8/18/11 – A lunch meeting took me to Cuvee for the first time. The market/cafe on ritzy Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills yielded a good plate of seared ahi tuna, couscous and grilled vegetables served with a balsamic-based dipping sauce.

8/19/11 – Tokyo native Nobu Nishimura used to have a Berkeley branch, but now his sesame paste ramen is limited to the Ramen House Ryowa on a Mountain View side street. Surprisingly, it was his gyoza that stood out most, with thin skins and juicy pink pork filling bound with glass noodles, minced scallions and cabbage.

8/19/11 – 8/19/11 – My dad and step-mom live near Charleston and spend two months every summer in San Francisco, to escape the sweltering heat. Little did they know they’d find a Low County compatriot at Local Mission Eatery. Chef Andy Henderson previously worked at FIG before heading West. It was interesting to see his influence manifest itself on executive chef Jake Des Voignes’ menu. We made sure to order a dish of boiled peanuts, cooked with pork fat and red pepper flake; and thick slabs of cornmeal-crusted fried green tomatoes, plated on basil aioli.

8/20/11 – Bun Mee is Denise Tran’s well-branded, heavily stylized, franchise-ready banh mi shop on chic Fillmore, in the former home of Tango Gelato. They’ve become best known for their Sloppy Bun, a banh mi/sloppy Joe hybrid. We got that, a roast pork banh mi, Momma Tran’s crispy egg rolls and an excellent house-made Kaffir limeade.