Lamb loin and belly – Aziza

Lamb loin and belly - Aziza
Barley, English peas, pea tendrils. $32
Aziza, San Francisco CA

Wow, I loved this. The sauce was especially delicious and the plate was beautiful! The lamb tasted great but it came out more rare than I wanted. I couldn’t eat much of the center of the loin portion.

Concord grape & Manhattan - Aziza
Concord grape cocktail: elderflower, peat smoke, laphroaig, scotch. $12
Manhattan. $9

Falafel deluxe – Truly Mediterranean

Falafel deluxe - Truly Mediterranean
Vegetable burgers topped with salad, eggplant, potatoes, and tahini sauce, seasoned with onions, and served on thin lavash. $7.95
Truly Mediterranean, San Francisco CA

Omg, this was delicious! Their falafels are SO good, and its really fun to watch them make and fry them in-house. This wrap was packed with so many tasty fillings – I want another!

Adana kebab wrapped sandwich – Gyro King

Adana kebab wrapped sandwich - Gryo King
Skewered minced lamb flavored with spice wrapped with lavash bread with tomatoes, mixed greens and tzatziki sauce. Served with French fries. $9.50
Gyro King, San Francisco CA

I liked this. Well, I liked the adana kebab anyway. The lavash was kinda dry so I wish they had put more tzatziki inside. I was also disappointed by the soggy, limp fries..

Adana kebab wrapped sandwich - Gryo King

Lamb shawarma plate – Sunrise Deli

Lamb shawarma plate - Sunrise Deli
Marinated lamb in a ring of hummus with onions, tomatoes and tahini sauce. Served with pita bread. $13
Sunrise Deli, San Francisco CA

Ugh, the lamb was really tough! I liked the hummus and pickled vegetables and the lamb actually had a nice flavor, but after a while my mouth grew tired of chewing the meat.

Sonoma Coast State Park
Sonoma Coast State Park.

Pearl couscous cacciucco – Zare at Fly Trap

Pearl couscous cacciucco - Zare at Fly Trap
Prawns, dungeness crab, baby octopus, calamari, clams, mussels, sumac aioli. $30
Zare at Fly Trap, San Francisco CA

Mmm, this was delicious! I’ve never had the combination of pearl couscous with seafood, but it was great. The seafood was cooked nicely and the texture of the couscous was fun. The bowl was certainly warm and comforting.

Sonoma Coast State Park, Bodega Bay
Sonoma Coast State Park, Bodega Bay.

Grilled stuffed calamari – Zare at Fly Trap

Grilled stuffed calamari - Zare at Fly Trap
Chorizo sausage stuffing, tomatillo emulsion. $13
Zare at Fly Trap, San Francisco CA

I thought that this plate was pretty, but there wasn’t much food on it. It was really just one squid with some different sauces splashed on. Nevertheless, the squid was nicely cooked and tasty.

San Francisco dawn
Another San Francisco dawn from my balcony.

Pistachio meatballs – Zare at Fly Trap

Pistachio meatballs - Zare at Fly Trap
Red harissa, honey, pomegranate. $14
Zare at Fly Trap, San Francisco CA

These were really tasty! The meatball was tender and juicy and I enjoyed the medium texture. I don’t like my meatballs too hard. The delicious sauce was the best part with the Middle Eastern/Mediterranean flavors.

7×7 Magazine’s Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die

Blonde Manhattan cocktail - Zare at Fly Trap
Blonde Manhattan: moonshine, becherovka, cocchi, bitter cube bitters.
Not my favorite…

Trio of hummus – Zare at Fly Trap

Trio of hummus - Zare at Fly Trap
Roasted squash, roasted beet, herbed yogurt. $12
Zare at Fly Trap, San Francisco CA

I have always assumed that hummus has to be made of chickpeas, but apparently I’ve been misguided (or perhaps this restaurant has been liberal in its use of the term). In any case, these spreads were very tasty and so different in their flavors and textures. The pea shoot garnish was also a nice touch.

Crispy lavash - Zare at Fly Trap
Served with crispy lavash.