Nizario's Pizza

279 Columbus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133

Occasion: Late night craving for golden boy, but they sold out right when we got there so we were in search for another pizza place. 12.30.10

Combination Slice

with pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers and mushrooms

Didn't satisfy the way Golden Boy's would have, but I guess it was good enough to satisfy the late night munchies.

Chaya Brasserie

132 The Embarcadero
San Francisco,CA 94105

Occasion: Random thursday night dinner with Henry. 12.30.10

Strawberry D'Amour

Grey goose vodka,muddled strawberry and basil,lime juice and black peppered rim

His Drink.

Chaya Vitamin V Infusion

vodka infused with fresh mango

My drink. I love mango everything, well almost.  It was pretty good and pretty strong because it got me buzzin!!

Kumamoto Oyster Shooters

with momiji oroshi, quail egg, wasabi pickles and ponzu sauce

Delicious! Loved the sweet flavor of the ponzu sauce mixed with the tartness of the pickles and the gooey slimy texture of the quail egg. Something worth trying.

Rainbow Sashimi and Seaweed Salad

Ahi tuna tataki, hamachi, scottish salmon, wasabi pickles, citrus dill, salmon caviar and yuzu pepper garlic vinaigrette

You know you ordered the right thing when the waiter says, "good choice." Definitely not your typical Japanese sashimi, it had a asian fusion twist to it.  Enjoyed the combination  of sashimi it came with. Between the three fishes, salmon was my favorite because it's the most rich in flavor, well to me at least.  It went really well with the crunchy seaweed.  The combination of textures were very pleasing to the sensations of the mouth...the fish that melted in you mouth, crunch of the seaweed, the juicy cherry tomatoes that squirted in your mouth. Definitely delightful little appetizer.

Seared Day Boat Sea Scallops

parsnip puree, crispy onions, sugar snap peas, herbed pesto mustard sauce

Nom nom nom. Love ordering seared scallops.  The parsnip puree reminded me of mashed potatoes-yum! Texture of the crispy fried onions were amazing as was the flavor when it was complimented to the scallops- scrumptious! 

Roasted Monkfish

with wild mushrooms, Jerusalem artichokes, pancetta, brussel sprouts and wild mushroom ragout

Our waiter was right, this dish was definitely richer and a lot more flavorful that our other dish (below).  It was a bit on the salty side for my liking, but still good.  I'm a big fan of mushrooms so that made me happy, as did the brussel sprouts!  There were just a lot of flavors going on in this dish!

Cripsy Yellowfin Tuna

Onion marmalade, Sugar snap peas, Hijiki Salad, Balsamic soy glaze

A recommendation by our waiter. I am so glad I went for it because it was freaking amazing.  The hijiki salad was so good and so refreshing with the balsamic soy. That alone I thought was delicious already, but when I tried the tuna...I fell in love.  It was crusted with little rice krispy pebbles.  Imagine the flavor of those japanese  rice cracker in the form little small pebbles crusted over.  I would have never thought for it to be prepared in such a way.  I was just amazed that someone could think of something so delicious and creative. Definitely a favorite of the night and I would highly recommend giving this a try!

Warm Milk Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

with caramel ice cream

Divine. Perfect. Amazing...orgasm in my mouth.  It's funny...I've never been a big fan of bread pudding until my last holiday party, where I had the best bread pudding ever.  Something about the messy look of it never attracted me to it...until I finally tried it and fell in like with it.  Saw that it was a hot topic on yelp, so I was really looking forward to trying it. So glad I did.  Seriously, I think there's something about using croissant that makes it that much tastier.  I was so full from dinner already, but I tried my best to stuff myself with every last bite I could.  It was that good!!

Great Eastern Restaurant

649 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA 94133

Occasion: Family dinner, minus one (again)<---what's new! Our go to Chinese restaurant in Chinatown! Good food and cleaner than most Chinese restaurants in SF, Chinatown. December 2010.

Appetizer with jelly fish, bbq spareribs and duck

Loved the crunchy texture and taste of the jellyfish. Delicious and juicy bbq spareribs. Mediocre duck; I just don't like how duck is prepared in a Chinese restaurant.  Nice little appetizer to fill our stomachs before we get our grub on.

Snow Pea shoots with garlic

Our favorite veggie order, well mainly my mom's request!  We just all enjoy eating this veggie the most! Crunchy stem, soft chunks of garlic and leafy leaves.  It didn't do us wrong this time.

