Forever Love- Shamrock Shake

I never know why people obsess so much over the McRib sandwich when clearly McDonald's most amazing and beloved seasonal item is the highly festive St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Shake. To be honest, I don't even objectively like the taste of Shamrock Shakes that much... but something about them is so magical that I can't not get one every year.

1980s cup w/ Uncle O'Grimacey

I have been lucky to always have someone in my life to support me in my obsession. When I was younger, I'd have to hope for a late Ash Wednesday so my mom and I could enjoy them before her intensive fasting began. After I got to Penn, I had my awesome el Seandola to go on crazy, worst-franchise-location McDs tours with in search of this delicacy. I will never forget our Retailing class where I tried to cram our 3 ghetttttto McDs futile quest for the SS in to a 10 min semester-end project about strategic accessibility. One of my finest moments at Wharton. And now, I found out that kwdomke also shares my passion for this elusive shake!

Last night, we decided to finish up Mardi Gras revelry by hitting up the Fillmore McDonald's for a Shamrock Shake. It continues to blow my mind that the restaurant portion of that location closes at freaking 8pm. Despite the extensive foot traffic, they won't serve you via drive-thru unless you have a car, so we had to walk to our vehicles and drive commute back. so silllllly.

check out the packaging! and a very hyper post Mardi Gras Sharon

Major update!! For the first time since the 1980s when McDonald's phased out Uncle McGrimacey, there is some intensive new packaging on the Shamrock Shake! Rather than the typical, opaque soda cup of the past, now they are McCafe-ing it up in a fancy clear cup. They even put whipped cream AND a cherry on top!? This is completely unprecedented and slightly unwarranted in my opinion. I think something as inherently amazing as a Shamrock Shake can stand on its own compositional merit without having to rely on fancy packaging. Just me though :p.

Either way, I am overjoyed I got one before I started my Lent-an ice cream fast today. St. Patrick's Day is a week from tomorrow, don't miss out!

Chow Down on Church

Another one of the great traditions in my life right now is "Roommate Dinner Night." Although it uses the same pick-a-place out of a hat technique of Fancy Foods Wednesday and Movie Night, RDN is by far the most exclusive of the clubs. To be part of it, you must live in San Francisco and have a cool roommate. Surprisingly few of the people in our group fit that mold, so the only current members are me, Eugi, Manu, and Panch.

This week's RDN was my pick of Chow in the Castro. As per usual, Manu & Panch had to work late, so it was just Eugi and me. Chow is apparently a four location chain in the city. It features a broad menu of American and (shudder) organic foods to fit all palettes. Also apparently has a good brunch. It's a little bit hidden, right off of Market on Church. I really liked the entrance because you have to walk through a big velvet curtain after the main door! You feel like a magician :)

The restaurant is very homey with fall colors and almost a 1920s saloon vibe. We were able to sit by one of the big glass windows at the front letting us mass people watch outside. It seems like a really "local" place. For a Monday night, there was a hugely steady crowd, and everyone seemed to know what they were doing. 

I actually bought a beverage (which almost never happens at restaurants). Along with a wide variety of drinks and alcohol, they had some interesting add-ons. First there was "Hot Lips" soda (apparently raspberry and cherry) and then something called a "Blushing Girl." I was of course intrigued, especially when I found out it consisted of vanilla ice cream, orange yogurt, and raspberry soda. SO GOOD!!!! It tasted like an Orange Julius made with froyo. It was totally overpriced at like $6, but I really really enjoyed it.

I had a hard time picking my entree among the many safe choices. I ended up with a fried egg, ham and cheese sandwich (egg is another of my keywords that I always have to order). I was very tempted to try one of the pizzettas though. My sandwich was quite tasty!!! I was a bit confused when it came out with the fried egg on top, but some quick re-stacking mitigated any worries I had. The bread was like grilled cheese consistency which always makes me happy :). It also came with yummy fries.

Eugi ended up getting a side salad and a burger on a baguette. The choice of roll made it seem way classier than a typical burger and he seemed to enjoy it as well. We both noticed that it looks like the menu is changed seasonally, so definitely some incentive for repeat visits. RDN ftw!

Food at the Home Depot

This weeks FFW (fancy food weds) brought us to the home depot deli! According to food connoisseur Alice, this place has the best breakfast burritos. Truthfully, I don't generally eat those, so I'm not sure how awesomely excellent they were. They were freaking huggggge tho :| 

 

The highlight of my meal was actually the Aloha bev I got!! It was like a smoothie/shake made out of ice cream, pina colada mix, and berries!!! ahhhhhhhhhh since it was like 100 degrees that day, YUMMMM. i need to start frequenting the HD just to get this :|

the other highlight was when the cashier knew i was from SLC before i even opened my mouth. creepy but worth the 10% discount!

it seemed like a good idea at the time

sometimes i do stupid. kinda frequently when it comes to my adventurous eating habits. the other night my padre and i went to Shalizaar persian cuisine in Belmont for a "quick" dinner. The kabob meat was totally incredible :) but meat is BAF so i'm not going to type about it. the main point of this post was the nasty @$$ drink i ordered. it was like, liquidey yogurt beverage with salt, pepper, and mint leaves. i guess it wasnt even a good idea at the time. i knew what i was getting in to and i did it anyways. so dumb. so nasty. i drank like 2 sips and had to stop. by the end of dinner it had all separately into yogurt and oil clumps. gross.

oooog look at the nasty floaty things