San Francisco, CA; Tartine Bakery - Why take the bus on a beautify day from downtown when I can walk there. It's only a few blocks right? My mistake, city blocks, yeah, after walking, what felt like 4.5 miles, I took the bus the remaining way. Well, now I worked up an appetite. Just as many yelpers described, there was a line to the door, but it moves quickly. I had enough time to drool all over their showcase.

I decided on two croissants, the almond (it's a must) and the chocolate (also a must). The almond one was huge, flaky, covered in powdered sugar, and sliced toasted almonds on top with almost paste in the middle. I will admit that it looked better than tasted. It taste was good, just not great. The component that was disappointing was that there was too much powdered sugar. It masks the flavor the beautiful almond paste in side, the main attraction.

The chocolate croissant was also a base-hit, but not a home-run. It also had the same characteristics, large, golden brown, flaky, but when it came to the chocolate, there just wasn't enough.

All in all, the inside is very neat and I could see myself eating, reading a paper or book, eating again, sipping some coffee, etc... I would certainly be willing to try it again, but this time I would take the bus the whole way, it wasn't worth walking. Enjoy!

San Francisco, CA - Miette's Patisserie; You cannot walk by Miette's showcase and not stop, little alone walk by without looking. Then of course since everything looks so good, you cannot purchase just one, I have to try at least two.

I tried the gingerbread cake with cheesecake buttercream and the second one was chocolate cake with coffee buttercream. They both were absolutely delicious with the gingerbread cake being my favorite. The chocolate cupcake was nice and moist, soft, and the frosting had a nice hint of coffee flavor. However, I think the buttercream could have had a stronger coffee experience. With that said, the cupcake could have also had a more chocolate flavor, the cupcake all around needed a more bolder flavor. I still enjoyed it though. The gingerbread cake was a totally different story and experience. It secured the fourth star in the rating. It had all the right qualities of a good cupcake: flavor, moisture, softness, texture, sweetness, spices, complimentary flavors, etc... The frosting was a wonderful match-up with the gingerbread spice. It had balance of flavor and boldness that it needed to wow you.

Enjoy!

San Francisco, CA; Acme Bread Company - Meandering around the Ferry Building, owner of Boccalone, suggested I try Acme Bread Company to put together the sandwiches I was attempting to assemble. I was very glad that he did suggest Acme. They had a selection right on the counter for you to see, smell, and compare to other baguettes and loaves.

I settled on the sourdough baguette that went perfectly with the fromage blanc from the creamery next door and sliced pork from Boccalone. It was wonderfully crispy on the outside giving it that nice sensation and sound of the crunch, while soft on the inside. A perfect baguette. I almost didn't even need to put anything on it, I just wanted the bread it was so delicious.

Enjoy!

Ferndale, MI - Treat Dreams; Finally a local creamery that specializes in unique flavors. You can head to TCBY or Dairy Queen for vanilla or chocolate, but when you want something good, something unique while delicious and flavors you probably never had before, you have to try Treat Dreams.

If you happen to be there on Fat Tuesday, they experimented with blueberry and raspberry paczki. They mentioned they made the filling, then made the batter mixed with the cream and then froze it. Surprising enough, it did taste like paczkis. It had just a small undertone flavor of it, not overwhelming.

You can try as many flavors as they have, but I had to stop before I couldn't eat my scoop. I tried the blueberry paczki, a pint went home with me, breakfast with coffee, salted caramel, and chicken and waffles. The breakfast with coffee was good, but I couldn't really pick out specific flavors on it. Salted caramel was fantastic. It did have a little trouble finishing my whole scoop because the salt can get a little over whelming. It's not a hint of salt, it's definitely there and you get the salty and sweet deliciousness together. Lastly, I didn't know what to expect for the Chicken and Waffles. It is prepared chicken broth, giving it a slight salty flavor in what seemed to be vanilla ice cream. The other nice addition is the soggy waffle pieces giving it texture and a nice addition to the ice cream.

I also tried their bumpy cupcake. It was smaller, but better than I expected. At first I was disappointed that the cupcake wasn't as large as other places, but the flavor made up for the missed expectations. The cake was very moist and the icy wasn't too sweet, letting you feel happy with the choice.

Enjoy!

West Bloomfield, MI - Hong Hua; There are not many places where I can find traditional congee and after seeing it on the menu, I had to try the traditional dish. I have to remind you that have to get the menu off their website because I still haven't seen it in the restaurant.

