Eat. Run. Play.

South Bay girl who loves to eat, dreams of traveling the world, and is a fitness enthusaist.

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Smitten Ice Cream Mission shop grand opening -- FREE ice cream!

Smitten Ice Cream has opened shop in the Mission - 904 Valencia Street, San Francisco. Today, March 23, they’re serving up FREE ice cream (read: “pay what you would like”) with all proceeds donated to La Cocina, a Mission-headquartered non-profit that provides commercial kitchen space and mentorship to talented low-income women and immigrant entrepreneurs in the food business around the Bay Area!

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Matcha puffs, matcha cheesecake, and Japanese cheesecake with fruit. Can't say no to dessert! The Taste of Tea | Healdsburg, CA

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Runaway Freight burger + avocado (extra): cheddar cheese, bourbon glazed cremni mushrooms, crispy onion rings, Maverick’s burger sauce Maverick Jack’s | Burlingame, CA

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St. Patrick’s Day Deals and Goodies [SF Bay Area]

*Business names are hyperlinked! Click for more details. Krispy Kreme: Green glazed, green sprinkle, and shamrock-shaped kreme filled donuts!

Jamba Juice Insiders: If you’re an Insider and subscribed to their emails, there’s a coupon in your inbox for buy one smoothie, get one for $1.

David’s Tea: Time to stock up on loose leaf teas if you’re running low! David’s Tea has up to 40% off (on 12oz or more) discounts on bulk loose leaf teas from March 9 - 20, 2017. 

Dunkin Donuts: They have a shamrock sprinkle donut -- chocolate frosting and shamrock sprinkles.

McDonalds: Celebrate with a classic Shamrock Shake, the Chocolate Shamrock Shake, the Shamrock Chocolate Chip Frappé, the Shamrock Mocha, or the Shamrock Hot Chocolate. McDonald's is also giving 25 cents from each McCafe Shamrock Chocolate beverage purchase to Ronald McDonald House Charities!

Burger King: Their Oreo Mint Shake isn’t specific to St. Patty’s Day, but it’s green!

TGI Friday (Union City): Stop in tonight for $3 green beer (14oz) or $5 Jameson.

Yard House: Check out their Irish-inspired eats and drinks, including corned beef, shepherd’s pie, a Dublin mule with Jameson, and an Irish whiskey flight.

Jersey Mike’s Subs: Double your points today on your sub purchase!

Sharetea Metron (SF): $1 off ALL Matcha items including Matcha Red Bean Milk Tea, Matcha Tea Creama, Matcha with Fresh Milk, and Matcha Ice Blended.

Rise Pizzeria (Burlingame): Show your green and get $1 off your beer today.

Westtea Cafe (Pleasanton): Grab a matcha drink during their happy hour (not exclusive to St. Patrick’s Day) from 2-5pm today and get $1 off a large drink! Bonus: Hunter (one of the owner’s three westies) will be in the shop.

Gilt City: Use code LUCKY30 for 30% off -- limited time (1-4pm EST).

Alex and Ani: Check out their St. Patrick’s (green) jewelry and the rest of their collection. Enjoy free shipping this weekend -- through March 20.

Vamaya: $30 off your next flight out of the US to any international destination (except Canada) with code LUCKY30 when you book by March 18, 11:59pm.

Ann Taylor: Enjoy 40% off your online purchase until tonight when you use code LUCKY.

ActiveGearUp: Looking for outdoor gear? Get an extra 17% off with code LUCKY17 until tonight, 11:59pm.

S A N   F R A N C I S C O   E V E N T S There are lots of events going on in the city tonight; I’ve listed some of the free or cheap ones here:

Saint Patrick’s Day at the Anchor Beer Garden (12-7pm) [Mission Bay] The Anchor Beer Garden at The Yard is celebrating its opening week. Tonight, all Anchor beers are $5 and they’re pouring a special St. Patrick’s Day IPA.

Taverna Aventine’s St. Patrick’s Day Alley Party (4-11pm) [FIDI]: The indoor/outdoor event will include live music, food truck(s), drink specials, and games.

Irish Bank St. Patrick’s Day Block Party 2017 (2pm-midnight) [FIDI] : Per previous years’ celebrations, the cover charge should be about $10. DJ Marc Van Brabant starts spinning at 6pm.

