outerlands

Nestled on a corner in the Outer Sunset, Outerlands has been on my list for a while. With walls covered in the world's most beautiful wood, light fixtures burrowed into various types of plants hanging from the ceiling and an all-around intimate atmosphere (including blankets in case you get cold), I decided immediately that Outerlands could very well be my new favorite spot.

Upon first glance, not much stood out on the menu (except for the homemade bread and butter, obviously). But as always, I appreciate a menu that surprises me. Since my heart wasn't set on anything particular, we blindly ordered and were truly blown away by the flavors and creativity of each dish.

house-made bread and butter

braised carrots with cheese curds, oats and fennel - my favorite dish

market vegetables with grains and a soft boiled egg

aforementioned, the wood was quite dreamy

Let's just say I'm already planning to return (I hear the brunch is to die for).

{Outerlands: 4001 Judah Street; San Francisco; Reservations Necessary}

i dream of cocktails: wilson's smash

In celebration of one of my newest and most favorite friends' birthday, we checked out 15 Romolo in North Beach, right in the heart of all the strip clubs (convenient, right? just kidding). With menus that look like old newspapers (swoon), an old school photo booth, juke box and all around spiffy decor, I couldn't help but fall in love. Though we ordered a bevy of appetizers - all of which were pretty good - the real winner was a certain cocktail, Wilson's Smash. Created by one of their bartenders, Wilson's Smash combines a hefty serving of rum with caramelized pineapple, absinthe and bitters and is topped with just the right amount of mint leaves. 

It was so good we ordered two pitchers and never looked back.

{15 Romolo: 15 Romolo; North Beach, San Francisco}

the best thing i ate this week: sushi zone

albacore stuffed jalapeños, baked

I'm the kind of person that could eat sushi everyday. For every meal. I really never get sick of it. So when I heard about Sushi Zone, off the beaten path in the Mission, I knew I had to try it. With only 10 seats and a notoriously long wait, Sushi Zone was worth it.

We started with the albacore stuffed jalapeños and they were pretty much amazing, as you can tell by the photo above. A generous serving of albacore stuffed into a hallowed out jalapeño and topped with an insanely flavorful sauce and scallions. We were beyond pleased. 

Then, of course, we ordered a million sushi rolls, all standard but perfectly fresh and some of the best sushi I've ever had.

Despite the wait and tiny space, I'll be back sooner rather than later.

Sushi Zone: 1815 Market Street; San Francisco

trouble coffee

Let’s talk about toast. It’s one of my most favorite snacks/meals of all time. When I was sick as a little kid, my mom would make me a buttery, cinnamon and sugary piece of toast and it would almost certainly make me feel better. When money was tight in college (and even after), a piece of toast always hit the spot and was gentle on the wallet.

As I continue to explore every small detail of San Francisco, recently I stumbled upon Trouble Coffee in the very Outer Sunset. Run by a bevy of attractive men (no complaints here), Trouble Coffee makes the best piece of toast I’ve ever had (disclaimer: I have not yet tried The Mill - I hear it's great). It was almost equal parts butter and bread and the cinnamon and sugar coated it quite nicely.

Another nice surprise at Trouble was a tea latte the baristas told me I had to try. Usually, I’m quite loyal to a good cup of coffee, but The Girlfriend (a honey and lavender tea latte) stole me away from my usual and I definitely didn’t look back. It was amazing.

Check out Trouble Coffee at 4033 Judah St., San Francisco

domo sushi

I'm a sucker for good sushi. It's something I could eat every single day and never get sick of (though my bank account would definitely not be pleased). After asking around for some suggestions, a few friends mentioned Domo Sushi in Hayes Valley and after a small bit of research (I just had to), I decided it'd be worth my while.

Located amidst some of the cutest shops and specialty stores in the city, Domo Sushi serves some of the freshest and tastiest rolls and sashimi I've ever had. While there for lunch, I sampled the Spyder Roll and Spicy Tuna Crudo... and then may or may not have ordered an additional Spicy Tuna Roll.

Spyder Roll

Spicy Tuna + Scallop Crudos

My feasting partner-in-crime tried the Rainbow Roll and it definitely tasted as good as it looked.

