El Burrito Express 2

1812 Divisadero St
San Francisco, CA 94115

Occasion: Friday lunch. 10.28.11

Chicken and Sour cream El Expresso Burrito - it comes wrapped in a giant flour tortilla with rice, beans, cheese, chicken, guacamole, onions, tomatoes, and cheese on top. Topped off with a special expresso sauce and sour cream.

It was just a mediocre burrito.  Flour tortilla was too thick, there wasn't enough guacamole nor beans.  It seemed like they skimped on most items except for the special sauce and the sour cream.  What I did like was the chicken, which was cooked flavorful and moist.  I hate dry chicken and was happy to find it nice and juicy.

Bun Mee

2015 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94115

Occasion: Monday snack from Melissa. 10.24.11

Chocolate cookies with a coconut cream filling.

Light. Delicious. Addictive.

Luce

888 Howard St
San Francisco, CA 94103

Occasion: Celebrating Amy's 26th Birthday. 10.21.11

**1 Michelin Star 2011**

Our Menu for the night

Since we had a group of 12 girls, we had to choose from a pre fixed menu.  I wish it wasn't that way, but I understand.

Pan Roasted Sea Scallops

with licorice, fennel in a tomato broth 

This was Sophia's choice for her first course, but she let me try a little piece.  It was decent, but not the best I've had.  I think the tomato broth brings out the seafood flavor of the scallops.  Not what I'd expect from a Michelin Star restaurant

Artisan Foie Gras “Chaud et Froid” 

Rhubarb, Walnuts, Brioche 

This was my choice for my first entree.  I like how the foie gras was prepared two ways: torchon and seared.  The seared foie gras was good, but not the best I've had.  The tart rhubarb complemented both the rich seared and torchon foie gras really well and I really enjoyed it.

Herb Roasted Lamb Loin with crispy pork belly, baby carrots, turnips and roasted garlic

I wish the lamb was not as cooked, I like it medium rare.  The veggies however were delicious.  Crunchy fresh baby carrots and turnips. Yum.  The pork belly was tender and rich in flavor, it wasn't bad at all.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

Chocolate cake hazelnut truffle and Vanilla ice cream 

I usually do not order chocolate cake or chocolate souffle, but the waiter recommended it so I opted for this over the pumpkin creme brulee.  I just about cleaned this bowl clean.  The warm chocolate cake was fluffy, warm and delicious.  The inside was oozing out with truffle that was absolutely tasty.

Specialties

Occasion: My sister bought me a treat as a pick me up because I had a bad day=/ My sister's company, cookie and retail therapy...definitely healed the tension filled day. 10.20.11

Cookie  filled with pecan and topped with powdered sugar

At first glance, it reminded me of a scone, but not as soft.  Since it's a cookie it crumbles and has more of a crunch.  Loved the chopped up pecans in the cookie!  I really really enjoyed it, even though it was a little sweet. Just what I needed. Oh this is also seasonal!

Pane E Vino

1715 Union St
San Francisco, CA 94123

Occasion: Dinner before NWM 2011. I was advised from some marathon runners that pasta the night before a marathon is good for you, so I took their advice and got pasta from here again. 10.15.11

PENNETTE ALLA BOSCAIOLA

Pasta tubes with pancetta, mushrooms in a light creamy tomato sauce

Last time I came here, which was just the week before, I was torn between this dish and the corkscrew pasta with eggplant.  I wanted to try something different this time and got this, since it's something I wanted to try.  I love love love penne pasta.  I'm not sure why, but maybe because it's a tubed pasta.  Anyhow, I thought this was delicious.  Tomato sauce with a hint of creaminess makes it less tangy.  The pancetta added a rich salty flavor to it, almost like a bacon bit.  So good!

Yummy Yummy

1015 Irving St
San Francisco, CA 94122

Occasion: Another Tran family affair. Party of 13. 10.14.11

 Beef Carpaccio

One of my favorite appetizers to get at a Vietnamese restaurant.  I love the combination of flavors that the  raw meat, chopped peanuts, basil, onions and the sweet fish sauce bring together.  It's sweet and tangy deliciousness that's perfect for an appetizer.

 

Beef Pho

I got to have a taste of this because I wanted to.  I wasn't in the mood to eat a whole bowl of pho, especially BEEF.  I couple sips of soup and some noodles and that was satisfying enough for me.