Congee is a rice porridge, commonly eaten for breakfast. It taste just like a rice soup, not filled with tons of flavor, but it's very distinct and you can choose what type of meat in it. Since this was my first time having it, at the recommendation of the server, I had beef congee. It also contained some sliced scallions and very small vermicelli noodles, not much of it, just a little. I also tried scallop congee, which had a different, but similar flavor. The scallops were cooked in the congee so it was extremely soft and almost melted in your mouth. They're similar because the base flavor is practically the same, however the meat just gives it a little undertone flavor of what it is. So, mine had a slight beef flavor, while the other had a slight seafood taste.

Although my friend didn't like it, I enjoyed both. It definitely has a breakfast feel to it and could easily have it in the morning. I see why it's a breakfast meal.

Enjoy

San Francisco, CA; Cowgirl Creamery - Going through the ferry building, I attempted to put together my own sandwiches with ingredients from different shops. The owner of Baccolone suggested a few places and the creamery was one of them.

I had the fromage blanc, which was recommended by an individual behind the counter. It was creamy, sour cream flavor, a delicate cheese spread and it went perfectly with freshly baked bread and veggies from the market.

They had so many different kinds of cheeses, I wanted to try them all. The only downside was that I couldn't purchase a few slices of different cheeses, I had to purchase by the block. It made the variety of purchasing limited, leading me to the fromage blanc. Since it was delicious, I'm not worried, but I wish I could have had more choices. Enjoy!

Royal Oak, MI - Al's Famous Deli; Al's comes across as a pretty standard Jewish deli. They have all the right items on the menu and in the showcase. Lets see: corned beef, check; Pastrami, check; chicken noodle soup, check; ah, matzo ball soup, check (now we're talking); beef tongue, check (you have my attention), lox, check (smoked salmon for those who don't know what lox is), and new dill pickles (not noodle pickles, if the person behind the counter says "noodle pickles?" you know you're not in a Jewish deli.

So, Al's has all that going for it. It also has Kreplach soup, but when I asked about it, it turns out they don't make it anymore. :( So, how does it stack up to a Jewish deli. I tried their corned beef on rye with coleslaw and russian dressing. Any staple for the deli. I asked for it to be grilled and they said no problem. That's a big plus certainly getting you close to four stars for it. However, the corned beef was more fatty that I usually like it. It had several pieces that were gelatinous, not so pleasant in the sandwich. Even though they did have new dill pickles, they were getting a little old and mushy for my taste.

With this, I would have given it three stars, but there is one thing they do that is near and dear to my heart, bumping it up, almost everything is bought and made locally. Starting from the corned beef, to the pickles (topors), to the chips, and then to the breads and cakes. I love supporting local business and it means even more when those business are supporting our local community. You get a star for that Al! Enjoy!

Ferndale, MI - Chazzano Coffee; Do you consider yourself a coffee expert? How about going to a coffee place that is owned by one? This is a coffee shop, probably borderline coffee snob.

Ask the owner/barista about what's bold, bitter, smooth, strong, dark, light, imported, or what ever you wish your coffee to be and he'll make that cup for you. If your going staight for a cup, it'll be french press.

How about where was the last coffee house you where in where they roasted their own beans? Want to ask about the process, he'll even show and explain it to you.

I would give it four stars, but the downside for me is, its only coffee. I mean only coffee, no scones or muffins or cookies or pastries or anything to mask or alter the flavor and experience of your cup of coffee. I would like something that compliments the flavor and I look to the barista for that guidance and vision. However, if you want to know about Bolivian or Ethiopian or any other coffee, stop in and start learning. Enjoy!

San Francisco, CA - Sears Fine Food; In the heart of San Fran, as a tourist, you'll want to get out of your hotel and try different breakfast places. Take a quick walk over to Sears and although it'll be better than your hotel and CHEAPER, it's a basic dining place. Although, the decor is drastically different from the upstairs to downstairs, not what I expected. Upstairs was also packed and downstairs, basically deserted.

We were in a carb mood, so lets try out their French Toast and what they're famous for, their Swedish Pancakes. The French Toast, was good, but nothing really memorable about it. Again, just as good and cheaper than the hotels. As for the Swedish Pancakes, they're little, delicate, thin, sweet, and very quick to eat. The regular order comes with about 18 pancakes, it sounds like a lot, so I got the half order. Yeah, I was still very hungry afterward. Therefore, get the full order and you'll probably be carbed out while satisfying your sweet tooth. Just by themselves, they are good, just thin little pancakes. You can also request a side lingon berries that really helped give it some more flavor. I would recommend including this on them.

