served with fries and Diet Coke. $9.40
Super Duper Burgers, San Francisco CA

They cook their patties to medium and it was very juicy and tender, noms! I don’t even mind that the burger was mini because with the fries, pickles and drink it was plenty of food for me.

Mini cheeseburger combo - Super Duper Burgers
This is a pretty yummy plate for a cheat meal. I’d rather eat at Super Duper than some fast food joint.

French fries - Super Duper Burgers
French fries. These were pretty good and fresh out of the fryer.

Homemade pickles - Super Duper Burgers
Homemade pickles. Complimentary
They keep these babies at the condiment counter. I grabbed a few because I love pickles!

Diet Coke - Super Duper Burgers

Diet Coke.

Super Duper soft serve sign

Super Duper soft serve sign. I haven’t tried their cones yet, but it’ll be nice once the weather warms up again. I love soft serve!

Mimosa – Circa 59

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Mimosa - Circa 59
Standard bloody mary. $7
Circa 59, Palm Springs CA

I’ve already expressed my extreme disappointment of this restaurant so I don’t have to say too much more. This restaurant sadly relies heavily on the posh hotel and hip clientele and has placed little to no importance on the actual food or service.

Circa 59 tables
Notice the empty water glasses at the table during this hot, sunny day. We were stranded at our table without a server in sight. After sweating for a while, we were finally able to flag down a manager to get us some water.

Sequin artwork, Riviera Resort
Sequin artwork, Riviera Resort.

Cheat sangria!

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Sangria
Whenever we’re down at the PS house, I always make a large batch of sangria to keep in the refridgerator. I love the stuff because it’s so refreshing and nice to have around on a hot, sunny day!

Sangria fruit
At the nearby grocery store, I look for a variety of fruit that are on sale or look particularly good. I like to get a nice mixture for extra flavor. Here I have nectarines, pears, oranges, mangoes, and apples.

Sliced sangria fruit
Slice up the fruit and place in a bowl. I like to keep them in large chunks because eating the alcohol soaked fruit is the best part.

Sangria mix

Here’s where I cheat. I mix 1 part bottled sangria (I really like the Cruz Garcia Real Sangria brand) with 1 part red wine (I’ll just get anything on sale because I’m just mixing it with the sangriz mix anyway). I’ve experimented with the different sangria brands and have found that a higher quality brand really makes a difference on the end result. The bottled sangria tends to be too sugary for my taste so adding more wine helps to temper the sweetness.

Sangria glass

Pour some sangria into a decorative glass and enjoy poolside. Cheers!

Idiazabal cheese – Tinto

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Idiazabal cheese - Tinto
Semi-firm, raw, sheep’s milk. with pear, membrillo and honey. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA

Never had this cheese before and it tasted great. I’m a huge cheese fan so I’m always excited to try varieties that are new to me. I think the good food helped to calm me down after dealing with the clueless hostess and my eyes finally adjusting to the cave-like dimness of the restaurant even when it was blindingly bright outside.

Bread with smoked salmon spread - Tinto
Bread with smoked salmon spread. Complimentary
This was frickin’ delicious!

Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum, Poaceae)
Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum, Poaceae) in the backyard of the PS house.

Crispy fish tacos – Circa 59

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Crispy fish tacos - Circa 59
Avocado, tomato, cabbage, sriracha aioli, lime. $16
Circa 59, Palm Springs CA

Wow, I can’t believe I paid $16 for what looks like a pile of barf! The crispy fish nuggets weren’t even crispy – they were super soggy as was the super greasy tortillas that surround this messy dish. I felt like a 5 year old eating the little fish bits in my tacos.

As nice as this restaurant purports to be, they sorely lack in service and food for that matter. We were seated outside without misters and for some reason the scarce waiters refused to give us any water. We had to flag down management to finally get any water. WTF!?

Pool table area, Riviera Resort
Pool table area, Riviera Resort. I think that’s Mr. T on the left(?).

Homemade turkey burger – Cheeky’s

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Homemade turkey burger - Cheeky's
With avocado, turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato and Swiss cheese on a brioche bun, served with fries. $11
Cheeky’s, Palm Springs CA

I’m not usually a fan of turkey burgers because they have a tendency to dry out, but this burger was nice and juicy. And I can’t get enough of their fries, probably because I’m trying to cut down on (greasy) carbs so they’re a nice treat!

Waters - Cheeky's

Waters. We put our paper napkin rings on the glassware, hehe!

Large rock formations, Joshua Tree National Park
Large rock formations, Joshua Tree National Park.