Category Archives: Restaurant

Tasting spoons – Saru Sushi Bar

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Tasting spoons - Saru Sushi Bar
Four spoons $12
(left to right) Halibut – halibut tartare with grated lime, yuzu juice and Japanese sea salt. Kanpachi – young yellowtail with truffle oil, ponzu, garlic chips and scallions. Scallop – with cucumber sauce, yuzu and fresh wasabi. Ankimo – seared monkfish liver, spicy radish, scallions with garlic ponzu.
Saru Sushi Bar, San Francisco CA

These little spoonfuls were so fun and delicious, but I think $3 per spoon is a bit much. I do love that they all tasted so differently and had their unique flavors and textures. It’s hard to decide which was my favorite, but I think I’ll have to say it was the kanpachi because it had the most variety of taste and texture. The seared monkfish liver was a nice surprise. They were all very good though!

White yarrow flowers (Achillea millefolium, Asteraceae)
White yarrow flowers (Achillea millefolium, Asteraceae) mural, Church Street. This large, colorful mural is one of my favorites in the city because it has a botanical theme of course. I also think the little bee is cute, hehe!

California gold sandwich – Mission Cheese

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California gold sandwich - Mission Cheese
Grilled sandwich with San Joaquin Gold cheese, chevre, prosciutto and fig preserves. Served with a side salad. $10
Mission Cheese, San Francisco CA

This was my first time to Mission Cheese and I really liked it. My sandwich was absolutely delicious and the service was really nice and friendly. I definitely wanna come back and get a charcuterie plate with a cheese flight. That’s sounds amazing right now!

Orange and yellow strawflowers (Helichrysum bracteatum, Asteraceae)

Orange and yellow strawflowers (Helichrysum bracteatum, Asteraceae). I can’t recall the last time I saw strawflowers used to decorate a table at a restaurant. I thought this was cute! I remember growing rows and rows of strawflowers at my parents’ house and selling them at the local farmers market.

Tacos de pescado – Chilango

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Tacos de pescado - Chilango
Fish tacos with grilled local rock cod, romaine lettuce, red onions, radish and salsa on corn tortillas. Lunch pre fixe (prifex fijo) $15
Chilango, San Francisco CA

Overall, I liked these tacos but I was annoyed by several things. The lettuce was not romaine as described on the menu. The tacos were so wet that they completely made the corn tortillas fall apart making them difficult to eat by hand. They were also messy looking and didn’t look appetizing. I did like the grilled rock cod though – they were very flavorful.

Red, black and white panther mural by Zio Ziegler
Red, black and white panther(?) mural by Zio Ziegler, Bartlett Street. I walk by this mural every day and never realized that it was painted by a well known, young local artist! Very cool.

Sloppy Jack burger – Fork Cafe

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Sloppy Jack burger - Fork Cafe
Giant homemade meatball, marinara sauce and parmesan cheese on a ciabatta bread. Served with French fries. $12.95
Fork Cafe, San Francisco CA

The name of this dish made me think of “sloppy joe” the entire time, so I was a little disappointed when the meatball did not resemble a sloppy joe in anyway. Even though the menu description spelled out what it was, you can’t help but think of a sloppy joe. Also, they must have run out of ciabatta bread because this was just a regular bun. The fries were really tasty and perfectly cooked though. Maybe they should add a sloppy joe burger on the menu so I can satisfy my craving, hehe.

Drunk and stoned creature on a mushroom mural

Drunk and stoned creature on a mushroom mural, Haight Street. Oh, The Haight! I snapped this pic because I thought this artwork was SO colorful, but the subject matter is funny to me. I love that this fictional character is sitting on an Amanita muscaria mushroom – very fitting.

Sopa de tortilla – Chilango

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Sopa de tortilla - Chilango
Traditional Mexican tortilla soup with chicken broth, chicken, avocado, potato, carrot, celery, and queso fresco. Lunch pre fixe (prifex fijo) $15
Chilango, San Francisco CA

Tortilla soup is SO warm and comforting. I’d venture to say even more so than regular chicken noodle soup. It definitely has more flavor! Often times, this soup is made way too salty, but Chilango’s version is perfect. You get all the comfort and flavor that you’re looking for without the salt overload.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2011

The Women's Building

The Women’s Building with murals, 18th Street. The programs in this building help prepare women and girls to lead a productive and fulfilling life in society. They’ve been in this space since 1979.

Fried mac ‘n cheese – Fork Cafe

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Fried mac 'n cheese - Fork Cafe
Two macaroni and cheese squares dipped in breadcrumbs and fried to a golden brown. Served with sliced cherry tomatoes and a sweet dipping sauce. $8.95
Fork Cafe, San Francisco CA

Mmm, fried mac and cheese! How can you go wrong? These were beautifully fried and tasted great. The dipping sauce was a little too sweet for me, but that’s a minor detail. I will say, however, that I thought the price point was a bit high for this kind of dish and the portion size. It was delicious though!

Andean silver-leaf sage (Salvia discolor, Lamiaceae)

Andean silver-leaf sage (Salvia discolor, Lamiaceae), Divisadero Street. I love the dark purple, almost black flowers of this herbaceous perennial that are constrasted by the light silvery leaves.

