Food log: Tuesday, May 18

I woke up too late to have breakfast since wanted to go for a burger at lunch, so I headed to the Farmer's market on an empty stomach. My appetizer was lots of free samples.

Kettle corn sample

Brittle sample

Cherry


I went to Gott's for a delicious, greasy, yummy all-american lunch.

Mr. Pibb

Bacon cheeseburger

Chili cheese fries



Lunch at Gott's was $19 including tip.

Vitamin water at Sutro Baths - $1.75



Sapporo from the liquor store - $6.99



I had my last dinner at Millenium, a very chic vegan restaurant. The food was ok, but the portion were huge and I would have liked to be advised of the situation when I ordered. Such a waste!
Bread and lentil spread

Vegan = no butter for the bread. This was really tasty, with lots of dill.

Carpet rider cocktail

The rim is fennel sugar
Sparkling water

The salt was pretty

Roasted potatoes

See what I mean about portion size? This was clearly meant to be shared.
Fava bean flatbread

Good beans, bitter garnish.
Grilled polenta with vegan chorizo, baby carrots, chard, artichokes and an almond garnish

Meh.

Meanwhile, the regulars were ordering a lot of little dishes (like my potato dish) and shared. This seems like the smart thing to do. I have to say the place also looked beautiful. I'm sorry I can't reccomend this restaurant more. I guess if you are vegan, this is really, really good. I'm just a butter nazi, I guess.

Dinner at Millenium was $56 including tip.


Money spent on food today: $83.74

Food log: Monday, May 17

Peanut butter tartine

I'm sick of these! I'm having a real breakfast tomorrow.

I had lunch at John's Grill, famous for being a location in the film noir classic The Maltese Falcon. The Dashiell Hammett Society made it its headquarter. The food is ok, but expensive. It's more about the ambiance anyway. The dishes also have very retro old school names, like "Fettucine Constantine" and "Dungeness Crab Louis", which I find hilarious.


Diet Coke, bread

Escargot in lemon-garlic cream sauce

Lamplighter: sole stuffed with shrimp and crab, in a lemon butter sauce


Pecan pie



Lunch at John's Grill was $50.80 including tip

Beer in my hotel room



I was given a hot tip by my friend Laurent about Asian-fusion restaurant The Slanted Door, so I had to try it. Good thing I made a reservation a few weeks ago, as the place was packed. I was a little bit worried because the restaurant serves the food family-style in huge portions, but my waiter Samuel went out of his way to point out the dishes that would fit the bill while eating solo, portion-wise. He went out of his way to make the night perfect for me. Great service makes such a difference when you're by yourself.

Boy, was it GOOD!

Whiskey Smash 

Maker's Mark, lemon, mint, served over a hand-cut ice cube.
Island Creek oysters


Seared dayboat scallops in red curry sauce, served with a pink lady apple and jicama slaw



Fantastic dish. The scallops were sweet and delicious in their spicy sauce, and the slaw was peppery and fresh. I wish I had the recipe! It was time for a second cocktail.
Rye Bee

Sazera 6 yr. rye, honey, lemon, egg white, with orange zest, served up with a lemon zest garnish.
Braised halibut with lime, cilantro, lemongrass and kaffir lime, eaten with jasmine rice (not pictured) 

The broth was spoon-worthy. Good thing I had one. Slurp!

While I was waiting for my dessert, my waiter served me a pot of milk tea on the house, warning me to not drink the whole pot as it was VERY caffeinated. Heh!
Milk tea


Milk chocolate pot de crème, roasted rice crunch



Dinner at The Slanted Door was $121.84 including 2 cocktails and a 20% tip. And worth every penny.


Money spent on food today: $172.64

food log: Sunday, May 16

Today, I met longtime Flickr friend Jasmine for lunch with her husband. They picked me up at my hotel and we went to Hard Knox Café for some soul food - prepared by Vietnamese people! It was wonderful. I feel very lucky to get to meet virtual friends like that.




Corn bread muffins

Potato salad, BBQ ribs, mac and cheese

Diet Coke

Lunch was $15 including tip.

I came back to the hotel after a walk in Haight-Ashbury. It was full of drunk, costumed people coming off the Bay to Breakers race. While I'm all for some good fun, it got kind of messy and smelly so I was glad to go "home" after an hour or so. I ate in my room and got out later just to take some pictures around the block.

Chips and water from liquor store - $6

The other half of yesterday's sandwich

And fudge. Lots of fudge.

Money spent on food today: $15

Food log: Saturday, May 15

Peanut butter sandwich, Diet Coke

Today, I went on a bus tour to Muir Woods and Sonoma wine country. We first stopped at Muir woods. I did not eat this banana slug, but it looked juicy. Eek!

I did buy Second Breakfast at the gift shop.
Honey cornbread and Jarritos mandarin soda - $6


The soda was made with real sugar and tasted like Orange Crush from the seventies.


We then headed to Sonoma for wine tasting. The first stop was Jacuzzi, where I tasted 7 wines and many of the olive oils they press on site. It's one of the newer wineries and has an italian flair. 
I bought a bottle of their barbera and some lime olive oil - $41.16 with 15% tour discount





We stopped near a park in Sonoma where a lot of shops and restaurant are, and had a free fudge and cheese tasting at The Sonoma Cheese Factory. 




I got a sandwich and some chips for my lunch and ate half as I watched the kids play in the park. I also picked up peanut butter and chocolate and mint-chocolate fudge. It's already half-gone. I'll leave it at that!

Hot salami and jack cheese sandwich, chips, fudge, Diet Coke - $19 at the Sonoma Cheese factory

After lunch, we drove to Kunde, a lovely winery with caves hidden in the hills. They practice sustainable growing and have wonderful, lush grounds with flowers everywhere, a fountain and a pond. I tasted 5 more wines and a port. The sun was shining, dogs were swimming in the pond, and all was well with he world.






I bought a bottle of the Sauvignon blanc - $13.90 with 15% tour discount

Our last stop was Homewood, a very small operation with a farm-like feel. The hostess was super cordial and shared a lot of stories about the local wine industry and the impact trends and the economy have on the production. They buy all of their grapes from local growers and do not have their own vines. We tasted 5 wines, a port, chocolate and olive oil.

I bought a bottle of the Petite Syrah and a bottle of the Flying Wizzbanger - $43.60


For dinner, I hopped on a cable car to California street and headed for the Tonga Room, one of the last classic Tiki lounges in America. Get there if you can if you are visiting San Francisco and are into kitsch and stiff cocktails, as there are rumours that Fairmount, owner of the hotel it's located in, is thinking of closing it to make room for luxe condos. 

The place was packed and people were having tons of fun. I was there alone, but became fast friend with a couple that was sitting next to me (the stiff drinks helped). There's a dance floor shaped like a ship and the bands comes on a boat that floats in as rain pours from the ceiling. I personally think that the city needs to landmark this gem, pronto.

Zombie cocktail


Coconut shrimp

Rice crakers

Mai Tai cocktail


Shredded coca-cola braised pork in lettuce cups 

And lots of dancing!


I wish I had tried more cocktails, but like I said, they packed a bang. 
Dinner at Tonga Room was 76.13 with large, drunken tip and cover charge
Money spent on food today: $199.79