Vodka, cranberry juice and a splash of soda. Happy hour $5
Bankers Hill, San Diego CA
This was a cute restaurant in a random location not too far away from our hotel. The service was great and the food was yummy. We caught the end of happy hour so we were able to take advantage of their drink specials, yay!
Random white flowering tree (Malus?) in downtown.
Buttermilk battered Rock Jr. chicken, Martin Farms mixed chicories, Pinkie’s buttermilk biscuit, Mr. Combover Soma honey and bacon coffee gravy. $20
Citizen’s Band, San Francisco CA
Mmm, this was really tasty! The flavorful fried chicken was crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. The biscuit was ok, but I loved the local honey drizzled on top. The chicories were yummy as was the gravy but I wish there was more of it.
Pinot noir, Acote, CA 2010. $10
Riding an SF Muni green Boston streetcar.
This place gives you complimentary cookies when you arrive, mmm!
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, San Diego CA
Perhaps I would have prefered a complimentary bottle of champagne but I guess cookies will have to do, hehe.
Hotel room coffee machine with Wolfgang Puck coffee. Because cookies always taste great with creamy coffee!
View of downtown San Diego from the hotel room.
Zoe Bain from Delish.com has compiled a list of amazing donuts in her article The Weirdest and Greatest Doughnut Flavors. She was kind enough to include my pic of the lemon pistachio donut from Dynamo Donuts. Check it out!
Garbanzo beans, cucumber, tomato, capers, potato chips.
State Bird Provisions, San Francisco CA
Dining at State Bird is kind of a trip because I sometimes expect the hipsters pushing the food carts around to yell at me in Cantonese or Mandarin. Instead, they kindly explain every dish and patiently wait to hear if you’d like any. What a trip, lol!
Mencia, D. Ventura, Vina do Burato, Ribeira Sacra, Spain 2011. $10
Lilac hibiscus flowers (Alyogyne huegelii ‘Swan River’, Malvaceae), Castro Street.
Bulleit bourbon, lemonade, splash of soda. $6 each
South Beach Bar & Grille, San Diego CA
After getting into bourbons, I’ve been constantly surprised at what actually tastes good as a mixer. This was the first time I had a bourbon lemonade and I loved it! I’ve been ordering this drink at bars ever since. Hehe!
City of San Diego bike racks and beach cruiser.
Crisp chicken bites, jalapeno. $9
M.Y. China, San Francisco CA
Chairman Mao’s chicken must be the sad, poor cousin of General Tso’s chicken. These chicken bits weren’t any better than the frozen variety from Safeway, just sprinkled with a mound of MSG! The dipping sauces also tasted like they came from bottles purchased from Safeway. No, not even from a legitimate Asian market. From Safeway…
Spring has sprouted!
Scrambled eggs, home fries, wheat toast, and bacon. $12.75
Lark Creek Grill, San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
A standard breakfast, but well done as airport food goes. The bacon was extra crispy and flat (must have been baked). The potatoes were a bit on the greasy side, but other than that not too many complaints.
Pacific coastline from the plane.
House cut kennebec fries, mushroom gravy, two hour cooked pork belly, cheese curds, and granna padano. $9
Citizen’s Band, San Francisco CA
WOWZA, this poutine was amazing! The crispy pork belly was definitely the star – it reminded me of great fried lechon. With the flavorful gravy, soft cheese curds, and wispy grates of granna padano you can’t go wrong. This dish should definitely replace their mac and cheese on the 7×7 Big Eat List!
Dark red Verbena x hybrida (Verbenaceae) flowers, Castro Street.
German style pilsner. $5
Raglan Public House, San Diego CA
This place looked cute from the outside, but the service was horrible!! Our main waitress was SO absentminded and slow that we didn’t stay to order any food after this beer. We really didn’t have the time for it so we decided to cut our losses and leave.
Napkins and menu.
Bright colorful mural, Bacon Street.
These were fun and delicious starters to begin our meal! They use different toppings depending on the night.
State Bird Provisions, San Francisco CA
Rose wine, grenache/cinsault/syrah/cabernet sauvignon, Commanderie de la Bargemone, Coteaux d’Aix en Provence, France 2011. $9
Forbes Island, a free-floating restaurant off Pier 39.
Shredded chicken and boiled shrimp, vermicelli noodles, mint, rice paper, peanut sauce. $4.75
Dinosaurs, San Francisco CA
Why is Vietnamese food SO good?! Perhaps it’s because it’s packed with flavor (and saltiness)! Whatevs, I’ll eat it any day.
Decorative maple tree (Aceraceae) with a sycamore tree (Platanaceae) in the background, 16th Street.
Vittle Monster 