Zuni Cafe

I've been working on this blog for close to a year (I apparently need more of a life) and I've not blogged Zuni yet. This surprises me. You hear a lot about the chicken here and it really is good. It is kind of on the expensive side for chicken. Okay. It IS expensive. *mumbles* $48... But there is a reason people rave about it. They also do oysters which I really enjoy. A solid neighborhood restaurant.

www.zunicafe.com

Ruby Skye

Remember that movie Party Monster? This place kind of reminds me of that, minus the awesome costumes. This is where old ravers come to die. I will admit, I am not in to the nightclub scene at all any more. Sorry. You have an old fart (who really isn't *that* old!) giving you advice. I remember when this was the place to come. I was much younger then. Ruby Skye is just kind of a meat market. There have been some really good DJs but as a whole, I'll leave this club to other people. Lots of tourists looking for some booty and plenty of pervs*. I think the guy who rides a certain muni line solely to rub up against unsuspecting people is a regular. Fun, fun nights.

I'm sure a bunch of you are just dying to take me as your super fun date to this club, huh?
*I'm totally not kidding abuot the perv population who frequents this place.

Walgreens - Union Square

This one time, I came here late at night (open 24 hours) thanks to my drunk best friend and upon exiting, we were confronted with a homeless guy beating it out front. At least it wasn't in the store. Ah, San Francisco!

Oh... um... you can buy toothbrushes here if you forgot yours!

McCormick & Kuleto's

So I have mixed feelings on whether to write this one or not...

So simply put, native San Franciscans typically avoid restaurants in the Fisherman's Wharf area. With that being said, I used to live very near this place. Something always has to be said for location. What makes me actually write about this restaurant is one thing: their happy hour menu. If you come on Mon - Friday from 3:00 - 6:00, you can order off of this menu and order items anywhere from $1.95 - $4.95. Obviously, if you're on a budget and want some cheap eats, this is a good deal. There is even a burger/fries included. There is better food to be had and while I certainly wouldn't direct you here as a first choice, if you're staying in the area and you are on a serious budget, this is worth checking out. Good views are a plus. If you are not here for the happy hour food, this place is absolutely not worth the regular menu prices.

Bay Bridge Closure Labor Day Weekend!

http://baybridgeinfo.org/1/index.html

This will begin at 8:00 pm, Thursday, Sept 3 and reopen on Tuesday, Sept 8 @ 5:00 am. You will want to plan ahead. Public transit is recommended or if you must drive, you will need to find an alternate route.

Fries rock my world

I love fries. I can turn down chocolate and most other sweets without a problem, but you put fries in front of me and I can't say no. I could probably have filled my blog with posts only about what fries I like, but that would be even more boring than it already is but I am going to do a few posts on them. I promise to use restraint.

Pictured above, truffle fries with asiago cheese from Fog City Diner. I've mentioned these before in the post on Fog City, but they deserve their own mention. These are truly delish and probably one of the best things on the menu in my opinion. If you love fries, truffle oil and end up at Fog City Diner, these are a must order!

Sinbad's

This ranks very high... on my 'places to avoid' list.
The only reason I'm even giving this a mention at all is because it is being recommended in guide books and such. It is not good. Yes, there is a view of the Bay Bridge, however, you can walk across the street to the Americano and enjoy your drinks on the patio for the view. You can go over to the Ferry Building right next door and eat outside at Hog Island Oyster Company and enjoy the view... or you can go out and simply enjoy the view for free without eating. It is just not worth it. There are plenty of choices in the Ferry Building so if you're in the area, it isn't as though you're without choices.

Many years down...

And God willing, many more to come.

Happy birthday to me.

1 California - Muni Stories Revisited

This bus always seems to have the most bat shit crazy drivers. They will stomp on the gas throwing people around and then hit the break so hard that everyone goes flying forward. I seriously thought that someone was going to break their neck one day. Get your ass on the bus and grab a seat or hold on to whatever you can would be my recommendation... assuming you don't have a death wish.
The cable car operators on the California line can be obnoxious too but I tend to take that rather than the 1 california. Oh and if you're a reasonably attractive female, the cable car operators will probably be nicer to you. I'd rather chance having a car crash in to the side of it than be killed by the bus driver.

Americano

I tend to come here after work a lot. Even though it is located in a hotel, I really enjoy it. The drinks are nice, but they are also a restaurant and the food has always been good. They have these parmesan fries that are one of my favorite things ever. All of the entrees I've ordered are yummy as are the desserts. They have a huge patio which is great on a warm night... or frankly, even on the not-so-warm nights as they have a bunch of heat lamps. I live in a the area so it is easy to hit the Americano on my way home. Now I have to say, the place is an utter zoo on Friday & Saturday nights so if that is a problem, don't come here on those days. You'll be miserable. The crowd on those nights can be a bit... um... well... not fun.

Kung Fu Tacos

I make an effort to go when this is in the FiDi. Yet another street food craze, Kung Fu Taco truck is kind of a mix of asian fusion with mexican food. They have these duck tacos that are extremely good. Now the draw back here is the cost. $3/each would be a deal except that these things are kind of tiny. Nonetheless, I still recommend trying it if street food is your thing. It is creative and the food is very yummy. I also highly recommend the vegetarian tacos. Follow on Twitter to find out where the tacos will be.
http://twitter.com/kungfutacos

BART Strike Averted!

