I left my heart in San Francisco

I didn't really leave my heart there, but I sure had a wonderful time visiting the city for the first time last weekend. Tom has been there a few times and has been wanting to plan a trip for a while. Friends of ours also wanted to go so we decided on a weekend and finally made it there.


We stayed at the Chancellor Hotel which is right near Union Square. It was a nice hotel and close to everything we wanted to visit.


We visited the Top of the Mark restaurant and bar on the 19th floor of the Mark Hopkins hotel in Nob Hill. We had to climb straight UP those famous San Francisco hills to get there but the view was worth it.


The martinis were worth it too! This place has pages and pages of martinis in their menu, it was so hard to decide. Tom got the 'Dream Girl' which was Stolichnaya Vodka, Grand Marnier, Lime Juice and Mint. Topped with Sparkling Kenwood Brut. I got the 'Passion' which was Plymouth Gin, Alize Red Passion Campari and Triple Sec. Both were delicious!


Luckily it was just a nice stroll down hill to get back to our hotel area.


We had to stop for chips and salsa on the way at Jasmin's cafe. Tom is a salsa addict! It was really fresh and pretty spicy for me.


Of course being baseball nerds we hit up AT&T park for the Giants and Cubs. The park is so much smaller than I thought it would be, Chase field in AZ makes it look downright tiny. The game was great but it was a little chilly for us AZ folks that are only used to 50 degree temperatures in winter.


Later that night we got some Thai food at a place called Chabaa. This is peanut chicken and it was fabulous.


The next day we went to the Buena Vista cafe where I got a dungeness crab melt. This was so good, and it was my first time having crab! I really liked it.


Tom got a BLT, of course.

We did a lot of other cool things but the one place that really made my trip was our dinner at STRAW. This place is a carnival themed restaurant and is pretty unique.


You can see the sign on the door and the back of a Tilt A Whirl, which is actually one of the tables in the restaurant.


The sign is totally creepy, reminded me of something out of a Stephen King novel.


My friend's drink glass came lined with fundip. My drink was actually a big ball of cotton candy that they pour the drink over and it dissolves in the liquid. So fun!

Remember in the last post where I mentioned I am pretty open to trying most foods? Well when I saw the 'Ringmaster' on the menu I knew I had to get it. Here is the description "ground chuck burger/home-made glazed doughnut/cheddar cheese". Everything about that says ME.


I will admit that I ate every single bite of that burger and it was delicious. Everything just worked together in some odd carnival dream world taste explosion. Fortunately we then walked straight up another San Francisco hill so I know I worked off at least a few bites of the donut at least.

It was an awesome trip with great friends and I would definitely recommend checking the city out if you ever have the chance.

Mongolian Beef

I love recreating restaurant dishes at home because it is so much cheaper and you can really make it taste just how you want it to. Tom and I both like Mongolian Beef so I thought I would try this recipe I found on the Table For Two Blog. Head on over there to check out the recipe or follow my step by step photos.


The original recipe calls for green onion but I wanted more veggies so I added green pepper and onion. You also need beef, soy sauce, corn starch, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and some cooking oil. I am using rice bran oil.


Chop up your meat nice and thin. This ensures it will cook quickly and evenly.


Coat the beef with corn starch.


I found it easiest to do this with my hands. Once it is coated get it in the fridge for about 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the food.


Peel your ginger.


Mince it with a knife or your trusty microplane.


Mince the garlic as well.


Chop whatever veggies you are using.


Combine the soy sauce, water and brown sugar.


Saute the garlic and ginger in some oil.


Get it in with the soy sauce mixture and let it boil for about 2 minutes then set it aside.


Saute your vegetables.


Get them out of there.


Saute the beef. Don't over crowd the pan or you will end up steaming your beef.


Get the beef out on to a paper towel to drain.


Pour the soy sauce mixture into the frying pan and let it come to a boil.


Toss the meat back in and you will see the sauce start to thicken immediately from the corn starch. Once it is thickened up you are ready to eat. Plate it with some rice or noodles and enjoy.


This is a fast way to get a tasty dinner on the table and brings you all the great flavors of Chinese take out for a lot less money.

The Person Behind the Plate #5

I think that I am an adventurous eater and I have tried a lot of things that people give me funny looks about like beef cheeks and tripe. I tend to like pretty much all foods but I do have a few things that I just cannot stand.

1. Cilantro - this stuff is just nasty. It tastes like dish soap to me. I have read articles about how some people can taste the soap and to other people it is delicious. I had never had the stuff until I moved to AZ and found it was in a lot of the Mexican dishes. I hated it from the first time I tried it. I can tolerate a minimal amount in chimichurri or salsa, but that is it.

2. Bananas - this one is odd, I don't mind banana flavor, I just can't peel and eat a banana. Even the smell of a fresh peeled banana kind of makes me gag.

3. Black licorice - this is just a horrible flavor to me. I think its the medicinal aspect of it or perhaps an acquired taste.

And now that you know all about the things I don't like, I leave you with a photo of one of my favorite foods in the whole world...


CHEESE!

Do you have a food or foods you really dislike?