Prather Ranch beef carpaccio – The Slanted Door

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Prather Ranch beef carpaccio The Slanted Door

Served with roasted peanuts, rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), fresh lime juice and rice crackers with black sesame.  $12
The Slanted Door, San Francisco

This dish was tasty and very fun to eat!  The large rice crackers were great to break apart and eat with the beef.  They provided a nice crunch and didn’t take away from the carpaccio flavor.  I loved how they dressed the beef.  I don’t think I’ve ever had rau ram in this way.  I couldn’t quite tell what it was while I was eating it.  It didn’t have a lot of flavor, maybe a slight bitterness, but it was a pretty sturdy leaf.  I loved the texture combined with the roasted peanuts.  The color of the carpaccio was a little off-putting because the lime juice had begun to cook the beef and made it a weird grey flesh color.  Regardless, it tasted amazing!  Noms!

Rau rum (Persicaria odorata) is commonly called Vietnamese coriander, Vietnamese mint, Vietnamese cilantro, Cambodian mint, and hot mint.

Bun cha ha noi – Turtle Tower Restaurant

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Bun cha ha noi Turtle Tower Restaurant

Grilled pork patty and sliced pork with sliced carrots and fennel bulb(?), vermicelli noodles, lettuce, mint, and cilantro.  $8.20
Turtle Tower Restaurant, San Francisco

I’ve never had this before, but it was really good!  I think this was the only non-pho dish ordered in the entire restaurant.  Seriously, lol!  I wanted to try something new and this fit the bill.  The grilled pork slices were yummy.  These were cut thicker than at other Vietnamese places.  The pork patties were flavorful, but way too fatty for my taste.  They left that gross fatty film in your mouth.  The sweet, fish saucey liquid that it came in was delicious.  The fresh herbs were great and really made the Vietnamese flavor.  I wasn’t really sure how to eat this so I made things up!  I first wrapped everything in some of the lettuce, but that proved too messy.  I ended up using a small bowl to mix everything in small batches, poured some sauce over it and enjoyed!

Pho ga – Turtle Tower Restaurant

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Pho ga Turtle Tower Restaurant

Chicken and rice noodles in a rich broth with cilantro, chopped green onions, and accompanied with sliced jalapeno peppers and lemon wedges. $6.20 small
Turtle Tower Restaurant, San Francisco

This chicken pho was really different from others I’ve tried.  The most obvious difference was the wide, thick noodles they use.  It also wasn’t served with a side of sprouts and sprigs of thai basil.  That said, I think it was absolutely delicious!  The broth was frickin’ amazing – so rich and complex.  I actually enjoyed that they kept the skin on the chicken pieces.  It seemed more authentic and definitely added more flavor.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Tsing Tao beer Turtle Tower Restaurant

Tsing Tao beer. $3.45
I totally forgot aobut Tsing Tao beer!  I’ve been spending too much time at sushi joints so I needed a good Vietnamese fix.  🙂

Vietnamese iced coffee – Turtle Tower Restaurant

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Vietnamese iced coffee Turtle Tower Restaurant

Filtered coffee with condensed milk.  $2.95
Turtle Tower Restaurant, San Francisco

I love Vietnamese iced coffee!  I can’t have it often because I feel so guilty consuming that much condensed milk, but it’s a nice treat when I do.  Turtle Tower does it right!  They bring it out to your table to drip through a dented filter while you eat your meal.  Afterward, all the coffee has dripped through and you can stir to mix in the condensed milk.  Pour it over the ice and you have the perfect after-meal sweet treat!  The coffee is dark and rich, nicely balanced by the sweet milk, and its slight bitterness is diluted by the partially melted ice cubes – lol!

Vietnamese iced coffee Turtle Tower Restaurant

Cherry & Pistachio macarons – La Boulange de Noe

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Cherry & Pistachio macarons La Boulange de Noe

2 more delicious macarons from La Boulange!  In a little bit, I’ll have tried all the flavors.  I’m a huge fan of pistachio macarons, but the cherry macaron was also very good.  I thought the lil’ pink sugary bits were a cute touch.  The pistachio macaron had a beautiful light green color and it tasted amazing.  Noms!  $1.50 each
La Boulange de Noe, San Francisco

Cherry macaron La Boulange de Noe

Cherry macaron.

Pistachio macaron La Boulange de Noe

Pistachio macaron.