Royal Exchange’s Free St. Patty Party (5-8pm) [FIDI] : The band, Wonder Bread 5 hits the stage at 5pm. 

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at the Pier (Pier 39) [Fisherman’s Wharf]: Enjoy drink specials at participating businesses; a full list is on the website. Specials include $6 green drinks, $1 off Irish Cream Latte, $5 Guinness pints, and more!

Chief Sullivan’s St. Patrick’s Day Street Party 2017 (2pm-?) [North Beach]: Chief Sullivan's in North Beach is celebrating their 1st Annual St. Patrick's Day Street Party. They’re teaming up with Nothstar Cafe for festivities, including music, bagpipers, Irish beers, and green drink specials.

St. Paddy’s Celebration at 11 Minna Gallery (8-11pm) [SOMA]: The black light art event will feature live performances, 2D and 3D art, a face painting contest, raffle prizes, and savory St. Paddy’s day treats! Cover is $10 -- this event is a fundraiser for de Young Museum College arts Program. 

S A N   J O S E   E V E N T S  The #LuckyCharms Ride Join the San Jose Bike Party at 8pm for a bike ride around town. The event will feature live music. Arrive early at 7:30pm for free safety light distribution if you don’t already have front and rear lights for your bike. The route starts at the Capitol VTA South lot and spans 18.5 miles.

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How can you say no to these amazingly adorable ice cream crepes? You can't! Definitely a must in Japantown, SF for IG-worthy dessert 🍦

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Stacks on Stacks of Sandwiches - Deli Delicious | San Jose

Newcomer to the Evergreen neighborhood of San Jose has its grand opening celebrations tomorrow, Friday March 3 and Saturday March 4! They’re giving away $1 small sandwiches for the first 200 customers on each day and giveaway prizes. Address: 2762 Aborn Road, San Jose, CA 95121 Some fellow food bloggers and I stopped by a couple weeks ago and when I walked in the door, I found my friends behind the counter! Yes, they let us get up close and personal in the kitchen.

The chicken chipotle & jack and BBQ tri-tip & provolone sandwiches

I want more of these beer battered and curly fries!

The pastrami, pepperoni, salami, jack & provolone sandwich was one of my favorites!

Our photoshoot started at the table with the co-owner telling us about all the sandwiches...and we migrated outside...

Stacks on stacks on stacks: -pastrami, pepperoni, salami, jack & provolone -turkey, avocado, bacon & provolone -BBQ tri-tip & provolone -chicken chipotle & jack

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Oscars Party? 50% off menu-priced pizzas with online Pizza Hut order

Yes, you read that right. Pizza Hut is offering 50% off its menu-priced pizzas -- any size and custom or preset selections -- through February 27 when you order online through the website or iOS/Android app. Select the deal prior to making your pizza selections or enter the coupon code FEBFIFTY prior to submitting payment. *Discount is not applicable to tax, delivery, or driver tip.

Happy Oscars Night pizza party! Or any party since the deal is on now!

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Free glazed donut at Krispy Kreme with purchase of coffee!

Earlier this month, Krispy Kreme introduced two new blends of their coffee made specifically to pair with their glazed donut. I love my variety of donuts, but sometimes, I pine for a plain old glazed donut. I made a stop this past weekend before heading to the office. The coffee wasn’t bad -- it was better than I expected from a donut shop. It’s nice to see that they’re trying to step up their coffee game with the (new) rise of Dunkin Donuts back on the West Coast after a couple years’ hiatus.

I haven’t been to the shop before while they were cranking out the donuts -- I got to see it when I stopped by since it was pretty early in the morning. It’s something that sets Krispy Kreme in Mountain View (I can’t speak to the other locations) apart; you can bring your kids in and they can watch the fresh donuts go by on the belt.

I picked up a box of 24 donut holes for the team working over the weekend too. Tip: if you buy a dozen donuts, the donut holes are only $2.50. The guy ordering behind me came up to thank me as I was adding milk to my iced coffee for pointing out the donut holes. He hadn’t noticed them on the menu until I ordered it. He was getting a dozen donuts for a church meeting and picked up a box of donut holes too since it was only a fraction of the normal price of about $6.50.

