Viva Las Vegas... Or Something

If you couldn't already tell by the title, I've been spending some time in Las Vegas. It is really, really freaking HOT. I think it was 112 on Tuesday. For someone who thinks anything over 80 will result in death, you can imagine my thoughts on this. The photo above was one I took while lying in a lounge chair down at the pool. If you can't tell from the photo, it is the Palazzo. If you're planning a trip to Las Vegas sometime soon, overall, I do recommend the hotel. I have to say that as a whole, I actually like the Wynn a bit better, but still, the Palazzo is very nice. I'll blog a bit more on my trip later. Hope everyone is having a good summer! : )

City Lights Bookstore

261 Columbus Ave @ Broadway

I am kind of a book worm. No, I don't necessarily have to read anything that is especially intellectual all the time but I love books. I love the feel of old books. I love the scent... If you can relate to any of this, you may consider hitting City Lights during your visit. I just like to come here to browse. If you're looking for something specific, I don't necessarily think this is the best place to come. I also have to admit, that I think the staff generally leaves a lot to be desired. There is one woman in particular who is just downright rude if you ask a question so as I said, it is best to just browse on your own and see what treasure you find.

Foreign Cinema

Foreign Cinema is simply overrated. It just is. You come here for a somewhat unique experience and it is an interesting concept, but in terms of the quality of food and what you recieve for your money, well... there are more worthy places in the city if you ask me. Also keep in mind that if you actually want to see the movie during dinner, you best find out in advance what time it will start. If you're an early diner, chances are, you won't get to see it.
All in all, I won't go so far as to say that this is a place to avoid at all costs, but come knowing that there is better food to be had for the price. If you want unique ambiance, this fits the bill.

Lucky Creation

854 Washington Street

I do eat meat but I am known to often prefer veggie food at times. This is one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants. I'm a big fan. For those who are vegans, this is a good place to try when you're in the city. They make some of the best fake chicken ever and I also highly recommend the gluten appetizer. Sounds weird, but totally don't knock it until you've tried it. The one thing I have never been a fan of here are the soups. The place is definitely a hole in the wall so just be aware of it. Bring cash.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

Yes, it is a chain. Yes, I understand why people don't want to support them. Yes, I'm telling you to come anyway... but only at a specific time of year: around the holidays. Why? The white peppermint mocha ice blended rocks. Simple as that. If you like sugary coffee drink goodness, try this one. They actually do have good tea that I'll sometimes get, but that specific ice blended is what lifts my holiday spirit sometimes.

Oh and I found that photo and it cracked me up. That is someone in a giant Ice Blended costume. lol

The Tamale Lady

Neighborhood: Mission

Okay, I'll be perfectly honest here... Mexican food is just not my thing. I'm fully prepared for you to never read my blog again when I admit that the only "Mexican" food I actually enjoy are tacos and I'm not even that picky about how Americanized they are. Waiting for hate mail. Anyway, the Tamale Lady has become something of an icon in SF. Many people are huge fans. I personally applaud her for adding to the street food craze even if I'm not a fan of the goods. Many of my trustworthy friends do rave about her so I thought I'd pass the info along. Granted, some of the raves come from people who are drunk while they eat them, but what they heck, check them out and decide for yourself.

An article on the Tamale Lady:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/06/28/MN161258.DTL

Pearl's Deluxe Burgers

708 Post St (between Jones St & Leavenworth St)

If you are a burger person, Pearl's is worth trying. Those on a diet need not visit because there is pretty much nothing on the menu that isn't loaded with calories. Just the way it should be. ; ) You can even make it a kobe burger for an additional charge if you so choose. Not the best kobe burger I've had but certainly not bad. If you're staying in the Union Square area, this should be an easy treck for you.

Flim Night in the Park

http://www.sfntf.org/

If you have the time during your visit, film nights in the park are worth checking out. See the website above for more infomation as well as the dates of upcoming screenings.

Jubili Frozen Yogurt and Cereal

1515 Fillmore Street (between Geary Blvd & Ofarrell St)

I'm kind of shocked that this wasn't one of my first posts. I am totally obsessed with Pinkberry as well as their various knock offs so it is only natural that I seek those out in SF. Anyway, this is some of my favorite Pinkberry-esque frozen yogurt in the city. The best part? They have mochi balls! My favorite! I recommend if if you're in the mood for frozen yogurt and like the tart flavors. If you like the sweet "ice cream" yogurt, this probably isn't your place.

