The perfect lunch at Split Pea Seduction, SoMa, SF.

Split Pea has some great new artwork on the walls! A customer/artist who teaches classes at 1:AM Gallery did these ballpoint pen drawings--so fun.

Love it. This was perfect for people watching while enjoying my lunch. :)

Everything on their daily menu always sounds amazing. I opted for the vegetarian option (last one listed) with bacon! Their bacon is so good so I really had to. ;)

I was so hungry and this really hit the spot. It was heaven between bread.

The Split Pea is always amazing and I'm stunned with how they keep their soup the exact right, edible temperature. I went for the Sugar Pie Pumpkin Veg.

Ridiculous. I love soups with bread/croutons in them. So so yummy and hearty.

A special little dessert for me! Everyone should try one of their ice cream sandwiches. They're not only adorable, but absolutely delicious!

Now THIS is what lunch should be. :)

Chefs Christian and Sam--you guys rock my taste buds! Thank you both for everything! SO fabulous!

I just have to ad a quick note--Split Pea Seduction is the must-try lunch joint, but Christian also has an amazing catering company, Jersey Tomatoes, that you will not be disappointed with!

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Post game Bi-rite and Dolores Park stop, Mission, SF.

The Giants won! And what better way to celebrate than with ice cream?! I love Bi-rite soft serve, and I was so excited to see that they added their salted caramel flavor to the soft serve! The flavor needs to be a bit stronger though.. it's bland compared to the scoops. The vanilla soft serve is still my favorite.

Today, I went for two scoops! :) Burnt banana and salted caramel with house-made toffee. Oh my word! The banana flavor is my new favorite! SO good.

We got our ice creams and took a little stroll around Dolores Park. Here's a tight roper in the park--there were actually multiple groups of them around the park--must be a new hipster thing! :)

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Sweet gelato lovin' at Costco, SoMa, SF.

3 SCOOPS SERVED IN A WAFFLE CONE $1.50!!!!! We love Costco!

It was ridiculously hot out in SF yesterday so I decided to stop at Costco (block away from work) for some cool, delicious gelato.

Pistachio, strawberry and stracciatella. I remember having my first stracciatella when I was a kid. My Italian neighbors explained it!

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.

Stratcciatella and mixed berry. The mixed berry just tastes like strawberry. The flavors are all great and go really well together. The cone is super yummy, too--it has a chocolate tip, of course! ;) Mmmmm.

I'm lucky the Costco by my work has gelato. I first heard about it from some friends in Seattle and was bummed when Spokane didn't get it! Spokane is Costco crazy, so I thought for sure, but it's extremely limited. Check out the Costco Insider blog post here.

Amazing dinner at Delarosa, Marina, SF.

Delarosa is a pizzeria. It's fast and loud and hip and fun and delicious! :)

Champagne courtesy of Delarosa! That's a large glass of champagne and it was glorious! :)

Eggplant caponatina with burrata 9

Appetizer courtesy of Delarosa. This was ridiculously good. I know I never stop talking about how much I love eggplant, but this was really something else. Lovely.

Fava bean and pecorino bruschetta 7

I overheard a guy telling his friend the Fava bean bruschetta and the meatballs were killer. Then I asked our server what she recommended and, right off the bat, she said the same two apps! We went with those and they were both fabulous!

I don't know how they grate the cheese into this beautiful cloud over the bruschetta, but the textures and tastes were all right on!

Meatballs in spicy marinara 6

Okay, I wouldn't say the marinara was spicy--really, it wasn't, but the meatballs and sauce were both fantastic.

Margherita with burrata 15

We ordered the Margherita with burrata and added panchetta--SO GOOD. Move over Delfina! There's a new thin crust pizza joint and it's good. Everything about this pizza was wonderful--the cheese was perfect, the sauce and dough were excellent, the basil was fresh and the panchetta was heaven. I'm already craving this pizza again!

Coppa Mocha 7

Coffee gelato, crème anglaise, chocolate sauce, candied almond, and meringue

Beautiful. Delicious. This whole dinner just kept getting better right down to this dessert. The coffee flavors weren't those muted frappuccino flavors you get with other coffee ice creams--they were real, and the texture of the gelato was spot on, too. The meringue was crumbled up as a topping, which is such a fabulous idea!

Delarosa is one of those spots that you'll keep going back to. That and every time you go back you'll want to order everything you had last time because it was so delicious, but you'll also want to order all new dishes because you know they are going to rock your world! Now, that's my kind of restaurant. ;)

A very special thanks to Lauren at Rivera PR and Delarosa for the fabulous reservation and for the drink and app! Rivera--you guys are always SO fabulous and represents the hottest spots! :)

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FroYo Earth, Downtown, Spokane, WA.

