Shoot First Eat Later

Lunch at Gott’s Roadside

I was having so much fun walking around the farmers market taking pictures and trying samples of fruit, nuts and cheese that I didn’t realize that 3 hours had passed and it was time to meet some of my high school friends, who were based in the bay area, for lunch.

There were so many places to choose from in the Ferry building where we could have lunch. In the end we chose Gott’s Roadside for a casual lunch.

Gott’s Roadside wasn’t your ordinary fast food joint although you had to order your meal at the counter. They served gourmet burgers, salads, seafood, fries, shakes and even beer and wine. The prices were pretty good considering the meat they used in their burgers.

Our patties, containing no antibiotics or added growth hormones,
are made from vegetarian fed beef raised on family-owned farms
and ranches, and are ground fresh daily.
text from Gott’s Roadside’s site

They give you these pagers to let you know when your order is ready for pick up at the counter.

I was still full from breakfast and all the free samples I tried around the farmers market so I didn’t order anything. I just tried some of the food my friends ordered.

Chinese chicken salad $9.99

Eileen also ordered sweet potato fries to my joy. I don’t know why they don’t serve sweet potato fries in Manila because I simply love them. The chili spice dusted fries were served with house-made ranch dressing which I didn’t bother with. The fries were perfect on its own- sweet, mildy spiced and crunchy.

sweet potato fries $3.99

Mercy and her Italian hubby, Andrea ordered all the food on this tray. Good job Andrea!

double cheeseburger $10.99

Andrea was kind enough to give a little piece of his burger to taste and I liked it! The meat was chunky and juicy without being greasy. It had a good beefy flavor.

Mercy had the fish tacos made from mahi mahi fish. I didn’t try it but she said it was good.

fish tacos $12.99

I didn’t like the garlic fries as much as the sweet potato fries. I liked the buttery garlic taste but the fries were a bit hard and not crisp.

garlic fries $3.99

daily soup special $3.49

Angie came late and ordered the soup, Chinese chicken salad and this deadly, delicious, fantastic espresso bean milkshake. We all had a sip and Andrea loved it so much he lined up and bought his own chocolate shake. I liked the espresso bean more. Think frappucino times 10. The shake and the sweet potato fries were my favorites.

espresso bean shake $5.99

Too bad our other classmates weren’t able to make it. I hope to see you girls again soon!

Angie, me, Mercy and Eileen

Gott’s Roadside
1 Ferry Building, Space #6
San Francisco, Ca 94111
telephone: (415) 318-3423

Food Choices at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

After the heavy breakfast at Dottie’s True Blue Cafe, Jeanne brought me to the Ferry Building where the weekly Saturday farmers market was held. I was also going to meet some high school friends there for lunch. So the tour around the market was definitely only to look and not eat.

The farmers market is open three days a week—Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the smaller markets occupy the front of the building along the Embarcadero; on Saturdays, the much larger market is held both in front of the Ferry Building and on the rear plaza overlooking the Bay. The markets offer fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, meats and eggs from small regional farmers and ranchers, many of whom are certified organic. A wealth of other products include regional artisan specialties such as breads, cheeses and jams. The Thursday market features an array of artisan street food: wood-fired pizza, grilled meats, sandwiches, and tacos, while the Saturday market also includes local restaurants serving a variety of hot, delicious meals.

Text from Ferry Building Marketplace

The market is similar to the weekend markets in Makati but the things sold are very different. The fruits and vegetables sold here aren’t found in our markets.

my favorite yellow Rainier cherries

I tried some samples of Alfieri Farms almonds and couldn’t resist buying a small bag of dark chocolate covered orange almonds. I’ve never seen that combination before and it was super yummy. I wish I bought more.

I also sampled some almond brittle. Sweet and buttery!

Blue Bottle Coffee

fresh lavender

This is my friend Jeanne, my terrific tour guide around the farmers market. She has tried a lot of the food there and she told me which ones were good. As if I could eat a bite after that filling breakfast.

There were so many tempting and delicious freshly cooked food there that I couldn’t decide if I was glad that I was full or sad that I couldn’t try any of them.

Rosa Pistola menu

Rose Pistola

Eat while enjoying the view of the Oakland Bay Bridge (known to the locals simply as Bay Bridge).

