Kung Food Panda

Benu - I'm Back and Yes, I Do Pay Top Dollars For Asian Food (San Francisco, CA)

2011-09-22T23:06:00.000-07:00

Benu

One of the things that I cringe the most has always been paying for overpriced Asian food, especially if it's Asian Fusion. PF Chang's? Ugh. Lukshon? Still not interested. Red Medicine? After that mediocre meal at Test Kitchen, my interest in trying Jordan Kahn's menu is at a nil. (That's besides the fact of what happened to SIV, which I found unprofessional to be frank). However, Benu has been a restaurant I've had my eye on ever since Corey Lee, the former chef de cuisine at The French Laundry moved on to helm his very own restaurant in San Francisco. Call me a hypocrite, but if Chef Lee was good enough for Thomas Keller, he's good enough for me. After given the green light from my buddies up North, I booked a tasting at Benu this past weekend.

19 Course Tasting Menu at Benu

Upon entering the restaurant, I looked at the space. Clean, and modern, just what a restaurant should be these days.

Buckwheat Sesame Crisps

Instead of a bread course, we were given a "basket" of buckwheat crisps. The flavors were subtle, but tasty. Think soba in a cracker form, but better.

1. Thousand Year Old Quail Egg, Lily Bulb, Ginger

We were started off with a thousand year old egg made with a quail egg. This was something I'm familiar with as it's a common ingredient for us Taiwanese. The presentation reminded me of "Pi Dan Sou Rou Zhou," or a thousand year old egg and minced meat porridge and surprisingly the taste did too. For those that knows the porridge I'm speaking of, think of this as a deconstructed version.

2. Oyster, Pork Belly, Kimchi

An one biter, I quite enjoyed this bite. Pork belly, oyster encased in a crispy kimchi shell, similar to a sugar shell. The flavors of all three main ingredients were quite apparent.

3. Monkfish Liver, Salmon Roe, Buckwheat, Daikon

Monkfish liver, or ankimo in Japanese and Salmon Roe are two of my favorite ingredients. Combining the two can't go wrong, right? Right. The liver was presented looking similar to an egg yolk was rich, fatty, and delicious. The salmon roe was fresh and had a nice snap to each bite. This was one of my favorite dishes of the night. The buckwheat added a nice texture contrast to this dish.

4. Apple, Cucumber, Poppy Seed, Nasturtium, Lemon

Next up, a palate cleanser of sort. Refreshing, tasty, but nothing special.

5. Eel,Feuille de Brick, Creme Fraiche, Lime

Think of this as an eel egg roll. It was pretty good, but I wish there was more to this than eel inside a fried pastry dough. Yes, yes, I don't like fried dough, though I wished there was just something more than a creme fraiche dip. Good dish nevertheless.

6. Risotto, Sea Urchin, Corn, Lovage, Black Truffle

I was told about this dish by Alex, whom I met on a recent dinner at Wolvesmouth and I'm glad I made the substition. This was one of the best things I've ate this year. Sea urchin, black truffles, corn risotto. Come on, tell me that doesn't sound good! I think I would have added some nice sweet crab meat to this, but maybe I'm just being greedy here. I would have been happy eating 19 courses of this that night, though I might die of some sort of a cholesterol attack. If you do the tasting menu at Benu, make sure you ask for the sea urchin risotto!

7. Conch, Tomato, Green Orange, Dashi

Compared to the risotto dish, the conch was quite light and refreshing. It's almost a conch ceviche, without all the ingredients. The presentation of the conch was a nice touch as well.

8. Salt And Pepper Squid

This dish is a playful take on a popular dish found in many Chinese seafood restaurants. In this case, A crispy squid chip (I think, or it could be shrimp) is presented with chopped jalapeno peppers, green onions, and little pieces of squid. I'm almost tempted to try this at home with some store bought chips.

9. Jasmine Chicken With Dates

I was slightly weary of this dish after seeing it on the menu. I was worried the jasmine tea flavors would overpower the chicken. Thankfully, I was wrong. The jasmine tea flavors was spot on, with a hint of sweetness. The chicken itself was done beautifully. It came out moist and sweet, it was definitely money!

10. Foie Gras Xiao Long Bao

I was looking forward to this course, but I was left slightly disappointed. While the skin was done quite nicely, in fact, a lot better than I had expected, I was hoping the foie gras be more dominant in this dish. While I tasted bits of foie gras, the filling and the juice lacked the strong rich flavors of the foie.

11. Abalone, Potato, Caper, Lettuce

As the table pointed out this being one of their favorite courses of the night, I can't help but agree, it was quite tasty. The abalone was fried, similar to a Taiwanese chicken cutlet and was served on a bed of potato puree. The abalone was very nice, I would never have thought to fry an abalone. I wonder how this would taste if it was on a bed of minced meat rice Taiwanese style with some sour mustard.

12. Fresh Noodles, Shrimp Roe, Tarragon, Chicken Jus

At first I was a bit surprised the noodles came nary of ingredients, but the flavors of the shrimp roe was quite apparent once you take the first bite. Rich, succulent, and all in all, one of my favorites of the night.

13. "Shark Fin" Soup, Dungeness Crab, Jinhua Ham, Black Truffle Custard

Like with the foie gras xiao long bao, this too I was waiting for, but with much better results. Although the star was supposed to be the faux shark fins, I loved the broth made from the Jinhua ham and the crab and truffle custard were bordering on insane. It's almost as good as the Chinese version you get at banquets. I'm biased, sue me.

14. Duck, Celery, Cherry, Shaoxing Wine

Another winning dish, in fact, probably my second favorite course of the night after the risotto. The duck was cooked perfectly, and tasted like a beautifully roasted duck. The duck itself was stuffed with a duck mousse, make its flavors and texture even more intense. Very, very nice!

15. Beef Braised in Pear with Sunflower and Mushroom

The beef, short ribs I believe was cooked fork tender. The flavors were spot on and I enjoyed the accompanied mushrooms. While it's not as good as the duck, I thoroughly enjoyed the last savory course of the night.

16. Malted Rice Tea, Pine Nut, Pine Needle Honey

This first dessert reminded me of shik hae, a Korean sweet malted rice drink, but the version at Benu added this silky panna cotta on the bottom which was quite nice.

17. Fig, White Chcolate, Balsamic Vinegar, Sake Lees

I found this to be quite light and the balsamic vinegar was used very nicely here. The white chocolate ice cream wasn't overpowering and countered the fig quite well.

18. Lychee, Red Bean, Matcha Custard

This was richer than I had expected, but tasty nevertheless. My favorite part of this particular dessert was the lychee ice cream and the matcha custard. This was definitely an Asian influenced dessert, trending towards Japanese.

19. Chocolates

Finally, we finished our meal off with some chocolates. My favorite piece of the night was the passion fruit white chocolate. That was quite tasty!

All in all, Benu either met or slightly exceeded my expectations. I was expecting a good deal of Asian flavors and I got it. Chef Corey Lee's skills was apparent. The flavors, the presentation were top notch. The wines we had paired during our meal were strong and I especially liked that Riesling we had to start the meal. The questions everybody wanted to know was did I like it and would I return? The answer would be Yes to both, but with the abundance of fine dining around the San Francisco Bay Area, I'm keen on trying the other places first. Comparing a place like Benu to Lukshon would be a disservice to Benu as it's on an entirely different level. While I still wouldn't pay to dine at Lukshon, I would happily pay to eat at Benu. The quality, the skills of the chef, the dining atmosphere are just different. If you're in the San Francisco area, I'd highly recommend dining at Benu. Just remember, make sure the duck and the uni risotto are on the menu. Cheers!

Benu
22 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 685-4860

Wolvesmouth @ Beer Belly - Pop Up! (Los Angeles)

2011-07-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

Wolvesmouth @ Beer Belly

After trying Chef Craig Thornton's (aka Wolvesmouth) cooking on two previous occasions, I jumped at the chance when I heard there was going to be a special one night pop-up dinner at Beer Belly, a newly opened Beer House in the Koreatown district of Los Angeles. Although getting a reservation was tough, I managed to snag two seats at the 9pm seating that night. Since beer was available during dinner, I bypassed the wine option and went with various selection of beer offered at Beer Belly.

Top: Bread from Bread Lounge. Bottom: Barley Malt Butter

I thought the bread at bread lounge was pretty standard fare, but the barley malt butter made it shine. I really loved the flavors of this butter, but I limited myself to the 2 pieces of bread given. I had to make sure I had room for the rest of the meal.

Corn Soup - crab, corn fritter, jalapeno, cilantro, buttermilk, lime

I've had a corn soup made by Craig before and loved it, so I eagerly awaited for this course to start. I mean, as a lover of corn and soup, this dish was calling my name. I loved the sweet flavors from the crab, the tart flavors from the lime, the slight heat from the jalapeno, and that fried corn fritter was very nice. Underneath all of that was the creamy corn soup, which was really good. I'd have to say, if I had 6 bowls of this corn soup, I'd leave a very happy man (Panda).

Black Truffle Risotto - chive, parmesan

Although there wasn't an abundant of truffles as I had hoped (Though the meal was $50 for 6 courses, I was surprised we even had truffles on the menu), this was quite tasty. The truffle flavor was subtle, but the rice was cooked perfectly, with a nice bite, and the dish as a whole was creamy and flavorful.

Blue Lake Beans - yellow wax beans, summer squash, peach, cider, salted yogurt, granola

When I saw the menu, this dish was probably the least interesting to me, though that's probably because I rarely would find vegetarian dishes to be of any interest. This dish however, was surprisingly memorable for me. I enjoyed the vegetables, but that peach to me was the star of the dish. The fruit itself was compressed and the flavor of it was just fantastic. The vegetables and the peach worked quite well together.

Lamb - potato puree, dill, horseradish, lingonberry

Now, lamb was the promised protein we've been told of prior to booking the meal and as a fan of lamb, I was definitely happy with the selection. Although my piece was fattier than I would have liked, I still cleaned my plate. The lamb was cooked just the way I like it, rare and bloody. The potato puree reminded me of sour cream and chives potato chips, which I liked. I thought the lingonberry was an important element of this dish as it helped cut down on the fattier parts of the lamb. I wish I had seconds of this one.

Corn Bread Ice Cream - fig, brown butter short bread

One thing I've realized about eating a meal cooked by Craig was that his ice cream and desserts are really good. In fact, I think he should do a dessert tasting one of these days. I was really looking forward to the corn bread ice cream, which definitely did not disappoint. I was happy with the flavors of the ice cream and the addition of the brown butter short bread added a nice flavor and texture to this dish. This was my favorite dessert of the night.

Creme Fraiche Vanilla Panna Cotta - strawberry, vanilla pound cake

Panna cotta was a great way to end of the meal. It's refreshing, light, and the accompanied strawberries and pound cake added nice flavors to the dessert. I really like the addition of the pop rocks as well, though when can you have too much pop rocks?

I would say the first Wolvesmouth pop up was a success. The food was great, and was probably even better than I had expected going in, and I have pretty high expectations. I was slightly worried that there wouldn't be enough food, since this was more of an abbreviated Wolvesmouth dinner, but I left stuffed and happy. As a fan of both Beer Belly and Wolvemouth, I'm glad this was the location chosen for this dinner, and I hope if Wolvesmouth decides to do this pop up again, Beer Belly would still be the location of choice. After going through the pictures and this post, I'm ready for a return trip to Wolvesmouth Dining!

Beer Belly
532 S. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90020

Sushi Nozomi - Part Two: The Return (Torrance)

2011-07-06T02:15:00.000-07:00

Sushi Nozomi

As I had mentioned on my previous post, since my meal at Nozomi last year, I've been trying to find a opportunity to make a return visit. With Hong's (of The Ravenous Couple) birthday coming up, I figured this was a good place to have a birthday dinner. After speaking with Mark, the Manager of Nozomi, whom I met last year, we set up another omakase dinner.

Yasu-San

After having such a good experience with Yasu-San, I requested to have him once again prepare our omakase dinner. On a more recent visit to Nozomi (Yes, I went back again), I found out Yasu-San was from Tokyo, but has been living here in the United States for the past 21 years. Just a little FYI to the readers out there.

Kirin Draft

Cold beer is a must order. Always.

Smoked Giant Clams

We were first served a small bowl of smoked clams topped with Japanese mayo and seaweed. I enjoyed the smoky flavors of the clams and while I'm not a huge fan of mayo, I did enjoy the addition of the cream flavors of the mayo.

Sashimi Platter (Amaebi, Isaki, Maguro, Aji, Toro)

The combination of toro, amaebi (sweet shrimp), aji, and other fresh fishes can't really go wrong as the first three fishes I listed are amongst my favorites. The pieces were cut well, the fish were fish. This was quite a nice start to the meal for me. Yasu-San collected those shrimp heads for later use.

Kohada Bone (Bone of Japanese Shad)

While we waited for the sushi course to start, Yasu gave us each a kohada bone. Think of shrimp chips, but a lot better. I could have easily ate a bag of this while downing some beer.

Rock Bream with Lemon, Yuzu, and Himalayan Sea Salt

This was actually one of my favorite piece of the evening. I loved the combination of yuzu and lemon. The citrus flavors meshed well with the rock bream, which was a fairly light fish.

Ishidai (Snapper with Yuzu)

Next we were served the Ishidai, which Yasu said it was a "Rock Posey." The yuzu on top may have looked quite abundant, but it actually worked. The flavors of the fish and yuzu went well together.

