The Brixton

2140 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123

Occasion: After a great dinner at NOPA, my big bro and I came here for a little private event. Thanks for the invite Teddy!

Chocolate devil's food cake

Cake was moist and not too sweet.  They were pretty good and addicting. Good thing I had dinner before coming, other wise I would have eaten the whole plate.  I'm not even a chocolate cake lover, which means its pretty darn good.

Demoned Eggs

made with cage-free eggs plumped with yolks, fresh dungeness crab, bacon, aioli, shallots, celery, parsley & chives

These were freaking delicious. dungeness crab and bacon in their deviled eggs. YUMMO.  The egg was cooked perfect (not too cooked where the whites get hard and rubbery).  Filling was amazing and the flavors were all there.  It was absolutely mouth watering delicious.

Some kind of pudding from humphrey slocombe

Also very addicting.  I forget which flavor it was, I just know we all enjoyed it.

It was a warm bread that was dipped in some kind of amazing sauce.  If i wasn't already full from dinner, I'd definitely  snack on this. yum.

NOPA

560 Divisadero Street
San Francisco, CA 94117


Occasion: Catchup and foodie session with the big bro and the bestest=] 1.18.11

Our drinks for the night

I usually limit my alcohol consumption, actually I usually don't order anything especially if I'm driving, but I made an exception due to good company and because it's on the THE SF BIG EATS 2010 LIST #44. One of Neyah White’s shrubs at Nopa.  

From left to right: Fino Noir (mine), i think my big bro ordered the Sazerac (something strong...that's all I remembered), Fino Blanc (Jenny's)

Definitely something different with a twist.  Not exactly my cup of.... preference, but I'm glad I get to say I tried it.  It's pretty fancy looking for a cocktail.  I thought it was pretty strong with a tad bit of a citrus splash to it.

Nopa's complimentary tasting of yogurt crostini with mandarin oranges

It was a delightful little treat.  Sweet tangy mandarin oranges balanced out with a savory yogurt. Yummos!

Fried Brussels sprouts

with meyer lemon and mezzo secco

I am all about brussels sprouts. Don't know how people can not like it.  It was very good and flavorful as the flavor of the lemon juice and the mezzo secco cheese complemented the brussel sprouts very well.  The mezzo secco was graded and was pretty dry, which I'm usually not too fond of, but I did not mind it at all.  It had a little peppery flavor to it...very different and enjoyable.

Grass fed hamburger

with pickled onions and french fries with added gruyere cheese

I'm not a burger type of girl.  Rarely do I ever go to a restaurant to order a burger, but I just had to since the burger is considered to be #3 on the  7x7 list of best tasting burger in SF. It is the best burger I have had in San Francisco (please also note, that it is my second gourmet burger  I have had in SF).  We asked for the meat to be cooked medium which was perfect.  The meat was juicy and so good with the gruyere cheese.  Not everyone likes cheese or even gruyere cheese, but I loved it.  Picked onions added a sweet but tart taste to the burger and definitely made it that much better.  Some bites I'd eat the burger the way it was came and some bites I'd add the aioli sauce.  Personally, the aioli sauce was better used as a dipping sauce for the french fries (mMmm).

Grilled country pork chop

with cured lentils, chantenay carrots and golden raisins

I usually don't like ordering pork chops, but again I was convinced to try this because it is supposedly that good that it's worth for me to break out of my norm and give it a shot.  I am so glad I did.  The meat was lean, juicy and flavorful.  Yes it did remind me of Chinese roast pork, but at the same time it differed in so many ways too.  I imagined it to be a slab of pork chop with a t bone in it, but it wan'ts and it was huge in serving size.  The chantenay carrots were also very tasty.  I liked it because it wasn't too soft. Overall, I would definitely recommend getting this and giving it a try.

Hoa Ky

447 Broadway
Millbrae, CA 94030

Occasion: Lunch after landing in SFO from Las Vegas. 1.17.11

Bun Bo Hue

Decided to try something different and tried their BBH.  I thought it was pretty good, but then again...this is the second time I've had it that I could remember.  A tad bit too spicy for my liking but perfect comfort food after returning from a fun filled weekend trip.

