Happy National Coffee Day!

It's another National drink day and this time it's coffee. It's been a busy national drink week with Chocolate Milk and Drink Beer days. So how will you be drinking your coffee today? Black, cream, skinny, sugar? Caffeinated or decaf? Or perhaps with a little kick with Irish Whiskey, tequila, Baileys, Tuaca, or vodka? Whip no whip? 

There are several national chains that are offering free coffee today such as Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts and Noah's Bagels.

Enjoy all!

The Drink - Mexican Coffee
Coffee, tequila, whip cream

The Place - Mamacita's
San Francisco, Marina
Mexican restaurant
Dinner daily
http://www.mamacitasf.com/

Read More

Desperado, Dosa Valencia

Dosa serves Southern Indian cuisine at two locations in San Francisco (Mission District and Fillmore District. The food, cocktail program and service is consistently good at both locations. I love the pop of fizz from the Allagash White beer in the Desperado cocktail. Oh my chai! Each ingredient complements each other in this fantastic cocktail. In the past year, I've seen a few places incorporate beer into their cocktails. Should these places be considered outlaws by making beer cocktails? Absolutely not when they are as good as the Desperado.

Happy National Drink Beer Day!

The Drink Desperado, $10
Espolon Blanco Tequila, chai, maraschino, allspice, ginger, Allagash White, lemon

The Place - Dosa Valencia
San Francisco, Mission
South Indian Cuisine
Dinner nightly, weekend brunch, full bar
http://dosasf.com/valencia_home.htm

Read More

Happy National Drink Beer Day!

Today is National Drink Beer Day! What beer will you be drinking to celebrate? We drank The Brooklyn Pennant Ale at New York City's Employees Only when we were in New York for a short 3 day visit in August. There were lots of these bottles at dinner tables the night we dined there.

The Drink - Brooklyn Pennant Ale

The Place - Employee's Only
New York City, West Village

Dinner nightly, late night (until 3:30AM), full bar

http://employeesonlynyc.com/

Other Employees Only drinks 
Lazy Lover
Ready Fire Aim

Read More

Chattanooga Girl,Cotogna

Cotogna is an Italian restaurant just off of Jackson Square in San Francisco. Their food, cocktails and service is always exceptional. The Chattanooga Girl cocktail continues this trend. I love the bold flavor and I adore the whiskey color which is enhanced by the red hues of the creole bitters. As many cocktail enthusiasts now, bitters were used "back in the day" in liquid tonics to cure what ails you by doctors and pharmacists. I could immediately feel the "medicinal benefits" of the creole bitters permeate through my body (even though it may have been in my head only). A few too many of these and I'll be practicing my Southern accent!

While I was researching what a Tennessee accent sounded like, I stumbled upon the concept of Southern American English and the different dialects within it. I really had never thought of the different regions as dialects, but more accents. Interesting! 

The Drink - Chattanooga Girl, $11
Tennessee Whiskey, Sweet Vermouth, Peach, Creole Bitters

The Place - Cotogna
San Francisco, Jackson Square
Italian
Weekday lunch, dinner nightly, weekend brunch, full bar
http://www.cotognasf.com/

Other Cotogna drinks
Strait Breeze
Vodoo Child
Viceroy
Valentino
All Summer Long
La Capilla
Crystal Beach
Spezzatura
Calypso

Read More

Iggy Pop, Two Sisters

Two Sisters Bar and Books is located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. I just love this warm and cozy bar. When I saw the Iggy Pop cocktail "pop" up my Facebook newsfeed in the beginning of September, I knew that I had to try this new signature cocktail on their menu. As my research companion said, "Wow, this is REALLY good." The Italian vermouth Punt e Mes may mean point and a half in Piedmontese, but this cocktail scores a 10+.

