Shredded chicken and boiled shrimp, vermicelli noodles, mint, rice paper, peanut sauce. $4.75
Dinosaurs, San Francisco CA
Why is Vietnamese food SO good?! Perhaps it’s because it’s packed with flavor (and saltiness)! Whatevs, I’ll eat it any day.
Decorative maple tree (Aceraceae) with a sycamore tree (Platanaceae) in the background, 16th Street.
Grilled chicken cooked in ginger, served with sweet chili sauce. $12
Escena Lounge & Grill, Palm Springs CA
This was probably the most basic and boring chicken lettuce wraps I’ve ever ordered. The chicken had that squishy texture that reminds me of the frozen pre-cooked variety found at grocery stores. Yuck!
Mt. San Jacinto hiking trail flanked by bush chinquapin (Chrysolepis sempervirens, Fagaceae).
Pan-fried, served with sesame-ginger dipping sauce. $10
Escena Lounge & Grill, Palm Springs CA
The happy hour food at Escena was not nearly as good as their lunch fare. These potstickers were boring and even the sauce was generic.
Approaching the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
Fresh made white meat chicken salad served on wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, and cheddar cheese. Side of fresh fruit and a kosher pickle. $11
Escena Lounge & Grill, Palm Springs CA
Wow, this chicken melt was SO good! I think the caramelized onions in the melt totally put it over the top. I was also happy with all the fruit they put on the plate.
Fresh made potato chips with Russian dressing. Complimentary
Omg, these were frickin’ amazing!
Sunset at the Escena Golf Club.
Shredded napa cabbage, carrots, red peppers, mandarin oranges, caramelized almonds, cilantro, green onions, wontons and grilled chicken tossed in soy-ginger vinaigrette. $13
Escena Lounge & Grill, Palm Springs CA
Wow, this was like a huge Asian chopped salad! And a very good one at that. I loved the perfect combination of all the different textures and flavors.
The view from our table – absolutely beautiful!
Five white meat chicken tenders fried and served with honey bbq sauce. $8
Lookout, San Francisco CA
These were probably straight out of a frozen bag, but I must admit that they were pretty tasty! I guess fried food always tastes good when you’re drinking with friends, hehe.
Minced chicken, water chestnut, crispy noodles, and sprouts served with lettuce wraps. Happy hour $7.49
Lulu California Bistro, Palm Springs CA
This wasn’t the best chicken lettuce wrap I’ve ever had. In fact, it was just marginal. But the price was great and the fun, hip atmosphere at Lulu helps to make up for the mediocre food.
Driving towards Morongo Valley, Twentynine Palms Highway.
Butcher’s Filet: shallot confit, bone marrow bordelaise, crispy onion, marjoram. $28
Wayfare Tavern, San Francisco CA
This filet dish was SO rich and delicious! The meat was really tender and flavorful and the shallot confit was amazing!
Seared Tuna Special: roasted baby carrots and turnips, root puree and herbs.
Organic Fried Chicken: buttermilk brine, roasted garlic, crispy woody herbs, lemon. $24
The fried chicken was probably everyone’s favorite entree at the table. It was SO flavorful, juicy and tender. The breading was super herby and the chicken was perfectly cooked!
Sonoma Duck: mustard green tortellini, chanterelles, double consomme, poached winter citrus. $30
Spaghetti, prawns, clams, mussels, fish, garlic, basil, white wine, red sauce. $15.95
Boulevard Cafe, Daly City CA
This restaurant is one of those places where the menu is gigantic and appears to contain food from all cuisines. Usually the food at these places are sorely lacking, but the things I ordered were actually pretty good. The tutto mare had plenty of seafood which I was surprised about since most places will skimp of the more expensive proteins. It had bold flavors and the pasta was perfectly al dente.
Avgolemono soup. Traditional Greek soup with chicken, rice, lemon and egg. $2.95
This was OK. It was mostly broth.
Served with a side of capellini pasta, oven roasted seasonal vegetables and bread. $15.50
Firewood Cafe, San Francisco CA
Mmm, I love chicken parmigiana. This was huge and very good! The chicken was generously smothered in marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese which was amazing! I know that Firewood is the best restaurant in the world, but it definitely holds a place in my heart for quick quality Italian food.
Marinated olives. Complimentary
Spicy rooster slaw, pickles, served with fries. $12
Hi Tops, San Francisco CA
I love the sandwiches at Hi Tops. They’re big and messy and packed with flavor. This fried chicken sandwich was delicious, but the chicken was a little on the greasy side. The rooster slaw was amazing though. The fries were tasty but most of them were kinda short and annoying to eat.
“Mixed rice” with soy marinated chicken strips, fried egg, assorted vegetables and served on a hot stone pot with soup. $13.95
K-pop, San Francisco CA
This was pretty good and super hot temperature-wise! I wish the egg was runnier (maybe even raw like other bi bim baps), but it still tasted good and the whole thing was flavorful.
I think this Korean restaurant is a great new option in the Castro. The food is a little on the salty side but the flavors are great. The service also needs improvement. At the end of our meal, we could NOT get our check no matter how hard we tried. We literally stalked all the servers until we could finally flag one down. I hope this places stays open though.
OB Lager beer. I’ve always found Korean beer to be super drinkable!
Vittle Monster 