Enjoy!

San Francisco, CA - Samovar Tea Garden; Part of a good meal is the atmosphere and the surrounding environment. The tea house definitely has that going for it. Right there in the middle of the city is a beautiful park, garden, waterfall, decent food, and surprising enough, almost silence, at least the closest you can come to it in the middle of the city.

We started with the Ryokucha Tea, nice and warm on a cool day, sitting outside, and the flavor, not what I was expecting. It actually had a sweet potato flavor, that was from left field. I could only drink so much of it before I was tired of the flavor, but it was good in the beginning though.

It was saved by their sandwich, which was Grilled Agor Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato, Pesto. Now we're talking. I enjoyed every bite. The bread is freshly made, nice and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The pesto complimented the cheese and sun dried tomatoes very well. It all worked well together. It came with a small salad on the side with a balsamic vinegar dressing, which was pretty good, but by the end it could have been slightly over powering.

The tea is overly expensive, but I would expect that since you can grab some tea and sit there for hours. They have to make money some how, right? Enjoy!

Detroit, MI - Lafayette Coney Island; I had to try Lafayette and American Coney Island's coney's side by side and I came to the conclusion that American won out. I still enjoyed Lafayette's, but I thought it didn't have just as much flavor as American did. It lacked something compared to the other, some spice that I can't put my finger on.

Also, I thought the fries were not as crispy as American. Maybe it was bad timing and the batch wasn't fresh, certainly possible.

Next time, I'm going to literally get one from each, take one bite from one and then a bit from the other place and really do a side-by-side comparison.

We'll see how that experiment goes, at least I'll have a full and happy belly!

Detroit, MI - Pupusería y Restaurante Salvadoreño; Truly a gem, what can I say. The food was delicious, unique, handmade, surprising flavors, locally owned, and where else can you find food in Detroit from El Salvidor.

When you go on a day that's about 10 degrees outside, I'm can't wait to get inside in a nice warm place, well, that's not this place. I think the only thing heating this place the kitchen, it was so cold, but I'm willing to look past that no matter what. Why? I go for the food, I can warm up when I'm back in my car.

There was so much I wanted to try here, but my stomach could only hold so much, so I had to stick with a squash and cheese pupusa, pork and cheese pupusa, rice and beans, curtido (cabbage slaw), and their fried plantains. By the way, this was just for me, yeah, I pigged out.

This was my first experience with pupusa's and they now set the bar very high. The pupusas are corn handmade stuffed tortilla, but thick tortilla, not as thin as a whimpy burrito. What's so unique and wonderful of the pupusa is truly the handmade mesa (corn tortilla). You can immediately taste the corn starchiness to it, giving it it's unique flavor and texture. I thought the squash pupusa sounded unique and interesting to try and I was glad I choose it. I did like the pork better, but you have to adventure out of your comfort zone and dive head first into any dish that you've never had and sounds interesting. The squash is a bright green giving it a contrast to the cheese and mesa. The pork pupusa had a little more flavor, but I enjoyed both. It's served with a side of curtido, a cabbage slaw that from the looks of it, was standard cabbage, but it had some unexpected heat. You'll see the vinegar dressing at the bottom and unexpectedly, there's jalapenos mixed in, to give it a nice surprise kick. It almost raw cabbage wasn't for me, so I continued on to the other good stuff.

I did not expect the rice and beans to be so unique. I was expecting the standard "Mexican" rice, but turned out to be a unique blend of rice, lima beans, peas, and corn. It also taste as though it was cooked in a chicken broth or something other than straight water. It had a bit of hardiness to it, complimenting the beans very well.

Lastly, how can I not order the plantains when they're on the menu. It's a must, and after having it, it's definitely a must. A keeper, a staple to any dish! They are deliciously sweet and soft. It's served with beans and crema, a Salvadoran cream. When you mix all three together, you get a wonderful blend of sweet and savory. However, the plantains by themselves is also fantastic.

I forgot to try their licuado, so I'll save that for next time.

***CASH ONLY

San Francisco, CA - Banana House; Walking back from China town, we happen to stumble upon this inconspicuous Thai restaurant. You're not going to ever stop me from going into a Thai place. It was decent inside, standard decor, but I'm ready for the fare.

