Outerlands

4001 Judah St
San Francisco, CA 94122

Occasion: Saturday morning brunch. 05.28.11

Parsley root and leek soup with toast

No more toast!! But delicious warm creamy soup.

Left: Ginger lemon apple cider- so good! It's sweet with a little bit of a ginger zest

Right: Cappucino

Fried egg and bacon open face sandwich

I'm not a big fan of bacon, but I love eggs.  A very hearty breakfast that caused us to have a food coma.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

It definitely did not meet my expectation.  There was seriously too much bread in the sandwich.  In my opinion, it wasn't all that great.

Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine

903 Lincoln Ave
San Rafael, CA 94901

Occasion: Sunday Lunch.  We decided to head over to San Rafael for some delicious puerto rican food. So glad we did! 05.22.11

Mango Ice Tea

Amazing. Probably one of the best drinks I've ever had.  They not only gave a generous amount it came in a cute little mug.  Most places don't usually give enough, but here, there's definitely more than enough (well for me at least).  It was tasty and refreshing and how could they go wrong with a mango flavored tea...satisfied!

Pollo Al Horno

Free range boneless/skinless chicken marinated with oregano then baked, served with black beans and one garlic plantain and one sweet plantain

DELICIOUS!!! Chicken meat was flavorful and super tender! You get a choice of either black beans or pink beans, but I chose the black because it's what I like!  You also get a choice of 1,2 or 3 plantains.  I chose two ; one of each flavor.  Next time, I'm just going to get the sweet plantain.  The sweet plantain is definitely the better choice because it's not hard and crunch like the garlic one and in my opinion there's more flavor to it! I also like the mushy texture of the sweet plantain way better.

 

Camarones Criollos

Fried prawns marinated and breaded with green plantain. Served with rice, pink beans salad and one garlic and one sweet plantain

Everything is basically the same as my dish beside the main thing.  This was fried prawns, which I thought was good but not as good as mine.  I tend to gear away from fried foods 1) because they're greasy/fatty 2) sometimes I get sore throats from eating too much of it.

Bossa Nova

139 8th St
San Francisco, CA 94103

Occasion: Friday night: date night! Had previously bought a groupon deal for this restaurant and decided to bring Henry to this Brazilian foodie spot! 05.20.11

Strawberry and jalapeno Caipirinha

It's kind of like a brazilian mojito.  This was their special flavor of the night and I thought it was pretty interesting.  I would never to think to use jalapeno in a drink, but it worked.  You get a little bit of sweetness from the strawberry and a little bit of heat from the jalapeno.  Since I can't really take too much heat, I needed water to try to cool me down. I'm still working on building my tolerance to spicy goods.

Ceviche

I forgot what kind of seafood we had, but it definitely had a kick to it.  I love love love ceviche.  It's just the combination of flavors that make it so appetizing for me. Onions, basil, lemon juice soaked up in seafood. =]

Brazil Nut Crusted Goat Cheese w/ Cipollini Onion Jam

This was definitely my favorite thing we ordered that night.  I wanted to try it because I had seen that it was a highlight on yelp.  Henry doesn't usually like goat cheese, but to my surprise, he really enjoyed this dish as well.  The combination of the cheese with the onion jam was amazing.  I also loved that the cheese was nut crusted, which added not only flavor to the cheese, but also a crunchy texture.  It's definitely a must get here!!

Steamed Mussels w/ Spicy Tomato, Cilantro, Coconut Milk Broth

We love mussels, so we decided to try it.  Their coconut milk broth is heavenly, especially when you dip the bread in the broth; so good!  There is a little bit of a kick to it, but nothing too unbearable for me. Overall, it was my second favorite dish of the night!

Tuna Tartar w/ Ginger, Radishes, Avocado, Amarillo

I love tuna tartar and I like trying it at different restaurants, so we decided to order it here.  Unfortunately, it's not as good as I'd expect it to be.  It was lacking in flavor, but the presentation was really nice.

Top sirloin churrasquinho with three sauces

with coconut rice

I didn't think it was that great of a dish. We could have definitely done without.  The sauces were mediocre and in my opinion the meat was just okay and were super chewy.  It was hard for me to stuff that piece of meat in my mouth and chew.  The coconut rice however was very interesting.  It was dense and creamy!

Jardiniere

300 Grove St
San Francisco, CA 94102

Occasion:  Girls night out! Dinner with Bo, Jenny and Diana.  Just recapping on what happened on Bo's wedding night! 05.14.11

Duck
Meat was tender and flavorful. Delicious.

