Szechuan eggplant, cumin pork, and fried rice. $6.58
New Ming’s Restaurant, San Francisco CA
There’s something funky and odd about the cumin pork, but I actually kinda like it. It’s got an odd texture, but it tastes great and the pork remains tender. The eggplant is super greasy, but I love the Szechuan flavors. New Ming’s is one of my guilty lunchtime pleasures, hehe.
Gulf white shrimp, oyster on the half shell, smoked wild salmon, cold cuts, cheese and marinated vegetables. Sunday brunch buffet $49
The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite National Park CA
The Ahwahnee Hotel is beautiful and historic so it was great to have Sunday brunch there. There was a great selection and I thought that the fifty buck price tag was very reasonable. I didn’t think the oysters (and the seafood in general) were very fresh though – the oysters actually grossed me out. The dining room was warm and comfortable and the service was great.
Coffee.
The Ahwahnee Hotel.
Salsa fresca and tortilla chips. $4
Mountain Room Lounge, Yosemite National Park CA
Meh, this was kind of a throw-away appetizer. The salsa might as well have been canned because it wasn’t very good or memorable, and the chips were a bit stale.
Half Dome. $6.75
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. $6.75
Yosemite Falls.
Prix fix $45
Laurel Court Restaurant, San Francisco CA
I liked this salad. It was simple and delicious and the roasted vegetables were varied and tasty. What I didn’t like was the service from the front of the house – SO unprofessional and pathetic.
Bread and butter. Complimentary
With potato salad and pineapple coleslaw. $11.50
Yosemite Lodge Food Court, Yosemite National Park CA
In terms on park food, this was actually really decent tasting and reasonably priced! Most park food costs and arm and a leg and very low quality. This chicken was tender and juicy and tasted great, and I really liked the pineapple coleslaw.
El Capitan.
Fresh Ecuadorain tilapia, lime juice, onion, cucumber, cilantro and avocado. $8
Tropisueno, San Francisco CA
I was NOT impressed by this dish. It was surprisingly bland and the fish was NOT fresh tasting, and the dry tortillas bewildered me. Who in their right mind would serve these sad discs to diners?
Cornmeal fried oysters, Hogwash slaw, salt and pepper potato chips. $15
Hog Island Oyster Bar, San Francisco CA
Wow this po’ boy was delicious! When it arrived, I thought that it was pretty tiny for the price, but it actually was the perfect size for a filling lunch. I loved the cornmeal crust on the oysters although I wished they would have been slightly less hard. I wasn’t impressed with the soggy potato chips though. They were pretty lame.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die
Bread and butter. Complimentary
House-made market shrub and soda. $3.50
Oyster bar at Hog Island Oyster.
Ricotta cheese flour with macerated strawberry coulis. $12
Griddle Fresh, San Francisco CA
I liked the flavors of this dish and thought that it was different and inventive with the fluffy ricotta cheese filling, but I wasn’t a fan of the texture. It was almost like styrofoam which is definitely not a good thing. I thought it was a great value with the amount of food you got though. Too bad, the pancakes weren’t a knock-out…
7×7 Magazine’s Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
Prix fix $45
Laurel Court Restaurant, San Francisco CA
The food and service here were good overall, but I cannot forget or forgive the horrendous behavior from the jerk of a host! He completely ruined our experience and so we will never return to this Laurel Court.
Decera, Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina. $10
Davies Family, Pinot Noir, Sonoma. $15
Smuggler’s Bowl: spiced and dark rum, brandy, fresh orange and lime juices, local handmade orgeat. Happy hour $15
Tonga Room, San Francisco CA
Came here after work for happy hour and had a blast! The Tonga Room is a historical bar in San Francisco and I finally made it after SO many years of living in this wonderful city. The service can be bit hard to get a hold of since the place was packed from the get-go, but the drinks were yummy and you can’t beat the cheesy tiki atmosphere. And they have random rainstorms for goodness sake!
Zombie: blend of three rums, fresh lemon, lime, pineapple and passion fruit juices plus Angostura bitters. Happy hour $9
Mai Tai: blend of rums from Trinidad and Jamaica, curacao, local handmade orgeat and fresh lime juice. Happy hour $9
The Tonga Room.
Tender braised beef cheeks served taco truck style with cilantro, radish, and tomatillo salsa. $8
Tropisueno, San Francisco CA
These lil tacos were packed with flavor and the braised beef cheeks were nice and tender. I was a bit disappointed on their small size at four buck each though.
$25.95
Anchor Oyster Bar, San Francisco CA
Mmm, this salad was amazing! It wasn’t over dressed and the crabmeat was SO fresh and delicious! It was definitely worth the elevated price tag. Noms!
7×7 Magazine’s Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
Bread and butter. Complimentary
Vittle Monster 