We started with their spring rolls, which were very different from any other place. The texture was similar to an a Filipino Lumpia, very crepe like. It was surprising, to get that instead of the traditional fried or fresh rice noodle wrap. I had a bite of the pad thai, which was good, rich in flavor and having it's own unique touch from this place.

However, I concentrated on the dish Traffic Jam. It's a dish that has all three curry styles; regular, red, and green. What's wonderful about this dish is that you can literally go from one curry flavor to another and each time refresh your pallet with an amazing new flavor. It's genius! One minute, I thought green was my favorite, then it was red. Amazingly confusing to have them side by side like that. For several bites, I was loving the green, it's a little sweeter and tart compared to the other two, but when I switched back to red, I'm sold, throw in the towel, I'm a red curry kind of guy. This was so much fun to eat. The regular curry flavor was my least favorite, that's not to say it wasn't good, just not my favorite compared to red. I would certainly get this if you want to have fun eating and playing around with flavors.

San Francisco, CA: Stinking Rose - One of the most aromatic and delicious spices/herbs is the garlic, technically part of the onion family though. The more the better is my philosophy.

We heard about this restaurant who is known for using an enormous amount of garlic in their food. That's all I needed to hear for me to be convinced. I shouldn't have created such high expectations for garlic. The food was okay, but not really the caliber that I thought it was going to be. Apparently I like the taste of garlic more than others because it just wasn't enough.

We started with the Garlic Soaking in the Hot Tub, which is roasted cloves in olive oil. Looking at it, I wanted to dive in immediately and spread it all over the toast that accompanied it. Oh, looks are deceiving. it was rather disappointing. The garlic was stripped of all its flavor.

Moving onto the entree, I had the Neon Ravioli. It's ravioli filled with potato & cheese garlic basil in alfredo sauce. It was prepared well, soft and the pasta made well. The sauce had a fairly plateau flavor, meaning it was flat, not complex, or layered. it was just okay. Not surprised to say, it needed more garlic.

During the meal, I tried their garlic wine. Now we're talking. You can smell it and it has a nice garlic after taste. This is the type of garlic impact I was expecting. If you're there, you should definitely try it.

We finished with the garlic ice cream. At least the meal finishes with expectations met. First the wine, now the ice cream. It's garlic ice cream with a caramel mole sauce. It was very good. It had a wonderful garlic flavor and the caramel sauce complimented it well.

When you go, just go and get the wine and ice cream. Skip the rest, unless you ask for extra garlic.

Enjoy!

Farmington Hills, MI - Hong Hua: Finally a second Chinese restaurant in the Detroit area where I can get real Chinese food. Not the American food, sweet and sour chicken, almond chicken, General Tso's Chicken, etc... Well, actually you can get all these things, but why? There's a Chinese menu waiting for you, if you ask, and "Demand" it. That is, if you look like you shouldn't be ordering off that menu.

I heard from some colleagues that I could order "real" Chinese food here. After checking out their site, particularly the "Special Lunch Menu", I was convinced I would be able to find some "off the beaten path" dishes. Next time, I'm trying some Congee, but this time, I set my sights on braised shredded BBQ duck, salted fish, vermicelli, and bean thread.

However, it took some convincing to get it. Here's how it played out. After sitting down, I asked the server for the traditional Chinese menu, the "Special Lunch Menu". She said, oh, it's all on page 1. Looking through the list, it did have a few things on there, but not the real stuff. It didn't have Congee or any of the other traditional dishes I wanted to try. I was already discouraged. Thank goodness for smartphones. I pulled up their menu on my phone and pointed to this dish and said, this is what I want. She looked at me and said, are you sure? Oh yes, was my reply. She looked at my phone again and said, "are you sure you like salted fish?" Oh yes, was my reply. The real answer is, I'm not sure, I've never had it, but you can't talk me out of this now. I'm hoping to get a real dish in front of me and I don't care how much you try to discourage me, now I'm getting it.

I'm so glad I was forceful. It was very good and I can't wait to try something else now. The noodles where cooked very well, but what I liked mostly about it was the BBQ duck. Normally, I don't prefer duck since it has a greasy flavor, but it was prepared very well and didn't even have a hint of that greasy oily-ness to it. So, you take one bite, mmmm, I have noodles, duck, but no fish. In fact, I don't even see any fish. Interesting. Next bite, boom-pow I had a bite of the salted fish. It's hidden in there and it packed a salty punch. mmmmm, I said again. Now we're talking, a hidden treasure.