TinToretto Restaurant and Bakery @ The Venetian

3355 Las Vegas Blvd S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Occasion: Sunday night dinner for 3.  We split up to eat. My least favorite part about eating here was the fact that it smelled like chlorine and bleach. It's so hard to fully enjoy your meal when you're breathing in strong fumes of chemicals.  Other than that, the food was pretty good for the price.  

Caprese Salad

Love ordering this and I am glad that the other two enjoy eating mozzarella, tomatoes and basil as much as I do. Great starter to start our meal off.

Pan seared chicken with sauteed mushrooms, veggies and potatoes

Very good.  I thought it was perfect. Healthy and not too much carbs where it will make me sleepy before another night of mayhem.  It was delicious and filling.  The chicken was moist and very flavorful.

Lasagna

I got to try a piece of it and it was really good.  I just wouldn't order it because I'm not a big lasagna person.  It's just too rich and filling for me; meaty and cheesy!  It's not that I dislike it, I'd just prefer to order something else on the menu before I would order this.

Shrimp Scampi

The waiter highly recommended it and so Fanny ordered it.  It was really good.  It was cooked it a sweet tomato based sauce, which was perfect because sometimes I find the tomato sauce to be a bit too tangy.  They gave a generous amount of shrimps too.  We were all very satisfied with each of our orders. YUM!

Jean Philippe Patisserie @ The Bellagio

3600 S. Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Occasion: Mid day dessert run! Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs.

Mango Gelato

The thought of it seriously makes me drool(yes even in this storming San Francisco weather) We were originally going to get 1 cake/ pastry each to share, but when I saw the mango gelato...it was just screaming at me to taste it.  I got a sample and fell in love with it.  It was perfect and I've never tasted anything mango flavored better than this.  It was sweet, but not too sweet.  It did not have an artificial sweet taste to it, but instead tasted very natural.  We were hooked...not only was the flavor amazing, the texture was right up there too.  It was soft and melted in my mouth.  I seriously don't know how else to explain it but the fact that it was like an orgasm in my mouth.  Seriously, their variety of gelatos are amazing and worth a try.  If you don't make it to Bellagio, they also have it in the new ARIA hotel.

Tirimisu

The best out of the desserts we tried

Key Lime

At first I didn't enjoy it that much, but as I took a few more bites I grew to like it a little more, but it was still nothing special

Macaroon

My least favorite one. 

The presentations of the desserts were spectacular! It basically helped us determine which dessert we were going to get.  Too bad looks can be deceiving. 

Grand Lux Cafe @ The Venetian

3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Occasion: Late night munching after a night of clubbing. I'm surprised that I still remembered to take pictures!

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Chicken Breast, Cheese and their house made Spicy Delicious Buffalo Sauce all Rolled in a Spiced Wrapper and Fried until Crisp. Served with Celery Sticks and Blue Cheese Dressing

I don't remember most of the conversations, the eating and how long we were there.  But what I do distinctly remember was that this was superrrrrrrrrrrrrrr salty. I still ate it though. haha. Any other night, I would not have stuffed this in my mouth.  I guess I was just trying to stuff my stomach since, I did not have dinner that night. It was very interesting.  It tasted like buffalo wings but it was in a roll form, where the skins were deep fried.  Interesting, but I would not order again, since I'm not that big on fried foods.

Grand Club Sandwich
Freshly Roasted Turkey, Crisp Applewood Smoked Bacon, Arugula, Tomato and Mayonnaise on Toast. Served with French Fries.

I don't know why I ordered this because I am not even a big fan of bacon.  I think I just picked out the bacon and ate the sandwich without it.  I do remember munching on the fries though.  How can you go wrong with fries. Nom nom nom!

La Boulange

1909 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123

Occasion: Lunch before we left for VEGAS!! 1.15.11

Smoked Salmon open faced sandwich

with capers, creme fraiche, cucumber and shallot came with a bowl of tomato soup

I've always ordered the goat cheese open faced sandwich and always in the back of my mind I'd tell myself...next time I'm going to try the smoked salmon. So this time I tried something different. Change is good...sometimes, but not this case.  The bread was too chewy and cold, while there was too much cream cheese spread on the bread (some people like it with a lot...but not me).  I just wasn't satisfied.  I wish the bread could have been slightly toasted, less cream cheese and that it was slightly warm. Next time, I'm switching back to the goat cheese open faced sandwich.  Soup on the other hand was just what I needed that afternoon.  Warm and tasty...I love tomato flavored anything...almost.

