Asian Addictions

I did a lot of eating out this past week, so I'm going to select my top two pics for the week: Golden Horse Restaurant & Sushi Rapture. Both are within blocks of  my apartment in Nob Hill and both will not disappoint!

Golden Horse is a common staple for me when I'm craving authentic Chinese Food. This week, I tried the Mongolian Beef Noodles; al dente noodles, sweet & lightly fried, along with good quality beef with a spicy kick at the end. They also have a crab dish with "XO Sauce"- it's a dry sauce with salt and chilis that's quite addictive. Both fantastic dishes. My boyfriend likes all their fried fish; always crispy and large portions.

We checked out Sushi Rapture for the very first time because I was craving udon on a particularly windy San Francisco Day. Their house sake was just okay, but they made up for it with the sushi and udon! I ordered tempura udon and thankfully, the tempura was served on the side (I hate when they put it in the bowl and it gets all soggy). The tempura was the crispiest, crunchiest tempura I've ever had, and the shrimp was definitely fresh. Oh, and the udon! Soy-based broth and thick house-made noodles brought a smile to my face; definitely going back on my next udon craving! The sushi was pretty good, we ordered the dragon & cal rock rolls. Both have unagi but the dragon has shrimp whereas the cal rock has crab.

Let's talk about biscuits

Biscuits. Being from the South, I suppose I could consider myself a connoisseur of the southern's substitute to sour dough bread.

In the South, biscuits tend to punch your palate with butter and honey, and then are served with extra butter and honey on the side (yum!).

This is my second visit to The Elite Cafe (on the historically jazzy Fillmore St.) and I have to say, these are my favorite biscuits, anywhere. They've taken what we love from biscuits and short-bread cookies and made a fantastic hybrid. Served warm, they're delightfully crumbly instead of flaky, and fantastically doughy in the center. Without any added sweetness of honey or sugar,  you notice and appreciate the texture of the biscuit and the hard work grandma spent all those years perfecting the recipe - genius!

They're served with 'strawberry butter' - I think it's a mix of strawberry puree, butter, and a little bit of cream cheese. A really tasty and interesting compliment to these wonderful biscuits. So go get some! If you're walking by and aren't hungry, pick up the dough and bake it yourself later - yes, they are that good.

Elite Cafe does serve other menu items besides biscuits. A Cajun establishment, they are known for their brunch; but they do have quite a few alternatives for the less adventurous eater. They are also known for their deviled eggs and cajun fries. I haven't had one thing I didn't enjoy here, so, go check it out!

Had dinner last night with Meera at Zoetrope in the Financial District (literally next to China Town). It's an Italian cafe open and run by the Coppola family.  Set inside San Francisco's Sentinel building, the place is stuffed with Coppola memorabilia and proud displays of their family's connections to Hollywood.  The setting and the crowd put you right back in the Godfather movies.

Okay, the important part, what I ate. I noticed some waitstaff eating the spaghetti carbonara off to the side, so of course I ordered it. It was fantastic; the picture below was taken right before a waiter put at least a tablespoon of parmesan on top. The parmesan melted into the velvety egg/cream sauce and I was in heaven. Pasta perfectly al dente, the pancetta was a little undercooked but I didn't care. Definitely recommend this dish!

Meera and I also ordered a $13 wine tasting - totally worth it! Got to try a couple of the famous Coppola wines rather than one.

We also had tiramisu which was pretty authentic in consistency but definitely soaked in too much espresso - it was.... meh.

"Sharing is caring." Well, try saying that to my boyfriend with a plate of charcuterie infront of him. We are a couple that loves to eat. Ask anyone we know; we are the mavens for all things related to food. So, follow us as we spend a majority of our money on the thing we most love in this world... each other :-)  oh, yes, and that's right... food.