Before I continue, let me throw out a little disclaimer. South bay people are lazy. Scratch that. THIS south
bay person is lazy, so when I DO make those rare trips up to SF, I have to make the most of it. This is why my boyfriend and I planned a food fest during our latest trip up to the city during our anniversary weekend. The plan was to eat our way from the Mission, up the Embarcadero and end up in Downtown.

Our goal was threefold: 1.) to hit up as many places as we could in 7 hours, 2.) taste and enjoy from each stop without gorging ourselves and 3.) save enough room for dinner at the Fifth Floor, the main reason we’re making a trek up to SF in the first place. Notice there is no mention of avoiding weight gain. We’ve accepted the fact that weight gain is inevitable when you are in a love affair with food.

1st Stop: Mission Pie – 2903 Mission Street, between 25th & 26th. Bakery and coffee shop. Cash and checks only.

Verdict: Pretty decent. We got into the city early and needed caffeine and a light snack, and Mission Pie fit the bill. The mocha I had was perfectly bitter from the coffee and chocolate. Their homemade maple walnut scone was flakey and not too sweet. I’d visit again if I happen to be in the area.

2nd Stop: Mr. Pollo – 2823 Mission Street, between 24th and 25th. Latin American cuisine. Cash only.

We decided to splurge on their 4-course chef’s tasting menu. The $15 4-course chef’s tasting menu. Oh yes, you read that right. After being featured on Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate” we got sucked into the hype and had to try it. Today for lunch, Chef Manny prepared for us the following:

1.) Columbian crispy shrimp atop a summer squash salad with a cilantro emulsification – I hate shrimp, squash and cucumbers, but I loved this dish! The shrimp were lightly fried, not overcooked, with an aroma of lemon.The paper-thin slices of vegetables paired nicely with the cilantro sauce.

2.) Bay scallop salad with cherry tomatoes, figs, parsley flowers and fish eggs – A tangy dish, sweet from the figs, savory from the flowers with a little salt and popping texture from the eggs. A refreshing, summery dish.
3.) Grilled beef with crispy fingerling potatoes, house pickled carrot, wasakaka sauce and oregano flowers – This was my least favorite dish, as the meat was very fatty and chewy … extremely difficult to eat. However, the potato was good, nice and salty, carrot tangy, nice contrast to super fatty meat
4.) Fried pork loin with garlic rice and aji sauce – Crispy, flavorful pork with a hit of citrus and spices. The rice soaked up the sauce and pork juices. Probably could have done with about half the amount of rice.

Verdict: Well worth the $15 ($20 with tax and tip). Ingredients are fresh, and you can taste it. The menu
changes daily, so if you’re the spontaneous type, it’s worth the visit.

3rd Stop: Tartine Bakery – 600 Guerrero Street, between 18th & 19th. Bakery and café. Accepts cash and credit.

My sweet tooth demanded that I pay this place a visit, so I had to oblige. Between 4 people, we shared the following:

1.) Chocolate éclair – Pretty standard. Be warned that Tartine does NOT skimp on the filling, so be mindful of both ends of the éclair (or be ok with cream on your sandals).
2.) Brioche bread pudding with peaches, berry and a cumble – This was not my favorite. The bread pudding was soaked maybe a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle too long because it was very firm and had an overwhelming egg flavor. If you want a blow-your-mind-good bread pudding, come down to San Jose and give Naglee’s Garage a try.
3.) Lemon bar – Extremely lemony. Perfectly tart, sweet, and the crust was dense and smooth.
4.) Tres Leches Cake – If you go to Tartine you will NEED to give this a try. My only regret is that I didn’t buy a whole cake to bring back with me. Om nom nom nom!

Verdict: I’d definitely come back for that Tres Leches Cake alone. We didn’t try anything from the café because every inch of the place was packed, but the salads and sandwiches looked enticing.

3rd Stop: Mission Cheese – 736 Valencia Street, between 18th & 19th. Wine and cheese bar. Cash and credit.

We ordered the monger’s choice cheese flight (3 cheese for $10). We ended up with:

1.) Bay Ridge cow’s milk cheese from Vermont – Not my favorite cheese. Our server described it from having a “straight from the farm” taste, which already had me in doubt. Tasting it only confirmed that doubt. If there
was such a thing as a gamey tasting cheese, this one would be it.
2.) San Andreas aged goat’s milk cheese from California – A harder cheese, dry, delicious. This one was my favorite.
3.) Toma cow’s milk cheese, washed in brine – Stinkiest of the three. Soft, thick, and tasty (if you don’t inhale before you chew).

Verdict: This is a new spot in the mission, but already it seems like they have a dedicated local following, where they recognize patrons by name as they walk through the door. A chill, relaxing place to hang out on a lazy afternoon. An awesome new find for wine and cheese enthusiasts.

4th & 5th Stops: Cowgirl Creamery Sidekick and Blue Bottle Coffee – Ferry Building Marketplace. Takes cash and credit.