Quail

Another family favorite. My parents would much rather order this than poultry.  I guess they like birds more...or think they're healthier.  For me, I always enjoy the crispy golden skin (that's full of fat and probably lacking nutrients.  The meat itself is juicy, sweet and flavorful.  I always like eating this!

Salted fish, eggplants and chicken claypot

We usually love ordering eggplants, but this dish was way too salty.  Enjoyed this the least out of all our dishes. 

I forget what type of fish already, but we always get fresh fish.  It's just steamed with ginger and green onions.  Tender meat and just the right amount of sauce.  Chinese restaurants usually steam it and make it very simple since fish already has it's own natural sweetness.

Brenda's French Soul Food

652 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

Occasion: Brunch/ catch up session with my bAbiE Tiff on another day off. 12.28.10

Crawfish Beignet

Always a must when I come here. I just absolutely LOVE it. Served fresh and hot, best on a cold winter day. The cayenne powder did add a kick to it, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.  I just took bigger gulps of their watermelon ice tea, which by the way allows for unlimited refills (sweet).

French Toast 

Three thick slices of cinnamon-battered toast, topped with powdered sugar
Top with warm, buttery toasted pecan sauce

Best french toast in the city!! I love how it's drenched with the buttery toasted pecan sauce. Definitely fulfilled the sweet tooth craving.

Fried Shrimp Po'Boy

With chipotle rémoulade on toasted French roll

I've been meaning to try this and was kind of disappointed. Maybe I'm just not a big fan of sandwiches with deep fried fillings.  Definitely over hyped for me.  

Also on SF BIG EATS 2010: #42. Fried-shrimp po’boy at Brenda's French Soul Food

Philz Coffee

748 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102

Occasion: After Swan Oyster Depot, I wanted to give this place a try, since my sister had been raving about how great their coffee is. 12.27.10

I got some kind of medium roast...forgot the exact name now, but the barista recommended this for me.

I am still an amateur coffee drinker, so I don't really know how to differentiate between most coffee, though I can tell those cheap 711/McDonalds coffee from that of something with coffee beans of higher grade.  In my opinion, I didn't think it was any different from something like blue bottle coffee.  Yes, I must admit it was very aromatic, but other than that I can't tell.  I like how each cup is made specific for you though and the fact that they brew it fresh right in front of you.

Swan Oyster Depot

1517 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

Occasion: Finally after a few attempts and with my Monday off, I got to come here with my sis for a late lunch.  Might as well have called it dinner since it was an hour long wait. 12.27.10

Clam chowder

Watery and not  what I'm used to.  Isn't it supposed to be thicker and creamier.  It just seemed watered down to me and almost seemed out of the can.  If it were not for the chunks of clams and potatoes I almost would believe that it was canned soup.  It's a good filler and something to start with on a cold winter San Francisco day.  At least I can say I tried it!

Dozen Oysters on the Half Shell

1/2 dozen Kumamotos

1/2 dozen Miyagis (British Columbia, Tomales Bay, Oregon)

Loved their oysters here! So fresh and so clean.  I hate going to places where you bite into bits of the shell, nope, we didn't have that problem here! Definitely a plus in my books just for that alone.  Not only that, but their oysters were so fresh and delicious.  My sister and I were very satisfied with our selection.  The kumamotos were plump, juicy and buttery sweet. Out of the miyagi's we tried, we both agreed that the ones from British Columbia were the best, then the ones from oregon then the tomales bay ones.  So glad I finally had the time and the chance to give this place a try...it's been on my list of places to try forever now.

On 7x7 SF BIG EATS 2010: #18. Oysters on the half shell at Swan Oyster Depot

Combination seafood salad

It consisted of shrimps, prawns, crab over a bed of iceberg lettuce drizzled with thousand island sauce.  Refreshing, good and filling, but I could have done without.  I should have just gotten another dozen oysters!

Max's at the Opera Cafe

601 Van Ness Street
San Francisco, CA 94101

Occasion: Late night dessert after watching the nutcracker. 12.26.10

7 Layer Cookie

Graham cracker crust, chocolate and butterscotch bits, coconut, walnuts with a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream, creamy marshmallow sauce and a bittersweet hot fudge

Definitely not something I would order at first glance, but I'm glad I got to try it.  It came out nice and warm with simple but delicious vanilla ice cream. It went very well with my cappuccino.  There's so much texture in each bite I took, which made it so much more enjoyable.  The crunch of the walnuts, the soft marshmallow, flakiness of the graham cracker crust, oh you can't foorget the butterscotch bits and the distinctive coconut shavings. Compliment each bite with some vanilla ice cream. Nomnomnom!

