Tag Archives: food

Chitarra bachata – Roxy’s Cafe

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Chitarra bachata - Roxy's Cafe
Sweet plantain chitarra noodles, chorizo and fresh farm hen egg sauce, cheese and flower garnish. 10-course chef’s tasting menu $75
Roxy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA

I guess that chitarra is a type of pasta cutter and not a Thundercat (I learn something new every day!), so these were definitely homemade noodles. The noodles had an interesting, soft texture that I quite enjoyed and the chorizo was delicious. I thought this was very inventive, but what do I know… 🙂

Japanese vases
Japanese vases, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Crawfish and bacon poutine – Fins on the Hoof

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Crawfish and bacon poutine - Fins on the Hoof
Fresh cut fries, crawfish and house-cured bacon gravy, cheese curds, peas, spring onions. $10
Fins on the Hoof, San Francisco CA

Omg, this was delicious! The fries were crispy and well-cooked and the toppings were amazing. This had so much flavor and I initially thought that it would be super heavy and gross, but it actually wasn’t! The large fluffy cheese curds along with the peas and scallions helped to break up the fried ingredients and gravy. It was a great well-balanced poutine. I want some more!

Fins on the Hoof

Fins on the Hoof
Fins on the Hoof food truck.

Lobster bisque – Curbside Cafe

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Lobster bisque - Curbside Cafe
Soup du jour. Chef Special (soup + entree) $18
Curbside Cafe, San Francisco CA

I didn’t like the color of this lobster bisque, but it was packed with great lobster/seafood flavor! I think it looked more like split pea soup, but I guess it doesn’t matter if it tasted was amazing as it did. 🙂

Dutch crunch bread - Curbside Cafe
Dutch crunch bread. Complimentary
I rarely see this kind of bread served at restaurants as their table bread. In San Francisco, they usually serve sourdough, a baguette, or some other local artisanal variety. I liked that Curbside Cafe switched it up!

Legion of Honor
California Palace of the Legion of Honor courtyard.

Long cooked pork – Nopa

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Long cooked pork - Nopa
Fresh shelling beans, roasted corn, tomato confit and skillet bread. $15
Nopa, San Francisco CA

This was a very hearty, filling dish and it was tasty! It would be great as a hangover cure, lol. I could easily see this served as a lunch or dinner item too. All the ingredients were delicious and the pork was tender and flavorful. There could have been more of it though. The portion was a bit on the small side.

Blooming aloe

Blooming aloe, West Field Road.

Ciopinno – Cafe Renzo

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Ciopinno - Cafe Renzo
Clams, mussels, calamari, prawns and fresh fish sautéed in a tomato garlic broth. $23
Cafe Renzo, Palo Alto CA

Meh, this was ok. Definitely not the best ciopinno I’ve had. The sauce was a bit salty and some of the seafood were overcooked, but the flavors were there. I wasn’t feeling the love from this seafood stew though.

Dinner roll - Cafe Renzo
Dinner roll. Complimentary

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Pigeon Point Lighthouse.

Tagliatelle – Roxy’s Cafe

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Tagliatelle - Roxy's Cafe
Peas, cheese, pancetta brown butter. 10-course chef’s tasting menu $75
Roxy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA

Omg, this was amazing! I loved that it had both a pea puree and whole peas. The pancetta added a wonderful smokiness, and the noodles had a beautiful texture. Noms!

White wine - Roxy's Cafe

House white wine.

de Young Museum
Modern art at the de Young Museum.

Nola frites – Nola

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Nola frites - Nola
Crispy fried russet and sweet potatoes, fried okra, zucchini sticks, cool ranch, spicy ketchup, bbq sauce. Happy hour $6
Nola, Palo Alto CA

When we saw that this was only six bucks on the menu, we assumed that it was gonna be a small sampler plate. OMG, this bowl was packed with food! I think my heart is constricting just remembering it. I was actually surprised at how well everything was fried though. Nothing was really greasy or limp, and everything tasted pretty good! Well done, Nola.

Lindley's varied lupine
Lindley’s varied lupine (Lupinus variicolor, Fabaceae), Pigeon Point.

Fresh mozzarella and tomato – Curbside Cafe

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Fresh mozzarella and tomato - Curbside Cafe
With basil and olive oil. $10
Curbside Cafe, San Francisco CA

Mmm, this was so tasty! I love simple and beautiful dishes like this. It’s all about the wonderful ingredients because there’s no fancy preparation or a million ingredients to distract you. Curbside did a great job with this plate!

Hunters Point Open Studios
An artist’s studio at Hunters Point Open Studios.

Brunch cocktails – Nopa

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Brunch cocktails - Nopa

Ukiah 75: Germain-Robin brandy, honey, lemon, Gloria Ferrer sparkling wine. $10
Haiku II: Hibiki whiskey, amaro Montenegro, fresh squeezed lemon juice. $11
Nopa, San Francisco CA

These cocktails were delicious and a wonderful way to begin our lovely brunch at Nopa. This place is POPULAR so be prepared to wait if you don’t have a reservation. We came early to get on the list, and luckily I think someone cancelled so we got seated at the end of the first seating. The bad part was that by that point, the kitchen was slammed with all the orders so it took a long time to actually get food. Thank goodness for cocktails!

Rodin's The Thinker
Rodin’s The Thinker cast, California Palace of the Legion of Honor.

Tagliolini mare e monte – Cafe Renzo

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Tagliolini mare e monte - Cafe Renzo
Homemade tagliolini noodles served with chanterelle mushrooms, tiger prawns, asparagus, parmesan in a light white wine garlic sauce. $19
Cafe Renzo, Palo Alto CA

Ugh, where were the chanterelles?! Either they completely forgot to add them or they slyly substituted a bunch of asparagus (which wasn’t indicated in the menu) instead. In either case, that was LAME! Overall, this was just ok anyway. The prawns were on the verge of being tough and the sauce wasn’t all that exciting.

Pacific starflower
Pacific starflower (Trientalis latifolia, Myrsinaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

Lobster gazpacho – Roxy’s Cafe

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Lobster gazpacho - Roxy's Cafe
Heirloom tomato, corn, cucumber, green onion. 10-course chef’s tasting menu $75
Roxy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA

This soup was really delicious! There wasn’t much lobster, just the small pieces on top but they were beautifully cooked and so tasty. I loved the rich, comforting flavor of the soup especially with the extra flavorful, cooked scallions.

View of Twin Peaks
View of Twin Peaks and Sutro Tower from Noe Valley.

Southern empanadas – Nola

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Southern empanadas - Nola
Ground chuck, holy trinity, manchego, cotija and oaxacan cheeses, bbq sauce, salsa fresca, bbq cream sauce. Happy hour $5
Nola, Palo Alto CA

Omg, these were two large empanadas for only five bucks! Now that’s a great value. These were definitely filling and you could probably make an entire meal of these. I loved all the flavors and it was pretty tasty, but the empanada dough was on the thick side and slightly undercooked in parts.

Purisima Creek Redwoods
Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.