Have you ever tried nitrogen ice cream? If not, then head over to Smitten in the Haight. Even though it was a typical chilly yet sunny day in San Francisco, I braved the cold, lined up at Smitten and ordered a chocolate chip mint ice cream on the cone. It was definitely fun looking at how they made my scoops of ice cream fresh from the machine and see all the smoke come out! I was also able to survive the 4 oz (size: small) treat without having to worry about my tonsils- nitrogen ice cream ain't too sweet afterall.
When my food blogger friend, sssourabh, was in town Chocolate Lab, which describes itself as Savory + Sweets + Libations, was our pit stop after Central Kitchen, Pinkies Bakery and Tartine Bakery during a day of satisfying our inner food cravings and, of course, a food tour of San Francisco with yours truly as personal tour guide. By the time we got to the Dogpatch area mid-afternoon, I wished I paced myself better because I could not fit more space for the savory items. They also do have an expansive list of tempting, sweet items.
I even completely spaced out that another hotshot ice cream parlor, Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous, was just around the corner. No wonder I saw many passerbys with their ice cream. I now vow to myself that I must hangout in the Dogpatch more often even though it is really out of the way.
Among the other patisseries, such as B Pattiserie and Craftsman and Wolves, Chocolate Lab has gone above and beyond in concocting an overarching theme for its restaurant. Being a semi-science geek, I love the Pyrex cylinder as water jug and the big, old cylinders and tubes they used as ceiling decor. Ingenious! The space albeit small is also conducive for catching up with a small group of friends.
Eating up the desserts is like a science experiment as well. Sssourabh swirled the chocolate sauce over pretty burnt marshmallows, hazelnuts and ice cream, while I poured ginger beer to create a frothy root beer float. Both were excellent mid-day treats.
I even completely spaced out that another hotshot ice cream parlor, Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous, was just around the corner. No wonder I saw many passerbys with their ice cream. I now vow to myself that I must hangout in the Dogpatch more often even though it is really out of the way.
Among the other patisseries, such as B Pattiserie and Craftsman and Wolves, Chocolate Lab has gone above and beyond in concocting an overarching theme for its restaurant. Being a semi-science geek, I love the Pyrex cylinder as water jug and the big, old cylinders and tubes they used as ceiling decor. Ingenious! The space albeit small is also conducive for catching up with a small group of friends.
Eating up the desserts is like a science experiment as well. Sssourabh swirled the chocolate sauce over pretty burnt marshmallows, hazelnuts and ice cream, while I poured ginger beer to create a frothy root beer float. Both were excellent mid-day treats.
May I have some more water please in a Pyrex cylinder? |
It was that good. Uh-huh. |
Melts in your mouth, really. |
The small kitchen where mad scientists, err, chefs prep the food. |
Are these dog paintings related to being located in the Dogpatch? |
Interesting decor made out of vials and tubes. |
Rechuitti truffle plate which we took home. Seasonal flavors. |
I've heard so much about the pastry called Kouign Amann (yes, I had to google the correct spelling!), and I finally found one at La Boulange in North Beach. It's as good as it sounds. Queenly indeed.
Hope you had a fun and safe memorial day! I enjoyed this triple scoop ice cream - chocolate, salted caramel and orange popsicle- from Mission Hill Creamery, Santa Cruz.
I'm so happy I found another happy place, errr I mean, happy hour spot in Palo Alto at Indo. Although this area on El Camino is not surrounded with hip restaurants compared to Nola or Gordon Biersch in downtown Palo Alto, the free parking spot and airy patio from the former Straits restaurant are musts for yuppies who need to unwind after a day's hard work. It also doesn't hurt that Indo serves happy hour drinks, such as the passionfruit caipirinha, and appetizers for $5 each between 5-8 pm. Their outdoor tented patio is also a perfect spot for private events.
Coconut pudding oh so good with red bean at the bottom. |
Black truffle cake with vanilla gelato to end our scrumptious meal. |
Tofu goreng with sambal ketjap manis. Just like stinky tofu but is not stinky! |
The pretty patio with heaters for colder days with remnants of the old Straits restaurant. |
I've been eying the Commonwealth at the Mission for the past few months now, and when I learned that my fellow food blogger, sssourabh, from NYC would be in town, I immediately got us a reservation. Commonwealth has an impressive line-up of pescatarian (apt for me) and vegetarian (apt for co-blogger who is a vegan) tasting menu and commendable service.
A Hit or Miss
I wasn't quite sure what was missing in the 6-course tasting menu, but there were some that missed the mark by a huge mile. A few dishes didn't taste as good as it sounded on paper, while the rest I can sing praises for.
sssourabh and I on what we were doing, our respective food blogs and our favorite restaurants in San Francisco. It always amuses me when my life as a food blogger gets grilled (yes, grilled on a griller!), especially in an upscale restaurant.
