go go gyro

when i saw the sign stating that there was a new greek place so close to my house i was stoked!  today ended up being the perfect time to check it out so liz, elle and i stopped in for lunch.  pictured above is my lamb & beef gyro (i picked off the tomatoes) with onions and a cool yogurt based dill sauce.  the flavor was sufficient but what i didn't like was the fact that it wasn't the sliced off meat.  instead it was ground lamb and beef combined together then cooked and i would have preferred the meet on the spigot that rotates and is sliced off just before serving.  let me say it was not bad but it wasn't what i expected it to be.  i didn't take pictures of the other items i ordered but i also got a bowl of lemon chicken soup with rice that i thoroughly enjoyed, it had a unique balance of flavors and the rice helped to offset the slightly creamy broth.  also not pictured is a cheese type dip that was the consistency of humus but had a little kick of spice that i liked.  i'll let you know if this place is a hit once i try it again.

we are augustines & the boxer rebellion

at slim's tonight i was introduced to a new band called we are augustines who opened for the boxer rebellion.  i was so impressed with them that i ended up purchasing a cd as well as an autographed poster, which now hangs in my room.  i love being introduced to new music and i love it even more when i'm introduced to them through live music.  great job tonight we are augustines!

i actually talked a friend into attending the show with me since none of my friends knew who the boxer rebellion was and thankfully she was down for the cause.  we both enjoying the show and i think that she is now a fan of both bands.  funny thing is that i only know 3 songs by the boxer rebellion but those 3 songs were enough that i was interested to hear more.  happy to report that i do not regret my decision to attend!

nopalito

only 88 more to go

#53 - carnitas at nopalito, done and done



the pork was cooked and caramelized to perfection with some nice slightly crisp edges but mostly soft and succulent.  not super greasy with loads of flavor in each bite.  it's served with cole slaw, green salsa and fresh house made tortillas.  one thing i will say that we arrived around 8 for dinner and they had at least an hour wait to be seated so call ahead and get reservations or do what we did and step over to the side door and order your meal to go.  since we were there for a concert we couldn't very well head home to eat so we sat inside the grocery store that is next door and ate since they had tables and chairs (don't worry i bought 20 bucks worth of food there too).  too bad this place isn't closer to my house so i could enjoy this more often but i guess it's a good thing it's not.

random but i found a shirley temple in a bottle at the grocery store where we ate, i had no clue anyone sold it already mixed and in a bottle.

kincaid's

happy administrative professionals day to me

ate lunch at kincaid's with my coworkers.  with all the buzz around the office i assumed lunch was going to life changing.  i'm afraid that the meal did not live up to the hype and my sandwich was only average.  in case my words don't express my proof is the fact that i only ate half of my sandwich.

since my sandwich was less a let down i had to shut down my meal with pear bread pudding.  let me start by offering a little known fact about me, i do not like pears so i picked them off.  after moving the pears to the side i dug in but only mildly enjoyed my dessert.  i've only had homemade bread pudding the lady i know who makes it can make one much better then this.  i did really enjoy the bourbon sauce i dumped on top.

mango caribbean

 mango caribbean

cafe gratitude

café gratitude is an organic vegan restaurant that specializes in gourmet raw and cooked cuisines.  we ate at the harrison location in san francisco.  i've never eaten at a vegan restaurant or eaten a vegan meal so i was very sceptical walking into this experience.

i am thriving is their cooked soup of the day.  this is a picture of my cauliflower soup and vanilla smoothie.

i am extraordinary is a BLT sandwich without the bacon and no tomatoes.  they use coconut to replace the bacon, it's sauteed in maple and served with avocado and spicy chipotle aioli.

i'm not sure how this place made such great food that i'd eat again without using any animal products.  don't get me wrong, i don't have to eat meat everyday but i would never have imagined that i'd want to go back to a place that makes only vegan food.  in fact i didn't even miss the bacon on my sandwich and didn't notice that my soup and shake weren't made from real cream.  thanks café gratitude for the wonderful meal and congratulations you've gained a new fan.

yes i did...

eat a taco from the truck parked on the same block as café gratitude before i entering the vegan side of life for dinner.  when i noticed the truck i figured it would be a good idea to eat a little something before i sat down for dinner at a place i was certain i wasn't going to enjoy.  surely one taco could hold me over until i could leave the vegan world behind me and grab a few more tacos to top me off before going to the art show.

i'm glad i did only because it was a tasty carnitas taco but i really didn't need to eat a taco since i liked my meal so much.. who knew.