Summer Snapshot :: Frito Pie

In our family, we can never get enough of Fritos Corn Chips. No matter the size, no matter the flavor ... We love 'em! And when we heard that our friends at Chile Pie and Ice Cream included a Frito Pie on their menu, we had to check it out for ourselves.

Served straight out of the bag, the corn chips are piled with spiced Niman Ranch ground beef and pinto beans. To top it off, their signature red chile sauce over and into the bag. Talk about taking snack food to whole other level!

Chile Pie and Ice Cream
601 Baker St
San Francisco, CA 94117

Dynamo Donuts and Coffee | San Francisco, CA

BACON DONUT DAY IS EVERYDAY! A battle-cry that is noted on their website. A motto that is worn well on the chalk board signage noting the "flavors of the day" behind the take-out counter. None have stretched the creative boundaries of a donut's potential quite like our friends at Dynamo Donuts and Coffee. An idea conceived by renowned pastry chef, Sara Spearin, her neighborhood shop has not only fulfilled a longtime dream of hers, but it has also filled a niche that has not been seen or realized in San Francisco before her arrival.

Writes Lessley Anderson of Readymade Magazine, "Sara Spearin has developed mouth-watering recipes that use organic flour, milk, and palm shortening, rather than the preservatives and trans fat-laden ingredients favored by many commercial donut makers. Her natural approach, along with unusual flavor combinations, has drawn lines to the Mission District shop since she opened it in July 2008."



Spearin and her staff are there every morning at 2:30a prepping the kitchen for that day's menu, which is never repeated twice during the same week. In other words, a rotating selection of seven to ten donuts are featured daily from a collection of twenty-three exotic flavors, including, but not limited to:

- Chocolate Rose Geranium Hazelnut
- Lemon Pistachio
- The Monte Cristo (i.e. filled donut with ham, gruyere, and a house jam)
- Passion Fruit Milk Chocolate
- Candied Orange Blossom
- Caramel de Sel
- Saffron Chocolate
- Apricot Cardamom

And as noted, their Bacon Maple Apple donut is offered everyday. It is arguably their most popular flavor. Studded with bacon and apples that were sauteed in bacon fat and topped with a maple glaze and crispy bacon bits, every bite from this ringed delicacy simply melts in your mouth. We recommend that you include two (or more) in your order because one is simply not enough to garnish your plate.

For many of you who follow our culinary adventures, you know that we make no secret of our love for donuts. Baked or fried. Custard or jelly filled. Frosted with unusual toppings or simply covered in more traditional fare whether it's sprinkles, nuts, or coconut shavings. We just can't enough of these tasty confections, and as long as Spearin and her staff are rollin' out the goods, we will continue to be big fans and constant visitors to Dynamo Donuts and Coffee.

Dynamo Donuts and Coffee

2760 24th Street

San Francisco, C A 94110

415.920.1978

Summer Snapshot of the Day :: Salumi Cone from Boccalone

Many of us have heard of ice cream cones and snow cones. But a meat cone? Why not, and leave it to our friends at Boccalone to assemble such a combination of salty flavors.

Located at San Francisco’s Ferry Building, Boccalone's storefront is visited by folks from all over the world. Whether they are local to the area or a tourist (like us), they are here for one thing: cured meats.

Fresh sausages, head cheese, cooked and smoked hams, salumi, and many others treats. Created by Chris Cosentino and Mark Pastore, Boccalone takes great pride in creating small-batches of their meats, including assurances that everything is sustainably raised, hand butchered, and cold cured.

Given this, it never takes us long to maneuver through the crowds and create a beeline towards their counter to get one of their delectable meat (a.k.a. salumi) cones. For just a few dollars, we are soon holding a paper cone stuffed with three to four varieties of their sliced, expertly cured meats ranging from Ciccioli, Coppa di Testa to Mortadella. Meraviglioso ... The salumi cone really hit the spot that day!


Boccalone Salumeria
Ferry Building Marketplace
Shop 21
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.433.6500

Summer Snapshot of the Day :: Pie Shake

A few weeks back, our family was in the San Francisco area to attend a family reunion. As with any trip, we researched a few of the neighborhoods in the city and pleasantly discovered a corner cafe that combined two of my favorite food items, but with a unique twist ... We've all had pie à la mode, but have you ever had a pie shake?

Located in the NOPA neighborhood of San Francisco, Chile Pies (& ice cream) has been serving up their frozen dessert since it opened in March 2010. The general concept? You get to choose your pie from a wide variety of selections -- peach, lemon, blueberry, country apple, or whatever is in season -- and then it gets blended with a little bit of milk and whole lot of ice cream. Although a good portion of it was able to get through the straw, I had to bust out a spoon to get to the sweet and buttery goodness at the bottom of the glass.

