Haha believe it or not I love pancho. But I'm an east coaster, until I moved out here all I really knew was chipotle

anyone been to the american grilled cheese kitchen yet?
http://theamericansf.com/
i love me some grilled cheeses, but seeing as these guys are only open on weekdays, i have almost 0 chance of going.

Tried out a new breakfast place, Zazie.
http://www.zaziesf.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/zazie-san-francisco

Nice place in Cole Valley for breakfast.
Got there early and it was already packed.

Special of the day: Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes.
Was too full but heard it was delicious.



I ordered the French Toast Tahiti stuffed with caramelized bananas and walnuts.
French toast was nice and fluffy.
I liked it and would order it again.
Added a side of bacon to balance the sweetness.



Other friend ordered the Poached Eggs Florentine with spinach and portobello mushrooms.
The poached eggs were done perfectly with the yolk still runny inside.
What's great about the home fries at Zazie's is that it comes w/ whole roasted cloves of garlic.



Overall, recommended. Food & service was great.
Not a crazy wait compared to some other breakfast joints in SF.

Heads up to SF locals:

Patio Picnic Tuesdays @ Starbelly
http://www.starbellysf.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/starbelly-san-francisco



Tomorrow is Tuesday August 3 - Whole roasted pig.

More info here: http://www.starbellysf.com/patiopicnic.aspx

Joe and Alex - I'm loving your food reviews! I'm just bummed to be on the wrong coast, but thanks for sharing, especially the pictures!

If you guys get out to the East Coast, let's eat!

Found this to be funny.

via http://gizmodo.com/5605101/not-even-ste ... restaurant

I would have been like, "Sorry, we don't have a table for you. But here's a coupon for a free bumper."

LOL

I'm back from my gastromonic destruction of europe.
photos soon.

I think I may just make a small book as I took almost 1500 photos. 60% of them were of food.

Highlights:
-Everything

Lowlight
-the norwegian Kronor can suck my balls
-norwegian food for the most part.

Welcome back! Looking forward to the details.

alex, can't wait to see what you did (ate) in europe!

A small preview:
Swedish Raspberries.


SWEDISH MEATBALLS AND LINGONBERRY SAUCE(WHY AM I YELLING? BECAUSE THEY'RE SO GOOD!)


Tunnbrödrulle - A hot dog wrapped in flatbread w/ mashed potatoes, relish, ketchup & mustard.


Not so ordinary Catalan Patatas Bravas by Chef Arola

You went to La Broche-Madrid? Whoa. The patatas bravas look amazing.

The Tunnbrödrulle looks pretty awesome for what it is, too. Can't wait to see the rest of your photos and hear about the trip!

great photo of the catalan patatas bravas. they look really good.

Currently uploading a select 300 out of my 1488 photos.
Here is one to talk about:

Mark Bittman said that this Ham Flauta in Barcelona was "the best sandwich in the world"

Was it? no. Was it very close? YES!

-------------------------------------------


So the only shining light in Norway:
Lom Bakery and this















Ready for this?






Yeah, I wasn't either.

Oh this is for Joe:


PS- sorry but I couldnt get to the duty free shop when I landed. No worries because my roommate works for the airport.

sorry alex (all that stuff looks amazing, looking forward to the report) but i have to cut in line and post about Oenotri in Napa.

simply put, the best pizza i have ever had, hands down
karina and i got the margherita with fresh full belly farm genovese basil (never had basil this outstanding).
the flavors on the pizza were just perfect.
the olive oil on the pizza was full of flavors and difficult to pin down all the flavors from it.
(sorry for the horrific iphone pics)


the chef selected salumis, made in house, were a perfect appitizer.
(here's a full list of their cured meats: http://www.oenotri.com/menus/table.pdf )


for our side we had the butterball potatoes fried in beef tallow. <<<<<<<-------- read that!
they were that good.


i followed alex's commandment of always getting a margherita-like pizza the first time you try a new place, and then getting the one with dry yak balls the next visit. great advice.

Heard the Dry Yak balls are in season.
I may have to go there like..now..NOW.
NOW.

The Strozzapretti looks killer. I was in the region where it originated on vacation and for some reason didn't eat any. What's wrong with me??

yea, you must come!
the strozzapretti did sound amazing, but we had to have the pizza first.
next time we go we'll go with huge appetites and order some pasta and pizza.

What was this?

Didn't make it to the roasted pig picnic but got a chance to check out the ribs one.



The picnic was offered in their back patio which is covered and shielded from the wind.
All in all a pretty nice setup.



Here's everything that was offered.
Ribs were great w/ a sweet honey glaze the chef did at the end prior to serving.
Wasn't a fan of the corn on the cob which was soaked in butter and milk.



What was awesome is that it was a buffet style meal.
Finish your plate and go back for more.
In the end I was just asking for ribs.

Here's the Chef (Adam Timney) carving & serving the ribs.



Dessert was ice cream from Humphry Slocombe, always great.
Got to add your own toppings to make a sundae.



Overall, it was a pretty good meal.
The ribs were great, everything else was whatevers.
I'd love to have tried the roast pig instead.
Was told that they're planning to host another one soon.
I'd however go back and try their normal menu as they had some great looking stuff.

Pic heavy. Last one I promise but had to share.

Chocolate cake in Florence


salted caramel & cherry mascarpone cheese gelato


basically a 2 doughnuts with chocolate ganache between them. hamburger?


Self explanatory


Market in Spain


Roasted Walnut street cart


Blackberry tart


Tripe sandwich


Brie/tomato on baguette


cacio e pepe w/octopus


Moose sausage


Pappa al Pomodoro

Kirkland hates us.

From now on I'm going to spell it "xarcuterie."

One of my recent favorite spots.
The Monk's Kettle in Mission.
http://monkskettle.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-monks-kettle-san-francisco

Known for their crazy selection of beers, this gastropub also offers a nice menu.



Been on a charcuterie craze lately and this place is by far my favorite so far.
Charcuterie Plate with pate, house-cured magret duck prosciutto, house-made sausage, Hobbs salami, artisan prosciutto, cornichons, stone ground mustard, cherry tomatoes and toasted Metropolis bigio.



Buddy got this and it wasn't bad. Lamb was fresh and nicely cooked.
Superior Farms Lamb Burger grilled to order, and served with lettuce, organic tomatoes, fresh red onions and a cucumber mint tzatziki sauce on a Metropolis sweet french roll.



However, this is what I'd recommend.
I've ordered it every single time I've been there.
Coleman Natural Hampshire beer-braised Pulled Pork with house made Porter BBQ sauce, served on a Metropolis poppyseed kaiser bun with jicama slaw.



There's also a daily specials menu.
Fresh Portabello mushrooms, onion, Yukon Gold potatoes, fresh tarragon, and natural cream and served with toasted Metropolis Bigio bread.
This was a great dipping sauce for the fries.



If you're a fan of Mac & Cheese, I'd recommend trying this.
Elbow macaroni, house-made cheddar ale sauce and toasted bread crumbs presented in a mini Cast Iron Skillet.



Bottom line, love this place. They're open late which is great.
However, they do not take reservations and dinner gets packed since it is a bar and all.
I've been rolling by during lunch and haven't had a problem getting a table.