Another fav of mine.
SFFD is to Trouble Coffee as SFPD is to Philz.
I want to believe this sign so bad.
Gibralter. Supposedly an SF original (but not via Trouble), gone global.
The standard coffee comes with attitude.
DAT CINNAMON TOAST THO! If Trouble didn’t start the American toast trend, I don’t know what did. Seems it inspired milkmade out in NYC.
Trouble Coffee, 1730 Yosemite Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124.
A culinary landmark.
I went upstairs for the more casual cafe.
Though known for focusing on quality ingredients, I thought the bread was rather standard.
I think this might have been my favorite part of the meal! Local halibut tartare with cucumbers, radishes, green coriander and ginger.
I eventually tried to recreate a dish similar to this. Baked andante dairy goat cheese with garden lettuces.
The pasta was al dente! Rigatoni with wild mushroom ragu.
From this dish I realized I don’t particularly like nettles. Grilled James Ranch lamb rack, leg, and loin with summer vegetable tian, nettles, amaranth, and tapenade.
I had higher expectations for the panna cotta, but in the end it was fairly standard. Buttermilk panna cotta with Lucero Farm strawberries and raspberries.
This was better than expected. August fire nectarine galette with lemon verbena ice cream.
Chez Panisse, 1517 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709
http://www.chezpanisse.com/
Dandelion Chocolate is one of my favs!
I remember liking this Butuo Liberia bar, but their selection changes.
Packaging is nice, and it looks even better on a hipster table.
Those marshmallows can be easy to miss.
Hot chocolate is rich.
Actually all the chocolate drinks are rich! Horchata included.
I recommend washing it down with a marshmallow or two.
Dandelion Chocolate, 740 Valencia St (at 18th), San Francisco, CA 94110
http://www.dandelionchocolate.com
Went on a brief trip to Santa Barbara back in 2014 (I know, it’s been a while) and found this beautiful place!
Bread and butter to start. Served warm, as it should be.
The Market Salad was good. Fennel, herbed chevre, almonds, and a fennel vinaigrette.
The Market Soup was perfect for the season, but I don’t think I care much about summer squash puree.
The rack of lamb was really good. I recommend it.
The sea bass tasted a lot better than it looks.
And service was good, as it should be.
Bouchon, 9 W Victoria St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
http://www.bouchonsantabarbara.com
