$10
Hong Kong Lounge II, San Francisco CA
I love soft shell crab and this actually had a good flavor, but it was SUPER greasy! I like the texture and flavor of tempura fried food, but they didn’t do a good job of executing this. Lame! And I’m going to mention that horrible management scandal complete with employee harassment and under-payment. Extra FAIL!
Stuffed chicken wings with silver noodles, minced chicken and black mushrooms. Served with sweet and sour sauce. $7.95
Sai Jai Thai Restaurant, San Francisco
Mmm, these were so good! I can’t very well complain about stuffed and fried chicken wings (although sometimes they get super dry), and these were cooked nicely. This tasted great!
Fried quail with garlic, served with hot sauce. $10.95
Lers Ros Thai, San Francisco CA
This was lame! The quail was dry and hard and the sharp, brittle bones were really difficult to eat around. I don’t know how in the world this dish would ever make a “Must Eat” list! 7×7 was completely wrong with this one!
7×7 Magazine’s Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
Minced chicken with vegetables, chili powder, rice powder and lime based salad dressing. $9.95
Lers Ros Thai, San Francisco CA
This larb wasn’t memorable. It tasted fine, but I was expecting more since this place is pretty popular.
Rye jus, hot mustard. $11
The Monterey, San Antonio TX
I appreciate the creativity and daring in the food at The Monterey. Unfortunately, most of the dishes we ordered weren’t successful. They were messy, confusing, and just didn’t taste very good. I actually liked these dumpling though. The pastrami in the dumplings were unexpected and they rye jus was flavorful enough, but that random smudge of mustard on the rim of the bowl was SO odd. It just didn’t work with the jus. I would have understood it if the dumplings were dry, but since it was almost a soup, the condiment was off-putting.
Real Ale “Devil’s Backbone”, Blanco, TX. $5.50
Animal Farms. 3 course tasting menu (earlybird) $35
Restaurant Gwendolyn, San Antonio TX
This was good. The quality of the asparagus was great and the grilled asparagus had tremendous flavor. I didn’t like the hard, stringy shaved stalks. The asparagus soup blended everything together.
Roasted onion, savory muffin. 3 course tasting menu (earlybird) $35
Restaurant Gwendolyn, San Antonio TX
This was tasty and fun to eat. It reminded me of a very fancy sloppy joe in the best way possible. The flavors were great and the savory muffin was yummy.
Bread with poppy seeded butter. Mmm, this bread was delicious
Each $8
Locanda, San Francisco CA
I wasn’t sure what made this artichoke preparation “Jewish” but I’ve read that it’s because they’re deep fried – a preparation originating in the Jewish ghetto in Rome. Anyway, I liked the resulting texture and flavor, but I thought that the artichokes they used were too mature and the long leaves were difficult to maneuver through. I wasn’t sure if you were supposed to eat the brown curls, but I found them inedible. The whole thing was one the greasy side as well. This was NOT a winner in my book.
7×7 Magazine’s Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
Water.
Sausalito cress, salt-packed capers, Parmigiano. $14
Locanda, San Francisco CA
Mmm, this was SO delicious! The lamb was tender and perfectly simple and tasty. More please!
Fort Point Beer Co. Kolsch style ale, San Francisco. $8
SO lame, they totally over-charge for this item based on what is listed on their menu!!!
Black vinegar, dates, almonds, watermelon radish. $15.75
Liholiho Yacht Club, San Francisco CA
Mmm, I loved these tender lamb ribs. The sauce was delicious and the watermelon radish and almonds provided a great crunch. Noms!
Rickey Ricardo: City of London gin, lime, soda. $11
Butter, togarashi. $5
Liholiho Yacht Club, San Francisco CA
This popcorn was SO much better than the popcorn at Pink Zebra. It tasted great and I loved the Japanese flavors.
Pineapple Peat: Great King St. Glasgow blend, Martaletti vermouth, pineapple, lemon. $11
Furikake, butter, crispy pig ears, lime. $8
Pink Zebra, San Francisco CA
I was SO excited for this because I love hurricane popcorn, but this was unbelievably salty even more me – and I love salt! Ugh, I couldn’t eat very much of this without having to down a full glass of water between bouts. Such a waste!
7×7 Magazine’s Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
Vittle Monster 