Homemade granola with yogurt and fruits

Loved it since the first time.  It's freaking delicious.  Crunchy granola with delicious yogurt topped with fresh fruits and honey. 

Waterbar

399 The Embarcadero South
San Francisco, CA 94105

Occasion: Friday night dinner for 2! January2011

A couple of cocktails to start us off

Left: Dark and story...which had: gosling's black seal rum, bundaberg ginger beer and lim

It was perfect for me; not too strong, but still a delightful little drink!

Right: Smoke on the water...which had: benesin blanco mezcal, cranberry, mandarin, lime and black salt

Tried a sip of it...and blah! Not my kind of drink.  It was very strong!

Oysters on the half shell

Starting from the cork going clockwise:

French Kiss- New Brunswick: Cute name, but not one of my favorites.  It was supposed to be the perfect starter oyster, but I didn't think so.

Hammesley Inlet- Washington: Plump and juicy! I liked!

Kumamoto- Humboldt Bay, CA: My type of oysters.  One of my favorites.  I like it because it's small, plump, rich and buttery, but also sweet.

Kusshi- British Columbia: Pretty good, but not as good as the kumamotos.  I'm not usually a fan of bigger oysters.

Olde Salts-Virginia: bleh.  It did have a weird briny taste.  Not used to it.

Quivett Creek-Massachusetts: supposed to be a local's favorite.  Thank goodness I am not a local there because it is definitely not one of my favorites.

Winter Point- Maine: family harvested for 300 years.  We wanted to see what oysters that have been family harvested for that many years would taste like.  Not too shabby!

Mahi Ceviche "Cocktail"

housemade chili sauce, cilantro, sweet potato chip

I love ordering raw fish in any way, shape or form.  It was definitely a good starter.  Loved it!

BBQ Baked Oysters

garlic-parsley butter

This was not on the regular dinner menu, but was on the bar menu.  My coworkers had raved about it when they came down here for happy hour and I've been dying to try it.  I still would prefer the raw oysters over these, but they weren't bad.  Something different, but still good.

Pan Roasted Sea Scallops

with ruby beets, cucumber and caraway creme fraiche 

Definitely not a fan of beets.  I don't know why, but I've never really liked beets raw or cooked, soft or crunchy.  Scallops were big and juicy, good but not the best I've had.

Slow Cooked Veal Cheeks

fingerling potatoes, Tokyo turnips and pickled kumquats

Very good and very filling.  So glad we decided to order this.  I don't usually like red meat more than seafood, but I definitely liked this more than I liked the sea scallops.  The meat was juicy, tender and full of flavor.

Pumpkin bread pudding

It sounded so appealing. Pumpkin + Bread pudding. It was good, but not the best I've had.  I liked that it was pumpkin flavor because I like pumpkin flavored everything.  The bread pudding just wasn't as moist as I would have liked it, but still very enjoyable after a good dinner.

Turtle Tower

5716 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94121

Occasion: After spending QT with the besty (basically pampering ourselves)...we were finally hungry for some turtle tower! 1.12.11

#11 Bun Thang

Just what I needed on a cold winter night! You can't really find this dish at most Vietnamese Restaurants which is why I like to order it here. It's pretty good, thanks for introducing it to me besty! I love it!!

Left Bank Brasserie

377 Santana Row Suite 1100
San Jose, CA 95128

Occasion: Annie's Bday Dinner. 01.08.11. Early bday celebration before she goes back to her motherland!

Rue Cler

absolut peach vodka, nana mae apple juice, basil, lime juice and agave nectar

I was so happy with my drink.  Just the way I wanted it...girly with a little bit of a kick to it.  It didn't taste bad and it was able to get me at a decent buzz.

Ginger-Pom Martini

pinnacle citron vodka, ginger liqueur, pomegranate juice and a lemon twist

Big sis' order.  I was happier with mine, though the ingredients used hear sounds so much better.  It was a bit more on the bitter side, which made me not too fond of it.