The portion was enormous and I took lots of it home. If it wasn't for the hidden dishes, I would probably have given it 2 - 3 stars, because I don't like the American-Chinese fare, don't really care for the idea of a hidden menu, and it's a little too upscale for me. There is a sign that says, proper attire required. I like the mom and pops' dives that you can where you pajamas if you want and get really good traditional food. However, their rating is saved by the dish itself and I'm looking forward to trying some more traditional dishes.

San Franciso, CA - Zero Zero: Reviewing the menu, there are several dishes that come across and peak your interest. So, why not try a few pizzas and some dessert. Well, one was a hit, and one not so much.

Starting with the pizzas, Townsend and the Margherita. Well, strike one on the Margherita. It was standard pizza, it taste like pizza. No surprises. It didn't have enough basil, so it lacked the herb flavor. The townsend on the other hand, hit. It was much better, had flavor and I was looking forward to another piece. The Townsend comprises of garlic, potato, prosciutto, mozzarella, and rosemary olive oil. This pizza had flavor and I enjoyed the garlic and potatoes.

I was intrigued by their desserts because you get to make up your own. You get to put what items you want on it and so we tried two different ones. Both of them, ah, it was ok. The first one we tried was the chocolate peppermint patty brownie. With lots of chocolate, you can't go wrong, unless it's store bought ice cream and peppermint patties. I'm not sure if the brownies were made fresh or bought, but you can easily put this one together at home and taste the same or better. Now for the dessert I really wanted to try. The vanilla, toffee, olive oil and sea salt. The ice cream was just that, probably store bought, toffee was tasty. I'm such a toffee lover that I wouldn't care if it were store bought or not, I'll get it if it's available. What I really wanted to try was the olive oil and salt. We saw this option on multiple menus throughout SF and is apparently very common. Well, anytime you have sweet and salty, it's a great match. The salt did give it a nice contrast to the sweetness and the tiny bit of texture with the coarse salt. Olive oil? Intriguing? Ah-huh...Satisfied with the flavor...nope. I'm not sure if they don't use a high quality enough olive oil or it really doesn't add any flavor to the dessert. If I took a larger spoonful of oil with a tiny bit of dessert, I could taste it and it gave a smoothness to it, but it's just oil. Naw, I'm set, I don't need that again. I'll do without.

Enjoy!

Detroit, MI - The infamous Detroit debate, American or Lafayette Coney Island? The verdict - American, only slightly. The best way to do a test is to walk into one place, have a coney and fries, walk outside and about five feet to your right or left and have another coney and fries to do a comparison.

Next time I go, the new test will be to buy one from each and once I have them both in hand, do a bite by bite test. Then I'll see which I prefer.

In this test, American is the winner, only by a slight margin. I thought the chili was slightly more spicy, giving it more flavor. The fries were also slightly better with a better crunch and didn't find any soggy fries.

If you're not familiar with coneys, allow me to introduce two places to you. First either place is legendary in Detroit. The coney has a slightly toasted bun, grilled and not boiled all beef hot dog. Boiled dogs don't have the charbroiled flavor nor the snap when you bite into them. They are also not as firm since they absorb water. Getting back to the coney, its grilled and has an excellent snap when you bite into it, fresh diced onions, homemade chili and the flavor is unique here in Detroit, and lastly the homemade blend of mustard.

Either place, you won't be disappointed. I'll see how my next comparison test goes.

San Francisco, CA - I'm hooked, I'm sold, my heart now seeks out almond croissants from french bakeries. If I see it in their display case, I can't stop from ordering it now. After having an amazing almond croissant at one place, I was so surprised on how delicious they are, I now have to try it anywhere I go.

La Boulange de Market is no exception. However, it really wasn't as good as other places. Since they have multiple locations, I wonder if they don't make them in-house, making it not a unique personal recipe. The croissants I love are ones that have beautifully toasted almonds on top and the almond cream in the middle should have only a slight flavor of almonds and should not overpower the croissant. In La Boulange's case, it was too strong. It was still good and for picking up a quick bite to eat while walking past, I would get it again. I just would not seek it out and drive across the city to try it.

It is a cute little shop inside, not much room though. The patio outside is very nice for grabbing a croissant, sit out there, read a book or people watch. Enjoy!

Farmington, MI - There are lots of middle eastern restaurants in the Detroit area, but not many Chaldean places. Growing up, I ate at all my friends' homes who were Chaldean and always looked for those dishes at restaurants, but could never find them. I had to start wondering why?