The Drink - Iggy Pop, $10
Tequila, Punt E Mes, and grapefruit

The Place - Two Sisters Bar and Books
Bar with food
Tuesday - Sunday after 4pm, Weekend brunch, happy hour
http://www.2sistersbarandbooks.com/

Other Two Sisters Bar and Books drinks
Spring's Arrow
Dark Knight

Read More

Let's Go, Rich Table

The Rich Table is a new restaurant in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. I am always looking for my next favorite cocktail and place. Rich Table's Market Cocktail menu with only four cocktails is a breath of fresh air. I get overwhelmed when I read a cocktail with too many choices. Equally difficult at Rich Table with only 4 cocktails, is which one I should try, bourbon based, gin based, mezcal based or pisco based. The Let's Go cocktail with Pisco seemed interesting. Although, I must be honest, that I thought this drink was going to be too sweet since it's based with Pisco. I'm glad when my suspicions are wrong! There's enough lime juice and mint in this cocktail to balance any sweetness. I usually drink coconut water the day after I've enjoyed a bit too much to drink for the hydration and electrolyte benefits. So I am just loving how coconut water is being used in more cocktails!

The Drink - Let's Go, $10
Encanto Pisco, coconut water, mint, lime

The Place
San Francisco, Hayes Valley
Dinner Wednesday to Monday, full bar
http://richtablesf.com/

Other Rich Table drinks
Big Night
Whack a Mole
Rich Coffee
Silk Road
Round Heel
Big Night: Act II
Hopalong


Other Rich Table photos from the visit

A view of Let's Go with no flash

Salmon and Bok Choy, $25

Read More

Yellow Fever #2, Macao Trading Company

Macao Trading Company is Employee's Only's dark sexy den of Asian/Portuguese yumminess located in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City. Over the summer I unexpectedly found myself in New York City for a short 3 day visit. I was excited to check out the New York Cocktail scene for myself. Since there are so many places to go, it was hard to figure out where to go. I'm so glad that I found Macao Trading Company. The food was amazing and the cocktail list even better. I decided on the Yellow Fever #2 for my first cocktail of the evening. The name really caught my eye. I haven't heard of Yellow Fever since my college days. The ingredients of sassafras syrup and fresh ginger root hooked me in. I now see the reason why some guys and gals have Yellow Fever. This cocktail was solidly grounded with the bourbon with a pop of flavor from the spicy ginger and a sweet finish with the peaches.

The Drink - Yellow Fever #2, $15
Makers mark bourbon, homemade sassafras syrup, fresh ginger root and white peaches

The Place - Macao Trading Company
New York City, Tribeca
Asian/Portuguese Fusion
Dinner nightly, late night
http://www.macaonyc.com/

Read More

Love and Haight, Cat Cora's Kitchen

Last week I embarked on a cross country adventure by flying from San Francisco to Washington DC through Terminal 2 at the San Francisco Airport. It was my first time flying through Terminal 2 since it reopened. I loved the ecofriendly design in the terminal. Nothing was missed including the compostable food and drink containers. I almost stopped in Lark Creek Grill for a pre-flight cocktail, but I wanted to see what Iron Chef Cat Cora had to offer. I could not resist the Love and Haight cocktail with Jalapeno Tequila. For me there was only love for this drink with the steady stream of jalapeno heat. I can't wait to fly out of Terminal 2 again!

The Drink - Love and Haight. $14
Tanteo Jalapeno Tequila, Blood Orange Juice, lime juice and honey

The Place - Cat Cora's Kitchen
Open daily
Tapas
http://www.catcora.com/restaurants

Other pictures from the visit

Read More

Espresso Martini on the Rocks, Vdara Pool

There were too many cocktails on the sweet side on the Vdara Pool menu. I was worried about a sugar rush and really wanted something with caffeine too. The bartender suggested a Vodka and Red Bull. I didn't want that much of a energy rush (Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine per can and Espresso has anywhere from 40-75 mg of caffeine per ounce). So the bartender obliged and made me an Espresso Martini on the Rocks. The caffeine and ice hit the spot!

