Tag Archives: seafood

Authentic seafood gumbo – Queen’s Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe

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Authentic seafood gumbo - Queen's Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe
Served with white rice and saltine crackers. Cup $4.99
Queen’s Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe, San Francisco CA

There’s a reason why this gumbo has been voted the best in 2010 by San Francisco Weekly – it’s really damn good! I was amazed at the rich smokey flavor of this soup and I enjoyed the medium consistency of the broth. I will add that they could have added more things in the gumbo to make it more subtantial. It was so flavorful that I really just wanted more of it! Noms!

Mural at Mission High School
Music themed mural at Mission High School, Church Street.

Louisiana blue crab and P.E.I. mussels bomba rice – Beast and the Hare

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Louisiana blue crab and P.E.I. mussels bomba rice - Beast and the Hare
With chorizo and citrus relish. $17
Beast and the Hare, San Francisco CA

I was confused with the plateware. Omg, my entree bowl looked like it was appetizer sized! I noticed at other tables the the pasta was also served in these tiny bowls. They definitely looked inappropriately small. Besides that, I did enjoy this dish. It was nice and citrus-y, but I did think that the blue crab got lost among everything else. And the price seemed a bit steep for the four pieces of mussels and flaked crab. Overall, I enjoyed my dining experience but a few things, primarily that unacceptable wait between courses, just needed to be tweaked.

Wind sculpture, Helen Diller Playground
Wind sculpture at the Helen Diller Playground, Mission Dolores Park.

Crispy calamari – The Tropicale

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Crispy calamari - The Tropicale
With spicy Asian red chili sauce. $9
The Tropicale, Palm Springs CA

Yuck, this was gross! The calamari was super dry, overcooked, rubbery, tough to chew, and lacked flavor. It definitely tasted like poor quality frozen calamari that was abused by the fry cook. And the chili sauce was really an Asian-inspired salsa, just sayin’.

Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens, Fouquieriaceae)

Ocotillo, desert coral, vine cactus, etc. (Fouquieria splendens, Fouquieriaceae) in the yard. Can’t wait to catch it blooming.

Seafood stew – Trio Restaurant

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Seafood stew - Trio Restaurant
Mussels, clams, shrimp and whitefish in a tomato and fennel broth. $22
Trio Restaurant, Palm Springs CA

This was one of the dishes that I actually liked at Trio. This stew was super flavorful and had plenty of seafood. Thank goodness dinner wasn’t a complete disappointment!

Palm Springs midday sun
Palm Springs midday sun from the pool.

Pho do bien – Hometown Noodle 2

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Pho do bien - Hometown Noodle 2
Seafood noodle soup with prawns, fish balls, and squid, accompanied with a plate of bean sprouts, basil leaves, lime wedge, and sliced jalapenos. Large $7.95
Hometown Noodle 2, San Bruno CA

This tasted pretty good, but they were definitely skimpy with the seafood. You got two pieces of each if you count that the fish balls were cut in half. Meh.

Purple blazing star flowers (Liatris spicata, Asteraceae)

Purple blazing star or prairie gay feather flowers (Liatris spicata, Asteraceae), West Field Road. It’s always interesting to post flower pics on this blog because that’s usually when I find out what the actual names are. I can usually get them to at least the family level before I have to do additional research, but there are just way too many ornamentals out there! 🙂

Home style special dumpling – Tai Wu Mr. Fong’s Restaurant

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Home style special dumpling - Tai Wu Mr. Fong's Restaurant
Filled with combination seafood. These dumplings were delicious! I’m not sure what all the ingredients were in the filling because I can’t read or speak Chinese (we were the only non-Chinese in the entire restaurant), but it was flavorful and had an awesome texture. $6
Tai Wu Mr. Fong’s Restaurant, Daly City CA

Orange Indian paintbrush flowers (Castilleja sp., Orobanchaceae)
Orange Indian paintbrush flowers (Castilleja sp., Orobanchaceae), Sweeney Ridge Trail. The trail was really beautiful and nicely maintained. It was hot up on the ridge and very bright that day.

Combination seafood with spicy basil – Thai House Express

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Combination seafood with spicy basil - Thai House Express
Sauteed shrimp, squid, and scallop with onions, chili, carrot, bell pepper and basil leaves. A la carte $13.95
Thai House Express, San Francisco CA

I like the flavors in there, but the squid was a bit overcooked so it was tough to chew. The service also tends to be inconsistent. It ranges from the most attentive service to having to flag down the waiter depending on the night.

Salvia "Hot Lips" (Salvia microphylla, Lamiaceae)
Salvia “Hot Lips” (Salvia microphylla, Lamiaceae). I love the vibrant red and white flowers of this plant (Baby sage, Graham’s sage, Blackcurrant sage).

Caldeirada – LaSalette Restaurant

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Caldeirada - LaSalette Restaurant
Portuguese fisherman’s stew. Sea bass, scallops, clams, mussels, shrimp, fingerling potatoes, linguica, lobster fumet. $25
LaSalette Restaurant, Sonoma CA

Wow, this dish had everything in it! It was SO delicious and definitely more refined than a simple fisherman’s stew. The seafood were cooked beautifully and the flavors were amazing.

Mission San Francisco de Solano (Sonoma Mission)

Mission San Francisco de Solano (Sonoma Mission). This was founded in 1823 and built by Mexican authorities to prevent Russia from extending their territorial control into Alta California. Today the mission is part of Sonoma State Historic Park.

Spicy mixed seafood and tofu claypot – Jun Ming Xuan

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Spicy mixed seafood and tofu claypot - Jun Ming Xuan
Calamari, shrimp, scallop, white fish, fried tofu, mushroom, cabbage, chilies, green onions. £12.80
Jun Ming Xuan Chinese Restaurant, London ENGLAND

This was pretty good and there was plenty of it! I liked that they used fried tofu instead of fresh tofu because I prefer the texture. There was also a nice helping of seafood in there. I just wish the dish was a little spicier!

Tower of London, Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress
Tower of London, Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress. Home to the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, this historic castle is a very popular tourist attraction. We didn’t want to wait in line and, instead, opted to be outside to enjoy the much welcomed sun that day. I’m not crazy about the weird lion statues they installed in front of the fortress. They look out of place.

Pan roasted black mussels – Starbelly

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Pan roasted black mussels - Starbelly
Mexican chorizo, market chiles and cilantro. $10
Starbelly, San Francisco CA

Noms, I’m in love! It’s difficult to tell from this pic, but there are actually quite a lot of mussels in this bowl. The sauce with the chorizo and chiles is to die for! Mmm, I’m getting hungry again!

Pan roasted black mussels - Starbelly
July 30, 2014. Still as delicious as ever! The cilantro were wilted and sad though.

Skygate sculpture by Roger Barr, near Pier 39

Skygate sculpture by Roger Barr, near Pier 39. It stands 27 feet high, 17.5 feet wide, and is made of mirror-polished stainless steel.