Dynamo Donut

Mr. CP was craving a donut on Saturday morning, so we walked down the block to Dynamo Donut.

{Photo by Jill Matsuyama}

For those of you who have never been, the selection of donuts is very unique and changes daily.  While I am not a fan of the chocolate ones (Chocolate Spice and Rosemary Chocolate were too dry for me), I really liked the lemon ones that I have tried - Lemon Pistachio and Lemon Szechuan.  The Lemon Pistachio is soft and isn't too sweet or heavy.  The Lemon Szechuan isn't as spicy as the name makes it sound.  In fact it's more of a tart lemon filling donut. 

{Photo by Pemshree Pillai}

We also tried the Maple Glazed Bacon Donut.  It was tasty, but it was very heavy.  I don't think I could eat one on my own, but sharing a bite here and there works for me.  =)

{Photo by Carlos Almendarez}

For those who like coffee with their donut, Dynamo serves Four Barrel.

Do you like spicy food?

I'm Cantonese, so hot spicy peppers and sauces were not very prevalent in the food I ate growing up.  In fact, out of all of my friends, I'm probably one of the wimpiest when it comes to spicy food.  Until about 2 years ago, I would always shy away from the heat and often wondered why people would ruin perfectly good ingredients by making it painful to eat.  I'm not really sure what has changed, but I find myself enjoying some tasty spicy Chinese dishes.  Maybe I killed off a sufficient amount of taste buds at Spices II.

{Photo by Telstar Logistics}

Spices II specializes in Szechuanese and Taiwanese style Chinese food.  The food is pretty consistent, though once in a while a little on the salty side.  The dry braised string beans and the deep fried fish with chili peppers (la zi yu) are amazing!  Another one of my favorites is the iron pot of tofu which includes four different types of tofu in a brown and slightly spicy sauce.  They're also known for stinky tofu if that's your thing.  We do ask them to bring the spice down a notch for some of the dishes so that I can try everything.  Some items on the menu are just TOO intense.

Spices II is located on 6th Avenue near Clement in the Richmond district.  There is another Spices on 8th Avenue which has a different menu.  We definitely prefer this location.

Winter Wonderland Craft Bazaar

I just found out today that Chunky Pineapple has been accepted to participate in the Winter Wonderland Craft Bazaar on December 4 at Urban Bazaar in the Inner Sunset.  The fair will feature handmade goods (with a holiday focus) created by members of the SF Etsy team.  More details will follow as the date of the event grows closer, but I just wanted to share the happy news and get it on some of your calendars early.  Yay!

Blue Bottle Coffee

When I moved to San Francisco three years ago, Mr. CP had chosen an apartment on Linden Street in Hayes Valley.  It didn't take us long to notice the long lines on the other end of our alley every morning, particularly on weekends.

{via Yelp}

What is this magical place, we asked?  It turns out that we lived right down the block from one of the most beloved coffee roasters in San Francisco, Blue Bottle Coffee.

{Photo by Brook Peterson}

{Photo by DennisandLuba}

My favorite is their iced coffee and Mr. CP has forsaken all other types of coffee and buys their beans to make coffee at home.  It's not just SF hype either, because we've brought out of town guests there and they can't get enough of it.  Sometimes, I bring bags of beans back to NY with me for friends.

{Photo by zzi}

In the three years that I've been here, Blue Bottle has opened up additional locations around the city, including a coffee bar in the Ferry Building.  If you're in San Francisco and down for some strong caffeinated beverages, you should definitely check them out.