• Solo Trip in SF •
As soon as I landed, I made my way to get myself some good taco to start my foodie journey in San Francisco. I had a feeling it was going to be good since it was right off of Mission Street (also getting bombarded with all the beautiful murals and paintings!). The beautifully angelic wrapped taco on the left of is a Carne Asada Taco.
Waited in a long line before I got my hands on one of Bi-Rite's ice cream. I am a big fan of all things lavender, so I ordered the Honey Lavender with Sonoma Honey. It did not disappoint - although my ultimate favorite lavender ice cream is the Honey Lavender from Salt & Straw in Los Angeles.
I've probably had the most interesting culinary dining experience here. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit (we waited about 30-40 minutes for our table, so we were really hungry), but the brunch dish along with a lovely Almond Latte I had was exceptional. Recommended by my Airbnb roommates, the Oscar Eggs Benedict (fresh Dungeness crab with asparagus, capers, lemons and cucumber wasabi hollandaise sauce) along with the Sweet Potato Pancake (with some cinnamon) was the way to go #BestBrunchEver.
The Apple Fritters (one of their popular flavors) were sold out by the time I arrived there, so I got myself some Old Fashioned and Cake Crumb donuts to go with my cup of coffee.
Surprisingly, there wasn't much a wait when my friend and I visited Brenda's French Soul Food. But, it did take us a bit of time to order because everything on the menu sounded amazing. Cut to 15 minutes later, we chose these savory and flavorful dishes: Crawfish Beignets, Shrimp + Grits (think sautéed shrimp drowned in cheddar grits and spicy tomato-bacon gravy) and BBQ Pork Ribs (with collard greens and a side of Mac & Cheese), because why not? Every bite was so decadent and hearty that I vowed to skip breakfast the next day (which I didn't).
This bakery really lives up to all the praise. Tartine Bakery has an assortment of all around delicious and scrumptious of breads that I'm hoping to try (all of them), one day. Because, I have never had anything quite like the Morning Bun in New York City, and so I pray everyday that they may open one up here… Here's the Morning Bun (and some good black iced coffee) with all its glory and beauty.
A friend of mine who now lives in San Francisco brought me to this place, and I was really glad to at least try one Korean restaurants while traveling here. We got the Ramagnolotti (pork belly and onsen egg) and Dumplings to start and the Stone Pot (kimchi, vegetables, egg, rice, red chili paste with steak) as our main course. Overall, it was a lovely restaurant, and very interesting take on some staple Korean dishes.
Growing up, I've always been a fan of cinnamon. Cinnamon buns, Soojeonggwa (a traditional South Korean drink, dubbed as "cinnamon punch", made with dried persimmons and ginger), Dirty Chai Latte, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Snickerdoodle Cookies... There's probably more, but now you get an idea of how much I enjoy my cinnamon. So, when I heard that Trouble Coffee had some dank Cinnamon Toast, I knew I had to make my way over there. With a good cup of coffee in one hand, I enjoyed the little piece of heaven. And off to the beach I went after!
Catch me inside of any food halls or marketplaces! Especially having a red wine tasting.
The waiting was a bit brutal at such early hour in the morning, but it was worth the wait. As recommended by a friend, the Smoked Whiskey-Fennel Sausage, Mushroom + Baby Spinach Scramble was a super delightful brunch dish to try. My favorite part about this dish? The corn bread with jalapeño jelly! It was so good that I bought a few to bring back to New York. The photo doesn't do justice to this lovely meal though.
Since it was my first time in San Francisco, I knew I had to try the burger, fries, and shake combo at In&Out. The Cheeseburger wasn't too greasy, maybe a little dry and Strawberry Shake was sweet and milky. Pretty okay! But, as for their Animal Fries though, it was too heavy and messy. I just wasn't too thrilled... maybe because there was too much sauce or cheese and toppings. Anyways, it was worth a visit to see how it differed from Shake Shack, but ultimately, Shake Shack will be the clear winner between these two burger joints for me.