Osha Thai @ SF

I think I did a post on Osha Thai a few years ago, but I think it merits another update, especially when pictures are taken with my new Nikon P300. Osha Thai is just as delicious as before, and prices are typical of SOMA.  Honestly, Thai food should not be that expensive.  A bowl of curry should be $6 at most, because in the motherland it's probably $1 if not less! But just like all the other southeast asian food that exists in the states, there's always a markup. Quite sad really. Regardless, Osha Thai is a good place to get thai food if you're in the area, the dishes are a good size, and it's pretty authentic.

Duck Curry

this is ohhh soo good, but it is also ohhh so spciy. you see that red sauce that the duck is sitting in? well that will hurt going in as well as going out. however, it's quite amazing, just need a giant bowl of rice to go with it. best part of the duck? completely deboned! so this is a date friendly food, you don't have to worry about picking out bones as you eat in front of your date

 Pad See Eww

super flavorful and fresh (definitely can taste the fish sauce) but the beef was a little tough, i think they overcooked it

Tak Kee Lee @ SF

Tak Kee Lee has a great breakfast deal. $5.25 for a bowl of noodles (your choice of 3 proteins, choice of noodles), toast and milk tea - and you get to add your own condense milk. Yay! You can also have two eggs, sausage/bacon/ham, hashbrowns, toast and milk tea for the same price. ABC may be across the street, but the owners at Tak Kee Lee are more hospitable, take more care/attention to your food and the prices are much more reasonable. Don't buy into the ABC non-sense!

Two Eggs, Sausage, Hashbrowns and Toast

Flat Rice Noodles w. Fried Egg, Satay Beef and Preserved Vegetables

this bowl will make you full until 2pm, and keep you going the whole day!

Lychee Season!

Did you know it's Lychee season? I do love summer, not only is it warmer outside, but there are more variety of fruits than just oranges and apples.  Lychee may not look too tasty on the outside, and yes it looks pokey, but they don't hurt at all (unless you're in southeast Asia some where a whole bunch falls on you while you walk under a tree), and they juicy, sweet and crunchy on the outside. The best part is when the seed inside is small relative to the meat. They are super refreshing on a hot day. I don't recommend paying more than $2.99 a pound, because it's not worth it at all.

Mel's Diner @ SF

Pure nostalgia!!! Mel's Diner may not embody culinary excellence, heck it makes burgers and there are other places that make better burgers in San Francisco, but it's something about biting into a mushroom burger that sends me back to when I was 10 years old.  A time when life was simple, when I literally did live day by day, and did not have to worry about, home, family, bills, work, etc - all the stuff that comes with adulthood; responsibility.  This is the reason why I return to Mel's time and time again, and why I always order the mushroom burger.

Onion Rings

Mushroom Burger!

Iz It Fresh Grill @ SF

Two dollars for a fried drumstick may be pricey, but the chinese fried chiclen from Iz It Fresh Grill is damn good, and boy is it fresh - made to order! It's different from southern fried chicken, chinese fried chicken has a thin layer of breading if anything, and it's flavored with asian spices - I believe five spice. The skin is crunchy and the inside is juicy. It reminds me of the fried chicken I've had in Central California at the Cultural Center, and that recipe is long lost, or the fried chicken drumettes I've had in Chinatown as a kid (man those fried chicken drumettes were good, my grandpa would get mad that I would buy fried chicken from another deli than to eat the ones he sold, hahaha).

Brass Knuckle @ SF

While hanging at OTG on Thursday at Upper Haight I over heard someone sais the Notorious P.I.G. at Brass Knuckle was amazing, because it was some kind of waffle sandwich with pork. I kind of imagined that the waffle sandwich look like the one I had in Portland - I was wrong. Now don't let my picture fool you, because my camera is just that good, but the sandwich was not good at all. Notorious P.I.G. is a roasted pork sandwich with ham, swiss, pickle and a rosemary waffle. However our sandwich was cold, and was not freshly made at all. The pork was cold, the cheese was congealed and the waffle itself had been sitting around. Big disappointment.

Chairman Bao @ SF

Are you in the mood for some yummy soft pillows of bao? I am! If you're lucky enough to find Off The Grid (they're at various spots around t city during the week), and lucky enough to find Chairman Bao, you HAVE to stand in line and wait for some bao. Yes the line might be long, and yes it is a little pricey, but trust me you won't be disappointed. Think Peking Duck but with Pork Belly!!

Menu: no duck confit today, but pork belly is a must!

