Lobster and Chilean sea bass on board, like fish ‘n chips, mango salsa. $25
Norma’s, Palm Springs CA
OMG, there was only 2 TEENY pieces of lobster in there! Sheesh, this place is ridiculous on their prices and probably one of the worst restaurant values I’ve encountered. The lobster and fish were even poorly cooked and super greasy. And don’t get me started on the service!
Butterfly pillow, The Parker lobby.
Two eggs over-medium served with butter croissant, rainbow potato and fruit. $13
Kitchen Story, San Francisco CA
For those who don’t know, millionaire’s bacon are thick slabs of bacon covered with brown sugar, black pepper, and cayenne before baking. What results is a sticky, sweet and salty strip of bacon that would please any SF brunch-goer. It was honestly the best part of this plate! NOMS!
Sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus, Phrymaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
Fried parsley and capers. $6
Alicante, Palm Springs CA
I don’t think I’ve ever had calamari presented quite like this. Usually when I’ve had stuffed calamari it’s served whole and you cut it yourself, but these were already prechopped into small pieces. They were pretty small and prefect as finger food, but then you had to fiddle with the individual capers.
Joshua Tree National Park.
Oxtail ravioli, horseradish, bordelaise. Tasting menu $140
Jardiniere, San Francisco CA
OK, so here’s where I get confused. Our tasting menu read that we were going to get wagyu beef during this course, but our first waiter said that they weren’t running the wagyu that night and would be replacing it with New York steak in the same preparation. Whatever, I’m fine with that. But as this course approached, another waiter mentioned that the wagyu would be next. I asked for clarification from our original server, and he said it would be New York steak. Then when we go the plates, they were presented as wagyu. Huh? I’m still confused.
Either way, the beef was WAY underdone and we really coudn’t eat much of it let alone cut through the cold, raw, stringy interior. This was the one truly failed dish of the night. The ravioli and accompaniments were delicious, but the star of the dish was a major flop. SAD!
Fallen redwood trees, Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. This is how I felt about the dish above.
Green onion and garlic in special sauce. $10
Jade Cafe, San Francisco CA
I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth just thinking about this dish. The eggplant was mushy, the chicken and shrimp were overcooked and of poor quality, and there was about 2 cups of rancid oil in there! GROSS, this place serves disgusting food.
With chipotle salsa and pickled onions, guacamole and pico de gallo, lime. $22
Norma’s, Palm Springs CA
Another lame, basic dish for twenty two bucks! I guess if you add a grilled lime and stick long tortilla chips into the guacamole you can charge that amount. Someone should tell them that it would help if the food actually tasted good.
The Parker Hotel grounds.
Lai fun noodle, bok choy, garlic, green onion. $7.50
Cafe Encore, Millbrae CA
Mmm, this was REALLY good! The soup was super flavorful and the chicken was tender and delicious. I loved that they kept all the bones on since it lends so much more flavor. I not fussy, so I don’t mind eating around them. I’m craving this soup right now!
Garlic, cherry tomato, chilies. $6
Alicante, Palm Springs CA
This dish was light and refreshing, but I guess I was wanting something more rich like a traditional gambas al ajillo. There was more citrus in this preparation than garlic and butter. It was still pretty tasty, but not what I was craving.
Large rock formations, Joshua Tree National Park.
Black cherry, mustard. Tasting menu $140
Jardiniere, San Francisco CA
I don’t think I could have ever thought that pairing duck heart, mushroom, and cherry would work but it was actually pretty great. I wouldn’t want any more of the duck hearts than the portion on the plate since it was very rich, but it was nice to get offal as part of a tasting menu.
Mushroom broth. This was absolutely amazing! There was SO much flavor in this tiny cup of broth and I enjoyed every drop.
California hedge nettle (Stachys bullata, Lamiaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
Talk about salt overload! I know that hot and sour soups can sometimes get a bit salty, but this was out of control. I could barely eat much of this because I could feel my kidneys crying for help! $5.60
Jade Cafe, San Francisco CA
Buttermilk pancake with smoked salmon, poached eggs, hollandaise, and peewee potatoes. $22
Norma’s, Palm Springs CA
This was ok, but the pancakes quickly became soggy from the luke warm hollandaise sauce, and the potatoes were undercooked. It would definitly be an “upstream” battle to find things that I absolutely loved about this dish.
Side of bacon. $4
This was probably the most reasonably priced item on their menu.
Antique bedazzled mirror, The Parker lobby.
These were SO delicious probably because they douse them in MSG instead of salt (I’m just speculating, but I’m sure it’s true). I had ordered this to go so they weren’t as crispy as they could have been, but they somehow retained most of their crispiness and were pretty damn good! $5.50
Cafe Encore, Millbrae CA
Orange Indian paintbrush flowers (Castilleja sp., Orobanchaceae), Sweeney Ridge Trail.
Vittle Monster 