Beef braised in pear – Benu

Beef braised in pear Benu

With beech mushroom, sunflower seeds and leaves. Pre fixe dinner $180
Benu, San Francisco

Sorry that this pic didn’t turn out very well, but the meat was dark and it was served on a dark plate. The beef, however, was tasty (perhaps a little on the tasty side though). My favorite part was the sunflower seeds and leaves. I’ve never had the leaves before and they were fun to eat along with the seeds.

Beef braised in pear Benu

Campechano – Casa Mexicana II

Project 365: Day 101

Had an early morning workout today and by the time I was done, I was starving! I had nothing to do until 2 pm so I decided to stop by The Little Chihuahua on the way home and have a relaxing Saturday brunch. Between my entree, the free chips and salsa, and a large margarita, I was stuffed! Omg, why do I always overeat! I’ve got to head into work for a quick job later, but afterward I’m just going to sit on the couch and do nothing but catch up on DVR. Sounds perfect!

Campechano Casa Mexicana II

Grilled skirt steak with chorizo and salsa, served with black beans and corn tortillas. $6.75
Casa Mexicana II, San Francisco

I couldn’t find a good description of “campechano” online, but I guess the word describes things from the Mexican state of Campeche. I’ve also read other accounts of campechano tacos having a mixture of carne asada and chorizo so at least this preparation is consistent with that theme. This was pretty good. I did notice that when they grilled this to order, they used a generous amount of oil so I’m sure that’s partly why it tasted so good. The steak could have been a little more tender, but it was definitely flavorful. I ordered this because I thought it would be healthier than some of the other options, but I didn’t know they’d add that much chorizo and use that much oil. Oops!

Chips and salsa Casa Mexicana II

Chips and salsa. Complimentary

Steak taco – Crazy Coyote Tacos

Steak taco Crazy Coyote Tacos

With salsa, onions, and cilantro. $3.25 each
Crazy Coyote Tacos, Banning CA

It’s all about the tortillas here! I don’t know if they’re homemade (they taste like it) but these tortillas are amazing! They’re thick and SO flavorful. The steak in this taco was kinda dry so I was glad that the salsa helped moisten the whole thing.

Steak taco - Crazy Coyote Tacos
September 4, 2015. $3.25

Wang’s dumpling combination – Wang’s in the Desert

Project 365: Day 87

And the rain has come back to the Bay Area! Wow, it was raining cats and dogs this morning. Silverfox and I went to Toast Eatery for breakfast. I accidentally left my cell phone at home and missed Kryan’s international phone call, oops! I’ll have to catch up with him next weekend while I’m in Charleston. Gotsta go into work for a couple of hours today then finish packing for tomorrow. We’re gonna try Jake’s, the new restaurant on Market Street, for dinner tonight. Not looking forward to my early flight tomorrow. 😦

Steamed dim sum platter Wang's in the Desert

Lamb and rosemary – ground lamb with chopped rosemary, garlic and onion. Shichimi spiced beef – Angus beef, water chestnuts, napa cabbage and onion. Curried chicken – ground white meat chicken, mushrooms, onions and ginger (2 pieces each). $10
Wang’s in the Desert, Palm Springs CA

Ugh! These dumplings were SO dry and the wrappers were kinda rubbery. Don’t the descriptions look great though? Too bad the kitchen couldn’t execute them properly.

Bun with beef rolls – Hometown Noodle 2

Project 365: Day 81

Argh, I’m back in the real world! Had to go into work of a couple hours today. Kinda glad because I really need the money after that trip! Went to Whole Foods to grab groceries for my lunches this week. Ended up meeting Hubbs for catching up and drinks in the Castro. I hadn’t seen him in a while so I got a little too crazy with the drinks then ended up at 7-11 for nachos, lol!

Bun with beef rolls Hometown Noodle 2

Bun thit nuong bo cuon. Cold vermicelli, a thin rice noodle, is call “bun” in Vietnamese. With pickled carrots and radish, cucumber, and garnished with toasted peanuts and green onions. Served with fish sauce and choice of meat. Large $8.25
Hometown Noodle 2, San Bruno CA

Carnitas and lengua tacos – El Patron Lonchera

Project 365: Day 64

I had to work in Oakland in the morning today so I stopped by one of the Mexican food trucks in West Oakland for lunch. One of my co-workers suggested El Patron Lonchera because they have tasty tacos and the food hasn’t made him sick yet, lol!

Carnitas and lengua tacos El Patron Mexican Truck

Two carnitas (pork) and two lengua (beef tongue) tacos on corn tortillas topped with red onions and cilantro. Served with pickled carrots, radishes, and jalapenos. Tacos $1.25 each. Diet Coke $1
El Patron Lonchera, Oakland CA

These were pretty good! Both tacos had great flavor and they didn’t get me sick, hehe. The beef tongue was in large chunks (yum) and the carnitas were nicely shredded with a few crispy pieces (double yum). The guy running the food truck doesn’t speak English so you either have to gesture or try and remember your pathetic highschool Spanish grammar!  🙂

Short ribs and shrimp – Hubbard Grille

Short ribs and shrimp Hubbard Grille

Pulled beef short rib and three sauteed shrimp, white cheddar grits and spicy tomato jus, garnished with chopped scallions. $13 ($6.50 for Sunday happy hour)
Hubbard Grille, Columbus OH

Mmm, I really enjoyed this! I think it’s the perfect share – not too big and absolutely delicious! I loved all the different flavors and textures. Everything was perfect! Ok, almost perfect. The shrimp were slightly overcooked, but who cares! This was definitely my favorite snack that we ordered.