Steak Tartar

chopped flat iron steak, capers, shallots and dijon mustard dressing with quail egg, lettuce greens and toasted bread

My big sis and I love variety so we decided to get this to share.  I like all the ingredients used and when combined together, it was pretty good.  I loved it served on a toasted crostini.  Toasted crunchy bread with steak tartar. yum!

Day Boat Scallop Risotto

with wild mushrooms, asparagus, cherry tomatoes and lobster cream sauce

It was on their special's menu and I just had to get it.  I have a thing for scallops and risottos...more for scallops than for risottos.  Anyhow, I wasn't the happiest camper...because the food was a bit on the cold side.  I wish they had served it right away because with seafood you need to eat it when it's freshly cooked...or completely uncooked. Cooled down cooked scallops just don't taste as good.  The risotto was just whatever to me.  Nothing that great but edible.  I suppose it was better than some of the dishes that were ordered.

Canard Deux Facons

Roasted duck breast and leg confit, potatoe galette, baby frisee, shaved red onions and candied kumquats

My big sis ordered this and we basically shared what we ordered.  This was sooo good.  First bite of the salad and I fell in love already.  It had some kind of tangy sweet dressing.  There was also some sort of raspberry jam as either part of the salad or slathered on the duck confit and it was delicious.  The balance of the savory and the sweet went perfectly together.   She food-ucated me about duck confit. Educating me with the fact that the duck confit is usually the most tender and flavorful served meat.  Confit is the process in which  they cook the duck in its own fat...allowing the meat to be not only soft and tender but also soaked in delicious flavor.  The duck was amazing...tender and full of flavor.  This was hands down the best dish ordered!! YUM!

Beretta

1199 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

Occasion: Belated Bday dinner/ catch up session with my college roomie=] 1.06.11 Also got to use my secret santa gift certificate here!

Nuestra Paloma

Tequila, elderflower, cointreau, grapefruit and bitters

Definitely what I needed after a long day of work while I was waiting for the roomie.  I picked this drink 1) because it has my coworker Paloma's name in it and 2) because it's on the 2010 Big Eat SF list of things to try it's #56. Nuestra Paloma at Beretta.  Don't let the colors of the girly looking drinking fool you, that tequila can keep you buzzin.  I don't think I truly know how to enjoy cocktails or alcohols.... I usually drink socially just to loosen up and mingle with friends, so it's hard for me to judge how great this drink is...but by the looks of the bar, it seemed like it was a good place to go to for drinks.  Plus, the barista looked so professional and artistic making the drinks.  Story time...I was waiting for my room mate to come and was watching the barista concoct a few drinks...first time he came by me and asked if I wanted a drink...I replied not yet maybe later, the after he had watched me watch him make his next drink he came back over again and asked me, "Do you want a drink now?" And so that is how he convinced me to get a drink.

Eggplant caponatina with burrata
The burrata was so soft and delicious. I love mozzarella, but burrata's even better...so it was a plus that we got it added to the eggplants, which were pretty good in my opinion.  The plate compiled of a few other different vegetables that made it seem like one of our healthier dishes.  I think anything with tomatoes are very refreshing.  It almost reminded me of a caprese salad...ALMOST.  I enjoyed it!!

Zucchini parmigiana with scamorza & basil
It was lathered with a tomato based sauce and was delicious. The two appetizers were sooo good, I would have to say it was better than our main entrees.  I just love zucchini so you can't really go wrong.  I was really happy with this dish.

Vegetarian Pizza 
with spicy marinara sauce, pepperoncini, olives with burrata added to it
The burrata made it tastes so much better. Alison and I had actually seen the table next to us with the same pizza and decided to order it as well.  Since we were going to order something with meat, we figured that it would be nice to have a vegetarian pizza.  It wasn't big in size...came in a bout 6 small slices.  Two people can easily devour it.

Butternut squash with rosemary & crescenza risotto
Probably my least favorite thing that we had ordered.  The risotto didn't really have much flavor which didn't appeal much to the taste buds.  Also, it reminded me of uncooked rice.  I was actually quite disappointed by this dish...maybe it's just not my cup of tea.  I've had risotto before and it's definitely been more flavorful with better texture. This didn't execute for me. Sorry.

Panna gelato with extra virgin olive oil & sea salt
Weird.  I really do not like the idea of virgin olive oil with sweet dessert.  It wasn't awful, nor was it delicious.  I just wasn't used to the combination.  I mean I like salted caramel from Bi Rite...but this sweet and savory combination is nothing like I've had before....it didn't wow me at all.