Fatted Calf

Prather Ranch Meat Co.

Roli Roti had one of the longest lines.

Jeanne said their porchetta sandwich was the best. I watched how they prepared it. They sliced the pork fresh off the rotisserie, then take some crispy skin and scraped off some of the fat. Then they got the bread and wiped it on the board to pick up the juices of the meat. Wonderful!

Roli Roti’s porchetta sandwich

Acme Bread

Vicolo Pizza

Another one with long lines was Namu which served modern Korean fare.

Namu’s menu

They had visual samples of their food. I must say they don’t look very Korean but it did look very appetizing.

4505 Meats

4505 Meat’s menu

mini breakfast sausage wrapped in brioche

more pictures in my flickr set

The next time I go to San Francisco I’m planning my trip around the Saturday Farmers Market. I will not eat breakfast so I can try the porchetta sandwich and the goodies from Namu. That breakfast sausage wrapped in brioche is also calling my name. Til we meet again….

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
Hours
Tuesday: 10am–2pm
Thursday: 10 am – 2pm
Saturday: 8am-2pm

telephone: (415) 291-3276

Breakfast at Dottie’s True Blue Cafe

Breakfast is my favorite meal, well after dessert. My perfect breakfast is a typical Filipino breakfast of a cup of garlic fried rice, tuyo (dried fish) or beef tapa and fried egg with the yolk barely set. I can eat this any time of the day. The only problem is I seldom wake up early enough to enjoy breakfast leisurely.

typical Filipino breakfast

It was my second morning in San Francisco and I was still suffering from jet lag so I took the opportunity to have breakfast with my good friend Jeanne. Ariel suggested Dottie’s True Blue Cafe and after researching it on Yelp, where it scored a consistent 4 stars, Jeanne and I decided to eat there. We read that there were always long lines so we went there before they opened at 7:30 am.

We arrived at 7:20 am and there was already a line. Luckily we were included in the first batch that got in.

The restaurant was quite small no wonder there was a line.

This was the owner and chef who worked behind the bar on a small griddle whipping out breakfast plates non-stop for his hungry patrons.

The regular menu featured the usual eggs, bacon, ham and sausage. The specials were on the board.

Jeanne and I were the only ones who went to the board to read the menu. I guess everyone there were regulars.

I don’t really like scrambled eggs or any kind of eggs except for the occasional fried egg for my garlic rice. Other than that I never eat eggs. But all the reviews on Yelp raved about the scrambles so I had to try it. I ordered the smoked whiskey fennel sausage, mushroom & spinach scramble with grilled cornbread & potatoes.

The sausage was good but it wasn’t really spectacular. It tasted just like good Italian sausage to me. I did eat some eggs but mostly I ate the sausage, mushroom and spinach. I was quite disappointed with the grilled cornbread. It was hard and dry.

smoked whiskey fennel sausage, mushroom &
spinach scramble $11

Jeanne chose the pulled pork, roasted onion & jack cheese scramble with flour tortillas. She put the scrambled egg mixture in the tortilla and ate it like a burrito. I tried the pulled pork and it was really very tasty. I wouldn’t have imagine pulled pork and eggs would go well together but it did. I actually liked the pulled pork more than the sausage.

pulled pork, roasted onion & jack cheese scramble $11

We were very curious on what blueberry cornmeal pancakes tasted like so we shared an order. It tasted just like regular pancakes. What a bummer. And it was expensive to boot. Their coffee wasn’t very good too.

blueberry cornmeal pancakes w/ pure maple syrup $9.95

Overall the food was fine but for me it was nothing to line up for. Well maybe it’s because I’m not an egg eater. In the end I’m still a Filipina who’d rather have garlic fried rice and dried fish. That I will line up for.

When we left at 8:30 there was still a line and this was on a Saturday morning.

Dottie’s True Blue Cafe
522 Jones St., San Francisco CA 94102
(Between Geary Blvd & O’Farrell St)
telephone: (415) 885-2767

Dinner at Level III

After a whole day of walking and eating I was tired and full and that called for a short nap. My nap was cut short when I had to meet Ariel and Kit for a light dinner before watching a concert featuring Wang Chung. If you don’t know who they are then you’re too young to know this 80s new wave group.