When I crave a good donut, my mind doesn’t exactly go straight to Krispy Kreme (my loyalty still lies with Dunkin Donuts from childhood). The Krispy Kreme glazed donut is pretty light and airy -- a good donut if you don’t want something too heavy. It’s not enough by itself for breakfast, but it’s a good mid-afternoon snack to hold you over until lunch or dinner. The glaze forms this perfect, amazingly thin shell that you almost don’t want to ruin. And then you take your first bite of the donut and poof, it’s gone!

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It’s official! Salt & Straw is landing in San Francisco very soon! They’re not opening one location, but TWO:

2201 Fillmore St. in mid-March 580 Hayes St. in May

I was ecstatic when they hosted four pop-ups across two days in Hayes Valley and Pac Heights out of their ice cream truck back in December. Scoops were just $1 and proceeds went to the YMCA/Western Addition Family Resource Center. The times coincided with my class schedule and dinner plans with friends. Yup, I went to two of the four pop-ups. I can’t wait to see Salt & Straw become part of the San Francisco community. They source ingredients locally, and the owners have some pretty unique flavors at their Portland and LA locations. I’m excited to see what they’re going to come up with (flavors) here in SF. 

P.S. I hope their third and fourth locations in the Bay Area will be in the South Bay and East Bay! They have four locations in Portland and four in LA, so I’ll take a shot in the dark and say they will try to open four in Northern California, right?

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I still get really excited when my photos get reposted on Instagram (@kat.eats). The Happy Planner reposted the photo I took of my 2017 planner at Sue’s Gallery in Saratoga. I’m in love with the quotes on some of the month divider pages, and I love that it inspires creativity (although you can simply use it to write in your appointments/assignments/tasks). The set I purchased included stickers, sticky notes, and magnets to get me started, but the company also sell packs of stickers, washi tap, and other accessories to use in or on your planner. It’s like a scrapbook, but functional. Cheers to a good year!

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A modern twist on Filipino cuisine at Elena Una

Elena Una is a gem of a restaurant in the Marina, serving up Filipino food with a twist. Chef Janice Lazaga moved to SF from the Philippines where she was the senior sous chef for the Presidential palace. According to Eater, the building slated to be razed in April this year, so if you’re looking for some delicious Filipino food in SF, get a reservation soon! I had the pleasure of attending a brunch tasting with some fellow foodies and food bloggers. 

The interior of the space is modern chic with exposed brick along one wall and panels of wood accenting the walls by the kitchen and bar. The skylights provide ample lighting during the day, and I’d imagine the lights bulbs strung across the ceiling give the space a more romantic feel in the evenings.

We started off with some mimosas, of course! I was surprised by the choice of nectars -- guava, calamansi, and orange. It’ll run you $65, but it’s enough to share with 8-10 people.

Once the food came out, the foodies got to work.

Small plates: dynamite lumpia (pork, shrimp, white cheese and serrano pepper; lemon aioli for dipping) and street style balls (mix of fish ball skewers drizzled with spicy savory sauce and crushed pork rinds. The dynamite lumpia was a fun play on the traditional dish -- cheese is a unique element to the inside as was the lemon aioli for dipping in lieu of fish sauce.

The baked mussels were full of cheesy goodness. I can always go for seafood!

The dish I ordered: black paella (prawns, mussels, clams, seafood broth squid ink, lemon aioli). This dish was beautiful and also tasted delicious. The squid ink didn’t really taste like anything; I was worried it would taste funny or gritty, but chef balanced the flavors well.

Also on the table: pandesal french toast served with turkey bacon, egg (not pictured), coconut toffee sauce and white chocolate champorado, a Filipino chocolate rice porridge (rock salt and cheese foam, sliced fruit, raw trail mix, chocolate shavings). Ok, I thought the chocolate porridge would taste weird -- I love porridge, but I’ve never tasted a sweet one and I couldn’t imagine eating a sweet porridge. I was pleasantly surprised and I’m now a fan. If I see it at another Filipino restaurant, I’d love to try it to compare it to Elena Una’s. I know it’s traditionally made with milk chocolate, not white chocolate. The porridge itself was thin, almost like a soup, with some bits of rice in it. It makes for a nice, light breakfast that’s also beautiful.

Brunch spread shot from overhead -- in the middle and bottom left corner is the  ribeye salpicao with mushrooms, olive oil, garlic, paprika, served with rice (not pictured) and two eggs any style. I took a forkful of the ribeye and it was so tender and full of flavor, wow!