Salami sandwich – La Boulange de Noe

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Salami sandwich La Boulange de Noe

Sliced salami and cornichons on a plain baguette.  $4.50
La Boulange de Noe, San Francisco

How can you go wrong with sliced hard salami on a baguette!?  Add some cornichons and you’ve got a winner!  This sandwich doesn’t need the help of any condiments, it’s perfect in its simplicity.  My only gripe was that the baguette was a little chewy and stale.  I think it’s because these “Grab & Go” sandwiches are premade and kept in a plastic sleeve.  They’re easy and tasty regardless.

Apple fritter – Bob’s Donut & Pastry Shop

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Apple fritter Bob's Donut & Pastry Shop

Wow, this was a whole lotta donut goodness!  And I loved the beautiful, large cubes of sweet apple hidden inside.  The apple fritter was larger than most and had a beautifully crunchy sugar glaze.  Perfect!  $1.75
Bob’s Donut & Pastry Shop, San Francisco

Apple fritter Bob's Donut & Pastry Shop

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011

Chicken hash – Ella’s

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Chicken hash Ella's

Large, fried mound of chicken hash, topped with scallions and served with scrambled eggs and a biscuit. $11.75
Ella’s – San Francisco

This amazing ball of chicken hash was pretty frickin’ tasty!  It appeared to contain roast chicken pieces mixed with mashed potatoes, breaded(?) and pan fried.  The chicken was super tender and flavorful.  Whenever I’ve recooked roast chicken in something else, it always gets dry but the cooks at Ella’s have discovered the secret to moist chicken in this hash.  SO good!  Their biscuits are also noteable.  They’re warm, fluffy, and so good topped with butter and jam.  You deserve an applause if you can finish the entire plate.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011

Pulled pork folded omelette – Ella’s

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Pulled pork folded omelette Ella's

With pasilla peppers, pulled pork, corn relish, jack cheese, and chipotle crema. Served with potatoes and wheat toast.  $12.75
Ella’s – San Francisco

I thought this omelette was OK.  The filling was really runny so that turned me off from the start.  The egg also had a weird, plastic-y texture.  There is no arguing that you get your money’s worth though – it was gigantic!  It tasted fine, but I wish that the flavors had more punch.  The whole thing tasted somewhat bland.  The potatoes were just OK, too.  I definitely had to used some ketchup to add more flavor.  I have to say that my favorite part of my order was the thick wheat bread that came with it.  Is that sad?

Coffee Ella's

Cup of regular coffee.  $2.50

Rock shrimp tacos – Hog & Rocks

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Rock shrimp tacos Hog & Rocks

Red cabbage slaw, chipotle cream, mango and jicama salsa.  $5 happy hour
Hog & Rocks, San Francisco

Wow, these were amazing!  And only five dollars for two huge tacos!  The shrimp was tender inside with a great crispy fried coating.  Sometimes it’s hard to taste the batter when there’s so many other components, but this batter stood out to me.  The chipotle cream was delicious and I loved the crunch from the cabbage slaw and the mango and jicama salsa.  I wish the salsa came on the taco though.  It would have provided just another smattering of color, and I’m too lazy to put add it myself, hehe.  I would order this again any day!

Gravy fries – Hog & Rocks

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Gravy fries Hog & Rocks

Pork belly gravy and cheddar cheese, sprinkled with chopped chives.  $5 happy hour
Hog & Rocks, San Francisco

This item reads super heavy on the menu, but it somehow tasted pretty light!  Not sure how they did that.  The gravy wasn’t too thick and creamy, and the pork belly was cooked well and cut into small enough pieces to prevent a fatty overload with each bite.  I didn’t catch the cheddar cheese very much.  I actually forgot there was any until I referred back to the menu.  A very good and filling dish!

Chicken wings – Hog & Rocks

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Chicken wings Hog & Rocks

Chile and agave nectar sauce, sprinkled with chives and served with carrots, celery, and ranch.  $5 happy hour
Hog & Rocks, San Francisco

Yet another amazing happy hour value at Hog & Rocks.!  I’m not suer that the chile and agave nectar sauce really stood out though.  It didn’t have a very defined flavor.  In fact, it tasted pretty light and mellow – if that’s possible with chicken wings.  You certainly get a lot of wings for five bucks, but in terms of flavor I don’t think I’ll be ordering these again (and they were cold!).