Kris G.'s Profile

funnily enough for a place called roostertail, the chicken was not my favorite! i stopped by last night with some friends who had attended the opening, and were big fans of the pulled pork. i wondered why they recommended pork at a chicken joint, so i decided to get a couple things so i could taste a wider selection. i ordered the beef brisket sandwich with fries, a half chicken, and the mac and three-cheese.

the brisket sandwich was so good that i'll be heading back this weekend for another.

the oval-shaped acme roll was slathered with their whole-grain dijon mustard, and piled high with a darkly-sweet onion marmalade, lightly dressed arugula, and brisket tender enough to make a jewish mother happy.

the fries were crisp and salty, and the mac and cheese was sharp and flavorful, but the chicken itself i found to be overly lemon-flavored and slightly dry. maybe it's because we were there around 9pm, so the end of their service, but for a place that touts its rotisserie skills, they need to get better at basting.

because it's right around the corner from my work, i have been to this place more times than i can count, and usually i very much enjoy the food. but there's one sin i just can't forgive, and gecko gecko has committed it on multiple occasions: cold food.

i love their tangy country pad thai, and prefer to get it with salmon, but the last three times i've had it, the noodles were hot but the fish was cold. cold fish on hot noodles is not appetizing.

you would think that this major faux-pas would have me lowering their review to 3 stars or even 2, but it's really been their ONLY flaw. the service is speedy and attentive, the rest of the menu is yummy as well, and the pricing is totally reasonable. so despite the fact that they have served me cold fish on more than one occasion, i'm still totally willing to back them with 4 stars. fix the fish, and y'all can go up to 5!!

i love ah love! i could spend hours in ALO&V, tasting olive oil after olive oil after olive oil. honestly, i've always found bread to be nothing more than a vehicle for butter, or in this case, delicately flavored olive oils.

when you walk into this sunny shop, you see the walls lined with olive oils: extra virgin olive oil and garlic olive oil and basil olive oil and meyer lemon olive oil and bacon olive oil and even sesame oil! and it doesn't stop there, they have a variety of balsamics as well, ranging from smoked balsamic to honey ginger balsamic to cinnamon pear balsamic.

i hit up ALO&V with my mother, to help her pick out some holiday gifts for her co-workers, and ended up wanting to buy a ton of stuff for myself! unfortunately, i was on a business trip with a small carry-on, and wasn't able to buy as much as i would've liked. but i couldn't leave without buying something, and ended up with a 2oz bottle of rosemary olive oil that i could take back with me on the plane.

most of which didn't even make it to the plane, as my sister and i broke into that bottle and a bottle of the smoked balsamic vinegar my mother bought her as a treat. those two, plus a sourdough baguette? my version of heaven.

i loved the quirky wine-tasting experience, and a few of their tapas dishes were real winners. a solid 4 for sure.

i went to evo bistro with Kate S. and R.R. for a little catch-up girl time while i was on a brief east coast trip. we loaded the wine debit cards and tried a bunch of small plates. i wasn't drinking too much that night, so i can't tell you much about the wines, but as for the small plates:

- butternut squash ravioli: pretty good, but i felt like the mushrooms were the big flavor in this dish, not the squash.
- lobster ravioli: i liked the lobster ravioli, but the sauce needed a little salt.
- moroccan tuna: REALLY good. this was probably one of my two favorites; a spiced, seared tuna steak, served rare, with a guacamole-esque avocado salsa and tuna tartare. i loved the tuna duo and the moroccan spices were truly delicious. i could've eaten two.
- sausage trio: the merguez was fantastic, as was the cannellini bean stew - definitely my other favorite. the spicy sausage was a perfect pair for the beans, and i almost wished we had gotten that dish alone. the chorizo and italian sausage were nice, but couldn't compare to the merguez.
- pork belly: IMOH, overrated. Kate S. and R.R. really liked it, but i thought it was too fatty.
- caprese: standard. the only way to really mess up caprese is with bad tomatoes, and these were fine.

a little bit pricey, and some of the dishes fell short. but definitely a place with some novelty to it, so a good place to go for dinner with friends.

great place to buy, not the easiest place to sell.

i first went to crossroads with the intent to fatten up my oh-so-slender wallet by getting rid of a few designer goods that i don't really wear. while i knew my christian dior purse and betsey johnson dress wouldn't bring in as much cash as i paid for them, i never imagined they'd be rejected altogether! the salesgirl looked at me pityingly and said, "yeah... these are from like, 5 seasons ago." wow. just wow.

i had planned to boycott the place after that, but had a an hour to kill in pac heights and ended up browsing the racks. ok, so this is why my stuff was rejected!! i was able to get a pair of THIS SEASON'S citizen jeans and THIS SEASON'S seven jeans for about $30 apiece; add $15 for hemming and i just paid $45 for $250 jeans!

