Restaurant Ramblings - Chapter 1 - Grubstake

*Jo and Bub are waiting for their food at Grubstake on Polk Street.*

A party of four sit at a table nearby and begin talking about the restaurant.

Gentleman at table: This place is open until 4am! That is so weird!!

Bub: They must be from the North Bay...

Jo: *laughs*

An Itch I Can't Scratch

...I have this craving for...
...a bite of a strawberry...
...a sip of champagne...
...and a kiss from Bub...

hehehe, love you,
KEATON KWANHULL...

Don't Worry I Didn't Forget 7x7

I know it's been a while...




7x7 changed #12 because apparently there was a fear
that Yuet Lee's salt-and-pepper squid could go downhill
with the changing of the chef. So they replaced the
squid with the porchetta sandwich from Roli Roti.

** See what I've tried so far **

Sherri-Anne’s Baby Shower, Auntie Glo’s Birthday and Mother’s Day Mash Up

Date: May 9, 2009
Location: My House

So it was getting closer and closer to my sister’s due date and we hadn’t had a baby shower for her yet. Since Auntie Glo’s birthday and Mother’s Day were all coming up also, we just decided to combine all the special occasions. Honestly, my sis and my mother planned this party on the 7th! Just 2 days before the actual party! Considering that it was SO last minute, the turn-out was great and it became a fabulous get-together. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get on to the food!


The Gorgeous Buffet Table
An Eclectic Mix of Family Favorites

Kare Kare, a stew that consists of oxtail, tripe, baby bok choy, long beans, and eggplant in a peanut butter-based sauce, is one of my favorite Filipino dishes. To fully enjoy it, you MUST have the pungent and salty bagoong (shrimp fry) to accompany each bite. Star, who is vegetarian, just had the sauce with the veggies and no shrimp fry, but did enjoy it. This is a staple on our family party buffet tables.


Another essential dish on our table is pork sisig. This is not traditional where pieces of the pig’s face are served on a sizzling hot plate. Rather this is pretty straightforward with diced pieces of grilled pork meat, white onion, and jalapeno peppers in a soy-vinegar sauce. I would call it an “Americanized” version of customary sisig, but it is welcoming to those who aren’t particularly enthused to eat pig’s face.


My family members, aside Star, are a bunch of carnivores, but we had to make room for some greens. Just a simple Caesar salad topped with croutons and parmesan cheese for the fresh veggies. As for the cooked veggies, I blanched some beautiful asparagus spears and tossed them in an ice water bath to cease the cooking. I didn’t dress them or season them, and they were perfect.


The following dishes were my sister’s choices since she loves Chinese food. It was so cute to find that the head was fried along with the rest of it. I wonder if that means something in the terms of luck and prosperity. Anyway, Cantonese fried chicken is delicious. No complicated batters here. I love how the skin was golden brown and the meat inside was perfectly cooked. I prefer the breast portions of this chicken.


Sherri-Anne likes this entrée also, so it only made sense for her to make it part of the buffet. I didn’t have any of it myself, but judging from how little was left at the end of the night, I’m pretty sure that everyone enjoyed it.


Honey Walnut Prawns. Should I even go further? No, didn’t think so.


I *lurve* BBQ pork chow mean. I liked how they julienned the BBQ to match the width and length of the noodles. I have noticed that some other places just throw in hugh chunks which makes for some awkward eating.


I wanted to make a bread platter with stuff I bought at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market that morning. So I toasted up the slices of ciabatta to soften them a little. Bought some Nutella from Farm Fresh to You (I believe, but I could be wrong with the name - it‘s the grocery store that shares a space with Golden Gate Meat Co. and Hog Island Oyster Co.) and peach conserve from the Frog Hollow stand. I also bought a wheel of Mt. Tam cheese from Cowgirl Creamery and spinach dip which unfortunately didn’t make it in this shot, but if you go back to the very first picture in this post, you will see it. The bread platter was a success.


