Tots, Funnel Cake, and a Burger on a Krispy Kreme Bun :D

wwf @ the coffee shop

Sometimes I scare myself because I tend to build restaurants and their ridiculous food items up so much in advance that when I actually get there,they aren't that great... especially yesterday. I could barely work because I  was so busy planning for the most potentially epic Roommate Dinner Night ever! So epic that I even did the unspeakable and opened it up to non-SF roomy friends! I was finally going to Straw, the brand new carnival themed restaurant in Hayes Valley that's been getting insane Yelp buzz.

salt + macchiato

Straw is a totally weird-trendy-hipster hole-in-the-wall place on Octavia right off of 101. I had read some reviews that crowds could get bad, so I planned ahead and arrived about 15 mins early for a Monday 8:00pm dining session. It was totally packed!! I spoke to Ari (the crazy nice owner) and he was extremely helpful about my situation. He was very honest in telling me it would be like 1.5 hours before we could seat my party of 7 no matter what permutations we split in to. I was kind of depressed and waited outside for the rest of the group. As people started to arrive (and sadly some dropped out <3 eugi & manu), we determined it was worth it. Cutting our group to 5 helped lower the wait to 45ish mins, and after a quick pit stop at my trunk for emergency granola bar rations, we settled at an adjacent coffee shop.

tilt-a-whirl booth!!

Beyond being so helpful/accomodating with taking names down, Ari was also super cool by personally coming and fetching each party when their table was ready. Ken, James, Carlos, Yee Cheng and I ended up having a lot of fun in the shop despite being starving :). Highlights include Ken mistaking sugar for salt and dousing his macchiato with it, and then completely slamming me down for being too bitchy sometimes :P. James also started pregraming with cinnamon french toast.

Then we were collected and seated :D!! Straw is super tiny but really cozy. Everything about the furniture and decor screams carnival. All of the wall hangings are pictures and signs from rides, the lamps are made of glass jars, there are hay bails in the background, and even one of the booths is made from a tilt-a-whirl cart. The menus were adorable and made individually using old hard book covers. We had pre-browsed the menu and were totally ready to go.

cute hand-made menus

For appetizers, we got: mac & cheese w/ apples & bacon, sweet potato tater tots with blackberry bbq sauce, cheesey corn fritters con fraiche, and mini-corn dogs! All were totally amazing. We shared and devoured them within minutes. The apples added a really great touch to the mac & cheese, I really want to try it at home. I also was really impressed by all of the sauces that came with the items. The corn fritters had a very spicy & awesome aoili that I ended up dipping pretty much everything in. Plus... freaking sweet potato tater tots?! That is inherently unprecedented win :D. I wish wish wish I wasn't still a bit sick so I could have tasted them in their full glory, but I really liked the juxtaposition between those and their blackberry sauce.

mac&cheese w/ apples, sweet potato tots

corn dogs

We all decided to get different "carny" sandwiches because they were too bizarre to pass up. Additionally, it looks like Straw has a monthly changing menu of more legit entrees. I had to go with the "ringmaster" sandwich- a hamburger with a freaking Krispy Kreme donut for a bun!! The rest of the table got: Waffle w/fried chicken, swiss & raspberry jam, "hot tamale" (buffalo chicken), "bearded lady" (pulled pork w/ blackberry coulis & gorgonzola cream), and "boxcar children" (pb&j w/ ham). I think I would have enjoyed the sandwiches regardless of the taste just because of the funny names and crazy ingredients.

corn fritters

I LOVED my burger on a donut <:D. It was actually a lot tastier than I was expecting and something every person should try once. I think it's the same concept as fries & ice cream, mmm. I ended up splitting half & half w/ Ken's waffle sandwich. I didn't like that quite as much because I'm anti chicken, but the waffle portion was delicious. I had small bites of the others and nothing disappointed.

BURGER ON A DONUT! + chicken waffle sandwich

Despite being totally stuffed, we HAD to get dessert. Carlos & I split some funnel cake!!! It came with 3 dipping sauces (choco, vanilla, strawberry) and was pretty awesome. Ken got this ridiculous "flying saucer" which was like.... chunks of chocolate covered in this peanut butter cream mass with things of bacon stuck on top. As I don't like any of those components I didn't really try it, but he seemed to enjoy. James got a big thing of orang-blossom cotton candy. I hate cotton candy, but this was AWESOME! Very melt-in-your-mouth flavorful fantastic. Finally, YC got a gelato medley... rosemary and pineapple-lavender I think? He had attempted to get an inverse root beer float (root beer gelato w/ cream soda), but sadly they were out.

