Spruce

3640 Sacramento St
San Francisco, CA 94118

Occasion:  Ella's Bday dinner with the girls. Party of 6. 08.30.11

Complimentary cheese puffs

Nice little snack to have.  Puffy and filled with a mild cheesy flavor. It definitely worked up my appetite.

Mussels

Ordered from the bar menu.  We all love shellfish, so it was a good appetizer to get.  Don't think I've ever had any mussels gone wrong.  Delicious especially with the bread soaked in the broth!

Lettuce and Herbs

Bayuls vinegar, and green olive crostone

Very refreshing and flavorful salad in a yummy vinegar dressing.  Olives and vinegar added a flavorful tang to it! Easy to share within our group of girls.

Pan seared veal sweetbreads

with figs, petit lettuce, cippolini onions in a bacon vinaigrette

Delicious.  I've grown to love figs more and more.  Sweet breads have some what of a harder texture. You've just got to try it yourself.  Just FYI: sweetbreads are the throat or neck portion of cattle.  It's not bread that is sweet. LOL. Will not mention any names, but she thought it was bread that was sweet.

Honey Lacquered Duck Breast

with cinnamon spiced foie gras, watercress and glazed rhubarb

Delicious.  I wanted foie gras and since it was in the duck dish, I decided to get it.  It was so good I finished everything.  I only wish that there was a bigger piece of foie gras, they skimped us on that.

Butter Poached Lobster

with braised lettuces and golden potato gnocchi

Fanny's dish.  Though the portion was kind of on the small side, she seemed to have enjoyed her meal.

Griled Bavet Steak

Duck fat potatoes, foraged mushrooms, bordelaise

Diana's Steak.  She gave me a piece and it was a little bit too cooked for my liking.  I like it medium rare and I think she got it medium well.

SF Food Festival

Mission District
From Folsom Street & 22nd- 26th Street

Occasion: After a long day in Carmel, we raced back to the city to make it for the SF Food Festival! We had a group of about 5, which was great because we got to try a little bit of everything. My sister did her research and advised for me to check out the booths/trucks that are not from SF.  Documented here is our foodie adventure at the festival. 08.20.11

Chicken tacos from El Huarache Loco

We were so hungry by the time we got there that we stopped by a booth with decent looking food and a short line.  Maybe we were hungry, but I thought it was delicious!  The tortillas were nice and warm as was the chicken!

Ceviche from La Mar

Ceviche's one of my favorite appetizers.  This one was surprisingly delicious especially with what seemed to have been deep fried kernels.  Reminded me of corn nuts

Sweet potato waffles from Pinx

I love waffles and this was definitely a twist from what I'm used to, but it works!

Chicken wings from Nombe

Generous portions and pretty decent.  Served hot and glazed with some kind of sweet and spicy sauce.

Tamales from Tamales Los Mayes

They had a deal for this so we got it to try.  I've had tamales a few times and I haven't been a big fan of these.  I guess I'll have to give it another shot, perhaps not from a food festival!

Scotch egg from Purple Hibiscus(Chiefo's Kitchen)

Since it was towards the end of the day, they were offering a 2 for 1 deal, so we got it.  It's creative and unique and I love eggs, so I figured why not.  Too bad they were not a fresh batch.  It was decent.

Pad Thai Taco from The Peached Tortilla

This is a food truck from Austin, Texas serving fusion gourmet tacos. 

Delicious, memorable and one of the better booths we encountered! Thai food in a taco form. Bomb!

Banh MiTaco from The Peached Tortilla

This is a food truck from Austin, Texas serving fusion gourmet tacos.

It had pork belly in it, which was absolutely flavorful.  The orange sauce was sweet with a little kick to it.  It was like a vietnamese sandwich in a taco form.

Jacked up Hush puppies from Zella's Soulfood Kitchen

By the end of the day, some booths had deals and this was one of them.  I think they offered 3 for $5 so we got it!  Some kind of corn bread tasting balls.

Shrimp Po'Boy from Zella's Soulfood Kitchen

Oatmeal, cranberry nut cookie from Embrace Sweets

They're from Los Angeles, CA. I would have over looked them if my sister had not called me to pick up some extra brownies for her.  These cookies were fresh, chewy and delicious as were their addicting brownies (not pictured).  I thought it was delicious!

Sausage from Seoul Sausage 

They're based in Los Angeles, CA and their line was super long.  Fanny and I really wanted to see why there's so much hype about this place so we asked a man to purchase one for us...well we kind of cut him in line.  I guess drunk people are more chill!  The sausage had a korean flavor to it and was pretty good, but this was our last stop so we were already full!