Momma and I also bought fresh fruit before the party and the strawberries looked awesome. Perfect with the Nutella.


Momma also made margaritas with the strawberries. Ha! Alky at a baby shower?! Sure! Why not?! Good job, mom!


I also bought the cakes from the Ferry Building Marketplace and momma suggested one for Auntie Glo, whose birthday was coming up the Monday after Mother’s Day, which was a day after the baby shower. Perfect. This Princess Cake screams Spring to me and it was perfect. I noticed that there was an absence of raspberry filling in the cake. Unlike the one I had the previous day from Schubert’s Bakery, this cake only had a layer of cake and a huge dollop of pastry cream and whipped cream. It was delicious nonetheless. Ate Di wasn’t too fond of the marzipan covering, but I liked it.


This cake was for Sherri-Anne, and it was lovely because of the nice pink, strawberry frosting that covered each of the layers. The chocolate cake layers were dense and not as chocolatey as I thought they would be. Ate Di preferred this cake over the Princess Cake. I learned that it is called a “Tomboy” cake because it is girly, but still a bit rugged on the edges. Cute.

Considering that the party was only planned in less than two days, it was a huge success. There were a lot of people in attendance and my sister got a lot of presents for the baby. What was also important to me was that the guests enjoyed the food. It doesn’t matter how long we have, whether 3 days or 3 weeks, Momma and I know what it takes to make a great party happen.

Hello World!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I am just chillin' at home about to nom nom on a pork bahn mi from Saigon Sandwich. Life is splendid indeed. =)

Take care, loves.

-Jo

Friday Favorite of the Week - Chapter 15

I take it back, ignore my last post...
my favorite this week is my newborn neice
Jayla Nicole


She makes me so happy. =)

Have a great Memorial Day weekend, loves.

No FFoftW Today...

Sorry y'all,

No favorite this week as the title says. It's been an "off" week...not particularly in a bad way. Just that things are way different from last week. I moved into my new place on Sunday, my sister gave birth on Tuesday, been reading "The Ramen King and I" and am almost done (great read btw), my newborn neice Jayla Nicole came home yesterday, now Memorial Day Weekend has come. I will have a double-whammy next Friday to catch up on my fave bites.

*sigh*

Need to catch my breath and take it easy. Maybe this weekend will be the perfect time to do it...but I am at a crossroads right now. Not quiet sure if maintaining this blog is something I should keep on doing. I have just become really overwhelmed with other aspects of my life that I don't have much time to update as often as I would like. I don't know...we'll see. I'll think about it more this weekend.

See you guys when I see you.

<3,
Jo

SFWeekly’s Best Of 2009 and Jo's Reactions

May has come (quite fast) to meet us and we all know what that means. I picked up SFWeekly's yearly compilation of the City’s BESTs today and was looking forward to some new finds. I did get my share of new finds indeed. w00t!

I haven’t been to about 90% of the places listed, which is exciting for me! New places to check out! As for the places I have been to, my comments will be in “”. If there is no comment, chances are I have not been to that establishment yet. Those italics mean that I will.

Readers' Poll Winners

Best Restaurant
Pasta Pomodoro
“Are you f-ing kidding me? Seriously, San Francisco? Of ALL the fantastic restaurants we have here in the Bay Area, y’all picked Pasta Pomodoro? I’m speechless. Y’all F’ed up BAD. Like my food buddy Joel said, '...Chevy's will get best Mexican restaurant...'”

Best New Restaurant
Kasa
“Ate Di and I went to this place sometime last year and I found it to be very good. Dubbed as an ‘Indian taqueria,’ Kasa serves kati rolls, which are equivalent to a burrito. For the prices and quality of food, I would definitely go back, but as for being the best new restaurant? Not quite sure about that honor yet.”

