Monday 3/19/17

Since I wake up at the crack of dawn, I walked the few blocks over to Mr. Holmes to get pastries for our breakfast. For Jessica and croissant and a blackberry bostock (kind of like a baked french toast?), garlic sunchoke-dukkah savory danish for me, and a cheesecake creme brulee restes (just a danish, if you ask me), all wonderful. I am glad there isn't a bakery like that 3 blocks from my house.
Then our Mini tour. Luckily it was a beautiful day and we zipped all over town, seeing many views from Coit Tower to Twin Peaks. The highlight for me was the Marin Headlands:

The driver (Reed) dropped us off at the beach (sadly, my shoes were not conducive to walking on the beach and it wasn't so warm that you could go barefoot), but it was still nice from a distance. Lunch at Outerlands, which has been lovingly reviewed but we discerning eaters found it only fine. Jessica's fried chicken sandwich with lettuce, pickles, aioli and hot sauce had tasty elements, but it was impossible to eat as a sandwich (way too much lettuce, and not shredded as advertised but more like a salad). My grilled cheese was great, but my pea soup was irretrievably bland and no salt on the table.
We shared a slice of lime pie but I wash we hadn't. I don't know what kind of crust it was: it looked like graham cracker but didn't taste like it. Buckwheat, maybe? Then the long train ride back into town.

I am sad to report that dinner also had its share of disappointments. I had been interested in Tosca, an old school place in North Beach that was rescued from closure by April Bloomfield and her business partner. The good things: it is a really cool looking place, good cocktails, and the service was excellent. I don't think we had a food that blew us away, though. Our starter of preserved swordfish with roasted beets, fennel and white beans was pretty good, but the squid ink aioli was terrifying looking. Like a blood clot on the plate (gross, I know). We shared some meatballs with focaccia and while the bread was good, I admit I did not like those meatballs AT ALL. There was some flavor in there that I could not identify and found very unpleasant. My pasta (bucatini with Tomato, Guanciale, Chili) was fine, as was Jessica's (trompetti with Paprika Sausage, Charred Broccoli di Ciccio, Pecorino Sardo, Diovollini Chili). We split a serviceable tiramisu. I hate to say this when I go out to eat, but I could have made all of that food, and better. Oh well, it was still fun and the waiters were adorable.