United 120: SFO to IAD: Lunch
Heading back East and this time United was offering up a variety of sandwiches and salads (along with a selection of boxes of various snacks).
I opted for the turkey sandwich. Much better than I was expecting. Nice, old fashioned sandwich bread (no fancy roll or focaccia) with turkey slices and lettuce. Along with it came a very tasty aioli mayonnaise that was pretty good.
Finished off with a small bag of classic Kettle Chips (and I added in some orange juice).
Not bad for $9 (which is about what the various "grab and go" offerings at SFO were going for).
Meal: Lunch
Rating: N/A
Date Visited: 23 October 2009
Address: In the Air
Website: N/A
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Blue Mermaid at the Argonaut Hotel
Blue Mermaid Chowder House
On this trip to San Francisco, I stayed at a new place and new area of town. The Argonaut Hotel is located on the "fringe" of Fisherman's Wharf so it's protcted a bit from the noise and bustle of the wharf area.
Housed in a former cannery, the hotel and other establishments, the Blue Mermaid and a Starbucks, have a combination of cannery and nautical themes.
But I digress ... what about the Blue Mermaid?
Well, as a guest of the hotel, I received complimentary continental breakfast coupons, so, well, I had to use them.
Coming down in the early morning to the Blue Mermaid, I chose to sit at the bar. The continental breakfast offered coffee or tea, a choice of juices, fuit bowl, and choice of pastry or toast. During the six days I spent here, I stuck with the toast (sometimes wheat, sometimes sourdough), grapefruit juice and coffee for the mostpart. All were good and made for a nice little breakfast. As a change of pace one morning I went with the steel-cut oatmeal (served with currents and brown sugar). It was a good oatmeal, but not spectacular.
As part of a business meeting, I also had lunch at the Blue Mermaid. My colleague chose the Caesar salad and I went with one of the award winning house-made chowders. I find it slightly odd to order New England Chowder on the West Coast, but it's my favorite. The Blue Mermaid offers a variety of chowders in addition to the New England variety and has one a few chowder cook-off prizes. All in all, quite a good chowder. Just the right amount of kick to it; nice chunks of potatoes, a good amount of clams (including a few in the shell for aesthetics).
Service is quick and friendly. The morning staff were particularly attentive and after a day or so, would greet me by name and wave as I went past.
Recommended if your in the Fisherman's Wharf area, especially if you want to avoid the touristy, mediocre spots that line Jefferson St.
Meal: Breakfast / Lunch
Rating: ***1/2 of 5
Date Visited: October 2009
Address: 471 Jefferson Street at Hyde, San Francisco, California 94109
Website: http://www.bluemermaidsf.com/
On this trip to San Francisco, I stayed at a new place and new area of town. The Argonaut Hotel is located on the "fringe" of Fisherman's Wharf so it's protcted a bit from the noise and bustle of the wharf area.
Housed in a former cannery, the hotel and other establishments, the Blue Mermaid and a Starbucks, have a combination of cannery and nautical themes.
But I digress ... what about the Blue Mermaid?
Well, as a guest of the hotel, I received complimentary continental breakfast coupons, so, well, I had to use them.
Coming down in the early morning to the Blue Mermaid, I chose to sit at the bar. The continental breakfast offered coffee or tea, a choice of juices, fuit bowl, and choice of pastry or toast. During the six days I spent here, I stuck with the toast (sometimes wheat, sometimes sourdough), grapefruit juice and coffee for the mostpart. All were good and made for a nice little breakfast. As a change of pace one morning I went with the steel-cut oatmeal (served with currents and brown sugar). It was a good oatmeal, but not spectacular.
As part of a business meeting, I also had lunch at the Blue Mermaid. My colleague chose the Caesar salad and I went with one of the award winning house-made chowders. I find it slightly odd to order New England Chowder on the West Coast, but it's my favorite. The Blue Mermaid offers a variety of chowders in addition to the New England variety and has one a few chowder cook-off prizes. All in all, quite a good chowder. Just the right amount of kick to it; nice chunks of potatoes, a good amount of clams (including a few in the shell for aesthetics).
Service is quick and friendly. The morning staff were particularly attentive and after a day or so, would greet me by name and wave as I went past.
Recommended if your in the Fisherman's Wharf area, especially if you want to avoid the touristy, mediocre spots that line Jefferson St.