The Drink - Espress Martini, $10
Espresso, kahlua, vodka 

The Place - The Vdara Pool
Las Vegas, Vdara Hotel and Spa
Cafe
Daily 8AM - closing, full bar
http://www.vdara.com/dining/pool-cafe-vdara.aspx

Read More

Jammin', Pa'Ina

Pa'Ina is a Hawaiian restaurant and lounge located in Japantown in San Francisco, next door to the Kabuki movie theaters. When Hukilau closed earlier this year, I was wondering where I could enjoy some casula Hawaiian cuisine and cocktails. I'm so glad that Pa'ina has come to town. After watching an early afternoon movie, we stopped by Pa'Ina for our first visit. A band was setting up for the Saturday night gig. Although they seemed on the older side, the band was entertaining. They didn't plan luau music but a good range of music from the 60's to present. To go along with the music and bright decor, I chose the Jammin' cocktail. The Li-Hing ingredient in this tequila cocktail caught my eye. The Li-hing powder is used in the rim of the cocktail glass and also give the beautiful orange plum color to the cocktail. What's li-hing? It's a dried salty plum. The li-hing powder helped balance the sweet from the pineapple juice. 

I will return with friends to share one of Pa'ina's cocktail punches served in goblets.

The Drink - Jammin', $9
Tequila, pineapple juice and li-hing

The Place - Pa'Ina
San Francisco,  Japantown
Hawaiian and Asian cuisine
http://painasf.com/

Other pictures from the visit

 Kalbi and Rice

 Kalua Pig Cheese Fries

 Sweet Potato Tater Tots

Spammie

Read More

Spezzatura, Cotogna

Cotogna is an Italian restaurant just off Jackson Square in San Francisco. Cotogna's bar program is stellar. I love how they keep some of my favorites on the menu (like the Vodoo Child and Viceroy) but how they are always adding new exciting cocktails too. The Spezzatura is a refreshing and light cocktail.

Per Google Translate, Spezzature means fractional. Whatever the inspiration, it's amazing. The pop of contrasting colors with the amaro/cognac hued cocktail with the mint garnish is eyecatching. I must say, I appreciate when the garnishes aren't bruised. It just makes for an outstanding experience.

The Drink - Spezzature, $11
Amaro, Cognac, lemon, pineapple

The Place - Cotogna
San Francisco, Jackson Square
Italian cuisine
Weekday lunch, dinner nightly, weekend brunch, full bar
http://www.cotognasf.com/


Other Cotogna drinks
Strait Breeze
Vodoo Child
Viceroy
Valentino
All Summer Long
La Capilla
Chattanoga Girl
Calypso

Read More

Cherry Yuzu Soda, Jean Georges Steakhouse

Jean Georges Steakhouse is located in the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. When I was looking through my London trip pictures a few weeks ago, I noticed that my research partner had the same drink at Jean Georges Spice Market in the London W Hotel. This unique soda is refreshing with an eye-catching red color. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus which perfectly balances out the sweetness from the cherries.

The Drink - Cherry Yuzu Soda, $8

The Place - Jean Georges Steakhouse
Las Vegas, Aria Resort and Casino
Steakhouse
Dinner nightly, full bar
http://www.arialasvegas.com/en/dining/restaurants/jean-georges-steakhouse 

Other pictures from the visit

Read More

Green Fairy, Jean-George Steakhouse

Jean-George Steakhouse is located in the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. I almost ordered the Ginger Margarita in the menu until I remembered that I already had that drink at Jean-George's Spice Market restaurant in London. So I went with, what many may think is the Absinthe based cocktail, the Green Fairy. I like bold cocktails and knew that this would not disappoint. If you like Absinthe or black licorice, this is a cocktail for you. It's bold, it's refreshing, it's delicious! Have too many of these and you may feel like you're flying like a fairy!

As a way to splurge but not break the bank, my friends and I enjoyed the Three Course $69 early dinner menu between 5pm-7pm.

The Drink - Green Fairy, $16
Kubler Absinthe, fresh lemon juice, fresh lime juice, ginger ale, mint

The Place - Jean Georges Steakhouse
Las Vegas, Aria Resort and Casino
Steakhouse
Dinner nightly, full bar
http://www.arialasvegas.com/en/dining/restaurants/jean-georges-steakhouse

Other Jean-Georges Steakhouse pictures

 Bread Basket

 Caesar Salad

 Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad

 8oz Filet as part of the $69 early dinner menu

 Lobster Tail

 New York Cheesecake with Sour Cherry Sorbet ($69 early dinner menu)

 Creme Brulee ($69 early dinner menu)

Read More

Cholito, La Mar Cebicheria

La Mar Cebicheria is a Peruvian Restaurant along San Francisco's Embarcadero in Pier 1 1/2. I haven't been to La Mar in at least over a year. And was glad that two different friends had wanted to revisit La Mar within two weeks. It was such a special treat. I had never had pisco before dining at a Peruvian restaurant years ago. There were two ingredients that caught my attention for the Cholito cocktail: jalapeno and ginger. When I had this delicious spicy and gingery cocktail, it was at night (see the picture below) and I couldn't appreciate the color of the drink. This cocktail is a tease with the beautiful hue of red and flavorful pop of spice.

