Tag archives for food

An Unusual Dining Experience: Museum & Aquarium Edition

By | Published October 30, 2012

4th grade field trip meets glutton’s heaven!

That’s the 2012 Foodbuzz Blogger Festival Saturday Dinner Gala in seven words. San Franciscans, if you’ve never dropped by The California Academy of Science Nightlife then you should. Saying hi to Claude the albino crocodile or watching star fish cuddle each other can become pretty exciting stuff with a glass of wine in hand. Dinner at the museum is unfortunately only available for private events. For more info on what I call cultured and educational drinking on Thursday nights, check out the museum + aquarium’s website here.

This year’s Foodbuzz “Treat Yo Self” Blogger Festival kicked off at the Starlight Room on Friday, followed by dinner at a restaurant in San Francisco of our own choice (we were each given a $50 stipend for dinner). Our group of fab bloggers landed at Jardiniere, a French restaurant located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood. I highly recommend the diver scallops, risotto and pasta dishes there. The service there is also excellent. I loved our waiters! Sadly, the fish and meat dishes they served were overcooked and left much to be desired.

Saturday was a blur of continuous eating, starting off with a factory tour at the Tcho Chocolate Factory in the morning. After consuming copious amounts of chocolate and feeling a bit intoxicated breathing in cocoa fumes for two hours, I pushed on at the Taste Pavilion where samples of food ranging from Three Brothers Ice Cream to Alaskan crab cakes were given out. After each gaining 20 pounds over the course of two days, we closed out the eating spree with the dinner gala at the California Academy of Science.

Oh, and the price for all of this? Grand whopping total of $30! Thanks DailybuzzFood.com!

Starlight Room: Roasted Beet Salad with Red Beet Paint, Roasted Piquillo Pepper, Marinated Cucumbers, Oranges, Carrot Ribbons, Micro Cilantro, Lemon Oil, Chopped Chives, and Sea Salt.

Starlight Room: Braised Wagyu Short Rib Stuffed Mushroom with Pickled Red Onion, and Ricotta Salata.

Jardiniere: Local White Sea Bass with Tomatoes and Shelling Bean Stew

Jardiniere: Braised Short Rib with Marrow Gremolata, and Consomme

Jardiniere: Duck Breast and Duck Confit with Turnips and Smoked Apple Puree

Click here to read the entire post and see more pictures from the weekend!

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The White Picnic

By | Published July 24, 2012

There are picnics, and then there are magnificent picnics.

Every year, thousands of Parisians dressed in white converge for a secret event called the Diner en Blanc, the dinner in white. It is neither publicly advertised nor heralded, an exclusive invite-only flash mob, at which friends invite their own trusted friends. Nobody is sure who decides, year in and year out, which people are invited to create tables for the evening. Last year, 4,400 of them gathered in the plaza at the cathedral of Notre Dame, and the year before at the courtyard of Louvre. (NYtimes article here).

The whole idea just sounds positively dreamy. Could Parisians get anymore romantic?!

After months of obsessive daydreaming, I became convinced that I needed to host my very own le pique-nique blanc, albeit with a guest list limited to 15. After some initial planning, my day dreams soon turned into nightmares filled with never ending yards of white cloth. I can now say that I know what it feels like to be a bridezilla planning a wedding, except I was the bride, the maid of honor, the cook, the flower girl, and the wedding planner all rolled up into one. My poor friend Jen was dragged along for a whole 6 hours of shopping and 3 hours of cooking! Thank you, Jen!

On the Menu:
- Mac & Cheese cups
- Jello Shots on Lemon Peels
- Mimosas
- Raisin rosemary crisps + cambozola triple cream blue cheese + salami
- Deviled eggs
- Mango Salad
- Salami Mozzarella Basil Sandwiches
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin
- Brownies

Wearing white and carrying bouquets of flowers definitely attracted some curious stares, but to quote Casey, “there’s always someone weirder than you in San Francisco.” To which I whole-heartedly agree and soon tossed all self-consciousness aside.