Kit and Ariel chose to have drinks and light snacks at Level III located at the 3rd floor of JW Marriott where I stayed for a night. I was just happy that it was so near Villa Florence where I was staying. I couldn’t walk any farther.

Level III is actually a restaurant, lounge and bar depending on the time of day.

Kit did all the ordering and I didn’t know how he did it but he ordered all my favorites. All the things I haven’t eaten in 3 weeks because of my no carb diet.

Caesar salad $8

The mac and cheese was made of Gruyere, Mascarpone and Parmesan-Reggiano cheeses. Wow!!!

mac and cheese $9

My favorite were these crab cake sliders. Why? It’s fried, it had chunks of crab and the spicy remoulade brought it all together for a burger like no other. I’d gladly swap my beef burger for these crab cakes anytime. Well not all the time. I’ll miss my beef.

dungeness crab cakes sliders $13

The fries look yummy in the pic right? But it was just so-so. I only ate the fries with Parmesan cheese.

bistro fries w/ Parmesan and parsely $7

Level III’s menu

As much as I wanted to watch Wang Chung and relive my youth I was just too tired and cold to go with them. I went back to the hotel and turned on the heater and slept like a log. What a day!

Level III
JW Marriott San Francisco
500 Post Street @ Mason(third floor)
San Francisco, CA 94102
telephone:(415) 929-2087

Shoot First, Eat Later on Facebook

Hi everyone! I finally created a page on facebook. It would be great to hear from all of you and to get to know my readers better. So if you could please hit the “LIKE” button on the right on the page so we can get the ball rolling. See you on facebook!

We walk, we eat – Bi-Rite Creamery & Bakeshop

The last stop in our “we walk, we eat” day of eating and walking was Bi-Rite Creamery which was on the same street as Tartine Bakery. It’s lauded by many as one of the best sources for ice cream in San Francisco.

We went into Bi-Rite market looking for the ice cream. This small neighborhood store sold a lot of interesting food.

At the very back of the store I saw this display and thought to myself, “is this is?” Then I read the sign on the glass that said the ice cream place is across the street.

This is Bi-Rite Creamery! There wasn’t any lines that day but when we went back on Monday afternoon the line was out the door about half a block long.

Ariel bought this exotic Kris’ Kombo sundae.

This was to die for! It wasn’t as strange as it sounds. Blood orange olive oil on vanilla ice cream tasted just like a sophisticated creamsicle. I didn’t care so much for the sea salt but it didn’t bother us too much. Each spoonful we ate was followed by “ooohs and ahhhs and a lot of sh#t sarap!” Yes it was Ariel’s order but I ate more of his ice cream than mine. You MUST try this!!!!

Kris’ kombo

Kit got a scoop each of creme fraiche, which tasted just like vanilla to me and cherry almond, which I found too sweet.

I chose the lighter and less fattening yet equally intriguing balsamic strawberry soft serve. I couldn’t really taste the balsamic but it heightened the strawberry flavor. It had an unusually strong flavor for a soft serve. The best soft serve ice cream!

balsamic strawberry soft serve

It was the perfect ending to our meal which began at 10 am and ended at 4:30 pm and spanned 3 restaurants, 1 bakery, 1 ice cream shop and over 4 miles of walking. Yes my feet were painful, yes I only took bites of my goodies from Tartine when I wanted to devour it all, yes I was shivering while I ate ice cream but I simply loved everything we ate. It was an experience I will never forget. Thanks again Ariel and Kit. And yes we took a cab back to my hotel.

Bi-Rite Market
3692 18th St. San Francisco
CA 94110-1531
telephone: (415) 626-5600

We walk, we eat – Tartine Bakery & Cafe

We’re are almost at the end of the “we walk, we eat” restaurant walking tour. Tartine was my one and only request from Ariel. I’ve read about it in several forums. I’ve seen it featured in several food tv shows. They all said it’s the one place visitors should not miss when in San Francisco.

Surprisingly Ariel and Kit haven’t been to Tartine before so it was a first for all of us. When we left Salt House I was already so full. I figured the walk to Tartine would help me digest my food in preparation for dessert. I just didn’t know it was 3 miles away!

