Raw Oysters and the Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich Ever

One of the things I enjoy about my job is the travel. I do feel fortunate that my job sends me to cool, metropolitan cities because it's not like I'm going to the middle of nowhere. With travel to big cities comes the opportunity to do and see things I've never experienced before. I always make sure to take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the great food in whatever city I am in.

I've mentioned it many times, but San Francisco is probably my favorite city in the US to travel to. I was lucky enough to be sent out there recently for work and had an amazing happy hour meal that I wanted to share with everyone. Even though I've been there multiple times, I always find a new place and have to give a shout out to my friend Calvin for bringing me there.

After I was done working for the day, my friend Calvin took me to Hog Island Oyster Co. for happy hour. On Thursdays they have $1 oysters. For those interested it's located in the Ferry Building off of Embarcadero. Try to get there early because it gets busy very quickly and has limited space to sit. Most people to just order their oysters and drinks and stand in line.

Calvin and I were lucky enough to get a seat at the bar and watched the master oyster shuckers shuck through dozens and dozens of fresh oysters. They served it with a sweet, wine, lime, cilantro, red onion type of mixture to pour over the oysters. Emi and I have been eating a ton of oysters over the past few years, so this was a great San Francisco treat.

The oysters were fresh and great, but were nothing compared to the grilled cheese sandwich. This thing was amazing. The cheese was perfectly warm and gooey. We shared the sandwich, but now I wish I had my own. The cheese wasn't overpowering, but creamy and salty. Also the bread was crisp and oily to the touch almost like it would cut the roof of your mouth when you bit into it, but it gave a great crunch and then melted in your mouth. Nothing like it ever. Make the trip to SF just for this sandwich.

After a few drinks and watching game Seven of the NBA Finals we needed to refuel with some pizza, so Calvin took me to Golden Boy Pizza. I've been there numerous times around 2am and it's always exactly what I needed. Filling, greasy, and tasty. Take a look at those slices, amazing!

Anyhow this was a post a long time in the making, but needed to be shared for the amazing happy hour I enjoyed. Hopefully if you find yourself out in the Bay Area in the near future, you'll get a chance to drop by Hog Island Oyster Co. for a great happy hour.

-Kyle

Eating through the Big Apple - Part 3

I apologize for putting up my third and final installment of my eating escapade through New York up so late. Honestly I ended up getting a little lazy with both the blogging and the food I ate my last few days in New York.

Since I was there for work and out at an event, I didn't really have much time to go out to explore the city for food so the last few days went with convenient, but good food.

Saturday I holed up in my room in the W in Times Square to enjoy the US vs Ghana World Cup match. I decided to enjoy it with a bottle of Ravens Wood Zinfandel and I ordered Carnegie Deli again for delivery. This time I went with a latka (potato pancake) with applesauce and a fatty corned beef sandwich.

Look at all of that corned beef! It was tender, juicy, salty, and delicious. I asked for a side of mustard that was liberally applied to this bad boy. This was my breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

My latka, which was good because they don't usually make it into my day to day meals. However I expected the latka to be a little crispier and less dense, but I'm sure this was as authentic as they get.


My last night after spending 8 hours in 90+ humid heat I decided all I wanted was a quick meal and a shower so went back to Patzeria Pizzeria which was about a block from the hotel. This time I think I was able to get the pizza a little fresher because the difference was pretty big. The first time it was good pizza, this time it was amazing. I had the margherita pizza again and tried what I thought was the lasagna pizza. The crust was thicker like a Pizza Hut pan crust, but much better. It was buttery, with the perfect amount of crisp when you bit into it yet soft and not too chewy. Awesome pizza and a great way to end the trip.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to eat everything that New York had to offer, but a great excuse to go out there again. Next time for sure I'll get my New York bagel with cream cheese and lox. I also need to make it down to Katz's Deli to compare their pastrami and corned beef sandwiches against Carnegie's.

Well we leave for Hawaii soon and our kitchen remodel is done! Many more exciting blog posts to come!

- Kyle