Sorry it's been forever since we posted up something, but we been crazy busy. we'll make it up to u, we promise...
San Francisco can hold its own when it comes to restaurants, or just food in general.
For those of you who don't know, I went to nursing school up north at USF (University of San Francisco) for four years. Over the course of four years I was able to discover a bunch of hidden gems within this picturesque city. San Francisco is about holes in the walls, mom and pop spots, and authentic and unique flavors. neighborhoods. and some bomb ass food.
so here is a little taste of SF. Adrian and I went up north a couple weeks ago because not only did we miss the city like crazy, but to catch up with an college friend of mine who I hadn't seen in almost three years.
the first spot we hit up was King of Thai Noodle. there are about six locations throughout the city. this spot, which was like 4 blocks away from my dorm, was like a second home to me. I ws here at least 2x a week, if not more. they serve original and authentic Thai cuisine. no sugar coating, just the basic ingredients. and sometimes simple is better.
their specialty is the Pad Thai. By far this is the best Pad Thai I have ever tasted in my entire life. Christal and Mark agree, we brought 'em here when I was still living there. Adrian says its a tie between theirs and the Pad Thai in the Philippines for "best pad thai" award.
what makes it so damn good? they use skinny small noodles, similar to angel hair. it has a softer texture. and it's sweet too. a little salty, which comes from the dried tiny little baby shrimps sprinkled throughout. gosh it's making my mouth water.
adrian had the Kao Nar Pod, which is boneless roasted duck and chinese brocolli over rice with a succulent thai style duck sauce. he says if you're a fan of duck, then this is the place for you. the duck was roasted to perfection. he inhaled this within a matter of minutes. i looked up and he was cleaning his plate. lol.
i had the Kao Prik Sod, which consisted of any choice of meat (I chose ground beef), thai chili, bell peppers, and onions over rice. this was so huge i couldn't finish. but oOoh it was delicious. a little spicy--just the right amount for my sensitive tongue.
of course we needed something sweet after all that spicy and saltiness, so we headed 2 stores down the street to Genki Crepes & Mini Mart. in japanese, the term genki means fresh or healthy. and that you will be after filling up on their scrumptuous desserts, snacks, and other asian goodies inside.
what they are most popular for are their ice cream crepes, since they have the asian ice cream flavors such as lychee, mango, red bean, and green tea. we decided to go with my fave, lychee ice cream, and we added on bananas.
they also have these cute egg puffs, which you can get in any flavor you want. so cute and fun to eat.
we went with an ice cream crepe: lychee ice cream with sliced bananas. yum
;look at these asian candies and munchies and sweets. i could stand here all day and look at each one. i wouldn't even have to buy anything. they're just fun to look at. see look. im just in awe. adrian got pissed at how much time i wasted there haha.
my favorite. knick knacks. as in knick knack patty whacks. give a dog a bone. cute stuff!
okay, on to the next spot...
upon reuniting with my old buddy and her hubby they took us to this spot in Napa Valley before we went wine tasting. it's a burger spot called Taylor's Automatic Refresher. Think of a modern day 50's style diner. modern-retro inspired.
We went with the Bleu Cheese Burger. so delicious. meat so juicy and tender. All burgers are cooked medium well unless ordered otherwise. perfectly grilled, slightly pink on the inside but perfectly browned on the outside, just the way i like it. Adrian loved how the buns were a sweet type of bread, almost like King's Hawaiian Bread. so delicious. and not greasy at all!
had to get the garlic fries of course.
now on to wine tasting! my girl bea (who i hadnt seen for almost three years!) and her hubby Andre took us wine tasting in Napa, at a winery called Bouchaine Winery in Carneros.
I went with a sweet dessert wine, called Bouche D'Or which means "Taste of Gold," in reference to its beautful amber color. It's a chardonnay flavored with honeyed apricots and figs. Fruity, decadent, and tarte. but not too sweet, sour, or strong at all. just my kinda wine.
Bea chose the Gewurtztraminer (pronounced Ge-vertz-tra-meen-er), a dry but also slightly sweet wine. not bad, but not my type. Bea loved it though.
pefect complement to wine: crackers, cheese, grapes, almonds, and olives.
the vineyards were soo beautiful and serene. they seemed to go on forever.
last but not least... Sushi House. This spot is not in SF but is in the East Bay, across the Bay Bridge in the city of Alameda, near Berkeley and Oakland Airport. It is one of the best sushi spots around, it is always poppin', and don't be surprised if you have to wait a while to get a table.
Located on a waterfront, the place is pretty big, with an option to dine indoors or out on the patio overlooking the water. It was chilly, so we opted to stay inside.
they've got a huge variety of specialty rolls.
There are three rolls in particular that are our faves. First is Lion King Roll, which consists of the original california roll, dressed up with a succulent fillet of salmon, drenched with their special house sauce, then baked to perfection. the best and most popular roll on their menu!
Next, the A's roll, which has softshell crab, avocado, cucumber, crabmeat, all topped with unagi and eel sauce. softshell crab is adrian's fave. it's just okay to me, it kinda scares me cuz it reminds me of a spider with its legs. that's just my arachnophobia getting the best of me.
Finally, the Raiders Roll, filled with deep fried prawns, cucumber, crabmeat, and topped with unagi and eel sauce.
all in all an end to the perfect little vacay in SF. one weekend definitely was not enough to hit up all the good spots in and around this magical city. But don't worry SF, we'll be back soon fo sho.
1 comment:
can i just say that your blog is the #1 place people shouldn't go if they are starving or trying to diet. with your enormous pictures of good food, i feel like i want to lick the computer screen haha.
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