Buttery focaccia bread topped with tomato sauce, marinated mushrooms and spinach. $3
Arizmendi Bakery, San Francisco
I usually love the items at Arizmendi, but this wasn’t very good. It tasted more like pizza than focaccia. I think the tomato sauce and mushrooms were a bit too much. The sauce gave the bread a damp texture and the marinated mushrooms tasted off. Even the spinach had a weird texture. Oh well…
Project 365: Day 4
It’s a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning in San Francisco! I’m only slightly hung over from a late-ish night out with Silverfox and friends after a yummy dinner at Hecho and an even later after-bar dinner at Curry Boyzz (ugh!). We trekked it over to the Outer Sunset to try Outerlands, it’s been on my list of restaurant to try. I never really noticed some of the beautiful homes along Lincoln Way before. When we got to the restaurant 10 minutes prior to opening, there was already a throng of people waiting and we got onto the second column on the waiting list. Sadly, we just missed the cut for the first seating, but the tables turned pretty quickly and we were eventually seated outside to enjoy the amazing morning weather – no fog today!
Organic egg fried into house baked organic levain toast, with 2 strips of bacon and side of mixed greens. $9
Outerlands, San Francisco
Everything we had was SO good! I think that the quality ingredients made all the difference because the things we ordered were simply prepared. Their levain toast was lovely and the bacon was delicious. The simple salad was also very good – I liked the variety of greens.
The table next to us ordered a dutch pancake and it looked amazing! It came to their table totally puffed up and the size of a football. Once they cut into it, it deflated of course. I’ll have to remember to order that on a return visit.
All done!!!
It’s such a beautiful day today that I’d love to just go to the park and do nothing but relax. I have to hit the gym though and have a productive workout. The nice weather will totally motivate me. Also have to make a grocery store run so I can prepare lunches for the work week. So excited that I have a 4-day work week because because Silverfox and I are driving down to Palm Springs on Friday. F-yeah!!!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2011, 2012
Project 365: Day 1
And so begins my attempt at daily self-discipline (or lunacy?)! My co-worker Alan mentioned Project 365 yesterday and I was intrigued. Project 365 requires you to take a photo every day for an entire year and post it online. Now that’s a challenge and there are many people who’ve apparently taken it on! My hat is now in the ring!
Starting today, I’m going to post a food pic of something that I’ve eaten the same day! I promise not to cheat and post something I’ve eaten on a previous day, and if I forget to post something I’ll considered this experiment a FAILURE!
I’m also going to write these Project 365 entries in style more of a daily journal – something more personal than my usual food posts. I’ll try to mention anything interesting (or boring or lame) going on in my day-to-day life. (I foresee a LOT of boring days, hehe!)
Tadich Grill, San Francisco
Pan fried sand dab filets served with steak fries and bok choy (vegetable of the day). $23.75
I’m kind of an obsessive person, so when random things like this (Project 365) come along, I’m not afraid to run with it. Some people think I’m crazy, but they still love me. I’ll probably get super anal and distracted by this and annoy everyone around me. Some people already think that I’m weird when I snap a pic of everything I eat, but I’m not bothered. I love food! And there are worse things to obsess about.
I’m actually home sick today, so that’s why I have enough time to take care of all my personal computer stuff. Sickness, however, can’t stop me from searching for food! After getting back home from this lunch, I was SO tired and feverish that I slept all afternoon and woke up feeling worse. I really don’t want to get the flu so I hope this is one of those short-lived colds.
I’ve never had sand dabs, but these were delicious. I didn’t even know that sand dabs were a flatfish. The name makes me think of a mollusk. These were simply prepared, just breaded and pan fried. There was a lot of butter underneath though, which I couldn’t have minded but I’m really trying to eat healthier before my Caribbean cruise this spring. I only ate one of the steak fries, but the bok choy was really good. They were a little over-cooked but I didn’t mind since that made them easier to chew. My jaw and mouth a tender from feeling under the weather.
Ramekin overflowing with homemade tartar sauce.
Speaking of that Caribbean cruise, it’s going to be challenging to keep this Project going during that trip but they MUST have internet on the ship, right?! Otherwise, this will be a short project. David and I have challenged ourselves to eat better and hit the gym more in preparation for the cruise. I think it’s good motivation to get in better shape. (Ok, I’m safe. I got distracted and check the Celebrity Cruise website to make sure that their ships have internet access – yes!)
