Tag Archives: garlic

The Little Star – Little Star Pizza

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The Little Star Pizza

Spinach blended with ricotta and feta, mushroom, onion and garlic on a deep dish cornmeal crust.  $24 for large 12″
Little Star Pizza, San Francisco

This is my first Little Star Pizza blog entry, but I’ve been eating at this place and ordering pick-ups for a while!  I love their pizzas!  They are still my favorite deep dish pizza in The City.  I love their thick, buttery cornmeal crust.  YUM!  All their toppings always taste fresh and flavorful, and I enjoy their chunky tomato sauce.  I’m not a big eater so one slice is usually enough for a meal, they’re kinda large.

The Little Star Pizza

I cheated and added anchovies to half the pizza. That’s the Filipino in me, lol!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Kamikaze roll – Tokyo Go-Go

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Kamikaze roll Tokyo Go-Go

Spicy tuna, albacore, asparagus, scallion, and garlic ponzu.  $12.95
Tokyo Go-Go, San Francisco

I wasn’t blown away by this roll.  The spicy tuna wasn’t spicy enough for my taste.  Compared to the Azteca roll, this barely had any heat.  Everything just blended together so the flavors got muddled.  I couldn’t taste the garlic ponzu at all.  I’m not saying that this roll tasted bad, but the ingredients list was so appetizing that I expected more.

Garlic dungeness crab – Anchor Oyster Bar

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Garlic dungeness crab Anchor Oyster Bar

Pan roasted 1/2 dungeness crab with sliced garlic, sprigs of thyme, parsley, lemon and LOTS of butter.
Anchor Oyster Bar, San Francisco

This was actually a special they had that night, and I was in absolute heaven!  The crab was fresh and tasted amazing!  I squeezed most of the lemon onto the dish and it added even more flavor and brightened up the garlicky butter sauce.  It was no easy feat extracting all the flesh from the crab, but I did a pretty good job.  I didn’t want any of that soft, tender crab meat to go to waste.  As you will see, I don’t mind getting messy and eating with my hands – I am Filipino, lol!  This dish was so comforting and I used the table sourdough bread to soak up all the butter sauce.  Thank goodness I live in San Francisco.  We get our fair share of amazing crab!

Chardonnay Anchor Oyster Bar

Mezza Corona Chardonnay 2009, Italy

I didn’t like this white wine very much.  I rated it 3.3/10 on the Wine Notes app on my phone.  But dinner always tastes better with a glass of wine, mediocre or not…

"3 cups" chicken clay pot – Shanghai Dumpling King

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3 cups chicken clay pot Shanghai Dumpling King

Chicken thigh pieces with sliced onions, mushrooms, green onions, ginger, garlic, and star anise. $6.95
Shanghai Dumpling King, San Francisco

I was surprised at how much this clay pot tasted like Filipino chicken adobo, just less vinegary and with more ingredients. I think the addition of mushrooms and star anise made it more earthy, resulting in a more Chinese flavor. This dish was super hearty and very delicious! I personally love clay pots because they tend to be saucy and pair perfectly with steamed rice to soak up all the yummy juices. This is definitely going on my “Re-order” list!

Tocilog – Kuya’s Asian Cuisine

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Tocilog Kuya's Asian Cuisine

Sweet marinated pork tocino with garlic fried rice and eggs over medium. The rice is garnished with more fried garlic pieces and chopped scallions. Cucumber and tomato slices are thrown in for good measure.
Kuya’s Asian Cuisine, San Bruno CA

This is a classic Filipino breakfast! Tocilog comes from combining the Filipino words for sweet marinated pork (tocino) and egg (itlog). We didn’t have tocino very often growing up, but it was one of my favorite breakfast items along with longanisa. Probably because they are both so flavorful and fatty, a common thread in Filipino food, lol! I have to say that Kuya’s tocina was a bit on the hard and dry side for me, but it still tasted great. There are some amazing flavors in this dish: the sweet and salty from the tocino and the intense garlic from the fried rice. The runny egg (and you have to order it runny!) blends everything together. So familiar, so delicious!

Gambas al ajillo – Esperpento

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Garlic shrimp Esperpento
Shrimp sauteed in olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes.
Esperpento, San Francisco

When you order gambas al ajillo at any Spanish restaurant, make sure they bring you plenty of bread to soak up that delicious, garlicky oil. I actually used the lemon this time around and it freshened up the olive oil in a wonderful way. This dish acts as my equalizer to compare tapas restaurants, and Esperpento did a pretty good job.  The quality of the shrimp wasn’t the best, but the flavors were great! I always like when the shrimp tails are still attached because it adds flavor and it’s fun to use my hands – so good job Esperpento.

Sangria Esperpento
Sangria is mandatory when eating tapas! Ok, maybe not but I’m never gonna turn down the opportunity to order some. Esperpento’s wasn’t overly sweet, very drinkable.

Ropa vieja – Esperpento

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Beef chicken chorizo stew Esperpento
Beef, chicken and chorizo stew with onions, green and red bell peppers, chick peas, garlic, and garnished with chopped parsley.
Esperpento, San Francisco

The combination of all 3 proteins makes this a very hearty stew, but not too heavy.  Spanish chorizo tends to enough saltiness to a dish so be light handed on the salt when preparing something like this at home.  The parsley was a nice touch to add brightness and a fresh flavor. Great comforting dish and bursting with flavor.