In it for the food

So, I just got back from Macworld in San Francisco and the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and I could have used a couple more days out west, because I wasn't finished eating yet. Lots of people go to these shows just to work (and a lot of them are also there to be drunk and go to not-really-cool parties thrown by phone manufacturers), but I'm mainly in it for the food. A list of the ingested, as documented on the plane home:

a. Miso Ramen and (6) Gyoza lunch special at Iroha.

b. Two "Eye Opener" breakfasts from Cafe Venue - two-eggs (scrambled once and over-medium once), sourdough toast, square roasted potatoes, bacon, + great French Roast coffee.

c. Two terrific custard buns and one very ill-advised sesame seed roasted pork bun (like a dry sloppy joe) from Sheng Kee in the Sunset.

d. One vanilla cream puff and one chocolate cream puff from Beard Papa. I'm kicking myself for not finding room for a coffee cream one (the 'puff of the day').

e. One "Acciuga" pizza from L'Osteria del Forno (anchovies, garlic, capers, etc), which was just a lucky guess out of all of the North Beach tourist mistakes waiting to happen.

f. Terrific Cantonese wonton noodle soup (with purple and yellow carrots, fresh peas, and absolutely stunning broccoli) from The Grand Wok at the MGM Grand.

g. Emperor Norton Lager and King of the Hill Stout from the SF Brewing Company; merely the best beer I or anyone else has ever had.

h. Curry rice and an avocado roll from Hotei, from which I just staggered home. Worth the freezing wait next to the door while they greeted some regulars by name and seated them ahead of us.

i. A free house coffee from Alvin's when I stopped in for a couple of pounds to take back to Detroit. It's nice to know you can go home again, sometimes.

j. In one staggering go, and aided by three friends, jerk chicken, cajun shrimp, ceviche 'del dia', fried plantains, sauteed mushrooms, lechon asado, and fried new potatoes from Cha Cha Cha in the Mission.

k. Clam soup (served in a peeled coconut) and roast 1/2 duck at Jasmine in Las Vegas. Truthfully the food was just alright, but the room is really amazing.

l. Pretty bad kung pao chicken and lo mein, eaten standing up at Las Vegas Convention Center. No one said it would be easy.