Le Dîner Français

The girls from Apron Adventures and Cooking Inside the Lines and I had a French girls night starring Chef Alex. She and Emily treated us to a Dijon Croque Monsieur and an oh-so-gentle side of fresh green beans, red bell peppers and roasted almonds. For the recipe and more details (since this is after all, a blog of few words and lots of photos), be sure to visit: Cooking Inside the Lines.

Images of this delicatessen below. Bon Appetit!

Cioppino!

So... One of the best things that I tried in San Francisco last year was this fabulous fishy stew, Cioppino. OH, MY. The last day we were there was the only day that it rained, which was lucky for us since we actually went during the rainy season, so this stew was PERFECT for that rainy day! Anyway, this meal was eaten at none other than Cioppino's on the Wharf. Thank you to my friend Javier Valdez for this recommendation!!!

Con todo y biberón, I am ready for you, cioppis!

Crab, clams, shrimp, scallops, mussels, and fish, oh my!

Yeah - I told you I liked it ;)

Catching up on food...

Same entry as below, but with a focus on food. I love food. You love food. It fuels us and some look really good at doing so. Check these out!

About to feast at the Melting Pot

Lali's home creation for her beau

Deliciously stuffed pepper made by moi

Soup at La Traviatta

One of the most ridiculously good tasting burgers from MooYah

Buckhead Diner

I was in Atlanta last month, or whenever it was, on business and went to dinner at the Buckhead Diner. They actually serve this blue cheese chip appetizer that is just amazing!

The inside decor gives this little diner a more upscale feel to it than your normal diner.

The best part? Coke from a glass bottle - it is the headquarter city after all!

Le Creuset

Several weeks ago, maybe about a month or two or three, I was in serious need of some retail therapy. I had been working from the San Antonio office, so on my way back to Austin, I stopped at the Tanger Outlets - Le Creuset and got myself this bad boy. It could be a bad girl, it probably is a girl. Anyway! The roasted tilapia was the first meal I cooked in it, and it was one of the most perfectly cooked cuts of fish I have ever eaten. 

The green beans are from my roommate's parents' garden in midwest Texas. These items were not part of the same meal. Fun fact: the flame color shown below was the first in the French collection!

MEXICO DF in SFO

For all of you who like Mexican food (and since most of my readers are in Texas, I know I am writing to all of  you) check out MEXICO DF in San Francisco. It is perfect for a special occasion, business dinner, or just a vacation dinner with friends. First off, they have a tamarindo margarita. That's right. Super rare and super tasty. We ordered their guacamole with chipotle salsa and (drumroll please...) mango - and it was superb! The guacamole softened the spicy kick from the chipotle pepper. My wonderful friend Orlando ordered the "pescado veracruzano" and it was nothing short of perfection. I ordered their vegetarian tamales (I know, but I had been eating all day and had to order something on the lighter side) and HOT DAMN they were delicious! Seriously, amiguitos, I highly recommend this place. Thank you, fabulous Lorenzo, for taking me there!

their place settings were absolutely colorful

guacamole con salsa chipotle y mango

pescado veracruzano

tamales riquisimos de queso

Star Bagel - San Francisco

One of my all-time favorite "meals" is the sandwich, mainly due to its versatility. A sandwich can be hot, cold, beef, veggie, bbq, Italian, the list goes, on and on and on. And we haven't even gotten into the cheeses or breads. We arrived in San Francisco on an empty stomach and abut 40 minutes before the start of our three hour awesome city tour. So, we wandered around  Nob Hill, where out hotel was, to find some grub. We ran into Star Bagel - a local favorite spot. It was early in West Coast time, and while we were craving lunch, most were still ordering bagels and cream cheese. Their cream cheese spread was pretty extensive: 

We still ordered lunch, even after being tempted by the cream cheese factory. The result? A very well orchestrated turkey bagel sandwich on a jalapeño bagel. The best part was the great service - it really was a most gentle kick off to our trip!

Fisherman's Wharf Part Deux

In my last post I referenced the amazing crab chowder in a sourdough bread bowl from Boudin Bakery. So good. I was in San Francisco during their Dungeness Crab week. I'm not sure if the sea food stands (think puestesitos or taco stands) are up on the wharf year round, regardless my traveling partner and I went for it. We took full advantage of the fresh sea food by digging into some on-the-street eateries and munched on some fresh calamari and crab. 

 

Crab Chowder in Bread Bowl

Let's talk about this, please. At the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco lies the Boudin Bakery. Their specialty? Sourdough bread. They serve this delicious, fresh dungeness crab chowder in something more than just a bowl, a sourdough bread bowl. Yum. Good enough to scrape whatever bread is left in the bread bowl with your spoon.

Real Stuffed Pizza

I should admit that I secretly want to be a food photographer, so if my postings seem to lean towards the food porn arena, this is my disclaimer. Let's talk pizza. And I don't mean sissy-thin crust vegetarian pizza (which I happen to love) but come on people, that has NOTHING on the awesomeness that is Chicago Stuffed Pizza. Ye-owzers! Check our this sinful pie from Giordano's, right off the Magnificent Mile and feel free to read my brief review on yelp.

Don't Forget Me!

Ok, so I am walking down a path with shops all around me, and this store name catches my attention. Is it telling me to remember my friends who are not with me on this little trip to F-burg, or is it telling me to remember to go into this store? Either way - I laughed. I laughed at the cute desperation in the name.

For extra kicks, if you are ever in the area, make sure to stop by and grab something sweet at Rather Sweet. I had this chocolate goodness and they even have gluten free desserts!

But don't just take my word for it, check out their national media coverage spread - and this is only one wall!