Banh Cuon

It's light and seems pretty healthy, or at least I seem to think so.  I've always loved steamed rice noodles at dim sum and this definitely reminds me of it, except the fact that it's stuffed with other kinds of goodness.  It's stuffed with minced pork, diced up mushroom, water chestnut. Yum. I really enjoyed it and it's definitely better than the ones at Irving Deli.

La Mediterranee

2210 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94115

Occasion: Catch up dinner session with Michelle.  It's been way too long. We ordered the Mediterranean Meza for two which includes a tasting of 10 of their house specialties. *Pictures courtesy of Michelle* 10.12.11

Dolma grape leaves,  Armenian potato salad and Levant Sandwiches filled with cream cheese, herbs, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, feta cheese & tomato rolled in levantine bread

The dolma was a little overly sour for my liking, don't get me wrong, some people love it that way, but not me.  I loved the armenian potato salad.  I love the combination of flavors and the fact that they added cilantro in it.  Levant sandwiches weren't too bad either, though I wasn't a fan of the cream cheese.  The levant bread reminded me of a tortilla wrap/ pita bread.  I liked how it was flat but it still had a little bit of cushion to it.

 Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Tabuleh

It was decent, but I think I like the ones at King of Falafel better.  The baba ghanoush was missing something...perhaps a garlic flavor?  Anyhow, I still ate it with the pita bread they brought out with it.  It's really good finger food especially when you're busy talking and catching up.

Pomegranate Chicken and Lamb Lule served over Rice Pilaf

Pomegranate chicken is marinated in pomegranate sauce and baked with wild herbs.  Chicken was really moist and not dry.  The pomegranate sauce added a slight sweetness to the chicken and I thought it was delicious.  Lamb lule was made with local, grass-fed lean ground lamb meatballs with parsley, spices, onions & tomatoes.  I can handle lamb and the supposed gamey-ness of it, but I didn't think it was too gamey here.  Between the two I liked the chicken better.

Grecian Spinach & Feta Fillo Dough made with a delicious mixture of Spinach, Onions, Almonds & Feta Cheese and the Chicken Cilicia made with Cinnamon-spiced Chicken with Almonds, Chickpeas & Raisins 

They were both freaking amazing. I enjoyed the flaky fillo dough that wrapped around each of these.  I can't decide which one I like more as they're both good in their own ways.  The savory spinach and feta cheese is light and not too filling.  The chicken cilicia surprised me with their sweet cinnamon taste.  It was savory, yet sweet at the same time.  Both really good.

Umami Burger

2184 Union St
San Francisco, CA 94123

Occasion: Saturday lunch with Henry's siblings +1. I found out that they were opening one in SF and knew that I had to come here. We passed by it the night before after dinner at Pane E Vino about 5 blocks up and checked to see how the wait was. Since it wasn't too bad, we had made arrangements for all of us to have lunch there on Saturday, and so we did. My wish from my last LA Umami Burger post came true and they really did open one up north. YAY!  We came out with a full stomach and smiles on our faces. 10.08.11

Our condiments: house made ketchup, dijon mustard, garlic aoili, ghost pepper something?, jalepeno ranch. 

The ketchup was delicious with a slight sweetness, the dijon mustard reminded me of wasabi, garlic aoli was not garlicy enough, the ghost pepper was very very very spicy and the jalepeno ranch was pretty darn good.

Truffle fries and Regular cut fries(on their special menu)

Truffle fries for the cheese eaters and regular fries for Vinson, who doesn't like cheese at all.

Truffle fries were freaking delicious.  The gooey, rich flavor of the truffle topped on the fries were divine.  I dipped my fries into each of the 5 dressings they had.  I liked it best with the ketchup.

Cheesy Tater Tots (on their special menu)

Brings back those high school cafeteria moments.  I love anything made with potato and because these little things are made with it, I loved it.  These tater tots were filled with cheese, but don't worry it's not too overwhelming.  Outsides were slightly crisped and I loved dipping them into the ketchup.

Nadine's Diet Coke

My Ginger Beer

Henry's Mexican Coke

Ginger beer is freaking awesome!! It's just like ginger soda without the carbonation. YUM!

Truffle Burger

Marvin and I both got the truffle burger.  It was absolutely delicious.  I might have had a little too much truffles since we had truffle cheese fries earlier.  The burger was juicy, flavorful and delicious.  It's simple, but very satisfying.  Dip it with some of their home made ketchup and it's amazing.  Some may have a difference in opinion with the ketchup, but I really enjoyed it.