Meal: Breakfast / Lunch
Rating: ***1/2 of 5
Date Visited: October 2009
Address: 471 Jefferson Street at Hyde, San Francisco, California 94109
Website: http://www.bluemermaidsf.com/
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Feeling Lucky? Like a Shamrock: Little Shamrock
Little, Lucky, Dirty, whatever, Becky, oh, right, it is Little Shamrock!
One of the oldest bars in San Francisco, the Little Shamrock, established in 1893, is yet another in the comfortable, friendly bars that San Francisco has.
Located on the north side of Golden Gate Park, the Little Shamrock is a favorite of my colleagues from the California Academy of Sciences. The backroom has darts and wall-to-wall blackboards suitable for erudite (or profane or even downright dirty) graffiti (our additions were the Linnean citation to Zea mays and a quote from James Smithson's will - "for the increase and diffusion off knowledge"). Get a Maker's Mark on the rocks, choose from a great selection of beers on tap, or take a shot of the other San Francisco treat, Fernet-Branca.
Meal: Drinks
Rating: ***** of 5
Date: 21 October 2009
Address: 807 Lincoln Way, San Francisco, CA 94122
Website: N/A
One of the oldest bars in San Francisco, the Little Shamrock, established in 1893, is yet another in the comfortable, friendly bars that San Francisco has.
Located on the north side of Golden Gate Park, the Little Shamrock is a favorite of my colleagues from the California Academy of Sciences. The backroom has darts and wall-to-wall blackboards suitable for erudite (or profane or even downright dirty) graffiti (our additions were the Linnean citation to Zea mays and a quote from James Smithson's will - "for the increase and diffusion off knowledge"). Get a Maker's Mark on the rocks, choose from a great selection of beers on tap, or take a shot of the other San Francisco treat, Fernet-Branca.
Meal: Drinks
Rating: ***** of 5
Date: 21 October 2009
Address: 807 Lincoln Way, San Francisco, CA 94122
Website: N/A
Saturday, October 17, 2009
United 874: IAD to SFO: Contintenal Breakfast
I was very sad when I couldn't get a flight on Virgin America for my San Francisco trip. No wifi. No mood lighting. No cheerful pilots at the gate.
Instead, I went on my old standby, United. I had a window seat in Economy Plus and an empty middle seat, so plenty of space to spread out and work on my presentation. I wasn't going to get anything to eat, but the continental breakfast looked good, so I had that, orange juice, and coffee.
The breakfast wasn't bad, yogurt, dried fruit, and an apple danish. Not overprised at $5.
Meal: Breakfast
Rating: N/A
Address: In the air
Website: N/A
Instead, I went on my old standby, United. I had a window seat in Economy Plus and an empty middle seat, so plenty of space to spread out and work on my presentation. I wasn't going to get anything to eat, but the continental breakfast looked good, so I had that, orange juice, and coffee.
The breakfast wasn't bad, yogurt, dried fruit, and an apple danish. Not overprised at $5.
Meal: Breakfast
Rating: N/A
Address: In the air
Website: N/A
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Arlington Sandwich recommendations
Arlington Sandwiches!
Getting a good sandwich is sometimes not as easy as it sounds. How many times are you somewhere when suddenly it hits you that all you really want is a good turkey sandwich with swiss on sourdough bread with a pickle on the side ?
You don't want Potbellies, or Subway, or Au Bon Pain. You don't want to wander into an anoymous food court and try and find a good deli sandwich. What do you do???
Well, if you find yourself in Arlington, Virginia, here are three suggestions; two are in the northern part of the county along the Wilson Boulevard corridor, and the third is in south Arlington, in the Village of Shirlington.
Earl's
Earl's resides in an unassuming storefront that's seen a couple of different sandwich places over the years. I really hope that Earl's is here to stay, however!
There's not much by way of seating, so it's best to go on the off hours or be prepared to carry out.
What makes Earl's great? Fresh roasted meat. You won't get something out of plastic or shipped in from somewhere. Earl's fresh roasts their turkey, beef, and pork daily. And it pays off in the taste of the sandwiches. Try one of their signature sandwiches, or make up your own. On this visit, I had the Turkey Cranberry (Freshly roasted turkey breast served on a toasted honey wheat bread cranberry mayonnaise and lettuce). Nothing like the taste of fresh turkey (unless its pork or beef!).
Earl's also serves soups and salads. A real winner!