Riding the carousel in Golden Gate Park was definitely not part of the plan, but as soon our party got tipped off about this hidden little gem, we immediately packed up and headed over to have some fun. I thought my ride on the carousel was quite appropriate. It was the perfectly adorable end to a very cute-astic day. Meow. ;)

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Bastille Day: Bonjour Sausalito!

By | Published July 17, 2012

Oui, oui, oui! It was Bastille Day this past weekend! With the fog rolling relentlessly into the city, my friend Daphne and I decided to escape to Sausalito to catch some rays and eat a “French” brunch at Le Garage. Although the slices of roast duck on top of my eggs benedict tasted more like an accident than a deliberate combination, Le Garage at least got le egg yolks right. Poking a runny egg with a fork and watching the juices ooze out feels just as good as how the phrase “je ne sais pas” rolls across my tongue.

I usually don’t give a rat’s butt about cars, but these were just screaming “Instagram me!” I especially adored the older gentlemen who owns the red Jaguar. He showed that pretty little thing off like none other. We saw it parked at multiple locations in town over the course of an hour. Daphne and I would walk a couple of steps, stop in a store, come back out and the car would magically appear on curb again as if it were stalking us. We saw him discreetly watching people admire his baby from the sidelines a few times. I don’t blame him, I’d do the same thing if I had a sweet ride.One of the best parts of the day was stumbling upon the Sausalito Farmer’s Market. Some of of my favorite foods that I sampled were:

  1. Organic Purple Cherokee Tomatoes – These taste great chopped up with a dash of salt, olive oil and fresh basil leaves.
  2. Yellow nectarines – Sweet and at $2/lb, they were not overpriced like the ones you find at farmer’s markets in the city.
  3. Baklava – Positively delightful. The filo dough was crispy and the chopped nuts inside were chewy and not overly sweet. There was also a strong hint of cinnamon that I don’t think I’ve usually detected in baklavas.
  4. Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Foods – The pumpkin naan is excellent. I also enjoyed the fire roasted eggplant spread and the cilantro chutney immensely.
  5. California Herbie Curd from Achadinha Cheese Company – The tie-die sticker on the lid seemed suspicious but this cheese definitely blew the other ones away at the table. A close second was the Broncha (a blend of pasteurized cultured goat and cow milk, salt, and enzymes).

Good-bye Sausalito and your tandem bikers, San Franciscan tourists, and smiling dog-walkers! I’ll be back another foggy San Franciscan day, perhaps on a bike!

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A Bangin’ Time in Bangkok & Phuket

By | Published July 6, 2012

If you haven’t figured out from the title of the post, I went to Thailand!!! The ongoing debate prior to the trip went something like this:

My friend Andrew: “Can’t wait until we get to Thailand and eat some pad thai!”

Me: “Umm, PLEASE. Paid thai is totally an American invention. Kind of like how General Tsao’s Chicken isn’t really Chinese. OBVI.” *insert plenty of eye rolls and smug know-it-all face*

FINE ANDREW FINE. I WAS WRONG OK?! We had pad thai up to our eyeballs while we were in Thailand. It was everywhere – at food courts, at fancy restaurants, on the streets – just everywhere for only $1-2 USD!

I was more than a little addicted to these chicken satay shish kabobs ($1 USD).

Quail eggs at Chatuchak Market, Bangkok ($1 USD).

Deep-fried yam balls on the streets of Bangkok ($1 USD). These bring back great childhood memories of growing up in Taiwan. I remember my babi secretly buying these for me when my stepmom, a health nut, wasn’t paying attention.

Basil chicken larb in crunchy cups at Indigo Pearl Resort, Phuket.

Ice cold drinks near The Grand Palace, Bangkok ($1 USD).

This face pretty much describes it all. Definitely a favorite! Creamy coconut icecream served in its shell on top of a cup of fresh coconut juice ($2 USD).

