Who do the Voodoo (doughnut, that is)?

Any fan of Man V. Food will try to go to wherever Adam goes. So... as a fan, I went to the infamous Voodoo Doughnut. Famous even before MVF, this place has some great tasting doughnuts and some madcap combination.

What the heck is a Cock N Balls? There was a line, I did not dare to ask...

Because we had to get in a long line to place our order, we could not justify it by ordering just ONE doughnut. So... half a dozen it was! We HAD to get the Voodoo Doughnut (raspberry jam filled doughnut in a shape of a person with a pretzel "needle" stabbed in); the famous Bacon Maple Bar (nuff said - some are disgusted by it, others are drooling); a classic glazed, an Oreo (what is not better with an Oreo?), a Frootloop doughnut for the hell of it; and a Portland Cream.

Make a face if you want but if you've ever liked bacon with a little maple syrup, you'll like this!

He kindda looks a little ghostly eh? Guess you would too if you were stabbed in the chest. (Is he a Star Trek Ensign?)

Everything is better with Oreos (courtesy of Smelph 2)

Don't they look like eyes?

I think my favorites were the Bacon Maple and the Oreo. They win! But, I am sure anyone will find their own favorite here.... just get in line and wait for that voodoo magic!

Street Food - Portland

Came back from Portland OR a little while back. I noticed that it is a street food haven. Unfortunately, I did not get to sample the dozens of street food vendors but I will make it a point to do it next time I am there.

Here's a sampling of the cool street food vendors. You will find them mostly in the open spaced parking lots. Really cool! You have to love a town that loves it cheap and good eats!

The Baking Gods were against me... Kaya Macarons

I had high hopes for this weekend... I was going to bake up some yummies. Either I was too lazy to do something or the darn humidity was affecting my almond flour or I was just off on my game... I wanted to make some kick ass macarons again but sadly, they fell a little flat!

Here's what I did this weekend....
1) Pandan Kaya Macarons - This is such a great idea I don't know why I did not come up with it earlier! A macaron is the second (first being charcoal toasted white bread) most perfect vehicle for Kaya*.

* Kaya is a South East Asian jam made of copious amounts of egg, coconut, and pandan (or screwpine leaves). It is rich, it is creamy, it is OMG!!! smack'yo butt good and leads to a coronary breakfast condiment!

Even the pictures are against me... sorry for the blur green blobs!

2) Chocolate lemon Macarons - this turned out more like a Whoopie pie with lemon filling! I was horribly disappointed. So disappointed, can't be bothered to post a picture of my disaster! It tastes okay... but alas.... it was a FAIL!!! BUT! If I market them as a whoopie pie... I might just get away with it!

Oh well... on to the next project.... Let's hope it will be better next time!

Mission Burger Me!

So...it's a lovely day in the City and Mr. Penguin-Duck had a great idea to go wander into the MEE-SHON (The Mission District for those of you uninformed). He had gone to Mission Burger last week and was waxing lyrical about the amazing quality and texture of the Mission Burger. Never one to turn down a burger offer... I go "why the hell not?!"

Mission Burger is located INSIDE the Duc Loi Supermarket on 18th St. and Mission. Taking up the corner of the meat counter, it has simple instructions, place your order, take your ticket to the supermarket checkout counter to pay, and come back for your burger. They have "seating" next to the counter of a "sofa" and a little coffee table. Limited dining real estate but who cares!

Here's MY beef burger and we shared perfectly crispy fries:


This is how the website describes their burger -

"Beef Burger: 1/3 lb of aged harris ranch brisket, short rib and chuck, granulated* and seared in beef fat. Served with monterey jack, caramelized onion and caper aioli on a griddled acme bun.

* granulation is our term for the process popularized by Heston Blumenthal, a michelin 3-star chef based in London. Blumenthal combines strands of ground meat to create a loosely grained "meat column" (not Blumenthal's phrase), then slices the column into patties. The result is, well, a delicacy."

The CARNAGE! It was an orgiastic event of perfectly seasoned sear to a beautiful medium meat, beef fat, cheese, caramelized onions, and aioli. Who knew what started and ended where....?? My mind and stomach are still in a tizzy. The "granulation" method produces a burger that is mind-blowingly "smooth yet chunky" (yeah... i know... try wrapping your mind on THAT concept!) Together with the crispy salted and peppered fries, I was in a beautiful place...

Mr. Penguin-Duck decided to go with their Vegan Burger which turned out to be my idea of a perfect vegan dish (and we all know my thing about veganism...) .


"Vegan Burger: maitake, shitake, roasted kale, edamame, scallion, sesame seed and fava-chickpea patty. Served with avocado and miso "mayo"** on a griddled acme bun"

Today, it was served with a crispy "salad" of shaved fennel and a dollop of hot sauce. Perfection!

