NORDIC FOOD TRUCK....WELCOME TO FISHVILLE

It's a chilly, blustery day in San Francisco so of course we are going to hit up the StrEat Food Park. But don't fret, they have great indoor seating with heat lamps, of which we will take full advantage. Wandering around the park I peruse the menus and try to find something to tempt my taste buds. Cold day, hot food, hmm...maybe something comforting and fried. That's when I spy the Nordic Food Truck, run by Chef Pelle.

JASPER'S CORNER TAP...THE WAITING IS THE HARDEST PART

When grabbing a bite in San Francisco going to the Tenderloin isn't usually the first thing people think of doing. But here I am on a random Thursday night in the city standing on the corner of Taylor and O'Farrell right on the edge of the Tenderloin looking at Jasper's Corner Tap and deciding it doesn't look too busy to just pop in solo and grab a bite to eat.

                                  

Once inside it is kind of busy and takes me a moment to figure out where the host stand is located and then a few minutes to find a person manning it. I ask if I can sit at the bar and he says the seats by the bar are actually reservation places but anything on the left of the railing is open seating, which basically means the long narrow bar that runs along the window. I'm okay with this and think it's better than sitting around the bar as I can watch the Tenderloin night life parade by as floor show entertainment. Yes that may sound harsh but anyone who has been there at night knows what I'm talking about. 

EGG NOG PIE FROM FLOUR + CO MAYBE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER WITH BRANDY?

One of the great things about the holidays is anticipation for what's to come, especially for foods that seem to only make their appearance at this time of year. From fruitcake (yes I'm the one) to red velvet chocolate milk to peppermint bark to yule logs and so on. Added to the canon this year was the appearance of egg nog pie from Flour + Co. I'm sure this has been around awhile but I probably just missed it amidst all the regular holiday folderol. But like egg nog and other festive treats I somehow found my way to it. I've been to Flour + Co. before and explored a selection of their treats and particularly enjoyed the peanut butter chocolate cake so I had high hopes for another of their dessert concoctions.

    

MONTEREY'S FISH HOUSE IT REALLY IS WHERE THE LOCALS GO

When you do the food thing people turn to you to help find places to eat, which, when they are in San Francisco, is something I can do. Thing is, even when you go out of town folks still ask if you can find a place and this is where it becomes a bit of a challenge. Such was the case on a recent trip to Monterey Bay with the SO and his folks. I hadn't been there in a while and the few places I remembered were on the wharf area that the tourists go to (much like Fisherman's Wharf here) and they were just okayish. Thus I feverishly poured over every food website and review I could find to try and figure out what would be a good place to chow down. Eventually I stumbled across this place called Monterey's Fish House (oddly no website for these folks, but then they don't seem to need it).

FOOD TRUCK QUICK BITE: EL CALAMAR BRINGING PERUVIAN TO THE MASSES

I remember my time in Peru and I remember the food. Like many countries it could be a hit or miss affair, but when it was good, it was really good. On one of my many visits to the SOMA StrEat Food Park I wandered past the El Calamar food truck touting its Peruvian cuisine.

WEST OF PECOS IN SAN FRANCISCO....THE FOOD IS DEFINITELY HEARTY

It's Miss O's birthday and time to take her out for a big dinner. She gets to pick the place to go, I'll pay and go wherever she wants, unless it's sushi which she knows I'm not a fan of. This years selection was West of Pecos, a place I vaguely remember walking by on Valencia one time but not knowing much about. It's a Southwestern themed restaurant opened by the guys who brought us the Woodhouse Fish Company, a place I'd been to ages ago but haven't reviewed (hmm...maybe I should go again). Anyway, I perused the menu online and it's that standard San Francisco menu--chicken dish, pork chop, steak, etc., but with the whole Southwest twist-ish yet served in California (get it--we are west of Pecos) which screams large portions to me and, well, I'm always up for a big hunk of meat so let's chow down. Located on the Valencia strip with loads of other options this place seemed to have a decent crowd in the bar area for a Wednesday night, yet the restaurant part was pretty much empty and decorated to the hilt with shades of western stuff (and shades of Mexico also thrown in). Plus it was kind of dark, in both wood and lighting--thus please forgive some of my forthcoming pics.

20TH CENTURY CAFE IN SAN FRANCISCO....MUST. EAT. CAKE. NOW!

Sometimes being known for one thing can lead to big things, I mean the Colonel made a tagline and a bundle with it at KFC. (that's fried chicken by the way) When new places open in this town, trying to get a foothold or notice in our ever burgeoning food scene can be difficult, but having a dish that stands out and makes people want to come and try it is a good start because folks will ultimately sample other things when they go. That seems to be the case with the few months old 20th Century Cafe in Hayes Valley.