A new joint near my work, called Spice Kit, was featured in August’s San Francisco magazine so of course I HAD to go try! And boy, it was pretty darn good. It’s considered a “Chef-Driven Asian Street Food” take out place, owned by two guys, one of which worked for French Laundry and Per Se (two of Thomas Keller’s most famous restaurants) prior to opening this up.

It’s kind of like Chipotle where you pick the way you want to eat your meal. First, you choose either 1) Bánh Mì (the classic Vietnamese sandwich), 2) Ssäm (The Korean Wrap), or 3) Salad. Then you move onto the 2nd category in which you pick your meat. 1) Five Spice Chicken, 2) Beef Shortribs, 3) Roasted Pork (which I got and HIGHLY recommend b/c it’s so tender and from Niman Ranch), or 4) Vegetarian.

So…I chose Banh Mi with Roasted Pork + pate (which cost an extra $0.75, but how can you eat Bánh Mì without pate??). Unfortunately I ate it before I remembered to take a pic. But trust me, it was good. Worth the overpriced cost. Try it if you’re in the area!

That’s all. Hope you all are enjoying the weather as much as I am! Happy Friday!

Moving on, my breakfast this morning, after a 2.5 mile run outside (first time in months), was a hodge podge (is that the right word?) of things I found in my fridge.

This would be a mini bagel toasted with the garlic aioli spread, smoked ham and a fancy cheese from my sister’s Williams Sonoma catalog shoot, and an over easy egg.

(note: i had to jump onto my laptop to adjust things cause well….maybe I really am that 70 year old lady )

I myself went out to Toronto, Canada for the first time since I was 9 or 10 and it was a blast. I’m recovering from too much fun. Family arrived on Thursday for my cousin’s wedding on Saturday so the youngins’ (and yes, we’re still young in our late 20s, early 30s) from both sides of the family headed out for a night of fun Friday night. We explored Toronto’s downtown nightlife starting at Madison Avenue Pub near University of Toronto. HUGE outdoor patios, 3 levels high, packed with people. Wish we had more outdoor bars in the Bay Area, especially on the nights with awesome weather.

Next stop was an upgrade to a swankier roof top lounge, which I don’t remember the name of…but, more importantly, is located just down the street from Smoke’s Poutinerie. The only place in SF that I know that has Poutine is Salt House on Mission St. and while I don’t remember if I loved theirs or not, Smoke’s was pretty darn good…especially as a late night snack.

Below my friends would be (counter clockwise from the left) the Traditional Poutine, The Montreal (Smoked meat, Pickle & Mustard) and The Double Pork (Pulled Pork, Bacon, Peppercorn Gravy). Tons of gravy and cheese over fries….what’s not to like?

And another thing that topped my weekend? Little Egg Cakes (I don’t know the real name of it). You only used to be able to get this at the mobile street carts in Hong Kong but since they’ve been banned (the street carts that is), you’ll see corner stands make them in what looks like a waffle maker and can smell it from a mile away.

Oh yeah, and we had baby roast pig at the wedding.

I’d say this was one of the most fun Chinese Wedding Banquets I’ve been to. A Conga line. Parents learning the sprinkler. Good times.

A group of us started off sharing the most delicious Homemade Doughnuts with Peaches….(again used my new phone to take these so sorry, some are blurry. still getting used to it).

A Sweet Condiment Plate (unpictured that came with sheepsmilk ricotta, almond butter, sugar plums and Meyer lemon marmalade) as well as a Savory Condiment plate — Parmesan, chicken liver, pickled vegetables and herb jam). The liver was awesome with all three components on the plate because well, what doesn’t go with liver. But the basket of grilled bread we also got with it made it even better.

After all that, I ordered Poached Eggs with Greens, Almonds, Flatbread and Yogurt. Delicious! I don’t know what spice was on top of the eggs (I THINK he said cumin) but it made a bland egg into a very well seasoned one.

I also tried a bite of the Pancetta, Butter Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich. Who doesn’t like pancetta that is cut as thick as bacon with the sweetest toasted thick brioche bread? It was for sure better than the standard BLT sandwich with white Wonderbread.

Oh and to go with all of this, I ordered a cup of coffee that was hand ground with this old school machine.

I would definitely go back to try their dinner menu. But if you’re a standard pancake, eggs and bacon kind of breakfast person, not sure this is the place for you. The selection is slim and fairly healthy.

Then today, sat out in the sun for the most frustrating Giants game. Lost 8-2 with Lincecum pitching. Not good. (The zoom doesn’t seem to be that good on the camera phone).

Think the best part of the game, aside from the sun that came out later in the game, was the free cotton candy we got. Within 5 minutes of sitting down at our seats, the guy came around and as he was walking up the stairs, we heard a thump behind us and one of the bags unclipped from his bouquet arrangement. We looked up to see if he noticed but he kept walking along. I’d have to say, cotton candy can be addicting.

Outside, there is no signage and can be easily missed. Inside is modern and rustic all at the same time. By the way, I took all my photos with my new fancy phone just to try out, which is why some are a tad blurry with poor lighting. But not bad, eh, for a camera phone?

The menu consists of a three course menu for $59. So don’t go if you’re a picky eater! However, they did ask us if we had any dietary restrictions. First restaurant I’ve ever been to that asked.

They served us a complimentary amuse bouche that was out of this world. SO TASTY! There was a poached egg on top of smoked dates and sweet onion puree (I looked that one up on Yelp so I might be wrong) with a sprinkle of steel cut oats and chives. Mmmmm. Probably one of the best dishes of the night.

I got the New Alliums, Sweet Heirloom Peppers (which I’m assuming was the fried okra??) with Lime Peel —  local albacore tuna and radish. Good but not awesome.

