Pizza Orgasmica

When I was a teenager, I loved coming to pizza orgasmica. The pizza is always made fresh and the toppings blend extremely well. I've never been disappointed with the quality of their food. My personal favorite is the Serpent's Kiss, which to me is like a Cheeseboard pizza (those of you from Berkeley) except with meat. A lot of my high school friends come here for late night pizza. It's an ideal place for group settings and is also a brewery for those of you who like a drink or two. The portions are fair, not too much nor too little for the price. There are three locations, including one at the Embarcadero Center, which is nice on slightly sunnier days. Living close to the smaller peninsula cities, I often go to the one located on Clement. The service is great and theatmosphere is nice for a casual outting. The third location, in Marina/Cow Hollow, I haven't been to, but I heard that it is comparable to the other shops. As one may tell by the store name, their pizza selection also possess intriguing names. If you love good pizza and don't mind paying a fair sum, I think Pizza Orgasmica is a great choice.

Yelp Review
823 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94118

Fish and Chips -- Half Moon Bay Style

Growing up as a kid, my grandmother loved to go to the fish market in Half Moon Bay. My recollection of these outings have vanished over the years, only trusting my dad's mere words. My dad, like his mom, loved coming here, not only for the food but the scenery. His beloved fish and chips place, once served wrapped in newspaper has moved to a new location, only a few blocks away from the former market. Johnson Pier is a small and quaint marina area in Half Moon Bay. Like my previous entry, this place can be found as you go further on Hwy 1. Princeton Seafood Company sells great quality fish and chips along with other seafood entrees to go and dine-in. The price is standard for fish and chips, but for calamari it's a really cheap deal. Calamari comes with a side of chips for only $5 + tax, which is one of the lowest prices I've seen for good-quality calamari. Although it hasn't completely won my heart, like the calamari I had in Boston, it's definitely a good resort to satisfy my calamari craving. Since Johnson Pier isn't a top tourish site, most of the people here are local and thus it's not too busy throughout the day. It's nice to come here and enjoy some seafood and take a cool breezy walk along the marina.


9 Johnson Pier
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
Yelp Review

Gorilla BBQ

Featured on the food network, this trailer is full of good heavy BBQ. I've been to this place a couple of times, and has always been satisfied. The meat is cooked extremely well, where the ribs fall off the bone and the sauce is an interesting and unique BBQ blend. Off of Highway 1, this place is situated among other small trailer-like eateries, giving it an interesting road charm. Lines can be long, even before opening, and orders are made fresh. So, depending on how many customers come by, closing time ends when they are out of food. And it seems, that happens quite often. The prices are reasonable, considering how much food you get. The more combination you get, the better the deal. A 3-meat deal is twice the size of a single meat, and cost $19.95 + tax (whereas $12.95 for a single). All combination come with cornbread and coleslaw on top of your choice of two of their sides. It's definitely worth the price and can easily be shared by two-three people. A few of my friends attempted the three meat combination, and it is definitely a challenge to finish. If you're in the Pacifica area (on a nice day, hopefully not too windy like most days), you should picnic out with some heavy BBQ.

2145 Coast Hwy
Pacifica, CA 94044
Yelp

Sahn Maru

Sahn Maru is a Korean restaurant in the city of Oakland, where it is surrounded by several other Korean restaurants and eateries. Sahn Maru can be a bit pricy, but the quality of the food is worth the price. The first time I went to Sahn Maru, my friends and I ordered too many dishes that we ended up having to pay a lot individually. However, if you plan things out, you can minimize the cost with a satisfying meal. My friends were quite adventurous; since none of us were Korean or familiar with traditional dishes, we asked the waiter for recommendations. Oddly enough, we took his advice on ordering Korean specialty goat soup, which after the first few sips we didn't have the stomach for. Perhaps it was our palate, but we weren't entirely fond of the goat soup. Otherwise, all the other dishes we ordered were great.


Sahn Maru also offers a combination soft tofu soup with your choice of BBQ meat for around $20. I prefer this combo because you get the two most common entrees served in Korean restaurants. Besides the soft tofu soup and BBQ, I especially love the seafood pancake. The seafood pancake is huge, nearly a size of a medium sized pizza. I've had good seafood pancake before, but Sahn Maru's pancake tasted great and was huge. If you don't mind paying a bit more for Korean food, then Sahn Maru will fit your profile.

4315 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94701
Yelp Review

La Mediterranee

La Mediterranee is a Greek restaurant I hold dear to my heart. Two months ago, I moved out of my college apartment, situated on College Avenue where I grew fond of many quaint eateries. One of which is La Mediterranee, which serves extremely tasty and flavored food. I think many people who had tried La Mediterranee before agree with me that one of their best dishes is the pomengranate chicken. Juicy and moist, chicken can't get any better than the way La Med prepares it. My second favorite entree is the filios, which are wraps with delicious stuffing such as spinach and feta. The filios are cooked to perfection, with a light crunch but soft center. Most entrees are served with a choice of salad, armenian potato salad, or soup. The armenian potato salad is very different from American potato salad. Armenian potato salad is very thin and light, but is unique and tasty in its own way. Of the soups, I've only tried the chicken soup, but I have heard good things about the other soups. The restaurant is charming, with friendly staff. However, it is difficult to have a good conversation as this place tends to get quite loud. However, it has a nice ambiance overall and high quality food for prices ranging from $10-$18. Lucky enough, I was able to find another La Mediterranee in San Francisco.


288 Noe Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
Yelp Review

2936 College Ave
Berkeley, CA 94705
Yelp Review

L'amyx Tea Bar

Piedmont is one of those well-off neighborhoods where they have basically everything you need, creating a more intimate and small community. I have found many good restaurants in the neighborhood. One of these places is LaMaxx who specializes in teas. However, it's not like an Asian tea place, but rather a diverse tea shop. They feature many different teas all over the world, such as European and Asian teas. What I like about the place is the atmosphere. It's very spacious and clean, a good choice if one desires to study. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to try most of the teas, but I did enjoy what I had, which was a chai tea mix. However, although the tea was good, the boba wasn't very fresh. This place also sells tea leaves, which are sold in reasonable prices and sizes. Also, the aroma of some of the tea blends were quite enticing. If you like to study with a nice cup of tea, then you should check out this place.

Yelp Review
4179 Piedmont Ave
Oakland, CA 94611

Basil Thai

Basil Thai serves decent Thai food for a fair price (most dishes being between $7-$15 dollars). I came here before watching Wicked because it was located a few minutes away from the Orpheum Theater. The quality of the food as I said is decent depending on what you order. I wasn't a huge fan of the garlic noodles, but I really liked the stuffed eggplant with chicken in green curry sauce. The thai ice tea was a bit too sweet compared to what I think is authentic thai ice tea. The place is extremely lovely with a calming atmosphere and they serve a few pieces of fried shrimp chips at no extra cost. I think I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here with no truly bothersome thoughts. In comparison to other Thai restaurants in the city, this place is probably one of the better ones (although Marnee Thai is still one of the best in my opinion). If you're planning a casual social event, this place is ideal for semi-social events and a bit more lavishing events. For gourmet style cooking and feel, Basil Thai will serve up to many people's expectations.


1175 Folsom St
San Francisco, CA 94103
Yelp Review