Dining

Dining — No Comments
5
Sep 10

Mocca

Mocca is a hidden gem tucked away on Maiden Lane next to high-end boutiques like Theory and Chanel.

Aaaah, blogging. Now I truly understand why Tumblr has become an increasingly popular platform for sharing information. Alas, I will make more of a concerted effort to update this particular blog on a more consistent basis – even as my days get more and more hectic with a myriad of projects.

I’ve had quite a few good friends, once San Francisco denizens themselves, visit in the past couple of months and it has always been incredibly beautiful outside which leads them to believe that they “brought the good weather with them.” Truth be told, of the estimated 30 days out of the year that are 75 degrees or warmer in SF, most occur in late August through mid-September. Either way, I let them believe that their presence brought on the heatwave and then I take them to a nice outdoor place like Mocca to enjoy the city at its finest.

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Dining — No Comments
17
Aug 10

SF Chefs Food & Wine Festival, 2010

Jalapeno cornbread, gelatin, and vanilla sundae by Jean Francois Houdre (Westin St. Francis).

This past weekend, I got to indulge two of my greatest current passions, food and photography, at the annual SF Chefs Food & Wine Festival held in and around Union Square. While I’ve certainly never been a stranger to fine dining from my childhood to the present, I can also wholly admit that only in the past few years have I truly developed an appreciation for the thought coupled with effort that goes into the preparation and presentation of each and every dish at an upscale venue.

For those people that can confidently refer to themselves as “foodies,” SF Chefs certainly did not disappoint. I joined Mika and a group of my close friends for a fun-filled few days of sampling some of the best, most innovative, and tasty cuisine that San Francisco has to offer. For a city that boasts the following statistic – if you dine at a different establishment every single day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it would take you 10 years to eat at every single place – it was comforting to know that we could easily indulge in the libations from hundreds of different outlets on a daily basis during the course of the festival.

For those of you that enjoy and truly appreciate food, I highly recommend checking out FoodFashionista. If you want to look at (and drool over) some full-size photos, check out my Flickr stream.

Dining / Drinking — 4 Comments
20
Jun 10

Fat Angel

The golden cherub above the front entrance welcomes patrons to Fat Angel.

*Update* Fat Angel has slowly morphed into my very own modern day version of Cheers. I spent the entire weekend (as well as a better part of the past week) there chatting up the bartenders and sampling their delicious food. New photos have been added after the jump…

Two of my good friends live in the high-rise condo complex right behind The Fillmore and I noticed, by way of their Facebook and Twitter updates, that they constantly hang out at Fat Angel which is located on the ground floor next the main lobby of their building (aptly named The Fillmore Center). When one of them posted about the Happy Hour specials on their craft beers and vast selection of wine, I knew I had to check it out and discover for myself what all the hype was about.

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Dining / Health and Wellness / Treats — No Comments
14
Jun 10

Samovar Tea Lounge

Samovar's peppermint ryokucha tea was a perfect complement to dessert.

I can’t remember exactly how I was introduced to Samovar Tea Lounge, but I was so impressed by the selection and quality of both their tea and food on my initial visit, not to mention the ambience, that I have returned to the Yerba Buena Gardens location numerous times. I’ve brought my Mother to Samovar for Mother’s Day since she adores tea service and recently attended an informational fundraiser for 300 Acres.

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Dining — No Comments
10
Jun 10

Golden Globe

The bar is the first thing that greets patrons of Globe.

When I first moved to SF, I didn’t know too many people. Luckily enough, my first job here put me in contact with some pretty amazing, in-the-know people whom I still consider close friends to this very day. One night, after an advertising industry mixer, my friend, Kevin, suggested we stop into Globe for late night eats. Located in North Beach, it was clearly out of the way from our current location and, naturally, we all protested. However, Kevin quickly sold us with the line “all the best chefs in San Francisco dine at this establishment.”

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Dining — 10 Comments
17
May 10

Brothers Korean BBQ

Firing up the grill...

**Update** Earlier this morning, my friend, Andrei, was bold enough to challenge my declaration that Brothers is the best Korean BBQ restaurant in San Francisco and even suggested that his Korean friends may have more sophisticated palettes than our very own Terry. While I was quick to dismiss his claim, Marie was resourceful enough to do some online research and her findings were quite telling. On Yelp, there are over 664 reviews of Brothers while Wooden Charcoal Barbecue House has a mere 56 reviews. Both establishments have a 3.5-star average rating. While you could argue that word of mouth favors the former, it has also been around a lot longer than the latter which is something to consider. What do you think?

I feel like it is my duty to start this post off by formally apologizing to any Vegan followers I may have acquired in the past week with my recent coverage of the local bakesale. While I do enjoy the cuisine and desserts, I also indulge in meat on occasion and this post exemplifies that to a bit of an extreme. This just serves as a warning for anyone that is sensitive to the issue – please do not click “Continue Reading.”

Also, I’ve received a few e-mails asking how a blog about San Francisco can possibly exist without including a post about Bay to Breakers? Well, I’ve been there and done that. Anyway, SFist has it covered as usual. Moving on, last weekend, my friends and I were lucky enough to experience some of the best Korean barbecue located in the Inner Richmond and I documented the experience for your viewing pleasure.

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Dining — 6 Comments
7
May 10

Red Door Café

Red Door Café is located on Bush and Franklin Streets in Lower Pac Heights.

The great thing about walking around your neighborhood, as opposed to driving, is discovering cute little establishments like Red Door. Last weekend, as I was making a trek to Whole Foods for coffee and groceries, I noticed a huge crowd outside of the place and decided I had to try it out for myself after reading all of the favorable reviews on Yelp.

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Dining — 2 Comments
29
Apr 10

Magnolia Pub & Brewery

Magnolia's menu.

It’s a miracle that 1) I have wi-fi in the hotel where we’re staying and 2) it’s free. That’s a bit unusual for Vegas. While I wouldn’t exactly recommend staying at the Luxor, the price is certainly right.

A few weeks ago, my friend Marie (who did an excellent write-up almost immediately after) and I took advantage of our Groupon deals and went to Magnolia Pub & Brewery in the Upper Haight. The wait was about 45 minutes to get seated for dinner so we hung out at the bar and enjoyed some of their handcrafted brews. I particularly enjoyed the Weather Report Wheat as dark, rich beer is my favorite. I’ll be honest, the food is not that great. You should come here for the beer and maybe an appetizer. On Tuesdays, they have $3 specials on their house made selections.

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Dining — 7 Comments
23
Apr 10

Patxi’s Chicago Pizza

Patxi's deep dish pizza.

For months and months, I’ve seen and heard people rave about Patxi’s Pizza on Twitter and IRL (in real life) and finally decided to check it out for myself. I’m originally from the East Bay Area where Zachary’s is our staple for deep dish pies. While their pizza is a delicious indulgence, the three locations are always overcrowded making the wait to be seated at least 45 minutes most of the time.

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Dining — 11 Comments
21
Apr 10

Morak Restaurant & Lounge

Lights near the front entrance.

When my friend, Vivek, told me they were having a birthday dinner in his honor at Morak Lounge (I think Yelp might have the wrong spelling) in the Mission, I was a bit skeptical and told him I’d meet the party afterwards for drinks. While I do enjoy Middle Eastern cuisine, hookah bars, in general, are kind of a turn off – especially since they’re stuffy, overcrowded, and slightly dingy. Images of nights spent at Kan Zaman in the Haight during my mid-twenties popped into my mind; then, I remembered that my friend does have refined taste and so I put on my dress clothes and joined them.

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