Sushi Ran

107 Caledonia St

Sausalito, CA 94965

Occasion: Sunday Night Dinner and Nutcracker. 12.26.10

I've been wanting to try this restaurant for awhile now!! So happy I did, but so sad they ran out of a few things that I had wanted to try!

**Michelin Star Restaurant 2008**

Hawaiian Ahi Poke

Ahi tuna, avocado, kukui nut and sesame sauce

I've always been a fan of ahi poke, so this was a winner for me. Loved the taste of the refreshing ahi poke diced up together with slices of avocado; I do think anything with avocado is good.  Presentation was all there; simple, neat and colorful. Great way to start our meal off.

Sashimi- Toro, Kanpachi and Tai

Toro- Amakusa

Kanpachi- Amberjack, Hawaii

Tai- Redsnapper, Kyushu

We decided to choose one fish from each category that were shipped from Japan.  They were all fresh and melted in my mouth. Toro was definitely my favorite with Tai following it then the kanpachi. I don't always eat sashimi, but I must admit, it's one of the best I've had!

Seared Albacore

Mizuna, pinenut,shaved asparagus and lemon celery emulsion

I almost want to say it's my favorite, but it's so hard to have favorites here because everything was sooooo good!! I've always been a fan of seared albacore.  There's just something about the texture that I really enjoy.  Served in a way that I've never had it before, which I like because I like trying different styles of the same dish.  The aroma and the taste of the pinenuts definitely added to the flavor of it and went very well with the fish.  The tart lemon celery emulsion also went perfectly with the fish, not as acidic as straight up squeezing lemon juice over it, but had a tint of sweetness to it. Liked to slather the fish over the creamy emulsion sauce before each bite.

King Trumpet Mushrooms

Salsify, onion jam and mizuna

Mushroom. Another favorite food of mine. I swear, it sounds like everything's my favorite.  But this was absolutely amazing.  The sauce is just delicious.  I have no idea what they use, but it was rich in flavor and full of goodness. I would definitely recommend getting this, unless you're not a fan of fungi!

Miso glazed black cod

with bloomsdale spinach

Yes, I love black cod too.  Cooked to perfection.  Just the right amount of crisp on the outside and soft and tender in the inside with a sweet glaze over it.  Went perfectly well with the spinach to balance out the sweetness with some savory.  Another very enjoyable dish for me.

Bonne Sante

1184 Broadway Street

Burlingame, CA 94012

Occasion: Zoe's lunch that she requested Jenn to buy all the way from Burlingame. Day old sandwich surprisingly tasted very good still. The bread wasn't soggy at all. December 2010.

I'm not sure what was in this, but their sandwiches are HUGE and soo good. I like the fact that the bread didn't get soggy even after one day.  Sauce wasn't too overwhelming either. Though when you look at it, it looks like there's a lot of bread, it actually isn't too bad. 

Redd

6480 Washington Street
Yountville, CA 94599

Occasion: Lunch for Fanny's Surprise Birthday Trip to Napa 12.18.10. 
By the time we got to the restaurant...I've already had 3 glasses of sparkling wine/ champaign from the limo ride up and a glass of wine from the first winery (Maisonry).


**1 Michelin Star**

Tasting of cold foie gras preparations, stonefruit, pistachios, brioch

A-freaking-MAZING!!! It was all prepared in a pate like form.  So rich in flavor and the combination of ingredients used, definitely complimented the foie gras really well.  There was sweet and savory along with the variety of textures of the foods. It was just so insanely delicious and divine. You can mix and match whatever combination you'd like. 

Yellowfin tuna tartare, asian pear, chili oil, fried rice, cilantro

Do not know who ordered it, but I got to try some of it and I really liked it especially the crispy deep fried rice, which adds texture to the dish.  Another one of my favorite dishes to order...tuna tartar. This one did not do me wrong! Yum!

Glazed pork belly, apple puree,burdock, soy caramel

The memory starts getting fuzzy here....I can honestly say, that I don't remember much of this dish! Sigh! Though I do remember it being very tender when I was getting a piece for Jenny to try.

Prosciutto pizza, fontina, arugula and shaved Parmesan

I do remember this though. It was very salty to me, maybe due to the prosciutto in combination with the parmesan.  It was alright...too gourmet for my liking of pizza.