Best Chef
Jamie Lauren at Absinthe
“I haven’t been to Absinthe myself, but I guess being a reality star gets you votes. Not hatin’, just saying what you’re thinking. ”

Best Vegetarian restaurant
Cafe Gratitude

Best Seafood Restaurant
Aqua

Best Burrito
Papalote
“Hands down NO. Absolutely not! Ocean Taqueria’s burritos are so much better. Ugh. I had a Papalote burrito last month and it was awful. Did not finish it. Y’all know I don’t like a burrito if there is still some left. No.”

Best Pizza
Little Star
“I would have to agree with this one. =) Love their Classic combination and the Brass Monkey. Oops, I wasn’t supposed to say that right? *ahem* The Little Star with Sausage. Great crust and love the toppings. I always seem to crave Little Star…mouth is watering.”

Best Late-Night Eats
Sparky’s 24-Hour Restaurant

Best Romantic Restaurant
Chez Spencer

Best Italian Restaurant
Pasta Pomodoro
“Again? *gag* Seriously. I’m shocked.”

Best Greasy Spoon
Pork Store Cafe

Best Bakery
Tartine
“Ay-yay-yay! I agree with my whole heart. The morning buns and lemon cream tarts are TDF. I used to be intimidated because of all those hipsters frequenting the place, but hey, little Filipina girls from Daly City like me can appreciate this place too! Next stop: freshly baked bread!”

Best Sandwiches
Ike’s

Best Burger
Burgermeister

Best Mediterranean Restaurant
Kokkari

Best Dim Sum
Yank Sing

Best Sushi
Blowfish

Best Japanese Restaurant
Ozumo

Best Thai Restaurant
Osha Thai
“Uh, no. Overprices and overrated. Sorry, I like King of Thai way better.”

Best Chinese Restaurant
House of Chen

Best Indian Restaurant
Dosa
“OH YES…*BIG O* Paper masala dosa…chicken and eggplant curry…lemon rice…the makings of an EXTRAORDINARY meal. I love this place and I am so lucky it is walking distance from my place of employment. I concur whole-heartedly.”

Best French Restaurant
La Folie
“Yes, yes, yes! Fabulous birthday dinner with my cousin Star last September. They really make you feel so special there. The food, the ambiance, and the service are top notch. I loved my the egg amuse bouche and beef entrée.”

Best Steak
Ruth’s Chris steak house

Best California Cuisine
Nopa

Best Brunch
Lime
“Came here for BanYo’s birthday brunch. Bottom-less mimosas, the hottest men in San Francisco, awesome beats, good food, and a “LOVE” paddling for the birthday boy. Outrageously fun!”

Best Barbecue
Memphis Minnie’s
“…dry brisket. ‘Nuff said.”

Best Crab Cakes
Scoma’s

Best Tapas/Small Plates
Cha Cha Cha

Best Teahouse
Samovar

Best Coffeehouse
Blue Bottle

Best Grocery Store
Rainbow

Best Farmers’ Market
Ferry Building
“Seriously, will there EVER be a year that the Heart of SF market and Alemany Market beat the Ferry Building in the SFWeekly standings? I think not, so SFWeekly should just toss this category.”

Best Desserts
Tartine
“…*smile*…J’adore Tartine…”

Best Frozen Yogurt Place
YoCup

Best Ice Cream
Bi-Rite Creamery
“So glad that Bi-Rite is in SF. That strip of 18th is quite awesome. While people gawk over the Salted Caramel, I actually go for the Brown Butter Pecan. *drool*.

Editor’s Choice Winners

Best Breakfast Sandwich
Emporio Rulli Caffè

Best Scrambled Egg
Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Cafe

Best Brunch
Nob Hill Grille

Best Patio Dining
Arlequin

Best Doughnuts
Dynamo Donut and Coffee
"Did I hear BACON doughnuts?" *smile* That's all you need to know, grasshoppa."