Chawanmushi with Uni, Sea Cucumber, Shrimp and Ginko Nut

Next we were served one of my favorite things to eat: Chawanmushi (steamed eggs). The chawanmushi was topped was fresh uni, the chawanmushi itself contained more uni, sea cucumber, shrimp and ginko nut. I've had many chawanmushi in the past few years, I can safely say this was probably the best chawanmushi I've had.

Isaki (Striped Pigfish with Kombu and Japanese Ginger Root)

I really enjoyed the use of kombu (seaweed) and a Japanese ginger root on top of the striped pigfish. The flavors were a bit strange at first, but a few seconds later, it just made sense. I really liked the use of kombu here.

Madai (Red Snapper with Sesame Paste)

I usually enjoy red snapper sushi and this was no exception. Though I do have to say the sesame paste was slightly overpowering, it almost overpowered the snapper.

Kibinago (Sprat)

This was something I've never had before. The fish itself reminds me of sayori (needlefish), but it was quite light. Topped with some green onions, it was quite delicious.

Katsuo (Bonito Fish)

Bonito is something I'm used to in a dried flake form, but not in a sushi form.

Aji (Japanese Mackerel)

I absolutely love Aji and this was no exception. Delicious, and as usual, the accompanied green onions and ginger worked great with aji.

Namako Uni (Sea Cucumber and Uni)

Mark told us his sea urchin operation has recently expanded by adding sea cucumbers as one of products that it imports. This above combination of sea cucumber and uni was served for the first time ever to us. The uni itself was creamy and delicious, but the sea cucumber was something new for me. Now, I've had sea cucumber many times in a braised form during Chinese banquets, but having it raw was something else. I loved the texture of the sea cucumber, but the flavors were fairly subtle. The flavors of the uni and the texture of the sea cucumber made this sushi work. I enjoyed it.

Sake (Salmon with White Kelp)

This salmon and white kelp sushi was something I've had on each of my three visits to Nozomi. It's simple, fresh. No complaints from me.

Buri Toro (Seared Yellowtail Stomach)

Yellowtail is one of my favorite things to eat at a sushi restaurant, now a seared yellowtail belly? Yes, please! I loved the fatty flavors of the yellowtail stomach, and the seared flavors made it even better. This was very nice.

Shima Aji (Striped Jack)

This striped jack was nice. Buttery and quite flavorful. What's not to like?

Toro (Fatty Blue Fin Tuna Belly)

This piece of toro was really, really good. I mean, it's definitely better than what I had last time at Nozomi. It just literally melted in my mouth. It was probably one of the fattiest piece of toro I've ever had. I think I had dreams about this toro after my meal.

Maguro (Tuna Marinated in Ginger Soy)

After all the unique selection of fishes served during this meal, tuna almost seemed pedestrian. The tuna was delicious, but sadly, it was a bit forgettable after all the other amazing pieces of sushi served.

Uni (Sea Urchin Roe)

The uni is the star ingredient at Nozomi. As I mentioned in my last post, Mark, is the son in law of one of the biggest sea urchin distributors in the United States, thus, Nozomi probably has the best uni in town. So uni lovers, if you want to eat good uni, just come to Nozomi. Again, the flavors of the uni was rich, creamy, and was simply fantastic. I could have ate a few more pieces of this stuff.

Ikura (Salmon Roe)

Ikura (salmon roe) is another one of my personal favorites. I absolutely just love the salty flavors of the roe.

Toro Handroll

Our last piece of sushi, and by this time, we were absolutely stuffed. With that said, I'll never turn down toro, especially in a handroll form. Again, I absolutely love the toro used at Nozomi. So buttery, so rich, so delicious.

Miso Soup with Shrimp Head

Remember that shrimp head from the sashimi course? Well, it returns inside my bowl of miso soup. The broth was so nice, and I loved eating the shrimp head as the roe and meat were quite abundant. What a great way to end this meal!

Sushi Nozomi

With all of the sushi restaurants around Los Angeles, Nozomi sometimes will get lost in the shuffle. Hidden inside the Musha plaza in Torrance, I can personally say Nozomi has become one of my top 3 sushi destinations in the city. In fact, the only sushi meal I've liked better was at Urasawa, though it's also 5 times the cost compared to a meal at Nozomi. Yasu and Mark again took great care of us during the meal. While the meal itself was slightly different than my first meal there, it was great in its own way. So the next time you're stuck in Torrance looking for good sushi, give Sushi Nozomi a try. Be sure to ask for Yasu!

Sushi Nozomi
1757 W Carson St # L
Torrance, CA 90501-2828
(310) 320-5511
Website

Sushi Nozomi - Part One: Picture Post (Torrance)

2011-06-28T00:10:00.000-07:00

Nozomi Sushi

Like with the previous Sushi Zo post, my first dinner at Nozomi happened over a year ago. Although the dinner had occurred such a long time ago, I always had fond memories of my dinner there. Strange enough, I didn't make a return visit until this past weekend. While going over the new pictures for Nozomi, I still want to present my first dinner in pictures. Part two of my Nozomi post will cover the most recent dinner. If you want a more detailed post, please read DJJewelz's post on this omakase meal.

The First Rule Of Fight Club? Always Be Nice to Your Sushi Chef Or Else.....

Cracker with Uni, Marinated Squid, and Cream Cheese

Sunomono

It's just the refreshing starter we needed to whet our palates. And here. We. Go!

Kinmedai (Alfonsino with Lemon and Himalayan Sea Salt)

I loved the use of lemon and sea salt on this.

Tai (Black Seabream with Ponzu Jelly)

Madai (Red Snapper with Sesame Soy)

Yasu-San Showing Us Our Next Fish: Tobiko (Flying Fish)

Our head sushi chef was Yasu-San, who was showing the next fish used for our omakase: Tobiko (Flying Fish).

Tobiko (Flying Fish)

Hiramasa (Yellowtail Amberjack)

Fried Calamari with Nori Powder

A bread from sushi. Fried calamari with seaweed powder. Very nice!

Japanese Brown Barracuda with Mountain Potatoes

The barracuda was seared by Yasu-san. I loved the flavor of this flavor and the addition of the yamaimo was very nice. I've never had barracuda before, and the only thing that came to my mind was this:

Publish Post

I'm sure most of you have heard of this song, or at least played it on Guitar Hero. So I digress...

Yasu-San Preparing Our Next Piece

Ebi (Arabian White Shrimp from Red Sea)

I wanted seconds of this. I love shrimp, especially the fried shrimp head. For me, it was the ingredient that was the most unique. Arabian white shrimp from the Red Sea? That's a definite first for me!

Himo (Orange Clam)

Sake (Salmon with Thin White Kelp)

After all the various piece served, salmon almost came across as boring. Yet, it was a delicious piece of fish. I really enjoyed the thin piece of kelp on top of the fish.

Hamachi (Yellowtail)

Hamachi has always been one of my favorite. I always enjoy the rich, buttery taste from the hamachi. This piece was no exception.

Maguro (Marinated Tuna with Avocado)

Toro (Fatty Blue Fin Tuna Belly)

This was truly melt in your mouth good. I wish I had two pieces instead of one.

Chawanmushi

You can't go wrong with a tasty bowl of chawanmushi (steamed eggs).

Uni (Sea Urchin Roe)

Dare I say this uni was better than the one served at Urasawa? A bold statement yes, but not when the manager of Nozomi is the son-in-law of one of the biggest distributors of Santa Barbara Sea Urchin. Nozomi definitely has the best, freshest sea urchin around. This was SO good!

Shirako (Cod Milt (Sperm))

What's this? Brains? Afraid not. I should have just titled this shirako and no one would ever google this piece. Shirako is otherwise known as cod milt, or cod sperm. Yes, I ate sperm, and it was pretty good.

Ikura (Salmon Roe with Quail Egg)

Ikura and salmon roe, what a perfect combo. I loved it!

Anago (Sea Eel with Lemon Zest)

The last piece of the day, we ended with anago. Served with the usual eel sauce that most are familiar with and a bit of lemon zest, it was a great way to end our meal.

Dessert: Pineapple

Yasu and Mark

To say that I was surprised with the quality of the sushi at Nozomi was an understatement. I knew it would be good going in, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. The sushi that we had that night were unique and delicious. I can't wait to post part 2 of my return visit at Nozomi. Yasu-san is definitely a true sushi master, so my recommendation is to ask for him when you make visit. You definitely won't be disappointed!

Sushi Nozomi
1757 W Carson St # L
Torrance, CA 90501-2828
(310) 320-5511

Sushi Zo - A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words (Los Angeles)

2011-06-22T03:11:00.000-07:00

Sushi Zo

Like with most food bloggers, I have quite a backlog of posts that dates all the way back to 2009. Sadly, with my frequent amount of dining out, the backlog just keeps growing and most of my photos will probably never see the light of day. However, Sushi Zo has been one of the places I wanted to post about. Even though I do have notes that documented this meal, I feel it's easier to let the pictures do the talking with this post. Below was the omakase tasting (chef's choice) at Sushi Zo.

Rules of Zo

Kirin on Tap

Gari (Ginger)

When the ginger arrives on the table, you know it's time for some sushi!

Miso Soup

Kumamoto Oyster

Maguro (Big Eye Tuna)

Awabi (Abalone)

Uni Cuttlefish Noodles with Ponzu and Soy

This dish was quite delicious, though I personally love sea urchin roe.

Hirame (Halbut)

Aji (Japanese Mackerel)

Hotate (Scallop)

Shiro Maguro (Albacore Tuna)

Hamachi (Yellowtail)

Toro (Big Eye Fatty Tuna)

Kampachi (Amberjack)

Ibodai (Butterfish)

Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp)

Meji Maguro (Baby Tuna)

Mirugai (Geoduck)

Kurodai (Black Snapper)

Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper)

Sawara (Spanish Mackerel)

Ankimo (Monkfish Liver)

Ikura (Salmon Roe) and Uni (Sea Urchin Roe)

Anago (Sea Eel)

Toro Handroll

Tamago (Egg)

Blue Crab Handroll

And last, but not least, we finished off the omakase with a yuzu shot.

Yuzu Shot

Bill (Omakase was about $102/person)

What's my take on Sushi Zo? I did enjoy my meal. All of the fish served that night were fresh and delicious, yet I thought the flavors were a bit too similar. Quite a few of the fish were buttery and rich, and although there's nothing wrong with that fact, I was hoping for something different. As many have noted in the past, the sushi chef there was a bit cold and aloof. Although we sat on the side table, there were virtually no contact between the chef and us, the patrons. While I would dine at Sushi Zo again, it's been two years since this dinner, and I haven't given any thoughts of going back just yet. Personally, I think there are better sushi out there, and probably at a better price. If you haven't tried Sushi Zo, I'd say give it a shot, but just don't expect to be wowed.

Think we were done? Not quite yet....we stopped to get pies at Apple Pan.

Top: Banana Cream Pie. Bottom Apple Pie a la mode

The only thing I could say is: Team Fatass 4 Life!

Sushi Zo
9824 National Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90034-2713
(310) 842-397

Taiwan Picture Post - What I Ate Part 2 (Taipei, Taiwan)

2011-06-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

Taiwanese Hot Pot

This will be the second of my two part picture series of what I ate in Taiwan on my past trip back.

Tasty Sukiyaki From Momo Paradise

Aoba

One of my friends took me out for some Taiwanese cuisine at Aoba.

Tasty Hibiscus Drink @ Aoba

Everybody's Favorite: Pork Belly

Mentaiko Fried Rice

Fried Squid Balls

Vegetarian Buffet @ Spring Day

I did dine at one of my mom's favorite stops: Spring Day. I don't think vegetarian buffet is really my cup of tea....

Fresh Squid and Fish Ball Paste

One Can't Have Too Much Ma-La Hot Pot, Right?

Neighborhood Taiwanese Breakfast Stand

Although I love my fan-tuan and soymilk, this was my idea of a Taiwanese breakfast. During my two week stay, I stopped by about 5 times. Even in the hot and humid weather, I loved sweating through a steaming bowl of rice noodle soup and accompaniments.

Rice Noodle Soup

Fried Tofu

Various Cuts of Meat

Offal Plate

Tofu and Seaweed

Vegetables

Pork Skin

Taiwanese Oden

Oyster Vermicelli

Ba Wan (Taiwanese Meatball)

I love Vitali!

More Taiwanese Oden

More Road Side Eats

Oyster Vermicelli

Stinky Tofu

Stewed Pork Rice

O Ah Jian (Oyster Pancake)

And I'll save the best for last. Dessert!

Mango Shaved Snow

After having this shaved snow, I thought the ones served at Class 302 in Rowland Heights were quite similar.

Almond Tofu Shaved Snow @ Yu's Almond Tofu

Thanks to a recommendation from Joan, I visited Yu's Almond Tofu for some almond tofu shaved snow. I absolutely loved it. The flavor of the almond was subtle yet remained quite fragrant. On a warm day in Taipei, this absolutely hit the spot.

Tsai's Mi Tai Mu Ice

This was something I've never had before. My friends took me to Tsai's, which was located near their home in Linkou County, outside Taipei. Basically, it's Taiwanese shaved ice, but the key ingredient was the (米苔目) or this rice noodle. Strange? Yes it was, but it added a nice texture to the shaved ice. There's a reason why this place has been around for many years in the area. It's always packed!

Mi Tai Mu Bing

Pineapple Ice @ Cheng Du Ice Shop in Ximending

I went back to Cheng Du Ice Shop for some pineapple ice this time around.

I'll close out my Taiwan picture post with one of my favorite things to eat!

Mister Donut

For those that know me, I absolutely hate fried dough. I can't get the oily texture out of my head I guess. But...the two exceptions are Donut Plant in New York City and Mister Donut in Asia. I almost always get their green tea donuts. Dericious! :)

That's all folk, starting tomorrow, more posts in the good ol' U S of A!

