With peanut ginger vinaigrette, napa cabbage, bean sprouts, taro root chips, carrots and scallions. $21
The Tropicale, Palm Springs CA
The flavors in this dish were great, but the skirt steak was overcooked and super charred. It’s not fun eating a stick of black ash. 😦
Hand-hammered cutlet, two eggs over medium, country gravy, toast and breakfast potatoes. $14
Escena Lounge & Grill, Palm Springs CA
OMG, this cutlet was ridiculously HUGE! I can usually eat A LOT, but I couldn’t even begin to finish this thing, lol. It was pretty good, maybe a bit on the dry side, but the gravy and breading were flavorful. I think my heart is screaming from the sight of this again, hehe.
Mini blueberry muffin. Delicious!
1 pound $19.75
Baby Blues BBQ, San Francisco CA
I was SO disappointed when I opened the to-go bag and found this tiny container of meat that cost me twenty bucks! But one pound of beef is actually a lot of food – it just looked deceivingly small in the container. The brisket was good, but I’m still not convinced that it should cost so much.
Brisket slow cooked with red oak and hickory, with Cowboy BBQ sauce, served on a fresh roll, side of Southwest macaroni salad. $11.95
The Cowboy Way BBQ, Palm Springs CA
OMG, I’ve found my go-to BBQ place in Palm Springs! The food here was amazing and very reasonably priced. The brisket was tender and smokey and the BBQ sauce was delicious. The light, spongy roll reminiscent of sliced white bread worked perfectly in this sandwich. The macaroni salad was unique, but I actually liked it. NOMS!
BBQ sauces atop faux cowhide tablecloth (cute!).
Diet Coke. $2.50
Rice bowl mixed with cooked vegetables, fried egg, nori and served on a hot stone pot with soup. $14.95
K-pop, San Francisco CA
Mmm, salty beef with rice and a runny egg. Sounds like heaven to me! This is a sizable bowl which is good for the fifteen-buck price tag. Like I’ve said, the food here tends to be on the salty side but the Korean flavors still shine through.
With mushrooms and onions. $9
Jade Cafe, San Francisco CA
OK, the amount of oil in this dish is just plain disgusting! I can’t believe that a restaurant can think they can serve something like this. I got sick just trying this dish and had to throw the rest of it away. The beef was tough and flavorless and was more peppered than spicy. I will never order food from this restaurant ever again!
Oxtail ravioli, horseradish, bordelaise. Tasting menu $140
Jardiniere, San Francisco CA
OK, so here’s where I get confused. Our tasting menu read that we were going to get wagyu beef during this course, but our first waiter said that they weren’t running the wagyu that night and would be replacing it with New York steak in the same preparation. Whatever, I’m fine with that. But as this course approached, another waiter mentioned that the wagyu would be next. I asked for clarification from our original server, and he said it would be New York steak. Then when we go the plates, they were presented as wagyu. Huh? I’m still confused.
Either way, the beef was WAY underdone and we really coudn’t eat much of it let alone cut through the cold, raw, stringy interior. This was the one truly failed dish of the night. The ravioli and accompaniments were delicious, but the star of the dish was a major flop. SAD!
Fallen redwood trees, Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. This is how I felt about the dish above.
A crunchy taco made with seasoned beef, lettuce, and cheddar cheese in a shell made from Cool Ranch Doritos with more chips on top. 170 calories, 9g fat
Taco Bell, Palm Springs CA
OK, since I already tried the nacho cheese version a while back, I had to try cool ranch! I mean, cool ranch is the superior Doritos flavor anyway, right? And again, I was disappointed. Even when I’m slightly buzzed I can’t get into these silly taco shells.
Two crispy pizza shells filled with seasoned beef, hearty beans and then topped with pizza sauce, a three cheese blend melted to perfection, and topped with diced ripe tomatoes. 550 calories, 31g fat
Taco Bell, Palm Springs CA
It’s that time again when I end up at Taco Bell late at night to have a “fourth meal” (which in my case is usually a seventh meal, lol)! I know that you all have fast food cravings every now and then, so don’t judge. 😉
Large boulders, Joshua Tree National Park.
1 fish taco, 1 steak taco, rice, refried beans, and canned beverage. $8
Crazy Coyote Tacos, Banning CA
Mmm, I love the tacos at Crazy Coyote! The fish taco is still my favorite, but it’s really about that thick corn tortilla. Noms!
1 steak taco, 1 chicken taco, rice, refried beans, and canned beverage. $8
Teddy Bear chollas (Cylindropuntia bigelovii, Cactaceae), Joshua Tree National Park.
Grilled beef, corn shell, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado and sour cream. $3.50
El Farolito, San Francisco CA
I needed a quick snack before ducking into the 24th Street Bart Station so I grabbed this tostada at El Farolito. I’m not a fan of this place because the service is erratic and the food tends to be super salty, but it’s affordable and “usually” quick. I actually liked this tostada though. The grilled beef wasn’t overly salty and they piled on enough toppings to tide me over until my next actual meal.
Hook-shaped dock in the Marina.
Hot corn tortilla chips topped with black beans, smoky chile salsa, jack cheese, guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo. $10.95
The Little Chihuahua, San Francisco CA
This was delicious and super cheesy! The carne asada was very flavorful and I liked the smoky chile salsa than the others they have at their salsa bar. I’m also surprised how well the sour cream and guacamole withstood the car ride in the to-go container.
Bay Bridge from the Embarcadero.
Vittle Monster 