We ended up splitting it all evenly, and with tip it was only $25 a person. This wasn't bad at all considering how much we ate, and how much fun we had at the place. Ken was super happy because they donate 10% to charities on Mondays (this month's is Spark). The bill was a lot of fun because our waitress was super cute, and so we liked getting to talk to her more. I think my favorite part was how down to earth the staff was, they seem to really really care that you are having a good time and treat you like you are friends.

funnel cake & "flying saucer" pb, choco, bacon

This was one of the most fun dining experiences I've had in the Bay Area. The food is great, but more than that, it's just a really enjoyable time to relax with friends and enjoy a very unique meal. I'd get there ASAP before their liquor license goes through and they get even more crowded!! Highly highly highlyyyyy recommend :)

At Home in the Castro :)

I freaking love the Castro! It is the only neighborhood that is always hopping no matter what the day or time. Plus, I miss my beloved el Seandola so much, and it reminds me of his awesomeness (altho he's not that awesome considering he doesn't even read my blog >:P)

Last Friday, despite being up for like 2 days straight due to the International Date Line and some serious bummed-out-ness about leaving Japan, I knew I had to go out. As much as I am in love with Tokyo, San Francisco means everything to me and I had missed it very much <3. What could be better than eating dinner at Home, a comfort-food stop in the Castro?? :)

The location is great, right by the downtown cross-section of the neighborhood on Market St. There is ample seating, and a full menu with a lot of traditional "home-cooked" favorites. Since Eugi was super hungry, and owed me big-time for withholding important information :P, we got lotsa food! The appetizers all looked amazing. We ended up with beer-batter fried beans and macaroni and cheese. Loved them both!! The batter on the beans was crazy addictive. I wanted to gobble up the whole plate. The mac & cheese was very homemade tasting, and had a great combo of cheeses. In my haste, I spilled quite a bit on the table :( so I didn't consume as much as hoped.

Meal-wise, I got a pork chop with applesauce dressing and cheesy grits. SO GOOD! I'm not a big meat person, but pork has always been one of my favorites. The sauce really well illuminated the flavors. Also, the way the meat sat in the cheesy grits was perfect. By the end they got all melty and mushy around it, mmmmmm. I love cheesy anything. Sadly I was full and couldn't finish (having like 5 meals in one "day" will do that), but I totally would go again.

The portions were HUGE! Eugi ordered chicken and got half a freaking bird. His side was Rice-a-Roni. This made me happy for multiple reasons. 1. Rice-a-Roni rocks 2. It's the San Francisco treat! How regionally appropriate :D 3. He's from Italy, was unaware of the brand, and I got to sing the jingle and describe the 90s commercial to him <:D

Rice-a-Roni, the flavor can't be beat~~

Recommend!

fried food fail

This was like the shizziest work week ever for a multitude of reasons (including an airplane almost crashing in to our office!). Gee Unit and I decided that we needed to go out to lunch on Friday and celebrate it being almost done. By suggestion of his Louisiana bred friend, we ended up at Picadilly's Catering in Foster City. I was totally starving, so honestly, any food would have been great. The service was great and the prices were affordable, so I was stoked. I ended up ordering the 2 piece fried chicken with a side of mac & cheese and cornbread. It came and look how yummy it appeared :O 

mmm, right??? NO!!! The chicken was cooked weird. I couldn't even eat any of the meat on the drumstick because it seemed dark and undercooked. The thigh wasn't much better, and there was nothing special about the fried outside. At least the mac + cheese would be good, right?? No again :( it was very starchy tasting, and the cheese was bland. I ended up eating all of that and the corn muffin just cuz  I was so hungry. Not the best feeling afterwards. I even tried Steve's fried catfish which looked way better. Once again, I was way disappointed! The outside fry was super corn-mealy tasting, and the fish itself was pretty nondescript.

