Black beans, mixed chicories, arbol-strawberry marmalade and dry jack. $12
Padrecito, San Francisco CA
Omg, these tacos were SO delicious! All the ingredients were perfect and it was really pretty to look at. The marmalade and whiskey worked perfectly with the rich duck. I want more – NOMS!
Thimbleberry flower (Rubus parviflorus, Rosaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
Napa cabbage and daikon pickle, apple-soy sauce. $17.50
Nojo, San Francisco CA
I’m a huge fan of duck, and this dish was cooked perfectly! The duck had a great grilled exterior while the meat remained moist and tender. The nice layer of skin fat gave the breast such an amazing flavor. And you can never go wrong with pickling some napa cabbage?!
Ocean Beach, Great Highway.
Housemade mushroom tortellini, rapini, hedgehog mushrooms, truffled sherry sauce, parmesan cheese. $17.95
Bankers Hill, San Diego CA
Both these dishes were really tasty! Unfortunately, we didn’t plan our entrees very well though and weren’t ready for two super heavy and rich dishes. Sorry for the almost indistinguishable pics! 😦
Crispy skin duck confit, andouille sausage, cassoulet, braised collard greens. $19.25
Lady slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum spp., Orchidaceae), Balboa Park Botanical Building.
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
Stir fried with lettuce, bamboo shoot, black fungus, and carrot with a flour tortilla. $9.50
Harbor Village Kitchen, San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Omg, this was just a large greasy pile of crap! The duck was gross and stringy and I still can’t believe they threw in a flour tortilla to accompnay the mu shu pile. That was laughable! Let’s just say I didn’t eat much of this.
“Wind Portal” art installation, Paul Woolford and Ned Kahn, SFO Bart Station.
Shiitake mushrooms, Chinese greens, bacon. Bloomspot 4-course chef’s tasting menu with cocktail pairings for two.
Maven, San Francisco CA
These duck sliders were very rich and delicious! They were on toasted buttery poppyseed egg bun which helped soak up all the yummy juices from the pulled duck. The greens (not quite sure what they actually were) were flavorful, almost on the pungent side. The sliders were on the verge of being too salty from all the rich umami flavors, but I’m glad it didn’t go over the edge.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2014
5 Spot Cocktail: aged rhum, ginger, lime, maple, Thai basil, five spice.
This cocktail had a lot of flavors going on, but they actually all tasted pretty good together. The lime and basil also helped to freshen everything up.
Sauteed spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and crispy tempura fried maki roll in a sweet soy demi-glace. $26.95
Sansei Seafood Restaurant, Waikoloa HI
This tasted ok. Perhaps it was a little on the salty side. And the duck had a spongy texutre and I didn’t enjoy. The plate looked great, but I wish it had blown me away.
Sunset at Anaeho’omalu Bay, Waikoloa.
Pork belly, honey lacquer, shaved apple. Summer prix-fixe menu $38
Tinto, Palm Springs CA
Duck confit, serrano ham, black cherry, la peral spread.
Montaditos are delicious bites on slices of baguette. These were very tasty and had very different flavors. I liked the pork belly montadito a little better, perhaps because the duck montadito was a bit on the salty side.
Pretty flower box, E Tahquitz Canyon Way.
Poached eggs, frisee, endive, five spice cracklings, croutons, sherry vinaigrette. $17
Foreign Cinema, San Francisco CA
Omg, this was SO good and everything was cooked beautifully! The duck was delicious as were the poached eggs. The five spice cracklings were a fun and yummy addition.
I thought it was cool that Foreign Cinema had branded paper towels in their bathroom. So classy, lol!
Coppa, pork shoulder with smoked pimenton and garlic. Bresaola, beef loin cured in juniper, thyme and bordeaux brine. Duck breast, buried in spices 5 days then apple wood smoke. Served with grilled bread, pickled vegetables, and coarse mustard. 3 for $16
Beast and the Hare, San Francisco CA
Now this is what I call a charcuterie plate! SO DELICIOUS!!! All the meats were amazing and the grilled bread, mustard, and pickled veggies really added to the enjoyment of this plate. I’d have to say that the duck breast was my favorite! It was smokey, tender, fatty, and just perfect. NOMS! I definitely have to go back to try some of the other cured meats.
Place setting.
Gentain sage ‘Blue Angel’ flowers (Salvia patens, Lamiaceae), Dolores Street.
Cherry wood smoked duck breast, white stone grits, spinach, peach gastrique. Three course dinner $30
17 North Roadside Kitchen, Mount Pleasant SC
Mmm, this dish was SO delicious! The duck was cooked perfectly and had a yummy smoked flavor. And how can you resist peaches when you’re in South Carolina? I don’t think it’s possible. This plate had some of my favorites things so it was definitely a success!
Fort Moultrie. I thought that the signal tower (on the right) was pretty cool!
Allium, sumac and African blue basil. 4 course dinner $60
McCrady’s Restaurant, Charleston SC
There were so many components to this dish, but all I could think was, “Where’s the bone?” I guess it doesn’t say that the duck is actually served with it, but the “bone” is so prominent on the menu description that I just assumed it would be. Along with the cut of roasted duck breast is a seared tower of duck thighs! I actually preferred the thighs, lol, but the breast was perfectly cooked and very flavorful as well. I enjoyed that they included all parts of the allium prepared in different ways, the grilled bulbs were SO sweet and delicious! The white rice and onion sauce was on the boring side, but the duck reduction(?) was delicious. This dish is one the heavy side, so pace yourself! Hehe.
McCrady’s sign in front of the restaurant. The restaurant entrance is located in a small alley just south of the Market area, don’t miss it!
Vittle Monster 