Best Big Space for a Small Cup o' Coffee
Four Barrel Coffee

Best Coffee Shop for Browsing Porn
Coffee to the People

Best New Tearoom
Crown & Crumpet
“I went to Crown & Crumpet a few months ago and it was such an adorable place. A little on the pricey side, but an experience I will not forget anytime soon…I see that they want to give it props for the best ‘new’ tearoom…but what other tearooms opened this year?”

Best Sandwiches
Roxie Food Center

Best Gourmet Burgers
Epic Roasthouse

Best New Burger Joint
Pickles

Best Hot Dog
Happy Belly

Best Barbecue
Baby Blues BBQ

Best Burrito
Taqueria Can-Cún
“No…simply because I found a hair in my burrito the last time I went there. Never again.”

Best Street Food
El Huarache Loco

Best Pupusa
Balompie Café
“OH YES! Bub and I went to Balompie #3 and had six kinds of pupusas, but after a while we got full and they all started to taste the same. Our taste buds lost their sense of well, taste. What I can say is that their service is awesome and the pupusas themselves are so good…that’s why we got so full…we couldn’t stop eating them. The cabbage slaw, pickled veggies, and salsas they come with are perfect!”

Best Tamale
Frontera Fresco

Best Dumplings
Kingdom of Dumplings

Best Deviled Eggs
Rossi's Delicatessen

Best Crab Louis
Tadich Grill

Best Cobb Salad
Chow

Best Teensy Takeout Restaurant
The Sentinel

Best Blackboard-Menu Restaurant
Bar Jules

Best New Restaurant
Nopalito

Best Reinvention
Sutro's at the Cliff House

Best Second-Story Restaurant
Poesia

Best Organic Restaurant
Roots

Best Vegetarian Restaurant
Burma Superstar

Best New Chinese
Bund Shanghai

Best New Thai
Lers Ros

Best Pho
My Cahn

Best Traveling Sushi
Ichi Catering

Best Tandoori Chicken
Punjab Kabab House
“Never had their tandoori chicken, but their chicken korma is my favorite there.”

Best Bread
Acme Bread Co.'s Sweet Batard
“Never had the sweet batard, but I think I have fallen in love with their ciabatta. *blush*

Best Feijoada
Bossa Nova

Best New Mexican Hole-in-the-Wall
La Oaxaqueña

Best New Dish
Warm Sea Urchin at Anchor and Hope

Best Seafood
Ame

Best Steamed Mussels
Mocca

Best Joe's Special
Polkers Gourmet Burgers

Best Savory Bread Pudding
Serpentine

Best Dessert Pizza
Giovanni's Pizza

Sweetest Food Fair
S.F. International Chocolate Salon

Best New Ice Cream Store
Humphry Slocombe
“This place makes me smile…hard. Loved their Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee and Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese ice creams. SO innovative and unique.”

Best Rice Pudding
Loving Cup
“*sigh* I heart Loving Cup. Adorable store that also serves fro-yo and smoothies. Great place to sit at the counter, eat the fantastic Madagascar Vanilla Bean (or any among the plethora of flavors), and watch the people pass by…as they gaze at your rice pudding masterpiece with glossed over eyeballs.”

Best Late-Night Greasy Spoon
Sam's

Best Natural Foods Store
Golden Natural Foods

Best Charitable Chef
Anthony Myint

Best Resource for Chefs
Le Sanctuaire

Best Cookbook Store
Omnivore Books on Food

Best Rebirth
Washington Square Bar & Grill

Best Barbecue (Outdoor)
Ironwood BBQ

Best Southern-Style Cookin'
John Akins

Best Venerable Tea Room
Lovejoy's Tea Room

Best Place to Get Buzzed at Brunch
Axis Cafe and Gallery

Best Popovers
The Bistro at Cliff House

Best Jelly Doughnut
I Preferiti di Boriana

Best Butcher
Prather Ranch Meat Company

Best Fried Food
Fried Chicken at Magnolia Pub and Brewery|Salt-and-Pepper Frog at Taishan Cafe|Shrimp Kushi Katsu at Halu