I can't believe Spokane has a self-serve FroYo place! Crazy.

Can I just say though--this is the worst parking lot EVER! The spots are tiny and it's a one lane two way and it's just strange. It's not FroYo Earth's fault though, obviously.

In any case--the actual FroYo Earth space is, well, not the most appetizing. I don't know, I thought the coloring was just off and looked a bit old-fashioned.

Now that's a hot mess! ;)

I definitely have this problem where I just keep going like a kid at a candy store! ;) Haha. Their yogurt is okay. Unfortunately, it not the greatest and doesn't seem to be the freshest.

They have some fun flavors like pineapple and Jolly Rancher! I tasted the Jolly Rancher because it was JOLLY RANCHER frozen yogurt!!! Duh. ;) And it tasted just like a Jolly Rancher--kudos, I suppose?! Haha.

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Jessica's Bachelorette Part 2: Ice cream and games.

We got San Francisco's very own It's-It ice cream sandwiches! They are oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwiches, dipped in dark chocolate--and yes, they are every bit as yummy as they sound! We also got a tub of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food because it's ammmmazing. :)

Back to the It's-its though--I MUST recreate this cookie! I don't know how it remains so soft after being frozen, but they are the best oatmeal cookies ever.

The beautiful bride to be, Jessica, my soon to be sister-in-law, enjoying her ice cream!

Mmmm.. nothing like ice cream, gossip and bachelorette games! :) Thanks for a fun night, ladies!! And, more importantly, I hope you had fun, Jess!

Force Field Art & Ice Cream Social at Four Barrel, Mission, SF.

Four Barrel is so amazing. :) WE LOVE.

I got there too late for the free Humphry Slocombe, sadly, but it looks like it was a HUGE success! I promoted it a ton on SFStation, so I only hope that helped! :)

The brilliant artwork of Maxwell Holyoke-Hirsch (SF now NYC)! I love his work.

SO much fun! :)

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Yogurt and reading at Jubili, Lower Fillmore, SF.

Strawberry and peach yogurt with blueberries and kiwi! The fruit was SOO nice with the yogurt! Their yogurt isn't my favorite though, but I gotta say--man, that fruit was fresh! ;)

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Second 7x7 Best Eats Party 2010.

The first 7x7 Big Eat party my friend Scott threw was a BIG success! I for one LOVED being able to try so many fabulous dishes for $26!

Sadly, I wasn't able to attend the second party! I had to cover another event, but when I got there, they still had some delicious Humphry Slocombe Secret Breakfast ice cream. Everyone loved it and I liked it fine, but you know, it wasn't my favorite ice cream ever!

Here is what was on the menu from the 7x7 Big Eat 2010 (Good thing I've tried quite a few of these already!):

• Korean Tacos from Namu
• Tuna Tostada from Tacolicious
• Fried Gream Beans from COCO500
• Crab and Delicate Noodles from The Slanted Door
• Porchetta Sandwich from RoliRoti
• Roast Chicken and Bread Salad from Zuni
• Popovers with Strawberry Butter from The Rotunda
• Secret Breakfast from Humphrey Slocombe

Reviewing The Burger Lounge at Seasons, The Four Seasons, Downtown, SF.

When I went in to review the Four Seasons restaurant, Seasons, for work (SF Station), I didn't realize I was in for the meal of my life!

Fancy, fancy bar nuts--wasabi peanuts, imported from Hawaii and house-made spiced almonds!

Bartender Sierra Zimei, made me one of her signature cocktails, the Trust Fund. She said she likes to have fun with the names. This drink for instance, "tastes very white collar--something you could drink while watching polo or cricket. Not something you'd drink out of a paper bag." She also said she's gotten inspiration from Bath and Body Works, where she can see the combinations for lotions and think, "Hmmm. That would be good in a cocktail!"

Zimei is an absolute delight and that comes through in her fabulous concoctions! This is her latest, and is an "insiders only" that you have to ask Zimei for personally. It's called the "English Breakfast of Champions" and is comprised of: egg whites, whiskey, English breakfast tea, honey simple syrup, AND comes with a candied bacon, sugar and salt rim! OMG. This is ridiculous and SO fabulous! This is the most creative cocktail I've ever had--thank you, Sierra!

After drinks, I moved onto drinks and dinner where Executive Chef Mark Richardson greeted me with a smile and five sizzling burgers from The Burger Lounge. This one is the Ahi Tuna Steak Burger with a beautifully piece of seared tuna from Hawaii. The slaw was refreshing and really perfect for the delicate patty--mmmm.

