Charred duck heart and porcini – Jardiniere

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Charred duck heart and porcini - Jardiniere
Black cherry, mustard. Tasting menu $140
Jardiniere, San Francisco CA

I don’t think I could have ever thought that pairing duck heart, mushroom, and cherry would work but it was actually pretty great. I wouldn’t want any more of the duck hearts than the portion on the plate since it was very rich, but it was nice to get offal as part of a tasting menu.

Mushroom broth - Jardiniere
Mushroom broth. This was absolutely amazing! There was SO much flavor in this tiny cup of broth and I enjoyed every drop.

California hedge nettle

California hedge nettle (Stachys bullata, Lamiaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

Upstream eggs benedict – Norma’s

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Upstream eggs benedict - Norma's
Buttermilk pancake with smoked salmon, poached eggs, hollandaise, and peewee potatoes. $22
Norma’s, Palm Springs CA

This was ok, but the pancakes quickly became soggy from the luke warm hollandaise sauce, and the potatoes were undercooked. It would definitly be an “upstream” battle to find things that I absolutely loved about this dish.

Side of bacon - Norma's
Side of bacon. $4
This was probably the most reasonably priced item on their menu.

Antique bedazzled mirror

Antique bedazzled mirror, The Parker lobby.

Salt and pepper chicken wings – Cafe Encore

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Salt and pepper chicken wings - Cafe Encore
These were SO delicious probably because they douse them in MSG instead of salt (I’m just speculating, but I’m sure it’s true). I had ordered this to go so they weren’t as crispy as they could have been, but they somehow retained most of their crispiness and were pretty damn good! $5.50
Cafe Encore, Millbrae CA

Orange Indian paintbrush flowers

Orange Indian paintbrush flowers (Castilleja sp., Orobanchaceae), Sweeney Ridge Trail.

Pan seared Alaskan halibut – Jardiniere

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Pan seared Alaskan halibut - Jardiniere
Avocado, cherry tomato, basil. Tasting menu $140
Jardiniere, San Francisco CA

Mmm, another fabulous dish from Jardiniere. The halibut was cooked perfectly; it had a nice crust on the outside and the inside was soft and pillowy. The accompanying broth had so much flavor, and the avocado was a nice change of pace.

Acme bread roll - Jardiniere
Acme bread roll.

Pacific Ocean
View of the Pacific Ocean from Skyline College, College Road.

3-piece chicken tenders combo – Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

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3-piece chicken tenders combo - Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

“Handcrafted spicy tenders that pack a Louisiana punch in every bite.” With biscuit, mashed potatoes and cajun gravy, barbeque sauce, and Diet Coke. $6.99
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, San Francisco CA

Chicken tenders - Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Nom, noms! I love Popeyes. I crave it once in a while and have to get my fix. Their chicken tenders are much larger than those at most fast food chains and that’s probably why they cost a bit more. But they’re SO worth it!

Mashed potatoes and cajun gravy - Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
And their mashed potatoes with cajun gravy is my absolute fast food favorite! I love the horrible-for-you-tasting gravy with the gristly bits, lol.

Cool ranch locos taco – Taco Bell

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Cool ranch locos taco - Taco Bell
A crunchy taco made with seasoned beef, lettuce, and cheddar cheese in a shell made from Cool Ranch Doritos with more chips on top. 170 calories, 9g fat
Taco Bell, Palm Springs CA

Cool ranch locos taco - Taco Bell
OK, since I already tried the nacho cheese version a while back, I had to try cool ranch! I mean, cool ranch is the superior Doritos flavor anyway, right? And again, I was disappointed. Even when I’m slightly buzzed I can’t get into these silly taco shells.

Caesar “versione moderna” salad – Alicante

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Caesar versione moderna salad - Alicante
Baby romaine leaves, roasted garlic dressing, cherry tomatoes, croutons, white anchovies, grana padano. $10
Alicante, Palm Springs CA

I enjoyed that this salad wasn’t tossed and that you could mixed the ingredients yourself as you liked. The dressing was on the tart side though, but I really liked the whole white anchovies.

Sliced baguette - Alicante
Sliced baguette. Complimentary

Olive oil and balsamic vinegar - Alicante
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Fort Bragg sea urchin – Jardiniere

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Fort Bragg sea urchin - Jardiniere
Chicken skin, peas, pasta. Tasting menu $140
Jardiniere, San Francisco CA

Omg, this was probably one of my favorite dishes of the night! It was so delicious and the uni was smooth and luscious. The simple pasta lightly coated with a creamy sauce with peas was heavenly and the crispy chicken skin pieces were fun and tasty.

California scorpionweed
California scorpionweed (Phacelia californica, Boraginaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

Blueberry streusel muffin – Starbucks

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Blueberry streusel muffin - Starbucks

I think the bakery items at Starbucks taste like crap (at least at the U.S. stores), but if it’s the only coffee shop open at a small airport when it’s really early in the morning, I’m not past buying one. I swear these muffins have no flavor and taste like cardboard so you really need the coffee to help wash it down.. $2.59
Starbucks, Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)

Bighorn sheep statue

Bighorn sheep statue with oasis theme, PSP Airport.