Thank you Elena Una for a delicious and wonderful trip to the Philippines via brunch! I hope I can come back for another visit within the next couple months.

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It’s a new year, but I’m keeping the same diet -- see food, eat food. Seafood? Even better!  Amami San Sushi Express | Santa Clara

This location is such a great addition to the plaza, which also houses Chromatic Coffee just a couple doors down. They have a smaller menu than their parent restaurant in South San Francisco, but they have a number of poke bowls, donburi, and sushi rolls.  I went with the two item donburi for $15 and got hamachi (yellowtail) and blue fin tuna. Underneath the sashimi was crab salad, seaweed salad, and rice. They also make their own wasabi, which is pretty rare in Japanese restaurants in the US. It’s usually horseradish, but when you get the real stuff, oh boy. GOLD! The fish was fresh and I was quite full before finishing all of the rice. I am totally coming back again to satisfy my sushi/sashimi craving. If you’re in a jiffy, you can call ahead to order for pick-up too.

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Power of Instagam: Bringing Foodies Together

Little did I know that a little get-together at Off the Grid: Picnic at the Presidio three months ago would have forged such great friendships, all thanks to Instagram. I had started following Kerry on Instagram and she reached out to a few foodies on Instagram to come together for a meet, greet, and eat. A few of these girls are now some of my best friends. We’ve gone on some pretty great foodie adventures around San Francisco, which I’ve enjoyed greatly since I haven’t had many reasons to go up to the city after I stopped working up there. We’re also there for each other to support our hobby and/or dreams of making food blogging a full time gig and to give each other new ideas on how to grow our influence. Whether or not this becomes a full time job for me, I haven’t decided, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the food adventures and new friends I’ve made through a shared passion for food and photography.

Hello Presidio! It was a beautiful, clear day. While I can’t really complain about the beautiful weather we have in the Bay Area, even in winter (all we have is rain here and there), I do long for warmer temperatures!

Grilled cheese bites from Grilled Cheez Guy! I’m so glad to see their growing success around SF Bay Area. I’ve been seeing them at more and more events.

Thank you Grace for sharing these delicious zeppole (ZEP-oh-lee), an Italian donut, from Girl Friday. We tried the savory (green onion, garlic, parmesan cheese, and smoked salt) and sweet ones (lemon ricotta) with three different dipping sauces -- a creamy harissa, vanilla bean, and house-cultured butter caramel. They were so fluffy!

It was a bit warm out, so I went for a Tropical Acai smoothie (acai, strawberry, blueberry, banana, pineapple, and orange juice) from Ruru Juice. Refreshing and perfect for a warm day.

It also happened to be Fleet Week, so we caught a bit of the air show from where we were at the Presidio. I think the folks who were in the Marina got a better view, but what we got to see was good enough for me.

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Erno Laszlo Power of Two - Detoxifying

I am so glad I had a chance to try Erno Laszlo’s Power of Two Detoxifying face wash; I received a free sample. The kit came with a detoxifying cleansing oil, sea mud deep cleansing bar, and eye refiner. As I get older, I need to take better care of my skin, and I love trying new products that I wouldn’t otherwise known about or tried in the first place.

The packaging was pretty great. The lower black portion of the case slides out from the white portion (also plastic; it’s not just a paper sleeve). The case makes it easy to store in a nook in the shower/tub.

You use the detoxifying cleansing oil first. It contains: -Charcoal to draw out and trap impurities -Seawater and grapeseed oil, rich in energizing mineral to combat the everyday build-up of toxins on skin while boosting circulation and cell renewal -Their innovative technology that turns the oil from black to white when it meets water

I was surprised by the thickness and body of the cleaning oil. I was just expecting a light oil, but it had some volume to it when I dumped some out of the bottle. After the cleansing oil comes the sea mud deep cleansing bar: -Deep sea mud -- boasts 26 minerals and its signature black color that transforms to white foam; protects and restores the skin’s mineral levels -Glycerin, a powerful moisture magnet that attracts and holds hydration for a more glowing complexion -Palm and palm kernel oil to help regulate the skin’s own oil content while reinforcing its defenses against outside stressors as it ramps up cell turnover beneath the surface

Using the bar was a little different. The directions that came with the product says to massage your face and neck with the bar. I guess you don’t have to; you could just get the bar sudsy and use whatever transfers to your hands to massage your face and neck too. As you can see from the photo, I was tickled by the way the bar turns your face greyish/blackish. The bar doesn’t smell like anything. 