Taiwan Picture Post - What I Ate Part 1 (Taipei, Taiwan)

2011-06-16T02:45:00.000-07:00

Bamboo

You know what time it is? It's time for a picture blog post! This will be part 1 of probably 2 or 3 on the various food I ate during my trip to Taiwan last Fall. I'll make a few comments along the way. Enjoy!

Stewed Pork Rice (魯肉飯)

Fatty Pork and Pork Jowl

Pig's Feet

The stewed pork rice has always been one of my favorite things to eat in Taiwan.

Black Sugar Shaved Ice

A little shaved ice to cool things down on a humid night....

Cheng Du Starfruit Ice Shop

One of my favorite places. I always get their starfruit ice. It's right outside exit 6 (I think) of the MRT in Xi Meng Ding. Great stuff, especially on a hot and humid day.

Starfruit Ice

Peanut Tofu Flower

One can't have too much dessert right? After getting the cup of starfruit ice, I went for a bowl of refreshingly cold peanut tofu flower. I love this stuff!

Pepper Bao (胡椒餅)

This place was made famous by the stand located at Rao He Night Market, this "bao" was loaded with green onions and meat. Delicious. Located around Hen Yang Road, it's nice to have a 2nd location outside of the night market.

Ma-La Hot Pot

This is one of my go to spots for spicy hot pot. Located near National Taiwan University, it seems that I always make a stop or two whenever I'm back in Taiwan. The selection here was pretty good, plenty of meat and seafood. It also offers unlimited Hagen-Daz ice cream and fresh fruit. One thing that's new on my most recent visit: All you can drink Taiwan beer! All this for a low cost of $15 for lunch!

Hot Pot!

Dim Sum

A few selections of dim sum in Taiwan.

Now This Is My Kind Of Combo!

For about $3, you get all this food. I can't complain about this at all.

Sugar Cane Juice Stand

I've been coming here to this particular stand since I was a kid. In fact, my mom has been here before I was born. It's always hits the spot for me!

No, This Is Not A Piss Bag

Sugar Cane Juice

Now this is Winning! Sometimes I'd drink it out of the "piss bag" if I'm roaming the market, but most of the time I'll take it home and move it to a glass container. Make sure to ask for a few sprays of lemon juice, it makes the sugar cane juice even better!

Now, a little night market fun with my cousin and her husband. This time it's a night market that I've yet been in my previous trips. I was taken to the San He Night Market.

Lu Wei

I love this stuff! This is called lu wei, which is fairly common at various night markets in Taiwan. Basically it's a mix of offals, tofu, blood cake, etc, all mixed together in spices, sour mustard, and other ingredients. Served in a bag and toothpicks, it's a great thing to snack on while shopping at these night markets.

Papaya Milk

Now this is some good stuff!

Shrimp Fishing

Games are something you'll find at almost all night market. Here, my cousin and I played the shrimp fishing game. After you catch the shrimp, the owner would grill the shrimp for you right there on the spot. I think I'd like to grab a beer to go along with those shrimp!

Dessert Before Hitting The Road

These are just a few random pics I took while on my vacation. If you need exact locations of the restaurants or where to find similar type of food, please contact me and I'll give you more information. Until then, happy eating!

Eating Around National Taiwan University - 往台大走 (Taipei, Taiwan)

2011-06-13T02:07:00.000-07:00

Lunch Anyone? Just Kidding!

To those of you that wonder why I rarely, if ever, blog about a Chinese restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley, here's the reason: I find it boring and I don't have any inspiration to write about it. I'll leave the SGV to someone more qualified than myself to blog about it. However, writing about the food in my native Taiwan is a different story. If you think the Beef Noodle Soup tour was the end of my Taiwan tour, think again. Let's get on with this before we have to cook the poor dogs from the picture above. (Just kidding of course)

Healthy Dumplings In An Unnamed Shop Around NTU

Eating out in Taiwan with my mom tends to be an interesting task. She's all about eating healthy, and I on the other hand...am quite the opposite to that. Before we got anywhere, we tend to stop by a place that my mom could eat at. First, we stopped at a local dumpling shop that tends to make things a bit healthier (ie: dumpling skins and noodle were made of vegetable juice).

Cold Soymilk For Me

WonTon Soup For My Mom

Dumplings to Share

Curry Potstickers For Me

Kimchi Postickers

The food from above were legit, but definitely not my favorite. My mom enjoyed the won ton soup and the dumplings. The broth was light, but maybe a bit too light for my tastes. The dumplings were pretty standard, but I did enjoy the two varieties of potstickers. The curry version was my favorite and I snacked on most of the plate as my "amuse bouche" before I hit up my intended lunch stop.

大福利排骨大王 (Da Fu Li Pai Gu Da Wang)

Now this is what I'm talking about. Home of the famous Taiwanese pork chop fried rice, and probably my go-to spot to get it in Taipei.

Taiwanese Pork Chop Rice

If these pictures doesn't say "effing dericious," then I don't know what is! The pork chop was fried to a perfect crisp. The meat was tender and flavorful. The rice and the accompanied vegetable were fine, but the star of the show was definitely the pork chop. I kinda want a pork chop rice plate right now! (In fact, I think I'll be eating some later on tonight). I think this is one of the better pork chop rice in Taipei right now. At about $3 a plate, you can't really go wrong with this. There's a reason why this shop has almost been opened for 50 years. If you can find something better, please let me know!

臺一牛奶大王 (Tai Yi Niu Nai Da Wang)

Don't worry, I'm not going to skip dessert. The dessert to get in Taiwan? Shaved ice is always a good way to go. Tai Yi is my absolute favorite place to get shaved ice in Taiwan. In fact, a trip back to Taiwan without eating at Tai Yi is just wrong. There are many options at Tai Yi, but I almost always order the most popular shaved ice they have: Red Bean Shaved Ice with Condensed Milk. Although I always add pudding to my shaved ice.

紅豆牛奶冰 (Hong Dou Niu Nai Bing)

Now this is what I'm talking about! A plate of shaved ice piled high with red beans and condensed milk. Sometimes I do add 2-3 orders of pudding, but I went "light" on this particular order and only added one extra pudding. Trust me, this was a lot of shaved ice, as I'm barely able to finish the entire plate. Most people at the shop share an order, but I don't even want to bother with that. At $1.50, it's quite a nice bargain. I highly recommend Tai Yi!

Lattea

After potstickers, a plate of pork chop rice, and a plate of shaved ice, it's time to take a bread, right? Wrong! My cousin decided to take me to her favorite tea place before she had to head back to school. Although Lattea has many drink options, they're know for this one thing called 綠蓋茶 (luu gai cha).

綠蓋茶 (Luu Gai Cha)

The 綠蓋茶 was basically freshly brewed iced green tea with a salted butter top. Sounds strange, yes, but it was quite tasty. Not particularly my favorite thing I've had, but I'd order it again. It combined the sweet and bitter taste of the tea with the creamy and salty flavors of the whipped butter. The whipped butter had a consistency of whipped cream, but much richer. I'd say try it for yourself before making a conclusion, but it was a unique experience for me.

Madhouse at MRT Station

After an afternoon eating around National Taiwan University, it's onward to other parts of town. For those that are familiar with the NTU and the 公館 (GongGuan) areas may be saying to themselves: this bugger doesn't know what he's talking about. How come he didn't talk about the gua bao place? the pork blood cake place? the famous boba shop next to that aforementioned pork chop rice place? Don't worry, I know all of those places. Sadly I didn't have enough time, stomach space to eat at the other famous food shops in that area, but I'll vouch for them all as I've had them many times on previous visits.

The areas around NTU is one of my favorites in Taipei, and one that I am quite familiar with. I can't wait to take my friends and explore some of the food haunts in this area later on this year. Be prepared people, be prepared to gain 5-10 pounds!

大福利排骨大王 (Da Fu Li Pai Gu Da Wang)
台北市中正區 (Taipei City, Zhong Zhen District)
羅斯福路三段286巷12號 (Roosevelt Rd. 3rd Section, Lane 286, No.12)
Phone: (02) 2365-1009

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臺一牛奶大王 (Tai Yi Niu Nai Da Wang)
台北市 (Taipei City)
新生南路3段82號 (Xin Sheng S. Road, 3rd Section, No.82)
Phone: (02) 2362-3172

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LATTEA 台大 (NTU)
台北市 (Taipei City)
新生南路三段98號3F (Xin Sheng S Road, 3rd Section, No.93, 3rd Floor)
Located on the 3rd Floor of the Eslite Bookstore
Phone (02) 2362-6132 x311

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Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup Tour Stop #5: 72 Beef Noodle Soup - 台灣牛肉麵導遊之五: 七十二牛肉麵 (Taipei, Taiwan)

2011-06-10T00:24:00.000-07:00

七十二牛肉麵 (72 Beef Noodle Soup)

Yes, this is it! This is part 5, and the final chapter of my mini beef noodle soup tour of Taiwan. Although some of you guys might be sick of reading about beef noodle soup that's all the way in Taiwan, it was enjoyable for me to write about the cuisine from my home country. There's no way that I was going to end my tour without writing about my favorite beef noodle stop in Taipei.

七十二牛肉麵 (72 Beef Noodle Soup)

I was brought to 七十二牛肉麵 (I'll refer to it as 72 NRM (aka niu rou mian) on this post) by my friends on my second night in Taiwan. Already stuffed from an all you can eat hot pot lunch with my aunt and cousin and then snacks at KTV (Chinese karaoke), I was seriously questioning the idea of getting more food to eat. Yet, since I am on vacation, that doubt quickly dissipated, especially when I saw all the cow bones hanging outside. Oh ya, I thought to myself, this shit is going to be good.

七十二牛肉麵 (72 Beef Noodle Soup)

The interior was clean and quaint. And for all those that are afraid of the heat, like myself, this place does have air conditioning.

招牌牛滷花干 (Niu Lu Hua Gan)

We were first given this small bowl of the restaurant's famous 牛滷花干. Frankly, I don't know what's the best way to translate this thing other than the fact the items were stewed in the beef broth. Tender, beefy, and delicious. We were given this for me to test the broth, as the actual 牛滷花干 was actually sold out and this was the remaining batch they had left that night.

皮蛋豆腐 - (Thousand Year Old Egg Tofu - Pi Dan Dofu)

Yup, another beef noodle soup place, another order of the thousand year old egg tofu side dish. As I've said, I love this stuff!

乾拌牛肉麵 (Dry Beef Noodle Soup - Gan Ban Niu Rou Mian)

While I don't normally order the dry version of the beef noodle soup, I was told the version here was fantastic. True to their word, it was delicious. We ordered two bowls of the dry beef noodle soup and chose each of the two broth offered. While I've mentioned before that I've generally passed on the clear broth with regards to beef noodle soup, the version at 72NRM was phenomenal. In fact, I liked it a lot more than the soy sauce braised version. It was rich, beefy, and yet, subtle enough you could drink 2-3 bowls worth of the broth.

清燉牛肉麵 (Clear Broth Beef Noodle Soup - Qin Doun Niu Rou Mian)

Yup, more of this amazing broth. It reminded me of the Korean Oxtail Soup (gomtang), but better. Also, instead of having the beef in chunks, we were served thick sliced beef. The beef itself was tender and flavorful. This was a delicious bowl of beef noodle soup.

紅燒牛肉麵 (Beef Noodle Soup - Hong Shao Niu Rou Mian)

This might be something most are used to seeing. The dark beefy broth was quite nice, but comes second to the clear version. Although a delicious bowl, I personally prefer the clear broth version.

七十二牛肉麵

I liked this place so much I had to make a return visit before my flight back to Los Angeles.

七十二牛肉麵

Since 72NRM was a 15min walk from my aunt's house, I decided to work up an appetite and walked over for my last meal in Taiwan.

招牌牛滷花干 (Niu Lu Hua Gan)

Since what I had previously wasn't the exact dish since they ran out of a few of the items to make this, I had to order this. Again, it was delicious. Beefy, tender, cooked in that beautiful broth.

炒滷味 (Stir Fried Stewed Combo - Chao Lu Wei)

This is their signature side dish, 炒滷味. Basically it's a mix of the stewed items, but stir fried in chili oil. So. Fucking. Good. This is a must order! Add a bit more of the bone marrow chili sauce that's provided, it's off the hook. Yes, I said bone marrow chili sauce! This would go SO well with an ice cold beer!

乾拌牛肉麵 (Dry Beef Noodle Soup - Gan Ban Niu Rou Mian)

What did I order? I went with my favorite from the previous visit: dry beef noodles with a side of clear broth. Again, it was delicious.

七十二牛肉麵

72 NRM is a place I'll return over and over again. It has become my favorite beef noodle place in Taipei. It's a place I'd recommend to family and friends (which I did here). The 72 from 72NRM meant the 72 hours the shop takes to make its beef broth. The pain staking process of making their broth were shown beautifully in each of their bowls served to their customers. Although everyone has their favorites in Taipei, 72 NRM has become mine. Trust the Panda, eat at 72NRM!

If you can read Chinese, this and this were great posts on 72 NRM.

Rating 5 out of 5

七十二牛肉麵 (72 NRM)
台北市大安區 (Taipei City, Da An District)
建國南路一段188號‎ (Jin Guo S. Rd, Section 1, No. 188)
Phone: (02) 2752-5970‎

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Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup Tour Stop #4: Yong Kang Beef Noodle - 台灣牛肉麵導遊之四: 永康牛肉麵 (Taipei, Taiwan)

2011-06-08T00:24:00.000-07:00

永康牛肉麵 (Yong Kang Beef Noodle)

As I start on the fourth installment of my beef noodle tour of Taipei, no trip is complete without dining at the famous Yong Kang Beef Noodle. While Din Tai Fung lay claim to the soup dumplings, around the corner, Yong Kang Beef Noodle has been serving patrons since 1963. I've eaten at Yong Kang Beef Noodle on my previous trips to Taiwan, and while I left unimpressed, I'm hoping this trip would change my tune about this tourist institution.

