Cachapa de pollo – Pica Pica

Posted on January 4, 2014 by vicentesf

Cachapa de pollo - Pica Pica
Sweet yellow corn crepe stuffed with grilled chicken, black bean spread, tomato, queso fresco, Guasacaca sauce, served with ensalada Caracas and black beans. $15
Pica Pica, San Francisco CA

The cachapa was pretty large and I couldn’t finish it all, but I had fun trying. The corn crepe was interesting – I thought it would be thinner. The grilled chicken was good, but I wish that they had melted the cheese. I think the different house sauces that they have at the table were delicious and ended up dousing the cachapa in them. Noms!

La Chiffonniere

La Chiffonniere statue, 1978, Jean Dubuffet, Justin Herman Plaza.

Chilaquiles – Luna Park

Posted on September 24, 2013 by vicentesf

Chilaquiles - Luna Park
Tortilla chips, eggs, beans, queso fresco, salsa fresca. $13.95
Luna Park, San Francisco CA

There was certainly a lot of food on this plate! I just wish it tasted a little better. The sauce was on the bland side and the eggs were on the verge of being overcooked. It’s a great value, but probably one I wouldn’t order again.

Redwood tree trunks, Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

Chilaquiles – Solaire Restaurant + Bar

Posted on August 19, 2013 by vicentesf

Chilaquiles - Solaire Restaurant + Bar
Salsa, tortillas, Rio Zape beans, queso fresco and fried Glaum eggs. $12
Solaire Restaurant + Bar, Santa Cruz CA

This dish was lame. The sauce covering the tortilla chips was cold and the tortillas were way too soggy. The Rio Zape beans were bland and boring, and the eggs were overcooked and dry.

Coffee - Solaire Restaurant + Bar
Freshly brewed coffee. $3

Mixed redwood forest at The Mystery Spot.

Grilled shutome – Roy’s

Posted on March 18, 2013 by vicentesf

Grilled shutome - Roy's
Catch of the day (broadbrill swordfish) with vegetable tempura, black bean and corn salsa, queso fresco (?).
Roy’s, Waikoloa HI

This was a pretty thick cut of swordfish, yeah! I appreciated their straighforward preparation and clean plating.

Waikoloa's crisp pork potstickers - Roy's
Waikoloa’s crisp pork potstickers. Spicy peany curry sauce and Thai aromatics. $9.50
Sorry for the horrible pic, but it really didn’t taste that great anyway. 😦

White frangipani flowers (Plumeria obtusa, Apocynaceae), Ali’i Drive.

Chorizo sausage scramble – Portage Bay Cafe

Posted on February 1, 2013 by vicentesf

Chorizo sausage scramble - Portage Bay Cafe
House-made chorizo sauasage, organic bell peppers and tomatoes scrambled with three eggs and topped with queso fresco, sour cream, homemade slasa and fresh green onion. Served with a warmed flour tortilla instead of toast. $14
Portage Bay Cafe, Seattle WA

This place was packed with a line out the door! Thank goodness we had reservations. I don’t completely agree why this place is super popular though. I get that they use fresh, mostly healthy ingredients but their preparations aren’t anything special. I expected a little bit more considering their shear popularity. The food was good, but I thought it was overpriced for what it was. And the service was random and slow at times.

Coffee - Portage Bay Cafe
Coffee.

Pike Place Public Market sign at the corner of Pine and Pike.

El Salvadorian style chorizo eggs scramble – The WestWood

Posted on December 12, 2012 by vicentesf

El Salvadorian style chorizo eggs scramble - The WestWood
With queso fresco, green onions, and home fries. $11
The WestWood, San Francisco CA

Not sure what made this dish El Salvadorian style, but it tasted decent. Perhaps adding queso fresco and chorizo? The home fries were cook beautifully though and oh so flavorful!

King palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, Arecaeae)

King palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, Arecaeae), 16th Street. The long inflorescence strands spraying laterally from the trunk is always cool to see!

Sopa de tortilla – Chilango

Posted on August 20, 2012 by vicentesf

Sopa de tortilla - Chilango
Traditional Mexican tortilla soup with chicken broth, chicken, avocado, potato, carrot, celery, and queso fresco. Lunch pre fixe (prifex fijo) $15
Chilango, San Francisco CA

Tortilla soup is SO warm and comforting. I’d venture to say even more so than regular chicken noodle soup. It definitely has more flavor! Often times, this soup is made way too salty, but Chilango’s version is perfect. You get all the comfort and flavor that you’re looking for without the salt overload.

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

The Women's Building

The Women’s Building with murals, 18th Street. The programs in this building help prepare women and girls to lead a productive and fulfilling life in society. They’ve been in this space since 1979.

Pierna enchilada torta – La Torta Gorda

Posted on August 19, 2012 by vicentesf

Pierna enchilada torta - La Torta Gorda
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.

