Opa Market

2401 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94115

Occasion: Lunch! May 2012! For awhile we were always eating this for lunch.  Close by, reasonably priced with huge portions.

Chicken and rice

Huge piece of chicken with saffron rice and a delicious cole slaw salad

Definitely a generous portioned meal with fresh and flavorful ingredients. I like that the cole slaw is light with vinaigrette dressing.  I'm not into that heavy creamy dressing, so this was a plus for me.  You get a huge peice of chicken breast with either a wing or a drumstick.  With a portion size this big, you can share this with one other person and still be able to satisfy your hunger cravings.

Kokkari Estiatorio

200 Jackson St
San Francisco, CA 94111

Occasion: Jenn's going away dinner. 03.14.12

I've been here once before, but ordered fish and don't really remember much of it.  This was a whole different experience and dishes were shared family style.  Definitely a better experience.  One of my new favorite restaurants at the moment. So good.

Dolmathes 

grape leaves stuffed with rice, dill & mint

I've only really had it at two other restaurant, both with which I thought only tasted okay.  I find this dish a little too tart for my liking, but not here.  It's not as tart and more flavorful.  The leaves are really soft and not stiff at all. 

Tiropitakia - traditional feta cheese filo pies

I absolutely loved that it was perfectly flaky stuffed with delicious feta cheese. Something so simple, yet so good! It was one of the favorites of the night.

Kolokithokeftethes - crispy zucchini cakes with cucumber & mint-yogurt dressing

My sister says it's a must get here.  It's moist, filled with generous amounts of grated zucchini that went perfectly well with the mint yogurt dressing. Favorite!

Zucchini cakes up close lathered with some dill on top

Saghanaki - pan fried Kefalotiri cheese with lemon and oregano

So freaking delicious! I love the added touches of acidity of the lemon juice sprinkled on top.  Crispy outside with gooey stretchy cheesy insides. I loved it!

Dark and stormy

Always my drink of choice. Second best place that serves this.  My favorite is from 25 Lusk

Octapodaki tou Yiorgou- grilled octopus with lemon, oregano and olive oil

Another great appetizer. Loved the flavor and the texture of the octopus. Lemon, olive oil and oregano makes it so fresh and tasty.

Aginares Souvlaki - grilled artichokes and eggplant skewer with Greek yogurt

Love artichokes, love eggplants. Grilling them on a skewer is definitely a plus.  The greek yogurt definitely adds the finishing touches to the dish. It's nothing extraordinary or spectacular, but it pleased the palate.

Soutzoukakia - grilled lamb meatballs with spiced tomato sauce & Greek yogurt

 Delicious lamb meetballs with a hint of spice in their tomato sauce.  I'm used to having beef meetballs or in some asian cuisine, pork meetballs.  Lamb was not any different nor was it gamey at all. Scrumptious.

So good with the yogurt

Ortikia - feta stuffed grilled quail with spanakorizo & bacon

Arnisia Paidakia -  lamb chops grilled with a lemon-oregano vinaigrette & Kokkari potatoes

So freaking delicious. Probably one of the best lamb chops I've had (I haven't had many).  Seasoned perfectly to my liking, tender meat and absolutely flavorful.

Moussaka - traditional casserole of spiced lamb, eggplant, potato & yogurt béchamel

Yummy and cheesy goodness.  Tender lamb meat with chunks of eggplant and potato.

Baklava - traditional walnut & honey baklava with vanilla-praline ice cream

Rizogalo - arborio rice pudding with roasted pear

Yiaourti me Meli - Greek yogurt with spiced walnuts & dates drizzled with Marshall's honey

Simple, but my favorite dessert of the bunch.

 

Galaktoboureko - semolina custard in filo with blood orange spoon sweet & crème fraîche ice cream 

Flaky wrap filled with delicious custard.

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.

The Purple Pig

500 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611

Occasion: Dinner 07.03.11 Party of 7.  One of my favorite meals in Chicago!

Asparagus & Hazelnuts with Arugula & Treviso

I love the buttery, roasted taste of arugula.  It's definitely a green that I enjoy eating.  It went well with the asparagus chunks as well; which were nice and crunchy.  Hazelnuts not only added taste, but also texture to the dish.  I liked it!

Salt-Roasted Beets with

Whipped Goat Cheese & Pistachio Vinaigrette

I've never been a big fan of beets, but I am not against putting it in my mouth.  I'd thought I'd give it a try and see how I felt about The Purple Pig's style of it.  Unfortunately, it did not change my mind.  I don't know why, I'm just still not a fan.  There's really no taste to it and the texture reminds me of cooked carrots.

Purple pig platter with cured meats which include:

Catalonian Fuet, Lingua Agrodulce, Coppa, Prosciutto di Parma, Testa

and a selection of three cheeses that I don't remember.

