Almost Spring

Magnolia Blossoms

At Baking Class

Kouign Amann

Finally made my own!

Best pizza joint in town

Americano Pizza 

Tony's Pizza Napoletana
1570 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA 94133

Brunch at Canteen

One of my friends was in town for a business trip so I took her to Canteen for Brunch on Saturday.

It's a very small place but luckily we didn't have to wait for the table. (Actually we sat at the bar where you can watch all the activities of chef and staff.)

This 20-seat restaurant has many books on the wall and it makes the place very cozy.

My dish was omelet with summer corn and peppers.

I was little disappointed with the potato but the omelet was good.

The corn and pepper were very fresh and sweet!

My friend had French toast with blueberries.

I took a bite and it was the best french toast I've ever had.

I know what I'm getting next time.

Canteen is created by Dennis Leary who was the chef at Rubicon.

He does all the shopping, cooking and baking and it opens for lunch, dinner and brunch on weekends.

Canteen

817 Sutter Street

San Francisco, CA 94109

http://www.sfcanteen.com

Custom Burger

I've been craving for a good burger lately so I abandoned the lunch that I packed and went to this special burger joint near my work.

The interior of restaurant is very simple but their menu is somewhat complicated.

It takes 5 steps to get your burger.

1. You need to choose your meat. There is Angus or Kobe beef, lamb, turkey, chicken, salmon and veggie.

2. You can add cheese, fried egg, chili, avocado and bacon. There is an extra charge for each item.

3. You choose toppings up to three items for free. Your choices are tomato, lettuce, grilled pineapple, arugula, sauteed mushrooms, red onions, sprouts and more.

4. You pick one sauce for no additional charge. They have unique ones like Ketchipotle and Pestomayo.

5. Last, you pick a bun from sesame seed, onion poppy, brioche, potato pepper and multi-grain to finish up your build-your-own burger.

French fries in the cute bucket. 

Their sweet potato fries are really good too!

My custom burger.

The formula is 1/3 lb. Angus beef + sharp cheddar cheese + sauteed mushrooms + tomato slices + sauteed sweet yellow onions + sesame seed bun = Incredible burger.

They open for breakfast with an American breakfast menu and serve burgers for lunch and dinner.

Custom Burger

121 Seventh Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

http://www.jdvhotels.com/dining/sanfrancisco/custom

Red Mango

When I visited Korea a couple of years ago, one of my friends insisted on taking me to Red Mango. I thought why a frozen yogurt place? It's not popular in the U.S. anymore... But sure enough, it was surprisingly tasty. And a month later, I went to Los Angeles and found out there was a copycat store called Pinkberry. Their yogurt was very yummy, too!

So when I read the article about a Survivor winner (who's from the Bay Area) is planning to open a Red Mango store in San Francisco, I was so happy! But North Beach district didn't approve it since it is a franchise. I'm supporting 100% for not having a franchise store in North Beach but at the same time I was hoping he would find another place to have it. Well, it didn't happened.

That's why I made a special trip to University Avenue in Palo Alto.

It was a perfect, warm day for the yogurt treat.


Their cute logo.


The shop was busy but staff was very friendly.


I got original with peaches and strawberries.
The yogurt was tart and refreshing and the fruits were so fresh and sweet!
I was almost sad finishing up the last spoonful, knowing that I can't find the same taste in San Francisco. I really hope that they will find a home in San Francisco.

Red Mango
429 University Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
http://www.redmangousa.com/

Sadao Watanabe @ Yoshi's

Alto Saxophone player Mr. Sadao Watanabe came to San Francisco with his band this weekend. He is one of my favorite Japanese Jazz musicians but I've never seen him perform in person so I was so excited to find out he's coming to Yoshi's for his first stop of his US Tour. (Plus, I really wanted to dine at the new Yoshi's San Francisco.)

We got to Yoshi's little early to enjoy their bar menu with a drink.

The Jazz Club was a perfect size and all the seats have a great view.

Japanese beer goes well with Agemono type of Japanese food!

Tori no Karaage - Deep Fried Chicken

Agedashi Tofu

Vegetable Croquette

Negi Hama Tempura Roll

Chocolate cake with caramel ice-cream

The Bar/Lounge menu offered many choices, but I wasn't so impressed by the food much.

I liked the karaage and the dessert though.

Maybe I need to try the restaurant for the full review.

Mr. Watanabe's performance was great. He brought his band members to U.S. for the first time and they were very enthusiastic players. The 90 minutes of performance went by very fast.

His other U.S. tour destinations are Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington D.C., New York and Boston. I hope that I will see him again soon.

Sadao Watanabe

http://www.sadao.com/en/index.html

Yoshi's

1330 Fillmore Street

San Francisco, CA 94115

http://www.yoshis.com/