New Saharas and the one in oak park both have Chaldean dishes that are not on the menu. In this case, what I came for, kari, which looks like tomato soup in the picture. As a kid, my friend's mom would make rice and kari in the morning and it sat on the stove all day for whenever you wanted it. Kari is a stew of tomato sauce, curry, and potatoes. I'm sure so much more, but that's the basics. Well, this version didn't disappoint. I was prepared to lick the bowl.

The falaffal was good too, not the best I've ever had, but not bad. The other highlight you'll want to make sure you try is their ranch dressing. I know, you're saying, ranch so what. They make it in house and it has some tangyness not typical for ranch. Its very good and I almost finished the little dixie cup when I typically never finish any dressing. Its also tasty dipping your bread in too.

Lastly, if your in the mood for a delicious heart attack, try the cream chop. Wow is it good. Its pounded and flattened steak or chicken then deep fried. Its delicious.

Service is good and the bread is prepared in the stone oven on the premises.

San Francisco, CA - Hotel restaurants, most of the time, you hate them. They are convenient, but really, it's hotel food, not fine dining. However, sometimes it's really easy to decide to try it when you just arrive and you really don't know the city yet. Ducca's is just this situation.

Alright, lets try it. Well, for the rest of the week, you can guess that I was finding all kinds of other breakfast places. I tried their "Breakfast Buffet", looks average to decent. Lets see if they'll knock my socks off because it better for the price the buffet, it better be fantastic. From the star rating I gave it, you can guess that it did not do that.

Lets start with the positive feedback. Service was very good, very attentive, welcoming, and warm. Food, well, it was food. That's really it. The only component that I thought was delicious, was their french toast. That was the best part, not worth the cost of the buffet, but still it was very good. They were very large slices of cinnamon raisin bread with a soft egg flavor, but not overpowering. I would certainly order that again. The only other item that was helping to add worth to the buffet was having lox. I'll load up on that with any opportunity.

The biggest negative feedback is that the rest of the items are just average. The meats, eggs, etc... could have been ones that you found on the buffet at Big Boys for a third the cost.

Just get the french toast, that would be worth going. Enjoy!

San Francisco, CA - When you're looking for beef jerky, the only kind I try to stick with is fresh meat that's dehydrated and prepared by the butcher on site. I don't waste my time or money on packaged kinds. Now I do make exceptions and as I was walking through the Ferry Building in SF, I passed this meat company and based on the varieties and freshness of the meats in the window, I thought I could try this place.

They gave me the bad news that the only jerky they had was in the package, I almost said, thanks, but not interested, but even the pieces in the prepackage looked decent, similar to the standard packaging, but it's a local butcher and they use sustainable meats. Why not try it?

I tried their original flavor. At first I thought it was very basic flavor, nothing really special. However, it grew on my quickly. The flavor was delicate, but peppery. Surprisingly, it was not dried out as much as it looked. It turned out to be a delicious snack and the package only lasted about two days. I found myself grabbing a little piece here and there. I wish the pieces were larger chunks and wasn't so dried out, but even with those criticisms, I still give it three stars. Enjoy!

Berkley, MI - Never judge a book by its cover right? Ellies Grill is no exception. A little mom and pops place disguised as a coney island, but secretly is a Hungarian/Macedonian restaurant.

Its a standard looking place both on the outside and inside. Server were very nice and helpful for questions on the menu. With several reviews about the mix grill, its a must and contains all the Macedonian specialty meats.

Is was a chilly day out so why not start with their cabbage soup. The soup was the perfect temperature for a nice cold day and deliciously hardy with small chunks of cabbage, veggies, small pieces of slow cooked meat that really disintegrated when you ate it. They mentioned that they prepare the soup from scratch onsite.

Now for the real deal, the mix grill. Boy, can I get it again? It was that good. I didn't know which meat to end with, but finally decided on the pork skewer. All of them are absolutely delicious, medium to medium-rare cooked, and fresh with a balanced layer of spices and saltiness. The rice below it was cooked nicely and had a nice tomato base without looking like it has it. It also soaks up some of the juices from the meat giving it some extra flavor. At first I didn't think the fries needed to be there and added an American element that was unnecessary, but decided the it gave some a textural component and acted as a palette cleanser between the meats. The only thing that was unnecessary was the diced onions with paprika. Tried it, but didn't care for that.

Lastly, I enjoyed Ellie's food and if you do to, ask her to come out and take a break from cooking to let her know you enjoyed it. That's right, the owner is right back there cooking for you. It's like she invited you over for dinner. Enjoy!

