Earl grey, almond, vanilla gelato. $9
Locanda, San Francisco
This was the best part of the meal! But I guess since it was one of my birthday dinners, dessert is always the best part. Seriously though, this crostata was beautiful and delicious. I’ve never had a date crostata before, but the black adaba dates tasted amazing with the almond. And vanilla gelato can’t disappoint. I’m not sure where the Earl grey was, but I think it was incorporated into the glaze?
Cavolo nero, olives, white beans. $22
Locanda, San Francisco
This was SO good! The fish was perfectly grilled and the flavor combination was new to me. I loved the cavolo nero with the olives and white beans. A very hearty dish and beautifully executed. Cavolo nero is also known as black cabbage, Tuscan cabbage, Tuscan kale, lacinato, and dinosaur kale. I’m guessing that they used it to make the green broth.
Arugula, fingerling potato, onion. $24
Locanda, San Francisco
Again, this dish was definitely on the salty side. But the pork was SO tender and flavorful that I almostforgave the saltiness of it. I surely couldn’t eat the entire thing without a few gallons of water. The pork was also VERY fatty. I love fatty cuts, but this was over the top. As a general theme, my meal at Locanda was salty.
Grilled persimmon, crescenza cheese, pistachio, aperol. $11
Locanda, San Francisco
This was a very nice salad. The ingredients tasted great together, and you can never go wrong with crescenza cheese. The persimmon added a delicious flavor and the pistachio added crunch. Simple and delicious!
Focaccia bread. Complimentary
Omg, this bread was SO frickin’ buttery and delicious! Even though it was also very salty, I still say “Yes, please!”
Fried sage and parsley, lemon wedge. Piccolo $12
Locanda, San Francisco
The batter they used had a very good flavor, but I was disappointed that the whole this was SO salty. I love fried things, but this was also a little greasy. Kinda sad about that.
Aperol, gin, cocchi americano, lemon, garnished with an orange twist. $10
Locanda, San Francisco
Wow, this cocktail was SO tasty! And I love the single, large ice cube. Very classy and very addicting. Noms!
Vietnamese sandwich with sliced roast chicken, pickled carrots and onions, jalapenos, cilantro and mayonnaise on a toasted roll. $3.50
Saigon Sandwich, San Francisco
Yum, I love Saigon Sandwich for their absolutely delicious and CHEAP sandwiches! These sandwiches are quite large for only costing $3.50. The chicken was very flavorful and the pickled veggies were perfect. Mmm, if I lived closer to this place I would hit it up several times a week!
1 chile relleno, 1 flauta, and 1 chicken enchilada served with rice, black beans, green salad, guacamole and sour cream. $12.50
Zapata Mexican Grill, San Francisco
I don’t remember where the flauta went – I probably devoured it before remembering to take the pic, hehe. You can see that this plate is packed with food. That’s probably why I stumble over to this place after a night with friends, lol! I always seem to order enchiladas at Mexican restaurants, but I think I was super hungry so I got this combination. You can’t go wrong with adding a deep fried chile relleno and a flauta and everything smothered in cheese.
Poached egg and smoked salmon on a toasted brioche, topped with a hollandaise sauce, served with sauteed potatoes and salad. $9
Bisou, San Francisco
If I remember correctly, the smoked salmon wasn’t very good. It tasted a little off. The potatoes were good though. I’m surprised that they can produce this much food during weekend brunches. Bisou can become quite the madhouse! That’s probably why the food quality can sometimes suffer.
Poached egg and dungeness crab meat on a toasted brioche, topped with a hollandaise sauce, served with sauteed potatoes and salad. $13
Bisou, San Francisco
The brioche was sinfully buttery and I loved the plentiful amount of lump crab they throw on top. Brunch at Bisou is certainly not for those on a diet. 🙂
Ham and cheese grilled sandwich served on a hot pain levain topped with a sunny side egg, served with sauteed potatoes and salad. $9
Bisou, San Francisco
This is a simple, but delicious, breakfast dish! This version, however, was a little dry. The bread was dry and crispy and the thin slice of ham with cheese was placed under the broiler for way too long. Or perhaps it had a long stay under the heat lamp during the busy brunch rush. Either way, I didn’t enjoy the result.
Checkerboard cake topped with sugary icing and gold leaf. Complimentary
Benu, San Francisco
This was SO sweet! I hadn’t mentioned that this was my birthday dinner when I made the dinner reservation, but I mentioned it on the side at the beginning of the meal when we handed them our Dom Perignon. Our server obviously took note and brought this birthday surprise at the end of the meal. It came in this large black music box with blue lights on the side (I wish I had taken a photo of it). You turned the handle and it played “Happy Birthday”. I really wasn’t sure what it was, but Silverfox suggested that there was probably something inside so we lifted the lid and this cake was underneath. SO cute! Of course it tasted delicious, but birthday cakes always taste the best!
Vittle Monster 