A Hit or Miss
I wasn't quite sure what was missing in the 6-course tasting menu, but there were some that missed the mark by a huge mile. A few dishes didn't taste as good as it sounded on paper, while the rest I can sing praises for.
A complimentary amuse-bouche that set the (high) tone for the Commonwealth experience. |
Seaweed chips to munch on while waiting. Both bloggers were not a fond of the beer sauce. |
Green strawberries, fennel, goat cheese, bee and fennel pollens, black radish. This salad reminded me of a salad, which had edible dirt, I ate at Michelin-star Manresa in Los Gatos. Again, this dish was on the bland side albeit well presented. But then again after witnessing the most beautiful salad in Lasarte, Barcelona, this salad needs to be revamped to give it more oomph. |
Part of the vegetarian menu, which my co-blogger went gaga for, specifically the fried chickpeas. Before I could even ask to taste it, the whole plate was empty. It is that good. |
sssourabh and I on what we were doing, our respective food blogs and our favorite restaurants in San Francisco. It always amuses me when my life as a food blogger gets grilled (yes, grilled on a griller!), especially in an upscale restaurant.
Let's take a break on food photography and switch to landscapes. Here's my shameless plug of the day dear readers: Please vote for my photo, The Wave's Reflection, on the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest 2013 here.
Bill's Cafe was an unexpected good brunch place, probably because I rarely eat in downtown San Jose. After getting a recommendation from a local South Bay-er, some friends and I had a big, hearty breakfast at Bill's. Just look at my humongous crab cakes with poached eggs below- a perfect breakfast for a long hiking day ahead. And I got a taste of how South Bay people live while people watching.
P.S. The mimosa was bigger than my head!
P.S. The mimosa was bigger than my head!
One fine Sunday, I found myself at the Beacon in North Beach to scope out a pop-up called Le Dix-Sept (pronounced as le-dis-set), which was serving a few, three to be exact, savory and sweet tarts that day.
Extremities
I was surprised with the burst of strong flavors on the mushroom and apricot with rosemary tart. Both were a juxtaposition of each other. The mushroom tart with shitake evoked a salty, Asian flavor, which I am a huge fan of, while the apricot was very sour for my taste buds.
It will be interesting to see how this French inspired patisserie and chocolaterie will expand in the highly competitive San Francisco food market. I, for one, was looking for more diverse options at the pop-up.
Extremities
I was surprised with the burst of strong flavors on the mushroom and apricot with rosemary tart. Both were a juxtaposition of each other. The mushroom tart with shitake evoked a salty, Asian flavor, which I am a huge fan of, while the apricot was very sour for my taste buds.
It will be interesting to see how this French inspired patisserie and chocolaterie will expand in the highly competitive San Francisco food market. I, for one, was looking for more diverse options at the pop-up.
Savory mushroom tart |
Sour apricot tart with rosemary |
The annual Project Open Hand's Dessert First last May 5th showcased some of the best pastry chefs' creations in San Francisco. DeLise donated dozens of Tropical Passion cup, which includes tropical fruit salad, sparkling lemongrass syrup, coconut durian macaron and a scoop of coconut pandan sorbet. Yes, it tastes as good as it sounds!
Hosted by Top Chef's Dessert First winner and owner of Tout Sweet Patisserie, Chef Yigit Pura, customized dinner and other entertainment packages were auctioned off. DeLise successfully auctioned a dessert buffet for 8 people.
Feast your eyes on some of these yummy desserts. See you again next year!
Hosted by Top Chef's Dessert First winner and owner of Tout Sweet Patisserie, Chef Yigit Pura, customized dinner and other entertainment packages were auctioned off. DeLise successfully auctioned a dessert buffet for 8 people.
Feast your eyes on some of these yummy desserts. See you again next year!
From Tout Sweet Patisserie |
From Dynamo Donuts |
From the Salt House |
From American Cupcake |
From The Palace Hotel |
Unlimited drinks!! |
From Ciao Bella |
From DeLise |
Ice cream burger from Pizzeria Delfina |
Back-to-back previews mean I'm backlogged on my postings! Sheesh. My apologies, but I can gaurantee that gastronomic snaps will soon be published!
From Commonwealth's pescatarian tasting menu, the asparagus and eggs with sea urchin, egg mousse, herring roe and seaweed broiche.
From Commonwealth's pescatarian tasting menu, the asparagus and eggs with sea urchin, egg mousse, herring roe and seaweed broiche.