After using the duo for a week, I have to say I do like the way the duo cleanses the skin. My skin isn’t particularly clear -- it has its ups and downs -- and I did notice that it helped clear up my skin a little after using it consistently. According to Sephora.com, the travel-sized duo sells for $28, which isn’t too expensive. I would keep using the product again, but I would probably use it a couple times a week versus everyday just because I’m a bit lazy...sometimes I just want to shower quickly and be done with it.

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Fresh Nation Desserts Media Tasting

I went to my second media tasting last week (the first was Tava Kitchen in Palo Alto), a big milestone in my food blogging journey. See, I started out on Instagram with my personal account to share personal experiences, but I became more interested in turning it into more of a real blog (or at least a micro blog since Instagram is a platform for photos). I realized how much I was posting about food and, to save my friends from having to look at all of my food photos, I created an account dedicated to food. This made sense since I was working in San Francisco at the time and was able to explore the food scene in the Financial District easily. As I started following fellow foodies, I noticed some of them seemed to get invited to cool (read: free) food events and I think some go to food events and blog for a living – I wanted in on those foodie events too. A couple foodies have reached out via Instagram to meet up and eat together and I’ve found the experience rewarding. I like meeting fellow foodies in the Bay Area. Being able to attend media tastings takes it all to the next level as you learn about how restaurants come up with their concepts, hear about their journey in making their vision a reality, and also get to share those experiences with others as an influencer. I’m taking baby steps, but I feel like some of this is starting to happen thanks to the support from foodies I’ve met so far.

Media tasting: Fresh National Dessert with Dish Crawl Co.

We started off with mango sago and pomelo. We each ordered a fresh squeezed juice; it was pretty late at night, so no one was in the mood for tea. The juices were all pretty good, minus the orange juice, which was full of pulp – it could have been filtered out a bit and had more juice in it. There was watermelon, strawberry, cantaloupe, and mango. I had the mango, which was delicious.

Finally digging in after a bunch of food photos involving changing the placement of the dishes and juices haha.

I expect to see a lot more of this at media events. At least it’s more acceptable “cuz everyone else is doing it.” The guy in the photo is smirking since he doesn’t do the social media thing. He tagged along with his friend, the organizer of the tasting.

The personalized egg waffle ice creams were pretty awesome. It was a nice touch and they made for great photos!

They provided us with quite a few dessert items and by the end, we could hardly eat anymore. One of the last ones to come out was the traditional shaved ice dessert, topped with red bean, green bean, variety of mochi balls, and taro. I nibbled a bit on it to taste it, but I was too full to really eat too much of it. I felt so bad that quite a bit went to waste!

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It’s #Brunchfast Time!

I had the opportunity to try out Jack in the Box’s new #Brunchfast, part of their breakfast and brunch hybrid menu available all day. 

Here’s the menu:

The box I received from Influenster and Jack in the Box included two pins, cardboard 360 viewer goggles (to view Jack in the Box’s #Brunchfast music video), and a coupon for a free Brunchfast side with purchase of an entree. It would have been nice to have been able to try a full combo, but oh well.

I ordered the bacon and egg chicken sandwich and the homestyle potatoes to go. The Jack in the Box I went to was only about a 10 minute drive from work. I probably started eating about 20 minutes after I got my food.

The bacon and egg chicken sandwich held up really well and it looks pretty appetizing. I mean, look at that cheese! The egg isn’t scrambled; although the yolk isn’t runny, it still has that softer gooey texture in the middle from the yolk. The sandwich was definitely the star of my brunchfast -- I would order it again. As for the homestyle potatoes, they aren’t anything spectacular. There wasn’t a lot in the box and it’s listed at $2.19 on the menu, so it’s really not worth paying for (or you can make your meal a combo and you’ll get a drink and side for $2 more). I think I should have gotten the mini pancakes!

Thank you Jack in the Box and Influenster for brunchfast!

