SF BIG Eat | | Page 2

On Day 2 of my work conference Big Eat Kick-off I met up with a gang of my high school friends with the mission of acting silly and eating some more good stuff. Check and Check.

Two of my friends happened to be visiting from other countries. An unexpected impromptu unplanned international reunion ensued. And let me tell you everything tastes better with good friends by your side!

You know I love me some lists...

#4 Morning Bun at Tartine: This place is wonderful. You know when read some book and the protagonist is at a café. This is THAT café. The morning bun was revelatory, soft and light with just a hint of orange zest. Justy had a ham and cheese croissant which was also delicious. I wanted to stay there for the rest of my life.

Verdict: Go immediately. Eat anything and everything. Then tell me about it so I can live vicariously.

OMG. The memories.

#5 – Angels on Horseback at Anchors and Hope: By the time we got here I had already hit two other bars with my buddies. My friends were a little bit sauced; me not so much cause I had to present the next morning. Even though I’d already had one drunk-dialing intervention everyone was still amenable to the treasure hunt and even persuaded me to go order these after I got grumpy/tired and said I was quitting. They insisted loudly and persistently. That’s when I realized it’s important to have a support system. My friends were like hobbits to my Frodo. They kept me going.

Jessen lives in China. You might remember her as the host of the very first Imaginary Vacation.

I liked this place. It was fun inside and not crappy “Elephant Bar” fun. Elegant and simple but casual at the same time: San Francisco excels at this kind of restaurant. The Angels on Horseback were good but I’m not a huge oyster fanatic so I can’t say they changed my life.

A+ for plating and the wine list

Verdict: Uh? I didn’t regret eating them but I also wouldn’t put them on a list. The place was cool, I’d go back.

#6 Albondigas Soup at M’ijita: I chose this based on its proximity (walking distance) and price (cheap enough for friends who get paid in Yuen).

Outside M'ijita's.

This place was loud and fun and the servers were really nice. I found out just how nice when I realized we came in 15 minutes before closing and then sat there for at least an hour. The Albondigas soup was good but not revelatory. It wasn’t bad; I just have unreasonable expectations. After you have something as life-changing as Bourbon-Cornflake ice cream you just want everything to blow you away. I also had jalapeño poppers which were yum and Jessen’s fish taco looked delicious. I think perhaps I would have enjoyed the soup more had it been a coldish, windy night.

Verdict: M’ijita was a nice place to stop and eat before or after a game. I wouldn’t kill myself trying to get there.

One of the things on my Forty by Forty list is eating 100 things off the Big Eat San Francisco list. Last week when I went for a work conference in SF I got started on this epic food adventure. Here we go…

Here I am in Union Square.. before.... I wanted to remember this in case I end up morbidly obese at the end.

#1 Lobster Pot Pie at Michael Mina: Sometimes you just have to start big. Other time you want to go somewhere within walking distance of your hotel. That’s how my friend Justy and I ended up at Michael Mina’s inside the Westin St. Francis. the Westin St. Francis is very expensive and fancy. Me and Justy… not so much.

Westin St. Francis Lobby. Fancy!

Thankfully you can get the pot pie in the “Lounge” area. It’s still pricey but I have to say that Michael Mina’s is worth it. The service is fan-freaking-tastic. Even though we were not fancy enough we were treated like royalty. The maitre’d had that kind of good-natured flirtiness that makes senior citizens feel like teenagers. And then our waitress.. oh our waitress. She HAD to be a model. She was ridiculously tall and beautiful and very nice. It was unnerving. Pretty girls should be snobby and cruel like in the movies. When we ordered Lobster corn dogs to be accompanied by Lobster pot pie she was like “Perfect. Lobster Tuesday!” I was like “Justina. I can’t take this. I feel compelled to flirt with her.”

This is the power of Michael Mina’s.

Everything there is rich and ureal. The food, the ambiance, the service. Even the pens were unbelievably smooth. The lobster pot pie was good but I think the service is what put Michael Mina’s on the list. The complimentary mini-desserts we got at the end didn’t hurt either.

Verdict: Save up and go for a special occasion. Enjoy Lobster Tuesday.

#2 Secret Breakfast Ice Cream at Humphrey Slocombe: This my friends changed by life. Secret Breakfast is Bourbon ice cream with corn flakes and it is phenomenal. We tasted half of their flavors. All of them were sublime. This ice cream is WHY I wanted to do the list, to break out of routines and try new things. To brave new civilizations. To boldly go where no Maghanoy has gone before. Amen.

Verdict: Stop reading this. Go there now. Empty your bank account to buy ice cream.

Humphrey Slocombe had a 7 x 7 sticker. This made me feel accomplished.

Not flattering but it conveys the urgency you feel once you start eating this ice cream.

#3 Chips and Salsa at Papalote: At this point I was flagging a bit. We had A LOT of ice cream samples. Luckily I had a cheerleader and when I started whining Justy kicked me back in line. Papalote is in the Mission. It’s very cozy and cute which is nice in frigid SF. The chips were not good. The salsa was very smooth. I liked the texture but felt like it was going to burn my face off. I’m not really into hot salsa so… I’ll just say that Justy had a taco and it was awesome. The meat was cooked perfectly.

Verdict: Go and eat tacos on a cold night. Have salsa if you like to burn your face off.

Beware the burn.

Tag Archives: SF BIG Eat

The Big Eat Day 2 – High School Musical

The Big Eat Day 1 – Lobster Tuesday