Tag Archives: food

Fried arancini – Ragazza

Posted on by
7

Fried arancini - Ragazza
With smoked mozzarella and sun-dried tomato pesto. Banquet-style dinner
Ragazza, San Francisco CA

We came here for a friend’s birthday celebration and sat in the cool white tent located in the back patio. We had a great time with amazing friends and, of course, the food was fabulous. These arancini were delicious and perfectly cooked (not greasy at all!). The smoked mozzarella inside the fried risotto ball was gooey and flavorful, and the accompanying meat sauce was wonderful too.

Cowboy statue
I really liked this (tacky) cowboy statue at the de Young Museum, hehe! Hey, it has lots of movement! 🙂

Faith’s warm ham and cheese toast – Town Hall

Posted on by
3

Faith's warm ham and cheese toast - Town Hall
Poached egg, jalapeno cream. $14
Town Hall, San Francisco CA

Omg, this appetizer was a meal by itself! And a delicious one at that, but you certainly can’t have more food after this dish. It’s super heavy and filled with fatty goodness. You are not warned on the menu, but it also comes with 3 jalapeno poppers, lol! The jalapeno cream sauce is frickin’ delicious and the poached egg is great after it’s broken and mixes with the cream sauce. This dish is like a fancy croque madame gone crazy! (But a good kinda crazy.) Noms!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2013

San Francisco home

Beautiful San Francisco home, The Castro.

Painted Hills top sirloin and pork belly – Roxy’s Cafe

Posted on by
4

Painted Hills top sirloin and pork belly - Roxy's Cafe
House cured bacon, sprouted beans, red pepper, okra. 10-course chef’s tasting menu $75
Roxy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA

Aside from the beautifully cooked and delicious proteins on this plate, the sprouted beans were my favorite part! I’d never had them before, and they had a wonderful texture and tasted great! I will say that my cut of beef had a lot of connective tissue, so while it was still tasty, I really couldn’t cut through it very easily. Lame.

Weathered mailboxes
Weathered mailboxes, The Castro.

Cadillac margarita – El Torito

Posted on by
2

Cadillac margarita - El Torito
Made with premium 1800 Reposado, triple sec and sweet and sour, hand-shaken and served on-the-rocks with a side shot of Cointreau Noir. $8.29
El Torito, Burlingame CA

El Torito is a local chain so I was skeptical that they would make a decent margarita because most chains serve really bad cocktails. They’re usually way too sweet and have very little alcohol. I was pleasantly surprised that this margarita actually tasted good. And the extra Cointreau shot really sneaks up on you, lol! Yay!

San Francisco Bay
Looking out towards SFO and the San Francisco Bay from Millbrae.

Seared salmon filet – Curbside Cafe

Posted on by
3

Seared salmon filet - Curbside Cafe
With Curbside orange salsa, served with mashed potatoes and sauteed rainbow kale. Chef Special (soup + entree) $20
Curbside Cafe, San Francisco CA

I tend to steer clear of pan seared salmon at restaurants because, more often than not, they come out dry and disgusting. This was surprising moist and juicy so I was happy. The potatoes were silky and lovely and the orange salsa was packed with flavor. Pretty yummy!

Francis Scott Key Monument
Francis Scott Key Monument, Golden Gate Park.

Butter basted eggs – Nopa

Posted on by
4

Butter basted eggs - Nopa
Broccoli de ciccio, green beans, soft polenta and parmesan. $14
Nopa, San Francisco CA

This was pretty tasty and I loved the smoky flavor of the roasted broccoli, but there really wasn’t much food in this little bowl. I was still hungry after eating this especially after the wait to get seated and then to receive the actual food. Perhaps they could considering adding a bit more food in the future because this wasn’t very satisfying.

Red-tipped echeveria

Red-tipped echeveria (Crassulaceae), West Field Road.