Carmel Belle

Doud Craft Studios
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921

Occasion: Brunch before the car show and test drive down here in Carmel. 08.20.11

Truffled Egg Toast with melted fontina cheese and asparagus

Loved it. Not only was the presentation amazing, it tasted great.  It's actually a lot simpler than it looks.  Basically a big slice of bread topped with melted cheese with some truffle oil drizzled on top.  The asparagus were chopped up into small pieces and were nice and crunchy

Poached egg on toast with bacon

Salmon lox with boiled egg, capers and onions

I love lox!

Green eggs and ham

with two soft poached eggs on country toast, american prociutto an arugula herb puree

The arugula berb puree was super delicious! Something different, but good!

Open faced avocado sandwich with olive oil and sea salt

It's so simple, but so good.  I love avocado everything and anything, so I definitely enjoyed this.  The avocados were very ripe and fresh and with some salt to give it some extra flavor. yum!

Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous

699 22nd St
San Francisco, CA 94107

Occasion: Even though we were supposed to be on some kind of a health kick, I was able to convince Henry to come here for some ice cream after brunch at Slow Club. 08.13.11

Pink Squirrel: Almond flavored ice cream

I love almond flavored desserts, so I just had to get this one too.  It's not as rich and sweet as almondpaste or marzipan, but it definitely has a hint of almond flavor.  We got a free cone that was made fresh! We broke it up into pieces and ate it with the ice cream. Happy=]

Slow Club

2501 Mariposa Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

Occasion: Saturday brunch. Woke up early to work out and treated ourselves to some brunch 08.13.11

Strawberry orange agua fresca

It was crisp and refreshing, but a little bit on the sweet side.  It was enjoyable and I could see myself enjoying it a lot more on a HOT SUMMER day.  It was different and tasty.

Turkey Sausage Hash

with yukon gold potatoes, grilled white corn,  caramelized onion, roasted peppers & sage

with two poached eggs, baby arugula & cheddar cheeseFreaking delicious.  I am so glad I checked to see what my fellow yelpers recommended.  The turkey sausage hash was definitely one thing I wanted to try.  The poached eggs looked so perfectly placed on top of the hash that I almost didn't want to eat it.  I loved the presentation of the dish and the bright colors in it.  It might look like a big plate of food, but it surely wasn't enough for the stomach.  We shared this between two people along with some french toast.  I was afraid that I'd feel super full and greasy after even half of this, but it wasn't the case here.  It actually wasn't too greasy and it definitely left me yearning for more.  I loved everything about this dish and would definitely come back for more.

bourbon french toast

strawberries, sweet toasted walnuts & bourbon maple syrup

Freaking delicious!  The bread was filled with what seemed to be custard, which added a fluffiness to the bread.  I like it when I have fluffy french toast!  So good!

Bakesale Betty's

5098 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94609

Occasion: Woke up on a Saturday morning and decided we wanted to make our way to Oakland for some fried chicken sandwich.  Luckily we got there right when they started serving the sandwiches @ about 10:30am. If you arrive anytime before 10:30am, they only serve breakfast foods. 08.06.11

Raisin orange scone

Freaking amazing.  And the fact that we got it for free made it taste even better.  It was one of the best scones I have ever had.  Of course everything is better eaten when hot/warm fresh out of the oven.  But the flavors in it were so amazing...raisin and zesty orange goodness.

Chicken Sandwich

Finally got to try their infamous fried chicken sandwich.  I had mixed feelings before trying it.  I really really wanted to try it to see what everyone was talking about, but at the same time, I was afraid it would taste like KFC chicken in a sandwich bun.  I was so impressed with the sandwich.  The chicken was not overly fried, the meat was not dry and super tender.  The cole slaw was not like KFC 's coleslaw, where it's drenched with mayonnaise.  Instead they use some kind of a vinaigrette dressing of some sort.  It has a tangy goodness to it.  I also noticed slices of jalapenos in the coleslaw for just a little bit of heat.  Coming from a person who can't really handle much heat, the jalapeno slices are not too bad.

Strawberry shortcake

It's not like most strawberry shortcakes I'm used to where there's layers of cake, whipped cream and strawberry.  There's a small loaf of shortcake, then whipped cream topped on top of the cake.  Slices of strawberries are tossed on top.  To eat it, you just use a fork and make sure you get a bite of all three ingredients.  The shortcake is so good, we were fighting for the last piece.  I wished there were more cake! We seemed to have ended up with less and left over whipped cream and strawberry slices. It is simply divine and scrumplicious!

Pasion

737 Irving St
San Francisco, CA 94122

Occasion:  Sunday night dinner with the Tran family after watching Captain America 07.31.11

Sangria

We went on a sunday and they had a half of deal for Sangria, so we got a pitcher.  It wasn't the best I've had, but it was pretty strong. Since I'm not an avid drinker, I'm probably not the best person to ask whether or not this is good Sangria.  My definition of good sangria is if it tastes like juice.

Ceviche Quatro

All fouor were delicious.  I love ceviche and the zesty lemon juice it is soaked in.  My favorite was the ahi tuna. I just love the flavors bouncing off of my tastebuds.

