Beef with onions and peas. Chicken with onions and peppers. $6 each
Poquito, San Francisco CA
Mmm, I love empanadas and these were very tasty! The outside was nice and crispy and the fillings were delicious.
Served with mild salsa roja and spicy green aji.
Tin man and child street performers, Union Square. Nothing says the holidays like the tin man!?
With queso fresco, green onions, and home fries. $11
The WestWood, San Francisco CA
Not sure what made this dish El Salvadorian style, but it tasted decent. Perhaps adding queso fresco and chorizo? The home fries were cook beautifully though and oh so flavorful!
King palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, Arecaeae), 16th Street. The long inflorescence strands spraying laterally from the trunk is always cool to see!
Har gow. A delicous standard! 3 for $1.60
Good Luck Dim Sum, San Francisco CA
Helen Diller Playground, Mission Dolores Park.
Smirnoff blueberry vodka, muddled blackberries, mint, lime and soda. $12
Eureka Restaurant & Lounge, San Francisco CA
I like the idea of this cocktail, but it was a bit too sour for me. If they had used sweet, naturally ripe blackberries, I bet this would have kicked ass!
We were walking in the Mission one night on our way to a comedy show and spotted this random car decorated and covered all in Barbie dolls. Everyone was checking it out and I couldn’t help but snap a couple pics with my iPhone.
Cornmeal fritters served with even more butter! $2.49
Queen’s Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe, San Francisco CA
I normally LOVE hush puppies, but these were dense and SUPER greasy, argh! Damn you spiteful gods – I wanted to enjoy these fried, artery-clogging pillows smothered in butter! Instead, I could barely finish one.
Fresh cedar and Douglas fir evergreen garland with lights, 24th Street.
Ecuadorian beet salad with carrots, peas, bell pepper and cilantro. $5
Poquito, San Francisco CA
This was not what we expected when we saw it on the menu, but we really loved this salad! Everything tasted great together, even the peas which I was originally skeptical about.
SF MoMa posters for Cindy Sherman exhibit, 16th Street.
Mango flavored mimosa. Pitcher $28
The WestWood, San Francisco CA
As mimosas in the city go, this is one of the more expensive ones and for no apparent reason. It tasted fine, but it wasn’t worth the extra cost and the carafe is even on the small side.
A San Francisco sunrise projects light onto our home office door.
There’s so many cheap dim sum places along Clement Street in the Richmond neighborhood and Good Luck Dim Sum is one of the most popular ones. This is evident by the long line in front of the counter. The good thing is that you can grab a menu sheet and mark everything you want while you wait your turn. 3 for $1.60
Good Luck Dim Sum, San Francisco CA
Colorful botanically-themed mural, Church Street. I think the plants in this section are probably California soaproot (Chlorogalum pomeridianum, Asparagaceae), rattlesnake grass (Briza sp., Poaceae), and filarees (Erodium sp., Geraniaceae).
Endive, caramelized grapes, honey-thyme vinaigrette. $10
Eureka Restaurant & Lounge, San Francisco CA
I think they replaced the endive with pickled onions! I really enjoyed this appetizer. I know that this pork belly is super fatty, but it was oh so yummy. The thinly shaved fennel underneath and the acid from the pickled onions helped to cut the fat. I must say that I enjoyed the caramelized grapes the most, lol! Those little suckers were amazing!
The sidewalk parklets in my neighborhood have also been decked out for the holidays!
Served with white rice and saltine crackers. Cup $4.99
Queen’s Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe, San Francisco CA
There’s a reason why this gumbo has been voted the best in 2010 by San Francisco Weekly – it’s really damn good! I was amazed at the rich smokey flavor of this soup and I enjoyed the medium consistency of the broth. I will add that they could have added more things in the gumbo to make it more subtantial. It was so flavorful that I really just wanted more of it! Noms!
Music themed mural at Mission High School, Church Street.
Pitcher $18
Poquito, San Francisco CA
Mmm, I love red sangria! Poquito’s version was pretty good and the pitcher is decently priced. I need to make it out to the Dogpatch neighborhood more often!
The Christmas trees now cover the entrance to the Noe Valley Whole Foods, 24th Street. I’m still contemplating whether I should get a small tree this year.
Levain bread, prosciutto, chevre, deviled eggs, brown sugar-glazed bacon, pickled vegetables, fresh fruit. $14
The WestWood, San Francisco CA
I am torn about this place. The food was decent, but the wervice was really mixed. I think the two owners(?) were running service that morning and the older white-haired man was really nice, but the younger dark-haired man was rude and unattentive. I liked the variety of this breakfast platter, but I’m still not certain that the cheese was actually goat cheese. I asked for confirmation, but the affirmative still seemed unsure. It’s also really dark in the back so you should request to sit outside or near the front if you want to enjoy the bright sunny weather for a leisurely weekend brunch. Otherwise, it feels like you’re dining in a cave.
Tribal medusa mural/mosaic, 16th Street.
Vittle Monster 