Salt House was around 1st street and Tartine was on 18th corner Guerrero. We walked and walked til my feet almost gave up on me.

When we arrived we weren’t even sure where Tartine was since the place didn’t have any sign. I figured it was the place with a line out the door and I was right.

This printed sign stuck on the door told us we were at the right spot.

The whole dining area was full but luckily the line for take-out was moving along quickly.

The only problem asides from my aching feet was I was still full and I wanted to buy everything I saw.

I wanted to buy their morning buns because I read that was the bestseller and true enough it was already sold out. The quiches looked so tempting too.

I wanted to buy dessert but I ended up buying savory pastries instead. My first purchase was this giant gougère made with gruyere cheese and herbs. Gougère is a savory choux pastry the same as a cream puff’s pastry. I took a bite and it was freaking fantastic! It was crisp, light, cheesy and peppery. Alas a bite was all I could handle. I kept the rest and ate it that night. It wasn’t crisp anymore but it was still good.

gougère $3.50

I wanted to try something I’ve never tried before and the cake aux olives was it. The description was “savory bread with white wine, black olives, smoked ham, gruyère, cheese and fresh herbs“. It was another winner! The bread was very moist and reminded me of bread pudding but not quite. The olives, ham and cheese were just perfect for this rich slice of heaven.

cake aux olives $4.75

Kit bought this yummy eclair and we had a bite. The Valrhona chocolate topping, the vanilla bean cream filling, the soft pastry were all to die for. It was a far cry from the eclairs I’ve tried in Manila.

eclair

Kit also bought this lemon cream tart but I wasn’t able to try it.

lemon cream tart

The dog wouldn’t stop looking at us hoping for some crumbs to fall. No way dog, we’re not sharing!

On my last day San Francisco we went back to Tartine and I bought some almond croissants which I brought to Virginia and had it for breakfast there. It was huge, buttery and filled with delicious almond paste.

The next time I go back to San Francisco I want to eat in Tartine and try out their food in the cafe. The pastries weren’t cheap but they were all worth it. Truly excellent quality.

There’s still one last place we went to which was just across the street. Come back tomorrow for the last installment in my “we walk, we eat” saga.

frangipane croissant $4.25

Tartine Bakery and Cafe
600 Guerrero Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
telephone: (415)487-2600

We walk, we eat – Salt House

If you have been following my “we walk, we eat” series, Ariel, Kit and I started our 1 day food journey in San Francisco at Bocadillos and then walked a bit to Anchor and Hope for delicious oysters.

After that we walked a short distance to Salt House which together with Anchor and Hope and Town Hall are owned by same group of successful restaurateurs.

Just like Anchor and Hope, Salt House uses a fun bottle for serving water. Here they used old fashioned milk bottles.

They also serve the same bread from Acme Bread Company. If only my hotel had a toaster in the room I would have brought this bread home. It was no good eating it cold.

Acme Bread Company’s plain epi bread

Even though we didn’t eat much at the two previous restaurants I was already very full when we arrived. Kit ordered an appetizer for us to share.

This salad was simply wonderful. The dressing was so creamy and spicy but not hot. The server told us the dressing was made of roasted red pepper, paprika and harisa spice. I’ve never eaten anything like it before. The shrimp was very fresh, soft and crunchy.

crispy shrimp w/ green bean, almonds, serrano ham $15

Salt House’s lunch menu

After Salt House we walked to our final destination 3 miles away (letter E on the map below)!!! Of course I didn’t know it then. I was just eager to walk off the fullness in my tummy. I was also excited to reach our destination which was my only request while I was in San Francisco.

Salt House
545 Mission St
San Francisco, California 94105
Telephone: (415) 543-8900

We walk, we eat – Anchor and Hope

The 2nd restaurant on our “we walk, we eat” route was Anchor and Hope (C on the map below).

This popular seafood restaurant just off 2nd street was packed when we went there. Since we didn’t have a reservation and were just there for 1 thing we gladly sat at the bar. The boys had beer while I had my usual water.

I love their water bottle!

