Fourth Time's A Charm

I have been to Il Cane Rosso on three previous unsuccessful attempts to experience #14 the Beef Brisket Sandwich. Twice they didn't have it and once....well, ididn'tfeellikeeatingit. OK, OK, typical chick but I just wasn't in the mood that day.

But today was different...today, I did this really interesting thing my friend told me about called...planning ahead. I called to make sure the beef brisket was going to be on the menu. And I starved myself all morning long so I would be hungry for it. This girl was on a mission!

And oh my god, the sandwich was fantastic! The beef was so flavorful and perfectly accented by peppery arugula. The brisket literally melted and I ate the entire thing and then spend the next 30 minutes waddling around with my friend.

The sandwich was accompanied by a small side of picked celery. Is that a new trend that I've somehow missed, pickling everything?

A view of the pickled celery, I kind of liked it

In conclusion, I am definitely going back to Il Cane Rosso. And I would definitely recommend the Beef Brisket Sandwich. I would be a terrible blogger and bad cyber-friend if I didn't mention the amazing Porchetta Sandwich. I've had it before, it's phenomenal and that's exactly what I told the guy in line behind me too!!

Are we sure that's a GINGER beer?

Love,

Rebecca

And The Donut Binge Continues...

Wow, I never realized how much I love and miss donuts. And thanks to the previous post, the demon within me has been awakened. (Dun-dun-daaaa)

This list of ever-changing funky flavors.

Next stop...Dynamo Donuts. This place not only satisfies the donut craving but also the funky flavor craving. I just think it's really ballsy to put guinness in a donut. And Dynamo Donut seems to be a part of the 'Bacon on Everything' movement, which I fully support.

I got #54 which the Spiced Chocolate Donut with a Four Barrel Coffee. Except I decided to get the Ginger Lemonade since it was a balmy 70 degrees and I am such a rebel. Ha! Plus, I think we covered my love of ginger a while back. So once I saw that on the menu....

That's Scott - he's awesome!

Dynamo Donut is aptly named, because they have mastered both the light fried and buttery donut (a la Krispy Kreme) AND the dense, heavy, cakey donut. MASTERED. Both. That is not an easy task to accomplish but they've done it. How do I know? Well, although the Spiced Chocolate was on the 7x7 list I could NOT resist the Maple Glazed Bacon Apple!

Simply gorgeous

I can't honestly say what the spices were on the Spiced Chocolate Donut but I think there was definitely cinnamon and maybe allspice. In any case, it was really rich and dark chocolatey. A donut that made you think about it, and savor each bite. This was definitely not an overly sweet donut, but good, hearty and wholesome. I LOVED every bite.

Without a doubt, I will be going back. Still need to try the Guinness donut. And the Vanilla Bean...

As proud as a mom with newborn babies!

Love,

Rebecca

Where Do You Go After the Dentist?

To Bob's Donuts on Polk Street, of course! For #80 on the 7x7 list, the apple fritter. There is nothing better than a warm apple and cinnamon-y fritter after having your teeth scraped for 30 minutes.

The front window

I could smell the pastries about a block away wafting onto the street and my stomach growled. I'm not sure how many different types of donuts, pastries, fritters, buns (did I mention how much I like the word buns?) and other carb-tastic yummies they make but there was a HUGE variety.

It was kind of a quaint, no nonsense type of place. Just basics. Donuts, coffee and milk. I was so taken with Bob's, I debated buying one of the vintage tees that they sold. But I didn't.

The size of a brick, and just about as heavy, too!

I was kind of hoping for a warm, fresh from the oven fritter but for room temperature, it was really moist and chewy. And very dense and flavorful. It made me wish that I drank coffee.

Really sweet lady from Bob's, presenting the fritter.

And where do you go after Bob's Donut's?

To Lombardi Sports to work off that fritter! And to get a cute new pair of flip-flops!

Note: time for a pedicure. Yikes!

Love,

Rebecca

Just Let Your Soul Glo, Baby

Fried food. Reminds me of summer time and, as a kid, wishing I could order a bucket of fried skin from KFC. Kinda gross. And considering that we now know that if you even so much as LOOK at anything fried, you'll die instantly, not a good thing. But I couldn't help and remember how much I love fried food. Everything in moderation, right?

Today I went to Brenda's French Soul Food and tried #42 Fried Shrimp Po'boy. But first I started with a glass of the house sweet tea. And because I have family from the Deep South, I know what a good glass of sweet tea should be. And kids, I was not prepared for the sweet tea from Brenda's. The sweetness came from watermelon, WATERMELON!, WATERMELON?? And my oh my, it was delish! I loved it and it ended up being the perfect accompaniment to the po'boy.

The po'boy had a buttered and griddled bun and a generous portion of cornmeal batter fried shrimp, lettuce and tomatoes, all topped with the most luscious sauce this side of heaven, remoulade sauce--spicy and creamy all at once. (It's #2 on my favorite condiment list.)

