Shaking beef banh mi – Dinosaurs

Shaking beef banh mi - Dinosaurs
Sliced beef sauteed with onions and vinaigrette, pickled carrot and daikon radishes, cilantro, cucumber, jalapeno, and mayo on a French baguette. $5.39
Dinosaurs, San Francisco CA

This sandwich was good, but not one of my favorites at Dinosaurs. The beef wasn’t as flavorful as some of the other fillings they have available.

Dried rattlesnake grass
Dried rattlesnake grass (Briza sp., Poaceae), Potrero Hill.

Grilled pork sandwich – Pho Big Bowl

Grilled pork sandwich - Pho Big Bowl
Banh mi thit heo nuong. French bread with grilled pork, cucumber, mayonnaise, pickled daikon and carrots, jalapeno, and cilantro. $4.85
Pho Big Bowl, Seattle WA

This was a pretty sizeable sandwich for costing less than five bucks! That’s why I love banh mi’s, they tend to be delicious and a great value. The pork on this sandwich was tender and flavorful.

Seattle Cloud Cover glass bridge
Seattle Cloud Cover glass bridge, Teresita Fernandez, Olympic Sulpture Park.

Sunomono with crab – Izakaya Yuzuki

Sunomono with crab - Izakaya Yuzuki
Vinegar dressed cucumber salad with crab meat, seaweed and flowers. Tasting menu
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco CA

Wow, this was the fanciest cucumber salad (sunomono) I’ve ever had! The baby cucumbers were intricately sliced, but not all the way through so they remained intact while still being able to see the expert knife-work. The fresh crab was delicious and the dressing had the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Noms!

Orange iceplant flowers
Orange iceplant ‘Jewel of the Desert Topaz’ flowers (Delosperma sp., Aizoaceae), 18th Street.

Steamed eggplant – Mission Chinese Food

Steamed eggplant in chili bean sauce - Mission Chinese Food
Ginger scallion vinegar, cucumber, calamansi, sesame, cilantro, salted chili. $6
Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco CA

Eh, I wasn’t really impressed with this dish. I generally love everything I’ve order from MCF, but this lacked the usual flavor I enjoy from their food.

Orange aloe flowers
Orange aloe flowers (Xanthorrhoeaceae), West Field Road.

Brunch cocktails – Chambers Eat + Drink

Spa collins cocktail - Chambers Eat + Drink

Spa collins: gin, basil, mint, cucumber, orange, citrus, ginger beer. $11
Chambers Eat and Drink, San Francisco CA

I loved brunch cocktails, especially when they’re expertly made. These cocktails were ok. The Spa Collins was on the tart side and the Bloody Mary was on the bland side. I did really enjoy the Lucky Lemonade though!

Lucky lemonade cocktail - Chambers Eat + Drink
Lucky lemonade: bourbon and house made lemonade. $8

Bloody mary cocktail - Chambers Eat + Drink

Bloody mary: the traditional favorite made with house sambal and vodka. $9

Cocktails – Escena Lounge & Grill

Cocktails - Escena Lounge & Grill

Dirty Blonde: Makers Mark, Dekuyper peach schnapps, lemonade, mint. $10
Escena Martini: Pearl cucumber vodka, Beefeater gin, tonic, lime juice, cucumber garnish. $12
Escena Lounge & Grill, Palm Springs CA

Mmm, a couple of refreshing cocktails on a warm sunny day. You can’t beat that!

Assorted rolls - Escena Lounge & Grill
Assorted rolls. Complimentary

Idyllwild country
View of Idyllwild country from Mt. San Jacinto.

Tuna dip and chips – State Bird Provisions

Tuna dip and chips - State Bird Provisions
Garbanzo beans, cucumber, tomato, capers, potato chips.
State Bird Provisions, San Francisco CA

Dining at State Bird is kind of a trip because I sometimes expect the hipsters pushing the food carts around to yell at me in Cantonese or Mandarin. Instead, they kindly explain every dish and patiently wait to hear if you’d like any. What a trip, lol!

Mencia wine - State Bird Provisions

Mencia, D. Ventura, Vina do Burato, Ribeira Sacra, Spain 2011. $10

Lilac hibiscus flowers
Lilac hibiscus flowers (Alyogyne huegelii ‘Swan River’, Malvaceae), Castro Street.

Farro calamari salad – Workshop Kitchen + Bar

Farro calamari salad - Workshop Kitchen + Bar
Lemon, cucumber, fresh olives, herbs, red wine vinegar, olive oil. $13
Workshop Kitchen + Bar, Palm Springs CA

I enjoyed the firm texture of this salad at first. It was refreshing and different since I rarely eat farro, but it quickly got boring and my jaw began to tire from chewing the farro. I did like the flavors in the salad however. The bright citrus and herbs helped to balance the dull farro.

Morgan McMichaels as Pink

Morgan McMichaels as Pink at Toucans.

Super spicy tuna roll – Sushi Delight

Super spicy tuna roll - Sushi Delight
Spicy tuna, jalapenos and cucumber topped with spicy tuna and tobiko. $11
Sushi Delight, San Francisco CA

I get the feeling that people generally discount Sushi Delight as a legitimate sushi restaurant because it’s attached to The Mint, but I like the place. They serve great tasting sushi at great prices. Yes, their rolls aren’t the most authentic but they’re not purporting to be. Despite what others think of this place, I’m a fan!

Place setting - Sushi Delight
Place setting.

Kilauea roll – Tokkuri Tei

Kilauea roll - Tokkuri Tei
California roll with spicy tuna on top, sweet and sour sauce, tempura flakes. $18
Tokkuri Tei, Honolulu HI

Kilauea is a volcano on the island of Hawaii so they stacked this sushi roll to resemble it – pretty creative. The reddish spicy tuna on top even mimics flowing lava. It tasted pretty good but I’m not sure it was worth eighteen bucks. The spicy tuna had a slimy, squishy texture that I didn’t particularly enjoy.

Light-covered palm trees

Light-covered palm trees, Kapahulu Avenue.

Pimm’s drink cocktail – Chambers Eat + Drink

Pimm's drink cocktail - Chambers Eat + Drink

Pimm’s, gin, lemon, mint, cucumber. $11
Chambers Eat and Drink, San Francisco CA

I was already buzzed when I took this pic so I can’t recall 100% how the cocktail was, lol! I think it was a little on the sour side though. 🙂

Classic red car
Classic red car, 24th Street. I don’t know my cars, but this one caught my eye. It also had SF 49ers flags attached to its windows. Cool!