Caesar salad – Fork Cafe

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Caesar salad - Fork Cafe
Crisp romaine leaves, parmesan, and Fork croutons. $5.95
Fork Cafe, San Francisco CA

I love caesar salads and this one was nicely dressed – not too heavily. The croutons were also very yummy. This was my first visit to Fork Cafe since it replaced Fuzio and for the most part I enjoyed it. The food was decent and the service was excellent. The girl who was walking around as host was super friendly and even served us a complimentary glass of wine as a welcome. Now that’s what I call service!

Fireworks display from my balcony
Fireworks display from my balcony. You can kind of see the fireworks, downtown, and the Bay Bridge through the San Francisco fog, hehe.

Pierna enchilada torta – La Torta Gorda

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Pierna enchilada torta - La Torta Gorda
Pulled pork torta with refried beans, avocado, queso fresco, onions, mayo, jalapenos and chipotle. Junior size $5.75
La Torta Gorda, San Francisco CA

Mmm, this torta is SO good! You know that I love most things saucy and the pulled pork filling is definitely that. The pressed sandwich is stuffed with so many comforting ingredients and the they also provide a deliciously smokey salsa on the side. The tortas are quite large and I can never finish the junior size in one sitting. That’s perfectly fine with me because I get to save a little bit for later!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Mural above House of Brakes, 24th Street
Mural above House of Brakes, 24th Street. I remember first seeing this mural during a Mardi Gras parade way back when. I love that it depicts a lively celebration in The Mission.

Grilled beer sausage – Rosamunde Sausage Grill

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Grilled beer sausage - Rosamunde Sausage Grill
Smoked, spicy pork and beef beer sausage on a French roll with grilled onions, hot peppers, and curry ketchup. $6
Rosamunde Sausage Grill, San Francisco CA

Wow, this thing is greasy as hell but SO delicious! I’m guessing the grease is mostly from the grilled onions but this is a must-have topping on my sausages. I also love that they have curry ketchup. The sausage itself is super flavorful and grilled to perfection!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Outside tables - Rosamunde Sausage Grill
Outside tables at Rosamunde, Mission Street. On a bright, sunny day this is the best seat in the house. I just relax, enjoy my food, and watch the eclectic crowd walk by.

Scrambled eggs with fresh goat cheese – Boulettes Larder

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Scrambled eggs with fresh goat cheese - Boulettes Larder
With butter lettuce, lemon oil, sea salt. $15
Boulettes Larder, San Francisco CA

Omg, these eggs were frickin’ amazing! They were the most perfect soft scramble I’ve ever had. I thought that the goat cheese might make the eggs too heavy or make their texture too dense, but they didn’t. The cheese added a great flavor and silky texture to the eggs. The coarse pepper and seat salt added even more flavor and a crunchy texture, and the lemon oil added brightness. Even the beautifully separated butter lettuce leaves were perfect and tasted great with the delicate eggs. Noms!! Fiftenn dollars for scrambled eggs you ask? I’d pay it again in a heartbeat for these sublime eggs.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2012

Table salt and coarse pepper - Boulettes Larder
Table salt and coarse pepper. I like the wooden bark scooper!

Elephant door handles, Castro Street
Elephant door handles, Castro Street. There is something about elephant door handles that I find really cool. These are more in the likeness of Asian elephants than African. I’m not a fan of the garage door colors, but I like the finish of the elephant handles.

Dry fried chicken wings – San Tung Restaurant

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Dry fried chicken wings - San Tung Restaurant
Original dry dried chicken wings in their “wet” version smothered in a special sauce with mushrooms and carrots. Served with steamed rice and soup of the day. Lunch special $7
San Tung Restaurant, San Francisco

Dry fried chicken wings - San Tung Restaurant
Mmm, these fried chicken wings were delicious! I kinda wish I ordered them “dry”, but I couldn’t resist the sticky sweet sauce of their “wet” version. This is one of their most popular dishes and now I know why! The wings are sizable, perfectly fried, and oh so flavorful.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2012, 2013

Eggflower soup - San Tung Restaurant
Eggflower soup with mushroom and peas.

Chinese kimchi - San Tung Restaurant
Chinese kimchi. Complimentary
Every table gets a dish of this spicy kim chee to snack on before ordering.

Fortune cookie - San Tung Restaurant
Fortune cookie and bill. My fortune reads, “You will have many friends when you need them.” Now that’s a great fortune! And an even better bill! Less than eight bucks for ALL that food!

Assorted Acme toasted breads – Boulettes Larder

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Assorted Acme toasted breads - Boulettes Larder
With sweet butter and organic fruit jam. Half order $4.50
Boulettes Larder, San Francisco CA

I know it’s just toasted bread, but these were SO good! I love Acme bread and used to go to their storefront back in my Berkeley days. The jam and sweet butter were of good quality. It’s amazing how something like this simple side order can really improve a breakfast experience.

Blue Bottle Three Africans coffee - Boulettes Larder
Blue Bottle Three Africans coffee. Small French press $6
It’s really annoying when restaurants charge you more for an item than the listed menu price. I know that fifty cents isn’t something to complain about, but restaurants should KNOW how to charge people correctly! Super lame, Boulettes Larder! This is definitely a pet peeve of mine.

Magnolia infructescence (Magnoliaceae) mural
Magnolia infructescence (Magnoliaceae) mural, Church Street. I’ve always enjoyed this large, colorful mural depicting several plants found in the Bay Area.