Umami Burger

This is what Henry ordered.  I thought it was a good balance of flavor and though the burger wasn't as juicy as the truffle, it was still good.  There was a fried piece of cheese in there that added a crunchy texture to each bite.  Oh and the mushrooms definitely added a plus for me.  Their buns are uniquely amazing as they are fluffy and sweet.  We were told that the buns are dipped in honey and milk for the delicious sweet taste.  It's also very nicely presented with their logo stamped on top of each burger.

Truffle Burger

Split open.

 

Ice cream sandwich with chocolate ice cream and chocolate cookies

I was so full I only tried a tiny piece.

Pane E Vino

1715 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123

Occasion: Friday date night with my boo! Forgot my camera, so pictures taken from an IPHONE. 10.07.11

FUSILLI CON MELANZANE E SCAMORZA

Corkscrew pasta, smoked mozzarella, eggplant, garlic and tomato sauce

I was trying to decide between this dish and the PENNETTE ALLA BOSCAIOLA.  The waiter convinced me to get this one and I am so happy I did.  I really really liked the flavors of everything meshed together.  The tomato sauce added a tangy flavor to it and the mushy texture and flavor of the eggplant was amazing.  I find pasta to be really heavy usually, but not here.  It's delicious and filling without making you feel like you've inhaled a pound of grease. Well done!

PAPPARDELLE ALLA CONTADINA

Wide egg pasta with chicken and porcini mushrooms in a light tomato cream sauce

This was delicious as well.  I love the wide egg pasta and the light tomato cream sauce.  Unlike the entree above, it was not as tangy, but more sweet. The flavors were all there and it was a winner.  He liked his dish so much we ordered one to go for his brother (and he loved it too). He liked it better than the corkscrew pasta and I liked the corkscrew pasta better than this one.  But both were amazing.  I've really been craving Italian food a lot lately.

TIRAMISU

Layers of mascarpone cream & espresso dipped ladyfingers 

One of my favorite desserts and I'd have to admit that it's pretty good here.  I like that the lady fingers are not too soggy.  Though I could do with less rum, I still enjoyed it.  He on the other was not a fan.  He just doesn't like tiramisu cake.  I wanted to pinpoint what it was that he specifically didn't like.  It's definitely not the mascarpone cheese because he liked that.  I'm not sure if it's the lady finger or the rum flavor on the lady finger.  Anyhow, I tried and so did he.  Maybe next time.

Out the Door

Occasion: Lunch on a Monday after an exhausting weekend. 10.03.11

Chicken porridge

Just what we needed on a gloomy Monday. It's not as authentic as I'd like for it to be and it's not as "qing". Definitely a lot more oily and msg in there, but it was tasty and soothing going down my throat. It's featured in SF BIG EATS as #56. Chicken Porridge @ Out the Door.

New Sun Hong Kong Restaurant

 606 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133

Occasion: Late night grubbing after a night out at 5a5! 10.01.11

Beef pan fried noodles

What a great late night meal. We actually pigged out on more goodies, but this was the only dish we got a picture of.  I love the pan fried crispy noodles that softens up as it's been soaked in the juices and gravy of the beef and veggies.  Greasy food after a night out is always delicious.

Bucca Di Beppo

855 Howard St
San Francisco, CA 94103

Occasion: Celebrating Lincoln's Bday Party of 17.  It was a family affair! 09.30.11.

Seafood Trio Platter 

Shrimp Scampi, mussels marinara and fried calamari served with spicy marinara dipping sauce.

Nice appetizer before we start our meal.  Shrimp scampi was super flavorful.  That was the most memorable thing on this platter.

Chopped Antipasto Salad

Diced pepperoni, red onions, pepperoncini peppers, cucumbers, provolone, feta and Gorgonzola cheeses, tossed with our fresh lettuce blend in our signature Italian vinaigrette.

 Refreshing salad that we all enjoyed.  We had some people in our party who are lactose intolerant, so they were limited in what they could eat.  This salad was so universal that even those who had food limitations could enjoy it. With the heavy meal ahead of us, I'm glad we were able to stuff our stomachs with some healthy greens.

Linguine Frutti di Mare

Shrimp, baby clams, mussels and calamari tossed with spicy red clam sauce and imported Italian linguine.

I was expecting a lot from this dish, due to the fact that it was super hyped up by a certain someone.  In the past couple of weeks, I've had some bomb diggity Italian food and I was afraid that it wouldn't be comparable.  And to my expectations, it wasn't comparable at all.  Tony's and Tommaso's pasta dishes are definitely at another level.  I thought the Linguine Frutti di Mare was actually quite bland and dry.  Not that much sauce and just disappointing.  I love my pasta drenched in chunky tomato sauce, but unfortunately it was not the case here.

