A Date With Flavor » Other

Blue Bottle Cafe

Ali — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:55:36 +0000

My date and I stopped in for a quick breakfast the other morning at the famous San Francisco cafe, Blue Bottle. They are known for their Artisanal Micro-roasting. I found out about Blue Bottle from a New York Times article raving about their 20,000 dollar Japanese Siphon bar. It is a halogen powered coffee pot, that you must see in person to believe. Blue bottle uses only certified organic coffees from all over the world. For a “regular” cup of coffee, they don’t just pour a pot that has been sitting on a burner for god knows how long, or pull a tab from a large coffee machine, they use the filter drip method. On the website you can read about the process of the filter drip, along with french press and mokka pot (stove top espresso).

Now for the food, we split Judy’s farm poached eggs atop thick toast and whipped butter. It really was perfect. There was the same dish with some prosciutto, but we weren’t in the mood. For only 9.50, we started the day off utterly satisfied.

66 Mint St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 495-3394

Weekdays 7am-7pm; Sat 8am-8pm; Sun 8am-4pm

I drink a lot

Ali — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 06:14:32 +0000

Imbiber’s One Hundred

The Drinker’s response to the Omnivore’s 100.

I think I had more fun with this one!

Instructions:

Copy this list into your blog, with instructions.
Bold all the drinks you’ve imbibed.
Cross out any items that you won’t touch
Post a comment here and link to your results.

If you don’t have a site, let me know the number!

I got 73/100!

List of Drinks You Must Try Before You Expire

1. Manhattan Cocktail
2. Kopi Luwak (Weasle Coffee)
3. French / Swiss Absinthe
4. Root beer
5. Gin Martini
6. Sauternes
7. Whole Milk
8. Tequila (100% Agave)
9. XO Cognac
10. Espresso
11. Spring Water (directly from the spring)
12. Gin & Tonic
13. Mead-YES ethiopian!
14. Westvleteren 12 (Yellow Cap) Trappist Ale¹(P GET ON THIS!)

15. Chateau d’Yquem

16. Budwieser
17. Maraschino Liqueur
18. Mojito
19. Orgeat
20. Grand Marnier
21. Mai Tai (original)
22. Ice Wine (Canadian)
23. Red Bull
24. Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
25. Bubble Tea
26. Tokaj
27. Chicory
28. Islay Scotch
29. Pusser’s Navy Rum
30. Fernet Branca – YEP thanks to Emily!
31. Fresh Pressed Apple Cider- HELLLL YESSSS
32. Bourbon
33. Australian Shiraz
34. Buckley’s Cough Syrup
35. Orange Bitters
36. Margarita (classic recipe)
37. Molasses & Milk
38. Chimay Blue-for my chimichurri
39. Wine of Pines
40. Green Tea
41. Daiginjo Sake
42. Chai Tea
43. Vodka (chilled, straight)
44. Coca-Cola
45. Zombie (Beachcomber recipe)
46. Barley Wine
47. Brewed Choclate (Xocolatl)
48. Pisco Sour
49. Lemonade
50. Speyside Single Malt
51. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
52. Champagne (Vintage)-KRUGGG
53. Rosé (French)
54. Bellini
55. Caipirinha-mmm yes
56. White Zinfandel (Blush)-I’m embarrassed.
57. Coconut Water
58. Cerveza-si
59. Cafe au Lait
60. Ice Tea
61. Pedro Ximenez Sherry-I’d rather not.
62. Vintage Port
63. Hot Chocolate
64. German Riesling
65. Piña Colada
66. El Dorado 15 Year Rum
67. Chartreuse
68. Greek Wine
69. Negroni
70. Jägermeister-gross.
71. Chicha
72. Guinness
73. Rhum Agricole-Thanks to NOPA
74. Palm Wine
75. Soju-only at FLYYY
76. Ceylon Tea (High Grown)
77. Belgian Lambic
78. Mongolian Airag
79. Doogh, Lassi or Ayran
80. Sugarcane Juice
81. Ramos Gin Fizz
82. Singapore Sling
83. Mint Julep
84. Old Fashioned
85. Perique
86. Jenever (Holland Gin)
87. Chocolate Milkshake
88. Traditional Italian Barolo
89. Pulque
90. Natural Sparkling Water
91. Cuban Rum
92. Asti Spumante
93. Irish Whiskey
94. Château Margaux-I’d like a bottle
95. Two Buck Chuck-Thanks Arizona.
96. Mulled Cider-favorite
97. Akvavit
98. Rye Whisky
99. German Weissbier
100. Daiquiri (classic)

Zuni Cafe

Ali — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:57:32 +0000

Zuni Cafe is one of the top rated and most popular restaurants in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley. It is impossible to miss, taking up a full corner on Market St. with a giant yellow awning. I have read a bunch of reviews, and everyone raves about the oyster selection and burger. We caught great weather and decided to sit outside on Market. Probably the most entertaining meal of my life; this is by far the best place to people watch in the city.

To drink we had a bottle of Saison Dupont and a balsamic bloody mary. The Saison Dupont is hazy orange with a pure, fluffy, white head. Lots of lace and sediment at the bottom. The nose and mouth get similar experiences with extra citrus (lemon/orange peel) and a touch of coriander. There is hidden spice that comes out in the dry finish. It’s kind of bitter, but sweet and spicy at the same time, which creates a fantastic combination of flavor. There is something about this label that I love, it’s great that the orange look of the beer matches the checkered bottle. I was a little hesitant at first because it was so intense, but it grew on me for sure.

Although I was leaning on a glass of Chateau la Louviere 2005 Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend (12.80gl) from Bordeaux, I opted for the Balsamic Bloody Mary (9.25). My favorite part was the minced red onion which added a lot of flavor and a great texture. It wasn’t spicy enough for my liking but it did have the perfect balance of sweet and sour with their special ingredient, balsamic.

My date and I were both craving hamburgers, which is why we ended up here in the first place. Their House ground burger is described as being on a grilled rosemary focaccia with garden lettuces, aioli, and Zuni pickles. There were extra options to add, Gruyere, Mountain Gorgonzola, grilled onions, and portobello mushrooms. We got the Mountain Gorgonzola and grilled onions. The “zuni” pickles served on the side of the plate made this burger perfection. With the add ons to the burger it came out to 18.25. SO worth it. One complaint, the ridiculous plate of “french fries”. HA. They did call them “shoe string” on the menu, but come on. All I wanted was a french fry to go with my amazing burger, instead I got dried potato sticks that were impossible to pick up and awkward as hell to eat. Using a fork for french fries? NO thanks. Other than that, GREAT lunch!

Zuni Café

1658 Market Street

San Francisco, Ca 94102

415.552.2522