Fillmore St: SPQR and Fraiche

Lahore Karahi

The Sunset: Irving Cafe & San Tung Restaurant

Dyanmo Donuts

Chocolate Spice and Candied Orange Blossom Donuts

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The Yet Unnamed Peanut Butter, Honey, and Banana Donut

Donuts and beer.

The beauty and simplicity of such a combination is probably equal to wine and cheese or Diet Coke and cheeseburger in Rosie's estimation. Dynamo was offering both for free one drizzly Friday in order to invite customers to sample and name their new concotion. So of course we had to go, despite Cheney's distaste for the liquid portion of the offerings. Standing among throngs of Dynamo-admirers in the wet but charming garden out back, we devoured the newborn donuts in two or three bites. The classic combination of flavors was as perfect a mixture of sweetnesses: rich peanut butter, intense honey, and fresh banana. But in donut form, its texture was perfectly melt-in-your-mouth fluffy instead of the usual cloying, dripping, and sticky sandwich. While we were admittedly mooches in not trying very hard to come up with names to christen this treat with, it was because eating it only stoked the fires of donut-craving. We were too distracted by the need to buy more donuts immediately to be very inventive. In line however, we watched the last of the day's batch of donuts dwindle perilously before our eyes as the woman in front of us snagged the final Lemon Thyme. Cheney chose the Candied Orange Blossom, and Rosie went for Chocolate Spice. The Chocolate Spice was definitely denser than the PBHB donut, and not quite as magical, though Rosie couldn't say whether that was due to the particular choice Dynamo had made with this flavor or because it was simply not as freshly made.
She vows to catch them earlier next time, preferably on a day when they're offering Strawberry Earl Grey.

El Farolito

Tacos Al Pastor and Carne Asada

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Super Quesadilla Suiza with Lengua

After nigh half a year of coaxing and wheedling, Rosie finally managed to get Cheney "I-only-like-Chipotle-and-also-the-Mission-is-too-trendy-for-me" Chen to stop putting off trying El Farolito. So on St. Patrick's Day, rather than eating some traditional black pudding or soda bread, we headed to 24th and Mission. The first picture is from Rosie and Caitlin's previous excursion, where we had opted for the smaller portioned tacos for obvious post-Sycamore pork belly donut reasons. This time, however, Cheney's inauguration would have to contain her favorite beef tongue, encased in Rosie's favorite thing on the menu three years running - the quesadilla. Cheney's doubts at of the prospect of sharing dissolved when we were handed the mammoth mass, brimming with delicious contents. As a delicious soup of meaty juices, sour cream, and the more liquid portions of the salsa ran down our fingers with each bite through the crispy tortilla, Cheney declared that she liked it. She was further won over by the neighborhood in general when she found a fancifully impractical blue sequin dress at Buffalo Exchange that she is now searching for an occasion to wear.

Blu Jam Cafe

Crunchy French Toast: egg brioche dipped in batter, rolled in crunchy corn flakes, topped with banana and berries, served with vanilla bean sauce

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Norwegian Benedict: toasted croissant, Norwegian smoked salmon, poached eggs, sautéed spinach, grilled tomato and dill hollandaise, served with potatoes

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Iced and Hot Mochas

Waiting for a table at Blu Jam, Rosie exhibited typically poor impulse control when faced with the vintage shops on Melrose. While Victoria patiently hovered within earshot of the hostess, Rosie was drawn like a magnet to various furry sweaters and impractical dresses. Despite this shameful (for her) start, Rosie's last brunch with Victoria was a glorious conglomeration of old favorites, split and shared. Helpless as always before the prospect of eggs benedict, especially with smoked salmon (as documented here and here), Rosie loved the Norweigan benedict's inclusion of spinach and use of croissant for the biscuit. While Victoria had a chai latte, Rosie somehow ended up with two drinks due to a misentered order and her abhorrence of wasting food.  Though we both prefer something savory to something sweet to start off the day, the promise of soft, fluffy french toast encrusted with crispy cornflakes was irresistible. The deliciously fresh fruit crowning the egg sopped bread was the perfect touch, making it seem deceptively light. The leftovers also made for a perfect snack that night, before falling victim to Villain's Tavern's attractive mix-and-match beer and whiskey menu.

Bottega Louie

Portobello Fries with Aioli

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Tomato Bruschetta

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Lasagna: Traditional Bolognese meat ragù, béchamel, 

buffalo mozzarella, ricotta & granna parmesan

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Desserts Galore

Before setting off on a day of urban exploration in San Pedro's "Sunken City" Rosie and Victoria set out to fortify themselves. More accurately, we were incapacitated by blissful fullness when the time came to squeeze through fences, scramble over graffitied concrete slabs, and avoid the disintegrating asphalt. Knowing what a sucker Rosie is for cuteness, Victoria brought her to these airy-ceilinged, open-kitchened, and pastel-dessert laden environs, where she promptly became overcome by the charming miniature macarons that festooned a rainbow of cupcakes. By the time we were done eating their main course, however, any dessert was out of the question. We started off with portobello fries, a ingenious combination of succulent mushroom and crispy batter that made Rosie wish for a deep frier. The sweet, juicy crunch of bruschetta was a welcoming interlude to the lasagna, which Victoria declared to be the best that she'd ever eaten. While we had eaten lasagna for breakfast in days of yore, they were of the massive, frozen, and overwhelmingly heavy variety. The layers of pasta this one were thin, chewy, and delicately stacked.  Rosie bought a couple of macarons, but had to stash them in her purse to await the return of our appetites, and while they were tragically flattened into pancakes after the day's activities, they nonetheless made a delicious late night snack.