San Francisco, CA - The name and location wouldn't be the first thing that screams Vietnamese, but it has several Bahn Mi options that surprised me. Cafe Dolci is so small, you can only fit two employees and maybe two customers. Did I mention that the only way for the employees/owners to get into their "kitchen", behind the counter, is to duck under the counter? Yes, it's very small, but you get to talk directly to the owners.

FYI...vegetarians, they have vegetarian bahn mi sandwiches too. As for you carnivores, they have several options for the sandwich. Advice to adventure eaters and those unfamiliar with bahn mi sandwiches, you have to ask for pate to be on your sandwich. The pate was average, but I was happy to have it on there. The pork isn't grilled onsite, definitely no room, but the lady told me that she grills them at the restaurant and then brings it here. It wasn't bad, but you can tell it wasn't grilled a minute or an hour ago. It did have fresh veggies, cilantro, cucumber, etc... The only other disappointing piece is they asked if I wanted it hot, of course! So they included the jalapeno peppers on it, but they were extremely mild and not spicy at all. I could taste them, but no kick. However, one aspect I was impressed with was that they did toast the bread right there. I wasn't expecting that, so they did pass those expectations.

Other yelpers mentioned that the line gets pretty long for lunch, so you can call ahead and put in an order for a sandwich before you show up so you don't wait so long.

If I had time to go up to China Town to get another bahn mi sandwich, I would take the time, but if I didn't have the time, it's better than a pbj from home!

San Francisco, CA - Tucked away in an alley along with five or six other restaurants in the financial district, you'll find Taverna. I had to go during the world series, so the places was pretty deserted, but they did have the game on, therefore, our server was a little distracted. I completely understood, so no stars deducted for that.

Taverna does have some really nice outdoor seating sitting adjacent to all the other restaurant's outdoor seating, creating an alley reminiscent of a small street in Italy. The decor is decent and updated, but not spectacular. Our server did tell us they have a full bakery in the back where they make their biscuits on-site each morning.

I tried the Bouillabaisse; Shellfish Stew in a Tomato Saffron Broth. The shellfish were scallops and mussels. I thought the scallops were cooked very nicely, but I think the mussels had a very strong mussel flavor, too much for my palate. It's the sauce that I'll write home about. The saffron broth, I wanted to drink it. I did finish it all and used the toast with garlic butter that accompanied it, to soak it up. Once the toast was gone, I used my spoon to scoop it up. It had a very nice balanced flavor, complimenting the seafood very well.

We finished with the Warm Chocolate Cake Caramel Sauce & Vanilla Ice Cream. This is certainly a must to try. The chocolate cake was very nice, but not spectacular. It did have a nice gooey center, but not as much as a lava cake. If it were a lava cake, I think it would have gone up a notch. However, the component on this dish you want to save for last is the ice cream in the crispy delicious bowl. It was crunchy, salty, sweet, and perfect with the ice cream. I would be tempted to get this dessert each time there.

San Francisco, CA - I never expected the variety and choices of food here at the Moss Room at the Academy of Sciences' cafe. I expected the typical fare, pizza, burgers, etc..., but Dim Sum, Bahn Mi, Pho, Italian, etc...? Wow, I was really shocked! I guess if I were to merely rate the Moss Room on variety, it would be three stars. However, you do have to consider flavor a part of the experience, right? It always comes down to flavor.

Therefore, I tried the Bahn Mi, expecting it to be very terrible. I know that you can't expect something so Vietnamese to be excellent at a cafe in a museum. Well, it wasn't terrible, not bad, but ok. So, it's certainly not a Bahn Mi sandwich you would get walking through China town, but I still would rather have a ok Bahn Mi sandwich than a bland piece of pizza, wouldn't you? Mainly, it was very greasy, veggies were ok, but the most important piece of Bahn Mi was missing, the pate. I know many people don't like it, but it is what makes the sandwich. I also shared a vegetarian spring roll which also was ok. It did have fresh veggies, but certainly not the veggies that are traditional in the roll. It did have mushrooms that gave it an unusual texture.

I do like all the outdoor seating it has. When you go to California, who wants to sit inside!

San Francisco, CA - I was looking for a nice little breakfast place to check out and I came across Honey Honey Cafe. When you walk in, you notice that it's a really cute little place inside, seats probably 40-50 or so. One of the walls has the complete menu, in very large print.