while i can't imagine anyone wanting to sell this season's clothing (wouldn't you just want to wear it?), if you are looking to buy this season's clothing at a reduced price, this is the place to do it.

this is a nice, neighborhood restaurant that i'm lucky is in my neighborhood.

my first experience was chance, a stop-in after the yelp app guided me to nearby brunch spots. i liked the bar/counter and the hip-looking waitresses and quickly snagged a table for one. i opted for the corned beef hash topped with two poached eggs. one egg was a little underdone, but the hash was fantastic; big chunks of salty corned beef and fried potatoes. i loved the jalapeno aioli drizzled on top, but could've used more of it.

despite the wonky egg, i was intrigued enough to want to try their dinner menu, and soon. i went there with a friend to try the small plates, and we had the mac and cheese, truffle fries, and mushroom risotto. the risotto was delicious; perfectly cooked and full of umami flavor from the mushrooms, as were the salty, truffle fries, but the mac and cheese was pretty bland, like buffet food. so, i decided to just stick with their brunch options.

i went there just this past weekend, and tried the delicious breakfast tacos - loved the red rice that came with those! what was lacking was the bacon fritters - where's the bacon?? they tasted like ball-shaped pancakes that had random bits of bacon accidentally dropped in there. i want fritters so full of bacon that their perfect ball shape is distorted by the chunks of meaty goodness.

i'm sure i'll continue to take out-of-town folks to NHG for brunch because it's super close to my apartment, but it won't be on the list of "OMG, this is amazing SF food that you will never forget" type of places.

are you interested in experiencing the outdoors but intimidated by the cost of equipment, the prospect of becoming lost, or the idea of going at it alone? if so, the big sur expedition offered by bay area expeditions is perfect for you.

owner/guide/brawny outdoorsman chris van loan really knows his shit. and after one trip with him, you'll know some shit too - like how to filter water from a stream, what kind of clothing is best for a backpacking trip, the proper (and comfortable) way to wear your pack, and most important, how to react in a crisis situation when you are in the woods, with only the supplies you carried in on your back. BAE provides all the gear you will need, and if you're looking to buy, chris is happy to share his wisdom on which brands are best.

the expedition itself consisted of a 3-mile hike into the woods, sleeping in a clearing, and then hiking back out the next morning. i was able to take some amazing photos of the waterfalls, redwoods, and banana slugs we passed along our way. dinner and breakfast are provided, but bringing snacks is a good idea. i didn't find the hike too challenging, and everyone in our group of mixed ages/abilities was able to make it without trouble.

this is a fantastic way to see big sur and gain confidence in your outdoor survival abilities. i can't wait to follow chris into the desert on his american safari!

fugazzeta, i bow before thee. powerful aged cheddar flavor, with hints of shaved onion and accents of oregano; and the simple ingredient list really lets the flaky, buttery crust shine through. this is the best savory one to date.

bass lake is a great place to take your power boat, party boat, or RV, but as far as tent camping, it's good, but not my ideal setting.

i loved the lake itself. it's gorgeous, clear, and deep; practically built for boaters. even though all we had were innertubes, we had a great, fun-filled day on the lake. we were able to float around in a cove, soaking up the sun and reaping the benefits of the boats' wakes, and we grilled sausages and played frisbee in the shade of the trees near the beach.

but campsite #22 in the cedar bluff campgrounds left a bit to be desired; all of the campsites were right up on top of each other! we could practically hear law and order booming out of the RV in site #21. which brings me to the fact that we were the only campers without an RV. and while i think people should get outdoors any way they enjoy, the electric blue glow from the satellite tvs and icicle christmas lights did make it a bit harder to see the stars.

the last gripe i have with bass lake is their lazy labeling of nearby trails. Martin W. and i set out to hike the goat mountain trail and got totally lost. the trails are definitely well kept; shrubbery is tamed back and not at all overgrown, but they could use with some more signage, and signage that says something more than simply "trail" (which trail? to where? from where?).

it would be impossible for me to capture the majestic beauty of the ancient trees in this park, but what i can describe is the fantastic camping experience that these grounds provide.

we stayed at hamilton barn environmental campsite #3, and i couldn't have been more pleased with that choice. we were no more than 100 yards from both the (CLEAN) outhouse and the cars, and the site was equipped with a picnic table, fire pit, and bear locker. it backed up to both an open field and a fast-moving stream; offering us a place to star-gaze and a place to wash dishes. but the best thing was how separate all of the sites are from one another. we could neither see nor hear any of the other campers all weekend long.

there are tons of trails to hike; we did the bull creek run, which goes up one side of the creek and back down the other for a total of 9 miles. or you can spend the day relaxing and sunning on eel river, which is perfect for swimming and kicking back in an innertube. another option is to take your camera and your car for a spin on the nearby avenue of the giants. but whatever outdoor activity you choose, make sure to stop by the visitor's center on your way out; to learn some of the history of the place, pick up a t-shirt, and make a donation to the state parks of california.