Braised beef shortrib, bacon, cipollini onion, fingerling potatoes and red wine jus

Fuzzy memory, but I remember like it it. Meat was tender and full of flavor.  If you tell me to describe the flavor...I can't.

Caramelized diver scallops

with cauliflower purée, almonds, balsamic reduction   

LOVED IT! I do remember it because I was really looking forward to trying it. Sweet and salty with the crunch of the almonds, what a great combination.  Magic in my mouth.  I usually do not like cauliflowers, but the puree was mild and added a sweet touch to it. There were so many flavors going on, sweet, savory and tartness of the reduction.  Definitely enjoyed it.

Roasted organic chicken, braised potatoes, corn succotash, liver toast

I got to try a bit of Joe's dish. I usually do not order chicken at a restaurant, partially because I always eat it and partially because they usually over cook it. I was very happy with the little piece I got to try.  It was juicy, tender and very flavorful. It definitely did not disappoint, but still not something I would order since there were so many other dishes to choose from.

Clams

Beautifully presented and delicious. I got to try a piece that Felix had ordered.  Never been big on clams, but I did enjoy the one piece I tried.

Butterscotch sundae, vanilla rum ice cream with salted butter galette

It was better than the dessert down below, but still not my kind of dessert.  I usually am very happy with my dessert, but this time I wasn't. It might have been too fancy smancy for me. Sometimes simplicity executes best.

Vanilla bean fontainebleu, quince ice and farina fritters

Weird! The cream tasted like sour yogurt. The only thing I enjoyed was the fritters which reminded me of donut holes. Then again, I was also pretty drunk from champagne, sparkling wine and red wine at this point.  So my taste buds along with my judgement could have been off.

Kokomo's Steak & Seafood

3400 Las Vegas Blvd S

Las Vegas, Nevada 89109

Mirage Hotel

Occasion: Nice fancy dinner on Sunday night. Half of us had to babysit the trouble maker @ a nice dinner while the other half went to watch the Jabbawockees.  Shared two entrees, 1 appetizer and a side amongst three people. 12.19.10

Seared Jumbo Scallops

with shallot butter sauce and chive oil

My favorite, I just had to order it.  I know what tastes good is biased based on each individual's likings, but this was probably my favorite thing we ordered.  Not the best scallops I've had, but they were juicy and tender with a little bit of a crisp on the outsides.  Though it was lacking a bit in flavor, I still seemed to enjoy it.

Crab Cakes

I got to try a little bit of this.  I know to other's it might have been a bit dry or lacking in moisture, but I didn't think so.  I think I prefer less mayonnaise- like taste to my crab cakes, which is probably why I thought these were decent.

Seabass

Definitely not the best I've ever had.  Very disappointed! How do you call this a steak and seafood restaurant if you can't even make your fish right. Sigh. It was definitely lacking in flavor.  Meat was very soft and tender, but there was no sauce to compliment it.

Porter House Steak 26 oz

The kitchen was nice enough to cut it up for us, since there were three of us sharing it.  Luckily we all have the same taste and wanted it cooked medium rare.  Again, not the best piece of meat I've had. But then again, I am not meat snob.  I am still learning about my meats and trying to figure out my own cut and liking.  We asked for a red wine reduction sauce with it, which in my opinion was bland in flavor and was a bit bitter.  It definitely did not compliment the meat too well.  I wish our server had gave us input on his recommendation with the type of sauce this cut of meat would be good with.  We were able to get a taste of the tomato butter sauce and that was amazing, perhaps due to the butter.

Filet Mignon

Got to try a piece of Jason's Filet Mignon. Egh. It was just mediocre.  Maybe because I am from a foodie city...and I'm spoiled with tons of great eats in San Francisco.  Our city is definitely home to many chef's of great culinary skills who are top of the line in comparison to those of Las Vegas' (well at least in my opinion it is).  I'd much rather have filet at Ruth's Chris', 5A5 or Alexanders...that's what I'd call a steakhouse.

Mashed potatoes

I love mashed potatoes!! The chunkier the better. This definitely helped as a filler! Yummy!

Holiday Cooking

Occasion: My contribution to our Girl's Holiday Secret Santa Potluck. 12.20.10

Mac and Cheese

Don't remember the exact recipe, but it was my FIRST TIME making it and I thought it was pretty good!! Yum!! Best served when its fresh out of the oven and hot!