Spaghetti with Meatballs

Our famous half-pound, mouth-watering meatballs smothered in homemade marinara sauce on a bed of imported Italian spaghetti.

This was a favorite amongst the kids.  I got to try a little bit of it and the meatball was of course not comparable to the one we had at Tony's (which seriously has the best meatball in town).  It was decent, but I've had better.

Penne Arrabiata

Spicy Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a zesty marinara sauce with imported Italian penne pasta.

My favorite type of pasta is penne pasta, so I was happy about this dish.  I thought this dish was better than the Linguine Fruitti di Mare becasuse 1) it had flavor 2) it was drenched in sauce 3) I love the Italian sausage.  The Italian sausage added a little bit of heat and flavor to it and made it very enjoyable.  This dish went fast.  I guess everyone else enjoyed it too.

Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

tender chicken breast sautéed with garlic and red pepper, tossed with peas, a spicy rosa sauce and imported Italian rigatoni pasta.

This was my favorite thing we ordered. I love the spicy rosa sauce with the rigatoni pasta.  It was the most flavorful dish out of everything.  I love tubed pastas and chicken in it, so this was a win for me.

Yasukochi's Cake Shop

1790 Sutter St
San Francisco, CA 94115

Occasion: Celebrating Paloma's bday with some delicious cake. 09.29.11

Chocolate Crunch Cake

My favorite bakery shop to get chocolate crunch cake.  It was a chocolate cake with buttercream filling topped with a chocolate crunch candy.  Perfect for birthdays and a great dessert to have.

Tommaso's

1042 Kearny St
San Francisco, CA 94133

Occasion: Dinner with Henry, his sister and Phil.  It was a nice sunny Wednesday and we decided to eat here.  Ever since dining at Tony's, I was craving Italian food.  I figured since it was a Wednesday and we get off right around the time the restaurant opens that it be good to come here on a weekday rather than a weekend because I've been here twice on a Saturday and the wait is at least an hour.  They don't take reservations and it's based on a first come first serve basis.  09.28.11

Clams in a red sauce on Toasted French Bread

Freaking delicious.  A plate full of aromatic flavors.  I loved that there were generous amounts of clams and baby clams.  There were a lot of minced garlic and basil thrown in there.  Oh and the tomato sauce is amazing, sweet and tangy and not greasy at all.  The french bread was soaked in the red sauce and super flavorful.  It was our favorite dish and I would definitely recommend anyone who loves shellfish to get this appetizer to start with.

Stuffed Manicotti w/ Meat Balls and Ricotta Cheese

I thought it was pretty good, not my favorite since the other  dishes out shined it.  The guys didn't enjoy it as much because they're not big on cheese, especially Phil.  Though I didn't think the ricotta cheese were overbearing, others did.  I actually thought the ricotta cheese added a bit of a sweetness to the dish.  It's a classic Italian dish that I've only had less than a handful of times because when it comes to pasta dishes, I usually go for something with noodles, instead of this pasta roll.

Linguine with Prawns, Scallops, Clams, Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic (Spicy)

We all enjoy seafood so we all enjoyed it.  I loved the variety of spices and ingredients in the dish.  Ingredients were fresh and the combination of flavors were very refreshing.  Though it was spicy, it wasn't too much for me.  I loved this seafood pasta dish.

Large pizza half arugula, goat cheese and fig and the other half with pepperoni sausage and mushroom

The meaty pizza was the guy's pick and us females chose the special with arugula, goat cheese and figs.  The balance of sweet and savory balanced very well.  It's unique and not your classic pizza, but I still enjoyed it.  The sausage on the other half was super delicious and flavorful, so that was good too. Crust was nice and thin and both were delicious.

Mitchell's Ice Cream

688 San Jose Ave
San Francisco, CA 94110

Occasion: Dessert after dinner at Sawaii. 09.26.11

Left: Coffee and Tropical four

Right: Ube and Pumpkin

If you want traditional home made ice cream with unique tropical flavors, this is definitely the place to come to.  They have a variety of flavors including the traditional classics as well as their tropical flavors and their specialty flavors.  I like that I can choose from classic, tropical or their specialty flavors here.  What stands out the most are their tropical flavors.  Absolutely delicious.  Between the four flavors I had here, the Tropical four (which included banana, guava, mango and pineapple) was my favorite.  I just loved the combination of these exotic flavors together.  Ube, their purple yam, came in second followed by their pumpkin.  Not to say that coffee was my least favorite, it's just that I can get it anywhere and anytime.  This is definitely a good place to go for traditional home made ice cream.