Then I chose the Chicken Poached Then Roasted in Salt Butter (funky title). Now this was pretty awesome. Chicken was so moist. (Pictures are getting darker and blurrier b/c the sun was going down).

Then finished off with Corn. Bread. Pudding (titled exactly like that). Let’s just say it was funky and different.

So what’d I do? As soon as I could eat again, I ran to Trader Joe’s and bought a TON. I went from water, vitamin water and chicken broth to making….

Spicy Shrimp Angel Hair Pasta! The best part? The hardest part was already done for me!

I had a box of frozen Shrimp Scampi hiding in my freezer so I defrosted it in a pan while my pasta was boiling. Once defrosted, added some pasta sauce and red pepper flakes. If you’ve never tried it, do it. It’s actually surprisingly good! Butter, garlic, shrimp…what’s not to like?

And….voilà! Toss the cooked pasta in with the sauce and top it off with some basil and you’re done!

Wait. I’m not done. After reading one of my favorite blogs, I also decided to make Zucchini Muffins. Yes, I was THAT hungry.

And now….it’s time to eat dinner.

This weekend was full of fun and good food….of course.

I don’t have pictures but Friday night started off with an awesome Mexican potluck dinner with the cousins. I made guac and lengua to go along side with freshly made store bought tortillas, spicy pork, tequila shrimp, rice and beans, fried plantains, homemade salsa (2 kinds), sangria (red and white), fresh berry margaritas, homemade horchata, and all sorts of dessert! Of course most of us were too full to even dive into any of the dessert.

Then Saturday, spent an awesome day with a good friend. Japanese food for lunch, Ikea frozen yogurt, jogging up a hill only to run up and down 30 steps 10 times (hence the title), then a seafood feast for dinner! Mmmmmm. I was also introduced to the BESTEST vodka ever. Sweet Tea Vodka. 70 proof. Mix it with sparkling lemonade and ya got yourself the most dangerous Arnold Palmer.

But then I had to start this week off with a treat. Blue Plate Restaurant in the Mission. Came here a few years ago but was just so good, I had to go back. If it’s a nice day, ask to be seated outside in the back. It’s like sitting in your own backyard! But on a windy cool night like tonight, the back patio is the next best thing.

Discovered that they had a 3 course prix fixe menu before 7PM for $25.

I chose the….Grilled Hearts of Romaine—with house smoked bacon, avocado, cherry tomato and grana (which I’m assuming is like a balsamic vinaigrette?) to start.

Then the Cavatelli—with mushroom sugo, asparagus, house made ricotta, and pine nut breadcrumb (was good but not great and looks even more unappetizing midway through eating). Opt for their specialty meatloaf instead!

And just HAD to order a side of their famous Mac and Cheese.

Then finished off with a plum sorbet. Ehhh. Was okay. I took a pic of it but didn’t look good. I swear my memory of this place was much better the first time around. Perhaps it was because we had just come from a night of rock climbing and was starving?

This weekend took a relaxing road trip down to Orange County for a wedding and not only did we chow down on food at the wedding, every minute of the rest of the weekend pretty much revolved around food and where we would eat.

First off, we snacked on everything under the sun throughout our 8-9 hour drive (ouch!) to Laguna Hills. So upon arriving around 630PM, we immediately headed to dinner nearby at BJ’s Brewhouse. We were too tired to search for something more unique to the area and I was also craving a beer after driving in traffic for so long. So a Blonde Beer and Deep Dish Pizza it was (no pictures). It also ended with a cup of Yogurtland yogurt. I went to sleep stuffed and exhausted.

The wedding took place from 10-4PM on Saturday and surprisingly had the best chicken I’ve ever had at a catered event. Since I stuffed my face with 2 solid plates of food, I skipped out on the ice cream bar and candy bar….and didn’t have wedding cake. My dress was about to pop…that’s why.

But Saturday night’s dinner was probably the highlight of the trip. Newport Beach. Rockin’ Baja. SO fun. Loved the concept and wished they had something to the caliber in Northern California. Buckets of seafood. Buckets of beer. Pitcher of Margaritas. What could be better??

and…freshly made Guac. Mmmmmmm.

Took a pre-dinner stroll, which should’ve been a post dinner stroll, down the Newport Beach Dock.

Hmmm. Grill & Sushi? Interesting.

And then our road trip ended with a bowl of Ramen from Santouka inside the Mitsuwa Market in Costa Mesa that kept us full the entire 5.5 hour drive back.

Yet somehow we ended up at Chevy’s for dinner when we got back to the Bay Area.

I did not feel good when I got home.

50 unshucked Kumamotos.

My new favorite go-to appetizer—Smoked salmon w/homemade garlic aioli and pita crackers.

Skirt Steak, of course….and plenty more not captured.

And since that wasn’t enough, I had another awesome dinner tonight at Delfina.

Green Iced Tea with Lime and Mint.

Grilled Fresh Calamari with warm white bean salad (i need a sturdier hand for dim lighting). SOOOOO GOOD.

Insalata di Campo with bitter greens, pancetta, walnuts, Parmigiano and balsamic vinaigrette. Another good choice!

Tripe alla Fiorentina. Excellent especially with bread.

And as full as I was, I still managed to get Bi-Rite Ice Cream across the street. They had a flavor called, Ricanelas (cinnamon with snickerdoodles)!!!! How did I not know about this before?? Tasted like a mix between a snickerdoodle and a churro…with chunks of cookie dough.

Luckily, softball yesterday (2 innings worth ) worked me good that I am hurting twice as much as yesterday and will hurt three times as much tomorrow.