永康牛肉麵 (Yong Kang Beef Noodle)

Like with Din Tai Fung,the menu posted outside are also in English and Japanese. Taiwan generally attracts a good number of Japanese tourists, thus it's not surprising to have the menu in all three languages.

皮蛋豆腐 (Thousand Year Old Egg Tofu - Pi Dan Dofu)

Again, I had to order the Thousand year old egg tofu (皮蛋豆腐). Since it's something I make for myself here in the States, it's pretty hard to mess this one up. Let's move on to the main attraction, the beef noodle soup.

酸菜 (Sour Mustard Greens - Suan Cai)

The sour mustard greens are an essential part of any beef noodle soup in Taiwan. You always put it in your bowl to taste, I generally put at least 2-3 spoonful of this stuff.

紅燒半筋半肉牛肉麵 (Half Tendon Half Beef Noodle Soup - Ban Jin Ban Rou Niu Rou Mian)

Finally, the main attraction, the beef noodle soup. This time I went with the half tendon, half meat beef noodle soup. The beefy, oily, and spicy bowl was just okay, it definitely not my favorite. The noodle to me was a bit lacking and the portion size was fairly small for what we were served. In fact, none of us at the table were that impressed by it. At 200 NT ($6-7) for a large bowl of beef noodle soup, I just expected more. Sadly, what I received was the worst bowl of beef noodle soup I've had in Taiwan.

永康牛肉麵

Like with the other tourist trap around the corner (Din Tai Fung), it's safe to say I won't bother with either restaurants in Taiwan and in the case of Din Tai Fung, in Arcadia. At Yong Kang, there's a steady wait, even on this rainy night in Taipei. The food in general was quite average, the prices were high. In the end, it's just not worth a return visit for me. Like with DTF Yong Kang only attracts suckers who were willing to pay a premium for an old namesake. In the case of this particular night, I was that sucker. Now I really know why I didn't care for this place years ago. Skip this place, skip the line, you're better off eating a bowl of instant beef noodle soup.

Yong Kang Beef Noodle = Fail
And my last dig at Din Tai Fung: DTF = Double Fail!

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

台北市 (Taipei City)
金山南路二段31巷17號 (Jin San Road S, No.17, Lane 31, Section 2)
Phone: (02)2351-1051

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Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup Tour Stop #3: NRM-ing around YongHe - 台灣牛肉麵導遊之三: 永和的牛肉麵﹕鼎記和老黃牛肉麵 (Taipei, Taiwan)

2011-06-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

鼎記 (Ding Ji)

Although I was born and raised in Taipei city, the area I've become quite familiar with has been 永和 (YongHe District), which is located outside the city limited in an area known as Taipei County. Since most of my family lives in this area (which means it's the area I tend stay at when I'm back in Taiwan), I've had opportunity to explore YongHe. For some that area familiar with YongHe, this is the area that's popular for its soymilk (永和豆漿) and the famous breakfast joint (永和豆漿王). This post however will visit two of the local Beef Noodle Soup shops I frequently visited during my trips back home to Taiwan.

Ding Ji (鼎記) as the sign on the door states on the first picture, are known for their 刀削麵 (knife cut noodles, dao xiao mian). I used to eat here quite frequently since my great-grandmother's care home was a few buildings down, which was the main reason I even noticed this shop in the first place. This time I made a special trip back to eat at Ding Ji.

小菜 (Side Dish)

At any beef noodle place, you're likely to find 5-10 different side dishes to choose from. They're usually priced around 30NT ($1) and goes great with the bowl of soup noodles. The one above shown above is my personal favorite, though the name in Chinese escapes me at this time. It's basically marinated tofu strips with celery strips and wood mushroom. It's simple, yet delicious.

炒刀削麵 (Stir Fried Knife Cut Noodles)

This is something I've had at Ding Ji a few times. You can actually find this at a lot of noodle shops around the world, especially in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles. Although chow mein isn't something I'd usually order at a restaurant, I love the texture of the noodle here. Great texture and bite from the knife cut noodles were key parts to make this plate of noodles work.

清燉牛肉麵 (Clear Beef Noodle Soup - qing dun niu rou mian)

The clear beef noodle soup isn't my cup of tea, but my mom prefers this version as it's lighter and perhaps healthier. The version here is fine, but for me, I consider it a bit bland. Though I consider most clear beef noodle soup bland (except for one place, which I'll post later).

紅燒牛肉麵 (Beef Noodle Soup - hong shao niu rou mian)

This was more like it. I personally prefer a more bolder, "beefier" taste in my beef noodle soup. Although the broth and the beef itself were not my favorites compared to all the other places, I just love the noodles, which was probably the reason I've been eating here for the past 6-7 years. It's hard to go wrong with a great bite in your bowl of beef noodle soup.

Apparently Ding Ji is Strongly Recommended by These Publications

Although Ding Ji isn't my favorite place to get my bowl of Beef Noodle Soup, I personally love knife cut noodles and would probably return here on my next visit back to Taiwan. I guess over the years, I've had some good memories here.

老黃牛肉麵 (Lao Huang Niu Rou Mian)

Lao Huang NRM is probably my favorite place to get a bowl of beef noodle soup in YongHe these days. Conveniently located across the Ding Xi MRT Train Station, I seemingly always stop in when I'm in the area, which was quite often. As noted on the pictures above, the prices ranges between 90-110NT ($3-4) as the large bowl tops out at 110NT. There were 4 noodle choices, but I only get the 家常 (Jia Chang) option, which were the thickest noodle available, similar to the knife cut variety.

小菜 (Side Dishes)

As I mentioned earlier, these side dishes are usually great complements to a bowl of beef noodle soup. The ones we ordered on the top pictures were (from left): beef tripe, seaweed, and another one of my favorites, thousand year old egg tofu (皮蛋豆腐). I just love the bold flavors of the thousand year old egg, along with the silken tofu and the soy sauce paste, it's quite delicious.

紅燒牛肉麵 (Beef Noodle Soup - hong shao niu rou mian)

Now this is what I'm talking about! This bowl had great broth and noodles, and of course, tender pieces of beef, lots of it! Add some of the mustard greens provided 酸菜 (not pictured), you have yourself a fantastic bowl of Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup!

Between the two shops in YongHe, I do prefer Old Huang a bit more, but both are great stops to fulfill your beef noodle soup cravings. Though in terms of location, price, flavors, I have to give my personally recommendation to Old Huang Beef Noodle Soup. Just watch out for the line during lunchtime! And to those that hate communal tables and sitting with strangers, good luck with Old Huang NRM. Just sit down with stranger next to you, don't mingle, just eat your delicious bowl of beef noodle soup!

Ding Ji (鼎記)

Rating 3.5 out of 5

台北縣永和市 (Taipei County, YounHe City)
中正路 576 號 (Zhong Zhen Road, #576)
Phone: (02)2923-2314

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Old Huang Beef Noodle Soup (老黃牛肉麵)

Rating 4 out of 5

台北縣永和市 (Taipei County, YongHe City)
信義路10號 (Xin Yi Road #10)
Phone: (02)2924-2781
Hours of Operation: 11:20AM - 7:30PM, Closed Sundays

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Ibaraki Benefit Dinner at Breadbar - Great Cause, But Please Don't Serve Me Charred Food (Los Angeles)

2011-05-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

Breadbar

I'll be the first to say, since my recent trip to NYC, I haven't been interested with the food scene in Los Angeles. The recent restaurant openings of Sotto, Son of a Gun, and Lukshon has not interested me one bit, and probably never will. However, when I was invited by Darin to a benefit dinner at the Breadbar in the Century City mall headlined by Hiro Urasawa of the famed Urasawa, I knew I had to try it. Ever since my previous dinner at Urasawa, I've been meaning to try his cooking again.

Along with Hiro Urasawa (Urasawa), we had Noriyuki Sugie (Breadbar), Michael Cimarusti (Providence), Walter Manzke (Formerly Church and State), David Myers (Comme Ça), and Ramon Perez (Sona) collaborating on this 6 course tasting menu. Priced at $110 sans tax and gratuity, all of the proceeds from this dinner (along with another dinner at Comme Ça) goes directly to the Japan Earthquake relief aid. A great cause, and hopefully for us, a great meal ahead.

Bread Basket from Breadbar

You'd assume the bread from a place called "Breadbar" would be out of this world right? Sadly it was merely passable, but I enjoyed the soft butter that accompanied the bread. Since I wasn't here for the bread, it's no big deal.

Canapé: Pumpernickel, Aged Lard. Artichoke Barigoule. Caramelized Eel, Sansho Pepper (Noriyuki Sugie)
NV Jean Philippe, “Brut, Blanquette de Limoux,” Languedoc, France

Here to start: a trio of canape.

Artichoke Barigoule

I'm a fan of artichokes, and I enjoyed this starter. This was a light and refreshing starter.

Pumpernickel, Aged Lard

Next we have shaved lard on top of pumpernickel bread. While I enjoyed the taste of the aged lard (similar to lop cheung (Chinese sausage)), I didn't particularly like the pumpernickel pairing.

Caramelized Eel, Sansho Pepper

This was my favorite of the trio. I enjoyed the sweet taste of the eel, which tasted similar to the eel found on Japanese eel rice (unagi don). The pineapple that went with the eel was a wonderful complement.

1. Tartar Duo - Hokkaido Scallop and Marinated Salmon Roe, Wasabi, Shiitake Mushroom. Toro, Osetra Caviar, Takuan, Scallion (Hiro Urasawa)
Hananomai Sake “Katana” Junmai Ginjo, Japan

This was my most anticipated course of the evening, a dish by Hiro Urasawa, and it fails to disappoint. I enjoyed the flavors of the scallops and ikura, but the texture of the scallops were slightly mushy, but that said, it was a wonderful bite. The second tartar of toro and caviar was definitely my favorite of the duo. I hope I'm not being partial since toro and caviar are two of my personal favorites, but that mouthful was quite delicious. Along with the duo of tartar, the accompanied daikon flowers and vegetables were delicious as well.


2. Soymilk Panna Cotta, Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, Geoduck Clam and Fresh Wasabi (Michael Cimarusti) Epiphany 2009 Riesling Santa Barbara County, California

Next up was my favorite course of the night. The aesthetically looking, as well as the tasty looking dish was prepared by Providence's Michael Cimarusti. The soymilk panna cotta by itself reminded me of an unsweetened dou fu hua or tofu flower, which is a popular Chinese dessert. However when he added the Santa Barbara sea urchin, geoduck, tomatoes, wasabi and other components, it created something truly magical, epic even. This dish was one of the best things I've ate in the past year.

3. Santa Barbara Prawns, Thai Curry, Spring Pea (Walter Manzke)
Jean-Marc Brocard, 2009 Petit Chablis, Burgundy, France

Eating this course really made me wish Chef Manzke would quickly open up a permanent place here in Los Angeles. The initial layer of the pea purée was creamy and delicious, but the second layer of Thai curry was even better. It went wonderfully with the perfectly cooked piece of prawn. I couldn't have asked for a better dish from Chef Manzke. Trust me, there wasn't a drop of curry or piece of shrimp left when I was done with this one.

4. Charcoal Akage Beef, Maitake Tempura, Tsukemono (David Myers)
Fat Monk 2009 Pinot Noir, Central Coast, California

Next came what I thought was the weakest dish of the night. I've personally never had any of David Myer's cooking in the past, so this wasn't a good impression. Even though the beef and the maitake mushroom tempura was meant to be blackened and charred with the use of bamboo charcoal, I personally did not enjoy this technique. The mushroom quickly broke apart and was dry (though that was a given), nary of any flavor other than char. The beef itself was tender, but it wasn't anything special. Ultimately, it didn't look very good, nor did it taste very good. Even my camera had a hard time taking a picture of this dish. (Though it's probably my fault on the photography part)

5. Sakura Cream, Black Okinawa Sugar, Alpine Strawberry, Cherry Blossom-Yogurt Sorbet (Ramon Perez)
Mizbasho Sparkling Sake “Pure,” Gunma, Japan

Thankfully, we closed the night on a strong note with a dessert prepared by ex-Sona's Ramon Perez. The base itself was subtly sweet and delicious. The accompanied alpine strawberry was SO good, the sorbet was wonderful, and just as a whole, this dessert was truly delicious. This was my kind of dessert! The paired sparking sake was something new for me. I definitely need to get a bottle for myself.

Mignardises: Chocolates, Marshmallows, Green tea macarons (Photo Courtesy of Darin Dines)

The trio of mignardises were great, especially the green tea macaron. I just wish they served it to the tables instead of placing it at the one corner of the room.

Group Shot (Photo Courtesy of Darin Dines)

I thought the meal as a whole was very strong, even if there were a few thing I didn't particularly cared for. I do hope Chef Cimarusti would add that soy panna cotta to his tasting menu at Providence, because it was a definite hit with the most of us diners. In the end though, we have to remember this meal was more than for us to eat good food, but it was for a great cause. Bravo to all of the chefs who participated in this event!

