California Pizza Kitchen

5614 Bay St
Emeryville, CA 94608

Occasion: AK's birthday dinner celebration before a night of Mafia! We had a party of about 22.  The dishes below were shared among 6.  Perfect amount to not put you over, especially with so many carbs. 02.04.12

Vegetarian with Japanese Eggplant on whole wheat crust

with mozzarella, baby brocolli, eggplant, corn, red onion, mushroom, sun dried tomatoes and tomato sauce

My favorite of the bunch.  Have I mentioned that I like vegetarian pizzas before?  It was absolutely delicious and a favorite amongst our little group who shared it.

The original BBQ Chicken pizza

with BBQ sauce, smoked Gouda, BBQ chicken, red onions, cilantro and mozzarella

I mix of sweet and savory, with a bit of a smokey taste.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

It was sweet  and definitely had a kick to it.  If you'd like something sweet combined with spicy, I'd say it's a good choice.

Jambalaya

It wasn't that memorable...

Chicken Tequila Fettuccine

Spinach fettuccine with chicken, bell peppers, onions and cilantro in tequila lime jalepeno cream sauce

Pizzeria Delfina

2406 California St
San Francisco, CA 94115

Occasion: Lunch is served from one of our local favorites...02.03.12

 

 Insalata Tricolore
w/ lemon vinaigrette and grana padano

 Always got to get some greens in the system. So fresh and so good!

Panna
Tomato sauce, cream, basil, shaved parmigiano

Our favorite pizza from here.  The cream definitely balances the acidity of the tomato sauce and adds a sweetness to it.  Have I ever mentioned that I like vegetarian pizzas. This is definitely a winner.  Try this and you will not regret!

Roasted Cauliflower

I'm normally not a big fan of cauliflower, but these were seriously delicious!  It's not as mushy as if you were to steam or stirfy it.

Salsiccia
Housemade fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions, mozzarella

Another delicious pizza, but not my preferred choice.  Smoky taste of the bell  pepper definitely added  a nice crunch and flavor to the pizza.

Plow

1299 18th St
San Francisco, CA 94107

Occasion: Brunch on a Sunday! Finally football season has ended. Definitely enjoyed going out for some brunch. 01.29.12

The Plow

two eggs, choice of Nueske bacon, house made pork sausage, or chicken apple sausage, two lemon ricotta pancakes, crispy potatoes

I opted for the chicken apple sausage since I'm not a big fan of bacon.  It was really hard deciding what to get, but in the end I decided on the plow.  I love that there's a variety of different foods, so I can fill up to different delicious tastes in my mouth.  I really wanted to try their lemon ricotta pancakes, but didn't want a whole order of it, so when I saw this on the menu, I knew this was what I wanted.  The pancakes were moist, creamy and delicious! Crispy potatoes were perfectly seasoned with salt and rosemary and were absolutely delicious.  I asked for my eggs to made over easy, as I like to have my yolk runny. Not only is there variety in this dish but a good balance of sweet and savory.  I finished just about everything on this plate.

Eggs Benedict 

two eggs poached, fennel pollen hollandaise, Fra'Mani ham

He wanted the cold salmon benedict, but they were out so he opted for their regular one.  I thought there was just too much ham and way too salty, but he loved it.  It came with some crispy potatoes which definitely helped in stuffing us.

Ebisu

1283 9th Ave
San Francisco, CA 94122

Occasion: Saturday night date night before we watch The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 01.28.12

Kobe Beef Sashimi

It came with three different sauces, all of which were spicy.  The slices were thin and rolled up very perfectly.  I unrolled each one to spread some of the sauce into it. Rolled it back up then dipped it into the soy ponzu sauce.  It was good, but Shabu House would have been way more satisfying.

Oyster Barnabi

Oyster on the half shell topped with rich uni, quail egg, ikura, scallions and ponzu sauce

It was like an orgasm in my mouth.  I loved the freshness of the oyster combined with the rich flavors of the uni and the quail egg.  The marriage of flavors came together very well as you could taste the sweetness of the seafood.  The ikura balls added not only flavor, but also texture to this little appetizer.  It was a very delicious bite of the sea.

Sashimi platter for two
Beautiful presentation and freaking delicious.  Of course when things are more appealing to the eyes they taste better as well.  It was a great variety of fresh and tasty seafood.

Double Hamachi Roll

I love love love hamachi, so when I saw it on yelp's highlight, I decided to get this.  I love how it's topped and filled with hamachi; yum buttery goodness.  I just wish there were more too it.  I could only imagine how much tastier it would be with some avocado. YUM.

