Second try, happy hour at Stone Korean, Financial District, SF.

반찬 / banchan side dishes! Yay for more banchan at Stone! Last time we only got 3, which was a bit sad.

오징어 튀김 / The calamari was really nice. The batter was nice and light and the spicy aioli (although not spicy) added a nice flavor.

불고기 김밥 / Bulgogi kimbap. These are Korean sushi rolls! My favorite is tuna, but bulgogi is my second favorite kind. It's hard to find tuna kimbap outside of Korea. These rolls were fine, nothing spectacular, but definitely not bad!

양념 치킨 / Fried chicken with spicy Korean sauce. 또래오래 is my absolute favorite fried chicken, and sadly, is in Korea. I like it because it comes out soft and juicy, and boneless! And has the best breading and sauce ever! Haha. The fried chicken here was fine, but I like Coco Bang's more.

찜만두 / Steamed dumplings. The dumplings were pretty good, but I think portion wise they were the smallest.

돌솥 비빔밥 / Dol-sot bibimbap. I tried a bite of it. It's pretty hard to not make a tasty one!

Soooo Stone Korean failed me last time, but I went back for the happy hour $4 small plates menu! The small plates are actually a good size and were a good deal for $4.

I would go back for the happy hour, but the service was still really horrible. Again, our waitress (a different girl than last time) never checked on us, one of our dishes took forever and we had to walk up to pay because it took forever for someone to bring us the bill!

Website

Yelp

Cha Cha Cha, Upper Haight, SF.

Shredded chicken quesadilla! I had never had shredded meat in a quesadilla before and it was excellent! It made it more burrito-like and yummmy!

Steak sandwich. Also, very nice. I hadn't had steak in a sandwich in a really, really long time. Yummy and the bread was so nice, too! So crucial for a great sandwich. :) The potatoes were fine, but the aioli they gave us was just a bit eh.

Kat and I went running at Golden Gate Park and then were starved! We decided to hit up the Haight--which I, sadly, don't know too well! Cha Cha Cha was the busiest place on the block, so we went there. Fun lunch spot and very different from the Mission location! The food was great though. :)

Website

Yelp

Amazing Peruvian at La Mar, Embarcadero, SF.

White wine flight. Light, crisp, nice.

Assorted chips and dips. Love. They had these great sweet potato chips and maybe baby eggplant chips?! They were so yummy.

tiradito nikei 16

Ahi Tuna in Nikei sauce with passion fruit and honey leche de tigre

This was beautiful. It was such a nice crudo and was definitely the best thing we ordered.

cebiche chifa 16

Mahi Mahi with peanuts, scallions, ginger, pickled carrots and daikon, habanero pepper, wonton strips, and cilantro in sesame leche de tigre

Not my favorite cebiche, but yummy. I was hoping it would have a bit more of a kick, with the habanero, but it really wasn't spicy at all.

causa tasting 17

Selection of four causas: Limena, Criolla, Nikei, Casera

Causas are whipped potatoes with toppings. The second from the left (Criolla) was by far my favorite. The rest were just okay, but that one was very nice.

una 14

Dungeness crab, shrimp, chicken, peanut and cashew croquette over bok choy with Nikei sauce

anticucho de carne 15

Grilled skirt steak, potatoes, Peruvian corn, spicy rocoto sauce

The una croquettes were fine, but maybe we should have gone for a more traditional empanada. They weren't memorable, but nothing we had was bad!

It was a LOT of food though so I could only have one piece of the skirt steak. It seemed a bit tough at first, which I didn't like so much, but then it definitely grew on me. It was really yummy with a mix of both sauces!

cappuccino de tres leches 8

Sponge cake soaked in chocolate-pisco sauce and coffee creme brulee

I didn't really get the creme brulee, but this dessert was superb. Aside from the cream-heavy top, I just loved it.

I think we ordered a really good selection from the menu and I wouldn't have done it differently. It was yummy and interesting to try. Now that I've had a good sample though, next time maybe I would do a tiradito, and entree and a dessert.

Website

Yelp

"Traditional Japanese" at Kappou Gomi, Outer Richmond, SF.

