With basil and olive oil. $10
Curbside Cafe, San Francisco CA
Mmm, this was so tasty! I love simple and beautiful dishes like this. It’s all about the wonderful ingredients because there’s no fancy preparation or a million ingredients to distract you. Curbside did a great job with this plate!
An artist’s studio at Hunters Point Open Studios.
Ukiah 75: Germain-Robin brandy, honey, lemon, Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine. $10
Haiku II: Hibiki whiskey, amaro Montenegro, fresh squeezed lemon juice. $11
Nopa, San Francisco CA
These cocktails were delicious and a wonderful way to begin our lovely brunch at Nopa. This place is POPULAR so be prepared to wait if you don’t have a reservation. We came early to get on the list, and luckily I think someone cancelled so we got seated at the end of the first seating. The bad part was that by that point, the kitchen was slammed with all the orders so it took a long time to actually get food. Thank goodness for cocktails!
Rodin’s The Thinker cast, California Palace of the Legion of Honor.
Homemade tagliolini noodles served with chanterelle mushrooms, tiger prawns, asparagus, parmesan in a light white wine garlic sauce. $19
Cafe Renzo, Palo Alto CA
Ugh, where were the chanterelles?! Either they completely forgot to add them or they slyly substituted a bunch of asparagus (which wasn’t indicated in the menu) instead. In either case, that was LAME! Overall, this was just ok anyway. The prawns were on the verge of being tough and the sauce wasn’t all that exciting.
Pacific starflower (Trientalis latifolia, Myrsinaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
Heirloom tomato, corn, cucumber, green onion. 10-course chef’s tasting menu $75
Roxy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA
This soup was really delicious! There wasn’t much lobster, just the small pieces on top but they were beautifully cooked and so tasty. I loved the rich, comforting flavor of the soup especially with the extra flavorful, cooked scallions.
View of Twin Peaks and Sutro Tower from Noe Valley.
Ground chuck, holy trinity, manchego, cotija and oaxacan cheeses, bbq sauce, salsa fresca, bbq cream sauce. Happy hour $5
Nola, Palo Alto CA
Omg, these were two large empanadas for only five bucks! Now that’s a great value. These were definitely filling and you could probably make an entire meal of these. I loved all the flavors and it was pretty tasty, but the empanada dough was on the thick side and slightly undercooked in parts.
Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
Rosso di Sera: Bulleit, aperol, grenadine, lemon, egg white emulsion, mint sprig.
Figo, Palo Alto CA
We were killing time before meeting some friends for dinner so we slipped into Figo for a couple cocktails. These were well-made and I loved that they used huge, singular ice cubes. My kinda place!
Manhattan.
Los Gatos Creak Trail sign, Vasona Reservoir.
With sliced apples, fried capers, and fresh bread. Happy hour $7
Yield Wine Bar, San Francisco CA
This smoked trout rillette was really refreshing. It was bright and punchy and fun to eat. I would spread some of the rillette on the bread, embed some of the fried capers into it, and top it with an apple slice. Fun and tasty finger food!
Half-bottle carafe of house red wine. Happy hour $12
Corridor Pin, Blue, 1999, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, de Young Museum.
Red bell pepper, basil, coconut milk, ordered “hot”. $8.99
Sweet Basil Thai Cuisine, San Francisco CA
Mmm, this was really tasty! I loved that the duck still had all its bones because they’re always more flavorful that way. I just wish there was more duck in there! The rich coconut curry was delicious and very filling.
Cartoon animal skeleton sidewalk stencil.
Heirloom Farms mixed greens, shaved squash, seasonal stone fruit, goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette. 10-course chef’s tasting menu $75
Roxy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA
I’m not usually a big salad fan – I can take it or leave. But this was really tasty! Surprisingly, my favorite component was the thinly shaved squash. It added an unexpected flavor and texture to the dish. Noms!
View toward the Richmond district from Hamon Education Tower Observation Deck.
Ginger Julep: Bulleit bourbon, house made ginger syrup, Evolution lemon juice, muddled fresh mint, Bundaberg ginger beer. $6
Nola, Palo Alto CA
You never know how a bar is gonna pour when they have happy hour cocktails, but these drinks were quite large and actually had alcohol in them! Score! The bartenders at Nola were super nice and made great, tasty cocktails. Perhaps the sangria was a bit sweet, but I can forgive that for the enjoyable experience.
Saucy’s Sangria: a refreshing house infusion of red wine, apples, oranges, lemons, limes, pineapples, agave nectar and fresh fruit juices with a brandy float. $6
Pink flower that I can’t seem to identify by appearance (Vasona Reservoir). Help, anyone?
Two scrambled eggs, spinach, ground chuck, onion and mushroom, served with homefried potatoes and 9-grain wheat toast. $13
Judy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA
Another huge scramble from Judy’s Café. They jam-pack the ingredients into their scrams so it’s mostly filling than egg. I don’t mind one bit! 🙂
Manzanita flowers (Arctostaphylos sp., Ericaceae), Land’s End.
With caramelized onions, brie, Granny Smith apple, fresh thyme and mixed greens. Happy hour $11
Yield Wine Bar, San Francisco CA
Wow, I loved all the flavors and ingredients on this flatbread pizza, but it was WAY too soggy and difficult to eat. Between the caramelized onions, melted brie, super thin crust and overload toppings, the slices seemed to dissolve and was impossible to pick up or eat with your hands. I’m a fan of thin crusts (less carbs), but it has to be balanced with the right amount of toppings. And I guess the mixed greens never made the plate! This didn’t quite work for me. I did love the space and our server was really great and friendly though.
Central stairway, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
Vittle Monster 