Needless to say, I will be back. With only a few tables in the restaurant, going around 1:30 p.m. for lunch was a good call. I imagine the wait would be quite lengthy for dinner.

{Domo Sushi: 511 Laguna Street}

quintessentially san francisco

I can't say enough great things about this past weekend. Friday was a night where I really realized just how great my San Francisco girlfriends are. It was a night where being single wasn't so bad after all; it was actually preferred. And it ended at 2 a.m., eating pizza with our Lyft driver. So I really couldn't have asked for more.

Saturday was quintessentially San Francisco: from the misty rainfall and foggy sky to the incredible noms I was able to devour (evidence below), all while catching up with two friends from college. 

Sunday was for relaxing and watching old episodes of Friends and then wrapped up with beers, In n Out and great conversation.

fried balls of mushroom risotto at pizzeria delfina

prosciutto and arugula pizza from delfina

chocolate peanut butter + snickerdoodle ice crem from bi rite creamery

Needless to say, a juice cleanse is in order this week.

Today I'm feeling extra grateful and extra excited. Today, I started my new job. I couldn't feel more confident and ready for this challenge and I'm beyond ecstatic to work for company I truly believe in in, hands down, the best city in the world.  

the american grilled cheese kitchen

A restaurant that serves a variety of grilled cheeses? Count me in. 

homemade italian sodas

jalapeno and cheddar biscuit

perfectly buttery and delicious

Located in SOMA/the Design District, aka... right near my BRAND NEW JOB (more on that later), the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen is definitely one of my new favorite spots. I visited them twice in the past two weeks (oops) and between my friends and I, sampled almost all of their sandwiches. I was pretty dang pleased with everything I tasted and will definitely return now that it's right around the corner from my new place of work.

On another note, funemployment: see you (hopefully) NEVER! And for all of you currently dealing with not-so-fun employment, I feel your pain and I promise you, there will be an end. Until then, keep your head up, email me if you need some tips or reassurance and check out this article.

craftsmen & wolves

A while back, I started a series called Beyond Starbucks but ever since I left San Diego, I kind of abandoned the project. Now that I'm settled into the Bay Area, I've had a chance to explore many of the incredible coffee shop options around the city, including Craftsmen and Wolves. 

Located in the heart of the Mission, Craftsmen and Wolves sells a mean cup of joe and an array of tasty treats to accompany your brew. With coffee by Sightglass and treat options ranging from puff pastry dough with gruyere, smoked cheddar and chili flakes to pumpkin apple muffins with a cardamom vanilla crumble and The Rebel Within (pictured below), Craftsmen and Wolves is the perfect place to unwind after a stressful morning or catch up with an old friend. 

photo courtesy of food spotting

Visit Craftsmen and Wolves at 746 Valencia Street, San Francisco

biscuit bender

Though I've been to the Ferry Building on numerous occasions, for some reason I haven't ever noticed Biscuit Bender, a small stand that sells a variety of amazing biscuits and flavored butter. Besides being completely adorable, the cinnamon bun biscuit was actually one of the best morning treats I've ever had the pleasure of tasting.

{Visit Biscuit Bender at 1 Ferry Building; San Francisco}

smitten with smitten

First, thank you guys so much for all the Yvonna love last week. It's so nice to know that my readers have great senses of humor and can take a joke, all the while commiserating with my friends and me about serial singledom. You can definitely expect more Yvonna in the near future.

On a new note, I've continued to explore San Francisco and am continually blown away by all of the unique food-related businesses. As the post title suggests, I recently went to Smitten (and then went back just a couple days later) and essentially died and went to heaven.

More than an average ice cream parlor, Smitten makes each scoop to order, from scratch, while you watch in amazement. Though the flavors and toppings are limited and I usually spend about $6 for my treat, it's worth completely worth it and definitely some of the best ice cream I've ever had.

From humble beginnings, this is the first Smitten storefront and I can't wait to see how the business grows in the future. 

vanilla ice cream with chocolate chunks, hot fudge and a shortbread cookie

{Smitten Ice Cream: 432 Octavia Street; San Francisco}

gracias madre

Around this time last year, a few friends of mine and I tried to be vegan for a month. I lasted about three days. In the past, I've been a vegetarian on and off and still eat meat in small doses... so when I heard about Gracias Madre in San Francisco, I was curious to see how Mexican food could be even kind of vegan (my concerns were specifically with the lack of cheese) and still be edible. 