I love love love charcuterie plates.  The meats were delicious and we were all very satisfied with the variety of meats.

Roasted Bone Marrow with Herbs

I loved the fatty goodness of this thing! Though, it would have been better if the bones were cut differently that could have been easier to scoop the bone marrow.  I loved that it came with big pieces of toasted bread because I've had it at places where the bread slices were not as generous, so we'd have to keep on asking for more bread to spread the bone marrow onto. Finger licking good!

Pig’s Ear with Crispy Kale, Pickled Cherry Peppers & Fried Egg

I'm sure it doesn't sound appetizing, but they were good.  They were deep fried with what also seemed to have been deep fried kale.  When we were waiting to be seated, we saw this dish, not knowing what it was, but knowing that we wanted to order it because of the beautiful fried egg. Some what reminded me of calamari, but not as chewy.  Another great dish we ordered.

Milk Braised Pork Shoulder with Mashed Potatoes

AMAZING!!  The meat was super tender, mashed potatoes were creamy (though I like it chunky, but still good), and delicious milk gravy. This was one of our favorite dishes here, definitely something I'd recommend.

Mussels with Pancetta, Crème Fraiche & Marjoramy

Who doesn't like mussels? I can always eat mussels.  They were delicious here especially with chunks of pancetta, which adds a rich flavor to it.  The pancetta actually reminded me of bacon or really salty ham.  When I order mussels, I usually think of it as a light appetizer, but with the amazing flavors and the added pancetta, it's not as light of an appetizer as I thought it would be.  Another great dish ordered.

Pig’s Tails Braised in Balsamic

Probably my least favorite dish after the beets.  Not that it was bad, but compared to everything else that came out delicious, I thought this was mediocre at best.  The texture, flavor and presentation just didn't do it for me.

Pork Blade Steak with 'Nduja & Honey

I don't usually like pork chops, though lately, I seem to have been ordering it a lot more. Anyhow, I thought it was freaking delicious.  Pork chop with honey glazed is super delicious.  I think it must have been my Hawaii trip back in May when I thought they were delicious.  The trouble with pork chops is that they can get dry if not cooked right.  Oh look at the knife! It has "Purple Pig" engraved on it.  I wanted to take one home as a souvenir, but I knew that I probably wouldn't be able to carry my bag as a carry on if I did. 

Wagyu Sirloin Tip with Fingerling Potatoes Red Onions,

Olive & Bone Marrow Vinaigrette

I thought it was pretty good, considering the fact that by the time this came to the table, I was already pretty stuffed.  What I did appreciate was the fact that the meat was prepared the way we had ordered it "medium rare".  I often find that they overcook it, not here tho.  It really is medium rare, the way I like it...where the outsides are kind of seared and the meat inside is still pretty raw looking.

Octopus with Green Beans, Fingerling Potatoes & Salsa Verde

Love how you could see the suction cups of the octopus still.  It was flavorful, crunchy and chewy.  I enjoyed it, but it wasn't the highlight of the night.  I was glad that it wasn't deep fried!

Sicilian Iris

As recommended by fellow yelpers. The name of it was also very appealing. I didn't see a reason for us not to order it.

Sicilian Iris

{Ricotta & Chocolate Chip filled Fried Brioche}

It was different and something I've never had before, but nothing that I'd rave about.  It was warm, but dry and kind of reminded me of a chinese donut.  It wasn't mind blowing.

Bread Pudding with Marsala & Citrus

{Caramel Sauce & Whipped Cream}

It was dense and was prepared in more of a pastry form, which made it seem more of a bread pudding cake.  It didn't have the consistency of pudding, but then again...it usually isn't in a pudding form.  I thought it was delicious and more satisfying than the silician iris.

Chicken and Rice Cart

Down the corner from Hiro! on 371 W 16th St

Occasion: Post dancing and drinking @ Hiro, I was hungry so we went to this chicken and rice cart down the block from Hiro to get some chicken and rice. **It was during the time of the Baseball playoffs and I think some guy was capping on the giants so my friend made me say to him "I'm going to Lincecum all over your face" LOL, and then those guys stopped bothering us and left. Late night 10.15.10/Early AM 10.16.10

Chicken and Rice

Definitely does not compare to my chicken and rice experience during my 2009 trip to New York! Just doesn't compare! This one was decent after clubbing, but it was very salty.  It didn't stop me from eating it though because I was so hungry.  I guess it will do if you're somewhat intoxicated and nothing better or closer to eat.

Ali Baba's Cave

531 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117

Occasion: Went out for dinner with the coworkers on a Wednesday night.

Chicken Schawarma Plate

Portions are ginormous here. My own order served me two meals, though it does not taste as good over night. Hummus was delicious. I thought my meal was good, but overall I still like King of falafel better. The portions were so big that I could have split it with someone. It's definitely good bang for the buck. So worth it!