Alexander's Steakhouse

448 Brannan St
San Francisco, CA 94107

Occasion: Celebrating Sophia's birthday. Party of 10. 01.27.12

Hamachi shots

We each got a shot and in my opinion, I thought it was quite tasty.  Hamachi, avocado, rice crisps, ponzu sauce. Yum.  Make sure you try to get everything in your mouth in one bite.  You get to really enjoy the crispy texture of the rice crisp with the buttery hamachi and avocado chunks with a hint of the ponzu sauce. It's quite a tasty tasty bite that you will not regret.

Foie Gras popcorn
sweet kettle corn with foie gras butter

Delicious little appetizer to share amongst the table before our real meal.  Foie gras taste is really subtle and not over powering.  There's the subtle tastes of the foie gras combined with the sweet kettle popcorn.  

Dry-aged ribeye steak

with aka miso,  kizami wasabi butter, dashi veal glace and topped with foie gras for an additional $20.00

I usually stick to what I know because I know I'll like it, especially at restaurants that serve food that I don't often eat.  I'm not big on meat or steak and this is probably one of the few times I decided to get something besides filet Mignon. I definitely did not regret my choice.  Though would have liked it a little bit more rare.  I asked for medium rare and it was more medium than rare.  The orange chunks of what seemed like a squash of some sort, was crunchy, bland and not very appetizing, though the added foie gras added a richness to the dish.  I probably finished 1/3 of this piece of meat, so you can definitely share it amongst two.

Truffled French Fries

sundried tomato - tonkatsu aïoli

So addicting. Subtle taste of truffle that complemented really well with the tonkatsu aioli. Delicious.

Prime Rib

until it’s gone / natural jus / horseradish trio

They only serve this until they sell out and if you're into prime rib, it's supposedly really good.  I mean I don't think I have made out a palate for steaks or primerib, but the meat seemed pretty juicy and tender.  My only complaint, along with a few others was the fact that the outer skin was overly seasoned and way too salty for our likings.  Other than that everyone who had it seemed to somewhat enjoy it.

jasmine rice hot pot

garlic root / green onion / unagi / takwan

Very similar to Chinese stone pot rice. I was quite impressed with the flavors of this dish as it had flavors similar to that of a Chinese dish.  It was good.

mashed potatoes

chicken cracklings and white gravy

brussels sprouts

charcoal-smoked marrow / yamagobo / late harvest viognier-honey vinaigrette

Filet Mignon

Ella's dish.  They had forgotten to add a piece of foie gras as requested, so when they came back with her dish, they slabbed on a huge piece for her.

Complimentary cotton candy

Souffle

Tanpopo

1740 Buchanan St
San Francisco, CA 94115

Occasion: Perfect lunch after a busy and stressful morning. 01.26.12

Miso Ramen

My choice of ramen.  Everyone else got spicy miso besides Hana, who's allergic to anything soy.  It was warm, filling and delicious. Though, I usually like my noodles a little thicker and more bouncy, it was still good. The noodles here are chewier and thinner than my choice, but some people like it like this better.  It was the perfect remedy to a shitty morning.

Fish & Farm

339 Taylor St
San Francisco, CA 94102

Occasion: Catch up and dinner with the college roomie for Dine about Town. Definitely long over due. 01.25.2012

 Complimentary shot of soup

Not exactly sure what it was, but it was nice to have something warm and free to start the meal off to.

 

Gem Salad

Simple, but delicious and refreshing.  Seemed to be seasoned with some salt and pepper and some kind of vinaigrette.  I also loved the chopped cherry tomatoes.

Salmon entree

Absolutely delicious.  It was cooked perfectly and flavored very well.  The skin was slightly crispy and the meat was soft.  Portion was generous and was laid on a bed of potato chunks and sauteed veggies.  It was delicious and filling.

Chocolate lava cake with vanilla bean ice cream

I am not usually a big fan of chocolate desserts, but this was truly something special.  The cake was warm, moist and filled with molten chocolate.  It was rich and decadent. A bite of the chocolate goodness and a spoonful of the vanilla bean ice cream combined was definitely the perfect marriage, but eating it separately was just as good. One of the best molten lava chocolate cake's I've ever had!

A Cote

5478 College Ave
Oakland, CA 94618

Occasion: Celebrating Ms. Annie Doan's Bday celebration party of 15. 01.20.12

Croque Monsieur

French Ham and Gruyere 

Definitely not something I'd expect to see on a dinner menu, but I'm not complaining because it was delicious.  The melted gruyere cheese with the combination of meat pressed together was absolutely delicious.

Mussels 

with Pernod from the wood oven

We got three orders of this to share amongst everyone.  So glad we did because you can never have enough delicious mussels.  It was delicious with minced garlic and a flavorful brothy sauce.  Dipping some complimentary bread into delicious broth is one of my favorite things to do.  Yum. It's a must order.