As Mr. Penguin-Duck said, "I like the fact that they did not try to make this like meat!" The veggie "patty" was almost like tempura but so much better! Coupled with the creaminess of the avocado and vegan "mayo" and the crisp fennel... you're talking an explosion of textures!

Therefore, definitely a must try but warning to the weak of heart.... the richness of this burger will get to you. You can't stop eating it once you start but be prepared for the consequences!

Thank you Penguin-Duckie for bringing me here!

Mission Street Food Presents - Mission Burger
Duc Loi Market (18th and Mission)
Open all days except Thursdays from about Noon till they run out or 3pm'ish

Testing for GUBcakes!

So... I am considering starting a side gig of selling tasty confections of a more grown up taste. My drunken cupcakes have been pretty popular and so, I think it might be the perfect springboard for me. Welcome to the beginnings of "The Grown Up Bakery" aka GUBcakes. :)

I've been testing out various flavor combinations and this weekend the latest was the Cosmo. According to a few of my taste testers, I've got the alcohol part DOWN! Or... to the perfect level of inebriation! With a LOT of vodka, cointreau and grand marnier... I think we have a winner!


Let's see if this will fly off the shelves!

A Meal to Reward Myself!

Sunday was the SF Marathon. I completed the Progressive Marathon. Yes... ME! but before I can really toot my own horn. Let me explain what this really entailed - I was allowed to log in 23.1 miles PRIOR to the day of the actual SF Marathon. So... conceivably, all I had to do was to run/jog/walk/skip/boogie/crawl 23.1 miles prior to that day, finish a 5k run/jog/walk/skip/boogie and I get the distinct honor of getting the 26.2 mile SF marathon T-shirt AND a medal! Sounds like a great way of getting some bragging rights eh???!!

Anyways... post run/jog/walk/skip/boogie, I felt strongly compelled to reward myself - I think all you can eat fried chicken and pancakes from Farmer Brown's would do nicely!

Breakfast of the Champion (in my own Mind!)

The buffet was limited... but that's the beauty of it... it gets to the point! Farmer Brown is known for their chicken, so, they feature CHICKEN! And the most delectable biscuits that they HAD to name them Angel. Paired with either or both a Sausage and/or mushroom gravy. It made me a HAPPY HAPPY GIRL. Top it off with beautifully prepared (albeit under salted) grits. We know my thing for grits! (refer to my Ike's posting)

Farmer Browns
25 Mason at Market
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-409-FARM

Please keep this a secret...

After working out and training for a run... one MIGHT consider going for a light meal of lean protein and complex carbs. You know... muscle building stuff.

NOT THIS GIRL!!! I'm on a training diet!! Baby Blues BBQ heard my call. A relatively new player to the SF BBQ scene (since december 2008 I think), they serve Memphis style BBQ. (Memphis Style is mostly recognizable by their distinct vinegar based sauces) Being more of a Kansas and Texas style BBQ girl, I was still game to try it.

I ordered the Ace in the Sleeve platter - Memphis ribs (delicious protein), blackened catfish (yummy lean protein) and BBQ shrimp (practically fat FREE protein). (you must be going huh? why not a full platter of red meat? hey! as I said before... I AM on a training diet!) All platters come with cornbread and 2 fixins - mine were Mac N Cheese (carbs!) and creamed spinach (veggies!!! important! and calcium!). I was disappointed with my Mac N Cheese though... it was not the ooey gooey creamy version that I was expecting... BOOOO... BUT!!! the creamed spinach TOTALLY made up for it! Fresh, hot, creamy and with a beautiful hint of nutmeg. I'll eat my veggies like this ANY day!


The ribs held their integrity till I put my fork in them and they gave up their bone! :) Of the three BBQ sauces they had, I liked the sweet and sour classic Memphis sauce the most. They had a beautifully made XXX sauce which is their spicy, smokey and fruity hot sauce but did not go as well with my combo platter. Buddy had the slow smoked chicken which also fell off the bone when it met a fork! His sides included sauteed okra which was sauteed with a LOAD of garlic and tomatoes; and the smoke chicken rice which was okay.

I WILL return shortly! Their menu also includes Texas Beef Ribs... oooooohhhh!!!! beer braised brisket, Po'boys and apparently, desserts that are killers!

There is parking around the restaurant (despite being in the bernal heights region) and the place seated us quickly. this is a goldmine! Let's just keep this our little secret!! ssshhhhh.... (oh yeah... they deliver too!! within a 15 minute drive radius!)

HEHEHE.....
Baby Blues BBQ
3149 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415-894-4250