Chicken tikka & lamb curry thali plate – Kasa Indian Eatery

Chicken tikka & lamb curry thali plate - Kasa Indian Eatery
Char-grilled and marinated naturally-raised chicken. Saucy grass-fed lamb and potatoes. A homestyle Indian platter with one or two of the dishes listed below, roti (handmade bread), slow-simmered daal (lentils), rice, veggie salad, chutneys and raita (yogurt). $10.95
Kasa Indian Eatery, San Francisco CA

Mmm, I love the thali plate at Kasa! You get so much delicious food for a great price. Everything has a lot of flavor and the spicy great sauce is amazing.

Big Brother is watching you artwork, Market Street
Big Brother is watching you artwork, Market Street. I like that they decorated the construction pathway along this section. I don’t think Hollywood Billiards has ever been open since I’ve lived in this city.

Italiano sandwich – Bella Napoli

Italiano sandwich - Bella Napoli
Handcrafted, made-to-order sandwich with Genoa salami, capicola, sopressata, and provolone cheese with lettuce and sliced tomatoes. Served with a side salad, balsamic vinaigrette. $6.99
Bella Napoli, North Charleston SC

Ugh, this sandwich was kinda boring. There was nothing special about the sandwich or the restaurant. I guess it’s a good value if you can stay awake despite the boredom.

Crab cakes, East Coast vs. West Coast – Jake’s on Market

Crab cakes - Jake's on Market
Fresh Maryland blue crab cake with Old Bay aioli. Fresh local dungeness crab cake with Meyer lemon aioli. Mixed green salad with citrus. $14.50
Jake’s on Market, San Francisco CA

I hate to say it, but I liked the East Coast crab cake better. They tasted SO different from each other but I was craving something comforting that night and the East Coast cake had a deeper, fuller flavor. The West Coast crab cake definitely tasted more clean and refreshing.

Bread and butter - Jake's on Market
Bread and butter. Complimentary.

Layers of homes on Roosevelt Way
Layers of homes on Roosevelt Way. I like how the buildings appeared stacked from this angle.

Los numeros #3 – Zapata Mexican Grill

Los numeros #3 - Zapata Mexican Grill
Carne asada (grilled skirt steak), grilled fish and prawns with rice, black beans, salad, guacamole and sour cream. $12.75
Zapata Mexican Grill, San Francisco

Wow, there was A LOT of food on that plate! The proteins were definitely on the salty side, but still flavorful. The fish was a bit overcooked, but the prawns were perfect.

Chips and salsa - Zapata Mexican Grill
Chips and salsa. Complimentary.

Mural of Market Street, Church Street
Mural of Market Street, Church Street. This artwork is pretty cool – I like how they switch up the scene from panel to panel.

Falafel platter – Cafe Flore

Falafel platter - Cafe Flore
3 falafel balls, hummus, cucumber raiti, cous cous, mixed green salad with feta and sherry vinaigrette, and warm whole wheat pita bread. $9.95
Cafe Flore, San Francisco

I love platters because you get to try many things – perhaps it’s the non-committal part of me. This was ok, flavorful, but the falafel was a little dry and I wasn’t a fan of the whole wheat pita. They were too dense for my taste. The hummus, raita, and cous cous were my favorite parts.

Downtown San Francisco from Corona Heights Hill/Park
View of downtown San Francisco from Corona Heights Hill/Park.

Beet and halumi cheese salad – Cafe Mystique

Beet and halumi cheese salad - Cafe Mystique
Mixed greens, pine nuts, black, olives, balsamic vinaigrette. $8
Cafe Mystique, San Francisco CA

Halumi (halloumi) is a goat/sheep cheese from Cyprus. It’s hard-ish and dry and it was fried before being added to this tasty salad. The halumi was on the salty side so it was great to have the beets to balance it out. The salad was over-dressed, however. 😦

Native American "street performer", Union Square
Native American “street performer” near Union Square. Like any other touristy city, San Francisco has its share of “street performers” who do nothing more than dress up in various costumes and expect money in return. Not impressed. My favorite part of this pic is the guy in the back with the snowman cardigan, hilarious!

Ga quay chao – Ben Tre

Ga quay chao Ben Tre
Baked five spice chicken marinated in lemongrass and rich herb sauce, served with rice, salad, and fish sauce. $11.25
Ben Tre Vietnamese Homestyle Cuisine, South San Francisco CA

Ga quay chao Ben Tre
I’m not sure if this was actually baked, it had a semi-fried texture to me. Maybe it was just finished in the oven. But it was very flavorful and delicious. A bit on the salty side especially if you add the fish sauce, but I think Vietnamese food tends to be salty anyway.

Eggs benedict – Jones

Project 365: Day 117

We ended up having Chinese food last night, then staying in and watching White Girls on TV, lol! I’d never seen the movie and it was ridiculous, in a good way.

Today was another full day of sightseeing and shopping: Green Park, changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly Circus, The Monument, London Bridge, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Covent Garden, and Oxford Circus. I bought some great tops at Topman and a cute decorative tile for David at Covent Garden Antiques Market. I still can’t believe how much we’ve fit into 2 days! D has been an amazing host and tour guide.

