Purple sweet potato brioche. Bar seating $180
Pineapple & Pearls, Washington DC
This was one of my favorite moments of the meal. I loved it when they scraped the warm, melted cheese onto the sweet potato brioche. And it tasted wonderful!
Pepper jack scramble, chorizo and roasted jalapeno relish, chipotle aioli on a brioche bun, potato wedges, cantaloupe. $12
Griddle Fresh, San Francisco CA
First of all, the service here was SO horrible! They were super slow and completely unattentive. It was the hardest I’ve had to work to flag a server down every time I needed something. Now to the food. It gave me heartburn. Between the spicy chorizo, spicy jalapeno, pepper jack cheese, and chipotle aioli there was SO much heavy spice and fat that I really couldn’t take it. On a positive note, the scramble was well cooked, the bun nicely toasted, and the cantaloupe was ripe and sweet.
Coffee. $2.50
Ham, bechamel and gruyere on Panarma brioche topped with an egg served with mixed greens. $10
L’appart Resto, San Anselmo CA
This dish had some good flavors, but it was super dry! I love my croque madames with plenty of bechamel sauce and gooey cheese that oozes from the middle. The brioche on this croque madame was really dried out and there wasn’t enough moisture from elsewhere to help save the dish. Even the sunny side up egg wasn’t enough to soak some life into this dish.
Bon Tempe Lake, Marin County.
With avocado, turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato and Swiss cheese on a brioche bun, served with fries. $11
Cheeky’s, Palm Springs CA
I’m not usually a fan of turkey burgers because they have a tendency to dry out, but this burger was nice and juicy. And I can’t get enough of their fries, probably because I’m trying to cut down on (greasy) carbs so they’re a nice treat!
Waters. We put our paper napkin rings on the glassware, hehe!
Large rock formations, Joshua Tree National Park.
With bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun, served with pesto fries. $11
Cheeky’s, Palm Springs CA
Mmm, this was delicious! The burger patty was juicy and tender and I love their bacon at Cheeky’s. The pesto fries were a little greasy but they had so much flavor that it was easily forgiven.
Condiments.
“Forever Marilyn” sculpture by Seward Johnson.
With avocado, radish, grapefruit, Italian parsley and spiced sauce on toasted brioche. Served with greens and ginger vinaigrette. $10.99
Papillote, Savannah GA
This was bright and refreshing, and so different from anything I’ve tried before! There were so many yummy components to this and they all tasted great together. I do wish that the salad was pre-dressed because it was difficult to toss the salad on such a small plate. The ginger vinaigrette was a nice addition though. A beautiful dish!
Coffee. $1.99
Revolutionary War Haitian Soldiers Monument. Walking around Savannah was quite fun and you can’t help but feel the history surrounding you. This statue is located in a cute plaza next to the City Market.
Poached egg and smoked salmon on a toasted brioche, topped with a hollandaise sauce, served with sauteed potatoes and salad. $9
Bisou, San Francisco
If I remember correctly, the smoked salmon wasn’t very good. It tasted a little off. The potatoes were good though. I’m surprised that they can produce this much food during weekend brunches. Bisou can become quite the madhouse! That’s probably why the food quality can sometimes suffer.
Poached egg and dungeness crab meat on a toasted brioche, topped with a hollandaise sauce, served with sauteed potatoes and salad. $13
Bisou, San Francisco
The brioche was sinfully buttery and I loved the plentiful amount of lump crab they throw on top. Brunch at Bisou is certainly not for those on a diet. 🙂
Project 365: Day 104
The conference began today, and I’m both excited and dreading it. There’s people from all over the country and let me just say that the wardrobe is across the board. There are people in shorts and sandals, and there are others (like myself) in pressed slacks and dress shirts. It’s also during times like these that I wish I worked at a place where they can at least afford to provide coffee during breaks, hehe. The coffee in the lobby costs nearly $5 and doesn’t taste very good. I ran over to Caesars Palace to grab lunch at the bar at Mesa Grill. I’m not a huge fan of Bobby Flay, but I wanted to give his restaurant a go. It was pretty good and the bar service was friendly and expedient.
I kind of got carried away after the conference. I went for an early drink (Manhattan) and snacks (clam chowder and raw oysters) at P.J. Clarke’s, then went with a colleague for a full-on dinner at Grand Lux Cafe. Suffice it to say that I totally over-ate! Ugh, I have NO self-control when it comes to food.
With caviar, pistachio, cauliflower, lemon jelly, and brioche. Pre fixe dinner $180
Benu, San Francisco
This was a very decadent course. It tasted great, but it was definitely on the heavy side. I’m still not sure what all the components were. The green crumbles were dried pistachio, but I’m not sure what the green blob was – it didn’t taste like lemon jelly. The orange disc was the monkfish liver. I got one! 🙂
So many components, so little time (and tummy space, hehe)!
Brioche. So rich and buttery.
Citrus, hazelnut and almond flavors all in one amazing pastry! I didn’t even know what this what when I bought it (they didn’t have the labels up yet that morning), but it sure tasted great. I later learned that it’s called a “bostock” on a return visit. Upon researching this delicious treat, I found out that it’s traditionally made from a day-old brioche that’s soaked in an almond and orange simple syrup and topped with almond cream and sliced almonds. After it’s baked, the edges become crisp and get an amazing caramelly flavor. The center stays moist and buttery and the almondy top gets beautifully toasted. The version at Four Barrel has hazelnuts instead of sliced almonds and they sprinkle it with a little powdered sugar. NOMS!
Four Barrel Coffee, San Francisco
The beautiful, moist interior.
Pastries always taste better with coffee!
1/2 pound of house ground chuck with garlic aioli and onions on a brioche roll, served with chips. $10 for happy hour, $1 extra for cheddar cheese
Farmerbrown, San Francisco
Wow, this was absolutely delicious! Yet another one of those burgers that practically melts in your mouth. Part of this is the super tender patty, and the other part is from the super soft and fluffy brioche bun. I’m glad I got opted for the cheddar cheese add-on. The fries were also very good.
At first glance, the amount of beef tartare seems pretty small in this dish, but between the buttery brioche, quail egg, and rich sauce the small amount is plenty for an appetizer.
Vittle Monster 