Huevos motulenos – The Little Chihuahua

Posted on July 11, 2012 by vicentesf

Huevos motulenos - The Little Chihuahua
Two eggs cooked over easy on top of crispy corn tostadas, refried black beans, Royal ham, smothered with their fresh ranchero sauce and queso fresco with a side of Mexican potatoes. $9.50
The Little Chihuahua, San Francisco

Huevos motulenos - The Little Chihuahua
Omg, there was so much food on this plate – definitely a great value that also tasted great! I was surprised by the thickness and size of the ham, honestly. Way too much food for me to finish. The potatoes were also tasty.

Mesa yellow blanket flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora, Asteraceae), Dolores Street. I’m not a big fan of yellow flowers, but I did like the silvery leaves of this ornamental.

Peruvian empanada – Pisco Latin Lounge

Posted on February 11, 2012 by vicentesf

Grilled chicken, queso fresco, aji huacatay. $3
Pisco Latin Lounge, San Francisco

This tasted amazing and I loved the aji dipping sauce. The empanada was nice and crispy/chewy on the outside and the chicken and queso were so flavorful. And for only $3 each, you can’t go wrong!

Chilaquiles with scrambled eggs – Cheeky’s

Posted on January 17, 2012 by vicentesf

Project 365: Day 11

Ok, so I’ve failed! I didn’t get this post out yesterday, but you know what? I’m still gonna move forward with my Project 365. We ended up partying a little too hard at Toucan’s last night so I completely forgot to post this, but I’ve noticed that some people post on a weekly basis. At least I’m only a day late.

We had a pretty full day yesterday. Had brunch at Cheeky’s, then went shopping at the Cabazon outlets (bought a couple cute t-shirts), had tacos at Crazy Coyote tacos, then happy hour drinks and food at The Tropicale, then more drinks and played trivia at Toucan’s. The last couple times I’ve been at Toucan’s, I’ve run into old friends. Previously it was old Seattle friends who now live in Los Angeles, and last night I ran into MT from San Francisco. Fun! He seemed very happy!

Palm Springs weekends always fly by way too quickly! 😦

Chilaquiles with scrambled eggs Cheeky's

Fried tortilla chips in a sauce made with homemade chorizo, tomatillo, sliced red onions, queso fresco and cilantro. $10. Scrambled eggs $2 extra.
Cheeky’s, Palm Springs CA

Cheeky’s is currently my favorite brunch spot in Palm Springs. Next time we’re down, we’re gonna try Jake’s next door. I must say that I’m not very impressed with the overall food scene in Palm Springs, but the food at Cheeky’s is consistently good. The service is friendly and there’s always great people watching. And I LOVE their bacon flight (post to come). The chilaquiles were pretty good. I liked the chorizo and the tomatillo was a nice surprise. I’m used to chilaquiles having a red sauce. Overall, the plate was bright and fresh. Just want I needed after the previous day’s debacle at Pinocchio. My only complaint is that some of the tortilla chips were very over-fried.

Water.

Huarache de nopales – El Huarache Loco

Posted on January 7, 2012 by vicentesf

Project 365: Day 3

Today has been a full day so far! I took my Baby-girl out for a walk at Fort Funston with Silverfox. She had a great time running around in the dunes and smelling everything in sight, even other dogs’ butts! We finally made it to the Alemany Farmers’ Market for the first time where we ate the huarache pictured below. That place was a mad house! But it’s so great to see such a diverse crowd gathering at these San Francisco Farmers’ Markets.

Huarache is the signature dish of this particular booth at the Alemany Farmers’ Market. Huarache literally translates as sandal. They attribute this to the shape of the organic oval tortilla which is stuffed with homemade pinto beans before grilled. I order it topped with nopales, a cactus salad. It’s served with sour cream, queso fresco cheese, cilantro, onions, and salsa. $6.75
El Huarache Loco, San Francisco

Who knew that dogs aren’t allowed at this open air Farmers’ Market, unless their service dogs? The security girl who confronted me was nice enough to give me a pass by implying that one of her tags was a service dog tag. I played dumb and said I didn’t know because I was only watching her for a friend. Thanks nice lady!

El Huarache Loco is a crazy busy booth! I guess everyone knows that their huaraches are frickin’ delicious! The cactus salad huarache was awesome! I’ve never really had cactus as a main topping (only as a garnish I think), but I was surprised at how good it was. It kinda tasted like pickled jalapenos with a little slimier texture. The tortilla had a great hearty texture and it was topped with everything – nice and messy!

I’m feeling a little better today, but still not 100%. I couldn’t stay in again, though, so that’s why we decided to take Baby-girl to the beach. Also hit the gym afterward because I was starting to feel disgusting. I couldn’t do everything I wanted, but it was still a good workout considering my lingering sickness.

Ok, signing off!