The Drink - Cholito, $11
Pisco Mosto Verde, Creme de Cassis, ginger beer, lime juice, jalapeno pepper, ginger syrup

The Place - La Mar Cebicheria
San Francisco, Embacadero
Peruvian Cuisine
http://www.lamarcebicheria.com/web/index.php

Other pictures from the visit 

 A Cholito at night 

(I loved the jalapeno garnish on top whose heat permeated through the drink with each minute)

 

Read More

Red Dragon Daiquiri, Aria Pool

The Aria Pool Bar is in the Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. I ended up liking the Aria Facebook page when I booked a long weekend over the summer. So I've been seeing all of their teaser photos and videos for their resort. When I saw one of the bartenders make the Red Dragon Daiquiri in the Facebook video, I knew that when I would go to the Aria I would have to order it. It's absolutely beautiful and refreshing. With my preference for spicy cocktails, I just wish there were 2 pinches of spice. One at the bottom of the drink and then a sprinkle on top. It took some time for the spice to permeate through the drink.

The Drink - Red Dragon Daiquiri, $11
Cruzan Strawberry Rum, Domaine de Canton Ginger liquer, fresh lime, strawberry puree and a pinch of spice

Here is the recipe per the Facebook video
2oz Bacardi Dragonberry Rum
1 oz Canton Ginger Liqueur
2 oz fresh strawberry puree
1 oz fresh lime juice
3/4 oz simple syrup
2 dashes of togarashi spice

The Place - Aria Pool
Las Vegas, Aria Resort and Casino
Open daily
http://www.arialasvegas.de/amenities/pool.aspx

Read More

Big Night, Rich Table

The Rich Table is a lovely new restaurant that recently opened in Hayes Valley in San Francisco. With Zuni and Absinthe closed on a Monday night, I was glad that the Rich Table was open for an unplanned Monday night dinner. With a seasonal menu, there were 4 Market Cocktails on their September 2012 menu. Lucky for me, one of the four spirits featured in a cocktail was mezcal. So I ordered the Big Night. Wow, this is my kind of cocktail. Bold, smoky, savory, gingery, and memorable. A nice surprise was the beautiful pop of green color (clearly from the nasturtium, which is in the watercress family). The nasturtium flower garnish topped off this exquisite cocktail. I am loving all the creativity with cocktails today. First time that I've had nasturtium in a cocktail!

Per previous entries, Rich Table is located in the former home of Paul K, which used to serve one of my favorite Bloody Mary's in the City, Bacon Bloody Mary.

The Drink - Big Night, $10

Del maguey vida mezcal, nasturium and ginger

The Place - Rich Table 
San Francisco, Hayes Valley
Dinner Wednesday to Monday nights, full bar
http://richtablesf.com/

Other Rich Table drinks
Big Night
Let's Go
Whack a Mole
Rich Coffee
Silk Road
Round Heel
Big Night: Act II
Hopalong

A non-flash version of the cocktail

 Corn Fritters, $8

Rigatoni with Oxtail and Burrata, $17

Read More

Strawberry Shake, Holsteins

Holsteins Shakes and Buns is a Burger and Shakes place in the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. Nothing skips a beat at Holsteins. Great service, tasty comfort food, amazing shakes and eye-popping presentation. One of the best strawberry shakes ever! Don't miss the Bam-boozled shakes (with alcohol).