They served epi bread from the very popular Acme Bread Company located at the Ferry Building. It would have been good if it was hot and crunchy. Instead it was cold and hard. I wonder if they will warm it up if I asked.

Acme Bread’s plain epi

While I was still in Manila Ariel already told me that he was bringing me to eat at Anchor and Hope. I studied the menu from their web site and chose several things I wanted to try. Not one of them was oysters since I wasn’t that fond of them.

When we got to the restaurant Ariel insisted that I try the angels on horseback. The menu described it as “smoked bacon wrapped oyters, remoulade”. I trust his taste so that’s what we ordered.

angels on horseback $13

I took a bite and fell in love with these angels! The oysters were so, so creamy, smoky and earthy. I’ve never eaten oysters this good in my life. I ate one oyster because I was already full. Next time I go back I’m eating all four of those babies.

This dish was one of the best things I ate on my 7 week trip in the USA. To anyone going to San Francisco you must add this restaurant and this dish to your list of restaurants to eat at.

Thanks Ariel! That’s 2 out of 2 in your list. A bullseye! Click here for the next restaurant we went to.

Anchor and Hope
83 Minna Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Telephone: (415) 501-9100

We walk, we eat – Bocadillos

We walk, we eat. That was the rule of the day. A rule Ariel and his partner Kit came up with. It didn’t start out as rule but rather a way to enjoy different restaurants, food and scenic sights of San Francisco while burning calories as we go along. They knew I was in town for only 3 days and they wanted to maximize the number of restaurants I get to try.

It was fun in the beginning. But trust me the last leg (point D to E, see map below) of our walk was painful. I felt like I was being punished for all the food I ate and will eat. And to think I was wearing my super comfy FitFlops. The only thing that pushed me was the pot of gold at the end – Tartine. Wait, I’m getting ahead of the story. To give you an idea here’s a map of that day’s torture- I mean walk. At the end of the day I really had fun and swollen feet. Ha ha.

If you read my previous post, I spent my morning moving from JW Marriott to Villa Florence Hotel (A on the map), did some shopping at Macy’s, went back to JW Marriott because I left my passport and cash in the safe in my room. It was around 10 am when we started to walk to the first restaurant on Ariel’s list of places to go that day.

Our first stop was Bocadillos, a tapas and wine bar in the financial district. Kit led us through a long scenic route through Chinatown.

Ariel and Kit

me with Ariel and Kit

When Kit told me it was a tapas bar I thought tapas meant the usual gambas, chorizo, tortillas but to my joy they had an assortment of hot and cold sandwiches. Bocadillos in English means sandwiches usually made with baguette. Yay carbs!

We ordered a couple of bocadillos. Each order came with 2 different sandwiches of your choice and a side salad all for $10. We cut up each sandwich in thirds so we got to try them all.

smoked salmon with chive cream cheese $10
diestel turkey, brie and cranberry sauce – these 2 were hot bocadillos

My first bite of this sandwich was pure heaven. The sandwich may look like a pan de sal (Filipino soft bread) but it was a perfect, crunchy baguette. One of the best baguettes I’ve ever eaten. The fillings were good but almost secondary to the wonderful bread.

My favorite was the fried chicken although cold was very tender and spicy. I liked the chicken but I didn’t enjoy the baguette as much because they weren’t pressed and heated in a panini machine. The bread was cold and chewy.

chorizo with walnut spread & parsley $10
fried chicken with spicy coleslaw – these 2 were cold bocadillos

The salad was very different from anything I’ve tasted before. The charred corn was sweet, the dressing creamy and the poblano peppers added a mild kick.

charred corn w/ jicama and poblano peppers $9

Bocadillos menu

From the first time I met Kit many, many years ago I’ve always been fascinated with his eyes. It reminded me of a cat’s eye. I’ve been trying to capture it for years to no avail. I didn’t have the right camera and lighting. I finally got it and had to share it with all of you.

We were off to a good start. I really enjoyed the light meal we had at Bocadillos. These were some of the things that caught my attention while walking to the next restaurant.

Click here for the next restaurant we went to.

Bocadillos
710 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111-2104
(415) 982-2622

Hours
Monday-Friday 7:00 am-10:00 pm
Saturdays 5:00 pm-10:30 pm