Best Salumi
Incanto|Uva Enoteca|Bar Bambino

Best Cookies
California Golden Cookies|The House|Kika's Treats|Mara's Italian Pastry

"Overall, on the fence with this list. Lots of cool, new finds that I am intrigued to try out, but I’m kind of turned off with the “Best New” categories. I don’t think anyone should be counted as the “best” when there isn’t much competition in the first place. Plus some of the categories are just plain “huh?” Like the steamed mussels and the jelly doughnut. I mean, it’s great to go specific into certain foods like pizza, sushi, etc., but going THAT specific is a bit much. I think they made up categories just to make up categories...Like I said, no point in proclaiming if you are the best if there is no competition."

HOLY $#!+...

Neicey-Poo might be making her world premiere today!

I'ma be an AUNTIE!

=)

Let's just all hope that my sister has an easy and quick delivery!

*sigh*

I am so excited to finally meet Jayla Nicole!!

Damn, I knew today was going to be a special day!

Gah. I Feel So...Naked...

Being a San Francisco foodie, I am always in pursuit of a fabulous food find. So I always have three things on me at all times: my cell to browse the web, my iTouch to listen to music as I am wandering the streets, and my camera to snap any great moments I may encounter.

Today, I left two of them at home.

My iTouch and my camera.

I feel so naked and bummed that I might miss a great photo op. I almost just want to go straight home after work because I am almost certain something great is going to happen and I won't have anything to document it with.

As a foodie, what do YOU carry along with you?

And have you ever felt as naked as I do right now?

Loving Cup - Rice Equals Love

Shop: Loving Cup Rice Pudding Shop
Address: 2356 Polk Street at Union Street, Russian Hill, SF
Phone Number: (415) 440-6900
Cuisine: Desserts, Baked Goods, Frozen Yogurt
Date Last Visited: May 13, 2009

I had always wanted to come here since I saw the notice in EaterSF that it was open. Loving Cup opened the day after Thanksgiving of 2008, and I hear that the weekends are outrageously busy. One reason why I didn’t make it out here sooner. 1) being the crowds and 2) I am not too familiar with this neighborhood. Prior to this visit, I had only come here twice. Once to La Folie and another time to go to Nick’s Crispy Tacos. For some reason on this day, I had a humungous craving for rice pudding. So right after work, I hopped on the 1 California going toward Downtown and got off at Polk Street. Right when I got off, I saw the 19 Polk at the stop, so I had to either wait for the next one or just walk it to Union Street.


I walked. *gasp* right? But it was a very leisurely 6-block walk, and Polk Street is very cute with their little shops and small, but intriguing looking restaurants. I wouldn’t mind living there because it just looked like a great place to post at one of the cafés or coffee shops and just relax or people-watch. It felt so comfortable that I didn’t mind the walk at all. I just felt really foolish because it is only now that I have started exploring this area . I mean, it is less than ten minutes from my work and there are so many great finds here. Well, better late than never right? I was enjoying my walk to much that Loving Cup was right before my eyes in no time. Time flies when you’re enjoying.


Loving Cup is absolutely adorable on the inside. It had a Victorian dollhouse feel to it with the creamish-yellowish painted walls to the fonts of the overhead menus and the fro-yo accoutrements in the glass bowls. It felt juvenile but sophisticated at the same time. Though calling itself a “rice pudding shop,” Loving Cup also serves frozen yogurt, coffee drinks, and smoothies. Cupcake flavors available are red velvet with cream cheese frosting, old-fashioned vanilla, and chocolate. Everything is “local, organic, and all natural.” They squeeze their juices on-sight and offer Mighty Leaf Tea. So really, there is something for everyone here, but I was here for the rice pudding.