Hoffman Ranch Hen
I had a piece of this and thought it was pretty good for chicken.  I usually don't like ordering chicken because I'm usually disappointed with what I get.  The meat is usually too dry and if it's not in a soup the meat is usually rough. That totally was not the case here. Meat was juicy and flavorful. If I came here again, would I order this as my main entree? No.  I'd go for something different.

Beef Short Rib?

Jenny's Dish

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Desserts
I always have room for sweets no matter how full I am!=]

Bonne Bouche Platter

Yummy Yummy

1015 Irving St
San Francisco, CA 94122

Occasion: First meal right out the airport after returning from Maui, HI. I was craving for some homey asian food; something we couldn't find in Maui. 05.09.11

Beef Carpaccio

I was definitely craving for this.  Love wrapping the meat around the onions, basil, peanuts and fried onions then dipping it into the sweet and tangy nuc mam. A mouth full of flavor that was so good.  There's the texture of the tender meat, with the crispy onions and the crunchy peanuts. Just what I needed as my first meal back home.

 

Beef flank pho

Just what I needed! A bowl of noodle soup. Nothing too fancy, just something simple. My comfort food.

Mo's Smokehouse BBQ

221 Pomeroy Ave

Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Occasion: Saturday night soul food dinner in Pismo Beach. 05.01.11

Their different varieties of BBQ Sauce.

There were sweet, spicy, bbq and a tangy spicy!

Garlic Fries

We just had to get a basket to try because we love garlic fries. They were definitely tasty!

Shredded Pork

Slowly smoked and tender pork topped with delicious coleslaw

Yummy pulled pork drenched in sweet barbeque sauce.  Ever since the delicious pulled pork that AJ had made ages ago...I've fallen in love with pulled pork.  I loved this. The meat was juicy and tender.

Sweet Carolina's Pork Ribs
Slowly smoked with real hickory very tender with a sweet BBQ sauce!

This was their most popular item on their menu as far as ribs.  A friend gave us a tip to get this one instead of the memphis bbq pork ribs, so between two people we got half a rack of these. I had one and thought it was pretty good.  Tender meat that was not dry or over cooked slathered in a delicious smokey sweet bbq sauce.  Brings me back to the sweet memories of the Rib Fest in Reno I had attended a couple of years ago.

Splash Cafe

197 Pomeroy Ave
Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Occasion: Saturday lunch before we hit up the beach! 05.01.11

Grilled Ahi Tuna Sandwich

It wasn't the best thing we ordered and actually regretted getting this after my first bite.  There was too much bun going on.  The ahi tuna was a bit on the dry as well as the bland side.  I mean I guess it's a good thing for those health freaks! But not me, I was on vacation and wanted to bite into something tasty!

Salmon Tacos

Recommended by the girl behind the counter! Good choice.  There was some delicious sauce drizzled over it, which added moisture to the fish.  It was pretty good and perfect to my liking. I'm a seafood kind of girl, so this taco satisfied my tastebuds.

Fish and Chips

I usually don't order this and am not a big fan of fried foods, but this was so good to me.  This was the most flavorful item we ordered.  The fried fish was delicious; tender meat with a thin layer of crispy skin.  I didn't think it was too oily either. Yum!

Clam Chowder

This is what they're known for.  They even have frozen packaged soup for customers to take with them.  I thought the soup was rich, creamy and chunky.  A bit on the salty side.

Nothing Bundt Cakes

939 W El Camino Real

Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Occasion: Brought from sunnyvale to our beach house in Pismo Beach. Such a nice treat to munch on late at night.

 

Flavors: White chocolate raspberry, red velvet with chocolate chips, lemon, chocolate chocolate chip

They were all delicious, but my favorite was the white chocolate raspberry, then the red velvet then the chocolate chip followed by the lemon.  These still tasted good two days later; just as fresh as we got them on day 1.  These are the perfect snacks to have around! I wish they had one closer to me!

Firestone Grill

1001 Higuera St
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Occasion: After a three hour drive from San Francisco, we made a pit stop for dinner before we head to the beach house in Pismo Beach! Definitely brings back some old college memories.  This was the go to spot to eat whenever we came down to San Luis Obispo! So delish! 04.29.11

Steak Cobb Salad

Felt like something a little healthier and lighter, since I wasn't too hungry! It was really filling and had generous portions of ingredients!

Tri-tip steak sandwich

You have to get it when you're here! You just have to.  I know it's a lot of meat, but you can share it. For some, they might say it's not enough meat.  There's this sauce that you can dip the sandwich in, which makes the bread soggy and the meat so much more juicy and flavorful.  I love this sandwich!

