The best pizza in town!

I'm sure most of you have heard of Tony's Pizza Napoletana in the North Beach district of SF, but have you tried it??  The best classic italian style pizza I've ever had!

I tried both of their top medal winners...

 The savory Cal Italia - asiago, mozzerella, italian gorgonzola. sweet fig preserve, proscuitto, parmagiano and drizzled with balsamic.  The sweet and salty mix together perfectly on this pizza!

And the infamous Pizza Margherita which they only make 73 per day so get there early!  Your very basic traditional pizza but with the imported italian tomatoes and the homemade sauce, this pizza is outstanding compared to any other margherita pizza's I've had!

Our usual HH stop

Convenient (in our "hood"), great HH deals ($6/glass of red or white wine from 5 to 7pm), great outdoor patio (heated and loungey couches)...aka the perfect HH spot!  Bin 38 in the Marina district...

Our always and a must is the cheese plate but once in awhile we'll splurge and get some other goodies.  Our new found favorite is the Sugarpie Pumpkin Bruschetta - truffle mascarpone, fried sage, and pepitas

And once in awhile we'll splurge on a BIN Burger - caramelized onion, cornichon, smoked gouda, french fries, and roasted garlic aioli

Everyone's favorite item...mac and cheese

We were appliance shopping at Atherton Appliances last weekend and they happened to be having a cooking demonstration. Lucky us cause we were served one of the best home made mac and cheese ever!  And I don't even like mac and cheese to begin with but when you add bacon to anything I will more than likely end up loving it :)  Thank you Joseph!

This particular recipe consists of 7 different types of cheeese (brie, gouda, and can't quite remember what else but I'm sure any good cheese is just as yummy!), bacon pieces, roux mix (butter, flour and milk) and then topped with bread crumbs.  

Chinatown

Working only a few blocks from Chinatown is a great perk!  Here are a couple of places I often go to indulge during lunch...

Penang Malaysian - Great spot for great malaysian food!  My favorite dish here is the coffee short ribs...has a hint of a coffee taste on top of the sweet savory glaze.  They also have several great noodle dishes...tons of variety on the menu so you can try something new each time!

Z&Y Restaurant - This place serves mandarin style dim sim (soy milk, shanghai dumplings, onion pancakes, etc) as well as szechaun style fare which is typically very spicy!  Their house special is the explosive chili chicken...and explosive meaning you will leave with a numb tongue and lips!  It's a must try as long as you can handle the hotness!

Not your 99cents bag of ramen...

My constant crave for ramen has brought me upon some great places in the bay area.  Yummy stretchy chewy hand made noodles...here are a few places in the bay area that I frequent:

Katana-Ya in downtown SF - Small tiny spot right around the corner from Union Square always with a line out the door so be prepared to wait...first come first serve.  Known for their "special katana-ya ramen" which includes chicken karage, fried gyoza, BBQ pork and corn

Majikku in Daly City - Not my favorite but a decent spot if you're in the area and craving for ramen.

 Ramen Dojo in San Mateo - My current favorite ramen spot...known for spicy ramen.  Only one type of ramen combination but you get to choose from 3 different types of soup base flavors (spicy soy, spicy pork or spicy soy bean) and how spicy you want it (mild, regular or extra spicy).  Note the quail egg right in the middle...

 

Halu in the Inner Richmond district of SF - The cutest little hole in the wall with everything Beatles related decorated inside...if you're not a Beatles fan you'll really consider becoming one after eating here :)  This place is known for their great yakitori options (grilled or panko crusted meat or veges on a stick) but they also have really good ramen.  Their ramen is a bit on the expenisve side at over $10 a bowl but is well worth it!  It's loaded with roast pork and chicken karage!  And the grilled stuffed mushrooms are yummilicious!

ALOHA!

After a week long trip on the island we've gained about 5 pounds each!  Here are a few of the must "stops" in Oahu where the locals frequent:

 First stop for my favorite dessert treat...coco puffs at Liliha Bakery!

 Ramen and chicken karage is a must in Hawaii...Goma Tei at the Alo Moana Center

And here is what we've been looking forward to...lunch plates!  For those of you that are Hawaii virgins...lunch plates are very popular on the island for the locals.  It includes 2 scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad and a meat/fish of your choice...full of fat aka full of yumminess!

First stop was En Fuego Grill in Kapolei for some garlic chicken and grilled mahi mahi.

After a long hot day on the beach it's time for some shaved ice!  Matsumoto in the North Shore is a favorite spot for many but I personally prefer Wailoa Shaved Ice in Honolulu.

Can't be on the island without trying some authentic Hawaiian food.  This time we tried a place recommended by our hotel concierge called Highway Inn in Kapolei.  A couple other places we've been to before with very good local Hawaiian food are Helena's and Ono Hawaiian Foods in Honolulu.

A few of the favorite items include squid luau (minced squid) , pork lau lau (roasted pork wrapped in banana leaf) , butterfish stew, and dried pipikaula (short ribs)

A famous spot on the pier for great fresh seafood lunch plates is Nico Pier 38 in Honolulu.  We had the grilled mahi mahi and the black sesame crusted ahi tuna.

One of the most popular spot for local lunch plates is Rainbow Drive-Inn in Honolulu. A place we ate at 3 times during our week long trip!  Known for the breaded chicken smothered in home made gravy...yum!

A newer trendier spot and great bar hang out is the Side Street Inn...known for their kimchi fried rice and fried pork chops.  In addition to the two items, we had the poke, the grilled sea bass, and short ribs.

A great place for 50% off happy hour special is Sansei Sushi located inside the Marriott in Waikiki.  You can take advantage of this special deal Sun -Thurs from 5 to 6pm and Fri & Sat from 10pm to 12am.  And it's 50% off 90% of the items on the menu!  As you can see, we fully took advantage of this deal...yes we were pigs!

Miso glazed butterfish, tuna tataki salad, various sushi rolls, steak & prawns...

A place that makes their own noodles...thin udon!  Jimbo's in Honolulu is my new favorite place on the island!  Set lunches include rice and udon.

Our favorite Chinese resto

When it comes to our own kind we are PICKY so you can trust me when I say this is the one of the best Chinese restos in the bay area....Asian Pearl in Millbrae.

Our favorite dish...Ribeye over Crispy Tofu Cakes

Mixed mushroom and bok choy with glass noodles in clear broth

Stir fry crispy spare ribs with a sweet sauce

Watercress with fried garlic in a clear broth

And for dessert...the chinese donut, cripsy and coated with sugar (only served during dim sum hours)