Category Archives: Restaurant

Frittata – Foreign Cinema

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Frittata - Foreign Cinema
Squash blossoms, zucchini, goat cheese, spring onion, tomato vinaigrette, chicken sausage, mixed greens. $16
Foreign Cinema, San Francisco CA

Another delicious brunch dish! I particularly liked the nice sear on the chicken sausage. Everything was super flavorful and tasted fresh and spring-y.

Water service - Foreign Cinema

Water service.

Castro Castle Guest House, 17th Street

Castro Castle Guest House, 17th Street. I’ve always thought that this building was super cheesy looking and out of place. But I appreciate that it has SO much character. I don’t think I’d ever want to stay here though.

Louisiana blue crab and P.E.I. mussels bomba rice – Beast and the Hare

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Louisiana blue crab and P.E.I. mussels bomba rice - Beast and the Hare
With chorizo and citrus relish. $17
Beast and the Hare, San Francisco CA

I was confused with the plateware. Omg, my entree bowl looked like it was appetizer sized! I noticed at other tables the the pasta was also served in these tiny bowls. They definitely looked inappropriately small. Besides that, I did enjoy this dish. It was nice and citrus-y, but I did think that the blue crab got lost among everything else. And the price seemed a bit steep for the four pieces of mussels and flaked crab. Overall, I enjoyed my dining experience but a few things, primarily that unacceptable wait between courses, just needed to be tweaked.

Wind sculpture, Helen Diller Playground
Wind sculpture at the Helen Diller Playground, Mission Dolores Park.

Crisp duck leg confit – Foreign Cinema

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Crisp duck leg confit - Foreign Cinema
Poached eggs, frisee, endive, five spice cracklings, croutons, sherry vinaigrette. $17
Foreign Cinema, San Francisco CA

Crisp duck leg confit - Foreign Cinema
Omg, this was SO good and everything was cooked beautifully! The duck was delicious as were the poached eggs. The five spice cracklings were a fun and yummy addition.

Branded paper towels - Foreign Cinema
I thought it was cool that Foreign Cinema had branded paper towels in their bathroom. So classy, lol!

White peach bellini – Universal Cafe

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White peach bellini - Universal Cafe

I had to look this up, but a bellini is traditionally made with white peaches (pureed and strained) and sparkling wine (prosecco because of its Italian origin). This is different from mimosas that use citrus (usually orange juice) and champagne (because of its French origin) with or without Grand Marnier to accentuate the citrus flavors. Geez, I love the internet! 🙂 $9
Universal Cafe, San Francisco CA

Pink bougainvillea flowers (Nyctaginaceae)
Pink bougainvillea flowers (Nyctaginaceae) and lion statue, Church Street.

The devil’s chicken – Beast and the Hare

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The devil's chicken - Beast and the Hare
With shiitake/parmesan bread pudding, dandelion greens and leeks. $17
Beast and the Hare, San Francisco CA

Wow, the time between charcuterie and entree was super long. I mean SUPER long! We had time to order another glass of wine and pretty much drink it all between courses. Kinda weird. I enjoyed the space and service otherwise.

The devil's chicken - Beast and the Hare
This chicken tasted like Thanksgiving, and the bread pudding was AMAZING!

Golden Gate Bridge mural
Golden Gate Bridge mural, 19th Street.

Bloody mary cocktails – Foreign Cinema

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Sunday bloody caesar cocktail - Foreign Cinema

Sunday bloody caesar cocktail – House-made clamato, fresh lime, Worcestershire and house-infused jalapeno vodka, flavorful yet lighter than the cousin Mary! $10
Foreign Cinema, San Francisco CA

Persian bloody mary - Foreign Cinema

Persian bloody mary – An exotic blend of lime, south Indian curry, sumac, and sherry vinegar and vodka. $10

I really enjoyed both of these bloody mary’s. The first one definitely had more of the traditional flavors and the Persian one took a few sips to get into, but I really enjoy its inventive flavor combination for a bloody mary. The sumac salt was also really pretty and the pickled fennel was a great addition.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010

Colorful San Francisco homes, Castro Street
Colorful San Francisco homes, Castro Street.

Fried egg sandwich – Universal Cafe

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Fried egg sandwich - Universal Cafe
House-made sourdough English muffin, house-made porchetta, spicy tomato confit, yellow cheddar, mixed greens salad. $14.50
Universal Cafe, San Francisco CA

When the side salad is the best part of your meal, there’s something wrong. The housemade English muffin was dense, doughy and undercooked, the tomato confit was on the sour side, and the porchetta was too fatty and extremely difficult to chew.

Sugar salt and pepper - Universal Cafe
Sugar, salt and pepper.

Random house vent, Noe Street
Random house vent, Noe Street. I really liked the color combination of this house.

Organic nectarine “Pop Tart” – Foreign Cinema

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Organic nectarine "Pop Tart" - Foreign Cinema
$6.75
Foreign Cinema, San Francisco CA

Organic nectarine "Pop Tart" - Foreign Cinema
Wow, I was surprised at how light and delicate this pastry was. The crust was super thin and flaky and the fruit filling wasn’t too sweet. There was a wonderful caramel-y quality to the whole thing. It was absolutely delicous!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2014

Old school movie speakers - Foreign Cinema
The restaurant actually projects old movies in the back patio so they have these old school speakers surrounding the courtyard.

House charcuterie – Beast and the Hare

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House charcuterie - Beast and the Hare
Coppa, pork shoulder with smoked pimenton and garlic. Bresaola, beef loin cured in juniper, thyme and bordeaux brine. Duck breast, buried in spices 5 days then apple wood smoke. Served with grilled bread, pickled vegetables, and coarse mustard. 3 for $16
Beast and the Hare, San Francisco CA

Now this is what I call a charcuterie plate! SO DELICIOUS!!! All the meats were amazing and the grilled bread, mustard, and pickled veggies really added to the enjoyment of this plate. I’d have to say that the duck breast was my favorite! It was smokey, tender, fatty, and just perfect. NOMS! I definitely have to go back to try some of the other cured meats.

Place setting - Beast and the Hare
Place setting.

Gentain sage 'Blue Angel' (Salvia patens, Lamiaceae)

Gentain sage ‘Blue Angel’ flowers (Salvia patens, Lamiaceae), Dolores Street.

Crispy calamari – The Tropicale

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Crispy calamari - The Tropicale
With spicy Asian red chili sauce. $9
The Tropicale, Palm Springs CA

Yuck, this was gross! The calamari was super dry, overcooked, rubbery, tough to chew, and lacked flavor. It definitely tasted like poor quality frozen calamari that was abused by the fry cook. And the chili sauce was really an Asian-inspired salsa, just sayin’.

Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens, Fouquieriaceae)

Ocotillo, desert coral, vine cactus, etc. (Fouquieria splendens, Fouquieriaceae) in the yard. Can’t wait to catch it blooming.