Shrimp, celery root, wild mushrooms, hearts of palm, asparagus, lemon caper sauce. $23
Tarla Mediterranean Grill, Napa CA
This dish was very interesting. It was on the acidic side and had a lot of different flavors and textures. My first inclination is to say that it was too busy and too acidic. I wish the scallops were a more prominent flavor, but they kind of got lost amongst everything else.
Olive oil and tapenade with bread. Complimentary
Capesante. Field mushrooms, green onion, cream. $14
Pesce, San Francisco CA
Beautifully prepared scallops are a wonderful thing! These scallops were perfectly prepared and very tender. The cream sauce was pretty heavy especially since there was SO much of it for only 3 scallops, but it was still tasty.
Fort Funston, graffiti on abandoned bunkers.
With eggplants and miso sauce. $13
Wasabi Bistro, San Francisco CA
This was actually really good! I loved the thick eggplant medallions supporting each tender, juicy scallop. The miso sauce was also delicious.
Edamame. Complimentary
Sake (salmon), hamachi (yellowtail), hotate (scallop), maguro (red tuna), shiro maguro (albacore), escolar (butterfish), saba (mackerel). Pre fixe dinner
Barracuda Sushi, San Francisco CA
I love good, fresh sashimi and it’s pretty decent at Barracuda. It’s not the best cuts ever, but they’re good quality and they taste great!
Edamame.
(Left to right) Arctic char: horseradish crème fraiche, wasabi tobiko, dill. Scallop: pineapple quince, roasted parsnip, lime caviar yuzu vinaigrette. Butterfish: roasted tomato aioli, asparagus coins, castelvetrano olives, citrus. Yellowtail: grapefruit, fennel, black garlic aioli, meyer lemon. Crudo for 2 $28
Bar Crudo, San Francisco CA
I’ve had this sampler before and it wasn’t as good this time around. The fish didn’t seem as fresh and they were a bit clunky on the plate. The flavors were really complex, interesting and very different between preparations. My favorite was probably the arctic char which is surprising because I’m not a huge horseradish/wasabi fan. I just thought this portion ate the cleanest and was refreshing.
Bon Tempe Lake.
Topped with green onions and ground peanuts. 60,000 VND
Hai Lua Food Countryside, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM
Wow, these scallops tasted SO fresh, and they were very tender and juicy. The green onions, peanuts, and sauce made for a great topping to an otherwise simple, and straightforward dish. Perfect!
Cooks at the Hai Lua night market restaurant. It seems like they can set this place up in 15 minutes or less! Pretty amazing.
Chopsticks.
View from the Saigon Skydeck in the Bitexco Financial Tower.
Combination of scallop, prawn, cod fish, black mushroom, deep fried tofu. $11
Makli Chinese Cuisine, San Francisco CA
For eleven bucks, this was great! There was plenty of seafood and everything was tender and juicy. Not old and tough like some seafood dishes from cheap Chinese restaurants you sometimes encounter. The sauce was also very tasty and not overpowering.
“Yuppie scum fuck off” sidewalk stencil. Someone must not like yuppies!
Shrimp, beef, scallop, squid, chicken, jalapeno, vegetable, garlic. $12.95
Jasmine Tea House, San Francisco CA
Mmm, for a delivery clay pot dish, this rocked! The ingredients were of surprisingly good quality and they tasted great! There were so many proteins packed in there. Most Chinese places fill the dish with bok choy and only give you a few slices of meat. I was even surprised that the squid and scallops were tender and fresh tasting. Now that’s impressive for Chinese delivery! I would definitely order this dish again.
Joan of Arc statue, California Palace of the Legion of Honor.
With braised lentils and breadcrumbs. $17
Bar Jules, San Francisco CA
This was definitely more of a Fall dish and not a Summer one when we had it in late July. When we ordered it, I somehow imagined something a little lighter that was seasonally appropriate. The flavors were deep and earthy, and the scallops were cooked well and had beautiful sear marks. The dish tasted fine, but it was not what we were hoping for.
Scallops, shrimp, spinach wrapper. $9
M.Y. China, San Francisco CA
This dish was SO mediocre that I don’t even remember ordering it. That’s not surprising because the food runners tried to drop off several dishes that we didn’t order. So perhaps we really didn’t order this in the first place. At least they were consistent with their lameness. Get a clue!
White, lavendar and yellow large wild iris/fairy iris (Dietes grandiflora, Iridaceae) flowers, Castro Street.
Green apple emulsion, braised leeks, hazelnuts. With extra scallop $40
Workshop Kitchen + Bar, Palm Springs CA
Mmm, this was SO delicious! The green apple emulsion went perfectly with the scallops. The whole dish tasted fresh and new. BUT I think $40 is pretty steep even with an extra scallop added. This restaurant was good overall, but they’re on the border of being overpriced. Just sayin’.
Wood-charred brussels sprouts, aged balsamico, herbes de provence. $9
Bread and olive oil. Complimentary
Boomers Palm Springs. This park is fairly small, but it’s Palm Springs so that’s expected.
Bay scallops, cardoons and “old bay”. $16
AQ Restaurant, San Francisco CA
This is the only thing that I distinctly remembered and enjoyed from my meal at AQ, and that’s pretty sad for such a hyped restaurant. It had a great smoky flavor and I loved the thick texture of the cream chowder portion contrasted with the liquid clear broth. I had never had “chowder” presented this way before so it was exciting and delicious. But one dish from an entire meal can’t save a disappointing overall experience.
Vittle Monster 