le blog de tranny

Hmmm… what do most of my favorite things that I’ve eaten while out lately have in common? Being accompanied by alcohol is one. Coming from a cow is another.

Gina and I popped into Adesso a month or two ago to grab celebratory cocktails in honor of her completion of le Ph.D. I started off with the ‘billionaire cocktail’: bourbon, grenadine, lemon and absinthe bitters. It was definitely the best cocktail I had all night!

The great thing about getting to Adesso around 6 and sitting at the bar is that the lovely man behind the bar will often give out samples of the house-cured meats. Or at least that’s what happened when we were there — and it’s not like we were getting special treatment or anything — the couple sitting next to us got free tastes as well. Anyway, said man gave us a taste of the bresaola (menu description: cured beef, red wine, black pepper), drizzled with some top quality olive oil. I’d never tried bresaola before but holy fuck was this delicious. A welcome departure from the pepper-crusted salami I buy from the store a little too often. I guess the man’s method of free sample advertising was quite effective, because I ended up ordering a full plate of the bresaola later in the night. Excuse the low-light photo.

~
That same weekend I went out to dinner at Garibaldi’s with Paul’s family, a graduation present from his aunt and uncle. I had tried to get us reservations at Pizzaiolo instead but they were of course all booked up (we were a party of six trying to get last minute reservations around 7.00, after all). I’d eaten at Garibaldi’s before and to be honest, was expecting to be somewhat disappointed (to be eating at a good restaurant when there are so many great restaurants in the area), but actually, I was very happy with my entire meal! The steak tartare blew me away. It was served with an egg yolk on top, sea salt and black pepper, a stack of crostinis, and a deliciously spicy side salad that I believe had rojo peppers, parsley and capers in it. We were sitting in the back room which was basically pitch black so sadly my photos suffered.

We also had this wine per P’s uncle’s recommendation after soliciting my wine preferences. I don’t know much about wine (as Jane often likes to remind me) but this was the bottle he ordered after I said “full-bodied red with fruity undertones.” I’m a fan of pinot noir in general but this one was so delish — I’ll have to remember it for when I have enough money to buy 2004 vintage bottles (thanks Uncle Matt!).

~
I’ve been doing my best to dapple in offal lately, so when we lunched at The Alembic a few weeks ago I went for the Wagyu beef tongue sliders with fried green tomatoes, horseradish aioli, pickled onion and arugula. One of the most delicious things I’ve eaten in a while.

Cocktail-wise I opted for the Vasco de Gama: bourbon, Garam masala spiced apple syrup, and a splash of scotch. In a word: stiff.

~
I’ve been going to SF a lot more lately and it’s been worth the extra effort! The other day Paul and I went to Ike’s Place in the Castro. Not wanting to hold myself back from indulging in what I really wanted, I ordered the Super Mario with jalapenos. Meatballs, marinara and mozzarella sticks. Half a sandwich later I was a glowing mother-to-be! (Of a food baby.)

Apparently Ike’s is being sued by its neighbors and might have to change its location or something. The neighbors do seem pretty touchy about noise/sidewalk-crowding based on the signage I saw in and around the store front. I honestly don’t think I would mind being Ike’s neighbor, as long as I got free sandwiches or even just line-cutting privileges once in a while. It’s not like it’s a bar or open super late or anything. Seems to just be an unfortunate neighbor match.

~
I was ravenously hungry on my way home from the work the other day… so much so that I was contemplating stopping over at McDonald’s until I saw the drive-thru line. As I was coming up on the intersection of Market and Adeline some peeps on the sidewalk drew my attention. Not those posted-on-the-corner-type peeps that tend to punctuate Market St., but cheery-tamale-eatin’ peeps — how could I have forgotten that there is a deliciously convenient if not somewhat ghetto tamale establishment just up the street from my house?! I swerved the car onto a side street and went in and ordered myself a beef tamale. I love this place — it’s really got a charm about it that is so emblematic of my neighborhood in general. It’s basically a tiny converted downstairs apartment consumed mostly by the kitchen. Mexican TV blaring, questionable sanitary conditions, minimal English and no room to sit or even really stand. When you enter there’s a counter immediately to the left where you order. They can be kind of hit or miss with their hours and selection, but what else can you expect from a joint that is so utterly mom & pop? Tamales Unicos de Cuernavaca, I will miss you when I go.

I dig their tamales too. They seem pretty authentic to me… It’s a meal for $2.25!

~
This is cheating because technically I didn’t order it but for beef’s sake let’s include it. Paul and I went on a lunch date to the Wood Tavern a while ago and I opted for my mainstay, the pork shoulder confit sandwich, while Paul got the Niman Ranch burger with avocado and cheese. They had Pimm’s on the menu so of course I had to order one.

To be honest, I’ve had better at a run-of-the-mill pub on Magdalene St. in Cambridge. (::shudder:: I was just reminded of Ask, the horrid Italian chain restaurant that’s located on the same street. Top 5 Worst Meals of 2009.)

Caro has said that the burger at Wood Tavern is one of the best she’s ever had, so I was itching to try it.

Paul and I ended up going splitsies on the burger and pork sandwich, so everyone was happy .

Beef memories are the best memories.