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Dashi Ramen from Japan: Hinodeya Ramen opens Nov 23 in Japantown SF

I’m so glad I stumbled across this article from Hoodline on the anticipated opening of Hinodeya Ramen in San Francisco. With some colder weather coming our way, the (soft) opening couldn’t come at a better time. You know the ramen will be authentic and delicious when the chef/owner, Masao Kuribara, has come all the way from Japan to open shop (he has a shop by the same name in Japan) and has cooked for the late Prime Minister of Japan, Ryutaro Hashimoto, the Clintons, and countless heads of state! Hinodeya’s special ramen uses a dashi broth made from kelp (kombu) and preserved and fermented skipjack tuna (katsuobushi) shavings to create stronger flavors of umami. I’ve had a fair share of okonomiyaki and takoyaki, so I’m not new to the umami flavor, but I am curious how it’ll taste as a bowl of ramen paired with other ingredients.

I was poking around the website for Hinodeya ramen and couldn’t quite understand the site, which is quite sparse right now. Something about Wafu Ramen, Sasala Group, Fourth Generation...huh? Isn’t this Hinodeya Ramen? I looked into Sasala Dining Group and discovered the history of Hinodeya. I must say, I’m quite impressed how it evolved from a small 15-seat ramen shop in 1885 to a restaurant group that will soon include five restaurants. Masao Kuribara’s great grandfather and great grandmother, Kanjiro and Tome Kuribara, opened Hinode-ya in 1885 outside Hasuda station to serve the small number of travelers passing through. Tome was the manager/chef. Upon the passing of Kanjiro in 1919, son Kintaro Kuribara took over operations. He focused on the agricultural business and was quite successful; he expanded the restaurant to encompass two floors. It wasn’t until Kuribara’s father, Kenya Kuribara, took over as the third generation chef/owner that Hinodeya as a business really took off. Kenya added Western and Chinese dishes to the menu, began food delivery services, and incorporated the business as Hinode-ya Ltd., Co. Another renovation to the building expanded the number of seats in the restaurant yet again. Unfortunately, the original building is no more -- in 2005, the building was torn down and the restaurant was relocated.

Masao Kuribara succeeded his father in 2006 as the fourth generation chef/owner. He renamed the business to its current name, Sasala Co., Ltd., although I wonder why. Hinodeya is steeped in so much history...I am glad to see the return of the name in the San Francisco shop. According to the Sasala Group’s official site, it sounds like the original Hinodeya was no more once the restaurant was forced to be relocated. Kuribara opened Sasala in the new building, and it was awarded a prestigious award by the California Wine Institute, boost the restaurant to fame. In 2010, a second restaurant opened, and Soba Dining Sora was also awarded the same first prize that Sasala was awarded four years earlier. In 2012, Kuribara opened Wa-Fu Ramen Hinodeya (this is how it’s referred to on the website, although it seems the actual restaurant is called “Hinodeya”) to revive the original Hinodeya. Again, this new restaurant was bestowed with honors -- two from Tabelog: Saitama Best Ramen 2014 and as one of the final nominees for Tabelog’s Japan Ramen Award 2016 (look for Hinodeya in the list). Finally, just last year, the fourth restaurant, Robata Sumiyaki Toraya, was opened near Hasuda Station with bar-tavern concept.

After so much success in Japan, Kuribara is expanding his empire and has landed in San Francisco. How lucky are we? After reading the history of Hinodeya, I have so much more appreciation for this new gem opening in Japantown. I look forward to trying their special ramen with dashi broth and ramen from a local Japanese company. This man is truly something -- he has mastered his craft as a chef and as a businessman. Within ten years of taking over the company, he grew the restaurant portfolio to include five restaurants, three of which have earned accolades. There’s much to look forward to from Kuribara with Hinodeya in San Francisco. Restaurant details: I called the restaurant after reading the article by Hoodline. A man with an accent answered the call; it might have been Kuribara (I didn’t quite catch his name). I asked him if there were reservations for opening night as Hoodline mentioned in the article and he asked me to hold -- he is still learning English, so he was having a tough time and he went to get someone else to talk to me (I’m guessing it may have been the restaurant manager). -(Soft) opening night is November 23 starting at 5pm -There will be a limited menu as they work out kinks in their operations and staff from Japan move to San Francisco -No reservations during soft opening -Soft opening will last a couple weeks (he didn’t give a date for their grand opening) -They will be adding more items to the menu has they progress