Served with diced pears(?), toast and mixed greens. $9
The Monk’s Kettle, San Francisco
Such a rich and decadent treat! This hit the spot and it tasted great with the Duvel beer. I loved the simple and cute presentation. The menu said that this was served with lemon, but I think it was actually diced pears on top. It was definitely a soft, sweet fruit. Regardless, everything tasted great together!
Served with a cheddar fondue and house mustard. $4.5
The Monk’s Kettle, San Francisco
A simple and elegant bar snack! It’s fun to eat and tastes great with beer. This was more light and bready than I imagined that it would be when I ordered it, but I really liked it. The cheese and mustard dipping sauces were also very tasty.
Halfway done!
Light Belgian beer. Brouwerij Moortgat, Breendonk-Puurs, BEL. $10.75
The Monk’s Kettle, San Francisco
I don’t usually enjoy a lot of beers, but I really like this one! It was light and flavorful. And how can you complain when it comes in such a cute glass?! The beer list is quite extensive at The Monk’s Kettle, but the bartender is super friendly and helpful.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011
Pork cutlet with hot curry served with brown rice and house special pickles. $9.45
Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill, San Francisco
This was a huge piece of pork cutlet! I tried to make it a little healthier by opting for the brown rice, but there was just so much of the deep fried pork and that curry sauce wasn’t light either! I don’t think I even finished this, there was so much food. Maybe I’m just not a big Japanese curry fan. This was SO heavy. It tasted ok, but I don’t have cravings for it like some people do.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Project 365: Day 17
Had a busy day-before-my-birthday day! Woke up with my lovey, stayed in bed and randomly caught a Streetfighter movie on TV (Legend of Chun Li or something like that, lol), went to the gym, got my hair did, had lunch downtown, picked up my wool and seersucker blazers from the tailor, did computer stuff, then had an AMAZING birthday dinner at Benu!
The dinner had 17 courses and lasted 3.5 hours! That’s pretty good if you ask me. I once had a pre fixe dinner in the Jewel Box at Mistral Kitchen in Seattle that lasted almost 4 hours, too. I honestly LOVE long dinners. They’re super relaxing and the food is almost always spectacular at these nice establishments. I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s birthday dinner. The food was SO delicious and the service was impeccable. (Anybody want to hit up French Laundry next?)
Afterward went to the Castro for some drinks but I didn’t last very long. I was SO frickin’ full and could barely move.
Can’t wait for brunch with T-Head and RSL tomorrow, then getting trashed with even more friends at Badlands!
Served with artichoke mayonnaise and walnut bread. Pre fixe dinner $180
Benu, San Francisco
When I saw this dish on the menu, I was very intrigued. I’ve had venison before, but never as a tartare. The deer had a surprisingly clean flavor. I expected it be very gamey, dark and tough, but it tasted pretty neutral. Most of the flavor from this dish came from the artichoke mayonnaise, walnut bread, and whatever the freeze dried crumbles were on the plate.
All the plates duirng dinner were beautiful! They were small poritons, but after 17 courses I was stuffed. The plates looked simple at a glanced but they had a lot of different components.
I’ll post the rest of the dishes soon!
Walnut bread. Even the bread was fantastic!
Moet e Chandon a Epernay, Champagne, Cuvee Dom Perignon, 1993. $40 corkage
Silverfox had this bottle of champagne laying around and he decided to pop the cork for my birthday dinner, aww! That’s a good thing because Benu had bottles of Dom Perignon 1996 and 1995 for $750 and $957, respectively. Ouch! We got away with only paying corkage.
The boxed bottle of champagne is just asking to be opened!
Menu signed by chef Corey Lee. This was a cute surprise at the end of the meal. We had menus at our table the entire time to keep up with what we were eating, but those were taken away at the end and replaced with a couple signed menus.
Not quite sure what the dough is made out of in this sesame ball, but it’s definitely covered in sesame seeds and deep fried. $1.10
Yank Sing, San Francisco
I totally lucked out when I went to get this because I had to wait a couple minutes and they were straight out of the oven. I don’t know if it’s because they were so fresh or if Yank Sing truly does make the best sesame balls, but these frickin’ ROCKED!
Inside of the sesame ball. I took this pic before I actually reached the dark doughy part in the middle.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Marinated beef ternderloin, wok seared with onions and peppers. Topped with fresh cilantro and served with a side of pickled carrots and radish(?). Part of Chef’s tasting menu. $25 per person
Mercury Lounge, San Francisco
I can live with this version of shaking beef. The beef was cut into large cubes, but it was tender enough for easy chewing. The flavor were good and the side of pickled veggies brightened up the heavier beef.
Served in a red coconut curry broth. Part of Chef’s tasting menu. $25 per person
Mercury Lounge, San Francisco
The menu said this was supposed to be fish and tofu with vegetables, but it ended up just being fish and eggplants. They obviously didn’t have tofu that night. We were one of the first tables seated so I know they didn’t run out of it. The eggplant was way undercooked and I swear they used the same fried fish from the salt and pepper fish appetizer. Not a successful dish!
Egg noodles tossed with fresh garlic and a special noodle sauce, topped with chopped green onions. Part of Chef’s tasting menu. $25 per person
Mercury Lounge, San Francisco
This was ok, but not very spicy or garlicky. It would’ve been better listed as “plain egg noodles” on the menu, hehe.
Project 365: Day 16
It started raining last night and has continued raining today! Not very hard though, more like a sprinkle. I’m from Seattle, I’m used to the real stuff!
Today is the eve of my Birthday Weekend! Yay!!! So for lunch I decided to treat myself to a lobster roll from We’re On a Roll. It’s a food stand in front of New England Lobster Company. I needed a little pick-me-from to combat the gloomy weather. It IS almost my birthday, you know. Hehe! This is the first time I’ve been to this stand, but I’m so glad they’re here. There’s nothing else nearby except fast food joint and mediocre sandwich shops. It’s nice to have a nicer alternative.
The office also surprised me with a birthday cake from Suzanne’s Cake & Pastry in Millbrae. And I have to admit that I was truly surprised – I wasn’t expecting it. That was super sweet!
Cooked lobster stuffed in a warm split-top, buttered roll, topped with chopped red onions, celery and bell peppers. Served with homemade coleslaw and Tim’s Cascade poato chips. $15.50
We’re On A Roll, South San Francisco CA
At first I thought that this was a little overpriced. That’s a lot for lunch in South San Francisco! But you do get the side of coleslaw and chips, and there’s a lot of delicious lobster in that roll! They have the chopped vegetables in front of their lunch trailer so you can add as much or as little as you like.
They also have picnic tables nearby where you can eat your delicious roll, but since it was raining I ate mine in the car. Yum! I’d go back.
Polar Classics black cherry flavored soda. Free with your first checkin on Yelp!
Lightly battered fish served with chopped green onions and a creamy sambal dipping sauce. Part of Chef’s tasting menu. $25 per person
Mercury Lounge, San Francisco
This was my favorite dish of the night. The fish was nicely fried and not oily at all. The rice flour gave the fish strips a light texture and the sambal sauce was a great accompaniment!
Quick fried and wok tossed green beans with fresh garlic, topped with sesame seeds. Part of Chef’s tasting menu. $25 per person
Mercury Lounge, San Francisco
This had a LOT of flavor (mostly salty), but it was a little too greasy! I love salt so I’m not really complaining about that part, but the grease was too much.
Vittle Monster 