Killer Croque Monsieur @ Tartine in San Francisco

This is a bakery with a following. For years now a steady stream has been here for the freshest breakfast goodies when their doors open at 7:00 AM and then again at 5:00 PM when the ovens have completed their task of making loaves of legendary all organic bread.

Tartine Bakery is in the Mission District of San Francisco. They have a cookbook and now a restaurant, Bar Tartine a new addition not too far away on Valencia Street.

If you are visiting the city on a sunny day, you might find yourself walking from Dolores Park and its ocean of bodies, past Bi-Rite Creamery with its killer ice cream flavors like salted caramel. You’ll pass its sister store with its awesome food items, continuing along 18th Street until you begin to see the line of people at the end of the block. The first time you’ll wonder why, what’s so good that would cause such a scene? The second time, you’ll just pick up your pace to get a better place in line. Read More »

A sight for hungry tourists

Today’s blog post is brought to you courtesy of my husband and our best friends.

After waiting 38 years (that’s his estimate, not mine) to visit Holiday World & Splashing Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, my other half finally said, “Tuesday is the day,” submitted a vacation day request, grabbed two teens, and drove the three hours down there. He had forgotten that if you get started at 8 and still have to put gas in the car and buy discount tickets at Kroger, it’s nearly lunch before you get to the amusement park gates.

And having just paid three figures for admission, even at discount prices, he was afraid to see the prices for food in the park.

So my not-always-frugal-but-I-can’t-spend-what-I-don’t-have honey made an executive decision: We’re going to eat before we go in. His next autocratic move was to pick Brick Oven Pizza in the strip mall across from the park. They were the first diners to arrive for the day.

Read More »

You’re traveling in the Canadian province of Quebec.  Perhaps you’ve taken the family to Quebec City or gotten yourself lost in the nightlife of Montreal.  No matter.  There is a quest before you.  And one that should not be missed.

What might that be?  To find the best lobster bisque in the province.  How could you resist such a thing?

Sure, you may laugh.  You may think, “Oh, I know Quebec is known for its cuisine.  But if I want lobster anything I’m going to Maine.”  Or perhaps you think a journey isn’t worthy of a soup, a mere appetizer in the grand buffet of life.  You may say so.  But you’d be wrong.

So I challenge you.  Just as I challenged myself.  Go out and taste bisques all along the St. Lawrence and the Saguenay Fjord.  I tasted quite a few during my trip.  All were good.  All were satisfying.  But in the end, I found the best of the best of bisques in a small Auberge in Tadoussac, a town known for its charming buildings and famed whale watching.  I found the best lobster bisque I’ve ever tasted at La Galouine.

Read More »

The ahi tartar tacos at Andalu in San Francisco.

My husband and I have driven by tapas restaurant Andalu on 16 Street in San Francisco a million times. Every time we drive by, one of us says, “We should eat there sometime. It looks kinda cool.” Finally, that sometime was now.

I knew we had picked the right place to eat when I saw the sign advertising that tonight was half-priced sangria night. My love of sangria is well documented on this site and other sites such as Facebook and those embarrassing photos my friends keep tagging.

David and I started with a plate of the ahi tartar tacos ($10). They were served in a crispy potato shell, which tasted a lot like a Pringle (and I mean that as a compliment). The tacos were delicious and a great way to start out the meal. We followed it with an order of the cambazola cheese fondue ($10.50) with apples and toasted bread. The fondue was served only slightly warm and placed on a candle to heat it up. Of course, I’m impatient and ate my portion of the tasty fondue lukewarm, while smart and patient David waited until it was properly heated.

Read More »