Euro Market / Cafe
The Euro Market / Cafe is just what it says, a market and a cafe. In the same location now for a number of years, the always friendly staff hails from Mongolia. Offering a nice selection of sandwiches and other choices, Euro Market / Cafe is known around our house as the "Jelly bean store" for it's amazing selection of gummy candies!
If you want to take advantage of the "market" portion of the establishment, you can get a variety of imported goods as well as a nice selection of wines.
Try the chicken salad sandwich!
Seating inside is basic but comfortable and there are also a few outdoor seats. And free wifi! An added bonus, it's one of the few places open on Christmas and Thanksgiving if you need to escape the house.
Best Buns
Part of the "Great American Restaurants" group, Best Buns is adjacent to The Carlyle.Primarily a bakery, with a fabulous selection of tasty treats. Best Buns also offers up some nice sandwiches made on their baked in-house breads.
On this visit, I was feeling in the mood for something spicy and went with the salami and cheese on a long roll. A goodly amount of meat and a tasty bread. What more could you want.
Come for the buns, stay for the sandwich.
Earl's
Meal: Lunch
Rating: *****
Date: 20 June 2009
Address: 2605 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3817
Website: http://www.earlsinarlington.com
Euro Market / Cafe
Meal: Lunch
Rating: ****
Date: 31 May 2009
Address: 2201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3323
Website: http://www.eurocafemarket.com
Best Buns
Meal: Lunch
Rating: ****
Date: 13 September 2009
Address: 4010 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA 22206
Website: http://www.greatamericanrestaurants.com
Getting a good sandwich is sometimes not as easy as it sounds. How many times are you somewhere when suddenly it hits you that all you really want is a good turkey sandwich with swiss on sourdough bread with a pickle on the side ?
You don't want Potbellies, or Subway, or Au Bon Pain. You don't want to wander into an anoymous food court and try and find a good deli sandwich. What do you do???
Well, if you find yourself in Arlington, Virginia, here are three suggestions; two are in the northern part of the county along the Wilson Boulevard corridor, and the third is in south Arlington, in the Village of Shirlington.
Earl's
Earl's resides in an unassuming storefront that's seen a couple of different sandwich places over the years. I really hope that Earl's is here to stay, however!There's not much by way of seating, so it's best to go on the off hours or be prepared to carry out.
What makes Earl's great? Fresh roasted meat. You won't get something out of plastic or shipped in from somewhere. Earl's fresh roasts their turkey, beef, and pork daily. And it pays off in the taste of the sandwiches. Try one of their signature sandwiches, or make up your own. On this visit, I had the Turkey Cranberry (Freshly roasted turkey breast served on a toasted honey wheat bread cranberry mayonnaise and lettuce). Nothing like the taste of fresh turkey (unless its pork or beef!).
Earl's also serves soups and salads. A real winner!
Euro Market / Cafe
The Euro Market / Cafe is just what it says, a market and a cafe. In the same location now for a number of years, the always friendly staff hails from Mongolia. Offering a nice selection of sandwiches and other choices, Euro Market / Cafe is known around our house as the "Jelly bean store" for it's amazing selection of gummy candies!If you want to take advantage of the "market" portion of the establishment, you can get a variety of imported goods as well as a nice selection of wines.
Try the chicken salad sandwich!
Seating inside is basic but comfortable and there are also a few outdoor seats. And free wifi! An added bonus, it's one of the few places open on Christmas and Thanksgiving if you need to escape the house.
Best Buns
Part of the "Great American Restaurants" group, Best Buns is adjacent to The Carlyle.Primarily a bakery, with a fabulous selection of tasty treats. Best Buns also offers up some nice sandwiches made on their baked in-house breads.On this visit, I was feeling in the mood for something spicy and went with the salami and cheese on a long roll. A goodly amount of meat and a tasty bread. What more could you want.
Come for the buns, stay for the sandwich.
Earl's
Meal: Lunch
Rating: *****
Date: 20 June 2009
Address: 2605 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3817
Website: http://www.earlsinarlington.com
Euro Market / Cafe
Meal: Lunch
Rating: ****
Date: 31 May 2009
Address: 2201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3323
Website: http://www.eurocafemarket.com
Best Buns
Meal: Lunch
Rating: ****
Date: 13 September 2009
Address: 4010 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA 22206
Website: http://www.greatamericanrestaurants.com
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