With macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, cornbread, and a fried pickle. $11.99
Brookwood Farms BBQ, Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT)
Again, wow! The restaurants at CLT sure know how to pack your plate at really good values. Twelve bucks wouldn’t get you much at most airports, but this was a whole lotta food! I loved the mac ‘n cheese, and the ribs tasted decent but they had an odd texture. Everything together was maybe a little too salty for my taste.
Shredded seasoned pork, grilled jumbo prawns, and grilled pork served with broken rice and pickled vegetables. $12.50
Vung Tau Restaurant, San Jose CA
This was just ok. I don’t know why I keep getting the Vietnamese shredded pork? I never like it because it’s SO dry and chalky tasting. The grilled pork and prawn were decent, but at $12.50 for a lunch plate I expect it to be of better quality. And the service was SLOW!
Sweet chili fish sauce, gotta love it!
Panda “bear” and bamboo fence mural. This was kinda cute! I like how they incorporated the real bamboo plants behind the fence to created this mural.
Pulled pork with bbq sauce, macaroni and cheese, fried okra, and a roll. $8.79
Speedway Grill & Cafe, Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT)
This was a lot of food considering the price and that it was at an airport. The pork was ok and the bbq sauce didn’t have enough punch for me. I did love the mac ‘n cheese. It had a consistency that reminded me of elementary school cafeteria days, and that’s a good thing! The fried okra were a little dry and over done.
Served with habanero crema. $7
Mission Bowling Club, San Francisco CA
These corn dogs were really good. I liked that the sausages were first grilled before being battered and deep fried. I also enjoyed the ratio of sausage to batter. I’m not a fan of corn dogs that are mostly batter. The pork sausage with fennel tasted great and the batter was also flavorful. The habanero crema was subtle but had a nice habanero flavor and slight heat. The texture was a bit odd.
Mission Bowling Club entrance. At the other end of the front patio there’s a really cool hanging installation that I think is made of many tin disks strung together (if I remember correctly).
Pulled pork torta with refried beans, avocado, queso fresco, onions, mayo, jalapenos and chipotle. Junior size $5.75
La Torta Gorda, San Francisco CA
Mmm, this torta is SO good! You know that I love most things saucy and the pulled pork filling is definitely that. The pressed sandwich is stuffed with so many comforting ingredients and the they also provide a deliciously smokey salsa on the side. The tortas are quite large and I can never finish the junior size in one sitting. That’s perfectly fine with me because I get to save a little bit for later!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Mural above House of Brakes, 24th Street. I remember first seeing this mural during a Mardi Gras parade way back when. I love that it depicts a lively celebration in The Mission.
Smoked, spicy pork and beef beer sausage on a French roll with grilled onions, hot peppers, and curry ketchup. $6
Rosamunde Sausage Grill, San Francisco CA
Wow, this thing is greasy as hell but SO delicious! I’m guessing the grease is mostly from the grilled onions but this is a must-have topping on my sausages. I also love that they have curry ketchup. The sausage itself is super flavorful and grilled to perfection!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Outside tables at Rosamunde, Mission Street. On a bright, sunny day this is the best seat in the house. I just relax, enjoy my food, and watch the eclectic crowd walk by.
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!
Savory muffin with asiago cheese, green onion, Easton sausage, and soft-boiled egg in the center. $7
Craftsman & Wolves, San Francisco CA
This amazing creation by chef William Werner has quickly become one of my favorite breakfast items ever! I swear it tastes like Thanksgiving. The outer coating tastes like a delicious, moist stuffing. This muffin is served room temperature, but I bet it would taste exceptional if warmed up beforehand. I will have to take one home next time and throw it in the oven for a little bit.
The surprise egg with a runny yolk is a beautiful sight to behold! I would normally say that seven dollars is too much to pay for a mere muffin, but it’s super filling and is pretty much a meal in it of itself. Noms!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2013, 2013
Sightglass Coffee, Blueboon blend. $2.50
Everybody raves about Sightglass coffee, but I’m not particularly impressed. The coffee is definitely smooth, but is too weak for my taste.
My baby-girl accompanies me to Dolores Park to enjoy the crisp morning and my Rebel Within, hehe.
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.
Half order with 4 pieces of pork wonton dumplings. $3.25
Au’s Kitchen, San Bruno CA
Why is wonton soup SO comforting?! I love the delicious broth and the wonton dumplings are always fun to eat.
Yellow sunflower (Helianthus annuus, Asteraceae), West Field Road. I’m convinced that the area in front of the SFO Post Office has the best dry-scaping in the city!
Thinly sliced pork (dwegi gui) smothered in spicy chili pepper paste. Served with steamed rice, chap chae (Korean style glass noodles) and vegetables. $6.95
Sorabol, San Bruno CA
This probably wasn’t the best thing to eat after getting a teeth cleaning at the dentist, but I was starving and craving this yummy pork. Sorabol definitely isn’t authentic Korean by any means, but it somehow hits the spot nonetheless.
Stained glass window, San Bruno Bart Station. As you descend onto the station platform on the escalator, look up and witness this colorful stained glass.
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 