Goday Mate!

While I had not one single shimp on any kind of barbie... I did eat what seemed like half the food in Sydney.

Me and my lovely family traveled down under for the first time. We decided to keep it simple and only visited Sydney for the 9 days we were there.

THE GOOD: The people, sights, weather, cleaness, beaches, activities, architecture, transportation, and general feeling of the place is the bomb. The food choices are wide (with the exception of mexican food).

THE BAD: I would have to say that it didn't feel "foreign" enough for me. Here I schlep 15 hours to the other side of the world and the weirdest thing that i experience is that they drive on the wrong side of the road and call their liquor stores "bottle shops".

That being said, I could move there in a heartbeat.

Below is a list of some of the must do/see/eat/drink things in Sydney:

The Sydney Harbor Bridge climb
The Taranga Zoo
Bondi Beach
Manly
The Blue Mountains
Darling Harbor
Bills
Toko Sushi
Gelatissimo
Pontoon Grill
Tooheys Beer
Luna Park Fun Center

Hippy Hell

THIS IS A CAUTIONARY TALE ABOUT CHANGING CHEFS

FIRST THING: I've been eating at this joint for several years now. If I had written this review 2 months ago, I would have given Magnolia 4 stars (how quickly things can change.)

THE GOOD: The beer is very tasty and the atmosphere is warm and groovy.

THE BAD: The food here used to be just OK a few years back... then it got super tasty in the last year... now they have a new "chef" and the food was literally inedible. The house cut fries (that were always some of the best in town) were totally soggy... COME ON DUDES... SOGGY FRIES... EEWWW.

The meal went downhill from there. I got a salad with dandelion green, French beans and sausage. The thing was very very bitter and over-powering in spice. It was crying out for some creaminess or some sweetness to balance the bitterness. For my main course I tried the gnocci with brown butter and summer veggies. This thing was a total disaster. The whole thing was pan incinerated to the point it was blackened. The result was the driest pasta I've ever been served in my life (and my mom makes some really nasty pasta).

Lastly, when I told the waitress that I couldn't (or wouldn't) eat the gnocci, she happily took it away. But, when the check came I was charged for it! She said that I ordered it, there for I pay, period. After an argument, she relented and took it off the bill.

The Haight is sadly in shortage of good dinning options, and to have even one go south really hurts. If a manager or the owners read this, please take action with your new chef, your food, and customers, (and soon bottomline) are suffering.

*

Magnolia Pub & Brewery
1398 Haight Street
(between Central Ave & Masonic Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 864-7468
Website

Auchtang! Delicious.

If you ever need to get your drink on and get your eat on at the same time, do I have the place for you. Suppenkuche is an authentic Munich pub. It is in the very hip Hayes Valley. It is very cute and warm on the inside with communal wooden tables throughout. And therein lays the secrete to this places true strength. You are forced to share a table with strangers almost every time you go here. Add to this giant (like 2 liter giant) beers to the mix and you have the makings for a very friendly place.

The GOOD:

• Massive portions of really yummy food. Like Wiener Schnitzel or Spätzle will keep you full for a day or 2.
• Awesome German beer selection (something like 30 on tap!)
• The fun and festive atmosphere is infectious.

The BAD:

• The wait is very long if you get there anytime after 7pm
• There is no reservations
• The food coma and hangover the next day!

*****

Suppenküche
525 Laguna
(at the corner of Hayes and Laguna)
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 252-9289
Website

Portland in 14 hours

I took a very quick trip up to Portland... 14 hours there to be exact! The highlight of the trip was my visit to Clyde Common restaurant in the Pearl District in downtown Portland. The place is very "clean", but not cold. It has a DIY vibe, but is very polished and professional at the same time. I especially loved the community table where parties were sat all together. We talked to our table mate about what they were eating and what was the best choices.

What I ordered was a monk fish over wilted greens as my main. It was very fresh and very tender and tasty. I had a corn chowder soup as a starter that rocked my world. Super-creamy and very flavorful. I have to say that my drink was the highlight though. I had a whiskey sour made with with Makers Mark. The sweet and sour was sublime. It danced on my tongue with it bold balance of sweet and tart. I had like 3 of them, so that may be why my impressions of the meal are a bit blurry.

YYY1/2

Clyde Common

1014 SW Stark St
Portland, OR 97205
Phone: (503) 228-3333
Website

Maui Wowie... a wrapup

I went to Maui this spring with the whole family (plus parents and in-laws). Fun was most definitely had by all. We had perfect weather and family "tensions".

Our stay was in Kahana, north of Kaanapali, in the very family friendly Kahana Sunset condos. These condos are mostly 2 BR 2BA units, all with ocean views. They have 2 Lanai and semi-covered parking. Also each unit has washer and driers. The complex is very well maintained with a pool, gardens, and a private beach that is very sandy and kid-friendly.

Just around the corner from the complex is the Napili Shopping center with groceries, etc.

YYYY1/2

Kahana Sunset
1-800-669-1488






A great meal we had was at Kimo's in Lahaina. It is right on the water and very cool. It gets very crowded early, so make reservations. The food is good, not great, but good. It's the authentic Maui style scene that gets kudos from me. What's not to love about dinning at the waters edge with tiki torches lighting the palm trees. Love it!

I found the ahi tuna sashimi to be very fresh and delish. The meal ended with their famous Hula Pia. It's ice cream, oreo cookie crust, whip cream, fudge indulgence. mmmmmm...

YYY 1/2

Kimo's
845 Front St # A
Lahaina, HI 96761
(808) 667-5466






Can life get any better than finding this little piece of heaven? The whole clan (8 of us) were driving to Hana when we saw a bunch of cars parked just off the road. We were feeling a bit tired of the twisting turning road to Hana, so we pulled over to find out just what the deal was.

It turns out it is the locally famous Julia's Banana bread shack. And I do mean shack. It's in the middle of nowhere, but in my opinion, serves the best banana bread on the earth. It is served warm (my mouth is watering just thinking back). We ate what must have been 5 lbs of it before we even got back on the road. I wish I knew the exact location of it on the highway, but you won't miss it by the amount of cars parked near it.

Helpful note: buy extra! You will want more when you get back from the trip, and nothing else will even come close to the taste.

YYYYY

Julia's Best Banana Bread Shack
On the road the Hana

Holy Grill!

I have been meaning to try this joint for some time now. I went for lunch today, and surprised... surprised good AND bad.

First the Good:

1. Interior is clean and inviting.
2. Prices are OK, not cheap, but OK.
3. The meat and condiments are top notch quality.
4. The fries are very very good! Totally like home made.

Now the Bad:

1. Not a lot of seating inside (so may not be able to eat there).
2. The bun is a disaster. It's the yellowest egg roll that I have ever laid eyes on. It is too firm and cakey, and has too much flavor (if that makes any sense).

Anyway, I will most likely go back, but my bring my own bun next time.



YYY 1/2 (out of 5)

Holy Grill
659 Townsend St
(between 7th St & 8th St)
San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 431-4659

www.holygrillsf.com

Some of My Lists.

Here is a very cool site: OnMyList.com.

It is my newest time waster. Enjoy.

Off We Go!

This blog will cover travel and everything that goes along with it (food, planes, fun, entertainment, etc.)

I will be going to Sydney in 4 weeks. This will be a great place to start. In the meantime, I will take a stab at some of the places I am going to here in San Francisco.

Let's start out with what i consider the Best Happy Hours in San Francisco.