Jalapeno calamari – Wang’s in the Desert

Posted on April 4, 2012 by vicentesf

Project 365: Day 86

Omg, this is my last day of work before all my trips in April when I’ll only be back in the office for 2 days! Work was on the slow side today. I’m gonna hit the gym after work then get my hair cut before my work trip. I’ve got to remember to buy more deodorant on my way home, hehe.

Calamari steak medallions seasoned with garlic, jalapenos, scallions, lemon juice, salt and pepper. $9
Wang’s in the Desert, Palm Springs CA

The thick squid medallions were squishy and had a funky texture – not a fan. I also thought these were gonna be hot and spicy, but they had almost no heat. Very disappointing.

Cornmeal dusted calamari – Hubbard Grille

Posted on March 9, 2012 by vicentesf

Served with Sriracha garlic aioli and lemon. $11 ($5.50 for Sunday happy hour)
Hubbard Grille, Columbus OH

These were really tasty. I loved the Sriracha garlic aioli. Some of the squid pieces were kinda greasy so I had to leave them in the bowl – I think they were cooked at too low a temperature. Other than that, I enjoyed these and I’m glad that they included plenty of the tentacles.

Marinated grilled calamari – Fish & Farm

Posted on February 25, 2012 by vicentesf

With orange zest, garlic, shallots, parsley, olive oil, arugula and frisee. $12
Fish & Farm, San Francisco

This was SUPER good! When I read the menu item, I thought it was going to be more like calamari a la planxa – something whole and more dry. I was pleasantly surprised when this more salad-y dish arrived! I will say that there was A LOT of dressing on the squid, but I really didn’t mind because it was so good. It’s some of my favorite flavors and I’m gonna admit that I even used some bread to soak of the leftover dressing at the end, lol! The squid had a nice texture that wasn’t rubbery and the dish was quite large for an appetizer portion, heck yeah! I would definitely order this again.

Bread and butter. Complimentary. Crusty bread with real butter = happy me!

Pork, seafood and mushroom tofu soup – Mom’s Tofu House

Posted on January 19, 2012 by vicentesf

Project 365: Day 14

Yet another excruciatingly cold day in San Francisco! Those of you in places where is actually gets below 30 degrees F are probably scoffing at me, but we San Franciscans aren’t used to a lot of super cold days in a row. My workout was much more productive today. I’m always super hungry still though.

So a group of us went to Mom’s Tofu House as an early birthday celebration. I haven’t been to a tofu house since my Berkeley days. Everyone else had the sizzling stone pot rice, but I opted for the tofu soup. When at a tofu house…! We arrived just in time to beat the lunch crowd, heck yeah!

One of the ladies was so cute. I was taking a photo of Papa Chang’s food so I had it in front of me. Then one waitress brought out my soup and I told her to put it in the middle of the table so I can finish taking the pic. I think the head waitress thought we were confused so she came over and took Papa Chang’s food away from me, placed it in front of him, and said “This is HIS!” We started laughing!

Pork, seafood and mushroom tofu soup Mom's Tofu House

Soft tofu stew served in hot stone pot with pork, calamari, mussels, clams and fish (? it’s kinda hard to make everything out) and mushrooms. Served with raw egg and rice. $9.99
Mom’s Tofu House, South San Francisco CA

This thing came out super HOT! The soup was steamed and bubbling when it arrived at the table. I ordered it spicy and it was SO delicious! I’m glad that I got the combination because it was fun to see everything in the soup with every spoonful. The flavors were great and it seemed spicier at first because the soup was so hot, but as it cooled down you could start comfortably tasting all the yummy flavors of the stew. Nommy noms!

Raw egg. They bring the egg out while you’re eating the ban chan, and when the tofu soup arrives the waitress cracks the egg into the soup. Yum!

Steamed rice. I was very good with my attempted healthy eating, and I only had about a quarter of the rice!

Bowl with steamed rice.

Calamars a la planxa – Contigo

Posted on January 9, 2012 by vicentesf

Grilled calamari with arros negre, chorizo, artichokes, allioli and Guindilla chile oil. $12
Contigo, San Francisco CA

Omg, this was SO good! Total comfort food. I loved every component of this dish. I just wish I knew what the greens were on top. The squid ink rice and chorizo made the perfect smoky base for the calamari and roasted artichokes. This dish was pretty rich so they don’t overdo it on the portion. NOMS!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2012

Local xipirons a la planxa - Contigo
Local xipirons (squid) a la planxa.
January 26, 2014

Combination seafood mild yellow curry – Krua Thai

Posted on December 16, 2011 by vicentesf

Prawns, calamari and scallops in a yellow curry with coconut milk, potatoes, bell peppers, onions and peanuts. $14
Krua Thai, San Francisco

I didn’t try this dish, but I’m sure it was delicious! The only complaint at the table was that there wasn’t a lot of seafood in the curry, only a couple pieces of each kind. So that’s kinda lame.

Fish and calamari fritto – The Ramp

Posted on December 1, 2011 by vicentesf

Deep fried fish fillet and bread calamari. Served with french fries, cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, and a lemon wedge. $14.50
The Ramp, San Francisco

This may look like a great plate of food, but it was the greasiest pile of crap I’ve ever had. The oil they used to fry this in had to have been super cold because the fish fillet (especially) and everything else was saturated and dripping with grease. I tried dabbing (then pressing and pummeling) napkins on it to try to soak up the grease, but all the napkins on the table were quickly used up and I was left with a sad, flaccid still-greasy pile of food in front of me. They could’ve served me a cold sponge saturated in grease, and I wouldn’t know the difference. Sad…

Combination vermicelli clay pot – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

Posted on November 27, 2011 by vicentesf

Wow! I could eat this every day. It’s so warm, rich, and comforting. It had a little bit of everything in it: chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, and squid! The sauce was absolutely amazing and the vermicelli noodles soaked up all of the delicious flavors. Thank you, XLB Kitchen! 2 person lunch combo $14.95
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco

Grilled calamari – BIN 38

Posted on September 29, 2011 by vicentesf

Served with cauliflower, arugula, fennel, olives, croutons and preserved lemon. $12
BIN 38, San Francisco

This was a refreshing plate but disappointing because it’s not what I thought I ordered. The menu read “Grilled calamari” and perhaps the squid was grilled at some point, but there was so much citrus juice in the dressing that the calamari got further cooked by the acid and its texture changed drastically. It could have almost been called a “ceviche” at that point! I did appreciate the different textures from the fennel, croutons, cauliflower, etc. I’m not sure what was the painted green puree on the plate. It was never explained and I forgot to ask. Pretty dish…

Chorizo stuffed calamari – Eos Restaurant

Posted on August 3, 2011 by vicentesf

Savory squid with a delicous chorizo filling, Allstar Organics wax beans, yuzu vinaigrette and lemon.
Eos Restaurant & Wine Bar, San Francisco

Whenever I see chorizo on a menu, I immediately assume that the dish will be heavy and greasy. Not so! This dish was so light and refreshing from the yuzu vinaigrette and lemon. The bicolored wax beans also added brightness, and the chorizo filling wasn’t at all dense or heavy. This dish is a winner in my book!

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