#91: Albondigas soup at Mijita

7x7 Magazine really loves the Ferry Building and all it has to offer apparently, because today I went to check out ANOTHER place that made their list. This time it was to Mijita for the Albondigas soup.

The soup was really good and just enough food for lunch. Tons of fresh ingredients like cilantro, celery, zucchini, onion and carrot -- that along with their delicious meatballs and crispy tortilla strips -- made for a party, er ... fiesta, in my mouth.

It's a big portion, but it's broth-based like Tortilla soup, so you're not totally over-stuffed. Not spicy, but very flavorful -- and they're generous with the meatballs.

The meatballs were being shy. They're at the bottom.

Halfway through my soup, I added several shakes of their favorite hot sauce in the soup and in my opinion, it got way better. Not any spicier, just better.

Tastes just like Tapatio.

Like every other place in the Ferry Building, Mijita at lunchtime is busy, so get there early. Speaking of busy, I haven't knocked out one of these 7x7 things in two months and now I'm looking at maybe not being able to finish this in the one year I gave myself to finish. We'll see. Blame it on David.

Sidenotes:
$6.50 a bowl
There's a new location at the ballpark.
Outdoor seating available -- which on a day like today is rad.

#92: Bacon-wrapped hot dog from a cart in the Mission (preferably when you’re drunk)

It's nearly impossible to NOT get one of these after some drinks -- with the way the bacon-smell wafts through the bar at 1:30 a.m.

The magazine says to get this from a cart in the Mission -- but there's no way I would be down in the Mission at the time of night where one could find these. Maybe when I was 25 but not these days. Besides, they're all the same, right? It's a frigging hotdog with frigging bacon wrapped around it.

This particular cart was outside the R Bar last weekend -- and can be found out there most weekends lately.

I got grilled onions on mine and was pretty satisfied at the time.

The hot dog part is just a normal small hot dog (the kind that tastes like bologna) and the bun was really cold -- so if I'm going all culinary on my thoughts about it, I probably wouldn't get it again. But then again, if you've had enough drinks, there's no way you're NOT going to get one. Not based on how good they smell.

Sidenotes:

No idea what the cost was. I was wasted. I'll have to find out next time I see the cart. Next weekend?

#96: Ube ice cream from Mitchell’s

I'm really enjoying how there are three different ice cream places on this list, because before this, I cannot even remember the last time I went out for ice cream. As you know, I already tried the secret breakfast and salted caramel ice creams and today, I checked out the last one: Mitchell's Ice Cream in the Mission (the DEEEEEP Mission).

The flavor to try here is Ube -- which is purple yam -- and apparently a popular flavor in the Philippines. It was good -- but nowhere near as good as the other two ice cream places on the list. I can't even describe what it tasted like. It just kind of tasted sweet -- like vanilla but with less flavor. Does that even make sense? It wasn't bad -- not at all -- it's just that when you go to an ice cream shop and there's like 50 flavors, it's hard not to get something a little more interesting.

Bindi got Irish Coffee.

Hughie got Butterscotch Marble and Mig got Chocolate Caramel Crunch.

Sidenotes:

$1.70 for a junior (one scoop)

I also tried the strawberries n' cream and it was awesome.

Long, long wait. Could've had something to do with the weather today -- but nevertheless -- this isn't your in-and-out quickly ice cream shop.

40% done!

#77: Eggs benedict on the back patio at Zazie

Had the pleasure of going to a neighborhood I never go to on a perfect San Francisco sunny day to have one of my favorite meals of all time: eggs benedict. If you've been to Zazie in Cole Valley, you know that it's extremely cute, very popular and their eggs benedict is out of this world. The great thing about this 7x7 list item is that it just said you have to have eggs benedict -- it didn't say what kind. And they have some good ones to choose from:

Florentine: with spinach and portobello mushrooms 8/ 11/ 14
Pierre Noir: with bacon and tomatoes provencales 9/ 12/ 15
La Mer: with fresh hand picked dungeness crab, green onions, and haas avocados 12/ 17/ 21
Monaco: with Zoe’s proscuitto and tomatoes provencales9/ 12/ 15
Albert: with bacon, white cheddar, and homemade salsa fresca 9/ 12/ 15
St. Trop: with wild smoked salmon, capers, and red onions 10/ 13/ 16
Valence: with roasted eggplant and spicy tomato-chevre sauce (no hollandaise) 8/ 11/ 14

I got three of the Albert (It was 2:30 p.m., ok? And I hadn't had anything to eat yet!) and Hughie got three of the Monaco. He gave me one of his and I gave him one of mine -- and although they were both so f**king good, I think mine was a little bit better. I mean, c'mon ... bacon, white cheddar (one of my favorite things ever) and salsa fresca? So good. So SO good. I was hoping Jen or Megan would get eggs benedict too so we could've switched three ways and I could've tried another one -- but in the end I was glad that I got to have two of the Albert.