We didn’t forget the mango sticky rice! Another classic Thai dessert ($3 USD)!

Me: “Hey Jen, check out this picture. What do all of the objects have in common?”

Jen: “I don’t get it”

Me: *Gestures towards the lower half of my body*

Jen: “Oh god. I still don’t get it. How does the goldfish come into play?!”

So I went to a ping pong show. Was that a disapproving look? Hey, it was not an easy task for me to make something so gross look cute for my blog! Our little ping pong show experience ended up being a bit more adventurous than we bargained for. Lesson? Never follow a strange man with a flyer into a dumpy bar in a dark alley in the red light district. And no, in case you were wondering, that was not obvious to us then. We came out 20 minutes later $100 USD poorer, an exorbitant amount in Thailand considering a one hour massage costs $10 and a private one-day guided tour (driver included!) costs $70. I won’t elaborate about what happened, but if you really want to know, here’s a Wiki article that pretty much sums up our experience.Let’s move on to the three different modes of transportation in Thailand minus the standard taxi and sky train rides.

An auto rickshaw- The most exhilarating way to get around the city! A 10-20 minute ride is usually only around $2-5 USD.

Nothing screams “I’m a tourist!” more than riding elephants in Thailand. I didn’t care. My excitement was palpable as we neared the Elephant Village, located about an hour outside of Bangkok.

I was pretty sure my elephant guide had a crush on me because he let me sit on the elephant’s head. Turns out they let everyone sit on the head. Heartbreak city for me.

The long boat was considerably less exciting than the tuk tuk and the elephant ride, but it was a nice change of pace. We had the chance to relax on one of these on two separate tours. The first was a tour of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok that took us past historical monuments and various communities living on the riverbanks. The second was the Floating Market boat tour in Damnoen Saduak, also located an hour outside of Bangkok and close to the Elephant Village. I recommend this tour over the Chao Phraya River Tour.

The floating market was clearly tailored towards tourists, but we still got to enjoy a few traditional Thai dishes on our boat.

Grilled bananas ($1USD).

Papaya salad ($1USD).The biggest market in Bangkok, Chatuchak covers 35 acres and has vendors selling anything from home decor, gadgets, food, clothes, and Facebook flip flops. Imagine a maze of never ending stalls spanning over 30 football fields! I’m pretty sure I could have spent 2 days there and still not have been able to go through the whole place.

A skilled Thai iced tea maker at the market.

Anh and I were clearly more than amused by the silly Disney-themed headbands, lacy hipster glasses, and cupcake rings that we discovered at the market.

Out of control estrogen explosion! Together, we ended up buying 11 purses within our first hour at Patpong, a shopping market lined with strip clubs.

Anyone who has travelled in Asia before knows that bargaining is a way of life. The trick is to automatically slash whatever price the seller presents you on a calculator by at least 50-75%. The seller will usually try to meet you at the middle. If you simply walk away, they might even agree to sell the item to you at your desired price point despite earlier protests. For reference, a t-shirt should cost no more than $3-$8 USD, and a genuine leather purse should only cost $20-$40 USD.

We also learned that flame tests are essential in this city. Vendors will generally have a lighter handy and will be more than happy to burn a corner or edge of the purse to prove that the purse is made out of genuine leather. Artificial leather will melt or burn.The number of temples we saw in Thailand probably rivaled the number of chateaus my parents dragged my 4th grade butt to when we vacationed in Europe.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha and The Grand Palace.

Obligatory tourist jumping pics.

Temple of the Reclining Buddha.

Temple of the Golden Buddha.

The king’s portrait – a reoccurring theme in Thailand.

“Can I? Can I?!?! PWEASE PWEASE PWEASE!!”10 minutes of indecision and $3 USD later, I’m setting a few sparrows free, making a wish, and probably making this old lady’s clap with glee that she tricked yet another gullible American. I have a pretty good feeling those sparrows are going to go right back into that cage and “set free” again in a few hours.