Seasoned fries

So good and so addicting.  It's one of those snacks that you keep on picking even when you're full.  The fries are perfect with simple but tasty seasoning.

Lappert's Ice Cream

3750 Wailea Alanui Dr
Kihei, HI 96753

Occasion: Had to grab some ice cream while we were shopping. Flavors only available in Hawaii! 05.06.11

On top: Mauna Kea's Secret - White chocolate ice cream swirled with rasberry sorbet and loaded with chocolate chips and chocolate brownies.

On bottom: Kauai Pie - Kona coffee ice cream swirled with chocolate fudge, coconut flakes, macadamia nuts and vanilla cake crunch

YUM!!! Sooo good and so refreshing!


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Hula Grill

2435 Kaanapali Pkwy

Lahaina, HI 96761

Occasion: We finally, after our 3rd attempt made it to ziplining. After an adventurous morning of ziplining we headed here for lunch. 05.08.11

 

ISLAND FISH AND CHIPS
Heineken beer battered Mahi-mahi, lilikoi dipping sauce

FISH SANDWICH
5 oz. grilled fresh Hawaiian fish, 9-grain bun, jalapeño aioli, and mac nut slaw

Flavor of the fish was a little bit on the bland side. I also would have liked it better if there was less bun because it seemed to have made the burger a bit more dry than I would have liked it.  I usually do not like cole slaw, but thought it was pretty decent here.

HAWAIIAN CEVICHE
Fresh fish in lime, coconut milk, Maui onion,
cucumber, and chili with avocado

Love the availability of fresh fish on the island.  We all very much enjoyed their ceviche.  Their avocado was amazing. Chips were just ok.

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Four Seasons resort Maui of Wailea

3900 Wailea Alanui

Maui, HI 96753

Occasion: Bo and Ray's Wedding 05.07.11

 

hor dourevs: shrimp cocktails and oysters

I love seafood and I can't complain.  Refreshing and tasty!

 

Lobster corn dogs

So good!! I've never had one of those before and I loved it!

Pina Colada with my hor dourves

 

Pork Rib Sliders

I'm surprised it worked.  The meat wasn't as dry as I'd thought it would be.  It was a nice filler for us!  Probably my least favorite of all the hor dourves.

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After drinks and hor dourves was the reception inside the one of their ballrooms

 

Crab cake

Perfect appetizer. The crust was deep fried to the perfect golden brown, with not too much batter.  There was a generous amount of crab chunks.  The crab cake was nice and moist without using too much mayonnaise, which I liked.

 

Salad

Very flavorful and delicious.  There were crumbles of feta cheese and diced apple or pear, which definitely added a crunch to the texture of the dish.  It was a good salad.

Surf and Turf

There was steak and fish.  I love variety and was glad that there was both meat and fish.  I was very surprised with the generous portions on this plate.  We were so full, most of us ladies could barely finish.  I am a fish/seafood person, so I finished that first, leaving the meat unfinished.

Wedding cake

Strawberry shortcake plated with fruits. Loved it! The variety of fresh fruits were delicious and made the dessert so much better.  They were sweet and absolutely juicy.

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Local Boy Snack Shop

1941 S Kihei Rd
Kihei, HI 96753

Occasion: I just had to have shaved ice while we were here! What's a Hawaii trip without the shaved ice? Snack while shopping after breakfast. 05.07.11

Flavor: Big Daddy (small)

Mango, Strawberry and Passionfruit
After browsing through the flavors, I knew I had to have this one because it has all my favorite flavors in it.  Mango was the best!


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Stella Blue's Cafe

1279 S Kihei Rd
Kihei, HI 96753

Occasion: After a morning of snorkeling we made our way here to grab some brunch! Snorkeling sucks the energy out of you, so we needed a refuel! Morning of Bo and Ray's Wedding!!! 05.07.11

Banana macadamia nut pancakes

Half stack shared between 3 of us.

Pancake from another brunch place.. Pancakes were fluffy and the macadamia nuts added texture.

Egg's Benedict

Two eggs poached on a toasted English muffin
topped with homemade hollandaise sauce with ham

Ella's dish

HERE COMES SUNSHINE” QUICKSTART
Two fresh eggs any style with toast, potatoes and Portuguese sausage

Diana's dish

Stuffed french toast

YUM!!

FRESH FISH OMELETTE

Fish of the day with monterey jack and cheddar
blend, green onions and tomato with toast

Delish!

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