Melts in your mouth good

Boiling Crab @ Rowland Heights

Crawfish, crab, shrimp, oysters, and more at Boiling Crab! The spices are tasty, and in my opinion spicy is great because well things just taste better. Be prepared to be messy, and don't wear your best dress.  It's also not a great place for a first date since you'll be licking your fingers, and basically sucking at every seafood on your table. It was difficult to take any pictures since my hands were messy and I didn't want to dirty my camera. Hot N Juicy Crawfish in Las Vegas is wayyy better.

Raw Oysters

not as good as the one's i'm ubsed to having in northern california from hog island. these oysters were different, and i'm used to the fresh, clean and sea salt oysters. 

Dungeness Crab

super tasty and fresh

 

Crawfish

  

Fried Catfish

Happy Kitchen @ Chino Hills

Decent food at Happy Kitchen in Chino Hills, but the items are a little pricey for what it is. I guess the food isn't greasy which is a plus, but that's about it. Thought that some of the things were bland, and needed additional salt.

Beef Roll

Knife Cut Stir Fry Noodles

Rice Noodles w. Beef, Spinach and Salted Veggies

Green Onion Pancake

Potstickers

Xiao Long Bao

The Counter @ Walnut Creek

Another Groupon.  I purchased one for The Counter, because I've been to the one in Roseville before and it wasn't that bad, or maybe it was just ok and forgotten that it was just "meh." Either way, it was a good thing I had a Groupon because I would not have wanted to pay full price for the burgers.  It can be so easy to have a gigantic bill if you keep adding toppings and whatnot. It's a gimmick. It would be great if their ingredients were better.

Chili Cheese Fries

mediocre at best. there was not enough cheese, and those that were there weren't melted. the chili was just "meat" sauce. 

 1/3 Burger w. Gruyere, Mushrooms, Grilled Onions, Jalopenos, Tomato and Lettuce

first bite was good, because it was fresh. but after that...meh. the burger was cold really fast, and the grilled onions did not taste like it was freshly grilled for me, but was previously cooked and placed into a giant "heating pan." ciabatta bun could have been toasted too to make it better 

 

1/3 pound w. grueyere, grilled onions, avocado, bacon, lettuce and tomato

 

Saigon Bistro @ Fairfield, CA

**note**
forgive the bad quality of the photo's, it was done via cellphone

Saigon Bistro has pretty good pho for being in Fairfield. The prices are decent, the restaurant is clean and most importantly the pho is full flavored and full bodied. You can definitely tell the broth has been stewed for over 10 hours. Good portions too. So if you're ever in Fairfield, it's raining and you are hankering for a nice bowl of soup, head to Saigon Bistro.

Pacific Catch @ SF

Huge portions and fresh seafood at Pacific Catch.  My favorite is definitely the Ahi Tuna Salad, but ask for tuna poke, and the fried oysters!

Edamame and Pretzel Fishies

Ahi Tuna Poke Salad

love love love the tuna poke. giant chunks that was thoroughly marinated. there was shredded carrots, gingers, seaweed salad, avocadoes and other things. the salad got spicer and spicer as i ate, i think the wasabi was making it's way through my taste buds. a definite return!

 Sampler: Fish, Coconut Shrimp and Oysters w. Sweet Potato Fries

oysters were my favorite! 

 Salmon Sandwich

fresh and flaky salmon

Suppenkuche @ SF

This is probably the BEST German food in San Francisco, and I actually do not know of any other German restaurants but I'm sure they exist. Suppenkuche is a great place for delicious food, reasonably priced food, great atmosphere, great beer and just an overall place to unwind after a long week of work! DAS BOOT!

Schneider Weiss

probably the best german beer in SF, and definitely the best beer at suppenkuche. it's so refreshing, full bodied, almost chocolately, and did not make me do that "ick" face

 

Bread & Butter w. Dill

dill butter was heavenly. would have loved to spread that on almost everything

Potato Pancakes w. Homemade Apple Sauce

oh wow, what an experience in my mouth. i thought they were great as is, nice and crispy and savory, but then you add the apple sauce and it's another dimensionof flavor. i highly recommend it

 

DAS BOOT!

Pork Knuckle w. Dumpling 

grabbed the last special of the night! this knuckle took some work, massive bone with meat, skin and tendons sporadic over it. but when you get to a piece with nice crispy skin, it's like WHOA

Schnitzel

best schnitzel ever, better than wolfgang puck's. the schitzel was tender, breaded lighty and fried until perfection. the flavors were simple, and a sprinkle of lemon juice just brings it all out.

clean

 Appertif

after dinner bitters. you pound it on the table a few times and down it