Ibaraki Benefit Dinner at Breadbar
10250 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90067

LQ @ SK: Laurent Quenioux's New Venture at Starry Kitchen (Los Angeles)

2011-05-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Chef Laurent Quenioux at Starry Kitchen

I'd like to take a quick break from my recent Taiwan Beef Noodle Tour posts for something interesting that's coming to Downtown Los Angeles. As some of you may know, Laurent Quenioux was the former executive chef and owner of the recently shuttered Bistro LQ. What you may also know is that he's recently taken the helm of Vertical Wine Bistro in Pasadena. However, what you may not know is that Chef Quenioux will be starting a pop-up venture of his own at the Downtown eatery, Starry Kitchen. The upcoming 5 course prix fixe dinner will be priced at $45/person (excluding tax and gratuity).

Laurent at Work (Picture courtesy of DJJewelz)

I've had the privilege of dining at Bistro LQ awhile back, and even though I've yet posted that dinner due to my laziness, I was very impressed by experience there. After receiving an invitation to try his yet to be opened pop-up venture, I quickly booked a seating.

Bread Basket from Bread Lounge

At the start of our meal, we were presented with a bread basket from Bread Lounge and olive oil. Even though I was saving room for the main courses, I managed to take down two pieces of bread.

Amuse: Escamoles (Ant Eggs)

Yes, you read it right, we were first served escamoles, or ant eggs in English. Before I get the "ewww" or "that's gross" comments, you really need to try it before judging the ingredient. Personally, I'm no fan of bugs, dead or alive. However, after trying fried grasshoppers in Tijuana and also here in Los Angeles, I've became more open to them. The flavors of the ant eggs were quite subtle, as it was actually accented by the lime and cilantro flavors used in the mini "taco." We were actually also given a shot of Sapporo beer to wash everything down. I really wanted seconds of these little buggers! (Yes, that was a bit lame, LOL)

1. Oxtail compote, Pickled spring vegetables, Mustard Tapioca
(Paired with 2007 Raventos i Blanc "de Nit" Cava, Spain)

The first course was oxtail, which is one of my favorite proteins, though it does seem I have a lot of favorites. Anyways, the oxtail was cooked perfectly. Tender, flavorful, it was quite delicious by itself. Though I'm not sure if the use of the pickled vegetables were necessary for this particular dish. I was hoping for some sort of starch, like potatoes. I guess I'm just a meat and potato kinda guy.

2. Tai snapper, Citruses, Zucchini, Tomatoes, Kohlrabi, Smoked black sea salts
(Paired with 2010 Francois Chidaine Touraine Rosé, France)

Truthfully, when I first saw the menu, I wasn't too interested in this course. While I like snapper, I didn't think any of the ingredients stood out, but boy, I was mistaken. First and foremost, the snapper itself was cooked pefectly. Tender, moist, and fork tender. I really liked the uses of the lime and tangerines in this dish, it provided the necessary acidity needed to go along with the fish. The smoked black salt added an interesting, and tasty component to this course. I really enjoyed this one.

3. Teriyaki rabbit albondigas, Teriyaki foie gras, Miso, Green Garlic tempura
(Paired with 2010 LIOCO Indica Rosé, California)

This was my favorite course of the night. Rabbit, foie gras, and fried vegetable tempura? Yes, please! I really enjoyed the combination of the rabbit "meatball" and the well cooked piece of foie gras. The added touch of the fried vegetable tempura and the miso sauce elevated this dish to the top. "Winner winner rabbit dinner!"

4. Veal sweetbreads, Morels, Chanterelles, Shishito peppers, Yuzu kosho
(Paired with 2000 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rosado, Spain)

It must have been my lucky night, as sweetbread was on the menu. No, this wasn't some sort of sweet fried dough. Sweetbread is usually the thymus of a calf. I liked the use of the morels and the chanterelles in this dish. The sweetbread was fried, much similar to a fried chicken, but better. I personally didn't think the use of the shishito peppers were necessary, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

5. Chocolate chipotle mousse, Lime serrano gel, Cinnamon soil
(Paired with NV Terres Dorées FRV100, France)

Ah, my arch nemesis: the fried dough, in this case, a churro was used. However, I believe the churro was quite vital in this dish. The chocolate chipotle mousse was quite nice and definitely packed a punch. I needed the churro to balance the flavors out a bit. The addition of lime was quite pleasant. This dessert definitely had a Mexican influence. I quite enjoyed this dessert.

Nguyen, Owner of Starry Kitchen

In my opinion, this dinner was quite a success. Although I had an idea what to expect going into this meal, Chef Quenioux exceeded my expectations. I liked the balance of flavors in his dishes, and I enjoyed his use of various Asian and Mexican flavors to enhance his French techniques.

A few housekeeping items: While the pop-up doesn't officially start until Sunday June 5th, I was excited to try this dinner before it officially commence (though just a note, this was not a hosted meal). The planned time for this run will be for the next 3 to 6 months, from Sunday to Tuesday nights, every other week.

Although all the wine from this particular dinner was paired by Domaine LA, Starry Kitchen does not have an alcohol license, thus, there will not be any optional wine pairing offered during the course of this run. If you would like to add any type of alcoholic beverage to your meal, you'll have to do it a la Wolvesmouth or Ludobites. If you need more hints than that, please feel free to email me or contact me on Twitter. If you need more information about this upcoming pop-up, I'd recommend for you to follow Chef Quenious on twitter.

My final word of advice, since this is a limited run, seating may be limited, thus, I'd suggest for you to book your reservation ASAP!

LQ @ Starry Kitchen
350 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90071

Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup Tour Stop #2: Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodles - 台灣牛肉麵導遊之二: 老山東牛肉家常麵店 (Taipei, Taiwan)

2011-05-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodles (老山東牛肉家常麵店)

Lao Shan Dong, as the picture above shows, was established back in 1949. Located in the basement of Wan Nian Shopping Center (萬年大樓), in heart of the XiMenDing (西門盯), a popular area of Taipei, it's been under the same ownership since the very beginning. While the restaurant has been handed down through the generations, the quality of the food remained consistent. I've eaten at Lao Shan Dong as a kid growing up in Taiwan, and have continued to patron here during my yearly trips back to Taiwan. This past visit was no exception, as Lao Shan Dong is one of my family's favorite place to eat beef noodle soup in Taipei.

The Owner and Her Crew Making Dumplings

Why do we go back so often? Well, as you can see here, everything from the noodles to the dumplings are handmade. Also, the owners were originally from the ShanDong Province (山東省) much like my mom's side of the family, thus it's definitely flavors they're used to. Above, the owner (in yellow) was chatting with my mom and aunt.

Pork Gelatin - rou dong (肉凍)

This is a must order item at Lao Shan Dong. Loosely translated by me as pork gelatin, or 肉凍 in Chinese, this gelatinous' primary ingredient is pork skin. Thus, I've probably turned off most of the readers, but if you're one that enjoys pork skin, this pork gelatin is fantastic. You'll get a bit of meat, a lot of skin, and add a bit of chili paste and thick soy sauce (醬膏), it's delicious.

Beancurd - dou fu gan (涼拌豆腐乾)

This is a staple at most beef noodle soup places. You really can't go wrong with a delicious plate of beancurd to go along with a bowl of beef noodle soup.

Dumplings - Suai Jiao (水餃)

If you're eating at any Shandong-nese establishment, it's a sin by not ordering a plate of dumplings. The owner told us that they get the skin specially made by this one guy for the past forty plus years and there hasn't been a change in the family recipe since the inception of the restaurant back in 1949. The chive and pork dumplings were juicy and delicious. I'd highly recommend it.

Beef Noodle Soup - hong shao niu rou mian (紅燒牛肉麵)

The broth and the noodles were the definite stars of this bowl. The richness of the beef broth was evident and its oils were quite flagrant, yet not too intense. The noodles were of the knife cut variety, my favorite. The beef was plentiful and tender. All in all, it was just a wonderful bowl of beef noodle soup for me, and this is easily a top 3 bowl of beef noodle soup in my book. I can't wait to go back for another bowl of this stuff later on this year!

Lao Shan Dong (老山東牛肉家常麵店)

Lao Shan Dong has made a few changes since its inception back in 1949. While the restaurant has gone through a few interior makeovers, the food, thankfully, has not. My family has been eating here before I was even born. I mean, if this is a place where both my mom and I both approve of, can you pass on this? There are a lot of good stuff on the menu, but don't pass on the pork gelatin, dumplings and the beef noodle soup!

Lao Shan Dong (老山東牛肉家常麵店)

在萬年大樓地下室的老山東﹐這理的牛肉麵真的很好吃。我在看他們包餃子﹐桿麵條﹐
全部都是手工。而且假如你去老山東﹐你一定要點他們有名的肉凍。那個肉凍又Q又
爽口。冰冰涼涼的真好吃﹗它們的牛肉麵真的不賴。麵QQ的﹐牛肉湯的香也很吸引
人。我的家人在這裡已經吃了幾十年了﹐你也試試看吧﹗

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Lao Shan Dong Homemade Noodles (老山東牛肉家常麵店)
Wan Nian Shopping Center, Basement Level #15 (萬年商業大樓地下室 #15)
Xi Ning South Rd #70,Taipei, Taiwan (台北市西寧南路70號 )
Phone: (02) 2389-1216

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Taiwan Beef Noodle Soup Tour Stop #1: Unnamed Beef Noodle Soup Shop On Hen Yang Road - 台灣牛肉麵導遊之一: 衡陽路的無名牛肉麵館 (Taipei, Taiwan)

2011-05-10T00:52:00.000-07:00

Beef Noodle Soup - Niu Rou Mian (牛肉麵)

So here it goes, the start of my beef noodle soup (or as some refer to it as NRM) tour of Taiwan. Although this will only cover some of my favorites in Taipei, I'll hopefully be traveling to a few other cities in Taiwan over time and document those bowls as well.

Beef Noodle Soup on Hen Yang Road (衡陽路的無名牛肉麵館)

The first bowl of beef noodle soup is a classic, and one of my personal favorites, though it'll be a common phrase I'll be using in the coming weeks. This beef noodle soup shop lacks a signage, a name, and yet, it's always packed. Us locals often refer to this shop as the beef noodle shop on Hen Yang Road. Hen Yang Road is an area of town cluttered with bookstores, and jewelry stores. This is an area my family and I often visit to exchange US currency into the New Taiwan Dollar(NTD).

A little travel tip from me: the banks in Taiwan are truly awful in terms of exchanging US currency to NTD, and often require a 7 day hold on the funds. The airport currency exchange fronts often screw you in terms of fees and rates, thus going to a few selected jewelry shops is always the way to go! For those that are used to carrying American Express' Traveler's Cheques, a word of caution, there's only ONE place in Taipei that would do the exchange, which is at the AE's headquarters. So I digress....

Exterior of the Noodle Shop

This is the exterior of the shop. It's probably the best clue I can give you in terms of its location. Outside from its dilapidated shack in appearance, the beef noodle soup here is legit. Although the price for a bowl of beef noodle soup is a bit steep (160NTD, ~$5), it's well worth the price. What to order you may ask? You really only need to order two things here:

Rice Steamed Pork Ribs - feng zhen pai gu (粉蒸排骨)

I'm not sure what's the exact English translation for 粉蒸排骨 (feng zhen pai gu), but I'll call it rice steamed pork ribs. This small bamboo steamer contains sweet potatoes, pork ribs which were covered in this seasoned rice mix that's used for steaming. The end result was this perfectly cooked pork ribs with a delicious Chinese five spice flavor. It's quite tasty and a must order item here.

Beef Noodle Soup - Hong Shao Niu Rou Mian (紅燒牛肉麵)

Now for the main event, the stewed beef noodle soup (紅燒牛肉麵). Even though a clear beef noodle soup was offered, don't bother with it, stick with the stewed beef noodle soup. It's their best thing there. I'll admit, the soup itself was quite oily, loaded full of beef's delicious oil and flavor, it could be a bit too much for some. For me, it's perfect. The flavors of the broth was intense, flavorful, and all around fantastic. The beef was cooked tender, and just the perfect amount reside in the bowl. The noodles themselves weren't my favorites, but worked well with this broth. And of course, no Taiwanese beef noodle soup is the same without some mustard greens on top. I usually add the mustard greens quite liberally as I enjoy the sour flavors added to the beef noodle soup. For me, no trip back home to Taipei is the same without stopping by here for a bowl of stewed beef noodle soup. There has to be a reason why this shop is older than I am, it's really quite good!

Rating: 4 out of 5

這家衡陽路的無名牛肉麵館是我從小吃到大的麵館。在滿街上的書店和珠寶店之下﹐
藏著大家都認識的衡陽路牛肉麵館。我每次都必需點一碗紅燒牛肉麵和一籠粉蒸排
骨。他們的粉蒸排骨又香又嫩﹐真的太好吃了﹗雖然我媽認為他們的牛肉麵太油了﹐
我就是喜歡牛油的味道。牛油的香度實在是太贊了。雖然店裡常是人擠人﹐我每次
回台灣一定要吃一碗衡陽路的牛肉麵﹗你也應該吃一碗吧﹖

Welcome To Taiwan (歡迎參觀台灣)

2011-05-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂)

Over the next few weeks, I'll be writing about my trip back to my birth country of Taiwan. Even though the trip occurred last fall, Taiwan is a place I'd visit at least once or twice a year, easily making it my second home. I love the culture, people, shopping, and of course, the food there. Although this recent trip was more for a family matter, thus a lack of pictures than usual, I hope to add more to this section on my upcoming Asia trip this fall.

Taiwanese Breakfast (臺式早餐)

After landing at CKS International Airport at 6AM in the morning, the only thing that was on my mind was getting some food in my stomach. After being picked up at the airport by my friends Roxy and her husband Dennis, we stopped by their house in Linkou (林口區), which is in the Taipei district. Along the way, picked up some Taiwanese breakfast. Since I had a meal with my relatives in a few hours, I had to make it light.