Sprinkled with holy water and received a good luck rope bracelet ($1 USD donation).

Sprinkling each other with water from lotus flowers for good luck.Did I mention that we went to Thailand during rainy season?  We got caught in a pretty bad thunderstorm while island hopping from Phuket to Khai Island. This is what we thought we would be getting:

This is what we actually got:

But at least we got one last jumping picture!

Thanks Andrew and Anh for documenting the whole trip so I didn’t have to lug my D90 around!

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The Sushi Place with No Name

By | Published April 12, 2012

It was 6:20 PM. My friend Dave and I counted the number of people ahead of us in the line and concluded that we were definitely in the safe zone. The two behind us were also safe, but numbers 11 and 12 were not so fortunate. The owner arrived at 6:45 and turned them away. Those who were left breathed a sigh of relief and excitement started to build. We were among the ten fortunate ones that got to eat at the no name sushi place (known as Tekka on Yelp), and we were in for a treat.

Tekka is a tiny sushi place that seats 11 max in the Inner Richmond neighborhood of SF. It’s unassuming appearance and lack of signage means that it is generally overlooked unless you’re actively looking for it. Operated by a lovely elderly Japanese couple (husband wields the sushi knife and wife serves the food), it’s charm has made it’s way to an intense cult following (me included!). It is only open Monday-Friday nights and only seats 8-11 people at 7PM and again at 9:30 PM. The actual number of people seated depends on the owner’s mood. I’ve also heard that Friday nights are only open to special guests and friends. Other quaint house rules include no complaining, no forks, no soda, no to go, no “rush service,” and no teriyaki or tempura. You want good sushi? Then you play by their rules.

The atmosphere is generally playful, as this is a small place and a sense of camaraderie is usually formed among the patrons while we all watch the chef prepare our food behind the bar. The chef and his wife have a routine built in. Once we are all seated, hot towels and tea are offered. The chef pops in a recorded concert from the 80s/90s, and the wife comes around to take our orders. The menu is limited and has none of the fancy frills you find at other sushi restaurants. This is what I would expect a traditional Japanese sushi bar would be like in Japan, but what do I know? I guess I’ll find out when I go on my Tokyo trip in June.

After being seated and ordering, my friend Dave promptly began photographing everything that was going on at the sushi bar. Our fellow patrons were nice enough to humor us, and the chef didn’t seem too perturbed that some dude was taking photos like a manic paparazzi.

There is intense anticipation among the 10 patrons as we watch the chef’s slow and practiced hands slice and place our sashimi.

For around $35, the sashimi combo plate included 3 types of tuna, salmon, squid, yellow tail, mackerel, octopus, scallops, and seaweed salad.

Dave is bug-eyed at the size of the nigiri. When I told him that they would be large, he didn’t quite expect pieces of fish that were the length of his iphone and the thickness of two. I call them raw fish steaks on rice. At the price of $3.50 a piece, we could’t afford not to over-order. I can till picture how amused the the owner’s wife was at our lack of restraint when we were ordering our food.

The walls are lined with old photographs and well wishes from past patrons.

Some pro tips from me:

- Sit at the bar. This is where all the action is since you get to see the chef prepare your food.

- Talk to the veterans and the newcomers. Since space is limited, you will end up sitting really close to other patrons. The veterans who come here are usually a friendly bunch. They will give you good ordering tips and generally make for fun conversation.

- Order the Sashimi combo plate to share between 2. This is the crown jewel. Every slice is raw fish is just buttery fresh goodness. #OMGIMINHEAVEN

- Order a few pieces of nigiri. As you can see from my pictures, these are GINORMOUS.

- Order the the hamachi kama (fried yellow tail jaw) if you think your stomach can handle more food. It’s tasty and you can’t get it at every Japanese restaurant, but saving room for fresh fish is still the way to go here.

- Skip the clam miso soup (nothing special) and the rolls (not the chef’s forte, they are a bit sloppy and too mushy in my opinion)

 

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