FAIL!

pronounce it sure-oh! dododo~~~

my awesome LA friends! check the stylin' wall :O

My last post about churro questing made me remember my ultimate churrtastic adventure... XOORO!! One day Ken randomly mentioned the place while we were on our way back from Yogurtland and I was insta-intent on dts-ing. Fortunately, I frequent LA for work and have super awesome friends like ishii-ish and mike roth who are willing to escort me :)

such fond memories of that night

 

We hit the Santa Monica location (now closed!! boooo) and shiz. It was so mindblowing! This shop had like 10 different crazy "premium spanish fritters" and a bunch of plainer filled ones. We ended up getting 4 to split: smores, double chocolate, turtle, and condensed milk filled. They are pretty much exactly what they sound like (AWESOME), take your regular, delicious cinnamon and crispy churro, fill it with sauce or choco, and then dip it in more sauce or choco and then maybe add some toppings. 

It was an intense experience, and not something one could do every day. My favorite was by far the turtle. I think it had caramel in the middle and then milk chocolate and almonds. This is a must-have experience next time you go to LA :)

display xooros. such variety!

P.S. I always feel like I have to explain my titles since they only make sense to me. If you go to the actual xooro website w/ your sound on, all confusion should be alleviated

Fried Makes Everything Better

I am completely in love with Butter bar on 11th and Harrison (SOMA near Mission). It is totally dive, proudly "white trash" themed, and such a great place to bring a group and hang-out. They are only open on the weekends, but Sunday is karaoke night which makes it all ok. (don't be intimidated, they are eminem, dream on, and g-pop friendly!!) The crowd is bizarre (my hair is the tamest there), but all very eclecticly fun. There is a combo of goth, hipster, and then old people who wear shirts with realistic animals they bought at national parks.

karaoke w/ bill the pimp

mmmmm

but who cares! cuz it's allllll about the food <:D. Not only do they keep you content by offering unlimited free popcorn, but they also serve the most comforting-comfort food you will find. Fried everything! I've been twice and gotten: White Castle sliders, mo-sticks, fried Uncrustable (yepppp PB&J, fried, topped with whipped cream, choco sauce, sprinkles and marshmallows), chili cheese tater tots, and my new favorite: FRIED MACARONI AND CHEESE! i don't even get how it works?! ok, i kind of do... they are little bread-fried nuggets filled with mac & cheese goodness. the science behind it is beyond me.

Also- pretending you drink more than diet coke, they have a cool selection of beverages. Lots of fruity yummy looking selections that can get you trashed fast.

winnebago!

PS: the manager Dennis is all about video games, so EA people, you can get free drinks if you bring him games!! :)

it's real

follow up!!! i'm sure you all were waiting with baited (totally spelled wrong) breath to find out about the Denny's "Fried Cheese Melt." Well, being sharon and awesome, as promised i totally hit it up on opening day. I dragged my EASL team buddies out to lunch at the SLC location. they thought it was ridiculous until they tasted the incredible value that was this sandwich. $4 plus fries. insanity! best part was that it even looked like the picture :) denny's, you are comin back. the VI better watch out 

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My Fav Bay Area Brunch

I freaking love brunch foods!! I actually very rarely eat them though, something about stuffing myself with pancakes etc at 10 and then feeling sick the whole day kinda turns me off :(. With one exception, guests visiting! When my mom came to visit, I had to do some serious planning. I knew we were ferrying over to Sausalito, so i yelp quested for a non-touristy spot. Stupidly, i picked one over a mile away so we had quite the trek.. but it was so freaking worth it! Fred's Coffee Shop is the greatest brunch spot ever. Their whole menu is amazing, and they have FRIED FRENCH TOAST. seriously?! yes. yes they do!!!!! both times i've been i've gotten the one pancake (also great) one fft combo. mmmmmmmmmmmm :) it's also a very cute place. the wait staff is friendly and you can sit at the counter and watch the cooks prep up your food. worth the drive, worth the sickness. check it out next weekend ~~

they even use powdered sugar <3

MoStick Sandwich!!!

I am never ceased to be amazed by how easily I am excited by new, ridiculous food products. Today it was brought to my attention that Denny's is coming out with a new, mozzarella filled grilled cheese sandwich!! the best part is, it's only $4!!! That's like Costco Hot Dog meal value <:D. I wish I could eat it with Ishii..... <3

That said, it's coming out on the 24th. I wonder if they will have a midnight release party on the 23rd?

I know I'll be there

http://consumerist.com/2010/08/dennys-fried-cheese-melt-pushes-gooey-cheese-tolerance-to-new-levels.html