Gettin' all up in the remoulade sauce's crevasses

Every bite was amazing and as good as the shrimp was, I can't help thinking the bun was key to the sandwiches' success. I got sauce on my face and I didn't care one bit. (I would've posted a picture of that but it looked a bit pervy.)

Oceans of Coleslaw

The coleslaw and the pickles were also really tasty. I also ordered a biscuit...by itself...for no reason...I just wanted a biscuit. I regretted ordering it but it tasted SOOOO GOOOOOD that I no longer care.

Watermelon rind pickles!! I figured that out all by myself.

In conclusion, people that cook soul food really know how to utilize the watermelon in various ways. And everything looked so good on the menu, I need to go back as soon as possible. I need to let my Soul Glowwwww!*

Love,

Rebecca

*Cool points for anyone that can tell me what movie this is from...

And Then I Burnt My Tongue

My favorite meal of any day is always brunch. It can be sweet, like strawberry pancakes or Greek yogurt with honey, or savory, like a cheese omelette. I really love the idea of me scanning my stocks in the NY Times with a hot cup of joe.**

I have been known to partake in all sorts of options for brunch but I have never eaten Chicken Hash, ever once in my ENTIRE LIFE! Can you imagine?

That's a lot of spring onion.

So I was so excited to try #76 Chicken Hash at Ella's. Ella's was one of the first restaurants I found after I moved to San Francisco and it's definitely one of my go-to places for brunch whenever I am in the city.

The Chicken Hash was served with two eggs, any style, toast and a pile of freshly cut spring onions. I quickly excavated the egg and hash from under the onion landscape and dug in. The perfect forkful has chicken, a couple of yolk-soaked chunks of hash and a bit of egg white fried to perfection. It was amazing...but then I burnt my tongue.

By the way, hash is potatoes fried with spices and onions and chicken chunks. I could swear I saw grainy mustard in there too. Perfect for a hangover or a leisurely morning perusing your stock portfolio. (Do they have that on weekends?)

Love,

Rebecca

**This would never, EVER happen because

#1 I abhor the news

#2 I only read the comics section

#3 I don't really like coffee, I'm more of a tea person but if I did drink it, I would need tons of sugar and cream

and #4 does anyone really call coffee 'joe' anyway?

In the Beginning...

The sign looks a little rough, but the restaurant is really great!

I love beginnings. And I really love order and doing things precisely. It actually really bugged me not doing the List in order starting at #1. I've gotten over that really quickly and have challenged myself to enjoy the chaos. But I have to say, I feel a sense of contentment knowing that I have now gone to #1 Zuni Cafe and have enjoyed the Roast Chicken and Bread Salad.

A very wonderful friend of mine is moving back to LA in a couple of weeks so we compared her list of restaurants to try with the 7x7 Top 100 list and were happy to discover that Zuni Cafe was on both. I didn't realize that #1 Roast Chicken and Bread Salad was for two people but my date was such a good sport so we ordered it. I've eaten a lot of chicken lately and I cannot for the life of me figure out how all the pros get their chicken so moist and tender inside and delicious crispy and salty outside. When I cook chicken, it always ends up a bit rubbery.

Zuni Cafe accomplishes the chicken-cooking-perfection! It was delicious. But I have to say, my favorite part was the bread salad. It might be my love of all things soggy but the bread was so homey and comforting and tossed lightly with bitter greens and currants (I think).

The bread salad was something different that I don't see offered at very many places. A bit pricey at $48, but keep in mind, that's for two people so not too bad considering. A really lovely meal. And it's the start of a beautiful relationship with Zuni Cafe!

Love,

Rebecca

The Silver Lining

I have allowed depression to seriously paralyze my life. Dark days, lots of tears and uncertainty. Meanwhile, back in the outside world...

...it's not all crappy, right? No matter how bad it gets in life there is always an episode of "The Golden Girls" or "Scrubs" on. And it's always good to go outside and have some good food with the people that love you. Sometimes you just need to get through the meal but other times, something really magical happens.

I'm not quite sure how to say this but I guess I should just come right out with it. I have a new favorite restaurant in San Francisco. And I really wasn't looking for one, it just sort of happened. I went to #20 Perbacco and had the Salumi Misti Plate.

I never thought that cured meat could look this beautiful.

There was a story for each type of salami but I really don't remember each one. What stayed with me is the unique layering of flavors and distinctive textures of each salami. I tried two that were the more traditional hard salami type, that I was familiar with and they were still incredible. Another was referred to as a salami tartar, which 8-year-old Rebecca would be thrilled about, having often resisted the urge to eat raw sausage and was often found poking holes in the ground beef packages while grocery shopping. (Don't ask, I have no idea.) And once again, there was another appearance of lardo, the pork back fat that I first found at Pizza Delphina. Still excellent and still horrible for the arteries. But completely worth it.

I guess no matter how crappy I am feeling, I need to remember that its okay to just relax and enjoy a great meal, and it doesn't hurt if it involves 10 different kinds of salami. This was an incredible start to one of the most incredible meals I've eaten in a long time. Every course was absolutely brilliant. But that's another story for another time.

Love,

Rebecca