Saiwaii

2240 Irving
San Francisco, CA 94122

Occasion: Monday night dinner. 09.26.11

Spicy Garlic Miso Ramen 

with pork belly, corn, seaweed, bean sprouts, green onion and bamboo shoots

Besides the fact that they forgot to put in the ground pork, the service was ok.  There was only one waitress tending to about 8 parties.  Anyway, the ramen was decent.  Not the best I've had though.  The noodles were not chewy and springy as I'd like for it to be.  I usually like my noodles thicker and my pork belly not so big of chunks or so fatty.  The broth however was decent.  I got to try the Spicy garlic tonkotsu broth, which was a lot better.

Sibby's

716 S Railroad Ave
San Mateo, CA 94401

Occasion: Little Joshie's birthday cupcakes after a fulfilling dinner at Tony's Pizza. 09.24.11

Coconut and Snickerdoodle

For a box of 1 dozen, they only let you choose from two flavors.  Henry chose these two and requested for blue power ranger to be designed on the snickerdoodle, which is my favorite flavor.  Josh's favorite character at the moment is the blue power ranger, thus the design.  The frosting was not over the top sweet and the cupcake was moist and fluffy. Both delicious.  Perfect dessert after a satisfying dinner.

Stella Pastry and Cafe

446 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133

Occasion: While we were waiting for our reservation at Tony' Pizza we walked a couple blocks down to the candy store and this bakery for a little snack.  09.24.11

Cannoli

It's a very popular Italian pastry that a lot of people enjoy.  I've heard that Stella's has one of the city's best cannolis.  I've had cannoli before, but I've never been drawn to it.  I actually find it messy and a little too sweet.  I love ricotta cheese, but I guess I don't enjoy it as much when eating it on an empty stomach.  Anyhow, my one bite of this cannoli did not change my mind on how I felt about it.  It's just not my kind of dessert.

Tony's Pizza Napoletana

1570 Stockton St
San Francisco, CA 94133

Occasion: We decided to come back here one week later to celebrate one of Henry's little's cousin's 4th birthday. Party of 9. 9.24.11

Meatball with Marinara Sauce

The biggest and tastiest meatball I have ever had. The end.  A must try item on the menu, everyone in our group can agree with that!!

Calamari

It's hard to go wrong with flavorful deep fried calamari.  It was best eaten after dipping it into their sauce.  This is always a good appetizer to share with a large group of people before a meal. My favorite are the ones with tentacles. Delicious.  The adults really enjoyed it, but I'm not sure about the kiddos. 

Fratellanza Sicilian Pizza

with fresh mushrooms, pepperoni, Italian sausage and oregano

Sicilian Pizza has a thicker crust.  There's more starch, therefore more filling.  It reminded us of Golden boy's pizza that's located around the block, but not as good.  The bread was not as soft and fluffy and the cheese wasn't as gooey.  It's a guy kinda pizza, thus they were the ones that ended up beasting on it.

Margherita Pizza

made with dough mixed by hand using san felice flour then proofed in napolitan wood boxes, San Marzano tomatoes D.O.P., sea salt, mozzarella fior di latte, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil

I loved it so much last week, that I knew I had to get it again this week.  This was a favorite amongst the kids and us females.  Thin crust with gooey and stretchy mozzarella cheese. It's simple, flavorful and delicious, just the way I like pizzas.  For those who are vegetarians and don't eat meat, this would be a great choice.

Brooklyn calzone made with mozzarella, spinach, garlic and ricotta with roasted bone marrow

Delicious! It was my first time having one, or at least that's what I can remember.  It reminded me of an Italian empanada that's filled with cheesy goodness.  It has a somewhat pizza crust outside wrapped around cheese and spinach, almost like a veggie pizza sandwich.  It was best eaten when it's fresh out the oven.  Spread some bone marrow on top and it definitely adds flavor to it.

Gluten Free Pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, baby tomatoes, arugula, parmesian and prosciutto

Requested by Lincoln, since he is on a gluten free diet.  I thought the pizza was a little too sweet for my liking. I'm used to eating savory pizza and not used to it having a tint of sweetness.  The breading definitely has a different texture and taste to it as it is not as fluffy, nor did it taste as starchy.  It was decent though.