Cocktail with tequila, prickly pear cactus, citrus. Four for $12
Tacolicious, San Francisco
The prickly pear ingredient intrigued us so we chose to order this flavor of chupito. It was pretty tasty and refreshing, but not very strong. You know me – I’m a drinker! I like the idea though of having multiple shots throughout the meal.
Gin, lime juice, simple syrup, soda water, slice of lime. Happy hour $5
COCO500, San Francisco
I’m not sure what kind of fruit juice they add to give it a pink color, but this drink was absolutely refreshing! And for five bucks during happy hour, I’m a happy customer!
100% agave tequila, hand squeezed lime juice on the rocks with salt. $8
Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant, San Francisco
This was pretty good, but it wasn’t anything special so I”m not sure why it made the 7×7 Big Eat SF list. I just ordered their house margarita so perhaps their specialty margaritas taste better. I’m not really complaining about it because I did enjoy it, but it didn’t blow my mind. Tommy’s is pretty far out in the Richmond neighborhood so I probably won’t be making frequent trip back.
Tortilla chips with red and green salsa. Complimentary. I LOVE chips and salsa! So salty and good, and the red salsa had some heat to it. 🙂
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011
A group of us from work went to this yakitori restaurant to celebrate Huff’s birthday. I’d tell you what age he was turning, but I don’t know that information. Huff is good at keeping a tight lip about his age. Such a girl, lol!
I can’t remember if I’ve ever eaten at a yakitori restaurant where you take your shoes off outside of your table area and step down to sit below the level of the floor. It was kinda cool!
What wasn’t cool was when the host came by and “entertained” our table with some card tricks and a few jokes. It was OK, but it seemed forced and I felt a little uncomfortable, like I was trapped in my below-ground table while he stood above us performing for his captive audience.
The dinner went great and the food was pretty good. Apparently the noodles were really good – I didn’t have any though. I like my work group and dinner always flies by. At the end of dinner, splitting the bill was a headache, again! I think we all expect Papa Chang to take care of the check and let everyone know how much they owe, yay!
Mokutanya, Burlingame CA
Hotate yakitori. Sea scallops grilled with pepper. $4
Spicy kurobuta sausage yakitori. Made with Berkshire pork. $2
Kawa yakitori. Chicken skin. $2
Butabara yakitori. Pork belly. $3
Wagyu beef yakitori. $3.50
Croquettes. Deep fried panko-breaded mashed potatoes, served with tonkatsu sauce. $6
Lychee with shochu cocktail. $10 for bottle
Green and yellow chartreuse, Luxardo maraschino, Laphroaig Quarter Cask whiskey, fresh lemon juice and peach bitters. $10
Rickhouse, San Francisco
“A tropical and light cocktail featuring a peaty single-malt? Balderdash, you say? We insist that you reserve judgment before you arrive to such hasty conclusions, good sir. Lest you tragically deny yourself that rare and elusive pleasure that is both delightfully intellectual and wickedly visceral. Godspeed!”
Rickhouse uses large ice cubes – love that! This drink was absolutely delicious and true to it’s menu description, tropical and light. Noms! I had some preconceived notions about Rickhouse before I went. I figured that since it was a nicer bar in the middle of the Financial District, that it would be full of douche-y guys drinking early to avoid their lame corporate jobs. Not true! The place is tastefully decorated inside and the bartender was super friendly and inviting. The guys sitting at the bar were chill and at least didn’t give off much of a douche-y vibe. I’d go back and try more of their intricate cocktails. The bartenders must be good to execute such involved recipes.
Did I mention I love large ice cubes?! Hehe.
All gone!!!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2011
Whiskey, coffee, sugar, whipping cream. $7.50
The Buena Vista, San Francisco
This place claims that the Irish coffee was first introduced to the United States at this very spot by Stanton Delaplane. I like to think that this is true because stuff like that is kinda fun. The place is SO touristy, but has a cheesy quirky charm that I can appreciate.
The Irish coffee was very good! I can’t say that I have them often, but the combination of whiskey and coffee with the topping of cream has a soothing quality about it. The bartender was a no-nonsense and efficient older gentleman. The place was surprisingly calming despite the hordes of tourists!