We got the handmade SF egg cream chocolate soda and the Blue Bottle mocha. I love cream soda, but the CowGirl Creamery one was just ok – nothing special. The Blue Bottle mocha was thick, creamy and delicious…though I don’t know if it was worth the 20 minute wait.

Verdict: I don’t know if I’d stop by either place again. Maybe Blue Bottle Coffee if the line was shorter.

6th Stop: Hog Island Oyster Bar – Ferry Building Marketplace. Takes cash and credit.

Oysters in the 1st pictures (clockwise, starting at 12 o’ clock) – Penn Cove Selects from Samish Bay WA, Blue Pool from Hood Canal WA , Tomahawk from Shinnecock Bay NY, Beau Solei from Miramichi Bay New Brunswick , Hog Island Sweetwater from Tomales Bay, and Chelsea Gems from Eld Inlet WA.

The smaller oysters (Penn Cove Selects, Sweetwater and Chelsea Gems) were delightful in texture – firm, soft, not chewy, smooth. The Chelsea Gems were a little on the salty side … you can really taste the ocean in them. The Tomahawk and the Beau Solei were my least favorite. I’m a texture junkie, and those 2 really didn’t do it for me.

Verdict: Cool place to hang out with a view, fresh seafood and beer – what else do you need? A lot of folks were there that afternoon before the Giants game … or perhaps they were there to kill time after they lined up hours before the game to get that Posey bobblehead. They have great happy hours specials too on Mondays and Thursdays – $1 oysters! I’d come back for that in itself!

7th (and final) Stop: Fifth Floor – Hotel Palomar, 12 4th Street. American food. Accepts cash and credit card.

After scoping out the menu 2 months in advance, we all knew what we wanted: the 6 course tasting menu. If you’re fortunate enough to dine at a fine establishment such as Fifth Floor, why not have a taste of their chef’s finest dishes?

From left to right:
1.) Amuse bouche: cucmber shot with caviar and a skewered salted cherry tomato. Light, refreshing, mild.
2.) Misty Point Oysters: with 25 year old shoyu, wasabi, radish and puffed rice. Absolutely delicious. I say that as a lover of oyster and because the shoyu really brings out the sweetness of the oysters, and the radish and wasabi end it on a mildly spicy note.
3.) Mendacino Uni Flan: served in an eggshell with Dungeness crab fondue, saffron foam, Sichuan pepper and aged kaffir lime. This was orgasm in my mouth. I didn’t really think the saffron foam added too much to the dish because you only got the saffron flavor with the first taste. The uni flan was amazing – sweet, savory and so thick that it lingered on your tongue. The texture was more of a bisque, in my opinion, than a flan.

Proteins (from left to right):
1.) Seared diver scallop: atop a corn sauce, topped with popcorn. Wait … popcorn?? Yes, and it worked
wonderfully. The corn was fantastic in bringing out the sweet flavor of the seared scallop – almost crossing that line to being too sweet.
2.) Duet of milk fed veal: paired with sweetbreads, mustard spaetzle, and chantrelle mushrooms. I did not like this dish at all. I thought that the mushrooms were the best thing on the plate … well seasoned and not over cooked. Everything else was forgettable. The sweetbreads in particular left a strange after taste in my mouth.
3.) Leg of goat: with tomato jam, pickle lime, and coriander scented jus. I’ve never had goat before, and dislike most gamey meats, but I thought this dish was executed to perfection. Gamey, yes, but it was mostly over powered by the flavors that surrounded it. The meat was cooked down to being fork tender. I was wishing for a larger piece at my last bite.

Desserts. Ah, desserts. My favorite part of any meal

From left to right:
1.) Palate clenser: sake ice cream with a berry gelee and vanilla glass. Mild and forgettable in flavor, cool in temprature. The gelee had a nice texture and popped in your mouth, releasing a cool berry liquid that coated your tongue.
2.) Roasted figs with a goat cheese mousse atop a licorice shortbread, next to a port ice cream, garnished with walnut pesto. At first I was wary of the licorice shortbread – I hate the flavor of licorice, but after taking a few bites with the mousse and the figs, I discovered that the flavors played extremely well together and I cleaned the plate. The port ice cream was divine – I actually had a 2nd serving!

Verdict: A more-than-decent meal at a casually elegant restaurant. Great for a date night out with your
significant other, or a catch-up night with your friends. As with any tasting menu, it changes based on what’s in season, so it would be exciting to dine here at during any season. I would skip the wine pairing, as I found that it didn’t significantly enhance nor inhibit the flavors in the food

And there you have it – 7 restaurants and a variety of 20 different dishes in the span of 12 hours. Obviously, I won’t be attempting this again anytime soon!

Tell me – if you were to plan a food fest in the bay area, where would you go and what restaurants would you choose?

Guest Blogger: Gina Tsai

Bio: When I’m not eating, I’m either running (running off the excess weight so I can eat more), annoying my 2 little cuddle pugs or doing my part to save the world at my job in non-profit.

All photos were taken by Haw Yu. Visit his portfolio at www.flickr.com/hawbone.