Ham and gruyere croissant – Coffee Mission

Ham and gruyere croissant - Coffee Mission
Coffee Mission, San Francisco CA

This croissant was really good (and big!). I loved the flaky, buttery croissant and the yummy ham and cheese filling.

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Pastrami reuben and French onion soup – Savour

Pastrami reuben and French onion soup - Savour
Pastrami, choucroute au champagne, gruyere, Thousand Island dressing and greens grilled on a ciabatta. Half sandwich and soup $9
Savour, Seattle WA

Mmm, this was a great tasty lunch for under ten bucks! The pastrami reuben was delicious and the choucroute au champagne was a nice twist. The French onion soup was also yummy and perfect for the cold day.

Elliott Bay
Elliott Bay from Olympic Sculpture Park.

Croque Italienne – Patisserie Valerie

Croque Italienne - Patisserie Valerie
Grilled granary bread sandwich filled with prosciutto ham, mozzarella and topped with sundried tomatoes, black olives and gruyere bechamel. Servied with a salad garnish. £6.70
Patisserie Valerie, London ENGLAND

This was a great variation on the a croque sandwich. I think it was the combination of the crispy granary bread and the “Italian” toppings covered in gruyere bechamel, all broiled to bubbly perfection that made this dish delightfully interesting. Noms! And the “salad garnish” was more substantial than I expected, score!

Raspyberry Heaven smoothie and OJ - Patisserie Valerie
Raspberry Heaven smoothie: raspberry, blueberry, mango and apple. £4.05
Freshly squeezed orange juice. £3.05

Monument of the Great Fire of London view

View from the top of the Monument of the Great Fire of London, including the 30 St Mary Axe building (the Gherkin).

Provencale galette – Breizh Cafe

Provencale galette - Breizh Cafe
Onion confit in cider, tomatoes, ham, anchovies, raw milk gruyere cheese, sunny side up egg, herbes de Provence. Galette made with organic buckwheat from Brittany and local eggs. 12,50€
Breizh Cafe, Paris FR

Wow, this galette had a combination of some of my favorite things! And it just looked SO scrumptious and beautiful. I definitely enjoyed devouring this delicious packet of food. NOMS!

Biere blanche Lancelot - Breizh Cafe
Biere blanche Lancelot. La bout 33 cl 6€

Caramels - Breizh Cafe

Caramels. Complimentary with check

Jardin du Luxembourg
Jardin du Luxembourg. I really loved the combination of flowers that they used throughout the gardens. They were an eclectic mix of unrelated plant families, but they looked beautifully together in both form and color!

Bretonne galette – Breizh Cafe

Bretonne galette - Breizh Cafe
Sauteed mushrooms, gruyere cheese, scrambled egg, bacon, farmhouse creme fraiche from Bordier Creamery, espelette pepper. Galette made with organic buckwheat from Brittany and local eggs. 12,50€
Breizh Cafe, Paris FR

Mmm, I really loved these buckwheat galettes! They were nutty tasting and perfectly cooked and the ingredients were of high quality and delicious. They weren’t overly huge so we were actually able to finish them. To stay with the regional theme, we also ordered Bretonne beer. Perfect! 🙂

Biere blonde Lancelot - Breizh Cafe
Biere blonde Lancelot (Roc-St-Andre). La bout 33 cl 6€

Jardin du Luxembourg gardeners
Jardin du Luxembourg. These gardens are absolutely beautiful and immaculately kept. During our visit, there seemed to be an army of gardeners edging paths and cleaning brush. There were even these guys who were just pulling out dead flowers from all the flower planters, amazing!

The bacon-beef burger – Hi Tops

The bacon-beef burger - Hi Tops
Aioli, onion jam, wild arugula, gruyere served with fries. $12
Hi Tops, San Francisco CA

This burger was juicy and delicious. I loved all the different toppings on this burger and the patty was really flavorful too. NOMS!

The bacon-beef burger - Hi Tops
February 1, 2015.

Bourbon lemonade - Hi Tops

Intimidator cocktail: Four roses, angostura, ginger beer, agave, lemon.

Colorfully bedazzled fair-goer

Colorfully bedazzled fair-goer, SF Pride 2013.

Croque madame – Solaire Restaurant + Bar

Croque madame - Solaire Restaurant + Bar
Smoked ham, gruyere, fried Glaum eggs and mornay sauce served with breakfast potatoes. $15
Solaire Restaurant + Bar, Santa Cruz CA

This croque madame tasted ok – nothing special. But I will say that it was HUGE if that turns you on. The ham looked like cheap deli slices so I wish they had used better ingredients. The mornay sauce was on the cheesier side, but the potatoes were great with lots of flavor.

Ketchup - Solaire Restaurant + Bar
Ketchup.

Orange-yellow hibiscus flower
Orange-yellow hibiscus flower (Malvaceae), The Mystery Spot.

Croque madame – L’appart Resto

Croque madame - L'appart Resto
Ham, bechamel and gruyere on Panarma brioche topped with an egg served with mixed greens. $10
L’appart Resto, San Anselmo CA

This dish had some good flavors, but it was super dry! I love my croque madames with plenty of bechamel sauce and gooey cheese that oozes from the middle. The brioche on this croque madame was really dried out and there wasn’t enough moisture from elsewhere to help save the dish. Even the sunny side up egg wasn’t enough to soak some life into this dish.

Bon Tempe Lake
Bon Tempe Lake, Marin County.

Assorted pastries – Honore Artisan Bakery

Assorted pastries - Honore Artisan Bakery
(Clockwise) Butter croissant, rhubarb danish, onion gruyere thyme pastries, kouign amanns, gougeres, pear tartlettes.
Honore Artisan Bakery, Seattle WA

Omg, this box was heaven! I tried a little bit of everything and each seemed tastier than the previous. I don’t think I could choose a favorite; they were all good. What a marvelous bakery with delicious creations for us common folk!

Sunset on the Puget Sound
Approaching sunset on the Puget Sound, West Seattle.

Mushroom bruschetta – Grub

Mushroom bruschetta - Grub
Pastrami spiced, gruyere cheese, sauerkraut, 1000 island. $10
Grub, San Francisco CA

The ingredients of this bruschetta looked so odd together that I had to try it. Omg, it actually tasted really good! I’m not even a sauerkraut fan, or a 1000 island dressing fan for that matter, but they somehow all worked great together. Mmm!

Random face sidewalk stencil
Random face sidewalk stencil, 16th Street.

Croque madame – Cafe Chloe

Croque madame - Cafe Chloe
French ham and gruyere with sunny egg and mornay sauce on toasted bread, mixed greens and roasted tomato. $13.75
Cafe Chloe, San Diego CA

Omg, this was amazingly delicious! I’ve had quite a few croque madames in my life and this was one of the better ones. It was flavorful, saucy, fatty, rich, and fabulous! Great job Cafe Chloe.

California Tower

View of the California Tower of the Museum of Man from Alcazar Garden, Balboa Park.