Yep, a foie gras ice cream sandwich with the most delicious gingerbread snaps. The snaps actually tasted like fresh ginger, which was a nice change. The foie gras was so subtle and just enough sweetness to make the ultimate gourmet treat. It’s tiny, but it is definitely enough to satisfy your salty and sweet French craving.
This wasn’t my first time at Humphry Slocombe. I have come back on numerous occasions for their infamous “Secret Breakfast” flavor. Each time I come back, I bring a new date to explore this new flavor combination of bourbon and sugar coated corn flakes. Seriously, it is unbelievable. I’m pretty sure they always have their staples, like the Secret Breakfast and McEvoy Olive Oil, but I got lucky a few times with Honey Thyme, Balsamic Caramel, and Guinness Gingerbread. There is so much love behind the ice cream here, the great quality is so obvious. If you don’t believe me, check out the ice cream cone sleeves on the owner. Today, they had a new special, Bacon Peanut Brittle. Yep, again, mixing bacon with sugar, is proven to always be a good idea.
The staff is so friendly, allowing you to try every flavor, without rolling his or her eyes at you (big plus). It is no secret that this is going to be a new Mission favorite for a long long time.
12-8pm. Closed Mondays. Cash Only.
2790 Harrison Stbetween 23rd St & 24th St
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-550-6971
…in CHOCOLATE!
I’ve been on a hunt for the best chocolate in San Francisco because my favorite date is pretty much addicted. I think I found a few winners. Cocoa Bella Chocolates San Francisco and Recchiuti Confections had most of the good ones. The Village Market had the Vogues Mo’s Bacon Bar that I absolutely loved.
Mo’s Bacon Bar is a combination of applewood smoked bacon (actual bite size pieces!), Alder wood smoked salt and milk chocolate. 41% cacao. The first bite was questionable, but after that I couldn’t stop. I made everyone try a piece and got very mixed reviews. One of my friends, B, actually liked it, until I said there was bacon inside.
Fleur de Sel Caramel (Christopher Elbow)
Fleur de Sel Burnt Caramel (Recchiuti Confections)
It’s pretty clear that Fleur de Sel is the top pick for my ultimate bon bon. Here, I’ve tried the Fleur de Sel Caramel by Christopher Elbow from Cocoa Bella. It was a basic salt enhanced soft caramel, but the outer shell was especially hard, which gave a nice crunch. Recchiuti Confections was the winner for Fleur de Sel for my taste buds, the caramel was firm but not too sticky, and it was burnt which gave the most amazing sensation when mixed with the infamous French sea salt.
Cocoa Bella also had a bon bon called “Hannah” which I instantly wanted because of my dear friend Aloo. Anyway, this delicious Knipschildt treasure was milk chocolate with liquid caramel and a few speckles of Hawaiian sea salt.
Smokey Oregon Blue Truffle
A few other bangin’ flavors were Jamaican Spice Caramel, Cayenne Caramel (which had a crazy kick), Smokey blue truffle made of Oregon Rogue blue cheese, organic milk chocolate and toasted almonds, all from Lillie Belle Farms. Recchiuti Confections’, Star Anise & Pink Peppercorn was a dark chocolate treasure infused with these two dynamic flavors. I’ll admit, I went searching for the Oregon Rogue Blue after reading about it on Lick My Spoon. Check out her recent chocolate post!
Every time I walk through Andronico’s, I stop at the beer aisle and stare. Brown Sugar Ale? It always caught my eye, and finally my date said “let’s just give it a try”. I wasn’t going to argue. We barbecued some vegetables and buffalo and topped them both with Bone Suckin’ Sauce (make sure you buy the HOT). The hidden caramel notes of the barbeque sauce and the Lagunitas Brown Shugga’ Ale paired perfectly. If you have an Andronico’s near by, go get some fresh produce, buffalo, bbq sauce, and Lagunitas, you won’t be disappointed.
Info:
- 9.90% ABV
- Smaller head, spotted lace
- Medium Amber in color
- Smells like: Brown sugar (obviously), cinnamon, just all around sweetness
- Tastes like: Extremely flavorful, a bit of citrus came and went with hoppy and burnt caramel with the aftertaste of molasses
- Full bodied
- Velvety and thick finish almost syrupy
- Limited Release
- Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, California
- www.lagunitas.com
- Grade: A-
I drive passed Frjtz all the time, and for a french fry lover, it’s pathetic that I JUST went a few days ago. So the concept is french fries, mussels and Belgian beer. The menu also has crepes and a few salads and sandwiches. I just went for the fries and the large assortment of dips. I’m all about dips, so we chose the monthly special, Morrocan Saffron Aoli, Curry Ketchup, Thai Chili Ketchup, and Parmesan Peppercorn Ranch. Curry Ketchup was amazing, so was the ranch, obviously. I was really disappointed with the special dip, I got zero saffron and I couldn’t find anything Moroccan about it. We ordered small regular fries and small white truffle oil fries. Truffle always wins in my book. To drink we had Gulden Draak. It’s a Belgian Strong Dark Ale with a 10.50% ABV. The aroma was fruity, I got some apple and all around sweetness. Tasted malty, sweet, and very rich. Great full-bodied beer, we just weren’t in the mood for it with the french fries. Pretty cool place, watch out if you have a buzz, bright colors start changing under your seats… definitely caught me off guard.
590 Valencia St
(between 16th St & 17th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-8272
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
