San Francisco Holiday Food Diary

🥹 First day back at work… Actually going out for another nice meal tonight, but first — dropping some foodie archives from the break 📦🍽️. First up — a favorite this holiday: SweetHome Kitchen (Nanjing cuisine) I haven’t had Nanjing roast duck many times, but wow, this was delicious — fatty but not greasy, with a sweet glaze I loved 😋. The stir-fried pork kidney was surprisingly good non-spicy — also sweet-style, no off-flavor, nice texture. Dumplings were handmade with thick, chewy wrappers and well-balanced filling. The sour soup was a hit with Ydu — he couldn’t stop thinking about it after. A huge bowl of 12 dumplings, I only got 3 😅. ⚠️ Heads-up on these: Stinky tofu — Ydu said it was fried well, but the sauce was bland, just oily. Duck blood vermicelli soup — too greasy, wouldn’t order again. Next time I’m trying the pork skin noodles & dried tofu shreds soup! The server was super sweet and a bit adorably awkward 😄. Copita Tequileria y Comida Pretty Mexican spot in San Jose — tasty! Went to use up year-end Resy credits. Roasted Brussels sprouts were crispy, vinaigrette masked any bitterness — my favorite of the day 👍. Also had fried potato bites and tuna tostadas — both solid. Main: Pork pineapple tacos were heavier than expected. Ydu got pork flautas (fried rolled tacos) — I liked those better than the tacos! 💸 Expensive meal: Selby’s (Michelin 1-star) Also a year-end Chase credit run 🏃‍♂️💳. Felt a bit like “obligatory fine dining” — bill went way over the $150 credit… not sure who came out ahead here 😅. But the atmosphere is elegant — a place to bring parents; everyone dressed nicely. Food was good though! Complimentary savory bites (cheese puffs) were a nice surprise. Butter rolls were salty, crispy, hollow-ish — butter was silky smooth 😘. Strters: tuna tartare and persimmon salad — safe and tasty. My beef Wellington was bigger than expected from photos! Loved the mushroom paste (wish there was more). Steak was tender, spinach purée was great. Ydu’s dry-aged steak (medium rare) got high marks — firmer and slightly saltier than the Wellington. Dessert: Chocolate cake was delicious 🍫❤️. The strawberry toast with cream/cheese was a miss — not what we expected, extra charge, and the cheese was quite salty. Skip if you’re not into eating cheese straight. #BayAreaLife #FoodDiary #SFfood #MichelinEats #NanjingCuisine #MexicanFood #FineDining #HolidayEats 🍲