Located in the Mission (do you see a trend... this area is my fave), Gracias Madre boasts a variety of completely vegan dishes in a clean and trendy environment. On a Wednesday evening, my friend and I had to wait an hour, but the cool thing about Gracias Madre is that they take your phone number and call you when your table's ready. This allowed us to wander down the street for some beers. No complaints there. 

For a starter, we split the quesadillas de calabaza, a generous serving of butternut squash and caramelized onion-filled torillas topped with cashew cheese (TO DIE FOR) and pumpkin seeds, which added the perfect crunch. We were quite pleased.

For our entrees, my friend, Lori, ordered the papas al horno which were roasted potatoes topped with olive oil, garlic and cashew cheese and I went the fatty route with the gorditas, potato-masa cakes topped with salsa verda, avocado and cashew cheese.

Besides the friendly and knowledgable staff, the service was quick and attentive and a mariachi band even came mid-feast to play some tunes. My favorite part of the evening, though, was Ken, our waiter (or food runner?) who appreciated our enthusiasm, constant "omg this is amazing!!" comments and our drooling stares as he brought out other customers' dishes, stopping to explain, in serious detail, the other menu options.

Though I've had vegan food in the past and definitely appreciate it, this was one of the only vegan dining experiences where I left feeling both full and satisfied yet not heavy and sluggish (I'm known for overeating haha). 

{Visit Ken and the rest of the Gracias Madre staff at 2211 Mission Street; San Francisco}

that time i fell in love...

...with a taco. To be fair, I think I actually fell in the love with the queso. But now I'm getting ahead of myself. After impatiently waiting and eating stupid healthy in order to justify this meal, I finally went to Tacolicious. I ordered a mere four tacos (two fried cod, one butternut squash and one short rib), when really I probably only needed two. But I just couldn't care. They were just plain and simple delicious tacos (ha! I think that's where they got the name) and not overdone at all. 

The queso, described on the menu as, "sustainable? no. local? nope. delicious? yep." pretty much blew my mind. Growing up in Texas, I became quite fond of this semi-fake spicy cheese dip and since moving to California, a bit of a healthier state, queso has made very few appearances in my life. But anyways, it really was perfect in every way: the consistency, the chunks of vegetables and peppers in it, the right amount of spice... plus I discovered that dipping the tacos into the queso was a complete game-changer and a totally brilliant idea. 

cool ceiling 

THE queso.

feastly tacos

{Tacolicious: 741 Valencia Street, San Francisco}

826 Valencia

Have you guys ever heard of The Pirate Store or 826 Valencia? I stumbled upon this curious shop after an incredible meal in the Mission (post coming soon) and couldn't help but ask the employee a million questions about the store and non-profit connected to it. Founded by Dave Eggers and Kevin Powers, 826 Valencia is dedicating to helping kids of every age better their writing in a fun, classroom-type setting. I can't think of anything better. (I applied to be a volunteer. It's too cool.) They host creative and enticing workshops that I would love to attend, you know, if I wasn't several years over the age limit. Storytelling, Singable Stories and Comic Drawing... just to name a few.

Anyways, by this point, I needed to make a purchase because I was so psyched on the place, so I bought the latest 826 Quarterly which is a collection of poetry, fiction and essays all written by kids ages 6 to 18. This was my favorite (obviously):

Too cute, huh? Slash I couldn't have said it better myself.

moving on

photo courtesy of lauren millslagle

Moving on from people and places is never easy. Though I'm used to change and I can't say I hate it, it makes me uneasy. A few days ago was my last day in San Diego... a city I've lived in basically full-time for the past six years. Though I knew moving on to San Francisco was and is a good (and necessary) move, I can't help but feel sad about what I've left behind: an incredible community, bursting with small businesses and a truly wonderful friend.

But even in a storm of emotion, I've already felt a sense of empowerment because I know I'll prevail. I know myself and I believe in myself and that's important.

I think today's message is to not be afraid of change but to embrace it. The worst thing you can do is idly stand by and watch life pass. That's where I was just a few months ago and I promise you, if you aren't satisfied with where you are in life or where you're headed, change it. You won't regret it!