Cocchi Americano, blackberries, soda, lime garnish. $8
Starbelly, San Francisco CA
This was ok, but the soda was flat! It took forever to make it to our table too. I swear this place must have gotten new management because the service and food has gone to sh!t.
“Do not sit on steps” residential signage, Noe Valley. San Franciscans hate it when you sit on their stoop.
Spicy lemon grass chicken with onion, green bell pepper, garlic and dried chilies. Served with rice. $6.95
Little Saigon, South San Francisco CA
Mmm, I love lemon grass chicken! This could have been spicier, but it definitely hit the spot!
Airplane taking off over San Francisco Bay.
Catch of the day (broadbrill swordfish) with vegetable tempura, black bean and corn salsa, queso fresco (?).
Roy’s, Waikoloa HI
This was a pretty thick cut of swordfish, yeah! I appreciated their straighforward preparation and clean plating.
Waikoloa’s crisp pork potstickers. Spicy peany curry sauce and Thai aromatics. $9.50
Sorry for the horrible pic, but it really didn’t taste that great anyway. 😦
White frangipani flowers (Plumeria obtusa, Apocynaceae), Ali’i Drive.
Fresh mint, peach white sangria: California chardonnay, fresh mint, summer peaches, fresh oranges and lime. $5
Sliderbar, San Francisco CA
Mmm, sangria! This cool sports bar is a nice addition to the restaurant scene in the Castro. It replaced Criolla Kitchen, and was Bagdad Cafe before that. We ended up here after a day of hanging out with friends and the service was amazing! The crowd was young and fun, and the food was pretty tasty too!
Allagash White beer. Refreshing with orange peel and coriander notes. Portland, MA, 5.2% ABV. $6
Naked lady door handle, 24th Street.
Prather Ranch beef patty, steamed rice, sunny egg, green onions and sweet soy. $10
Starbelly, San Francisco CA
Ugh, this was a joke! In my nostalgia for Hawaii, I was stupid enough to order a loco moco from Starbelly. The hamburger patty was tough and bland and there was no yummy gravy! And by the time it made it to the table, it was cold. Gross. I usually love this restaurant, but we were having brunch with a group and the service was terrible! They were super slow and inattentive. Also, more than one of our dishes came out overcooked and they even forgot a couple of our plates. Lame!
Muni wires criss-crossing the intersection at Market and Castro.
Imperial rolls (deep fried stuffed with minced pork, taro root and carrot) with rice noodles. Served with shredded lettuce, carrot, mint, bean sprouts, green onions, peanut, and house fish sauce. $6.75
Little Saigon, South San Francisco CA
Mmm, I love Vietnamese imperial rolls! I enjoy the crispy, almost hard texture of its fried wrapper and the salty fish sauce that it always comes with. Almost as good as lumpia, hehe.
Artwork at the South San Francisco Bart Station.
Local beets, citrus, garlic Israeli cous cous, lilikoi, yuzu kocho glaze. $36
Roy’s, Waikoloa HI
Mmm, this was SO good! I didn’t like a lot of things at Roy’s, but these sea scallops were delicious!
Edamame. Complimentary
Sunset along Queen Kaahumanu Highway.
Fresh Hawaiian fish, basted with garden herbs and lightly grilled. Served with salad, steamed rice, tropical fresh fruit salsa and tartar sauce.
Bamboo Restaurant, Hawi HI
Sorry that I forgot what kind of fish this was, but it was their catch of the day. It was pretty good and the portions were generous on everything.
Black sand beach at Lololu Valley.
Sobieski orange vodka, triple sec, lime juice, cranberry juice. $10
Roy’s, Waikoloa HI
We ended up at Roy’s because another restaurant that we wanted to go to was closed. I wasn’t too excited for Roy’s because I’d already been to the San Francisco and Seattle branches, but we were with a group so I didn’t want to make a fuss. Everything was just ok. Our group was pretty vocal and readily drunk so we still had a blast, lol.
Orchid table decoration.
Pololu Valley sign.
Thai garlic seasoned vegetable stir fry with shrimp, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, onions, zucchini with a touch of garlic. $15.95
Original Thai Cuisine, Kailua-Kona HI
This tasted pretty good. The shrimp were tender and the garlic sauce was flavorful. They included plenty of vegetables so that made me happy.
Hulihee Palace, Ali’i Drive.
A sampler of their most popular pupus: two chicken sate pot stickers, two grilled shrimp with Thai coconut sauce, and two pieces of kalua pork quesadilla. Served with rice and green salad.. $15.95
Bamboo Restaurant, Hawi HI
Wow, this was a lot of food! But the item that I was most excited about, the chicken sate pot stickers, were the least memorable – lame. Everything else was pretty good and had good flavor. I sadly likened this to an Applebee’s sampler platter though. All the food was just piled onto a small plate and it didn’t look very appetizing.
Bamboo napkin ring.
Stacked rocks, Lololu Valley.
Sauteed spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and crispy tempura fried maki roll in a sweet soy demi-glace. $26.95
Sansei Seafood Restaurant, Waikoloa HI
This tasted ok. Perhaps it was a little on the salty side. And the duck had a spongy texutre and I didn’t enjoy. The plate looked great, but I wish it had blown me away.
Sunset at Anaeho’omalu Bay, Waikoloa.
Vittle Monster 