I wanted to order so many crepes, but I wanted some protein and substance, so I went with the Huevos Rancheros. I would give it 3.5 stars. The tortillas were nice and crispy and eggs and cheese were pretty good. The black beans were good, but it did lack a bit of flavor. Some may appreciate it, but I like when black beans have a little meaty, porky flavor, but it did not.

The extra .5 star goes for the cute atmosphere, but also something that you rarely see in a restaurant, but was fantastic, the bathroom door has a vacancy/occupied sign. It's a single bathroom and you usually have to knock and wait, but they have a convenient vacancy/occupied sign attached to the lock, similar to porta-johns. It makes perfect sense and I wish more places had it.

Honey Honey also has a very nice little outdoor seating place where you can enjoy the outside, people watch, and eat on the streets of SF.

Clinton Township, MI - Rheinland Baked Goods. There's something about bread that is so delicious. I can sit and eat freshly made bread any day and all day. The Bagel Factory started selling this bread out of their shop, but stopped shortly after. I later found the baker and owner at the Birmingham Farmer's Market with their large assortment of bread made that day, right here in the Detroit area.

I should really try all their breads, but once you fall in love, you can't stray. I tried their German Sweet Bread and I was sold. Why would I want any other bread. The best things about this bread is that it's slightly sour dough flavor, very faint, but then the contrast of the sugar on top. It has chopped dates and almonds inside to give it an extra sweet flavor, but also texture. Really, the best part is the coated sugar on top. It gets all over your fingers and you're just forced to lick them all.

One more thing, don't think this loaf is going to last very long in the house. I promise it'll be gone in two, three days max.

Since driving to their store is just too far, I pick up their bread at Plum Market. It's not as fresh as it would be right out of their store that morning, but I'm satisfied with the trade off. Get it, it's delicious and the owner/baker was so nice when I met him.

***In their store, CASH ONLY****

West Bloomfield, MI - Ninja Sushi is one of my coworkers and I, favorite sushi restaurants to visit for lunch. Why? The staff is amazingly wonderful, but that's not why you go out to eat, right? It's for the food...and for you to return and return and return, it has to be very good. Ninja Sushi is one of those places. The owner treated us to a special appetizer, Snapper Tempura. I'll just call it heavenly appetizer. It's red snapper prepared tempura style with a blend of three sauces on the side. One of the sauces was a soy sauce reduction, one of the others I believed was a mango reduction, and I'm not sure what the third was. With the combination of the three, we wiped the plate clean. I think when no one was looking, I may have used my finger to wipe up more of it. When you're there, ask for it, you'll enjoy it. Enjoy!

West Bloomfield, MI - Looking to order an item not on the menu? Feeling a little adventurous? At La Shangila during lunch, you should try their Dim Sum. They are small Cantonese appetizers that you pick right off a cart they bring around. Be prepared to be a little aggressive on what you want and what you don't want. If you don't, they be happy to put down on your table what they want. You can also special order dishes from the back. Here's the opportunity to order a dish that doesn't come around on the cart.

This is Salty Shrimp, dim sum portion. They will ask you if you want it whole or cut. If you're adventurous, order it whole. It comes with the head on it. If you're not so much, then tell them "no head". Salty shrimp is a common Chinese dish that many Chinese people order whole, according to the waiter. The other piece of advice he gave me was to make sure you chew well because the head and the shell can sometimes be a little sharp. Good advice I thought. :) The shrimp is lightly battered and salted and deep fried. They are very delicious and I now get it every time I'm there. I think the head gives it a little extra flavor, don't miss out on it. Enjoy!

Warren, MI - Are you an adventurous eater? Willing to take a chance and eat something you've never had before. This is chicken and duck balut from Kim Nhung grocery store. The grocery store is truly a place where you can find asian ingredients not found in common grocery stores. I heard they carried Filipino Balut. This is not for the faint of heart. Balut is a fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. It also is a luck of the draw on how developed the embryo is inside. The large white egg is the duck and the brown is the chicken.

I was very luck on the chicken egg, it wasn't developed very far at all. The egg white taste like the white chicken meat and the yolk was the dark chicken meat. Actually, the chicken balut wasn't bad at all.

As for the duck balut, that was a different story. It is not shown here, but after opening it and taking a few bites, I couldn't finish it. It had a very strong duck flavor and a bit slimy. I rarely not finish something and the duck balut, well, it was one that I decided not to complete. Score one for the food. Enjoy if you're courageous!