Eggs Benedict Galore at Mama's

Iced Tea and Lemonade

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Shrimp and Avocado Benedict with Grilled Tomatoes

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Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

After nearly a month without consuming much dairy, Rosie's first meal with Cheney upon returning from China was perhaps overambitiously, Mama's. We share a marked weakness for seafood eggs benedicts and spared ourselves the decision of deciding between shrimp and salmon by getting one of each and sharing. While Rosie was compelled to excavate the rich avocado from between the gooey egg and heavily-hollandaise-soaked biscuit in order to mitigate the deluge of butter, Cheney nonchalantly polished off everything on her plate and declared that she felt great. Sadly, Rosie's body rejected the good old hearty American food and she had to retreat to the North Beach library bathroom to stave off a wave of nausea. Luckily, though, nothing soothes the over-stimulated palate like a stroll through the charming magnolia and mosaic-lined steps of Telegraph Hill.

Hong Kong Megapost

Two days in Hong Kong meant a flurry of Japanese style izakaya, French macarons, and Cantonese clay pot homestyle cooking. There were blocks and blocks of specialized street markets and luxury stores both, as well as alleyways brimming with activity and life. In a city flush with boba milk tea, bakeries, and skewered street food, however, Rosie also had the worst pizza of her life. The toppings were curiously underneath the cheese, so that they were undercooked and mushy, while the cheese had congealed into a plasticky mass. Oh well, she assumes that the famous cooked goose, congee, and buffets she hadn't had the time to try more than make up for it.

Shanghai and Chengdu Megapost

Rosie was in China for three weeks, where much food was eaten with family for Chinese New Year's and birthdays. There's nothing quite like vermicelli or frog doused in chili pepper, Sichuan peppers, and spicy oil for comfort food. The milder Shanghai fare was amazing as well, with duck noodles in rich broth and the famous soup dumplings. Having the above lamb skewers near a Buddhist temple in the countryside may have contributed to her contracting a fever however, and consequently being subjected to the vagaries of needle-happy Chinese treatment of illnesses.