We originally went to a busy Japanese place out in the Sunset, but the wait was forever so booked it to Kappou Gomi. I don't think any of us had ever been here so we went for a bunch of small plates and some shabu shabu to finish it off. :)

Buttery scallops. These were pretty yummy. No the most well cooked scallop, but the sauce was very buttery, which is always delicious. :)

Unagi.

Pork something.. this was tender and probably the best small dish.

Shabu shabu. :)

Let the shabu begin! I'm not the biggest fan of shabu shabu, actually!.. It's not filling and it's not flavorful so I don't really get the appeal. It's fun to do it the first time, and sometimes with groups, but.. eh! Haha.

The whole meal wasn't very filling, which is sometimes what I don't like about Japanese food. The place was nice, clean, and not super expensive though. It was nice for what it was, but I probably wouldn't go back.

Yelp

Amazing dinner at B44, Belden Place, SF.

Left: Grilled morcilla sausage / baby white beans / mortar allioli

Right: Sautéed mussels / sofrito / pancetta / green peas / tarragon

One of my best girlfriends, Arang, has the sweetest parents ever! They were in town visiting and invited a few of her friends out for a fantastic dinner. I don't if there's anything we didn't order from the B44 menu--we had about 10 courses and it was amazing!

Our dessert--churros with chocolate and custard.

The meal was fabulous and the service was great. B44 is an excellent place to go with a group. There wasn't anything I didn't like, but here were my favorites (of course, I didn't get photos of any of them!):

• Tiger shrimp sautéed with garlic and adobo - Just a really yummy shrimp dish. One of the more flavorful dishes of the evening.
• Escalivada - Warm roasted vegetables / cabrales / pine nuts / garlic oil - This was tasty pizza -bruchetta on these great big slices of soft French bread!
• Arros Negre – Squid / clams / sepia / green peas / green bell pepper / squid ink / mortar allioli - Okay, I just really like squid ink paella! It wasn't as nice as the one at Iluna Basque, but we ordered two paellas and I preferred this one to the seafood one.

Muchos gracias padres de Arang!

Website

Yelp

Post Art Walk dinner at Mission Street Food, Mission District, SF.

Clockwise from left: Beef & Sweetbread Lasagna; Crab Bisque; Chanterelle Barotto. All were very nice. The lasagna wasn't your traditional lasagna, and was meat heavy, but in a good way. The barotto had a very interesting, light flavor and was probably my favorite dish of the evening.

I'm still technically on my cleanse though, so I only have three bites of each! :)

Here is a freelance piece I wrote about Mission St. Food awhile back.

Serious Street Cred for Mission Street Food.

By Lily Ko

If you're craving some novelty and seriously good eats, mosey on over to Mission Street Food. It's a pop-up restaurant, non-profit, experimental culinary battlefield, and a hip place to enjoy a fantastic meal.

It all started when owner, Anthony Myint (former line chef at Bar Tartine), rented out a Mexican food truck on his night off (Thursday). A total street-food newbie, he served his own blend of gourmet food at street-food prices—cheap!—and it was hit.

Myint relied on word of mouth and Twitter to build a hungry customer base. Word spread fast and as the line grew, his operation went from Thursdays to Thursday and Saturday nights, on the corner of 21^st and Mission St. (in SF's Mission District).

Last October, Myint decided to quit Bar Tartine and turn his corner stand into a bustling underground restaurant. Now, every Thursday and Saturday at 6pm, MSF takes over, Lung Shan (2234 Mission St., San Francisco), a Chinese restaurant by day. The kitschy space with fake floral arrangements and mismatched silverware adds to the eclectic dining experience.

MSF remains true to its street-food roots, but now features exciting guest chefs with each service. Each chef has the opportunity to create their own genre-breaking menu, and all profits go to a charity of his or her choice.

Basically, when chefs get a challenge, diners get great food and proceeds go to charity—everybody wins.

The Food:

• With a new menu every Thursday and Saturday, the food can be hit-or-miss, depending on your palate. Check out the menus online every Tuesday (for Thursday) and Thursday (for Saturday) at MissionStreetFood.com.

