La Mar Cebicheria Peruano- Pleasure on Pier 1 1/2

Will and I were on the move bright and early in the Fillmore where we discovered that San Francisco really likes to sleep in! We grabbed coffee but had to wait until the Curbside Cafe opened at 9am... I am used to diners and cafes opening for the early Saturday risers (which is never Will and I). We were intrigued by the Crab Festival happening all around the city so Will order the Crab Benedict special. I ordered the Pesto, Ham, and Ricotta omelet which was a excellent flavor combo and savory treat for breakfast. Ricotta cheese is my favorite but I had never thought to pair it with my eggs!

Saturday Night Peruvian Fever: La Mar

So our culinary tour of the city continued later that evening when we all reconvened for dinner at La Mar Cebicheria Peruana. Located on Pier 1 1/2, La Mar proved to be a sensual and savory delight. We started with.... well cocktails of course... Pisco Sours, Pisco Punch, and a 'Beso de Angel' which were on the house (they must've caught wind of this review ;). The 'Beso' had pisco acholado, tequila infused hibiscus, sherry fino, and agave nectar. Naan-tucket and Karlitas had dined at La Mar before so they guided us through the menu. I will most likely leave out a dish or two but here are a few that really stood out:

Cebiche Classico- with Halibut, red onion, habanero, and Peruvian corn and yam marinated in 'leche de tigre' (yes, tigers milk) which is lime infused with peppers. Light and fresh flavor with great texture from the corn.

Cebiche Nikei- with Ahi tuna, cucumber, daikon, avocado in a tamarind leche de tigre. YUM!The marinade in this is what really made it stand out from the more traditional Mexican ceviches I crave.

Cebiche special- We ordered the special cebiche of the evening which had Mahi Mahi and sea urchin. I'll admit I was hesitant about the sea urchin since it always makes me think of my first day in Sicily visiting a family who insisted on pulling over on the beach in the first hour of my arrival and offering me a freshly cracked open (raw and yellow-ew!) sea urchin. I wasn't adventurous back then so have never been prone to ordering sea urchin. But, this cebiche was my absolute favorite of all 3! It had a rich and creamy taste that you usually don't find in a ceviche marinated in citrus. I was blown away and ready for more!

Anticuchos de Pulpo- Octopus. One of the fruits of the sea I just won't eat. So I have Naan-tucket to thank since he ordered and encouraged me to try this dish. He said 'if you don't like octopus, you'll reconsider after trying this!'. I couldn't resist and was pleasantly surprised at the smokey flavor and meaty texture.

Causea Limena- Peru is best known for their unbelievable variety of potatoes so we had to dive in and try a traditional whipped potato dish. We chose one with Dungeness Crab, avocado puree, quail egg, cherry tomatoes, and a traditional aji amarillo Huancaina sauce with basil cilantro oil. It was served in three canapes which we all split to enjoy. It tasted like... the best potato salad you've ever wrapped your lips around! At least that was the rave review the table consented on! The flavor in the potato is really what brought the creamy richness to the dish- the other ingredients only enhanced the natural flavor.

Cau Cau- Roasted scallops and clams, potatoes, sweet pea and corn risotto with aji amarillo mint broth. Great main dish that provided the perfect balance of seafood, starch, and flavor. If this is what they serve in Peru I definitely need to book my next trip there!

There wasn't anything that we ordered that I wasn't blown away by and since we had a good size group of 7- there was a lot to try!It was a pleasurable experience to have so many foreign spices and sauces introduced to my palate. Coming from Santa Barbara where we have great dining options- the one area I feel we lack is the ethnic variety. You can find exquisite Mexican, Italian, French, and Japanese... but Peruvian? I will have to return to San Francisco to scratch that itch!

Steam beer with Dynamos before Punch Drunk con Cha Cha Cha

Breakfast: Donuts and San Francisco brewskies


Our Foodie Friday in San Francisco started bright and early! Reservations were set for 10am at the Anchor Steam Brewery but first K-litas ushered us all field trip style to Dynamos Donuts. On 24th in the Mission, Dynamos does donuts gourmet... and organic. With donuts like spiced chocolate, rosemary almond, and toasted coconut-it was hard to choose! I finally had to go with the BACON donut-or Maple Bacon Apple to be exact. The flavors went together harmoniously as did the glaze on the other donuts like Candied Orange Blosson! The indulgence of a donut was well worth it at Dynamos! http://www.dynamodonut.com/.