Tonight we’re going to eat in, then head out for drinks at The Black Cap in Camden with one of D’s roommates Dan. This will be our last night of an amazing London visit!

Eggs benedict Jones
Black forest ham, sauteed spinach, hollandaise, smashed/fried fingerling potatoes, and side salad. $12
Jones, San Francisco CA

A brunch standard, but very good. I liked the smashed and fried potatoes – so good with ketchup, hehe.

"Ring of Fire" annular solar eclipse 2012

“Ring of Fire” annular solar eclipse. On Sunday May 20, 2012 we experienced a rare solar eclipse. Of course, I was out drinking with friends but I was reminded by people outside the bar with black viewing films, ready for the occurrence. My iPhone camera wasn’t equipped to handle a glaring photo, but it did have a cool optical/lens effect. In the photo, the eclipse is actually projected back onto the sky (upside-down and backwards?).

Chicken enchiladas – La Tortilla

Project 365: Day 116

Oi vey, it was another difficult morning, lol! Last night, we had gone to my “cousin” Kris’ apartment to celebrate his birthday with some of his friends. Then we headed to Soho and went to several bars – I remember Ku Bar and Lo-Profile. 🙂 A couple of D’s friends met us out and we ended up at one of their apartments and doing more shots, ouch! It was a great night.

D went into full-on tour guide mode today and we walked around central London to see many of the touristy sites: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. Margaret’s Church, Trafalgar Square, National Portrait Gallery, Hungerford Bridge, London Eye, Westminster Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. PHEW, that was a lot of walking and Tube riding! Even though it was rainy and dreary most of the day, I have to say that I LOVE London!

We also got to meet D’s boyfriend Alex who was really cool. Tonight we’re gonna head to a restaurant closer to D’s place. He lives in north London near Burnt Oak Station on the Northern Line.

Chicken enchiladas La Tortilla
Grilled chicken wrapped in corn tortillas, topped with cheese and enchilada sauce. Served with salad, sour cream and guacamole. A la carte $7.80
La Tortilla, San Francisco CA

Mmm, chicken enchiladas are my favorite! This one at La Tortilla is ok, but I do like their (limited) salsa bar so I can get more to put on top!

Chips and salsa La Tortilla
Chips and salsa. Complimentary.

Chicken enchiladas - La Tortilla
April 5, 2014. A la carte $7.80
Graffiti artwork, Market Street
Bright graffiti artwork in an alley off Market Street. The alley is located between Valencia and Gough Streets, next to Delessio Market. Very cool!

Chicken caesar salad – Firewood Cafe

Chicken caesar salad Firewood Cafe
Romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese and fresh garlic croutons tossed with homemade caesar dressing. Additional fixings include caramelized onions, candied walnuts, and bleu cheese. $12.20
Firewood Cafe, San Francisco CA

For some reason, I sometimes crave the caesar salad at Firewood. I always add roasted chicken on top and take full advantage of the 3 free additional toppings. “Lite on the dressing”, of course!

Marinated olives Firewood Cafe
Marinated olives. Complimentary.

Telephone wires, 17th Street

Tangle of telephone wires over 17th Street at dawn. Mornings in San Francisco can create the best colors. This subdued purple was absolutely beautiful.

Signature dish – BB’s Crabback

BB's Crabback signature dish
This dish is called the BB’s Crabback. The restaurant takes it’s name from this dish, fresh crabmeat baked with exotic herbs, wine and cheese sauce and served in a crab shell with warm bake (roll). Served with a side salad and slices of cucumber, tomato, and citrus. $36 (East Caribbean dollar)
BB’s Crabback, St. Georges, GRENADA

BB's Crabback signature dish
I really like how this was plated considering the super casual feel of this restaurant. And of course, we wouldn’t be in the Spice Islands without a garnish of ground spices. The crabback was very rich, but very flavorful and the side salad and sliced vegetables helped to cut the richness. Although the portion wasn’t overly large, it was definitely filling.

Sendall Tunnel
Sendall Tunnel. After eating at the restaurant, we had to walk through this tunnel to get back to the cruise ship terminal. As you can see, it’s a tight fit. The locals seem to have no fear walking through, but I definitely clung to the walls. Lol!

Baked chicken – Restaurante Raices

Baked chicken Restaurante Raices
Baked chicken served with rice and beans and carrots. $8.95
Restaurante Raices, Old San Juan, PUERTO RICO

This chicken must have been marinating in a vat of soy sauce overnight because it was SO salty! And baked to the texture of a chew toy. This was part of our first meal in Puerto Rico so we were nervous that

Side salad Restaurante Raices
Complimentary side salad with lettuce, 1 tomato slice, a sprinkle of carrot gratings, and Thousand Island dressing. This salad is a perfect indicator of the quality of this restaurant. It’s sad.

Stray cat Old San Juan

Walking through Old San Juan, we found that there are stray cats EVERYWHERE! They even leave out food, water, and crates for them along the street and in the parks. We figured they must be sanctioned by the city for pest control.