Chili marinated shrimp skewers – Bankers Hill

Chili marinated shrimp skewers - Bankers Hill
With cabbage slaw. Happy hour $3
Bankers Hill, San Diego CA

There was very little of this, but it was mighty tasty, lol! I rarely see shrimp individually skewered because they’re so small but Bankers Hill managed to present a delicious morsel. We definitely should have had additional orders. 🙂

Bea Evenson Fountain
Bea Evenson Fountain, Balboa Park.

Pork chop – Citizen’s Band

Pork chop - Citizen's Band
Rotating cuts of Hornbrook Heritage Farms 100% red wattle pigs, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, white turnip, kale, shaved brussels sprouts, smoked bacon, and natural jus. $25
Citizen’s Band, San Francisco CA

Mmm, this pork was super tender and delicious! The mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables were the perfect accompaniment to this huge cut of pig, hehe.

Mini oatmeal cookies - Citizen's Band
Mini oatmeal cookies. Complimenatry with check

Small white orchid flowers
Small white orchid flowers, Castro Street.

Cast iron quail eggs – State Bird Provisions

Cast iron quail eggs - State Bird Provisions
1/2 dozen quail eggs, sunchoke, mixed greens, and ravigote. $12
State Bird Provisions, San Francisco CA

This dish was very different! The sauce ravigote tasted great with the quail eggs because it helped to cut the richness of the eggs. The crispy sunchokes were also fun.

St. Laurent wine - State Bird Provisions

St. Laurent, Johanneshof Reinisch, Thermenregion, Austria 2009. $11

Kwanzan cherry tree
Kwanzan cherry tree (Prunus sp., Rosaceae) with double pink flowers, 19th Street.

Wild boar juicy dumplings – M.Y. China

Wild boar juicy dumplings - M.Y. China
Ginger, garlic, M.Y. seasoned salt. $8
M.Y. China, San Francisco CA

Ok, I did appreciate that these soup dumplings were individually spooned for easy eating. They also tasted pretty good which I wouldn’t say about some of the other dishes we had at M.Y. China.

Cobweb Buttons
‘Cobweb Buttons’ hens and chicks (Sempervivum arachnoideum, Crassulaceae), Castro Street.

Rose Kennedy cocktail – Bankers Hill

Rose Kennedy cocktail - Bankers Hill
Vodka, cranberry juice and a splash of soda. Happy hour $5
Bankers Hill, San Diego CA

This was a cute restaurant in a random location not too far away from our hotel. The service was great and the food was yummy. We caught the end of happy hour so we were able to take advantage of their drink specials, yay!

White flowering tree

Random white flowering tree (Malus?) in downtown.

Fried chicken – Citizen’s Band

Fried chicken - Citizen's Band
Buttermilk battered Rock Jr. chicken, Martin Farms mixed chicories, Pinkie’s buttermilk biscuit, Mr. Combover Soma honey and bacon coffee gravy. $20
Citizen’s Band, San Francisco CA

Fried chicken - Citizen's Band
Mmm, this was really tasty! The flavorful fried chicken was crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. The biscuit was ok, but I loved the local honey drizzled on top. The chicories were yummy as was the gravy but I wish there was more of it.

Pinot noir - Citizen's Band

Pinot noir, Acote, CA 2010. $10

SF Muni Boston streetcar
Riding an SF Muni green Boston streetcar.

Tuna dip and chips – State Bird Provisions

Tuna dip and chips - State Bird Provisions
Garbanzo beans, cucumber, tomato, capers, potato chips.
State Bird Provisions, San Francisco CA

Dining at State Bird is kind of a trip because I sometimes expect the hipsters pushing the food carts around to yell at me in Cantonese or Mandarin. Instead, they kindly explain every dish and patiently wait to hear if you’d like any. What a trip, lol!

Mencia wine - State Bird Provisions

Mencia, D. Ventura, Vina do Burato, Ribeira Sacra, Spain 2011. $10

Lilac hibiscus flowers
Lilac hibiscus flowers (Alyogyne huegelii ‘Swan River’, Malvaceae), Castro Street.

Lemon Bulleit cocktail – South Beach Bar & Grille

Lemon Bulleit cocktail - South Beach Bar & Grille
Bulleit bourbon, lemonade, splash of soda. $6 each
South Beach Bar & Grille, San Diego CA

After getting into bourbons, I’ve been constantly surprised at what actually tastes good as a mixer. This was the first time I had a bourbon lemonade and I loved it! I’ve been ordering this drink at bars ever since. Hehe!

City of San Diego bike racks
City of San Diego bike racks and beach cruiser.

Chairman Mao’s chicken – M.Y. China

Chairman Mao's chicken - M.Y. China
Crisp chicken bites, jalapeno. $9
M.Y. China, San Francisco CA

Chairman Mao’s chicken must be the sad, poor cousin of General Tso’s chicken. These chicken bits weren’t any better than the frozen variety from Safeway, just sprinkled with a mound of MSG! The dipping sauces also tasted like they came from bottles purchased from Safeway. No, not even from a legitimate Asian market. From Safeway…

Spring has sprouted
Spring has sprouted!

Full breakfast – Lark Creek Grill

Full breakfast - Lark Creek Grill
Scrambled eggs, home fries, wheat toast, and bacon. $12.75
Lark Creek Grill, San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

A standard breakfast, but well done as airport food goes. The bacon was extra crispy and flat (must have been baked). The potatoes were a bit on the greasy side, but other than that not too many complaints.

Pacific coastline
Pacific coastline from the plane.