Pommes Frites

with Aioli

Their aoili is absolutely addicting.  It's a great filler to have between meals and the perfect snack when you're catching up with friends to great conversations.

Duck Confit Flatbread
with Sierra Beauty Apples & Cantelet 

I did not expect it to come out in a pizza form.  It was like a super thin pizza with topped with tender duck meat.  It was amazing and I wished we had ordered more.  We only had one to share amongst everyone. Another great dish ordered.

 Scallops

Most memorable thing on the dish was not the scallop, but the pink thing in the middle.  I'm not exactly sure what it was, but it was tart and pickled and definitely complemented the scallops really well.  Not to say the scallops were bad.

 

Rabbit Sausage 

I'm going to admit that I was a bit hesitant when we ordered it, but I am so glad I did.  It didn't taste any different than a regular sausage.  The meat wasn't too gamey and was sitting in some kind of a lentil soup and topped with some kind of horseradish/ spicy mustard.  Yes the combination of ingredients sounds weird, but it works and was actually quite good.  Just don't let the name of the dish scare you off.

 

Red Kuri Squash Gnocchi 

Chestnuts, Fontina Sauce & Kale 

Not one of my favorites of the night.  The texture of the gnocchi was chewy and I liked that, but it tasted pretty bland.  The kale on the other hand was overly salty.  I just didn't think the dish worked for me.  It was definitely not a favorite of mine.

   

Short ribs

with mashed potatoes

It wasn't that memorable of a dish.  It only came in a small chunk of short rib that was barely enough for two.

DESSERTS

 

Complimentary Beignets

Ice Cream Sandwich with nutella

Banana Cream Pie

Creations Dessert House

5217 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94118

Occasion: Dessert after Brian's birthday dinner at Fresca. 01.15.12

Trio of glutinous balls

Plain, green tea and taro topped with nuts, sesame and sugar.
This is probably my all time favorite asian dessert. I just love the chewiness of the glutinous balls.  I like them plain in a ginger sweet soup or stuffed with sesame paste.  I've never tried the green tea or taro filling ones, so I decided to give it a try.  Though they're not what I'm used to it was still good.  These were served warm and it was perfect in warming me up from the cold weather.  Next time, I'm sticking to what I know I like, glutinous ball in the ginger sweet soup.

 

Mango Mochi topped with coconut flakes

Filled with a chunk of mango and is absolutely delicious.  Makes you feel less guilty for having late night dessert when there's a chunk of fruit in it.  If you've never tried it before, it's a must try.  It has a glutinous chewy texture that reminds me of my glutinous balls, which I love.

Fresca Restaurant

2114 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94115

Occasion: Celebrating Brian's birthday, party of 6.  01.15.12

Tasting of four ceviches (from left to right and top to bottom)

Ceviche Chino - ahi tuna, guacamole, ponzu sauce, lettuce cups, aji verde, wonton chips.

Ceviche de Coco - ahi tuna, coconut leche, red jalapeño, ginger, scallion oil, honey cashews.

Ceviche 5 Elementos - Elementos local halibut, red onion, rocoto pepper, lime juice sea salt, andean corn.

Ceviche Mixto - local halibut, calamari, shrimp, clam, scallops, cilantro, onion, rocoto, lime juice, andean.

I love ceviche, so I enjoyed all of them. I just love the fresh flavors of the seafood that the lime juice and the other spices brings out.  A favorite of the night was probably the ceviche chino.  I would definitely recommend getting either the four or five tasting depending on how many people are in your party.  It's a great way to sample a variety of flavors.

Complimentary from the restaurant

Cornut like appetizers, a decent little something to snack on.

La Paella

Saffron rice with clams, mussel, calamarai, shrimp, scallops, chicken and chorizo

So freaking delicious. Hands down, best paella I've ever had.  It's just so good.  Rice is perfectly cooked and not overly dry.  Everything is seasoned perfectly with the perfect amount of seafood.  Perfect for sharing or if you're super hungry, you can have it all to yourself.

Lenguado Risotto

Pan roasted local halibut, crispy cilantro risotto cake, sauteed spinach, aji panca lemon butter

My dish, which I absolutely loved.  Not sure what the orange sauce was, but it complemented the fish very well!  I loved the crispiness of the cilantro risotto cake, definitely added a great texture to the dish.  Not only was it visibly beautifully presented, it was also absolutely tasty!  And of course you can leave it up to me to order some kind of seafood dish!

Bistek Montado

Grilled painted hills rib-eye steak, with plantain chorizo hash, fried egg, demi glaze and chimichurri

It looked amazing! The rib eye steak was huge and the fried egg looked perfect.  The demi glaze was a little bit too salty, but the sweetness of the chimichurri sauce added the perfect touch of sweetness to complement the meat.  It was enjoyed.