Eat in San Francisco: Nopa (Pt. 2)

Peach and Thyme Braised Pork Shoulder with creamy polenta, roasted corn, and peach-pepper relish


Custard French Toast with strawberries and housemade butter


Smoked Trout with sea salt bagel, Dill Farmer's cheese, cucumber, and radish


Butter Basted Eggs with black eyed peas, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, lime, and fried chickpeas

I've wanted to revisit Nopa ever since I first stopped by for brunch in March. Located in San Francisco's Alamo Square neighborhood, Nopa has set the bar for what I expect brunch to be. My one true birthday wish was to enjoy a delicious brunch with my close friends. (Wish granted.)

This time around was as equally satisfying as the first. I tried the Custard French Toast, which came with strawberries and was just as moist and custard-soaked as before. In short, it was still mouthwatering. I also tried a bit of my friends' dishes, all of which were pretty good. The pork shoulder was very tender, the polenta flavorful. The trout was salty perfection, while the butter basted eggs and salad were also good.

If you're looking for a more complete review, you can check out my previous entry on Nopa. Everything I said originally is still true. Their food is good; getting a table can be tricky. If you're in the area, you must add it to your restaurant hit list.

If you've stopped by for dinner, what did you think? Was it as good as brunch? Any recommendations?

More mouthwatering photos from Nopa are right this way.

Nopa

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Yelp

560 Divisadero St., San Francisco, CA 94117
Open: Monday - Friday 5 - 1, Saturday - Sunday 11 - 1

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Eat in San Francisco: Dandelion Chocolate (Pt. 2)

Papua New Guinea S'more made with homemade graham, marshmallow, and chocolate

If you've been following my foodie adventures for the past few months, you know that I've already visited Dandelion Chocolate, a chocolate shop and factory located in the Mission. My main motivation for returning this weekend was to try the Papua New Guinea S'more, which is #20 on 7x7's The Big Eat 2014.

This extremely photogenic s'more is very much worth the hype. It is essentially what an adult would want in this campfire staple as seen through the eyes of a culinary artist. (Yes, an artist. It is that serious.) It begins with a layer of homemade graham that's equal parts flaky and buttery. The next layer is the perfectly toasted marshmallow that is surrounding the rich, almost melted chocolate. When you bite into the s'more, you'll notice it's mostly made of the marshmallow center. You'll then notice how the flavor of the creamy chocolate is accentuated by the salt flakes on top. For the full experience, try to get every part of the bar―the chocolate, marshmallow, graham, and salt―in one bite.

After trying their s'more, there's little wonder why it made 7x7's list and why it deserves its own post.

Here are more photos from Dandelion Chocolate. You're welcome.

Dandelion Chocolate
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740 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110
Open: Sunday - Thursday 10 - 9, Friday - Saturday 10 - 10

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Coffee in San Francisco: Trouble Coffee Company

Latte


Cinnamon Toast

After hearing about San Francisco's obsession with $4 toast for almost a year and seeing this Instagram photo taken by a former co-worker of mine, I knew I had to finally try the cinnamon toast at Trouble Coffee for myself. (It's also listed as #3 on 7x7's The Big Eat 2014.)

When I visited their newer location in Bayview a few weeks ago, I ordered the cinnamon toast with a latte. The latte was delicious and complemented the main event well. The toast was everything I dreamed and more. After making the latte, the barista cut a thick slice of bread, lightly toasted it, spread a generous amount of butter, and then completely covered the toast with cinnamon sugar. I'm pretty sure it was magic. The way the butter seeped through the layer of cinnamon goodness made me consider each bite thoroughly and wonder how toast could be so amazing.

The one and only downside to Trouble Coffee is that both locations are hard to get to if you're coming from the East Bay and depend on public transportation. I'd recommend offering to treat a friend to some damn good toast in exchange for a lift to either spot in Bayview or the Outer Sunset.

Given the fact that images of cinnamon toast have flashed through my mind randomly since visiting, I will eagerly make a return soon. If you're still in the mood for fancy toast, I've heard that The Mill's, the one that started it all, is worth a try.

Craving more photos from Trouble Coffee? Yes, you are.

Trouble Coffee Company
Website | Yelp

1730 Yosemite Ave., San Francisco, CA 94124
Open: Daily 7 - 7

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Eat in San Francisco: Nopa

Oven Baked Egg served with creamed lentils, mustard, shaved pantaleo, and toast 


Custard French Toast served with caramelized apples, and maple butter


Whiskey Braised Pork served with butter beans, butternut squash, and olive tapenade


Wood Grilled Rosemary Sausage served with orange glazed sweet potatoes, bacon, onions, and poached eggs

I've wanted to try Nopa ever since my old friend, who's a master at brunching in San Francisco, recommended it long ago. I finally ventured out to this Alamo Square fixture on Divisadero between Hayes and Fell this past weekend. Our brunch group included myself, my friend, and his three friends. We opted to share five dishes so we could all try a bit of everything. Considering how rich certain dishes were, I think we made the right choice.

We started with the Date and Walnut Crumb Muffin served with a side of crème fraîche for dipping. Although this is not pictured, just imagine the moistest muffin you've ever had with a good helping of crumbs on top. Nopa took the muffin to another level.

We then had the the Oven Baked Egg, which was surrounded by the most flavorful lentils around, pantaleo cheese, and toast. If you've ever made lentils, you know that they need something extra to give them that kick of flavor. These lentils had that and more. Combine that with a baked egg and you've got a pretty tasty dip for your toast.

Our next course took the eightieth spot on 7x7's The Big Eat 2014, which features a hundred must-try dishes in restaurants across the city. (This list is sure to be my guidebook for what to try this year. Stay tuned.) It's their famous Custard French Toast. Every part of this dish was incredible. The French toast was soaked in custard overnight (or at least for several hours, I believe) and was very moist and rich. After the first bite, I'm pretty sure at least half of our table had to take a moment to just let the French toast melt in our mouth. It's that good. It was topped with perfectly caramelized apples and a healthy serving of maple butter. This dish comes in either a half serving of one slice or a full serving of two. Unless you have a huge sweet tooth, the half serving should be suffice.

We then had more savory dishes that were equally as good. The Whiskey Braised Pork was impossibly tender. It was served with butter beans, butternut squash, olives, and some greens, which gave the dish even more dimension. It was a hands-down favorite for our table.

The final dish was the Wood Grilled Rosemary Sausage served with orange glazed sweet potatoes, bacon, onions, and poached eggs. Although the flavors in this dish didn't complement each other as well as the previous one, it was still pretty good. The sausage was accentuated by the diverse flavors of the poached eggs, sweet potatoes, and bacon. This was certainly one of the best presented and, dare I say, prettiest dishes of the meal.

Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend trying Nopa. Their food is very high quality and not too heavy, leaving you feeling like you went on a culinary adventure in your seat. The problem is that it can be hard to get a table, especially during weekend brunch. You can either make a reservation weeks or months in advance on their website, or put your name on the list when they open at 10:30 am and, depending on the size of your party, wait to be served an hour (although probably more) later.

Moreover, the restaurant is rather large and great for people-watching. I'd suggest trying to get a table on the second floor where you'll have an excellent view of the kitchen and the patrons below.

Nopa

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Yelp

560 Divisadero St., San Francisco, CA 94117
Open: Monday - Friday 5 - 1, Saturday - Sunday 11 - 1

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