Mejillones

Steamed p.e.i. mussels, spanish chorizo, creamy tomato sofrito, grilled garlic bread.

I really enjoyed it.  The addition of chorizo added flavor to it and the creamy tomato broth went really well with the garlic bread!

Oysters on the half shell

Yummy raw oysters.  I love eating it with vinaigrette sauce.

Sweet Plantains

Delicious! I love sweet plantains and they were generous with their serving.  Nice and slightly crispy on the outside and nice and warm, soft and mushy on the inside.  I wish it came in a smaller, more snack able size.

Yucca Fries

More than enough for us.  We didn't realize that one of our entrees came with yucca fries.  I wish our waiter told us that, so that we didn't over order, which we obviously did.  Yucca fries are like potato fries but with a less starchy texture.

Pescado a lo Macho

crispy fried whole bronzino, spicy aji amarillo sauce, clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, calamari, cilantro rice.

Our second favorite dish.  The green cilantro rice was so memorable with it's chunks of seafood in it.  It was not only appealing to the eye it was good to the stomach too!  The fish meat was delicious, though we had to be careful of bones when picking out the meat.  It was such a flavorful dish!!

Vaca Encebollada

wood grilled 12oz. new york steak, caramelized onion, piquillo pepper confit, yuca fries, chimichurri, cabrales demi 

My first thought was, oh MORE YUCCA FRIES? Like I mentioned earlier, I wish the waiter had told us that we already had yucca fries in one of our entrees.  We definitely had extra yucca fries.  The meat to my surprise was absolutely tender and flavorful.  Oh and the carmelized onions definitely added a great sweetness to the meat.

 

Special of the day. Sole fish with asparagus on top of a fried polenta cake

This was definitely a favorite of the night.  The deep fried polenta cake had the perfect golden brown crispy skin with a flavorful goey polenta inside.  The fish was soft and cooked well.  It was such a fun, flavorful and colorful dish.  Tasted great and looked great.

Lomito Saltado
sautéed tenderloin steak strips, onion, cilantro, tomato, french fries, steamed rice

This is such a classic peruvian/ latin dish.  Absolutely flavorful.  The union of the onion, cilantro and tomato with the steak strips mixed with some steamed rice makes the perfect meal.  I'm usually used to having fries on the side, but with this dish, the fries are mixed in as part of the entree. 

Paella

saffron rice pimentón sofrito, mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, scallops, chicken and chorizo, green peas.

I love Paellas! It has all my favorite flavors and ingredients in it.  It was really good here! I'm sad it came last because by the time it came out, I was pretty full already.   It's like a mexican fried rice.  The flavors of the seafood itself were great, but the addition of the chorizo definitely made it better.  Though it was good, I still think Fresca's Paella's is the best I've ever had. 

Gunther's Quality Ice Cream

2801 Franklin Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95818

Occasion: Dessert after dinner. 07.31.11

Jenny's Cone

Mint chocolate chip on a plain cone

It was good, but not as good as the fruit freeze that I had.  This is not my choice of flavor, but it was still good.

Fruit Freeze

Lemonade freeze, mango ice cream and strawberry freeze

So freaking good.  I only came across their fruit freeze while waiting in line to get my ice cream.  In the midst of deciding what flavor to get, I saw a customer with an order of these.  He claimed that it was the best thing on the menu.  He' was a dedicated and returning customer after over 10 years, so I knew I had to get one of these to try.  It was freaking delicious, especially on a nice summer night in Sacramento.

Sarang Bang

3631 S Port Dr
Sacramento, CA 95826

Occasion: After the State Fair and some shopping at Arden Fair Mall, we made our way here for dinner. Definitely brings back some Davis memories! It was so good and so cheap! Love their authentic Korean food! 07.30.11

Bulgogi

Not something I would order, but shared it.  I guess it's good for those meat lovers!  Unlike Kalbi, there's no bones, so I guess it's easier to eat, but I know some who'd prefer the bone in.

Tofu Stew

Something light and best eaten when drenched over rice.   I love that you crack an egg and let it cook in the hot pot stew.  Most Korean food is super spicy, but surprisingly this wasn't too bad.  Perhaps I've adapted to it.

Seafood pancake

So delicious. This has to be one of my most favorite things to order at a Korean restaurant.  I only like ordering it when there's a group of us because though it's delicious, it's not a main course type of dish.  It's a very big and filling appetizer.  I placed this order after we had placed our main orders and I'm so glad we did because everyone enjoyed it just as much as I did.

California State Fair

1600 Exposition Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95815

Occasion: Sac state fair with the girls and then some.  Great day out in the hot scorching sun with good company eating good food. 07.30.11

Chicken wings and fries

Tri tip sandwich

Corn Dog

Nachos

Deep Fried Twinkie

Deep Fried Snickers

Festival/Fair food= a bit overpriced, but so worth it!