Sweet Soy Milk - dou jian (甜豆漿)

Chinese Donut wrapped with Egg Pancake - you tiao bao dan bing (油條包蛋餅)

Nothing says welcome to Taiwan to me than some Chinese donut, egg pancake and soymilk. This is a total #winning in my book. Now, those that knows me probably knows I dislike fried dough, well, I usually make an exception with Chinese donuts (油條). Bias yes, but I grew up with this stuff when I lived in Taiwan. Coming up will be a series of posts about one of my favorite things to eat, Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麵), aka NRM. I look forward to writing about those places.

台灣是我的寶島。我希望在這幾個星期中可以把我去年秋天回台的旅遊記入在我的網
站裡。一大早到中正機場以後﹐我第一個想到的就是吃的。還好我的朋友們家玉還
有她的先生葉蛋蛋從機場就帶我去吃早點。油條包蛋餅和豆漿。真的超贊的﹗

從下一個作文開始我會開始寫我超喜歡的牛肉麵。希望大家會繼續的讀。謝謝

LA Market by Kerry Simon - Hell's Kitchen Winner Chef Nona Sivley At The Helm (Los Angeles)

2011-05-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

LA Market by Kerry Simon

Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen was a show I followed fairly closely in its earlier seasons. Even though I haven't been keeping track of the show these days, when I was invited to try the new menu at LA Market, whose new Executive Chef is Chef Nona Sivley, winner of Hell's Kitchen Season 8, I was definitely intrigued. Along with Cathy, one of my favorite dining partners, we ventured to the spacious LA Market, located inside the JW Marriot in Downtown Los Angeles.

The Ox

A meal is always better with a nice cocktail. I ordered "The Ox," which is a mix of grapefruit juice and vodka. Nice and refreshing!

Bread Basket

The bread basket was the usual fare, though the breadsticks were quite delicious.

Seared Shishito Peppers - sea salt, chili, lime

This was something I'm pretty familiar with. It's tasty, and fairly mild. Personally, you can't go wrong with a plate of shishito peppers, though I've seen this offered quite often in menus around Los Angeles.

Tuna Dynamite

Of the two appetizers, I liked this one the most. I enjoyed the sweet crab and sushi rice. Although this is considered "Asian Fusion," I can dig this anyday!

Veal and Ricotta Meatballs - polenta

Who here doesn't like meatballs? The combination of veal and ricotta served onto a bed of creamy polenta, although unspectacular, it was tasty nevertheless. I think I ate at least 3 of those balls.

Gnocchi in Cream Sauce with Lump Crab and Lemon Zest

A recent addition by Chef Sivley, this was one of my favorites of the night. The pillowy gnocchi meshed quite well with the sweet lump crab meat. The lemon zest added a nice flavor to the dish.

Handmade Papperdelle with Tomatoes, Artichokes, and Fresh Basil

Another new dish on Chef Sivley's menu was the papperdelle pasta. It was light and quite delicious. I think I had to battle Cathy for seconds and thirds with this one. A definite winner for the evening.

"The Meatloaf"

Since we were at Chef Simon's restaurant, we figured it was appropriate to order some of his staples. Recommended by the server of his meatloaf, we went with her recommendation. The meatloaf itself was tasty, but it was a bit too dense for my liking. That said, I can see why it's one the staples on the menu. The flavors were definitely quite good and it's hard to turn down the homey goodness of a meatloaf.

Bricked Organic Chicken

The last savory course was the bricked organic chicken. After reading about it on Diana's post, I knew I had to try it. The chicken arrived juicy and flavorful. The crispy skin was a definite plus. Though, it wasn't the best chicken I've had, it was definitely an entrée worth ordering.

Junk Food Platter

Onward to dessert. We went with two of Chef Simon's selections on the menu. The first dessert was the one I've seen that was being tweeted and posted, LA Market's Junk Food Platter. I'll have to say I was a bit disappointed with the dessert. Of the selections, I only enjoyed the cotton candy and the snowball. Everything else on the platter was sadly, quite unspectacular.

Homemade S’mores with Chocolate Sauce and Caramel Ice Cream

Maybe we ordered the dessert, but this one didn't work for me either. It's rare for me to dislike dessert, but this wasn't something I'd want to eat seconds of. The ice cream was a bit melted even before I start snapping pictures, the chocolate sauce was congealed. Frankly, the best S'mores are the ones found at a campfire. This one just wasn't it.

Chef Nona Sivley (Photo Courtesy of Gastronomyblog)

Although there were a few misses during the course of the meal, I think LA Market has a lot of potential with Chef Sivley at the helm. The favorites of the night were new items that she's added over the course of the past few months and hopefully she'll do more of the same in the future. While Chef Simon's staple items were solid, the infusion of these new dishes was definitely a wise move. I hope to hear more about Chef Sivley and LA Market in the coming months. What am I going to do for the time being? I think I'll be following Hell's Kitchen Season 9.

LA Market by Kerry Simon @ JW Marriott
900 West Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Website

Note: This was a sponsored meal

Redd - A Simple Elegant Lunch (Yountville, CA)

2011-05-02T06:20:00.000-07:00

Redd

One of the benefits of having your hometown being a 30 minutes drive to the Napa Valley is the access to all the fine dining close by. However, it's not a luxury that I've enjoyed until recently. On a recent trip up (in fact, it was my lunch before my dinner at Bottega), my friends and I decided to catch an early lunch there before going to the vineyards for wine tasting.

I loved the dining room at Redd. It's so clean and open. I wish I had taken a shot of the space. Since we knew we had a heavy dinner in a matter of hours, we decided to go light and ordered family style.

Bread Service

It's hard to go wrong with some warm crusty bread. Though I had to make sure I leave plenty of room for the dishes coming up.

Corn Soup - smoked salmon panini

As a starter, we went with a cream corn soup. The texture was smooth and creamy. It was quite delicious. The accompanied smoked salmon panini was tasty by itself and worked well with the corn soup. The soup was the definite star here. It was a bowl I wished I had all to myself.

Tasting of Cold Foie Gras Preparation - stone fruit, pistachios, brioche

This dish was recommended by Julian, though I doubt I would have bypassed anything with the words "foie gras" on the menu.The trio of foie gras were all quite nice. It was rich, but yet delicate at the same time. I'd recommend this as a starter to anyone visiting Redd. Which one was my favorite you ask? The foie gras with the pistachios was quite nice. I enjoyed the flavors of the foie gras and pistachio together.

Braised Beef Short Ribs - bacon, cipollini onions, fingerling potatoes, red wine jus

Short rib might be an ingredient that's a bit too played out these days, but that doesn't mean this dish was any less delicious. It was fork tender good. I loved the red wine jus that went with the short ribs.

John Dory - creamy jasmine rice, clams, chorizo, saffron curry nage

Even though the menu states this dish as John Dory, we were told that they were out of that particular fish, and will be replacing it with halibut (or at least I think it was halibut). Since we also enjoyed the replacement ingredient, we gave her the green light with the order. The fish was cooked nicely, tender and moist. I enjoyed the rice bathed in clams and chorizo. It was actually surprisingly light. Of the savories, this was my favorite of the day.

Crispy Duck Confit - lentils, foie gras meatballs, crispy spaetzle

Duck confit AND foie gras meatballs? Wow, on the menu it sounded like a winner to me. Although I enjoyed this duck confit, I preferred the version served at Bottega. I wished the foie gras meatball had more of a foie gras flavor to them. With that said, it's still a solid preparation of duck confit.

Mango and Coconut Sorbets - pineapple, lime granite

Now, it's onto dessert. I was actually more intrigued with the dessert menu coming in as I heard the pastry chef Nicole Plue was a recent James Beard award winner. We started off with the duo of sorbet with pineapple and lime granite. What can I say? Cool and refreshing. A much needed dessert after the savory courses.

Vanilla Bean Fontainebleu - apricot verbena ice, corn fritters

The vanilla fontainebleu was quite nice with the apricot verbena ice. It had a nice smooth yogurt texture to it. I'm not sure if the corn fritters were necessary, though since I'm not too keen on fried desserts, it might be more of a bias on my part. Though, with that said, I liked this.

Butterscotch Sundae - vanilla rum ice cream, salted butter galette

Let's close this post on the best thing I had at Redd on that particular afternoon, the butterscotch sundae. I had thought the butterscotch budino at Mozza was good, but this one beats it. I loved the sweet and salty flavors, the texture of the caramel corn, the cool vanilla ice cream. The dessert was clean, simple, and left a great impression for me at the end of our meal.

Redd

Everything about Redd just screams simple and clean, yet it's quite elegant. The food and service was great, and the space itself I adored. Whether eating indoors or outdoor at its patio, Redd is definitely a restaurant that should not be missed if you find yourself in the Napa Valley. Unlike some of its neighboring restaurants, the price point is fair and it menu is accessible to most of the general public. I can't wait to make a return visit back to Redd. Until then, it's off to the vineyards!

Redd
6480 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599-1294
(707) 944-2222
Website

Bottega - Because A Return Visit Was Necessary (Yountville, CA)

2011-04-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

Bottega

About a year ago, while I was looking for an upgrade for my dSLR, Cathy of Gastronomyblog told me to wait until I had posted 100 reviews on my blog. Why 100 you ask? Since I was a slacker (and still is one) with my blogging, she figured setting a goal would get me to post more. Well....here it is, number 100. There's not a better place for number 100 than to revisit one of my favorite meals in 2010, Michael Chiarello's Bottega in Yountville.

Cocktails

Since my friends and I had a day of wine tasting, we decided to change it up a bit have start the meal with some cocktails. It's not the best I've had (Milk and Honey in NYC is my favorite), but these were still some refreshing concoctions.

Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad - marcona almonds, sieved egg, pecorino and whole citrus vinaigrette

For fans of the Top Chef series, this was one of the dishes Chef Chiarello made on Top Chef Masters Season 1. As a fan of brussel sprouts, I natually had to order this dish. I enjoyed the texture of this salad with the brussel sprouts and the marcona almonds, it provided a nice crunch. The egg and the citrus vinaigrette provided a nice creamy and acidic touches needed to complete the salad. Very nice.

Polenta Under Glass - caramelized wild mushrooms, balsamic game sauce

A favorite from the last visit, and as I said from the last post, I'd order it again. Nothing new to report other than I think I enjoyed it better this time as it was not as salty as I had remembered. Polenta and mushroom? Yes please!

"Bacon and Eggs" - Pork Belly and Crispy Fried Soft Boiled Egg (Photo courtesy of loreleyheart)

Next up was the dish I saw on Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," Chiarello's "Bacon and Eggs." But honestly, how could anyone pass up pork belly with a sugar brûléed top and a soft boiled egg that's battered in panko and deep fried to perfection? Was it good? Ya, it's was pretty damn good. The only thing missing were the roasted peppers from the dish I saw on the show, but really, I wasn't missing it. If you see this on the menu, order it. On the previous visit, we had a similar dish called "Green Eggs and Ham." That was a tasty dish, but this one was much, much better!

Truffled Fries (Photo courtesy of loreleyheart)

Another item we had from the last visit, the truffled fries. For those that love truffle flavor things, order it. For those that just like fries, order it. Hell, just order the damn thing. That is all.

Risotto del Giorno (Risotto of the Day)

This was probably the one dish of the night we weren't too crazy about. I really enjoyed the risotto from Bottega from the last visit and knew I had to order the daily risotto special. Originally we were told it was going to be a seafood risotto, then was informed they ran out of the fish and had to switch it to a ham (I believe?) version. While the texture of the rice was fine, I found the dish to be too salty and the ham version wasn't all that exciting. While I'll still order the risotto of the day here, I might be a bit more mindful of the ingredient used on that particular day.

Hand-cut egg linguine with Manilla clams, Calabrese sausage, garlic, basil, parsley, and white wine (Photo courtesy of loreleyheart)

Since the pasta dishes were the hit of the table last time, we had to get some this time around. We started with the hand cut linguine with clams and Calabrese sausage. Now this was a beautiful bowl of pasta. I loved the flavors of the clams and sausages together. This was truly delicious. I gotta give thanks to my buddy Benny for taking some of those shots as his food pics are much more kick ass than mine.

House-made egg pappardelle with veal, pork, porcini mushroom Bolognese, Sweet 100 tomatoes, rosemary and parmigiano

This was another delicious plate of pasta. I loved the meat ragu made from veal and pork. The pappardelle was just perfect. You can't really ask for anything better than found on this plate.

Confit of Half Duck - mostarda di frutta, Forni Brown greens, pomegranate salad, red wine duck jus

I tell everyone that goes to Bottega to order their duck confit. Why do I do it? Well, for one, I love duck, it's a truly remarkable animal. However, the duck confit here is, pardon my French, fucking delicious! Go order it! See, she did, umm, and I think she'll do it next time. Trust the Panda on this one. If you don't like it, I'll pay for it (BTW, I'm joking).

Twice Cooked Natural Pork Chop - bacon wrapped tomatoes

This was a nicely cooked pork chop and I especially like the bacon wrapped product on top, though you can't go wrong with bacon, ever. However, the duck was better. Hey, I'm just honest.

Smoked and Braised Natural Short Ribs - preserved Meyer-lemon spinach, smokey jus

It's true short ribs is a bit played out in the past few years, but I do enjoy eating it. This particular short rib was quite nice and juicy. I especially enjoyed the side of spinach with preserved meyer lemon. All in all, a fantastic ending to the meal.

