Clinton St. Baking Co.

I hate waiting in lines to get into tiny little restaurants, but fuck this place is good. I'll do it. The Blueberry Pancakes with maple butter were perfect. Alex had the Southern Breakfast: two eggs, cheese grits with chives sprinkled on top, fried green tomatoes and sugar-cured bacon that was as close to meat candy as you can get.

Delfina Pizzeria - San Francisco

I used to not love Pizzeria Delfina and I was especially skeptical, revisiting it after my year of scarfing NY pies. But this was a revolution in my mouth. Prosciutto di Parma, mozzarella di bufala, panna, and arugula. Panna btw, is Italian cream which is whats oozing in this photo. And what it does its make it taste like a mix of carbonara, cacio y pepio, and heaven.

Mercadito - NYC

I found good tacos in NYC. Mercadito Cantina on Avenue B. We ordered 1/4 kilos of all three of their delicious taco meats: carnitas, pulled chicken, and carne asada. All great. each one came with two different salsas, a little bowl of onions, a pile of corn tortillas and a few limes. The ancho was my fave. Smoky tasty. We also had a couple of different guacamoles which were great. And I warshed them down with a perfect Michelada. I give this establishment an A. It is my first good Mexican Food experience in New York that doesn't have to be followed by the words "... for New York."

Camino, Oakland CA

The west coast feeding frenzy continues. Last night was Camino, a restaurant started by one of Alice Waters Chez Panisse disciples. Highlights included crostini with sheepsmilk ricotta, figs and fried herbs, and all these delectable beverages. On the left is some rum ginger mint thing. To the right is tequila reposado with lemon, agave and egg white. Closest to camera is mezcal, apple, lemon and grenadine and my favorite kind of ice cubes. I'd never had mezcal before. It was a little smoky and barnyardy even (if you can say that about liquor). I'm still not sure if I loved it, but it sure was purty.

Mixt Greens San Francisco

Another thing SF has over the NY food scene. Mixt Greens. Where in NY can you get an organic salad piled with pristine seasonal veggies like heirloom tomatoes, in a biodegradable container, for $10?

Yank Sing San Francisco

Their soup dumplings don't compare to Joe's Shanghai in NY, but on a frigid gray windy summer day in SF, they hit the spot.

Dairy Queen - Outer Banks, North Carolina

Thank you North Carolina for not posting caloric info at chain restaurants. Although if they did, this was still worth however many thousand it was. Layers of hot fudge, salty peanuts and vanilla softserve. And as big as Nick's head.

Currituck BBQ - North Carolina

This looks like hot lunch and it kind of was. The plate on the bottom right is a pulled pork/brisket combo. They got my sides completely wrong because I would never order that shit under normal circumstances. Pickled beets and mushy green beans out of a can. But the meats were decent and the cole slaw was pretty good. And anything tastes good with barbeque sauce on it. Holla atcha picnic table.

Joe's Pizza

Sweet redemption. One slice of cheese from Joe's to erase that awful breakfast at Cabrito.

Cabrito

Breakfast FAIL. Alex got owned this morning by a disgusting, sweaty pile of soggy gray tortilla chips soaked in oil and topped with two unset fried eggs and a blob of sour cream.