They change their flavors everyday, so on this day, they had the Madagascar Vanilla Bean (which they have all the time), coconut, pistachio, Nutella, and lemon vanilla. I took home one of their little menus and saw that they also offer the following on other days:

Chocolate - Mocha - Cookies n’ Cream - Creamsicle - Strawberry - English Toffee - Pumpkin Pie - Mint Chip - Pecan Praline - Key Lime - Espresso - Mango - Peanut Butter - Chai Spice - White Chocolate

Sizes:
Small (6 oz): $3.75 - Medium (9 oz): $4.75
Large (12 oz): $5.75 - XL (16 oz): $8.25
Oh goodness, I would love to try the pecan praline and white chocolate very soon! The rice puddings are only made with non-fat milk, rice, eggs, sugar, natural vanilla, and salt. All-natural is great, ya think?


I opted for a small Madagascar Vanilla Bean ($3.75) because I wanted to see how good their simplest flavor was. The small is actually a very generous portion for me. I almost didn’t finish it all. You can also have them sprinkle either nutmeg or cinnamon on top, but I’m a purest. Right off the bat, I didn’t notice any of the vanilla bean. If its name has “vanilla bean” in it, you should be able to see black speckles all throughout, but no. I guess they forgot that day. Besides that hiccup, the rice pudding was as perfect as can be. Creamy and not too sweet. The rice was not so mushy that I wasn’t able to detect any of it. I felt a little bite on my teeth which was very pleasant. The nutrition facts on this portion aren’t bad either: 125 calories and 6 grams of fat. I loved it.

Now I cannot wait to try their other flavors. I actually got a sampling of the Nutella and it is what it tasted like Pure Nutella. Awesome stuff, but I prefer the simple vanilla. Like I said before, that white chocolate is calling me name. I guess I would have to call ahead to make sure they are making it that day before I swoop in for some.

Rice equals love to me because Inang made me eat every single grain of rice off my plate. That accounts for me being so thick, but that’s how I was taught to eat - not to waste and to appreciate the flavors of my food and the work it took to make it. Rice reminds me of home, my Inang, comfort, and love. This shop deserves its name because it made me feel warm and happy inside. I can’t wait to come back, and I am so glad that I finally made my way here.

Friday Favorite of the Week - Chapter 14

This week on Wednesday, Momma and I had an impromptu dinner at Intramuros Restaurant in South San Francisco. This being her first time here, I was anxious to see if she was going to enjoy it. I was just really excited to have her see the banquet room that I hoped to have one of my wedding festivities in. We had a dinner of Pancit Bami, Tofu Sisig, Binagoongan Over Grilled Eggplant, and rice. Awesome food! Momma loved it. Then came dessert!!


For dessert, we ordered the Bibinka Soufflé – “Baked light and airy, with a cream-flavored base, served with salted egg and white cheese on the side. (Allow 20 minutes for preparation)” So be sure you tell you server well in advance that you want the soufflé since it take a while to make.

It was absolutely to die for. On my birthday, Val explained it to me and it just sounded too odd to me. I mean, salted egg with a soufflé? To tell you the truth, the soufflé would not have been as great without it. It is prepared table-side with the server pouring some of the crème-anglaise into the center of the soufflé. Then you can add the salted egg and cheese as you please. I was skeptical, but I am a true believer. You have to try it out for yourself to see how good it is!

LOVED IT!
The Full List of Friday Favorites

AsiaSF - Happy 25th Birthday, Spanish Janis!