This is what is inscribed on one of their displays next to the bar counter:
How To Make The Perfect Buena Vista Irish Coffee
1. Preheat 6 oz glass with hot water and empty
2. Drop in two sugar cubes
3. Pour hot coffee into hot glass until it is about three quarters full. Stir until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved
4. Add full jigger of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey
5. Top with a collar of lightly whipped whipping cream by pouring gently over a spoon. Enjoy while piping hot!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2011
Silverfox and I came here to redeem an expired daily deal coupon (so we were at least able to deduct the face value). We tend to be early eaters so it was nice find out that we arrived during their happy hour (Tue-Fri, 5pm – 8pm). Well drinks were only $4 and the pours were decent, score!
Mercury Lounge, San Francisco
Rose Kennedy. Well vodka soda with a splash of cranberry juice.
Cape Cod. Well vodka with cranberry juice.
Madras. Well vodka with orange juice and cranberry juice.
Johannes Restaurant, Palm Springs CA
Ok, the title of this blog entry is a little unfair, but I wanted to vent a little bit. I actually had a very good experience at Johannes. The service was excellent as was the food.
But I’m just gonna go out and say it – I hate super dark restaurants!
For me, part of an amazing dining experience is being able to actually see what I’m eating. For instance, my duck appetizer tasted great and I’m sure it looked amazing – BUT I COULDN’T SEE IT! I really wanted to see the amazing roasted duck against the dark lentils and the beautifully drizzled raspberry vinaigrette. BUT everything looked just like a dark lump. I tried positioning the candle to get better shots to no avail. What you see on this blog is WAY better than what I actually saw in person!
How does a dimly lit room improve my dining experience!? I can’t see my food. I can’t see my dining my guest. I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING!!!
This is becoming such a pet peeve for me that I’m tempted to decline my next reservation if I enter a restaurant and see that it’s lit like a Paleozoic cave! Just wait, I’m gonna do it! This is ridiculous!
So in conclusion, I enjoyed my dinner but it was a little overpriced considering that I couldn’t FULLY enjoy my meal.
Lillet blonde. Over ice, orange zest. $9
Grey Goose vodka martini up with olives. $11
Pimm’s cup, lemon juice, over ice. $9
Brussels sprouts salad (special). Lemon juice, olive oil, pecorino cheese and walnuts. $12
Very bright and refreshing. This was a simple salad that you can easily make at home. I think the hardest part would be leafing the brussels sprouts, probably very labor intensive.
Honey and soy glazed duck breast. Sliced roasted duck breast, Beluga lentil salad, tiny greens and raspberry vinaigrette. $11
My favorite dish of the night. It was served cold and tasted amazing. I’m sure it was beautifully composed, but I really couldn’t see much of it. The dark duck on the dark lentils looked like a black blob in the restaurant. The flavor were great and the textures were fun.
Australian grass fed kangaroo loin. Glazed bosc pear, veal bacon, walnuts, orange, cranberries, broccolini, juniper merlot reduction. $29
The kangaroo didn’t taste as crazy as I thought it would. I guess the chef recommends it served medium rare, but this came out pretty rare. I wish I would have ordered it medium instead. It was very tender and the reduction tasted great. The bosc pear came out super hot and delicious, and I loved the mixed topping.
New Zealand grass fed young lamb rack. White beans, zucchini, tomatoes, grilled green onions, triple Dijon mustard sauce. $36
Wow, you get a LOT of lamb – 6 ribs of it! This was very delicious and super tender. I wish the grilled green onions weren’t on the plate though. They seemed too clunky for an otherwise beautiful plate.
Baguette and pesto butter.
Yummy glass of champagne and orange juice. Brunch is always better with mimosas!
Cafe Flore, San Francisco
Latte. And a dose of caffeine isn’t bad either. 🙂
Well vodka with cranberry juice and a lime wedge. $4 for happy hour
Downtown Tiki Lounge, San Mateo CA
This is a pretty chill place with great happy hour drink and appetizer specials. The tiki vibe is adequate with all the fake palm trees, bamboo trim, and tiki statues scattered throughout. Only ducked in for a quick drink while waiting for friend, but this place would be a great after work hang out!
White wine, pear liqueur, allspice, tequila, and bay leaf. $8
Nopalito, San Francisco
Now that’s one refreshing glass of sangria!
La Groseille mimosa with black currant (front). $8
Corsica mimosa with fresh grapefruit juice (back). $8
Zazie, San Francisco
It seems silly to pay $8 for a glass of champagne with some juice added, but the mimosas at Zazie are super yummy! I really liked the La Groseille. The black currant was SO refreshing!
Zazie’s organic specialty coffee. $2.95
Vittle Monster 