End of the meal? Where's the dessert you ask. Well, even though the popular theory states: there's always room for dessert. After 4 appetizers, 3 pastas, 3 main courses for a group of three, we simply could not taken in another bite of food.

Overall, the return visit to Bottega was successful. While I enjoyed the first visit more, the second visit was still wonderful. Chef Michael Chiarello still patrolled the dining room and kitchen like the last visit and the meal as whole was terrific. I'd recommend Bottega wholeheartedly to anyone that's planning to visit the Napa Valley area. Again, order the damn duck. Thanks!

Oh, and back to the camera story. I'm still using my original Canon (Go Canon!) XSi, but since I have the green light to upgrade, it's time to start looking again. Thanks again for all the inspiration and keeping my blog alive and kicking Cathy!

Bottega Ristorante
6525 Washington Street
Yountville, CA 94599-1300
(707) 945-1050
Website

Wakuriya - A Hidden Gem In San Mateo (San Mateo, CA)

2011-04-25T06:25:00.000-07:00

Wakuriya

These days, I'm pretty excited in going back home to Northern California. One of the reason is the fact I have a great group of dining buddies to eat with. On a recent visit back, I was assigned the task of finding a restaurant in the area. Although given a virtual carte blanche, since this was a Sunday night, I was limited in terms of selections. I was suggested Wakuriya by Gourmet Pigs, and although I love Japanese food, I had my doubts at first. However, after reading her review, those doubts were quickly put aside. Did she give me a good recommendation? We shall see....

Complimentary Drink: White Grape and Nagomi Sake

After given a warm towel and the day's menu, we were also given a shot of a complimentary white grape and Nagomi sake. Refreshing and fruity. Delicious.

1. Sakizuke: Homemade yaki goma dofu (oven-grilled sesame tofu with wasabi sizzling in dashi broth on a hot iron pan)

I really enjoyed the sesame tofu sizzling in the pan. The tofu itself had a subtle, yet apparent sesame taste. The wasabi provided a nice kick to this dish.

2. Zensai: Assorted Appetizers (From Left:
braised "kamo" (duck) - negi miso sauce with "komatsu-na" (Japanese mustard spinach) salad.
"renkon manjyu" with fresh uni topping
seared Hokkaido "hotate" grape and daikon sauce)

Next came the trio of appetizers. I would have to say the duck was my favorite of the trio. I really enjoyed the texture and flavors of the duck. Also, the lotus root cake with uni was quite nice, though I'm a big fan of uni in general. The sweetness from the grapes actually went pretty well with the seared scallop. All in all, a successful trio.

3. Mushi Mono: Tai to kabura no konabe jitate (snapper and "kabura" (turnip), sun smiling valley farms shimeji mushroom, vegetable and clear noodles with "tororo-kombu" (shredded kelp) steamed in tiny clay pot)

Now this was very nice, especially for a chilly Fall evening when I had my meal at Warikuya. The snapper, mushrooms, turnip, and vegetables all combined into a fantastic kelp based broth. The only thing I was upset about was that I didn't get a bigger pot of this dish.

4. Tasukuri: Today Chef's Choice Sashimi (tosa shoyu (bonito soy sauce))

Sashimi, it's one of my favorites, especially a nice fatty cut of toro like the one pictured above. All the fish we tasted were fresh and quite delicious, but the toro was definitely my favorite!

5. Age Mono: Ebi shinjo no nasu hasami-age (deep fried shrimp cake sandwiched between sliced Japanese eggplant. Vegetable Tempura)

Another one of my favorites is the tempura. Unlike the usual sweet potato and shrimp, here we have an eggplant sandwich, with shrimp cake in the middle of the eggplant.The batter to the tempura was surprisingly light, and with the dipping sauce, it was quite pleasant to eat.

6. Hashiyasume: Gelée (fresh tomato extract sorbet and "shiso" sorbet)

This was just what we needed, a palate cleanser. I enjoyed the tart flavor of the tomato sorbet and the strong shiso flavor of the second sorbet. The shiso and tomato marriage was perfect!

7. On Mono: Washugyu no Sukiyaki (simmered washu beef, vegetables and tofu in tomato flavored sweet soy sauce served with soft boiled quail egg in "me-nabe" (eye shaped iron pan))

Delicious tender washu beef. Soft tofu. Soft poached quail egg. All bathed in a tomato based soy sauce. Tell me if that sounds good. Ya, it was damn good! The best part was breaking the yolk in the pan and the creamy flavors accented the overall dish. This was pretty fantastic.

8a. Gohan Mono: Tai Chazuke (tai snapper with sesame sauce over rice in dashi broth)

Next, we had a choice of rice dishes to close out the savory part of the menu. Naturally we decided to share both choices. First, I had the tai chazuke. Chazuke has always been something I enjoyed making at home (from the pre packaged powder), but this was definitely a notch above what I made at home. Here we have rice in a dashi broth was a tender piece of tai snapper. This was simple, yet quite delicious.

8b. Gohan Mono: Kani-tama an-kake gohan (Alaskan snow crab in egg omelet with thickened dashi sauce over rice)

The last rice dish was good, but this one was even better, at least for me. I loved the crab omelet on top of the rice with the thickened dashi broth. The sweetness of the crab meat just goes so well together with the egg. I could easily eat 2-3 bowls of this stuff.

9. Homemade Dessert: Delicate "shira-tama" mochi trio (plain, "matcha," and cocoa and fresh fruit jelly, homemade "azuki-an" (sweet red bean paste), crème anglaise)

Now, I love dessert. I think most people that knows me well, know I love anything sweet (except donuts). So this isn't a biased remark, but I personally believe this dessert was the best course of the evening. This dessert was just really really good. I absolutely the fruit jelly, the 3 different mochi "pops." That crème anglaise was just fantastic. I could not have had a better dish to end my meal with.

Wakuriya

I will have to say Wakuriya easily exceeded my expectations. The husband and wife team of Katsuhiro and Mayumi Yamasaki have made Wakuriya into one of Bay Area's best restaurants. So much so, it has earned its first Michelin Star for 2011. I'm looking forward to dining here again on my next visit to the Bay Area. Thanks for the rec GP!

Wakuriya
115 De Anza Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94402-3988
(650) 286-0410
Website

Alinea - A Truly Memorable Experience (Chicago, IL)

2011-04-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Alinea

I think for most people, vacations are meant for relaxation and to check out the local attractions, while food planning might be secondary at best. However, for me, finding the right restaurants always comes first, and everything else can take shape once I get there. As for my meal at Alinea, this was my sole reason to be in Chicago. Though, I'd learn later on, Chicago has some awesome sights and sounds, and a ton of great food to boot.

I was asked by Bonnibella if I would be interested in joining her in Chicago and to dine at Alinea. I couldn't possibly say yes, right? I mean, a trip to Chicago just for food? After thinking it over, it really wasn't such a crazy idea. Alinea was THE restaurant for me to try in the United States, plus I was in dire need of a vacation, so Hellz to the Yes, I was down.

Entrance to the dining room of Alinea

An unique entrance. It's my pathway to "The Tour." The Tour is the now extinct 26 course tasting menu Alinea once offered. I was lucky enough to try it on its last month being offered on the menu. While I normally don't do the wine pairing offered, I've heard great things about the pairing here, so I added that to my tasting menu. I'll note the wine pairing during the courses below.


Table Ornament

Is this a table ornament? I will soon find out.

1. English Pea - iberico, sherry, honeydew
(Paired with Szigeti "Cuvee Prestige" with Qhilika, elderflower, and Peychaud's)

It was cold, sweet, savory, meaty, and creamy all in one bite. What a great start!

2. Lobster - lychee, gruyere, vanilla fragrance

Think of this as a high class lobster tempura. I loved the creaminess of the gruyere cheese and the vanilla accent from the vanilla bean.

3. Yuba - shrimp, miso, togarashi

Fried shrimp and tofu skin (yuba), it reminded me the most of something you'll see at dim sum, but much more refined, of course. The sauce of miso and the Japanese 7 spice (togarashi) added a nice zip to the course.

4. Chao Tom - sugar cane, shrimp, mint

The next course was simply a piece of sugar cane, infused with the flavors of Vietnam and Thailand. The word simply probably was used too loosely by me as I was amazed they were able to get so much complex flavors out of one piece of sugar cane. You had to chew it, take in the flavors, and spit it out in a napkin provided.

5. Distillation - of Thai flavors

This glass wasn't part of my wine pairing. It was the next course. The "shot" of clear liquid had quite a multitude of flavors used in Thai cuisine. Lemongrass, peppers, etc. I've seen the course on other blogs, but it was still surprising once I had it for myself.

6. Pork Belly - curry cucumber, lime
(Paired with Abbazia di Novacella Kerner, Valle Isarco, Alto Adige 2008)

Remember that "table ornament" from earlier? Well, that was actually rice paper for wrapping the piping hot pork belly served tableside. The toppings included things like basil seeds, onions, lime, hot sauce, cashews, and a few other things. This course was slightly messy as it's more of a DIY course, but I loved every bite of it. Of course, a wet towel was provided post course. I loved this course!

7. King Crab - rhubarb, lilac, fennel
(Paired with Paul Blanck Pinot Gris "Classique," Alsace 2008)

I was a bit confused at first with this course was served on such a large oval looking bowl. In addition, the top was ice cold, while the bottom was steaming hot. Something must be up.....

7a. Crab Gelatin

First, we were presented with a refreshing and delicious crab gelatin. The flavors and texture were both on point. The flavors of the basil on the bottom was quite nice.

7b. King Crab, avocado, rhubarb

The server revealed the next layer, a nice piece of king crab meat, fried avocado to give it a creamy component, and finally, rhubarb for a tart flavor. The flavors worked quite well. Delicious.

7c. King Crab Brulee

The final course was revealed and it was my favorite of the trio. It was a crab dumpling in a brulee form. Served piping hot. The only regret was that I didn't get a bigger bowl of this stuff. It was probably one of my favorite, if not THE favorite course of the night.

8. Octopus - red wine, lavender, fava bean

Tender octopus, great flavors, no complaints from me. And a big thanks for the server who I used as a hand model.

9. Lamb - reflection of elysian fields farm
(Paired with Larkin Wines "Jack Larkin" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2005)

I wish I had a better shot of this dish, my fault. What Chef Achatz was trying to do was to imitate the actual Elysian Fields Farm. The green was to represent the grass, the sauce on the bottom was meant to represent the river and so on. In terms of the flavors of the lamb, it was fantastic. It was a great touch to have all parts of the lamb used, creating a fantastic dish, covering the flavors and the looks.

10. Hot Potato - cold potato, black truffle, butter

The hot potato, cold potato dish has become one of Chef Achatz's staple dishes during the tasting at Alinea. The server told us this was a time sensitive dish, so with the pull of the pin, the butter, truffle, and the hot potato were dropped into the cold potato "soup" in the wax bowl. The temperature contrast of the potatoes was perfect. You'd get a slight burn from the hot potato, while the cold potato broth covers that heat pretty quickly. The added butter and truffle added a nice buttery and woodsy flavor to the dish. It's definitely one of my favorites of the evening.

11. Malt - english toffee, bourbon country stout, blueberry
(Paired with Vinhos Barbeito/Rare Wine Co. "Charleston Sercial" Reserve Madeira)

When presented with this dish, I was thinking the kitchen had made a mistake. Are we on our dessert courses already? Maybe this was an Intermission to the next set of savories, but the combination of textures and flavors of this was quite nice.

12. Bacon - butterscotch, apple, thyme

Another one of Chef Achatz's staples, the bacon on wires. Now, can anything go wrong with bacon? I don't think so!

13. Nutella - bread banana, chocolate

This one tastes like nutella with a hint of banana. I liked the texture, but overall, it wasn't one of my favorites.

14. Corn - crunchy, sweet, salty

This one was a one biter. I could use a bag of this stuff.

15. Surf Clam - celery, tabasco, oyster cracker
(Paired with L. Aubry Fils Brut, Jouy-Les-Reims)

We were told this was Chef Achatz's deconstruction of the classic New England Clam Chowder. Though, it's presented with the "sand," "water," and other components of a beach. The flavors were striking eerie of a bowl of clam chowder, and everything on the clam shell were edible.

16. Oxalis Pod - whipped sorrel, honey, salt

Next, another one biter. Here we have whipped sorrel, which is actually a bit fruity and tart, combined with the sweet and salty flavors from the honey and salt. It's definitely an interesting combination.

17. Salad - ranch dressing, soup, powdered
(Paired with Nicodemi Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, Italy 2008)

Next up, salad. Probably not the most exciting dish since it was mainly vegetables and powered ranch dressing, until......the bottom of the dish revealed a slightly chilled, though rich and creamy soup. It's the perfect combination of soup and salad. I was surprised the ranch soup actually tasted this good.

18. Sardine - horseradish, pepper cress, tomato

Look Ma, no hands! As you can tell from the pictures, this was a hands free course. It was definitely a fun and tasty course, though I had to make sure I don't stab myself with the contraption.

19. Squab - charred strawberries, lettuce, birch log
(Paired with Domaine des Remizieres Hermitage "Cuvee Emilie," N. Rhone 2004)

First, I loved the way it's presented. We were served the squab on a heated birch log, which gave off a great scent while I was consuming the dish. The overall taste, looks, was truly wonderful. I wish my pictures were better, as that was one delicious cooked piece of squab! This was definitely was one of my favorites.

20. Black Truffle - explosion, romaine, parmean

Can I say, OMG? Wow! The bottom of this dish was hollow, and we were instructed to take this down in one bite as well. The liquefied truffle center was truly something. I can see why this is one of Chef Achatz's signature dishes. I hope this dish remained on the menu for my hopeful return to Alinea.