Hugh's Monaco benedict was great too. The tomatoes were roasted, so they were so sweet and that sweetness combined with the saltiness of the prosciutto was divine.

My two Alberts (that I peppered-up) are on the left. Hugh's Monaco on the right.

Like I said, I was hungry.

If you like eggs benedict, then this is a must-go-to. Totally f**king list-worthy.

Sidenotes:

Prices above -- based on one, two or three eggs.

Although 7x7 said to have "eggs benedict on the back patio", the wait was too long. In fact, the wait is super long to even eat inside. But worth it!

You can't order one of one kind and one of the other. You can only order one, two or three of the same kind. So bring a friend and have them get eggs benedict, so you can try more than one!

#73: Popovers with strawberry butter at the Rotunda

I have an amazing boss, Felicia, who treats me to coffee in the morning, random mani/pedis and fantastic lunches when we can. Yesterday, she took me to the Rotunda at Neiman Marcus ... just because.

I was so excited to go because they have a 7x7 item there that I could try: the popovers with strawberry butter.


Absolutely delicious. Big, fluffy, airy, tasty, flaky, RAD. They bring them to you soon after you sit down when they're still warm. I definitely could've had two -- but I had this coming:

The lobster club: lobster, bacon, avocado, tomato, greens, lemon aioli and roasted red pepper -- served on brioche bread. The sweetness of the bread, combined with the buttery-ness of the lobster and the saltiness of the bacon made it one of the best sandwiches ever.

Definitely go here and try the popovers and this sandwich. And throw in a pomegranate martini in too for good measure ... it's delicious!

Sidenotes:

Popovers come complimentary.

Lobster club was $28. Def the most expensive sandwich I've ever had. Thanks Business Times!

You'll want to make a reservation -- or you can be waiting for up to 30-45 minutes.

#28: A Gibraltar at Blue Bottle Café

This is the Gibraltar from Blue Bottle Café. Isn't it pretty?

When I got to Blue Bottle (I went to the Mint Plaza location), I was a little confused because the Gibraltar wasn't on the menu.

"What's a Gibraltar?" I asked the girl at the counter.

"It's named after this glass (she held up the bigger shot glass from R Bar) and it's two shots of espresso with a little bit of steamed milk on top. And you can only get it for-here," she said.

"That sounds good. I'll have that," I replied.

So I sat there, played Words With Friends and sipped on my Gibraltar.

It was good. It's about the quality of the coffee here. The Oakland-based company is on a mission to be "a roaster for people who are clamoring for the actual taste of freshly roasted coffee." It was good coffee ... but putting it on the list of 100 Things to Eat and Drink in San Francisco Before You DIE (!) might make it a tad over-rated. Nevertheless, if you're in need of a caffeine-fix and you're near a Blue Bottle café, you might as well throw down a couple bucks to try it.

Sidenotes:
$2.75
Really nice place (the Mint Plaza location) to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee: It's really open, bright and airy.

#16: Katsu curry from Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill

It makes me so happy to go to these places and be like, 'F**k yes! THAT was GOOD!' Well that happened about 4 hours ago at Muracci's Japanese Curry & Grill in the Financial District. I had been to this place before with a co-worker and prior to that, I had never even heard of a Japanese curry restaurant. I had the beef curry the first time I went and I remember liking it a whole bunch and also thinking that it was a whole lotta food for lunchtime. This place is primarily a lunch spot -- and a very popular one -- with lines sometimes going out the door. Part of the line thing is because they make everything to order and so it can take a bit longer than most Fi-Di lunchtime take-out places. I had been putting off going here because of the quantity of food but realized this morning (I like to plan out my meals, ok?) that they close at 2:30 p.m. after lunch, but then they open back up at 5:30 p.m. Perfect!

The katsu curry is a pork cutlet that has been breaded in panko bread crumbs and pan-fried. It was very tender and tasty! The curry (which takes two days to make) is different from an Indian curry in that it is thicker and sweeter -- and you get your choice of mild, medium or hot. I had mine made medium spicy and it was perfect. I like spicy food though, so if you don't, you should maybe get it made mild.

You have your choice of white rice or brown rice (I got brown) and on the side are their version of pickles, which is just pickled cabbage and red peppers. Kinda nice to have something sour to snack on between some of the more spicy bites.

Close-up of the katsu!

Sidenotes:

$8.95 for katsu curry.

Muracci's was also on the list last year for their katsu curry.

Very little seating (it's mostly a take-out place) but if you go when I did (5:30 p.m.), there are plenty of seats.