Cocktails – Town Hall

Posted on by
Reply

Haze on Howard - Town Hall
Haze on Howard: Belvedere Vodka, ginger liqueur, vermouth, blackberries, lime. $12
Town Hall, San Francisco CA

Oooo, I was excited to visit Town Hall for the first time since living in SF. I can’t believe I’d never been here before. These cocktails were pretty tasty. The Haze on Howard was refreshing and bright, while the Vieux Carre was on the stronger, harder side. The first time I had a Vieux Carre was at Jardiniere and since I’m totally loving whiskies these days, this is becoming a favorite of mine.

Vieux Carre cocktail - Town Hall
Vieux Carre: Inventeed by Walter Bergeron, The Carousel Bar, 1938. Redemption rye, Henessey, Dolin sweet vermouth, benedictine, peychaud and angostora bitters. $10

Diane and Alfred Wilsey Court

The Diane and Alfred Wilsey Court, de Young Museum.

Andean gnocchi – Roxy’s Cafe

Posted on by
Reply

Andean gnocchi - Roxy's Cafe
Yucca dumplings in mushroom medley, locatelli, homemade garlic truffle oil. 10-course chef’s tasting menu $75
Roxy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA

Yucca gnocchi?! This was pretty cool and the gnocchi tasted great. I was afraid that the texture was gonna be off, but it was very similar to that of traditional gnocchi. The mushrooms rocked and the garlic truffle oil brought everything together. Mmm…

Golden Gate Bridge
View of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin headlands, Land’s End.

Salami pizza – Del Popolo

Posted on by
13

Salami pizza - Del Popolo
Tomato, mozzarella, basil, sweet peppers. $14
Del Popolo, San Francisco CA

This food truck is pretty cool because it’s over a story tall and they literally have a pizza oven conveyor belt in there! It’s super popular and the pizzas are pretty good, but honestly I’m not a fan of the brunt, blistered crusts. For me, the ash taste is overwhelming and pretty much contaminates the rest of the pizza’s flavor. I guess I’m one of the few who doesn’t like it that way.

Del Popolo food truck
Line for the Del Popolo food truck, Picnic at the Presidio.

Free range half chicken – Curbside Cafe

Posted on by
2

Free range half chicken - Curbside Cafe
With tarragon white wine cream sauce, served with “Gratin Dauphinois” and sauteed spinach. Chef Special (soup + entree) $18
Curbside Cafe, San Francisco CA

This was such a delicious dish at a great value! I was surprised at how moist, tender, and flavorful the chicken was. I was a little skeptical of this restaurant at first, but they really delivered on the food. The gratin dauphinois was super rich and creamy (as it should be) and the cream sauce was perfect for the chicken. This plate was definitely tasty and prepared wonderfully.

Coulter's Matilija poppy
Coulter’s Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri, Papaveraceae), Land’s End.

Custard French toast – Nopa

Posted on by
9

Custard French toast - Nopa
Strawberries and honey-lemon butter, maple syrup. Half order $7
Nopa, San Francisco CA

Oh my effing god! This was probably the best French toast I’ve ever had. Sometimes I don’t really agree with the food items on the 7×7 Big Eat list, but this was frickin’ amazing! And I’m not even a French toast/pancake kinda guy! I wish I had taken a photo in cross-section because it was the interior texture that truly made this dish. The inside of the French toast was so silky and custard-y, and oh so delicious. I would brave the ridiculous brunch line again for this dish! NOMS!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2012, 2014

Alamo Square Park
View of downtown SF during sunset from Alamo Square Park.

Gazpacho – The Whole Beast

Posted on by
3

Gazpacho - The Whole Beast
Mmm, this was pretty refreshing on a warm Sunday morning at Picnic in the Presidio, and Off The Grid weekly event. It had good flavor and I liked the texture of it too.
The Whole Beast, San Francisco CA

Bloody mary - Picnic in the Presidio

Bloody mary – Picnic in the Presidio stand. It could have been a little stronger, but hey, it was still morning. 🙂 I did like that they used paper straws!

Picnic in the Presidio
As it approaches noon, the crowd increases at Picnic in the Presidio.