Katana-ya

Occasion: Date night with the boyfriend...after watching tangled...we ended up here. 01.02.11  We both got some kind of dinner special.

Original Ramen with Miso broth

It's pretty simple compared to all the other ramens they offer, but it was still good.  Since I like variety, it didn't bother me because I could have both ramen and donburi for a reasonable price.  It was a cold night so the ramen did it's job in warming me up. Still love their ramen noodles. Yummmo.

Tonkatsu Don

I am so happy I went for this.  It was much better than Ella's Salmon Donburi.  It had some deep fried pork cutlet with rice and veggies.  I thought it was really good.  Since I love variety, it was perfect because I was able to switch off between the soup and the rice.

Pat's Cafe

2330 Taylor Street
San Francisco, CA 94133

Occasion: Sunday brunch with the "boyfriend" 01.02.11. I love having brunch, if I had the time and the metabolism to break every thing down, I would do it everyday! YUMMO!

Pecan Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Loved the chunks of pecan in the pancakes and the cinnamony pumpkin spice flavor. Drizzle some syrup over it and its delicious.  The pancakes aren't the fluffiest, but they're still very good. I can't believe I haven't tried this place before, since it is around the corner from where I live.

Crabcake Benedict

with their housemade hollandaise sauce and potato fingerlings

The potato seemed a bit on the cold side. Bleh! But the crabcake benedict was pretty good.  Never ordered a crab cake one before, so we gave it a try.  Ella loves benedicts and thought it was very good! It's hard to get her to say she loves anything since she's a pretty picky eater, so if she says it's delicious...it's worth trying!

Amber

25 Yerba Buena Lane
San Francisco, CA 94103

Occasion: NYE dinner with the "boyfriend"=] 12.31.10

Smoked Gouda & Chipotle Chili Spiced Corn Bites served in filo cups

Their amouse bouch. I like corn so I enjoyed it.  Chipotle sauce wasn't too spicy and the filo cups added a flaky texture in each bite.

Mango Lassi

Our alcohol free drink of choice. It was freaking amazing! I love love loved it! It's a mango yogurt drink.  Soo good and so smooth. Almost like a mango smoothie without the chunks of blended ice and mango. It's seriously so delicious. I wonder if I can go in there just to order the drink to go. AMAZING!!

Murg Taj Kebab

Griddled organic chicken minced kebabs flavored with black pepper and apricot served with organic greens

Nothing too special. It reminded me of sausage.

Varqi Crab

Karavali style crab meat flavored with black pepper and star anise flavored with silver leaf

Again, nothing too special.  The look and the texture reminded me of pulled pork.  It was also on the salty side. It was just mediocre.

Calicut Prawns

Tiger shrimps reserved overnight in roasted ginger, fennel and yogurt marinade

It came with three prawns that were decently sized.  Flavor was sufficient and did not go wrong.  I love prawns so I enjoyed this more than most of the dishes I had here.

Paneer Multani Tikka

Cottage cheese steeped in Northwest frontier spice, grilled to perfection

It was dense and came in a block form.  I thought it was pretty good since I do enjoy cheese a lot, but Ella was not a fan.  Not the cottage cheese I'm used to seeing, where it looks kind of like oatmeal.

Black Cod Narangi

seared with orange, ginger and honey with a winter salad

The salad was good, but the black cod had bones and the sauce was just mediocre.  I've definitely had black cod in ways where it's better prepared.  Maybe I'm just not used to Indian flavor and spice. Disappointed.

Badam Bhara Baingan

Baby eggplant with caramelized onions and almonds with saffron rice

This was delicious. I loved the thin slices of almonds that was sprinkled on top.  It definitely added a pleasant crunch to the soft mushy eggplants.  The saffron rice was something I wasn't too used to. Perhaps the flavor or even the type of grain.

Blood orange and black berry cabernet sorbet

Orange was delicious, but the berry cabernet tasted like red wine.  I didn't enjoy it at all.

Warm multilayer goan cake with vanilla ice cream

First time having it.  Not too bad. The cake is dense, but it wasn't too bad.  Definitely not what I'm used to dessert wise.