21. Tournedo - a la persane
(Paired with Anima Negra "An," Mallorca, Spain 2004)

As what the name states, this piece of steak was from the leanest part of the tenderloin. In this case, the tenderloin was from an Australian Wagyu beef. This was our last savory course of the evening and what a way to end it with some wagyu beef.

22. Lemon Soda - one bite

I likened this course to be more of a subtle version of Pop Rocks. It was tart and bubbly, a perfect palate cleanser.

23. Transparency - of raspberry, yogurt
(Paired with Elio Perrone "Bigaro," Piemonte 2009)

One thing I've yet mentioned was my wine pairing throughout this meal. The wine selections by our Sommelier (who was from South Pasadena and worked previously at French Laundry) was wonderful, but this pairing in particular was my favorite of the night. The sparkling rose was fruity and delicious, which meshed well with this course. In fact, it was too pretty to be eaten at first. It was definitely aesthetically pleasing.

24. Bubble Gum - long pepper, hibiscus, creme fraiche

This definitely tasted like bubble gum. I don't know the combination of hibiscus, tapioca, creme fraiche, and long pepper could produce such a flavor, but it worked!

25. Earl Grey - lemon, pine nut, caramelized white chocolate
(Paired with De Bortoli "Noble One," New South Wales, Australia 2006)

First, the course was served upon a pillow that was inflated with a vanilla scent which deflated during the course of the dessert while giving off a pleasant vanilla scent. The chocolate and lemon flavors surprisingly worked well together, but the best part of the dish was the varying textures on the plate.

26. Chocolate - coconut, menthol, hyssop
(Paired with Ferreira "Duque de Braganca," 20 year Tawny Port)

At this point, we've reached the last course of the meal. Our table was covered with a special (rubber material I believe) table cloth, and by our surprise, Chef Grant Achatz personally made our dessert tableside. You can check out the video shot by Bonnibella below:

First, we were definitely surprised to see him make this for us tableside since he didn't come out for any of the surrounding tables. Also, we were told this was meant to serve four people, so they knew we had some hearty appetite. Overall, I enjoyed the textures, flavors, temperature contrast of this dessert. I was slightly surprised with the liberal use of coconut milk and the menthol. The menthol and chocolate mix was reminded me of a strong version of an Andes chocolate bar.

Did we finish? Do you really have to ask?

So what do I really think of this meal? Now, I'm not one that believes in a life altering meal, but if I did, this would definitely be one of them. Alinea for me lived up to all the hype, to all the blog posts I've read over time, my main reason visiting Chicago, and then some. This was definitely a memorable meal. From the start, the food was excellent, and fun. The service was beyond exceptional (Thanks for the signed menus and the last dessert course BTW), the courses were well paced, the wine pairing was lovely (a must for anyone visiting Alinea), it was truly a great experience for me. Now, I'd never thought there would be a meal that's better than my experience at Urasawa, but if that was tops, then Alinea would easily be an 1a. for me. You may have guessed, but I'm already planning for a return trip to Chicago, and you can bet Alinea (along with Grant Achatz's newest ventures of Next and Aviary) will be atop my dining agenda. I can see why this is the #1 ranked restaurant in North America. Easily, it was the best meal for me in 2010.

Thanks again to my dining partner in crime, Bonnibella, and of course, for setting this experience up for me.

To end it post, I want to share this video of Alinea:

Alinea
1723 N Halsted St
Chicago, Illinois 60614
(312) 867-0110
Website

RA Sushi - Sushi For The Non-Traditional Crowd (Tustin, CA)

2011-04-15T06:14:00.000-07:00

RA Sushi

I love sushi. Whether it's sushi at a place like Urasawa or the all you can eat sushi variety, I'll probably eat it. Though, with that said, I would probably steer away from the latter option now. Back when I was an undergrad at UC Davis, my buddies and I loved dining at the ever popular (popular in Davis at least) Fuji's all you can eat sushi buffet. Hey, at $8 for lunch (circa 2000) it was a steal. Now at $15, not so much. Those days are history, as sushi dining for me has become an enjoyment, not a gluttonous feast.

For the most part, I prefer traditional nigiri sushi and sashimi from the freshest fishes around the world. However, there are those times when I would want to just eat a spider roll and drink some sake bombs, and this is where RA Sushi comes in. I was recently invited to try RA Sushi's new menu.

Edamame

You really can't go wrong with a bowl of edamame.

Ginger Blossom - Hendrick's Gin, St. Germain, muddled strawberry, pink grapefruit juice, lime juice, ginger ale

Dragon Bite - Bacardi Dragonberry, strawberry puree, fresh lemon juice, Japanese yuzu, splash of soda

To get the meal started off on the right foot, my dining companion and I ordered a round of cocktails. While the drinks may look similar, they had a distinctly different flavors from the fruit and liqueur used. Both were quite delicious and fruity. No complaints from me there.

Otoko Salad - grilled chicken or beef tossed in a spicy yuzu dressing with grilled red green bell peppers, onions, asparagus; served over a bed of mixed greens in a rice wine vinaigrette and topped with watercress, fried ramen noodles

The otoko salad was first served to us. Since it was a tasting, we were given both the chicken and the beef in the salad. I will have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this salad. The flavors and the textures were on point. Both the beef and the chicken were good options for this salad.

Shishito Peppers - shishito peppers sauteed in an Asian seasoning

Even though shishito peppers is being played out as bit too much these days, I still enjoy eating them.

Sushi Plate

Vegetable Tempura Roll - lightly battered asparagus, sweet potato, Japanese eggplant rolled and topped with colorful crunchy tempura bits; drizzled with a sweet eel sauce.

Pacific Roll - a spicy mix of albacore, cilantro, jalapeno, and cucumber rolled and topped with fresh avocado, mango salsa; finished with red beet tempura bits, and sauteed cashew nuts


"RA" ckin' Roll - kani kama crab and cream cheese rolled in rice and seaweed, lightly battered and topped with guacamole and "RA" ckin' shrimp; finished with a creamy ginger teriyaki dipping sauce, red beet tempura bits and togarashi

Tropical Roll - cucumber, mango and avocado rolled and topped with spinach tempura bits, spicy shrimp mixed with masago and mango salsa

Mango Salsa

The sushi plate is exactly how I had imagined and were quite tasty in their own ways. Sure, these were of the "Asian-Fusion," sushi varieties, but sometimes fried soft shell crabs and avocado hits the spot. Of the 4 served, my favorite was the "RA" ckin' Roll. I enjoyed the flavors of the crab and avocado, and again, sometimes the fried component makes it so much better!

Red Lotus - Absolut Ruby Red vodka, X-Rated Liqueur, pink grapefruit and other fresh juices

Emperor's Cucumberita - Patron Silver and Citronge shaken w/ fresh lime juice, Yuzu sour and fresh cucumber slice

A second round of cocktails were ordered and I was pleasantly surprised with the Emperor's Cucumberita. Originally, I figured I'd like the Red Lotus more based on the ingredients, but I really enjoyed the mix of tequila, lime, and cucumber.

Lobster with Garlic Snap Peas - lobster sauteed with garlic, sugar snap peas and shitake mushrooms in an Asian seasoning; served with steam rice

This was probably the most disappointing dish of the day. I wasn't able to get the taste of the shitake mushrooms, in fact, it was ground up somewhere in the dish. Also, I wasn't able to taste the sweetness of the lobster, which was sadly smaller than most of the shrimp I've encountered. The overall flavors were okay, but I was expecting more out of this one.

Sweet Mochi - Mochi Ice Cream served with sliced kiwi and strawberries

This is the typical mochi ice cream you'll find in most stores, even at Costco. No description is really needed here.

All in all, I was actually pleasantly surprised with my meal here. Although the main course and dessert were slightly disappointing, I enjoyed the salad and the sushi course. RA Sushi is probably not the best place for sushi snobs or people that are looking for traditional sushi fare. However, if your goal is to eat sushi rolls and drink beer or sake while catching the latest sports game on television, RA Sushi could be your destination.

RA Sushi - Tustin
2401 Park Avenue
Tustin, CA 92782
(714) 566-1700
Website

Note: This was a sponsored meal

Rivera - Fine Latin Dining Experience In The Heart of Downtown Los Angeles (Los Angeles)

2011-04-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Rivera

Backlogs, queues, however you refer it, I have a backlog problem for my blog. Thankfully, with good pictures and occasional note taking, it has allowed me remember most of my meals. As I was going through my old food pictures, I came across my dinner at Rivera back on Thanksgiving of 2009. With Chef John Rivera Sedlar as one of the chefs on tonight's season premier of Top Chef Masters season 3, I figured it's as good time as any to post this. Since this dinner was almost a year and half ago, I'll go with the ever popular picture post.

piquillo relleno - Stuffed spanish pepper, chorizo, gruyere, jerez, avocado oil

caballito de sopas dobles - Two latin soups, different flavors, different temperatures

Usually two soups are served, but on this particular night, the soup that was brought out was the butternut squash. I would have to say, it was fantastic!


tortillas florales - Housemade Nixtimal Tortillas, "Indian Butter"

This is one of the must order items at Rivera.

conchas - Oysters of the day, cucumber caviar, mezcal

patates xips - Caviar, chipotle-lime crema, kennebec potato chips

You really can't go wrong with caviar.

melon de mar - Poached maine lobster, compressed melon, chile verde gelee

arabesque - Scallops, eggplant, preserved lemon

duck enfrijolada - Goat cheese, stacked blue-corn tortillas, black bean puree, chile rioja sauce

trucha - Tasmanian sea trout, saffron quinoa, yellow gazpacho sauce

maya puerco pibil sous vide - Banana leaf braised pork shoulder, peruvian potatoes

pomegranate

Palate cleanser. It's time for dessert!

baba cachaca - Citrus, dulce de leche

bizcocho de avellana - Hazelnut-chocolate sponge with orange-cava sorbet

torta xocolata - Chocolate torte, drunken pineapple

Now, this is Rivera, how can I forget about the cocktails here? Even if you're not hungry, Rivera is one of the best cocktails bars in all of Los Angeles.

Tony Manzana

This is easily one of my favorite cocktails. As what many have said, it's an "adult apple juice."

Tejocotes

Blood Sugar Sex Magic

Blood Sugar Sex Magic is probably my favorite cocktail here in Los Angeles. With ingredients like basil and whiskey, those are not typically my favorites, but for some reason, it just works.

Trio of Infused Tequila

La Bamba

With the meal complete, Chef Sedlar invited us for a tour of the kitchen and along the way, he showed us the use of the famous stencils that appears on the plates of most dishes at Rivera.

Step by Step Process

Even though it's been awhile since this meal, I definitely remember this being a fantastic dinner. Great food, drinks, and vibe, what's better than that? Good luck Chef Sedlar, I'll be rooting for you on Top Chef Masters!

Me and Chef Sedlar

Rivera Restaurant
1050 South Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
(213) 749-1460
Website

The Breslin - A Rare "Meh" In The Big Apple (New York City)

2011-04-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Breslin

I think by now, most people have assumed I'm a NYC based blogger or just really love the Big Apple. While I'd love to be living in NYC, the latter is more appropriate at this time. The city itself, the nightlife, the cocktail bars, and of course, the food scene here is truly out of this world. During my trips to NYC in the past few years, I've rarely had an average meal. Well.....probably except for just one.


April Bloomfield Running the Line

The brunch at The Breslin came about after the failed dinner attempt at The Spotted Pig a few nights prior, and after hearing many great things about Chef Bloomfield, I knew I had to try The Breslin.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Spiced Chili Pecan Butter

The pancakes were fine, but I wasn't feeling the Chili Pecan Butter. Next!

Fried Peanut and Banana Sandwich with Bourbon and Vanilla

This was one thing I didn't try, but from what I remembered, the person that ordered it wasn't in love with the dish either.

Chargrilled Skirt Steak with Green Sauce and Fried Eggs

This was probably my favorite dish of the meal. Though it would have to be a total fail for them to make me hate steak and eggs. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare and remained juicy and tender. The eggs were cooked perfectly over easy.

Warm Smoked Salmon with Bacon, Chives, and Garlic Butter Sauce

While I thought this was a good dish, it really wasn't anything special. I was hoping the garlic butter sauce would add something to the smoked salmon. It really didn't do it for me.

Chargrilled Lamb Burger w/Cumin Mayo and Thrice Cooked Chips

Now, to the MAIN reason I think most of us came to The Breslin,the lamb burger. I have to say I'm a burger fan. From the time I was 4 years old eating my Happy Meals from McDonald's in the mean streets of Taipei, to trying some of those "hood" burgers in the streets of Inglewood and Compton (Which BTW, are fantastic! Heart attack inducing yes, but fucking fantastic nevertheless), there's really nothing better than a juicy burger cooked medium rare. Now, I hope I came on an off day or something, because the lamb burger just wasn't very good. None of us really cared for it. The lamb patty was fairly dry and bland. Sadly, the thrice cooked chips were the best thing on the plate.

House Made Sausages

House Cured Bacon

Bean in Pork Fat

Above were three of the sides ordered. The sides themselves were fine. Standard meaty goodness, though again, it wasn't anything special enough I had to come back and eat again.

While I might be harsh in my review, my meal at The Breslin was easily the most disappointing to date during my trips to New York City. While I haven't tried the regular lunch or dinner menu at The Breslin, with all the fine dining establishments in the Big Apple, I'd be lying if I said I'm planning to go back and try it again. After the initial disappointment of not making it to Spotted Pig, maybe it was actually a blessing in disguise.

The Breslin @ The Ace Hotel
16 W 29th St
New York, NY 10001
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