I just realized I forgot to open with roll call (day dreams of the bacon donut). Participating in the 1st Annual (hopefully Bi- Annual) Foodies Fantasy in Frisco were my fellow foodies-Will He Is, Karlita, Tron, OG Juinor, marathon Amy, and Naan-tucket. We were all delighted with the tour of the Anchor Steam Brewery- my favorite parts being the Hops Room and the bottling area since we were all reminded of the opening credits of Lavern and Shireley ('we're gonna make it!'). The grand finale was of course the samples. Samples are one of my most favorite things. We tried several 6 oz. glasses before moving on. The best part of the Anchor Steam tour?! Free. and no.... 10am isn't too early to sample some brews!

Lunch: CHA CHA CHA and Hobson's Choice in the Height
We headed over to the upper Height for lunch and grabbed a booth at Cha Cha Cha right before the lunch rush. With shrine-a-riffic decor and a hearty tapas menu- it was a great choice for lunch after a few beer samples! We ordered a pitcher of sangria and all ordered tapas to share family style. Some great highlights were the chicken wings with guava chipotle glaze, the fried plantains with back bean puree, and the chicken paillard with dijon cream sauce. I really enjoy eating little plates with many different bites- it's much more pleasureable than one huge plate with a couple dishes. Some comments from the crew were 'the sagria was tangy and crisp' and the food 'succulent' and 'chevere'. It was a great gastronomic foundation that prepared us all for the cocktail haven we were headed to... Hobson's Choice.

We made our way down Height ducking into vintage and t-shirt shops and were the first group to grab a table at Hobson's Choice- best known for the Victorian punch bowls and rum selection. Hobson's has been a main staple of many lazy afternoons in San Francisco. Karla first brought me here with a fun group back in... 2005? Almost all of my visits to the city consist of an afternoon with friends putting away a punch bowl! Good times!



Dinner: Takura in Japantown



After our early day of indulgence- we all needed a break so we headed to our hotel in Japantown called Hotel Kabuki. I was really impressed with this Joie de Vivre hotel- the decor was great, the room was huge, and there was an awesome Japanese style bathtub- which is the same length as a standard tube but much deeper. They provided eucapyptus salts and a mini wood hand bucket for the bath (to pour water over your head). There was also hot tea kettles and our room had a great view of the city from our corner balcony. Our original plan of chinese at Hanking was tossed aside for the much closer and covinient Takura in the Japan Center. I ordered my usual: Nebeyaki Udon. I just can't get enough of this soup! I made it for the first time at home last weekend after watching a 'cooking with dog' episode on UTube (Japanese show where a lady cooks with her minature poodle on the table- not with it as an ingredient!). Takura's was very authentic and I also enjoyed ending the night with a light bite of hamachi and tuna nigiri. I actually read in the Northern City paper the next morning that Takura makes one of the best California hand rolls...it would've been nice to try it if I would've known!

2 Days to 29... Let the Feasts Begin!

Today is the commencement of my 'birthday week' and I am warming things up a bit in Santa Barbara before heading to San Francisco this weekend with Will to join forces with my cousins for our Every Foodies Fantasy in Frisco weekend.

Karla was the catalyst of this mouthwatering escapade and has also graciously volunteered to step in as the photo journalist so we can show off all of the plates and nibbles we will be indulging in this weekend. She is the culinary mastermind behind our itinerary since she is our local tie to San Francisco and all of her suggestions have yet to disappoint! Just as a pre-weekend teaser... here are some of the hot spots we aiming to hit!

• La Mar Cebicheria, http://www.lamarcebicheria.com/web/intro.php
• Gracias Madre, http://www.gracias-madre.com/web/index.php
• Mission Pie, http://missionpie.com/
• Burrito Philes, http://www.burritophile.com/place.php?id=35

Until we hit the city limits and tables for 6, I am looking forward to my home-cooked menu ala Will this week. He is prepping a herb stuffed pork chop with grilled asparagus tonight... tomorrow will be free range rib-eye steaks with nutmeg spiced swiss chard... and on the big day? TWO- NINE? After happy hour with the ladies at Fish Enterprise, I am allowing the downtown restaurants Santa Barbara to beckon and bid for my palate!