Quick Byte: The Melt SF

I've decided I pretty much hate all movies that take place in SF. They are always filming during the hot summer days and gives everyone the false hope that maybe it will be nice.

I needed to go shopping with the bf so we decided to head into the foggy city. Couple that with the fact that I've pretty much come down with the office cold meant I was craving some comfort food.

We decided to head over to The Melt since I had recently read about in Eater SF. It's a soon-to-be chain that is going to have a few other locations in San Francisco and another planned for Palo Alto later next year.

It was founded by Jonathan Kaplan, the guy who created Cisco's Flipcam, so got tons of buzz when it first opened.

The mod space was airy, but offered little seating (or, maybe it was the family of three that decided to take up an entire long table and their jam-hand kid had toys and food all over the place). The atmosphere reminded me of Tom Colicchio's 'wichcraft, another fun quick eatery in SF.

Anyways, back to the food.

Events: Oktoberfest

October - my favorite month of the year. Not only is it my birthday month, but we get to celebrate the Fall, Halloween and...Oktoberfest.

For those of us that don't have the luxury of heading to Germany for some steins of beer, I guess, sadly, Campbell will have to do.

When: October 15 and 16 (Saturday and Sunday)
Where: Downtown Campbell
Hours: 10 am - 5pm
Why: Because you get to enjoy awesome unhealthy food while sipping on cold beers, duh.

#FAIL

As I was taking a look at my blog in all my spare time (aka between episodes of the RHONJ and RHOBH), I realized it's been quite some time since I posted about a good fail. No, I'm not talking about a YouTube video of some smart ass kid who eats it on the sidewalk with his skateboard (although I do enjoy those as well).

No, I'm talking about those meals you had such high hopes for and they end up being nothing more than a gross dish you have to force yourself to finish (or at least move bits and pieces around the plate to make it seem like you somewhat ate it).

Ah, the irony of this post since I am currently sitting at home with the worst case of food poisoning of my life since I inevitable picked up something at Cabo's airport.

Word of advice: Only eat at your resort or starve. Don't even think about handling the local cuisine. Face it, you aren't Anthony Bourdain.

I mean, as the immigration officer asked me yesterday, "Miss, are you entering the country with any livestock/animals or agriculture?" I was tempted to respond with, "Well, unless you count the parasite that is now living in my stomach, I am thinking no."

Anyways, I digress...I hope you enjoy the below FAIL's that I've compiled as I'm waiting for my chicken broth to simmer and sip down my HateradeGatorade since my Mom is afraid I don't have enough electrolytes and doesn't want my sister to come home to find my corpse.

Quick Byte: Espana - Pinxtos

Pinxtos, pronounced pinch-o's, are tapas of the Basque region. Most pinxtos allow chefs to experiment with new combinations of ingredients and are served on top of a sliced baguette.

As you walk into the various pinxtos bars of the area, chefs line the bar with various dishes that you can pick and choose from. Then, when you're ready to pay your bill, some will count the number of toothpicks, or in San Sebastian, many are on the honor system and you tell the hostess how many you ate. Most pinxtos run for under two euro's, so you can eat relatively cheap.

Here's some pics of my favs:

Sagardi

These were from Sagardi (in the Ribera District near the Picasso Museum) in Barcelona - a great recommendation from Rick Steve's. Here we got a variety: a mini leek quiche; croissant with jamon; baguette topped with goat cheese and a red pepper; baguette topped with tuna, shredded cheese, cherry tomato and anchovy; a "Gilda" (see below); and a chorizo pinxto.

Quick Byte: Espana - San Sebastian, Bodegon Alejandro

Fun fact: Did you know that San Sebastian has the most Michelin rated restaurants (per km) than any other city?

True story.

But, since the 59th annual film festival was going on and celebs (like my future husband Clive Owen) and the Hollywood studios usually book these restaurants in its entirety, most were booked up. However, we did get to dine at Bodegon Alejandro, a Michelin recommended restaurant that specializes in unique Basque combinations and flavors.

After glancing at the menu, my family and I decided that the six course pre-fixed menu with the wine pairing was the best deal since it allowed us to sample a majority of the menu. Piggies, we know.

Amuse bouche: A gazpacho shooter of watermelon and tomato juice accompanied by toasties.

Course 1: Anchovy lasagna - my brother, who hates anchovies, was pleasantly surprised by this first course. Anchovies were the top layer of the "lasagna." The lasagna was filled with roasted peppers, onions and eggplant - all smothered in a gazpacho cream.

Course 2: Risotto. Probably the best risotto I've eaten. The moist risotto had chunks of cuttlefish, was topped with freshly grated Idiazabal cheese and a salty calamari leg. The squid ink was also drizzled along the side of the dish, adding another unique flavor.

Risotto

Quick Byte: Espana - Barcelona

I feel like whenever peeps hear Espana, they immediately think paella. If you know anything about me by now, you know I love some good paella and appreciate the work that goes into it.

On our first night in Barcelona, we headed to a nearby seafood restaurant to enjoy the local cuisine. Since Barcelona is near the water, seafood is must. As we walked into the restaurant, I was impressed by the display of tapas, jamon having from the wall and presentation of all the dishes.

Starved from our travels, we all opted for sangria and seafood paella - touristy, I know. But, the paella was amazing. Fresh seafood, including calamari, mussels, shrimp and chunks of lobster.

My crazy huge serving of seafood paella.

Quick Byte: London's Harrod's

Before heading over to Espana my sister and I met up with our brother to enjoy London for a few days. Since we've all been to London and had limited time, we decided to avoid the tourist traps and stroll the city at our leisure.

While there, my sister celebrated her 24th birthday (aka one more year in the stairway to hell, better known as the Quarter Life Crisis). To ring in her new year, we treated her to a breakfast at the Terrace Bar, where I got eggs benedict.

We then wandered around and stumbled upon the food court.

Um, two hours later, we left after visiting a few of the hot spots in Harrod's.

Pastries galore.