Guadalajara combinacion – Casa Azteca

Guadalajara combinacion - Casa Azteca
Chicken enchilada and tamale served with Spanish rice, refried beans, and salad. $12.45
Casa Azteca, Milpitas CA

I usually get the enchilada/chile relleno combination option when it comes to Mexican combos, but for some reason I was craving a tamale. Maybe masa seemed a bit healthier than a deep fried chile stuffed with cheese, but I’m pretty sure they’re both pretty unhealthy overall, lol! Regardless, this was yummy and it hit the spot.

Salad - Casa Azteca
Salad. Not the prettiness salad I’ve had, but I do appreciate that they threw in some beets.

Soy sauce flavor spicy ramen – Ramen Dojo

Soy sauce flavor spicy ramen - Ramen Dojo
Roasted pork, fried whole garlic, kikurage mushroom, fresh green chives, quail egg, and chicken gravy (cooked ground chicken, chopped shiitake mushroom, chopped ginger, sesame oil, shredded red pepper). Ordered with extra pork and regular spicy. $11.25
Ramen Dojo, San Mateo CA

I’ve been on a ramen kick lately and this place has been one of the best I’ve visited! The soup is delicious and the chicken gravy is amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever had ramen where I’ve really noticed the chicken gravy before. It had an awesome chunky consistency and packed a lot of flavor. Maybe the gravy, if ever present before, was just been mixed into the soup at other restaurants. I’m not sure, but I feel like I’ve been missing out until now. Noms!

Grilled steak and egg sandwich – Stock in Trade

Grilled steak and egg sandwich - Stock in Trade
Grilled hanger steak, two fried eggs, pickled red onion, garlic aioli, wild arugula, chimichurri, toasted pain de mie, crispy skinny fries, and fruit. $13
Stock in Trade, San Francisco CA

This burger had a lot of great flavors, but it was super cold – EW! I think the server must have forgotten it on the counter for a long time before bringing it out. I was surprised that the skinny French fries stayed crispy and delicious though. I can only imagine how much better they would have been served warm. Kind lame, Stock in Trade!

Fort Funston beach
Fort Funston beach.

Coctails – Park Tavern

Country Lawyer - Park Tavern
Country Lawyer: Knob Creek bourbon, Zucca amaro, vermouth and bitters. $13
Park Tavern, San Francisco CA

Mmm, the cocktails at Park Tavern are pretty delicious! I have mixed feelings about my overall experience here though. Although the service was friendly and professional, they made some stupid mistakes that really detracted from the overall experience. Namely, they never brought us a dish even after I specifically asked if it was ever coming out. Our server ensured us it was on its way, but it never did and we were charged for it anyway! FAIL!

Alcatraz - Park Tavern
Alcatraz: Templeton rye, Averna amaro, and port. $13

Bulleit Manhattan - Park Tavern
Bulleit Manhattan: bourbon, sweet vermouth, and bitters. $10

Buttermilk fried chicken and cornmeal waffle – Brown Sugar Kitchen

Buttermilk fried chicken and cornmeal waffle - Brown Sugar Kitchen
With brown sugar butter and apple cider syrup. $15
Brown Sugar Kitchen, Oakland CA

The most important question for this BSK review: “Is the food worth the wait?” I’m gonna say No. We arrived at 8:30 on a Sunday morning and didn’t get food until 10:15. Living in SF, I’m used to the long waits for brunch but the food has to deliver. BSK fell short.

Everything here was really slow, especially our server. We were seated right after the 2-top next to us at the counter, but our order was taken 10 minutes after theirs. They actually finished their meal before we even received food (very frustrating)! When they’re busy, you can wait up to 30 minutes for waffles. While the waffles are delicious, an extra 30 minutes is excruciating when you’ve been waiting so long already and feeling jittery from all the coffee. The fried chicken was just ok so the waffles definitely carry this dish. I think there’s plenty of great chicken and waffles elsewhere that don’t come with a 2-hour+ wait (and cheaper). This place doesn’t make my cut for a “destination” brunch joint. And there is absolutely nothing else at this location so you have no other options if you come here.