Now, there were a few skeptics at the table, including my wife who was unsure about combination. But she soon "ate her words." Before I was able to take a second sip, the pie shake suddenly disappeared.

Chile Pies (& ice cream)
601 Baker Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1407
415.614.9411

Tasty Tuesday :: Marion's Pancakes

We are not really sure who Marion is, but we absolutely love her pancakes. We found them at Park Chow in San Francisco. They can also be found in other Chow locations in the Bay Area. A lemony pancake made with raspberry preserves and ricotta, it is the best way to jump start your day. Each order comes with two pancakes that are cooked to perfection. Everyone at our table ordered other things off the menu, but we were so intrigued with Marion's pancakes that we decided to get an order to share. We were not disappointed. The pancakes were moist, fluffy and packed with flavor that there was no need to add any syrup. Now...that is a pancake we can get on board with!

Park Chow
1240 9th Ave (between Lincoln and Irving)
San Francisco, CA 94122

Chow Lafayette
53 Lafayette Circle
Lafayettte, CA 94549

Chow Danville
445 Railroad Ave.
Danville, CA 94526

Fried Fridays :: Maple Bacon Donut from Dynamo Donuts

The first thing that came to mind after taking a bite of Dynamo's Maple Bacon Donut was that it reminded me of a Chinese barbecued pork bun. The savory combination of salt and sweet made me want to order seconds and pack few for the trip back home. This is fried food at its best.

Dynamo Donuts was created by Sara Spearin, and the idea came to her while on maternity leave. She notes, "I suddenly realized the importance of a well-crafted donut and the utter lack thereof in San Francisco." Motivated by the dream of owning her own bakery as an outlet to share delicious handmade and not-so-ordinary pastries, a it did not take long before Dynamo was born.

To get a better appreciation of what Spearin and her staff do on a daily basis, you have to understand what goes into each of their donuts. Nothing is compromised and only organic, sustainable, and local ingredients are utilized whenever possible. And, they guarantee quality and freshness by rotating only 7 to 10 donuts per day, even though their menu includes over 20 varieties.

By far, however, their Maple Bacon Donut is their most popular. As a new found fan, I can vouch that it certainly doesn't disappoint.

Dynamo Donuts
2760 24th Street

San Francisco, CA 94110

415.920.1978

Wordless Wednesday | Acme Bread

In this photo: Acme Bread located in the Ferry Building in
San Francisco, CA

Wordless Wednesday :: Good Luck Dim Sum

In this photo: Pork siu mai from Good Luck Dim Sum in San Francisco, CA

Good Luck Dim Sum

736 Clement Street

San Francisco, CA 94118

415.386.3388

January 27:: National Chocolate Cake Day

It was recently brought to our attention that today is National Chocolate Cake Day, and as an homage to this holiday, we decided to commemorate this occasion by highlighting DeLessio Market and Bakery's German Chocolate Cake. What makes DeLessio's version so special is that its made with organic ingredients from the layered chocolate sour cream cake to the decadent Swiss chocolate ganache. And it's all finished off with a classic caramel, coconut, pecan icing.

DeLessio Market and Bakery (2 locations in San Francisco)

1695 Market Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

415.552.5559

302 Broderick Street

San Francisco, CA 94117

415.552.8077

OOTK's "12 Days of Christmas" | The Fifth Day

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

5 pounds of Chez Panisse House Blend from

Blue Bottle Coffee Company

In this picture: Pounds of coffee from Blue Bottle Coffee Company at the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Blue Bottle Coffee Company is one of the best coffee we have ever had. Blue Bottle takes their roasting seriously, making only small batches at a time and using only the best certified organic coffees. Our favorite is the Chez Panisse Blend which is perfect for this time of year, going great with any holiday dessert. When visiting the city, I make sure to stop by one of their cafes so that I can grab myself a fresh cup of their New Orleans Style Iced Coffee. Mixed with sugar, milk, this chickory-laced-with-a-hint-of-chocolate-laced concoction will certainly hit the spot.

Locations (partial listing):

Blue Bottle Coffee Company

300 Webster Street

Oakland, CA

Ferry Building Marketplace, Shop #7

1 Ferry Building

San Francisco, CA

SFMOMA

151 Third Street, Fifth Floor

San Francisco, CA

OOTK's "12 Days of Christmas" | The First Day

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

A single scoop of "Secret Breakfast" ice cream...

In this picture:

Humphry Slocombe's Secret Breakfast ice cream.

Owner Jake Godby makes this ice cream with bourbon and toasted cornflakes, including so much Jim Beam that the scoops always run soft.

Humphry Slocombe

2790 Harrison St
San Francisco, CA 94110

415.550.6971

Wordless Wednesday: Tartine | San Francisco, CA

In this photo: Enjoying a pain au chocolat at Tartine Bakery & Cafe in San Francisco.