Angus beef, aged Grafton cheddar, two fried eggs, pickles, caramelized onions, aioli, toasted Acme bun and fries. $13
Stock in Trade, San Francisco CA
This burger had a lot of flavor but it was super cold and lifeless! It was definitely a service mistake and I’m kinda surprised they served it. Damn, I would have microwaved it myself to get a bit of warmth on the plate!
Mimosas. This was one of the most bland mimosas I’ve ever tasted. Ew!
Country Lawyer: Knob Creek bourbon, Zucca amaro, vermouth and bitters. $13
Park Tavern, San Francisco CA
Mmm, the cocktails at Park Tavern are pretty delicious! I have mixed feelings about my overall experience here though. Although the service was friendly and professional, they made some stupid mistakes that really detracted from the overall experience. Namely, they never brought us a dish even after I specifically asked if it was ever coming out. Our server ensured us it was on its way, but it never did and we were charged for it anyway! FAIL!
Alcatraz: Templeton rye, Averna amaro, and port. $13
Bulleit Manhattan: bourbon, sweet vermouth, and bitters. $10
With brown sugar butter and apple cider syrup. $15
Brown Sugar Kitchen, Oakland CA
The most important question for this BSK review: “Is the food worth the wait?” I’m gonna say No. We arrived at 8:30 on a Sunday morning and didn’t get food until 10:15. Living in SF, I’m used to the long waits for brunch but the food has to deliver. BSK fell short.
Everything here was really slow, especially our server. We were seated right after the 2-top next to us at the counter, but our order was taken 10 minutes after theirs. They actually finished their meal before we even received food (very frustrating)! When they’re busy, you can wait up to 30 minutes for waffles. While the waffles are delicious, an extra 30 minutes is excruciating when you’ve been waiting so long already and feeling jittery from all the coffee. The fried chicken was just ok so the waffles definitely carry this dish. I think there’s plenty of great chicken and waffles elsewhere that don’t come with a 2-hour+ wait (and cheaper). This place doesn’t make my cut for a “destination” brunch joint. And there is absolutely nothing else at this location so you have no other options if you come here.
Mimosa. $7.50
Pretty small and weak for the price.
I initially thought that this margarita was lame and weak, but I actually got a good buzz off of it, lol! I was fooled because it tasted kind of bland, but it was a decent value overall. Glass $6.95
Casa Azteca, Milpitas CA
Chips and salsa. Complimentary
Grilled sweet yellow corn pocket stuffed with slow cooked pulled pork, avocado, tomato, pica’pun, ajo aioli. Served with Pica slaw and taro chips. $10.75
Pica Pica, San Francisco CA
This was really tasty and very filling. The texture of the grilled corn arepa was fantastic and I liked that there were whole kernels mixed in too. The pulled pork was flavorful, and the crisp fresh Pica slaw was a great accompaniment.
Sangria. Red wine, passion fruit, apple, and Adriana’s special spices. Glass $7
This is how people decorate their trees in Noe Vally, lol! Ok, maybe just this house.
Spiced with cayenne, scallions and cheddar. $8
Brenda’s French Soul Food, San Francisco CA
OMG, these were frickin’ amazing! These crawfish beignets are definitely heaven sent pouches of flavorful goodness. The filling is a cheesy gooey mess with chunks of delicious crawfish, and the beignet dough is wonderfully light and fluffy and covered in slap-yo-face spices. The addition of the scallions in the filling puts it over the top. These puppies are super rich, but you really can’t have just one! 🙂
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2012
Creole Bloody Mary: garnished with creole spices and pickled okra. $7
Ugh, this bloody mary was a major let-down. IT was all tomato juice with no hint of alcohol and it wasn’t spicy AT ALL! It didn’t have any creole flavor and was actually bland. We had to add lots of hot sauce to make it somewhat decent. Lame!
During boarding, I helped this lady get her huge oversized carry-on into the overhead compartment. The airline stewardess was appreciative for my assistance so she gave me a free cocktail as a “thank you”, score! I guess it pays to do a random good deed.. Complimentary
Seattle (SEA) to San Francisco (SFO), United Airlines
Emerging leaves on a decorative maple tree (Aceraceae).
Rye-min’ and Stealin’: rye, grapefruit, Campari, rose water, Peychaud’s bitters. $9
Quoin, Seattle WA
The cocktails at Quoin are good, some of them a bit overpriced in my opinion. Both drinks I tried were tasty and distinct. I really can’t choose a favorite because they were so different and hard to compare. The Rye-min’ cocktail was definitely easier to drink and was probably the “girlier” drink. I guess what made the Macho Man-hattan so manly was the scotch rinse. You could definitely taste the distinct bite especially if you’re not a regular scotch drinker. I liked it though.
Macho Man-hattan: rye, Antica formula, orange bitters, Islay scotch rinse. $12
Runners, David Govedare 1986.
Sankey Sour: bourbon, aperol, fresh orange juice, egg whites, angostura bitters and house made sour mix. Happy hour $8
Percy’s & Co., Seattle WA
The cocktails at Percy’s and Co. are pretty frickin’ amazing! They make all their tinctures, purees, and sour mix in house so they’re not your generic mixers. The combination of flavors in each cocktail tastes great and they’re all expertly made.
Herrick Helper: sage infused bourbon, grapefruit juice, house made sour mix and topped with soda and fresh sage. Happy hour $6
The Eagle, 1971, painted steel, Alexander Calder, Olympic Sculpture Park.
Buffalo style with ranch dressing. One pound $11
Belltown Pub, Seattle WA
I’m usually a big fan of wings, but these were super small so they were pretty much all bones and sauce. Lame! A pound of wings also doesn’t get you very much so you’re left hungry and unsatisfied.
Bourbon Basil: bourbon, muddled basil, limes, simple and soda. $7
This drink was just OK – a bit on the sour side and very little alcohol.
Seattle Cloud Cover glass bridge, Teresita Fernandez, Olympic Sculpture Park.
Two eggs over-easy with sizzling fresh bacon, Yukon Gold hashbrowns and toast. $7.59
Wingmasters Sports Bar, Seattle WA
This basic breakfast is hearty enough and at a reasonable price. The servers here are really great and the atmosphere is upbeat and friendly. It’s a wonderful spot to grab a beer and wings to watch sports tv in Ballard.
Wheat toast and strawberry jam.
Mimosa. Gotta start the day off right! 🙂
Stone Sour: Knob Creek bourbon, fresh lemon and blood orange juice, shaken with barrel-aged syrup and served tall on the rocks with brandied cherries. $12
Luce, San Francisco CA
The cocktails at Luce were really fun and delicious. Each one had several ingredients and they all generally worked well together. The Stone Sour was probably my favorite because it had bourbon, but the Moscone Pear was tasty in its own way.
Moscone Pear: Dimmi herbal grappa liqueur, shaken with fresh pear puree, fresh squeezed lime and lemon, served up. $12
Noe Valley.
Vittle Monster 