Mimosa - Brown Sugar Kitchen

Mimosa. $7.50
Pretty small and weak for the price.

Enchiladas suizas – Casa Azteca

Enchiladas suizas - Casa Azteca
Two corn tortillas filled with beef, covered with a mild red chile sauce and cheese. Topped with guacamole and sour cream. Served with Spanish rice, refried beans, and tortilla soup. $12.95
Casa Azteca, Milpitas CA

This was a great value for only thirteen bucks and everything was pretty good, but all the textures on the enchilada plate were soft. I didn’t mind too much but I wish they would have thrown in something crunchy to balance things out. I think that’s why other places thrown in a small pile of that cheap iceberg lettuce “salad”. You all know what I’m talking about. The tortilla soup was also on the salty side.

Tortilla soup - Casa Azteca
Tortilla soup.

Vittle Monster is back! …kind of.

Golden Gate Bridge

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long absence. I started a new job and my schedule has been crazy busy without much free time. I’m finally settling in at work so hopefully I can carve out time on the weekends for some much needed Vittle Monster blogging. I’ve certainly missed keeping up with all of your magnificent blogs!

Also, I’m vacationing in Vietnam and the Philippines this month so I definitely won’t be blogging during the trip. I’ll be too busy stuffing my face with all their delicious food and then lounging beachside. I’d love to get some posts queued up to publish while I’m away though.

If anyone has any food/restaurant recommendations in the Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Manila, and Boracay areas, please send them my way!

GO SEAHAWKS!!!

My favorite snack at the moment!

Favorite snack
365 branch multi-seed flatbread crackers with brillat savarin and chopped olive tapenade.

Omg, I love these! I buy everything at Whole Foods and put everything together whenever I need a little snack (usually when watching tv). Every bite is packed with tons of flavor and it incorporates one of my favorite cheeses. The brillat savarin is soft and spreadable so this snack is super easy to assemble. Noms!

Hue spicy noodle soup – PPQ Beef Noodle House

Hue spicy noodle soup - PPQ Beef Noodle House
Bun bo hue. Beef shank, pork hock, fancy pork and tendon in spicy lemongrass beef broth with round noodles. Accompanied by sprouts, lemon, jalapeno, basil, onions and cilantro. Medium $8
PPQ Beef Noodle House, San Francisco CA

Wow, this was really good! I loved the spicy broth and the mixture of ingredients. The last hue soup I experienced had blood cubes in it which is probably more authentic (I’m guessing), but I liked this version better. Blood cubes are a bit too rich more my taste. This broth had a deep, rich flavor that was brightened up a bit by the lemongrass. I could eat this for days!

Bon Tempe Lake
Bon Tempe Lake.

Lame attempt at hospitality – Hilton Garden Inn

Snacks - Hilton Garden Inn

We came down to the South Bay to attend a friend’s birthday and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn because it was conveniently located to the party. OMG, this place was a disaster. The rooms are dull and boring and we were given a room with a view of their cooling system. They put out coffee and snacks in the lobby, but they don’t have any cream for the coffee and their lame oatmeal bars taste like cardboard and were as hard as a rock. I would suggest never staying here.
Hilton Garden Inn, Milpitas CA

Trashy room
Random trim that was left as a little gift on the desk. I guess the hotel is too cheap to hire maintenance people to they expect guests to install their own fixtures. *hand to forehead*

Bbq pork fried rice – Makli Chinese Cuisine

Bbq pork fried rice - Makli Chinese Cuisine
Sauteed barbecued pork, egg, scallions with fried rice. $7.50
Makli Chinese Cuisine, San Francisco CA

Meh, I’ve never been a huge fan of fried rice by itself. Rice, for me, has always been something to dump the rest of your food on and to soak up the yummy sauces. It’s never been a stand alone entree for me; I can’t eat a bowl of fried rice all by itself. This fried rice tasted pretty good though, but they could have thrown in a bit more bbq pork.

Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park.