PB&C waffle ‘wich – Norma’s

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PB&C waffle 'wich - Norma's
Chocolate waffle with a peanut buter and toffee crunch filling, whipped cream. $19
Norma’s, Palm Springs CA

Dang it was HOT outside! Norma’s really needs to have more even sun coverage on their patio area. The quickly moving sun through the split canvas is way too bothersome.

As for these waffles – they were LAME! Ugh, I thought the food here was going to be spectacular especially at these prices (I mean twenty bucks for waffles – they better be good)! The waffles were super crispy and tasted like powdered chocolate. They were so hard that you really couldn’t cut into them without squishing all the filling out from between them. This dish was a major sugar-bomb without any waffle satisfaction.

Fancy fire pit
Fancy fire pit, The Parker Palm Springs Hotel.

Mexican pizza – Taco Bell

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Mexican pizza - Taco Bell
Two crispy pizza shells filled with seasoned beef, hearty beans and then topped with pizza sauce, a three cheese blend melted to perfection, and topped with diced ripe tomatoes. 550 calories, 31g fat
Taco Bell, Palm Springs CA

It’s that time again when I end up at Taco Bell late at night to have a “fourth meal” (which in my case is usually a seventh meal, lol)! I know that you all have fast food cravings every now and then, so don’t judge. 😉

Large boulders

Large boulders, Joshua Tree National Park.

First crop fig and burrata – Jardiniere

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First crop fig and burrata - Jardiniere
Cress, prosciutto, toasted baguette. Tasting menu $140
Jardiniere, San Francisco CA

First crop fig and burrata - Jardiniere
Mmm, silky burrata! I’ve actually never thought of pairing fig with burrata before but it’s a delicious combination. I appreciated the variety of textures and flavors in the dish and everything worked well together.

Purisima Creek Redwoods

Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

Bialy and local smoked salmon – Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen

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Bialy and local smoked salmon - Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen
With Sierra Nevada cream cheese, tomato, red onions and capers, pickle. Closed-faced $9
Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen, San Francisco CA

I really liked this smoked salmon bialy. The beer cream cheese had great flavor and wasn’t as heavy as normal cream cheese. The salmon also seemed lighter and fresher. Overall, it was a great way to start the day.

Condiments - Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen

Condiments.

Narrowleaf self-heal

Narrowleaf self-heal (Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata, Lamiaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

Date shake and ice cream – Hadley Fruit Orchards

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Date shake - Hadley Fruit Orchards
Date milkshake. Small $3.75
Hadley Fruit Orchards, Cabazon CA

Mmm, I really like Hadley’s date shake but a little definitely goes a long way. It’s pretty sweet and I enjoyed the pieces of crystallized dates in it. Someone told that they used to make the shakes from scratch, but now they’re pre-mixed and dispensed from a machine. It’d be nice if they started handmaking them again, but the ladies working the place are kinda old and slow so I doubt that’s gonna happen.

Date ice cream - Hadley Fruit Orchards
Date ice cream. $3.99
Ugh, I didn’t know that this was gonna come pre-scooped and slightly freezer burned! Lame!

Dinny the Apatosaurus
Dinny the Apatosaurus, Cabazon Dinosaurs, Interstate 10.

Breakfast cocktails – Balancoire

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Mary cocktail - Balancoire

Mary: Reposado tequila, spicy tomato blend. $10
Balancoire, San Francisco CA

Since our food and service experience at this restaurant was a disaster, we were hoping that they could at least make a decent cocktail. Unfortunately, they couldn’t. The mimosa was super low quality and the bloody mary had a weird aftertaste. Boo!!!

Mimosa - Balancoire

Mimosa. $6

Redwood sorrel
Redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana, Oxalidaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

Taco plates – Crazy Coyote Tacos

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Taco plates - Crazy Coyote Tacos
1 fish taco, 1 steak taco, rice, refried beans, and canned beverage. $8
Crazy Coyote Tacos, Banning CA

Mmm, I love the tacos at Crazy Coyote! The fish taco is still my favorite, but it’s really about that thick corn tortilla. Noms!

Taco plates - Crazy Coyote Tacos
1 steak taco, 1 chicken taco, rice, refried beans, and canned beverage. $8

Teddy Bear chollas
Teddy Bear chollas (Cylindropuntia bigelovii, Cactaceae), Joshua Tree National Park.

Blue shrimp – Jardiniere

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Blue shrimp - Jardiniere
Corn, shelling bean, purslane. Tasting menu $140
Jardiniere, San Francisco CA

Mmm, the shrimp in this dish were delicious and perfectly cooked. I was afraid that the purslane leaves were going to be too slimey, but they actually weren’t bad. There were also sesame seeds and some other hard, crunchy seed(?) which I didn’t really like.

Gougeres - Jardiniere
Gougeres. Compimentary
Absolutely scrumptions – I love gougeres, NOMS!

America's Cup Pavilion
America’s Cup Pavilion, Pier 27.

Matzo ball soup – Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen

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Matzo ball soup - Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen
Chicken noodle soup with a traditional matzo ball. $6
Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen, San Francisco CA

I don’t think I’ve ever had matzo ball soup at a restaurant before! Kinda weird since I really like matzo ball. This version did not disappoint – it was SO good. I actually wasn’t feeling well that day and thought that eating this would perk me up. It tasted wonderful and the huge matzo ball was fun and delicious! Mission accomplished…

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

Wise Sons filming
They were filming something at the restaurant when I was there. The kitchen space is pretty small but you could see the owners walking around and explaining things to the camera.

Blue-eyed grass
Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum, Iridaceae), Prisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

Carne asada tostada – El Farolito

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Carne asada tostada - El Farolito
Grilled beef, corn shell, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado and sour cream. $3.50
El Farolito, San Francisco CA

I needed a quick snack before ducking into the 24th Street Bart Station so I grabbed this tostada at El Farolito. I’m not a fan of this place because the service is erratic and the food tends to be super salty, but it’s affordable and “usually” quick. I actually liked this tostada though. The grilled beef wasn’t overly salty and they piled on enough toppings to tide me over until my next actual meal.

Hook-shaped dock
Hook-shaped dock in the Marina.

Eggs New Orleans – Balancoire

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Eggs New Orleans - Balancoire
Crabcake, toasted baguette, sauce maltaise, potatoes, mixed greens. $14
Balancoire, San Francisco CA

Ok, this dish looks decent but it tasted like crap. The crabcake was not only cheap and frozen, but it was made with imitation crabmeat! The sauce maltaise was cold as were the potatoes, and the toasted baguette underneath was pointless. Fail!

Walt Disney Family Museum
The Walt Disney Family Museum, Presidio.