Bread and butter.
As proof of my obsessive behavior, I’m sure you’ll notice that I have posts tagged for the 7×7 Big Eat SF 2011 list. I’ve actually had more food items checked off but I have a long backlog of posts and I’ve lost (or had stolen) 3 iPhones so some of my pics are gone (so sad!). It’s ok I guess because it’s now impossible to complete the list entirely. Some of the restaurant are now closed and others no longer serve the dishes on the list.
Iced tea. I love the San Francisco cable car stir stick! $2.95
Wow, I hope that these Project 365 entries don’t all take this much time, lol! There’s just a lot to say right now, but I’m sure I’ll run out of things after a few days.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Hahn Estate, pinot noir, Monterey. $8
Main Street, cabernet sauvignon, California. $7
The Lobster House, Palm Springs
In keeping up with the mediocre food at The Lobster House, they also serve mediocre wine. I’m still kicking myself that we settled for this place after our original choice was booked.
Dinner roll with butter. It’s sad when the best part of you meal is the complimentary bread and butter, but that was truly the case at this restaurant.
Stuffed with fresh gulf rock shrimp, green onions, shallots and red bell peppers. Served with Firewood sauce (mixture of marinara sauce and white wine cream sauce) and bread, topped with parsley and shaved parmesan cheese. $9.95
Firewood Cafe, San Francisco
I’ll admit that I’ve had this dish more than a few times after hanging out at the surrounding bars all night, hehe! I think it’s the Firewood sauce, a great mixture of marinara, wine, and cream) that hits just the right spots. It’s a warm and homey dish – a perfect plate to satiate an after-bar appetite. The tortellini always has a nice bite to them and the rock shrimp filling is delicious.
Slowly smoked and cooked for 10 hours, topped with their house BBQ sauce. Ordered with potato salad, steak chili with onions and cheese, and cornbread. $11.95
Smokin’ Warehouse Barbecue, San Francisco
This brisket was cooked for 10 hours, and it tasted like it! The beef was SO tender and flavorful. I’m not a big potato salad fan, but this tasted pretty good. The chili was rich and tasty as well.
Slowly smoked and finished with their house BBQ sauce. Ordered with mac and cheese, baked beans with pork, and cornbread. $13.95
Smokin’ Warehouse Barbecue, San Francisco
I love BBQ, that this was some pretty good BBQ ribs. It had a great smoky flavor and it was SO tender. The macaroni and cheese was such a guilty pleasure. It had the color and texture reminiscent of those from elementary school cafeterias. And that’s not a complaint! It was so yummy!
Diet coke.
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.
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?
Cup of regular coffee. $2.50
Slice of pork pate served with toast, aspic, mustard and caper berries. $10
Bar Agricole, San Francisco
The server explained that the pate was “country style” since it consisted of chunkier pieces, not the smoother pates you usually see. This pork pate was absolutely delicious and filling! I just wish it came with more bread because the pate slice was pretty sizable. I’m guessing that the aspic was also from pork, but I’m not sure. Regardless, everything tasted great together!
Someone at the table didn’t know what aspic was, and I smiled because I remembered having to look it up while reading Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential”, lol! I was happy to explain that it’s a jelly made from a stock (usually meat or fish) and gelatin.
This appetizer came with a side of dressed radicchio and garnished with sliced, pickled onions. $9
Bar Agricole, San Francisco
I didn’t grow up eating chopped liver, but there are Filipino dishes from my childhood that had plenty of liver in it. I don’t mind the strong, minerally taste that I remember so I’m never scared of ordering it at restaurants. This Jewish staple is definitely not like the liver I grew up with! It has a more mellow flavor and a smoother consistency. Bar Agricole’s chopped liver was well seasoned and had a great texture. It was a rustic preparation and you could see the seasonings and add-ins in the coarse mixture. The toasted bread was cut thick enough to hold the generous slathers of chopped liver. Very good! The radicchio, however, was SO salty. Personally, I love salt and can tolerate plenty of it, but these were inedible.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Vittle Monster 