Italian beef sandwich – Harry Caray’s Seventh Inning Stretch

Italian beef sandwich Harry Caray's Seventh Inning Stretch

Sliced beef on a French roll, served with au jus, hot Giardiniera peppers, and Holy Cow!* potato chips. $11.95
Harry Caray’s Seventh Inning Stretch, MDW Chicago IL

“Holy Cow” is right! Those home made chips were frickin’ disgusting! They were SO greasy and soggy, gross! The Italian beef sandwich was ok. The beef had good flavor but the roll was super soft and got really soggy from the au jus. I would have preferred to be more crunchy so that it could withstand the dip a little better. I stopped eating it like a sandwich early on and used a fork and knife instead.

Stella Artois Harry Caray's Seventh Inning Stretch

Stella Artois beer. $5.50

Stewed beef tongue and turnips – Mission Chinese Food

Project 365: Day 55

Not much going on today. Just another day of training at work, hitting the gym afterward and I have to remember to swing by Walgreens for some hairspray. Other than that, I’ll prolly just catch up on DVR. I should start thinking about what I’m going to pack for Ohio. It’s gonna be in the 40’s, EW! It’ll be fun to see Codes though. Not looking forward to all the food and drinks though so close to the cruise, bad timing.

Stewed beef tongue and turnips Mission Chinese Food

Tendon terrine, hot mustard, pickled burdock root, chives. $10
Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco

This soup is very rich and kinda too salty! The beef tongue is fall-apart tender and so tasty as are the root vegetables, but the broth is super soy flavored, smoky, and salty. I’m not sure where the tendon terrine is in there. I would imagine that a tendon terrine with just melt in such a hot soup.

Stewed beef tongue and turnips Mission Chinese Food

Penne bolognese – Firewood Cafe

Project 365: Day 54

I felt really tired this morning, so it was a nice surprise to arrive at work and find out that I’ll be in a training class for the next three days. It’s a nice break from the usually daily grind. I leave for Ohio on Friday so I’m looking forward to that. I just have to keep thinking to myself, “Just 3 more work days after today!”

I’m totally feeling like a gigantic fatty after this weekend. And I didn’t go to the gym this evening because I had to run some clothes to the dry cleaners, and also do some laundry at home. I’m gonna have to work really hard at the gym the next few days.

Penne bolognese Firewood Cafe

Penne pasta with a meat sauce of mild Italian sausage, ground beef, tomatoes, basil, fresh garlic, and grated parmesan cheese. Served with bread. $11.25
Firewood Cafe, SFO San Francisco

This was pretty standard, but it totally hit the spot. I was craving carbs for lunch and the meat sauce was nice and hearty. The portion was also generous and I ended up taking half of it to-go.

Seafood and beef soon tofu soup – Jang Su Jang

Seafood and beef soon tofu soup Jang Su Jang

Sizzling bowl of combination soft tofu soup with beef, prawns, clams, mussels, egg, and green onions in spicy broth. $10.99
Jang Su Jang, Santa Clara CA

This spicy tofu soup always hits the spot. I think the shrimp in this soup was the best part! I love sucking the heads with the spicy broth. You can actually choose from white, mild, medium, spicy, and extra spicy broth options. Nice!

Egg Jang Su Jang

They bring out the egg with the banchan.

Seafood and beef soon tofu soup Jang Su Jang

Then you crack the egg into the soup and stir it in.

Banchan Jang Su Jang

Here is the array of banchan that comes complimentary with the meal, noms! My favorite were the spicy bean sprouts, fried tofu, the greens, and the sweet mayonnaise-y fruit were surprisingly good too.

Niman Ranch cheeseburger – Fish & Farm

Niman Ranch cheeseburger Fish & Farm

Ground beef patty cooked medium with a fried farm egg, grilled onions, white cheddar, house made pickles, secret sauce, Acme bun, and French fries with fried parsley. $14 plus $2 additional for egg
Fish & Farm, San Francisco

Yum, this thing was delicious! You might think – a burger is a burger is a burger. Not so! There are plenty of shitty burgers out there and you all know it! This burger was absolutely nommy. It was also very large and I could only finish less that 3/4 of it. I didn’t even eat the top bun. I scraped the secret sauce off of it and set it aside. Way too much carbs already with the French fries and all.

The beef was so good and I loved their homemade pickles. Every part of that burger was good. The French fries was also delicious and I really like their dipping sauce. It took us awhile to figure out what it was, but I think we decided it was a horseradish bbq sauce. What a great combination! It was on the runny side, but it tasted great.

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