Keep in mind, since I had FIVE burgers in front of me, I could only have of bite of each..

Chef Richardson's infamous Duck Fat Burger. Need I say more?? Mmmmmmmm! Just look at that mound of melted white cheddar and you know there's a succulent duck fat burger hidden underneath--I crave! :)

The Sirloin Burger. This is their standard and is just a hearty, all-around good, American burger. Chef Richardson knows his burgers. He said when he goes to different cities he likes to try their burgers, "You can tell a lot about a place by how they do their burgers."

The steakhouse burger! This was my favorite of the evening (although, I say that and then want to take it back because they were all so amazing..). It features house made steak sauce, blue cheese and fried shallots--mmmmmmmmm! Ridiculously tasty.

Yes, that would be thick-cut, 48-hour braised pork belly on the BLT Burger. Looks great and tasted even better!

These burgers were all SO fabulous. The Burger Lounge is Sunday and Mondays from 6pm - 10pm at Seasons and I just can't stress how delicious it is. The meal includes a burger, fries and a drink pairing--cocktail (pictured), wine or beer, for $20! As Chef Richardson so states, "At first glance burgers are simple, but when they're done right they are a really fantastic meal." AGREED.

Seasons also has a new Pastry Chef, Jeffrey Wurtz. He was kind enough to let me sample his new pastries, which are so lovely in every way. This cookie had an amazing flake and texture with the raspberries and ice cream (yes, that's a little oblong of ice cream over there!). This was really love at first taste.

This was amazing, too. I'm so not one to be really wowed by fancy desserts usually, but this Wurtz is really something else! This reminded me of a candy bar, and sure enough, that was the inspiration behind it! Delicious!

This chocolate cake was amazing, too. I loved it. It wasn't stand-out for me because the other ones were so unique, but it was very good.

Ah! The passionfruit meringue with cookie crumbs! The passionfruit really pops in your mouth and then the texture of the meringue with the cold ice cream underneath--ooo! Exquisite! I've never had a dessert quite like this one before.

As you can see, all of these desserts have a little mold of ice cream. I thought that was rather interesting and unusual, so I asked Chef Wurtz about it. He explained, "I definitely like to pair ice cream with desserts. They kind of go hand in hand, like pairing a drink with a meal." No complaints here! :)

The table.. Le sigh. This was really one of the best meals of my life. Needless to say, the Four Seasons wowed me--such a pleasure. :)

My full article will be out on SF Station next week!

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Birthday ice-cream cake from Cold Stone for Chris L!

I love me some ice-cream cake! This was okay--my first Cold Stone cake, I think. I liked it fine, but didn't love the whipped frosting.

Happy Birthday, Chris!

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Food Bloggers Luncheon at Waterbar, Embarcadero, SF.

I was invited out to Waterbar for a food bloggers lunch hosted by We Blog The World and Pearltrees.com.

Waterbar is fun little restaurant between the Ferry Building and the AT&T Ball Park. It has ana amazing view of the Bay Bridge and some lovely aquarium columns in the center of the restaurant. It was the last day of Dine About Town so we had a lovely prix fixe menu (click on the photo to read the text). I love that the menu states who caught the fish!

I enjoyed this presentation of the butter, on a granite tile, with sea salt on top.

Amuse bouche: cold soup shots.

I didn't are so much for this. I like gazpachos, but other than that, I'm not a big chilled soup fan.

Cornmeal Crusted Smelts, endive, radish, green goddess. The smelts were nice, but I didn't care much for the salad and the sauce lacked flavor.

Baby Artichoke Salad, fava beans, sweet peas, Grana Padano.

I think I should have went with this as my first course. :)

Alaskan Halibut, roasted beets, sugar snap peas, orange.

I'm afraid I didn't care mush for this dish either. The fish was cooked fine, but everything was a bit bland. I really enjoyed the texture and crunch of sugar snap peas though and the beets were fine on their own, but none of the flavors were were strong enough to bring the dish together.

Whitefish, broccoli rabe, roasted cherry tomato vinaigrette.

This dish looks more flavorful. I should have gone with this one--darn! :)

Black and White Ice Cream Cake, dulce de leche creme fraiche, bananas.

I will say right now that I 100% chose the right dessert! I loved this. The dulce de leche creme fraiche could have used more flavor, but the ice cream sandwich and fried bananas were divine!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble, vanilla ice cream.

I really have to be in the mood for strawberry rhubarb, so this isn't my ideal dessert, but it does look tasty.

BIG thank you, again, to We Blog The World and Pearltrees.com! Everyone, please check them out--seriously, very cool stuff!

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