Fleet Week 2009

October 8 - 13

http://www.military.com/fleetweek

If you're in town, be sure to check out the air show... and trust me, even if you choose not to watch, you'll hear it, so you may as well watch anyway. ; )

Butter

I don't know why I'm reviewing this but here it goes... Butter is a "white trash" themed bar. They have a food menu which consists of jello shots, deep fried twinkies and tangtinis (yes, this is exactly what you think it is.) This place can be fun with the right people and the white trash theme is kind of falls in to ironic territory given the fact that it is a haven for yuppies. They get to let lose and be "trashy" while still being well, yuppies. Anyway, this is a somewhat fun spot to go with your girlfriends (or gay husbands) every now and again but the novelty, at least for me, wears off fairly quickly.

http://smoothasbutter.com/

San Francisco Architecture Tour

So obviously, I have no need to go on tours, but growing up in SF, I've always loved the architecture around the city. I heard about this tour a while back and eventually decided that I had nothing better to do so I thought I'd see what it was about. If you have any interest in architecture whatsoever, I highly recommend this tour. I tend to think I am pretty informed about the city and I've basically used this blog as a way to write my own mini guide but this tour was great. I love SF and I always want to learn more and this was a great way to do that.

http://www.architecturesf.com/

Taylor's Automatic Refresher

Chances are, you've heard about Taylor's on some Travel Channel or Food Network show at some point or another. The burgers are very good. If you don't have a chance to make it to the original in St. Helena to try it, you do have the option to do so while in SF. Prices are on the higher side for fast food which is the only reason I have kind of mixed feelings about this place. I am all for paying good money for food, but I'm not sure this outranks In-N-Out Burger quite enough to warrent such high prices. All in all though, it is worth at least one trip to see what you think. The burgers are fairly thin but they still seem to be on the rare side so if you dislike rare beef (I do) make sure that you specify that you would like it well done.

http://taylorsautomaticrefresher.com/

DeSoto Cab Company

I was going from the Embarcadero down to the Marina and one of the doormen at a hotel in the area was nice enough to hail a cab for me even though I wasn't a guest. Well unfortunately, I got this guy as a driver. First thing, the cab could use a good cleaning. I could have overlooked this until... As soon as I got in the guy starts hitting on me. Okay, I can deal with that well enough then he starts getting sexual, leering at me in the rear view mirror, you get the picture. He drove like a maniac and I'll be honest, I was ready to jump out of the car at a stop light or something. I was seriously creeped out. He took a longer route, driving up the fare on top of just giving him more time to make me uncomfortable. We finally got to the Marina and we were close enough to my destination that I said this was fine. I paid him and started to get out and he asked for my phone number. After I said no, he actually drove slowly behind me and followed me until I ducked in to a store. There is no way I'm getting in one of these cabs again after that experience.

Little Star Pizza

846 Divisadero Street

If you love deep dish pizza, Little Star is the place I'd recommend. I personally prefer thin crust, but I will even say that they do a pretty good job. The service is friendly and they appear to be on top of things. I've never gotten the idea that they have forgotten about me. If you like super thin crust, Little Star probably won't be your favorite BUT I can also say that it is very unlikely that you'll actually have a bad meal here.

Ad Hoc Fried Goodness

So Ad Hoc is this yummy restaurant in the wine country. One of the things they are best known for is their fried chicken. If you come to SF and decide to spend a few days in the wine country, this is one of the restaurants I recommend. Prices are fairly reasonable in my mind and the food is delish. The recipe for their fried chicken has been floating around the internet for a while and Williams Sonoma made it even easier to recreate at home by putting out a kit that has everything you need. I decided to take a chance and try the kit and it turned out very well. I recommend it if you've dined at Ad Hoc and enjoyed it or if you're simply a fan of fried chicken.

I made mine just using strips of organic chicken breast that I cut up (I hate dark meat) and it worked quite well.

If you prefer, here is the recipe so you can make your own from scratch: www.foodandwine.com/recipes/lemon-brined-fried-chicken