#10: Nick’s Baja-style fish tacos at The Taco Shop at Underdogs

OMG, I love The Taco Shop at Underdogs on 19th & Irving. First of all, it's a sports bar -- and I don't think I've ever met a sports bar I didn't like. Second, they have pop-a-shot and old school video games. Third, they have buckets of beer. Fourth, they have purse hooks under the bar. And lastly, they have amazing tacos -- like #10 on 7x7's list: the baja-style fish taco. Now, fish tacos are never my first choice when I'm at a taqueria -- nor are they my second choice. I like them ... I just like pork, chicken and beef better. But I gotta tell you ... the fish taco was amazing.

The "baja-style fish taco" is beer battered fish in two soft corn tortillas with cilantro, cabbage, red onions and lime & roasted tomato salsas. There is also a very light and thin lime-y sour cream involved. You have the option to get the tacos "Nick's Way," which is one grilled crispy corn tortilla and one soft, filled with monterey jack cheese, pinto beans, pico de gallo and guacamole but you all know how I feel about beans in my tacos...

New favorite taco in my new favorite bar/taco shop.

Closer look.

It's not only the tacos that I thought were amazing here. Remember back in February when I went to La Papalote to try their chips & salsa? And remember when I said that it was good but it wasn't as good as that one Tortilla Heights salsa? Well, interesting connection here... The Taco Shop at Underdog's has the same salsas as Tortilla Heights! I should've known as Tortilla Heights has a couple tacos on their menu that are made through Nick too. Underdog's had squeeze bottles of the salsas up and down the bar -- so I was just going to town. Although to be quite honest, the taco had so much flavor, I didn't think it needed any salsa.

This is a definite must-go-to. I would love to go with any of you on a weekend to watch a Giants game. I'm dying to go back.

Sidenotes:
$4.50 for the fish taco.

Yes, the 'Nick' I speak of is from 'Nick's Crispy Tacos' fame.

Lots of TVs to watch your favorite team.

They had sangria that looked pretty good too.

#36: Dry-fried chicken wings at San Tung

Ain't no thing but a chicken wing!

Nadeau and I had been talking about this one for awhile -- as we share an affinity for wings. These ones were particularly intriguing based on the fact that they were "dry-fried" and neither one of us knew what that meant. Well, after doing a bit of research it seems that to "dry-fry" means to fry something without using oil. When ordering the famous dry-fried chicken wings (and based on how much there is on the internet about them, I would say they ARE indeed famous), you have the option of having them dry or wet -- which seemed to me to be glazed or non-glazed. I'm a big sauce person, so I always get wet (that's what she said).

These wings kick ass. I think I've only had non-buffalo wings maybe one other time. They were sweet -- but not too sweet -- and overall the flavor was great. The wings themselves were big and had lots of meat on them, which is always good.

The restaurant was BUSY -- especially for lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon. It was about a 15-20 minute wait for two people -- and when we finally got seated, it was at a communal table (which was fine). Speaking of communal tables, this would be a great place to go out for Chinese with a group: They have 6-8 round tables that seat 10.

Definitely go check out the chicken wings next time you are in the Inner Sunset and let me know what you think!

Sidenotes:
$9.00 for 12 wings

We also got the dry-fried asparagus which was really good.

#17: Samusa soup at Burma Superstar

It's been a couple of weeks since I've knocked one of these 7x7 adventures out, but in all fairness I went to Burma Superstar on March 31 ... I just haven't written about it yet!

Meg, Jen and I went there because a) none of us had ever been there and b) the Samusa soup is on the 7x7 list and c) we like to hang out. It was actually a perfect day to go eat soup -- cold and dreary. The soup is a vegetarian soup -- made up of beans, samusas (basically just like Indian Samosas, just Burmese) falafels, lentils, cabbage, onions and a bunch of spices ... and it was TASTY! In fact, out of all the things we ordered, the soup was my favorite thing.

We also ordered the tea leaf salad (on last year's 7x7 list), the pumpkin pork stew, the beef kebat and the platha and dip (platha is a coconut chicken curry sauce that I pretty much wanted to bathe in.)

The tea leaf salad was very good but there was something going on with the dressing that I wasn't a fan of. Both the pumpkin pork stew and beef kebat were good and I'm pretty much a huge fan of coconut rice. Mmm...

After all the hype that I have heard about this place since I have lived here, I'm just not sure it lived up to it. I mean, it was good -- but I wasn't wowed or anything. I would definitely recommend the soup -- especially on a shitty day. It's your call.

Sidenotes:
$10 for Samusa soup (1-3 people)
Burma Superstar doesn't take reservations. We went at 6:00 p.m. and got the last open table. When we left, I heard the host tell some people that it would be a 40-minute wait.
You could potentially get out here really fast. They bring the food out like you called it in ahead of time.