Restaurant: AsiaSF
Address: 201 9th St. b/t Howard and Tehama, SOMA, SF
Phone Number: (415) 255-2742
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Date Last Visited: April 22, 2009
Dining Partner: Spanish Janis, Bub, and a whole bunch of party people

So I have this friend and her name is Yannis aka Spanish Janis aka Hunny Bunny. I met Yannis in the 4th grade at George Washington Elementary School in Daly City. I left GW after only a year there because we moved to another neighborhood and the next time I would see her again would be in high school at Westmoor. Yannis was one of my greatest friends there and I knew that even though we would separate after high school, we would still be cool as hell. We met when we were 9 years old and this year we turned 25, so you can say that we have known each other for a very long time.


personalized menus at the venue
I am horrible at keeping in touch with people. Ask anyone who I was good friends with. I am pretty good at going with the flow - even if it means not contacting people who I used to keep in contact with a lot. That may be a personality trait I need to work on before I become a full-fledged loner. Ha! Anyway, I was so excited to see the invitation I got from Yannis about her 25th birthday shindig. Matter of fact, I hosted her 16th birthday at my condo 9 years ago. Oh the memories. I felt so guilty for putting off hanging out with her after so many years, so I knew I owed it to her.

On to the food!
Because we were a big group, Hunny Bunny had to reserve the three tables for our party and pick one of the pre-arranged menus. She picked the “Golden Feast” which consists of four first course dishes, three second course dishes, and ice cream for dessert.
FIRST COURSE

Porcupines:
shrimp, scallops, and water chestnuts rolled in
cellophane noodles, crisply fried and served with a
plum wine/soy dipping sauce
These looked aesthetically great, but when I bit into it, there was this weird mouth-feel - like a sticky, grainy, just weird texture. I also didn’t detect the shrimp or scallop flavor. I don’t know. Visually appealing, but the taste I was looking for wasn’t there. Not my favorite.


Tamarind Chicken Satay:
marinated chicken breast, skewered and grilled,
served with Asia SF‘s spicy peanut sauce
I thought that the chicken was really good and the peanut sauce was awesome, but are they kidding about how skinny they were? They are skinnier than my pinky! I would have been more impressed if there was a bit more meat on the stick.


Sesame Steak Salad:
thinly sliced beef tenderloin seared and tossed in a sesame dressing, piled atop crisp greens, red onions, mint and basil
I was expecting this salad to rock my world. It was alright. I did find the steak to be cooked well, but the greens seemed to be overdressed with a dressing that wasn’t particularly extraordinary. I mean, it was good, but having already tried other steaks salads elsewhere (like Fresca on Fillmore), I was not that impressed.


Asia-dilla:
a quesadilla stuffed with duck, jack cheese,
manchego cheese, fresno peppers and scallions,
with sun-dried cherry crème fraiche
Yes, I must have been some Mexican-Asian person in my past life because tell me why this my favorite appetizer. The quesadilla was nothing special, but that dipping sauce was great! I am such a condiment whore because I absolutely love the sauces here. I really couldn’t tell what exactly was inside the quesadilla. Whatever. It was all good.


Ahi Burgers:
freshly ground pan seared ahi tuna, with teriyaki glaze and horseradish-Chinese cabbage slaw on focaccia roll
Um, I really don’t know how to start describing this sandwich. I understand that they made patties with the tuna, but I think it would have been better if they left it as a steak and seared it to a medium-rare. When I bit into the “burger,” it was watery. Not juicy, but watery. There was no flavor in the water either. Uhh, yeah, that is why I’m kinda *gah* about it. Not a favorite at all.


AsiaSF is famous, or should I say infamous, for the lovely ladies who serve, “sing,” and dance for the crowd. The bar is their stage and they lip-sing to famous songs.


“I Kissed a Girl”
She was my favorite. She was so bubbly and cute!

“Crazy in Love”
Now, they all look gorgeous and they really excited the crowd, but what makes them special is that they are gender illusionists. That’s right, these ladies are biologically male, but live and perform as women. They are not drag queens - they are real women now. Boy, was I envious!! They were absolutely GORGEOUS!

SECOND COURSE

Truffled Soba Noodles:
grilled Portobello mushroom and asparagus slices, tossed with cool sesame soba noodles, white truffle oil and scallion threads
Things just got a little bad with this dish. I don’t know what it was exactly, whether it was because it was cold or because it had truffle oil or both. I actually don’t mind cold noodle salads, but now I think it’s more the truffle oil. I hate truffle. It is so overrated. Bub didn’t seem to like it either. We just picked at the vegetables. This is when fusion goes wrong.


