Smtten Ice Cream

My sister had read about Smitten Ice Cream and really wanted to try it.

 

 It's located at 432 Octavia Street in a little stand made out of a cargo container.

 

Ice cream is made to order. Liquid nitrogen is used to freeze the cream, supposedly giving it a smoother texture.

 

Brown Sugar with Cinnamon Shortbread topped with Pistachio Brittle and Salted Caramel ice cream. At $4.75 for 2 small scoops, it's quite pricey and I wasn't WOW'd by the flavors or the texture. If you wanted it in a cone, it was an additional $1. It wasn't worth the price.

 

 

 

2013 08 04

El Farolito

El Farolito is located at 2779 Mission St. We had read on Yelp that they had good food and we stopped in to check for ourselves.  

 

 

Carne Asada Super Burrito--$6.25. This was a good-sized burrito but I thought the meat was tough and needed more flavoring. My sister liked it though.

 

Chorizo Taco. This was okay. I think it would've been much better as a chorizo egg taco.

 

 

 

2013 08 04

La Taqueria, San Francisco

Our next stop was La Taqueria in the Mission. It's located at 2889 Mission Street.

 

I ordered a carnitas taco--$3.95. The carnitas was flavorful but this was pricey. I've had great tacos in San Jose for $1.50 each.

 

 

 

2013 08 04

Tartine Bakery, San Francisco

The Sunday after the SF Chefs event, we went noshing in the Mission. First stop, Tartine Bakery, located at 600 Guerrero Street. There was a huge line out the door and it was only 9:30 am.

We were noshing so we chose only what had received good reviews--morning bun, almond croissant and cheese gougere.

 

The morning bun--$3.95--had a slight orange taste. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside but there was just a little too much butter. I like the sticky buns at Downtown Bakery in Healdsburg better.

 

The Almond Croissant--$4.75--was overbaked. It was slightly burnt on the outside and there wasn't that much almond flavoring.

 

The cheese gougere--$3.75--was the largest gougere I had ever seen. It had a nice peppery flavor but it was overcooked. It would have been better if it had been the size of a regular gougere.

 

In summary, I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. The baked goods were good but not extraordinary and at the prices they were charging, it wasn't worth it.

 



2013 08 04

Thursday Dinner at Flavor Bistro

Here's this week's dinner:

Tortino Di Granchio--Sautéed Dungeness Crab Cake Garnished with Spicy Saffron Aioli & Organic Peach Salsa paired with 2012 Paul Hobbs Winery CrossBarn Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast

 

Quaglia Al Forno--Oven Roasted Quail Served in Sugo D'Aglio Flavored with Olive Pesto, Tomato Confit & Petite Handmade Gnocchi paired with 2011 Quivira Vineyards & Winery Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley

  

 

Bistecca Ai Ferri--Grilled Marinated Flat Iron Steak Garnished with White Truffle Essence Potato Puree & Organic Summer Vegetable Ragout Served in Barolo Wine Sauce paired with 2011 Alexander Valley Vineyards, Wetzel Family Estate, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County

 

Crostata Di Fargole--Strawberry Galette Served with Mascarpone Cream paired with 2011 NxNW Riesling, Wallula Benches Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Washington

2013 08 15

Katana-Ya

We were so stuffed after the SF Chefs event, we wanted a light dinner. We had read a lot about Katana-Ya and their ramen and discovered it was just a block from the Westin. It's located at 430 Geary Street. We had to give it a try.

Regular ramen with bamboo shoots, seaweed, BBQ pork and scallion for $8.90. You had a choice of soy sauce, miso or salt and light or rich broth. I chose the miso rich broth. The broth was very flavorful and I wondered if the light broth was just a watered-down version. I still like the broth at Orenchi Ramen in Sunnyvale better but this was a close 2nd. The ramen had a nice texture. I wouldn't necessarily drive to SF to have the ramen but the next time I'm in town and looking for a light dinner, I would go back.

2013 08 03

St. Francis Hotel

Since the SF Chefs event was in Union Square, we stayed at the St. Francis Hotel. This is a landmark in San Francisco and has been opened since 1904. It underwent a $40 million renovation in 2009. It is such a convenient hotel for shopping in Union Square. The cable car stops in front of the hotel.

You have a choice of a historic room in the Main Building or a modern room in the Tower. We had a room in the Tower and it was classic Westin--comfortable beds with duvets, fluffy towels and leaf-shaped soaps. Unfortunately, we were only on the 6th floor and we looked out on the back of the Main Building.

2013 08 03