The Drink - Strawberry Shake, $8

The Place - Holsteins
Las Vegas, Cosmopolitan
Lunch and dinner daily
http://holsteinslv.com/

Other Holsteins' drinks
Frozen Grasshopper

Other pictures from the visit

Read More

Frozen Grasshopper, Holsteins at the Cosmopolitan

Holsteins Buns and Shakes and a casual Hamburger and Milkshake restaurant in the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. The extensive beer, wine and cocktail menu is amazing. Given that Holsteins is all about burgers and shakes, I opted for a shake. The Bamboozled Shake menu is candy shop favorites (reeses, almond joy, pop rocks), morning favorites (Captain Crunch), county fair favorites (peaches n cream and cotton candy) and dessert favorites (ice cream, cakes, cookies, key lime pie, smores). With such a fun sweet menu of shakes, I ended up ordering the Frozen Grasshopper. All the other ones looked like too sweet. I knew with the peppermint in the Grasshopper would compliment the sweetness. This was so good. I don't typically order grasshoppers or drinks with Creme se Menthe. I loved the garnishes and texture in this cocktail. 

Next time, I will have to try their wonderful list of cocktails, perhaps the Hot Rita featured cocktail with reposado tequila and jalapenos or something sweeter on the Adult Vitamins (juice and spirit) menu like the XXX or the Tropical Splash.

The Drink - Grasshopper Shake, $11
Peppermint, Chocolate, Crème De Menthe, Van Gogh Chocolate Vodka

The Place - Holsteins

Las Vegas, Cosmopolitan

Lunch and dinner daily

http://holsteinslv.com/

Other pictures from the visit

 Decadent Philly Cheez Steak Spring Rolls, $11

 Pizza Rice Balls, $13

Read More

Basil Gimlet, Another Monkey

Another Monkey is a Thai restaurant in the Mission District in San Francisco. I love how affordable they have made their great named cocktails and their cuisine. At the bar all night, they serve simple yet delicious Thai street food. The Basil Gimlet with gin is a simple yet flavorful cocktail that pairs well with Thai food. I just loved how the bartender flattened the Thai basil garnish with a clap between her hands. 

The Drink - Basil Gimlet, $6 during Happy Hour
Vodka or Gin, Thai basil and lime juice

The Place - Another Monkey

Lunch (Tuesday-Friday), dinner (Tuesday-Sunday), happy hour, full bar

http://www.anothermonkeythai.com/

Other Another Monkey drinks

Lycheelicious

Vanilla Ice T

Read More

Pick Me Up Special, Comme Ca

Comme Ca is David Myer's restaurant with a modern spin on classic French Cuisine located in the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. There weren't many places open for a lunch at 2:15 in the afternoon. Luckily Comme Ca was. Their food, cocktail program and service is stellar. After spending the late morning/early afternoon at the pool, my research partner wanted a refreshing non-alcoholic treat. Comme Ca doesn't have a non-alcoholic option. Our server said that the bartender makes a great pick me up drink for her when she needs it. So my research partner said sure. I just love the color in this truly special mocktail. It's palatable, well balance, fragrant and you can taste each of the individual ingredients too.

The Drink - Pick Me Up Special, $8
Ginger, grapefruit, mint, soda

The Place - Comme Ca

Las Vegas, Cosmopolitan

Dinner nightly, lunch Friday to Sunday, full bar

http://commecarestaurant.com/las-vegas/

Other Comme Ca drinks

Read More

Specialty Cocktail, Comme Ca

Comme Ca is David Myer's restaurant with a twist on French cuisine in the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas. The cocktail program has fun named drinks set in sections by spirit (Gin, Vodka, Rum, Whiskey, and Tequila) and lastly a specialty cocktail by mixologist. Since everything looked good, I asked the server to recommend a cocktail. The server, not surprisingly, mentioned that their cocktail menu tends to be on the sweet side, but the cocktails were all good. She said, "Let me know what you like and our superstar bartender will make something for you. You will not be disappointed." I absolutely loved this herbal cocktail that had both tequila and mezcal. So if you end up at Comme Ca and want to try this out, just let them know the ingredients below and they will make it. The mezcal really shines in this cocktail.

The Drink - Specialty Cocktail, $14
Reposado tequila, mezcal crema, orange, basil, lemon, simple syrup

The Place - Comme Ca
Las Vegas, Cosmopolitan
Dinner nightly, lunch Friday to Sunday, full bar
http://commecarestaurant.com/las-vegas/

Other pictures from the visit

 Burger

 French Dip Au Jus

Chocolate Pot de Creme

Read More