Baby spinach, radish, tofu, tomato with sesame shoyu dressing. $8.50
Izakaya Takonoki, Honolulu HI
This was ok, nothing special. I actually would have preferred it if the salad came tossed and with smaller pieces of fresh tofu.
House chardonnay. $5.50
Sunset at Waikiki Beach, Oahu.
Broiled mackerel fillet. $6.50
Izakaya Takonoki, Honolulu HI
This tasted good, but I always forget how oily mackerel is before I order, lol! I glad they broiled it pretty well though.
Asahi beer super dry draft. Medium $5.50
Ha’i Mo’olelo (The Storyteller) sculpture, by Shige Yamada, Kalakaua Avenue.
Baked California roll topped with salmon, masago (capelin roe), scallions, spicy mayo and sweet soy glaze. $14
Saru Sushi Bar, San Francisco CA
Mmm, this warm roll was SO delicious! I thought that because it had so many things on it including a spicy mayo and soy glaze that I wouldn’t be able to taste all the ingredients, but I was wrong. You could definitely taste the CA roll and salmon too, yum! I would order this again.
Noe Valley Farmers Market mural, 24th Street. I don’t actually know what this mural is called and I should really figure out who painted it. The mural is located in the parking lot that hosts the Noe Valley Farmers Market on Saturdays. I think it’s absolutely beautiful and it extends on both sides of the parking lot.
Snow crab, avocado, scallop, and masago (capelin roe) wrapped with white soy paper. $12
Saru Sushi Bar, San Francisco CA
This was a new one for me! I’ve never had a roll using soy paper before. It really didn’t taste like anything and the texture was weird, so I don’t think I was a fan. It gives the sushi roll an interesting look, but doesn’t do much in terms of taste. The rest of the roll tasted great though!
Planter with succulent plants, Jersey Street. This building was renovated a couple years back and they’ve filled the planter in front with a few different things already. They originally had horsetails (Equisetum sp., Equisetaceae) in it, and currently they have a beautiful assortment of hardy succulents. I definitely prefer this over the horsetails.
Served with halibut bone, plantain, and black sesame chips. $15
Saru Sushi Bar, San Francisco CA
The halibut tasted very good and looked beautiful! I didn’t really enjoy the other components though. The black sesame chips were super hard and difficult to eat. The fried halibut tails were even harder and almost impossible to chew. And I really don’t remember if there were any plantains on the plate, lol!
Pink edged hens-and-chicks (Echeveria sp., Crassulaceae), Divisadero Street. I think these succuclents are lovely. They come in many colors and often grow with long stems.
Four spoons $12
(left to right) Halibut – halibut tartare with grated lime, yuzu juice and Japanese sea salt. Kanpachi – young yellowtail with truffle oil, ponzu, garlic chips and scallions. Scallop – with cucumber sauce, yuzu and fresh wasabi. Ankimo – seared monkfish liver, spicy radish, scallions with garlic ponzu.
Saru Sushi Bar, San Francisco CA
These little spoonfuls were so fun and delicious, but I think $3 per spoon is a bit much. I do love that they all tasted so differently and had their unique flavors and textures. It’s hard to decide which was my favorite, but I think I’ll have to say it was the kanpachi because it had the most variety of taste and texture. The seared monkfish liver was a nice surprise. They were all very good though!
White yarrow flowers (Achillea millefolium, Asteraceae) mural, Church Street. This large, colorful mural is one of my favorites in the city because it has a botanical theme of course. I also think the little bee is cute, hehe!
Rich taste. Blend of white and red miso base with pork and chicken stock. A slow cooked traditional Japanese style ramen. Topped with beautifully braised pork (cha-shu), nori, “onsen” soft boiled egg and assorted veggies. Home style noodles with imported flour from Hokkaido. $11
Ken Ken Ramen, San Francisco CA
This is what I’m talking about! The miso broth is SO rich and delicious. I love the onsen egg with the runny yolk center and the char siu. More please!
American flag sidewalk stencil, Liberty Street. How appropriate that they should stencil this item on Liberty Street!
Clean and refreshing. Salt base ramen with Japanese yuzu citrus pepper, mizuna greens, pork and chicken stock. A slow cooked traditional Japanese style ramen. Topped with beautifully braised pork (cha-shu), nori, “onsen” soft boiled egg and assorted veggies. Home style noodles with imported flour from Hokkaido. $11
Ken Ken Ramen, San Francisco CA
Um, I’m not sure that I liked this. I always equate ramen with dark, rich, warm, savory, comforting flavors. The yuzu and mizuna gave this soup such a bright citrusy-y flavor that it seemed odd to me for ramen.
Purple bougainvillea flowers (Nyctaginaceae), 24th Street. This is a popular garden plant in San Francisco! We even have a large one in our back yard.
Savory boiled soy beans in shell with homemade citrus salt. $3
Ken Ken Ramen, San Francisco CA
This was new to me – citrus salt with edamame. It was refreshing and tasted great. A little something different to jumpstart the meal.
House red wine – Merlot 2010. Pretty decent house red and very drinkable. $5
Sneakers sidewalk stencil, Guerrero Street. This corner at Liberty Street has several different stencils. Pretty cool.
Standard makimono with tuna, cucumber, and scallop. Happy hour $3 each
Barracuda Sushi, San Francisco CA
Three bucks per roll – score! I also like how they put the “spicy” sauce on top of the scallop roll instead of mixing it with the chopped scallops. Not the best rolls I’ve eaten, but definitely a great value!
Mosaic snake sculpture, 24th and York Street Mini Park. I’m surprised how clean this snake stays considering how many kids must climb it on a daily basis! It look super cool!
3 tacos – lime cured izumidai (tilapia), diced ahi tuna, and ebi with wonton shells. Happy hour $5
Barracuda Sushi, San Francisco CA
Mmm, these were very good. Although the food at Barracuda isn’t traditional Japanese, I do like their flavors, service, and convenience. You really can’t beat their happy hour prices either!
Coit Tower from the Embarcadero. The Lillian Coit Memorial Tower is perched atop Telegraph Hill and was designed by Aurthur Brown Jr. and Henry Howard in an art deco style.
4-piece Japanese pork dumplings with jalapeno ponzu sauce. Happy hour $4
Barracuda Sushi, San Francisco CA
Noms, gyoza are one of my favorites! The warm crispy wrapper and yummy pork filling taste lovey when soaked in the ponzu sauce. Yes, please!
Crazy bishop angel sidewalk stencil, Osage Street. I don’t actually know what this is a stencil of, but it looks cool!
Vittle Monster 