• It's all about gritty haute-cuisine, so prices are kept low. Most dishes are under $8, rarely over $12, and corkage is a very reasonable $5.

• The ever-changing menu is offset with some MSF classics like their crispy, chewy flatbreads, and Lung Shan staples like Shanghai soup dumplings.

The Need to Know:

• Go early (6pm), or around 10pm, with groups of two to four, for a minimal wait. If the line is long, write your name and phone number on the list and go for a drink nearby.

• Follow MSF on Twitter under @MissionStFood to get real time updates on how busy they are, food they're running out of, etc.

• All profits go to the guest chef's charity of choice, so don't feel bad ordering one of everything (highly recommended).

Iluna Basque Haiti Benefit Night, North Beach, SF.

Sautéed Scallops over Ratatouille

These were perfectly light and delicious.

Plums Wrapped in Bacon

I've done figs, but haven't even heard of warm plums with bacon! Mmm--divine! And, c'mon, you can't really go wrong with "wrapped in bacon"!

Eggplant & Fresh Tomato, Goat Cheese

I always love eggplant. It was served like a tartare, which was so interesting! I've never had eggplant prepared like that, but it makes sense and is visually quite nice, too. The warm goat cheese added a nice punch of flavor and smooth texture.

Piperade with Sautéed Serrano Ham & Poached Egg

This was the dish I was most curious about. The mix of peppers was light, the ham was a bit lost, but the poached egg was a nice addition.

Stuffed Calamaries in Ink Sauce over Spanish Rice

This was my favorite. I LOVED it. The stuffed squid was soo succulent! I can't wait to go back and get this again. :)

Fondant au Chocolat Raspberry Coulis / Selection of Cheeses from Les Pyrenees with Membrillo

The chocolate cake was fresh out of the oven and was chocolaty, without being too rich. The cheese plate didn't have anything too robust either, but was a fine mix.

We also had the Baked Spanish Tortilla with Caramelized Onions & Chorizo, and I don't know how I missed photographing it..

Mattin (Chef/Owner of Iluna Basque, Top Chef contestant and friend.) hosted a fantastic dinner to a packed house, and all for a good cause. The deal was spectacular, too: 4 courses (2 tapas, one entree and one dessert) plus a flight of 4 wines, and some good karma for $40. Even if you missed this dinner, you really must go try the food!

Website

Yelp

Going Away Dinner 1: Andalu, Mission, SF.

Andalu sangria is a must. The red AND the wite. ;) And now for a hot mess of photos--what didn't we order at Andalu??

Aw, our amazing waiter!

We had a group of about 20 so it was certainly a feast! :)

Andalu is a good spot in SF for big groups, because it's all served tapas style and you can try a bit of everything on the menu--which is exactly what we did! :) The service is great there, too, and the food comes out quickly, is all very tasty and inexpensive. Can't go wrong.

Website

Yelp

American tapas at Annie's Bistro, Pacific Heights, SF.

Calamari. This was really good, but a bit salty. Apologies for the dark photos to come--I hate using flash.

Carpaccio. This was nice.

Mushroom risotto. Good.

Tuna tartare. Not the best--just not very flavorful.

Slider with fries. Good.

Overall, Annie's Bistro was okay. The food wasn't anything spectacular, but the menu is nice and they give a good amount for the price. I'd go again, but wouldn't ever expect the meal of my life or anything.

Website

Yelp

Thursday nights at Mangarosa, North Beach, SF.

Mangarosa has Samba dancers on Thursday nights so we decided to go check it out. There are about six dancers total in these colorful sequin bikinis and elaborate feather headdresses. The music gets loud and the dancing is on! Haha. It's a fun little performance to go along with drinks or dinner.

An assortment of mini empanada-like filled pastries. I didn't like the beef one so much, but the others were nice and the sauce was fresh and zesty.

Crab artichoke dip. This was alright, but nothing to rave about.

A nice light, fluffy polenta dish. There was a nice mix of flavors, but the dish remained very light.

KM's pork-chop. This was a slightly different take on the pork-chop. I tried a bite of it and it was flavorful and interesting and actually really good.

Simple plating, but very, veeeery tasty chicken.

Website

Yelp