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Homeroom Mac + Cheese, in Oakland

/ Food, Me, Photo

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A giant bowl of Jalapeño Mac and Cheese.😏

Julia wanted to try out a new restaurant, so we drove over to Oakland to eat at Homeroom. They’re known for their Mac and Cheese, and one of my friends (Rebekah) recommended it to me a few months ago.

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Annie puts our name down to get a table.

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Homeroom entrance, with plenty of seating.

While we both had experience in the industry. Erin had worked in restaurant kitchens before becoming a lawyer, and Allison was a server before she entered corporate marketing. Nothing had prepared us for the year it took to launch Homeroom. –Homeroom Story

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Julia taking a photo of her Garlic Mac and Cheese dish.

If you decide to go here, you should definitely order the Garlic Mac and Cheese… and be prepared for a huge portions. We had left-overs for days. One dish was certainly enough for two people.

I would say that this place is for hard core mac and cheese lovers. If you only like mac and cheese exclusively as a side dish, Homeroom may not be for you.

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Julia and Annie enjoying their experience trying new restaurants in SF.

For the record, Julia really liked this place. Annie felt like it was way too much Mac and Cheese. For me personally, I think the Mac and Cheese was good, but needed more salt. The dish with bacon was actually pretty tasty… but I agree with Annie, it was a little heavy.

Nonetheless, delicious!

Sunset at Treasure Island

/ Cali, Me, Photo

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Photo of San Francisco from Treasure Island with Annie (left) and Julia (right).

On our way to Oakland, we stopped by Treasure Island to snag some photos during the sunset.

Treasure Island is an artificial island in San Francisco Bay. –Wikipedia

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Heart shape created by Annie and me.

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Julia and Annie taking a selfie.

It was fun spending time with Annie’s sister on this trip. I got to know her much better, and vice versa. The biggest thing I’ve learned this trip is that she likes her landmarks and selfies. Hah! All jokes aside, Annie has a great family and they’re a joy to be around.

Dragon Beaux, The Finest Dim Sum in SF

/ Cali, Food, Me

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Crispy roasted pork with two sauces. This is the bar.

It’s been a couple days since I’ve blogged, so there’s a ton to catch up on. I have plenty of content to post—stay tuned this week… there’s some good stuff to share.

On our last episode…

The last time I went to Dragon Beaux, it was with Sol and some of his friends. I posted pictures on instagram, and I think it sparked Annie’s interest. I can certainly say that this is probably one of the best places for dim sum, if you’re willing to pay. We ended up spending about $30 per person.

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Annie and Julia excited to try Dragon Beaux for the first time.

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Fried taro.

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Taro bun.

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Assorted Shanghai soup dumplings.

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Siu mai.

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Spare ribs in black bean sauce.

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Shrimp crepes.

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Fried meat dumpling.

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Zha leung.

This was probably one of the best dishes that we didn’t expect. It’s called zha leung with shrimp.

Zhaliang (炸兩) is a kind of food in Cantonese cuisine of China. It is made by tightly wrapping rice noodle roll around youtiao (fried dough). It is most popular in the Guangdong province of southern China, as well as in Hong Kong. –Wikipedia

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Fried rice.

This was actually mediochre. Avoid the main entrées and save your stomach exclusively for the dim sum.

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Finishing up dim sum. Jake pictured on the left.

Again, this place isn’t the cheapest, but it represents a pretty high bar for dim sum. I highly recommend it, and make sure to go with more people so you can order a larger variety of things to try.

Shopping for a Jacket at Uniqlo and Eating Corn Dogs

/ Cali, Food, Me, Photo

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Uniqlo in San Francisco.

I never heard of this store until Annie and Julia told me about it. Their clothing is a rare combination of sportiness, utility, style, quality and value.

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Poofy vests and jackets that can be compressed into tiny bags the size of your fist for storage.

Uniqlo has failed in previous expansion binges. In 2001, the retailer set its sights on capturing customers in the United States and the United Kingdom, but a year-and-a-half of dismal sales later, it shut the doors on most of the new stores. –Huffington Post

Apparently, the CEO tried launching his company several times with different magnitudes of failure. Now Uniqlo is on its way to the top. Seriously, the quality is up there with North Face, but for 1/3 the cost. You can read more about the company here.

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I’m definitely going to shop here once I need to update my cloths. I’m really digging the style and practicality… and most of all, the price!

After a little shopping, we went to grab some fresh corn dogs. Yes, there is a restaurant called Hot Dog on a Stick, and it’s amazing. You’ve got to try it out—you have no idea what you’re missing.

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Apple Store in the mall.

No mall visit would be complete without visiting the Apple store.

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New Apple Watch Nike Bands.

I’m really liking the watch bands made by Nike. I’m not sure if you can order them separately, but they look aiiiiiiight!

Dinner at Dumpling Kitchen

/ Cali, Food, Me, Product

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The signature Shanghai soup dumplings, served at Dumpling Kitchen.

Annie, Julia and I went to the Dumpling Kitchen to enjoy their most consistently delicious soup dumplings.

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Shanghai style noodles with chicken.

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Veggies.

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Beef in black bean sauce.

I’ve tried a lot of things at this restaurant, and I would say that this is probably one of their better dishes. If you go there, definitely order their beef with black bean sauce.

After Dumpling Kitchen, we made our way to Super Cue to get some boba. My personal favorite is their mango with pana cotta—it’s the perfect dessert to follow any meal. Julia claimed that Super Cue has the best tapioca pearls. ^_^

Anyway, this is an excellent combo between price and value (especially in SF).

Twin Peaks at Night

/ Cali, Me, Photo

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Long exposure of San Francisco from Twin Peaks at night. This photo was created by stacking 9 images together.

There’s been a crazy heat wave in San Francisco over the last two days, so night time photography seems to be the best solution to stay cool. We drove over to Twin Peaks to snap a couple photos.

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Annie and Julia posing in front of the San Francisco skyline at night.

I didn’t have a flash on me, so I used my iPhone light to create a little fill light. It turns out that the iPhone flash light works pretty well.

By the way, there were so many people smoking weed up there that I was probably getting a second hand high.

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Annie and I posing in front of the SF skyline.

The Twin Peaks are two prominent hills with an elevation of about 925 feet (282 m) located near the geographic center of San Francisco, California. Only 928 foot (283 m) Mount Davidson is higher within the city.

If you like these photos, you can check out some of pics I shot years ago with my old Nikon D200. Also, for a similar night time view, check out pictures from my hike at Mt. Davidson.