Baby Got Back Ribs:
baby-back pork ribs, grilled with a honey-tamarind glaze, served with pickled carrots and Japanese sweet potato chips
I would have to say that this is my favorite dish of the second courses. I give them props for the name because this place has its erotic side, and I can’t think of a better name for these. Good ribs with a nice sweet sauce. The pickled carrots were a treat. I love pickled veggies with my meats. I LOVED the sweet potato chips. I noshed on them all night. The waiter gave an extra plate to our table. Score.


Orange Lamb:
pieces of lamb sirloin sautéed in a mildly spiced orange sauce, served with coconut jasmine rice and Thai cucumber salad
I wasn’t too sure about this dish…I should have substituted the lamb for tofu. I don’t do lamb because of the aftertaste, but the orange sauce kind of masked it a little bit. The cucumber salad also did a good job of cleansing the palate. I didn’t care for the taro chips, and I think I would have preferred the jasmine rice to not have any coconut in it. It just reminded me too much of Inang’s sweet rice that I usually have for dessert only. This dish was just ok.


Lovely Malena
This girl could dance!
You should have seen her heels…they were HIGH.

Bub’s Favorite Girl
Like I said before, the girls serve, bartend, ring you up, sing, dance, everything. This girl was posted near our table because she organized the drinks that were to be brought to the table. So every time I would look up, her backside was facing me. Not like it was a bad thing…I wasn’t too sure if I was supposed to be jealous because Bub kept looking at her…I don’t know!! I was looking and he was looking. I guess we were even. LOL. She’s so hot.


This girl was awesome as the MC and the hostess for the night. She really knew how to get the crowd excited to party.

DESSERT

Ube with Toasted Coconut
Langka with Sun-Dried Cherries
Macapuno with Candied Peanuts
This just SCREAMS Mitchell’s. I wasn’t mad at that because I *lurve* Mitchell’s tropical-flavored ice cream! I loved the presentation piece for the ice cream cones. There is a slot for each cone to settle in. I should find one for my house!


Hunny Bunny was presented her cake
Bub and I were at the other end of the table, so I had to migrate to get a closer shot.


Isn't she lovely?

Raspberry Mousse Cake from Schubert’s Bakery
Yes, another cake from Schubert’s!! This is not the first time you have heard that bakery in my blog. Schubert’s is a great place for special occasion cakes and they did an awesome job with Hunny’s.


Y’all know that I do not do raspberry much, but Schubert’s seems to change my taste. This raspberry mousse cake and the Princess cake we had for Fuego’s baby shower both have raspberry in it and I love them both.

Vitals:

Bakery: Schubert’s Bakery
Address: 521 Clement St. b/t 6th and 7th Avenues, Inner Richmond
Phone Number: (415) 752-1580


The Best Party Favors Ever

SHOTS!
I don’t know the guy who bought our entire party shots, but he’s awesome!! I don’t know exactly what it was, but i was lemony and sweet. They were really good! I could have had 10 more of them.


CHEERS!!!
I think you come to AsiaSF more for the atmosphere and the entertainment more than the food. The food wasn’t that great, but I think everything else - the people and drinks made up for it. Before coming here, I imagined this place a lot bigger, but pictures can fool the eye. I must say that the entertainment is unique to only this place. And if it is your birthday, don’t be surprised if one of the girls brings you to the bar for a “blow job.” Seriously. Hunny got one. No, she got two. It was crazy. By the end of the dinner, Hunny Bunny was drunk and happy. It was a joy to see her that way. =) I was so happy to see her having a fab time!


Happy 25th Birthday, Yannis!
Hunny Bunnies 4-Eva!

Flashback to 2002
International Foods Day at Westmoor High School
We Rocked the Dark Rimmed Glasses

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