A tentative deal has been reached so the strike has been canceled. Thank God! :)

Roots

Roots is one of those restaurants that I'm actually surprised I tried. It isn't the menu, but rather the location. It is located in the Orchard Garden Hotel near the gates of Chinatown. I first came for a work lunch as my office isn't all that far away. I ended up being pleasantly surprised. All of the food is local where possible, as well as organic. They have truffle fries and crab mac & cheese which are both excellent. I came here with one of my friends a few months ago and the whole dinner for entrees, fries, drinks and dessert was under $100. Overall, it is a good restaurant with solid food. Definitely recommended.

Red Velvet Cake

TheNest.com has had this recipe for red velvet cake posted for the longest time. I was in the mood to bake today so I thought I would decide to try it. I had nothing to lose. I have to say, it is very good! I was actually surprised. I'm not really sure why, but I was. I am surrounded by people who love chocolate so I decided to use my own recipe for fudge frosting rather than sticking with traditional vanilla. Anyway, I highly recommend their recipe if you're looking for a good one.

Link to the recipe: http://www.thenest.com/Recipes/34986/detailview.aspx?id=34986&type=7&pageIndex=1

BART Strike!

BART is set to strike at midnight on Sunday. While this isn't a huge concern for those who don't live here, do be aware that public transit is probably going to be a mess as other agencies will be the ones picking up the slack. Just something to keep in mind if you'll be in the Bay Area any time soon. For more news, see www.sfgate.com

Del Dotto Caves Winery & Tasting Room

I've been meaning to write some winery reviews for a while. I figured now was as good a time as any as I have some time to kill. Del Dotto has some amazing wines. If you're trying to decide on a tour, definitely do the caves here. Trust me on this. You will not be disappointed. The tour is on the more expensive side ($40 per person) but if you ask me, it is worth every cent.

Which neighborhood do you think I'm from?

You actually don't need to answer that. Just for fun, I thought I would post this article from the SF Chronicle. Yes, these are stereotypes. I don't take this (or myself lol) too seriously so I hope you won't either.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/31/LVP318PDQB.DTL

U Lee

Huge, tasty potstickers. That is why you come here. I love potstickers. They are a major comfort food for me. I used to come here on my way home a lot because it is right on the cable car line. It was really easy to hop off, grab some dinner, jump back on a cable car and head home. I don't get over here as much anymore but it is worth the trip. Just take the Hyde Street cable car and get off at Hyde & Jackson. I've enjoyed most of what I ordered, but the big stand out are the potstickers.

Gourmet Kitchen

1051 Stockton St

For super cheap eats, come here. Jook is only $1.25. They have Chinese fried chicken (if you haven't tried this, you should.) The chow mein is really good and only $3 for a whole mess of it. In no way is it diet friendly and it can be a bit greasy, but if you don't mind and just want cheap Chinese, it may be worth your while.

House of Nanking

Overrated, overrated, overrated! This is in pretty much all of the guide books on San Francisco but personally, I don't think it is worth it. Prices are high for Chinese food and while I'm not exactly opposed to that, there are many other Chinese restaurants that are as good/better for the prices you pay here. There is always a long line out front as well. If you want similar food, I'd probably direct you to Chef Jia's for a lower price... all in all, there are just many other Chinese restaurants I'd recommend. I will concede that if you like Sweet & Sour, either of these restaurants are probably up your alley.
Personally, I'd hit R&G Lounge.

Back to Your Regularly Scheduled Blogging... Chinatown Walking Tour

In a previous post I mentioned a great architecture tour that I enjoyed and recommended. Another tour done by the same guide is a walking tour of Chinatown. There are many Chinatown tours. I mention one on my "short list" of what to do. That is done by a local who lives in Chinatown. This one is a bit different but another to consider looking in to. It gets high praise from locals as well which is always a good thing.

http://www.chinatownwalk.com/index.html

And of course...

There was the bar at the pool. I think this was probably one of the highlights for me. I am not a big drinker and rarely do I indulge in the frozen sugary adult slushies but Vegas is always one place where I do and don't feel the least big guilty. The frozen vodka lemonade was so good. I would show you a photo of that too but it is up against my bikini clad body and I'm not sure I have the guts to put that on the internets. Bloggers have feelings too. Anyway, if you stay at the Palazzo, indulge in the lemonade if fruity frozen drinks are you thing. You won't be disappointed.

Palazzo

This was one of the rooms that we had at the Palazzo. I ended up photographing this one mainly because it was the one that hadn't been slept in yet and so everything still looked fairly neat.

CUT

I have been in love with CUT since I went to the location in Beverly Hills over a year ago. I really looked forward to dining here while in Las Vegas. I decided not to annoy my dining companions so I only got a few photos of the food, but I will say that the meal was fantastic. While the highlights are typically the "cuts", the highlight of this trip was, without question, the dessert! Now, if you know me at all, you'll know that I'm not a huge dessert person. I have freakish willpower at avoiding most desserts in general (fries are another story) but this dessert was SO good. Pictured are the kobe sliders (you actually get 4... I was hungry and I ate one before taking the photo), fries with ketchup and garlic bernaise aioli, and house made donuts with lemon custard filling and strawberry gelato. It ended up being a great meal. Other highlights are the lobster with truffle sabayon and the kobe beef spare ribs. One of my dining companions had the spare ribs which sounded totally unappetizing to me, but they ended up being quite amazing. Obviously the steaks are good, but that is more or less a given. If you're looking for a high end steakhouse, I highly recommend CUT.